The Science Near Me blog is a partnership between Discover magazine and ScienceNearMe.org.Summer’s not over yet! Though many families are already wrapping up summer road trips and looking toward the beginning of another school year, there’s still ample time for curious people — of any age — to squeeze in some more summer fun (and learning) before temperatures drop.With Science Near Me, a free resource that gathers STEM opportunities from around the country, you can browse science-based a ...read more
Freshwater dolphins are some of the most unique mammals on the planet. Like bats, the dolphins use echolocation to forage for prey in the cloudy waters of the Orinoco and Amazon River basins. Now, researchers are using their clicks, buzzes and squeaks to monitor the species' movement within its habitat.Read More: River Dolphins Are Truly Unique and DisappearingWhat's Happening to the Freshwater Dolphin?A new study published in Scientific Reports looked at two different species of freshwater dolp ...read more
This story was originally published in our Sept/Oct 2023 issue as "Effective Altruism Goes Viral" Click here to subscribe to read more stories like this one.Paresh Patel used to be afraid of needles. Then he volunteered to catch COVID-19. When an email arrived with news that scientists at the University of Oxford in the U.K. were looking for volunteers willing to be infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, Patel signed up. He had already caught and survived COVID in October 2020. Other than losing ...read more
Considered one of the world’s smallest butterflies and the tiniest in North America, the Western pygmy-blue (Brephidium exilis) has a wingspan between 1.2 and 2 centimeters and can easily rest on a fingernail. Other butterflies under the Polyommatinae subfamily, also known as blues or gossamer-winged butterflies, may be smaller. Some researchers even argue that some species of moth are even tinier.But despite the Western pygmy blue’s teeny size, it is resilient and can thrive in areas not no ...read more
Inbreeding is not just something that happens among animals held in captivity. It can also happen to endangered populations in the wild, as is the case with the highly threatened Florida panther. Only about 200 live in the wild, a vanishingly narrow gene pool.As a result, the panthers often suffer from misshapen tails, heart defects, undescended testicles and joint disease.According to a new study, endangered panthers share the ailment of joint disease with dire wolves (Aenocyon dirus) and sabre ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine