Sitting on the shoulder of the constellation of Orion with a distinctly reddish hue, Betelgeuse is one of the more recognizable stars in the night sky. But it is also one of the fastest changing. While Ptolemy described it orange-tawny, Chinese observers three centuries earlier say it was yellow. More recently, astronomers classified Betelgeuse as a red giant, a star that is near the end of its life. That meant Betelgeuse is due to explode as a supernova sometime in the next few hundred thousand ...read more
Clodomiro Picado, one of Costa Rica’s foremost scientists, conducted research on venomous snakes in Central America in the early-20th century and advocated for better products tailored to the types of snakes that lived in the area. The institute now named after him — the University of Costa Rica’s Clodomiro Picado Institute — is one of few in the world helping people bitten by snakes in Latin America and Africa. Before the institute was created, people in Costa Rica and surrounding coun ...read more
If social media is anything to go by, dog and cat vision are certainly having a moment, especially on TikTok, where it seems like practically every pet-owning user has accessed the platform’s wildly popular dog- and cat-vision filters.Sooner or later, anyone with a dog or cat is bound to wonder how their pet sees the world. But are apps and filters really a good representation? Let’s take a look at what our furry friends can and can’t see compared to us. The Basics of Dog and Cat Vision(C ...read more
NASA has long understood that abnormal amounts of cerebrospinal fluid accumulate deep in the brains of astronauts exposed to microgravity. In 1983, the space agency received a patent for a “ventricular catheter” designed to be inserted into the brains of astronauts, to relieve the pressure.And since then, the space agency has funded research into the problem. A new study has found that astronauts in space for six or more months develop the worst hydrocephalus, meaning they had the most enlar ...read more
If you haven't jumped on the TikTok bandwagon, you're one of the few, considering that the mega app now has a reported 150 million American users, and that number is growing. And those who get on TikTok can't seem to put it down, thanks to the app's innate ability to seemingly read its subscribers' minds. Its subtle understanding of a user's preferences has made it addictive, which begs the question: How is this app so apt at diving into its users' deepest desires?What Is the TikTok algorith ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine
