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
Sperm whales live in the depths of the ocean. They dive as deep as 900 meters (nearly 3,000 feet) to forage and spend only about 10 minutes of every hour on the surface. Their world is cold and dark, an environment other mammals would find extremely hostile. “Sperm whales have evolved to adapt to a niche that is about as alien from our own as is possible to get without leaving the planet,” says Luke Rendell, biologist and co-founder of the Dominica Sperm Whale Project.Here’s some of what ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine