The full moon has long been blamed for keeping people awake and even causing madness. But is there any truth to this belief? Research shows that the moon can indeed affect sleep, but its impact on mental health is less clear. Studies have found that people sleep less and take longer to fall asleep during the days leading up to a full moon. This is likely because the...
Our memories are not fixed records of the past but rather flexible stories that our brains tell ourselves. Every time we recall something, our brains tweak the details, sometimes creating false memories. This isn't always a bad thing. Scientists are exploring how we can manipulate memories to improve mental health. In 2012, a team at MIT, led by Steve Ramirez, showe...
October brought some fascinating science news that might have slipped under the radar. Let's dive into a few standout stories. Ever wondered how to max out your score in Boggle? Dan Vanderkam, a software engineer, cracked the code. He figured out the best board setup for the highest score ever—3, 625 points! His method was clever. He grouped similar boards together ...
Humans stand out among primates because they walk on two legs. This ability didn't just happen by chance. It turns out, two small changes in our DNA played a big role in this unique trait. Researchers recently made an exciting discovery. They found that these genetic tweaks altered how a key hip bone, called the ilium, developed. This change allowed early humans to ...
A professor at Brigham Young University (BYU) decided to make the school's 150th birthday extra memorable. Instead of a regular party, he used science to blow out candles on a giant birthday cake. This wasn't just any science, though. It was a special technique called time reversal acoustics. This method focuses sound waves to create extremely loud noises. The profe...
Our brains are busy places. They handle a lot of information from our eyes. But how do they decide what to remember? This is a big question in brain science. Three key areas stand out: attention, short-term memory, and what we actually see. Attention is like a spotlight. It helps us focus on important things. Short-term memory is like a mental notepad. It holds info...
In a world where knowledge is power, a new way to value and use intelligence is emerging. Hetu 3. 0, a project built on Ethereum, is changing the game by turning verified intelligence into a form of money. This isn't just any money—it's a new kind of currency that rewards understanding and aligns with the needs of the AI economy. At the heart of Hetu 3. 0 is a tri-l...
A comet is zooming close to the Sun, and some people think it might be an alien spacecraft. This idea comes from a scientist named Avi Loeb, who has made similar claims before. He thinks this comet, called 3I/ATLAS, might show signs of being artificial. But most scientists disagree. Loeb has a history of making big claims. He once said another space object was alien...
Franklin D. Roosevelt once spoke about "new frontiers of the mind. " He believed that exploring these frontiers could lead to a better life for everyone. This idea was part of a report called "Science, the Endless Frontier. " It was written by Vannevar Bush and sent to President Truman. But guess what? The report was actually started under Roosevelt's leadership. Ro...
DNA in our blood can reveal a lot about our health. But to use it for spotting cancer, scientists need to clean it up first. The way they do this can make a huge difference. Right now, there's no agreement on the best cleanup method. This makes it hard to use DNA for cancer detection. Researchers decided to investigate. They wanted to see how different cleanup metho...