Smartphones are in pockets, purses and, for some people, under their pillows at night. Most Americans have a smartphone. About 95 percent of teenagers and people under 50 say they have one. For many people, smartphones are a convenience. But for phone addicts, they can feel like an obsession. There are apps to look at, games to play and websites to browse. One in five U.S. teens, for example, say they use YouTube “almost constantly,” and more than half say it would be difficult to stop ...read more
As life was first struggling to set foot on land in the Late Devonian Period, there was a predator waiting to snatch it back to the depths: the recently discovered Hyneria udlezinye, a toothy prehistoric fish estimated to have reached up to 9 feet long. It represents the largest monster fish yet uncovered from this period and appears to have lurked in the brackish waters of the modern-day Waterloo Farm site in South Africa, in wait for its prey. An excavation exposed a wall of fossils there in 2 ...read more
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
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine