Whether it’s chicken and dumplings, lasagna, or chocolate chip cookies, we all have foods that we turn to when we need a little extra support. Maybe we saddle up with a bowl of our favorite soup when we’re feeling under the weather or munch on a yummy childhood snack in front of the computer when we have to work late. Comfort foods provide just that: comfort and every human society has had its go-to favorites.We can’t know for sure how long comfort foods have been around, but for much o ...read more
The world of the early Jurassic would have been warmer than it is today. There has been no evidence of ice sheets anywhere on the planet, and the sea level was much higher. This was the perfect environment for Attenborosaurus to thrive. Large parts of Europe, where Attenborosaurus dwelled, would have been underwater during the early part of the Jurassic. It was a world blanketed in warm tropical oceans and shallow seas teeming with fish, ammonites, other marine reptiles, and turtles, says Becky ...read more
Scientists are experimenting with an unconventional source to trap the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide: zooplankton poop.Earth needs more carbon sinks. As the planet warms, many of the places that trap CO2 are now releasing it into the atmosphere, rather than holding onto it. Trees are burning, permafrost is melting, and parts of the ocean are acidifying. Those factors, combined with emissions remaining stubbornly high, despite many non-binding agreements to reduce them, prompted Mukul Sharma, a D ...read more
In the U.S., life expectancy is nearly six years older for women than it is for men. And this happens throughout the world. Women's higher life expectancy is attributed to a number of factors, including men's greater risk of heart disease due to a lack of estrogen, the fact that men take bigger risks, are more likely to smoke and drink and drive, and that men are more likely to die by suicide. These are just a few of the reasons why females tend to outlive males. And it’s also true of other s ...read more
Therapy comes in many different forms, but one growing field of study has researchers committed to alleviating patients’ problems with the help of psychedelic substances. Treatments with substances like psilocybin, (a psychedelic compound in certain species of fungi, or “magic mushrooms”), MDMA (known as “ecstasy”), LSD (known as “acid”), and ayahuasca have been studied for potential benefits that may relieve conditions such as depression, PTSD, and addictions. In this emerging br ...read more