2,819 search results

Do whales commit suicide?
Nature & Environment

Do whales commit suicide?

...become confused, or get injured or injure themselves trying to flee. Like human divers who surface too quickly, some even get the bends (decompression sickness). There are also long-term trends, which are linked to tougher environmental conditions. Perhaps food stocks are low, temperatures are unusually high or low, or pollutants enter the water. Any of these factors...
How Do Batteries Work?
Science, Maths & Technology

How Do Batteries Work?

...becomes positively charged and the other end negatively charged. The difference in charge causes electrons to move through the wire towards the positive terminal of the battery, where they are removed from the wire. At the same time, the negative terminal supplies more electrons to the wire, so the charges don’t continually build up at the battery terminals. In other...
Do people need Peeple?
Digital & Computing

Do people need Peeple?

...become a repository of unwarranted criticism and personal attacks (after all, Yelp itself has been abused this way): Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. http://t.co/sQIvkkeqrZ pic.twitter.com/Sj6i4e6Gs7 — Heather Champ (@hchamp) October 1, 2015 Given the prevailing business model for online services however,...
Trouble in paradise: The Dutch golden age
History & The Arts

Trouble in paradise: The Dutch golden age

...become roiled by costly and disastrous wars with England and a growing public backlash against its liberal, republican rulers and their values. Into the fray came a remarkable book – and a remarkable author – which aimed to defuse the situation and protect the fragile republic. The Theological-Political Treatise [Anonymous portrait of Spinoza, c. 1665] Anonymous...
The vulnerability of refugees and asylum seekers to modern slavery
Society, Politics & Law

The vulnerability of refugees and asylum seekers to modern slavery

...become vulnerable to exploitation and modern slavery, including: Even if they find themselves in ‘safe’ countries, refugees and asylum seekers often lack legal status and access to formal employment. This legal limbo forces many into informal labour markets where protections are minimal and exploitation is rampant. They often find themselves in economic desperation...
What part did citizen science play in hurricane disaster relief?
Science, Maths & Technology

What part did citizen science play in hurricane disaster relief?

...risk, building resilience and responding more effectively to disasters all require forward planning. And now, as evidence-based decision making is becoming ever more important for humanitarians, this new technology has the potential to shape a better future for disaster management. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article....
Merry microbes: how might festive feasting affect your gut microbiota?
Science, Maths & Technology

Merry microbes: how might festive feasting affect your gut microbiota?

...becomes excessive or uncontrolled, it can contribute to various diseases. Our gut microbial population grows and develops with us. Their population changes throughout our lives, from when we are born until we die. There are multiple factors that can affect our gut microbes, including our age, our sex, how we are born (e.g. vaginal delivery or via caesarean section), where...
Do animals really raise human babies as their own?
Nature & Environment

Do animals really raise human babies as their own?

...to be exclusively human. Also increasing are documented cases of animals from a variety of different species showing empathy towards vulnerable others. Or rescuing them from a range of different circumstances. And so the stories of feral children become more plausible. [The Conversation] This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article....