Discover (April 2016)
Language: English
Pages: 76
ISBN: B01N976YYP
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
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National parks preserve nature's splendor for our enjoyment, but they also contain some of the finest outdoor science labs in the world. In this issue, you'll get an up-close look at key research projects underway at 10 different parks around the United States. Could venomous creepy-crawlies hold the keys to potent, non-addictive painkillers? See why biochemist Glenn King is more than happy to work with dinner plate-sized tarantulas and deadly scorpions.
Then, see how a doctor's gamble in the 19th century paved the way for a new cancer treatment. Speaking of chance, are top poker players and other gamblers skilled or simply lucky? And another burning question: Are aliens behind a star's crazy light patterns? You'll find answers to these questions and more inside the April issue of Discover.
water, 96 percent of it is too salty to drink. Removing salt from seawater is possible, but not always practical. Conventional desalination plants that employ reverse-osmosis technology, used since the 1960s, are pricey: The new Carlsbad desalination plant in California, which outputs 50 million gallons a day, cost $1 billion to build. The high price tag makes traditional desalination plants unfeasible for many communities. But now they have a simpler, cheaper alternative: the aerodesalinator,
protective ring. FROM TOP: MARK CHILVERS (2); JAY SMITH RAINY SEASON Runoff fills the canals, preventing crops from washing away while also providing an opportunity for aquaculture Nutrients DRY SEASON Retained water irrigates crops and delivers nutrients An aerial view of a “camel hump” farm in the Bolivian village of Loma Suarez (top) shows how the canals fill with water during the rainy season. A farmer (above) navigates a float boat through the canals to check on crops growing in the large
signals to the nervous system to restore muscle tone, balance and blood supply.” I ntroducing Kyrobak, the new device that
Cephei 10,000 4 4.5 5.4 days (P) 0 2 4 6 s eid ph s e IC eid pe Ceph Ty II pe Ty 100,000 1,000 100 10 1 0.01 0.1 1 10 Period (days) Period (days) 100 1,000 Cepheid variable stars have periods related to their brightnesses, allowing astronomers to calculate their distances accurately. Delta Cephei (above), the prototype star, varies in brightness every 5.4 days. It belongs to the initial class (Type I) of Cepheids astronomers discovered. Later, researchers found a second class
(the closest and brightest barred spiral) or the multi-armed NGC 3953. Unfortunately, only astronomers outside our galaxy have a complete picture. SEE FOR YOURSELF We have a greater understanding of the universe than at any other time in human history. Unfortunately for most of us, light pollution dims the stars that meant so much to establishing our position among them. If you get a chance, head out to the countryside, observe the same milky circle as the ancient Greeks, and reflect on what