Doctors and the public incorrectly diagnose countless suspicious red bumps and rashes as spider bites every year.Of these, much of the blame falls on the brown recluse, a somewhat drab, venomous spider native to parts of the U.S. Yet, brown recluse bites are actually quite rare, says Rick Vetter, a retired professor of entomology at the University of California Riverside. These misdiagnoses not only unfairly demonize spiders minding their own business, but they can also distract from other seri ...read more
The Trinity Nuclear Test on 16 July 1945 is a key incident in the blockbuster Oppenheimer movie and in the history of humankind. Many scientists think it marks the beginning of the Anthropocene, a new geological era characterized by humanity’s influence on the Earth. That’s because Trinity’s radioactive fallout will forever appear in the geological record, creating a unique signature of human activity that can be precisely dated. But there’s a problem. In 1945, radioactive monitoring te ...read more
The sci-fi landscape is littered with wormholes. From Douglas Adam's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Rick and Morty to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, these theoretical constructs allow characters to zip between distant points in the universe as easy as stepping through a doorway. An Einstein-Rosen bridge is the simplest kind of wormhole. And while it can, in theory, allow you to meet a new friend from a distant part of the universe, there are some important reasons why it won’t let you tr ...read more
It hurts to know that someone you care about on the other end of a text, phone call or email has gotten your message and chosen not to reply. Whether it's a potential romantic partner, a friend or a family member, when relationships become uneven, it cuts at our very core. Being "ghosted" isn't anything new, but it's made worse in a world of instant messaging, online dating and social media. Experts say this can impact our mental health in ways we might not even realize.What Does It Mean To Be ...read more
If you've ever experienced the slobbery kisses of your furry friend or been baffled by your pup licking the carpet incessantly, you may have wondered what the meaning is behind a dog’s licks. Dogs have their own ways of interacting with the world, and licking is a multitool in their behavioral toolkit. While generally a normal dog behavior, licking can also indicate underlying health problems in your canine companion. Licking Starts at BirthFrom the time they’re born, puppies receive countle ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine
