Atoms touch all the time! But to understand why we first have to decide what we mean by the word “touch.” Our normal conception of touching is grounded in the macroscopic world. I put a cup on the table – the cup is touching the table. You dip your toes in the water – you are touching the water, and so on. In all these cases, one solid boundary or surface (the bottom of the cup, the edge of your toe) touches another solid boundary or surface (the top of the table, the surface of the ocea ...read more
Stars are among the most identifiable objects in the sky. They light up the darkness and dot the galaxy. Stars are born within a dusty cloud and eventually form a mass of gas and chemicals that burns brightly in the sky. But ultimately, all stars, no matter how big and bright, must also die. How Long Do Stars Live? The sun, for example, is a 4.5 billion-year-old star that will continue its lifespan for another 10 billion years. The sun lights up through a combination of hydrogen and helium in ...read more
Animals use camouflage to avoid detection. Some do it to avoid predators, while it allows others closer access to prey. Color plays a role in several different ways, including helping animals fade into natural surroundings, causing confusion with their colored patterns and even altering their color. Camouflaged Animals When animals change colors, it’s done by pigments containing cells called chromatophores, located in their organs and skin. Let’s take a look at the methods of camouflage f ...read more
The scent of death revealed the location of the grisly, cannibalistic end to a hopeful trip to California nearly 175 years ago. This is thanks to cadaver-sniffing dogs who seem to have proven the ability to detect death thousands of years after some burials at historic sites. The Donner Party was a group of pioneers that attempted to migrate from Illinois to California in search of opportunity via a wagon train that partly followed the Oregon Trail starting in the spring of 1846. Tragically, the ...read more
In the months after the Jan. 6 riot in Washington, D.C. in 2021, several defendants claimed that their crimes weren’t their fault. According to their defense teams: The crowd made them do it. At least for some of them, the defensive strategy failed to deliver, and they were found guilty on multiple charges. That said, it all begs the question: Can crowds really make people behave in ways that are deeply at odds with their values? If so, are any of us immune to collective behavior? Contagion Th ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine