In our fast-paced modern lives, we are increasingly encouraged to stop and focus on the present. And there are tangible advantages.Studies on the effects of mindfulness and meditation — practices that gear people’s cognitive capacities towards the present moment — have pointed to reduced stress, increased focus and less emotional reactivity.As a result, mindfulness has become a billion-dollar industry that promises to alleviate all manner of psychological ills.However, Anna-Lisa Cohen, a p ...read more
When and where did our ancestors first fashion footwear? We cannot look to physical evidence of shoes for the answer, as the perishable materials from which they were made would no longer be evident. Ichnology, the study of fossil tracks and traces, can help to answer this unresolved question through a search for clear evidence of footprints made by humans who were shod – that is, wearing some kind of foot covering.But this is no simple endeavour, as our research team from the Cape south coas ...read more
Research involving human embryos is famously difficult and fraught with ethical quandaries, but a new synthetically derived model could open new doors in the study of infertility and birth defects.The model comes from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel and follows years of research by labs around the world into producing a similar clump of cells. The team led by professor Jacob Hanna claims that their latest iteration is the most advanced so far and contains all the hallmarks of a human ...read more
Alzheimer’s takes a toll on its patients. As the disease progresses, a person’s personality deteriorates, and so, too, does their judgement, their memory, and their motor skills. But a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s dementia affects much more than the individual who is diagnosed. That’s because the disease fosters feelings of fear and loss for the family, friends, and loved ones who witness its destruction, while also causing concerns for those same individuals about their own futures with the ...read more
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has brought us marvelous images of whirlpool galaxies, supernovas and even questionable space phenomena. But building and getting the device operational was an incredible feat of science, involving hundreds of people from all around the world and three space agencies.What Is the James Webb Space Telescope? The telescope isn’t on this planet — it orbits the sun. The JWST was launched on December 25, 2021, at 7:20 a.m. EST. In total, it weighs more than 1 ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine