The Milky Way may have a twin. The discovery of the most distant spiral galaxy to date may change the way we think about both the speed and process in which such systems are birthed, an international team led by the University of Geneva (UNIGE) reported in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. Astrophysicists have long thought that large spiral galaxies like the Milky Way form over several billion years in a chaotic process and initially form irregular shapes. But the James Webb Space Telesc ...read more
Sometimes a big medical problem requires a massive research effort. Scientists have done just that for osteoarthritis, a condition that could affect a billion people globally by 2050. Their enormous effort could help identify existing drugs suitable to treat arthritis, develop new ones specifically targeted to the disease, and, eventually create tailored approaches based on an individual arthritis sufferer’s genetic makeup. These three approaches are essentially at different heights on the dru ...read more
The use of e-cigarettes, also known as vaping, has only continued to increase in popularity over the years. In the U.S., e-cigarettes are the second-most common form of tobacco use. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over one million middle and high school students identify as e-cigarette users, with the percentage of adult users increasing from 4.5 percent in 2019 to 6.5 percent in 2023. When it comes to traditional “combustible” cigarettes, the health risks ...read more
Just because Homo sapiens hadn’t yet developed the SPF rating system 41,000 years ago didn’t mean that they were unaware that solar radiation could prove hazardous.H. sapiens applied some form of sunscreen, shielded themselves from UV rays with clothes, and avoided the ravages of the sun by hiding in caves, according to an article in the journal Science Advances. In fact, those strategies may have helped their populations expand throughout Europe and Asia during a time when Neanderthals, who ...read more
Crocodiles are persistent — not just in their deadly pursuit of prey, but in terms of their existence. The contemporary species hails from a 230-million-year lineage that has survived two mass extinction events.A study in the journal Palaeontology identifies flexibility as a key to their longevity. Crocodylians that survived over millions of years can eat a variety of foods and live in multiple habitats. Understanding this level of adaptability could help threatened species survive. “Extinct ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine