The United States is a volcanic country. Sure, a large swath of it east of the Rocky Mountains haven’t had an eruptions of tens to hundreds of millions years, but the western US, Alaska and Hawai’i are all full of active or potentially active volcanoes. This got me wondering what are the biggest eruptions the US has experienced and that led me down a rabbit hole considering what that question actually means. So, I present you with the largest eruptions in the US over the last 10,000 years. A ...read more
If there’s one thing that paleoanthropology has revealed time and again, it’s that many renditions of ancient human species preceded us modern humans today.While Neanderthals and even Homo erectus have become fixtures in the human origin story, a lesser-known predecessor appears to predate all the others: Homo habilis.H. habilis has been called the oldest known member within the Homo genus, though not without controversy and ongoing debate.By many scientists’ accounts, the species was like ...read more
Dwarf stars invisible to the naked eye could be hiding a wealth of exoplanets that contain liquid water and suitable conditions for life, according to a new study. The faint red stars make up some 58 of the 100-plus billion stars in the Milky Way, so the new findings greatly expand the prospects for planet hunting.Scientists already knew that red dwarfs hosted planets, but the new study estimates what percentage of their planets orbit in a way that preserves liquid water and chances for life.Wha ...read more
With their big eyes and bulbous bodies, frogs are the most adorable of the amphibians. But frogs are also a whole lot more than adorable, being among the most diverse animals in the world. While some spend their time in the trees, others settle in the sand. While some are small, others are substantial. And while some blend into their surroundings, others demand to be seen. Here are a few froggy facts, and a few of the cutest frogs found around the world today.Types of FrogsRepresenting over 7,60 ...read more
These days, the term “Y2K” is mostly associated with a recurring fashion trend. But a couple of decades ago, it was an ominous abbreviation that emerged in the media — and in the worst nightmares of those who experienced it — for a completely different reason.Y2K was shorthand for a potential doomsday scenario that envisioned the downfall of global power grids, the wiping out of financial assets at banks and businesses and the general obliteration of the computer systems upon which moder ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine
