Up until recently, humans have been known as the only species to surgically remove limbs to increase a wounded individual’s chances of survival. Chimps have medically treated injuries of the wounded, ants have carried inebriated nest mates home to sleep it off — but selectively amputating limbs to save the life of another is distinctly a human behavior.But Erik Frank, a biologist at the University of Würzburg, recently discovered that when the leg of a Camponotus floridanus ant was injured, ...read more
Judging only by the blistering summer sun, you’d be forgiven for assuming that space is a hothouse. But despite the tremendous energy pouring out of trillions and trillions of stars, our universe is surprisingly arctic.To understand why, we first need to wrap our heads around temperature because its true nature isn’t obvious when you burn your hand on the stove or dive into an icy lake. When scientists talk about hot and cold, they’re referring to the average kinetic energy of a system (wh ...read more
If you were to conjure up the strangest, hodge-podge creation of a bird in your mind, it would likely not be nearly as strange as the hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazi), a species native to the Amazon rainforest that is also known as the stink bird or the flying cow.That altogether unflattering name is apt, as this bird is renowned for the stench it leaves behind. What exactly makes the hoatzin so stinky is its unique digestive system. As its diet is almost exclusively made up of leaves, the hoatzin h ...read more
For decades, it was thought that the cause of death of the child from Cerro El Plomo was hypothermia. The naturally freeze-dried body of a child from 560 years ago – approximately 8 years old – is now considered one of the most important anthropological artifacts in Chile and a testament to the Inca Empire.He was found with his arms crossed around his legs and his head resting on his right shoulder and arm, as if he had fallen asleep that way. Researchers believed that he had consumed corn c ...read more
You’ve probably heard that it’s extremely difficult for adults to learn a second language. You may even have proof: You tried it yourself, and it didn’t work. But maybe that’s because you took the wrong approach.Stephen Krashen has a better idea. In the 1980s, Krashen, now professor emeritus at the University of Southern California, developed the Comprehensible Input Theory of language acquisition. The word acquisition, as opposed to learning, is key. Learning is what you did in school: ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine