Jacob Silverman

Jacob Silverman

Jacob Silverman is a staff writer at The New Republic, covering technology and foreign policy. He also wrote over 100 articles for HowStuffWorks, mainly on science and health topics. He holds a bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing from Emory University and a master's in humanities and social thought from New York University.

Recent Contributions

Officials at a nursing home in Rhode Island claim a cat named Oscar knows when patients are going to die. Can a cat predict death? What about animals that allegedly predict earthquakes or natural disasters? Learn whether your pet has a "sixth sense."

By Jacob Silverman

Hand sanitizers can only get you so far in preventing a viral infection. Scientists are discovering how visible light can be used to destroy viruses. Learn about the laser technique and what it means for the future.

By Jacob Silverman & Patrick J. Kiger

The thrilling roar of fighter jets performing a military flyover is now a common experience at many big events. In fact, the military approves most of the 850 or so flyover requests submitted annually. What does it take to arrange a flyover?

By Jacob Silverman

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More than 50 years have passed since Watson and Crick untangled the structure of DNA and five years have elapsed since scientists finished sequencing the entire human genome. What have we figured out about our genetic material?

By Jacob Silverman

With the evolution of the internet, the big kid in class who used to steal your lunch money now hacks your e-mail, sends you threatening messages, and sabotages your computer. If you're wondering how to stop cyberbullying, read on!

By Jacob Silverman

For Jack and his beanstalk, the sky was the limit, but nature's giants hit a point at which they can't grow any taller. What prevents lofty trees like sequoias from soaring any higher?

By Jacob Silverman

Unfortunately for drivers, we often see the highest gas prices during the summer, starting around Memorial Day. In May 2022, U.S. consumers paid an average of $1.50 per gallon more than they were at the same time in 2021, according to AAA.

By Jacob Silverman & Sascha Bos

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Imagine finishing off a nice cup of morning coffee and then, instead of throwing the grounds into the trash, pouring them into a cartridge where they become printer ink.

By Jacob Silverman

Whether we're trying to save a sinking city or dig a massive tunnel, our appetite for construction knows no bounds. But if designers had known the actual cost of these 10 projects, they might have gone back to the drawing board.

By Jacob Silverman & Patrick J. Kiger

For more than 40 years, scientists have tried to figure out what's causing large parts of Canada to be "missing" gravity. The force of gravity around Hudson Bay is lower than surrounding areas. Learn about two theories that may explain the phenomenon.

By Jacob Silverman

Some news organizations have reported that redheads will disappear by the year 2060. But this fiery breed isn't taking the news lying down, and there are rumors that blonds are on the way out, too.

By Jacob Silverman

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The dead zone, caused by massive amounts of algae growth, is a vast area off the Gulf of Mexico that is deadly to marine life. How is human activity making the dead zone worse?

By Jacob Silverman

Out-of-body experiences (OBEs) are most often associated with sick or injured people, but scientists recently produced these experiences in healthy people. Learn how virtual reality can scramble your point of view.

By Jacob Silverman

We tend to think of the ground beneath our feet as terra firma, but sometimes it's as stable as a house of cards. What happens when the Earth opens up to swallow homes, cars and people?

By Jacob Silverman

A man in Cornwall, England, went 11 consecutive days without a wink of sleep. Find out how he did it, why he did it and why you shouldn't give it a try.

By Jacob Silverman

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The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the world's largest landfill, and it can be found in the middle of the Pacific. Millions of pounds of trash collect here.

By Jacob Silverman

Collective hysteria can spread when a fear exists of exposure to a disease, combined with a contained environment. Learn more about collective hysteria works.

By Jacob Silverman & Austin Henderson

Are you the first to complain when it's too hot or too cold at work? Extremophiles have news for you: Suck it up. These hardy microbes make most of us humans seem like whimpering Goldilocks, and studying them may tell us more than you might imagine.

By Jacob Silverman & Desiree Bowie

Vertical farming is a method of large-scale farming in an urban environment. Learn about the benefits of a vertical farm and vertical farming technology.

By Jacob Silverman

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What's the difference between summer-grade fuel and winter-grade fuel? If summer-grade fuel is so great, why don't we use it year-round?

By Jacob Silverman

The hunt for exoplanets, planets orbiting sun-like stars, is on! Thanks to new equipment, NASA has spotted thousands of them. But which ones might be able to handle life?

By William Harris & Jacob Silverman

If your car persistently pulls you to the side of the road, it may be trying to tell you something. Relax. This simple service shouldn't cost you that much.

By Jacob Silverman

Even if you don't operate a scanning electron microscope all that frequently, you might want to brush up on these 10 scientific laws and theories. After all, they're some of our best tools for describing how the universe works.

By Jacob Silverman

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You may have thought militaries stopped using napalm after the Vietnam War thanks to the United Nations, but this incendiary weapon lives on in modern warfare. Has it also been used in Iraq?

By Jacob Silverman

Environmentalists agree that beaver dams help the environment by creating wetlands but why are some landowners and farm owners getting riled up? How could these dams be hazardous to roads, bridges and levees?

By Jacob Silverman