When water levels dropped last year, waterways like the Mississippi River and Lake Mead became shallower than kiddie pools. Although the extreme drought from 2022 has eased in many places, 28 percent of the continental U.S. is still experiencing drier-than-average conditions.Both Lake Mead and the Mississippi River serve as freshwater sources for nearby communities. The threat of drought has prompted many municipalities to consider how wastewater can be reused, and the recent Bipartisan Infr ...read more
Approximately 4,000 years ago, an ancient civilization living in the Indus Valley (today’s India and Pakistan) comprised 10 percent of the world’s population. Though few records remain about this group of people, archaeologists found they were advanced enough to have their own writing system — which has still yet to be deciphered. Known as the Indus script, the mysterious text has puzzled scholars, linguists and even cryptographers for decades. Only a few hundred symbols have been classifi ...read more
You're more likely to be struck by lightning than die from a venomous snake bite. But bites do happen. If you do find yourself on the business end of a snake's fangs, here are a few things you need to know.What NOT to do if You Get a Snake BiteThe first thing to consider — you're probably not going to die (in the U.S.). The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that between 7,000 and 8,000 people in the U.S. are bitten by venomous snakes each year. And of those who ...read more
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
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
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine
