Discover Magazine | What Is This?

What Is This?: What Is This... A Hi-Tech Pin Cushion?

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:25:00 -0600

Hint: There are a lot fewer of them now than there were a few years ago.

What is This? A Bioluminescent Mushroom?

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:50:00 -0500

What is This? A Bioluminescent Mushroom?

Hint: It's actually not on the ground, nor in the oceans, but up in the sky—way up in the sky.

What Is This? Seashells in a Tar Pit?

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 07:50:00 -0500

Hint: It's hard as granite, strong as steel, and has been used for sword grips and shoe soles.

What is This? Spirograph 2.0?

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 11:45:00 -0500

Hint: It represents a best-selling piece of literature.

What Is This? A Close Look at Pocket Lint?

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:30:00 -0500

Hint: It dates back to 6th-century China but never really caught on until the mid-1800s, when it was introduced in its packaged, modern form.

What Is This? A Stony, Bloody Battlefield?

Wed, 06 May 2009 11:05:00 -0500

Hint: It's related to the rose and can put the "white" back in your pearly whites.

What Is This? A Piece of Rainbow Rock?

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 11:05:00 -0500

Hint: To forensic technicians it's a valuable timer; to medical doctors it's a defense against infection.

What Is This? A Dirty Sheep?

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 15:20:00 -0500

Stay away: these poofy blobs are actually quite deadly.

What is This? A Windshield's Worst Nightmare Come True?

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 08:30:00 -0600

It may look like a worthless rock, but it can be encrusted with diamonds or used to find black gold.

What is This? A Psychedelic Place Mat?

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:05:00 -0600

Actually, you'd be more likely to see this pattern in your wine glass.

What is This? The Innards of a Daisy?

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 09:30:00 -0600

It's not a flower, but it does get its nice looks from photosynthesis.

What Is This? A Papier-Maché Piñata?

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 09:20:00 -0600

There's no candy hidden in these, but they do hold other secrets.

What Is This? A Psychedelic Peacock?

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:10:00 -0500

What is This? The Surface of Mars?

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:35:00 +0000

Not quite—but some people pretend it is.

What Is This? The World's Tiniest Pickup Sticks?

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:20:00 +0000

Hint: It was originally developed to treat hypertension and angina.

What is This? Video Game Soccer Balls?

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:40:00 +0000

Not quite, but you will find plenty in a locker room.

What Is This? A Diseased Reptile?

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 09:25:00 +0000

Here's a hint: You probably ate some at breakfast.

What Is This? A Toy Set for a Microscopic Child?

Mon, 05 May 2008 09:50:00 +0000

See if you can guess what's in the picture. Hints: 1. It's part animal, part vegetable, and a smidge mineral. 2. Heavy metals in this sample may include lead and arsenic. 3. It can make you cough.

What Is This? An Extra from Yellow Submarine?

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 10:55:00 +0000

The "devil's darning needle" hunts by sight.

What Is This? A Field of Micro-Volcanoes?

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 05:10:00 +0000

These growths may look like little volcanoes, but they are are nothing of the sort.