Perhaps no name is more recognizable in connection with The Manhattan Project than Robert Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer, a genius theoretical physicist, was the director of the Los Alamos Lab, where the first atomic bomb was developed. (Credit:Jeffrey M. Frank/Shutterstock) replica nuclear weapon With a high level of intelligence and curiosity that started in childhood, Oppenheimer was a polymath. His breadth of knowledge exceeded the realm of physics and included history, the arts, language and ...read more
If you’ve heard Michael Jackson’s familiar refrain “Annie, are you OK?,” you know one of the first steps of performing CPR: assessing whether the other person is responsive. And that’s not a coincidence. It’s said that this particular lyric was directly inspired by Resusci Anne — the name given to the anatomical manikin found in first aid classes around the world. And she’s far more than just a pretty face.Receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, can double or triple the ...read more
Out of all the hundreds of millions of cats and dogs alive on the earth, only a rare few live well beyond what’s considered their species’ average lifespans. For cats, that’s generally considered to be 12 to 15 years, with a fair number of felines making it to between 17 and 20. For dogs, it’s usually 10 to 13 years, with great variability given a dog’s breed and particular circumstances.But whether it’s a quirk of genetics, a perfect blend of diet and exercise, or the undying love o ...read more
Clusters of cells began grouping together about 800 million years ago. This enabled greater life development, and eventually, these cells became the Earth’s first animals. Scientists always believed sponges were the earliest animals, but recent evidence suggests that the comb jellyfish was actually the first. Many animals from prehistoric times became extinct, but these are five that still exist. 1. Komodo Dragon(Credit:Sydney Faith Woodward/Shutterstock)Dating back about four million year ...read more
The Science Near Me blog is a partnership between Discover magazine and ScienceNearMe.org.In 2017, people across America turned out to watch one of the most stunning celestial events visible from Earth: a solar eclipse. An estimated 215 million Americans — 88% of the adult population, almost twice as many viewers as the Super Bowl — watched the eclipse either in person or virtually. Now, in just under a year, we’ll be seeing another eclipse cross the continental United States.On April 8, ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine
