From YouTube to Twitter and TikTok, much of our digital diet is dictated by social media algorithms, sets of rules that determine what content you see. The algorithms learn what makes us tick, then give us more and more (and more) of it.At first glance, this may sound like a convenience.Why wade through an endless morass of Facebook posts when a handy algorithm can simply present the ones it knows you’ll care about? Don’t we all want perfectly curated sequences of hedgehog memes to fall effo ...read more
The camel spider, also recognized as a sun spider and wind scorpion, is one of the most unique arachnids of all time and holds captivating secrets.The spine-chilling legends of the camel spider are so nightmarish that the faint of heart may want to hit the back button and take a coffee break immediately — because we’re about to dive into some of the goriest spider tales you’ve ever heard. Crazy Myths About Camel SpidersThe stories we’re about to share aren’t exactly true, but some of t ...read more
According to AirNow.gov, ground-level ozone and airborne particles (like those generated by wildfires) are the two pollutants that pose the greatest threat to human health in this country. EPA developed the Air Quality Index (AQI) to make information available about the health effects of the five most common air pollutants, and how to avoid their effects.You can help make the data more accurate and granular by sharing your own local observations. We’ve highlighted ways to do that, below. Mos ...read more
The Science Near Me blog is a partnership between Discover magazine and ScienceNearMe.org.On April 20, 2023, SpaceX’s Starship, the most powerful spaceship ever built, lifted off from the company’s Starbase launch facility in Boca Chica, Texas. It was a thrilling demonstration of engineering prowess, and a preview of future missions that could loft humans to the Moon, Mars and beyond.The feat was dimmed by the rocket’s “rapid, unscheduled disassembly” (AKA explosion) shortly after lift ...read more
People often assume that fish don’t feel pain. That’s odd because, like other animals we believe can feel pain — horses, dogs, cats, rats, humans — fish are vertebrates. They have the same senses we have (vision, hearing, etc.) plus some. But they live in a very different environment, and most of us don’t encounter fish often unless they’re on the menu. The world of a fish is so removed from the human world that we have little instinct about what they are or are not feeling.Or, as C ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine
