Of the thousands of insect species crawling and flying around the world, ladybugs probably rank among some of the cutest. These tiny, rotund creatures scuttle about on plant leaves, easily distinguishable thanks to their sports car red and small black spots. Sometimes, they might even land on you – if you’re lucky. There are some 5,000 species of ladybugs on Earth, though the most common type in North America is the convergent ladybug. Contrary to the name, they’re not actually “bugs” ...read more
Summer may be over in the Western Hemisphere by now, but that doesn’t mean that sunburn stops for the season. Many of us might be familiar with the heated skin and gnarly new tanlines that follow us home after a day spent under the sun – but what happens when sunburn becomes serious?While “sun poisoning” is not an official medical diagnosis, it’s a term many doctors use to refer to this kind of intense sunburn. If you haven’t heard of it before, it might be even more difficult to gau ...read more
The past few years have seen a hot new trend in Halloween decorations — giant skeletons. Some soar several feet tall. Others climb from a coffin, creep in a graveyard, or sit on a porch swing.But Americans’ fascination with giant skeletons isn’t new.“In the late 1700s and throughout the 1800s, there were a lot of newspaper reports on giant bones being discovered, especially out West,” says Scott Tribble, author of A Colossal Hoax: The Giant from Cardiff that Fooled America.Tribble says ...read more
NASA plans to send crewed missions to Mars over the next decade – but the 140 million-mile (225 million-kilometer) journey to the red planet could take several months to years round trip.This relatively long transit time is a result of the use of traditional chemical rocket fuel. An alternative technology to the chemically propelled rockets the agency develops now is called nuclear thermal propulsion, which uses nuclear fission and could one day power a rocket that makes the trip in just half ...read more
Music surrounds us. It can be a companion throughout the day – listening on the way to school or work, checking out a favorite artist with friends, hearing it live at concerts and sporting events, enjoying or enduring it in stores and restaurants, and then listening again in the evening to unwind.As meaningful and uplifting as music can be, it might also help you while studying, working on school projects, and doing homework. As a clinical assistant professor of audiology, I can tell you the r ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine