On June 2, 2023, when the first livestream of Mars started, the red planet looked a bit like a blurry peanut butter cookie.Every 48 seconds, a new image beamed from the humble Visual Monitoring Camera (VMC) attached to the Mars Express orbiter. Better described as a security camera than a scientific instrument, the VMC was originally attached to the probe to keep an eye on the detachable Beagle-2 lander (which went missing on Mars in 2003).The VMC “was there for one reason,” Simon Wood, an e ...read more
The periodic table of elements is a cornerstone of modern chemistry, representing the organized arrangement of all known chemical elements. Its iconic layout provides scientists with a systematic framework to understand the properties and relationships of these fundamental building blocks of matter. The Periodic Table of ElementsYou may remember the periodic table of the elements as a dreary chart on your classroom wall. If so, you never guessed its real purpose: It’s a giant cheat sheet. We h ...read more
A healthy, balanced diet is a great way to live to a ripe, old age. But even more important is avoiding being part of someone else’s healthy, balanced diet.Few creatures on this planet enjoy the distinction of sitting on top of their local food chain. Even those that rely on killing others for sustenance must sometimes avoid other, bigger predators; for every great white shark, there is a potential killer whale attack.But prey species, large and small, have developed a number of unique tactics ...read more
Some dinosaurs needed long necks to reach high in the trees, loading their enormous guts with enough roughage to supply a small forest. These were the dinosaurs with the longest necks, so lengthy in stature that their height reached that of a four-story building while standing upright. Giraffes had nothing on these prehistoric skyscrapers. And there were many species of long-necked dinosaurs. While each one had a long neck, they all had different traits that set them apart. Here are five species ...read more
As historic stone objects go, you wouldn’t think that a 335-pound block of dull sandstone would attract much attention. When it comes to heavyweight relics, the Rosetta Stone or one of Cleopatra’s Needles is far bigger and arguably better known around the world.Nevertheless, Scotland’s Stone of Destiny has justly secured its own place in history, for this hefty chunk of rock is more than an artifact from ancient times: It is a sacred icon, a trophy of bloody war and conquest, and a politic ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine
