(Credit: Olena Yakobchuk/Shutterstock) If you've ever wondered how likely you are to die in the next five to 10 years, scientists may now have an answer for you. Researchers identified 14 molecules in blood that are associated with dying from any cause. They say a score based on the molecules can predict one’s risk of death. But the ominous foretelling is not all bad. Scientists say it may encourage lifestyle interventions and help with treatment decisions. “The association of […]

Skeleton Lake, formally known as Roopkund Lake, sits at more than 16,000 feet above sea levels in the Himalayas. (Credit: Atish Waghwase) At the mysterious Skeleton Lake in northern India, the dead are talking, revealing surprises through centuries-old DNA. And it's not what anyone expected. New research suggests the site is not the scene of a single natural disaster that killed hundreds, as once thought. Skeleton Lake's emerging truth is far more mysterious. The human bones littering its

A warm bath before bed can help you get to sleep, research shows. (Credit: MyImages - Micha/Shutterstock) About 30 percent of Americans have trouble sleeping. Shahab Haghayegh, a University of Texas biomedical engineer, was one of them. Sleep eluded him. “I always had a hard time fall[ing] asleep,” he told Discover via email.  Over the counter medications like the hormone melatonin and Unisom, a sedating anti-histamine, can help people get to sleep. But the medicines […]

Symptoms of advanced Parkinson's and dementia might mask another problem.

This blog post is an edited excerpt from Human Impact, a new publication from Science Connected. Edited by Kate Stone and Shayna Keyles, Human Impact delivers 17 true tales of how humanity has changed the Earth, for better or for worse. This chapter appears in Human Impact as “Act Now: Engaging in Citizen Science,” and includes contributions from Caroline Nickerson, Kristin Butler, and Julia Travers. Act Now: Engaging in Citizen Science Citizen science is a field as broad […]