Discover

Discover Magazine will amaze you, enlighten you, and open your eyes to the awe and wonder of science and technology. Discover reveals secrets, solves mysteries, and debunks old myths. Discover shares new findings and shows you what makes our universe tick.

A Very Quantum Year

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THE LATEST NEWS AND NOTES • THE COST OF A CHARACTER • TURNING TURTLE ON REPTILE EMOTIONS WELLNESS WEEDS • CUTTING OUT ANCIENT CANCER • COMBATTING CRINGE PRIMITIVE PITCH • JUPITER’S SHRINKING SPOT

The Psychological Toll of Method Acting • WHETHER IT’S ON STAGE OR SCREEN, ACTING DEMANDS A LOT FROM PERFORMERS. NEUROSCIENCE AND PSYCHOLOGY REVEAL WHAT HAPPENS IN THE BRAIN WHEN AN ACTOR FULLY IMMERSES THEMSELVES IN A ROLE.

NOT-SO COLD BLOODED • REPTILES HAVE A REPUTATION AS PRIMITIVE, EMOTIONLESS CREATURES. EXPERTS SAY COUNTERING THIS MYTH COULD HELP PROTECT THEM FROM HABITAT LOSS.

DANDELION MAY HAVE DISTINCT HEALTH BENEFITS • THE COMMON YELLOW WEED HAS LEAVES RICH IN VITAMINS AND MAY BOOST HEALTH IN OTHER WAYS, BUT IT’S UNDERSTUDIED IN COMPARISON TO OTHER NUTRACEUTICALS.

But When Driving, These Sunglasses May Save Your Life! • Drivers’ Alert: Driving can expose you to more dangerous glare than any sunny day at the beach can… do you know how to protect yourself?

Ancient Egyptians Dabbled in Brain Surgery • INCISIONS DEMONSTRATE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS WERE PERFORMING SURGERY MORE THAN 4,000 YEARS AGO, POSSIBLY AS A MEANS TO TREAT BRAIN CANCER.

HOW TO STOP RELIVING YOUR MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENTS • REVISITING MORTIFYING MEMORIES MAY BE AN EVOLUTIONARY TRAIT. LEARN WHY EMBARRASSING EXPERIENCES LINGER AND HOW TO HELP THEM FADE OVER TIME.

Pitch Perfect • RESEARCHERS DEBATE A CONTROVERSIAL THEORY THAT SUGGESTS NEANDERTHALS MAY HAVE HAD HIGH-PITCHED VOICES.

JUPITER’S GREAT RED SPOT KEEPS SHRINKING • THE LARGEST STORM IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM, AN 8,700-MILE-WIDE ANTICYCLONE LONG BELOVED BY ASTRONOMERS, MAY BE SLOWLY FIZZLING OUT.

Missing the Point • APPENDICITIS OR JUST A STOMACH BUG? EVEN TODAY, IT CAN BE A TRICKY DIAGNOSIS — WITH POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC RESULTS.

Diagnosing History • PINNING DOWN THE SOURCE OF HISTORICAL FIGURES’ MALADIES, LIKE THE ROOTS OF KING GEORGE III’S INFAMOUS “MADNESS,” IS ALWAYS INTRIGUING. BUT MEDICAL HISTORIANS SAY IT’S NOT JUST TRICKY TO MAKE A DIAGNOSIS — IT’S ALSO UNIMPORTANT.

THE INTERNET OF ANIMALS COMES OF AGE • As the Earth becomes increasingly burdened by climate change, researchers have relied on tagging and tracking animals to understand how environments around the world are impacted.

PALEO-PROTECTOR • AFTER YEARS OF STUDYING THE FOSSILIZED MEGAFAUNA OF ANCIENT AUSTRALIA, PALEONTOLOGIST LARISA DESANTIS SETS HER SIGHTS ON PROTECTING MODERN MAMMALS FROM CLIMATE CHANGE.

LIVING IN THE QUANTUM CENTURY • A HUNDRED YEARS AFTER THE DEVELOPMENT OF QUANTUM MECHANICS, PHYSICISTS STILL GRAPPLE WITH EXPLAINING THE WEIRDEST YET MOST FUNDAMENTAL WORKINGS OF THE UNIVERSE.

The Quantum Continuum

THE CAT IN THE BOX

A Dose of Dance • WHAT HAPPENS IN OUR HEADS WHEN WE DANCE? NEUROSCIENTISTS HAVE ASKED, AND NEW APPROACHES ARE ANSWERING, REVEALING HIDDEN BRAIN BENEFITS.

TOUCHING THE SUN