Why do People Feel the Need to Litter?

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

Litter — it's the burger wrapper tossed from a moving car, the plastic bottle left behind at the beach and the cigarette butt dropped on the sidewalk. Improperly disposed of garbage doesn't just litter the land. Trash is afflicting the oceans, and the deputy general of the U.N. called marine litter a "ubiquitous global problem."Why can't some people just hold onto that burger wrapper? Or tuck a plastic bottle back into their bag? Researchers call it "littering behavior," and there are mult ...read more

A Wandering Mind is Part of Our Evolution

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

Mindfulness is such a buzzword. We all want it, but our ability to attain it is fleeting. We fear life is passing us by, and as the world moves faster and faster, living in the present moment seems more difficult. But while mindfulness is the key to happiness, mind wandering is the key to our survival as a species.The Evolution of the Wandering MindAccording to Michael Graziano, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Princeton University, we did evolve to have attention, a crucially impo ...read more

What Research Says About the Lead-Crime Hypothesis

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

It is scientifically proven that lead exposure causes harm, and the impact on children is especially devastating. Depending on the amount and duration of exposure — children can be affected negatively. Issues can range from delayed brain and nervous system development, learning and behavior problems, lower IQ, decreased attention span and hearing or speech issues.Lead Crime HypothesisFor decades, some in the criminal justice, medical and economic communities have believed that lead exposure ...read more

As Glaciers Retreat, New Streams for Salmon

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

Pushing off from the dock on a boat called the Capelin, Sandy Milner’s small team of scientists heads north, navigating through patchy fog past a behemoth cruise ship. As the Capelin slows to motor through humpback whale feeding grounds, distant plumes of their exhalations rise from the surface on this calm July morning. Dozens of sea otters dot the water. Lolling on backs, some with babes in arms, they turn their heads curiously as the boat speeds by. Seabirds and seals speckle floating ...read more

What Is the Function of the Appendix?

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

Most of us are familiar with the appendix, that worm-shaped tube at the beginning of the large intestine, even if we can’t remember which side of the abdomen it resides. (Hint: It’s not the left side.)It's easy to forget the four-inch-long organ is there at all — until it becomes inflamed or bursts, that is. More than 1 in 20 Americans will develop a case of appendicitis at some point, according to the National Institutes of Health, which can sometimes lead to serious and even fatal compli ...read more