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.

Riding the Future

Discover

INBOX

LOSS OR GAIN?

THE LATEST NEWS AND NOTES • THE HUMAN HISTORY OF BATHING • FROM GOOEY TO GRUESOME: ANIMAL GIFT-GIVING • FACIAL RECOGNITION IN AIRPORTS • LOBSTER-EYE-INSPIRED NASA TECH

A Brief History of Bathing • DESPITE ITS MODERN LINK TO PHYSICAL CLEANLINESS, OUR FOREBEARS SUBMERGED THEMSELVES — OR REFUSED TO — FOR DIFFERENT REASONS.

HUMANS AREN’T THE ONLY ANIMALS THAT GIVE GIFTS • UNSURPRISINGLY, FEW FUZZY SOCKS ARE EXCHANGED IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. INSTEAD, THESE GIFTS RANGE FROM IMPALED PREY TO PROTEINS AND HORMONES.

Airports Are Embracing Facial Recognition • THIS TECHNOLOGY IS FAR FROM NEW, BUT IT’S SLOWLY BECOMING UBIQUITOUS WITHIN AIR TRAVEL. SHOULD WE BE WORRIED?

LOBSTER EYES HELP US SEE INTO SPACE • WITH CRUSTACEAN-INSPIRED TECHNOLOGY, WE CAN ANALYZE FAR-OFF PHENOMENA, LIKE SUPERNOVA COLLISIONS AND SOLAR WIND, THAT EXTEND PAST OUR OWN GALAXY.

Growing Pains • THIS INFANT’S TRIP TO THE NICU WAS FOLLOWED BY HAIR LOSS, CYSTS AND A HOST OF DEVELOPMENTAL DELAYS. A TEAM OF SCIENTISTS AND HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS SPENT YEARS TRYING TO FIND A CURE.

Musical Mutations • SOME RESEARCHERS THINK THAT EVOLUTION DRIVES TRANSFORMATIONS IN BOTH SPECIES AND SONGS.

TARGETING TYPHOONS • AN AMBITIOUS GROUP OF JAPANESE SCIENTISTS SEES ONE OF THE COUNTRY’S GREATEST CLIMATE THREATS AS A MASSIVE OPPORTUNITY.

Simulating the Perfect Storm

A Brief History of Weather Modification

NEXT-GEN TRANSIT

GOING ELECTRIC • AFTER MORE THAN 100 YEARS OF INNOVATION — AND MANY FALSE STARTS — ELECTRIC CARS ARE FINALLY GOING MAINSTREAM.

COMPONENTS OF AN ALL-ELECTRIC VEHICLE

YOUR ROBOTAXI IS ALMOST HERE • AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES HAVE ROLLED OUT LIKE A SERIES OF WAVES, BUILDING MOMENTUM OVER TIME. THEY MAY NOW BE HEADED TO ROADWAYS NEAR YOU.

EVOLUTION OF SAFETY FEATURES & AUTOMATION

GREENER SKIES AHEAD • PLANES HAVE CHANGED MORE IN THE PAST 50 YEARS THAN YOU THINK. ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS ARE PROPELLING THEM EVEN FURTHER.

SPACEFLIGHT NEEDS AN UPGRADE

ON FOOT • AN EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGIST’S TAKE ON THE ORIGINAL SELF-DRIVING VEHICLE AND HOW THE EVOLUTION OF WALKING HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH WHAT MAKES US HUMAN.

Delivering a Jolt to Coffee’s Future • AS CLIMATE CHANGE AFFECTS BEAN CULTIVATION, A LONG-LOST PLANT FROM THE PAST MAY BE GROUNDS FOR HOPE.

BURN NOTICE