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.

Mind the Gap

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INBOX

THE LATEST NEWS AND NOTES • Q&A WITH MICHIO KAKU • HUMANS AND NEANDERTHALS SHARED THIS CAVE • GEESE IN LOVE? • PULLING DNA OUT OF THE AIR • HOW LONELINESS EVOLVED • WATERLOO REMAINS

Q+A • THE THEORETICAL PHYSICIST TALKS ABOUT THE BOOK THAT ALBERT EINSTEIN COULDN’T FINISH, HIS FAVORITE SCI-FI UNIVERSE AND THE LONG-SOUGHT EFFORT TO UNITE THE FORCES OF NATURE IN A SINGLE EQUATION.

The Neanderthal-Sapiens Timeshare

FOWLS IN LOVE • GEESE ARE FAMOUSLY LOYAL AND MATE FOR LIFE. COULD A LIFE-THREATENING INJURY PUT THAT PARTNERSHIP AT RISK?

Scientists Are Vacuuming Animal DNA Out of the Air • AN IMAGINATIVE NEW TECHNOLOGY COULD REVOLUTIONIZE THE STUDY OF BIODIVERSITY AND HELP SAVE ENDANGERED SPECIES.

Humans Evolved to Be Lonely • FEELINGS OF LONELINESS REMIND US WHEN IT’S TIME TO RECONNECT WITH THOSE AROUND US. LONG AGO, IT WAS LIKELY A MATTER OF LIFE OR DEATH.

Mapping the Bodies of Waterloo • ALMOST NO HUMAN REMAINS HAVE BEEN FOUND FROM ONE OF THE DEADLIEST BATTLES IN HISTORY. NEW RESEARCH FOLLOWS WHERE THEY MIGHT HAVE ENDED UP.

Doubled Over • A MYSTERIOUS PAIN IN HER GUT HAD THIS 4-YEAR-OLD SCREAMING IN AGONY FOR HOURS.

THE STATE OF SCIENCE

A FRESH EYE ON THE BEGINNING OF TIME • Infrared observations by the James Webb Space Telescope already reveal a treasure trove of secrets about the cosmos.

FIRST PLANTS GROWN IN LUNAR SOIL • THE SPROUTS ARE GOOD NEWS FOR FUTURE LONG-TERM, OFF-WORLD MISSIONS.

MARS ON A HOT MIC • ROVER RECORDINGS REVEAL TWO SPEEDS OF SOUND ON THE RED PLANET.

INSIGHT’S LAST DAYS CAPTURE THE LARGEST MARSQUAKE EVER • “THE BIG ONE” DELIVERS A WELCOME SHOCK TO PLANETARY SCIENTISTS.

PERMAFROST NEARS TIPPING POINT • FROZEN PEAT BOGS STORE BILLIONS OF TONS OF CARBON AROUND THE GLOBE. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A WARMING CLIMATE RELEASES IT?

CHAT BUBBLES • SCIENTISTS ARE FINALLY TUNING IN TO THE CACOPHONY OF SOUNDS THAT FISH USE TO COMMUNICATE — AND NOW YOU CAN, TOO.

TONGAN BLAST FELT ACROSS THE GLOBE • An unexpected volcanic eruption sends shock waves around the planet, generating distant tsunamis and causing the atmosphere to vibrate for days.

WHEN CLIMATE ADAPTATION BACKFIRES • In the scramble to combat climate change, so-called solutions can cause more harm. An IPCC 2022 report warns of these maladaptations.

RENAMING NATURE • The spongy moth got a new name because its previous moniker contained an ethnic slur. It’s part of a larger trend of rechristening organisms and institutions. But does it make a difference?

SOLVING LIFE’S SYMMETRY • COMPUTER SCIENCE EXPLAINS WHY THE EVOLUTIONARY DECK IS STACKED IN FAVOR OF SYMMETRICAL OPTIONS.

WELCOME TO THE PANDEMICENE • Spillover of animal diseases to humans is on the rise, spurred by climate change and habitat destruction that forces people and wildlife to share close quarters.

THE MYSTERY OF LONG COVID • AS RESEARCHERS TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT CAUSES LASTING POST-COVID SYMPTOMS, MILLIONS OF AFFECTED PATIENTS ARE DESPERATE FOR ANSWERS.

MONKEYPOX GAINS GROUND • PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS FEEL A SENSE OF DÉJÀ VU.

SHACKLETON’S SHIP FOUND

DENISOVAN TOOTH IN THE TROPICS • A RECENT FOSSIL FIND REVEALS A WIDE RANGE FOR A MYSTERIOUS HUMAN RELATIVE.

BROUGHT TO LIGHT • LIDAR REVEALS 1,000-YEAR-OLD CITIES COVERED IN VEGETATION.

TWO NEW TYRANNOSAURUS SPECIES? • A CONTROVERSIAL NEW THEORY CHALLENGES THE IDEA THAT T. REX WAS ALONE.

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