Scientists 'Engineer' Dreams in Rats
Posted on March 2, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 445 words
| Fernande Dalal
The dream of modifying a person's dreams has just gotten a step closer, as MIT scientists were able to manipulate what lab rats "saw" in their sleep using audio cues.
Scientists have known that during sleep, a part of the brain called the hippocampus "replays" the day's events in a process that might help solidify a person's memories. The same has been shown in rats that dream about running through mazes after a day's work in a lab at MIT.
[Read More]The best science kit gifts for kids
Posted on March 2, 2023
| 7 minutes
| 1302 words
| Trudie Dory
If you've got a little scientist on your hands, look no further for the best science kits this holiday season. Live Science has gathered a group of the most incredible science kits you can buy right now. Is your kid fascinated by the weather? There's a science kit for that. Do they want to know how plants grow? Get them a glow-in-the-dark terrarium. Are they always talking about squishy, gross guts?
[Read More]Wari leaders used hallucinogen to keep followers loyal 1,200 years ago, archaeologists say
Posted on March 2, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 553 words
| Fernande Dalal
The Wari leaders of a 1,200-year-old town now called Quilcapampa may have used their access to the psychoactive substance vilca to help keep their people loyal, a team of archaeologists says.
Recent excavations at the center of Quilcapampa, a site in southern Peru, revealed 16 vilca seeds alongside the remains of a drink made from fermented fruit that scientists refer to as "chicha de molle." The archaeologists found the seeds and drink in an area of the site that contains buildings that were likely used for feasting, the team of researchers wrote in a paper published Jan.
[Read More]Who Believes in Aliens? (Infographic)
Posted on March 2, 2023
| 1 minutes
| 29 words
| Trudie Dory
Far from being a fringe belief, the opinion that alien intelligence exists somewhere out in space was expressed by 54 percent of Americans polled in a recent survey.
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Allergy vs intolerance: What’s the difference?
Posted on March 1, 2023
| 8 minutes
| 1614 words
| Trudie Dory
If you have an unpleasant reaction every time you eat a certain food, you may wonder whether you have some form of a food sensitivity. But what’s the difference between an allergy vs an intolerance, and how can you identify which one you might be suffering with?
It’s easy to get confused, as these conditions present themselves in similar ways. Food allergies and food intolerances may appear in response to the same dietary triggers, and they both produce similar symptoms, such as stomach cramps, diarrhea and skin rashes.
[Read More]Ancient Biblical Gardens 'Bloom' Again
Posted on March 1, 2023
| 2 minutes
| 409 words
| Trudie Dory
An ancient royal garden has come back into bloom in a way, as scientists have reconstructed what it would've looked like some 2,500 years ago in the kingdom of the biblical Judah.
Their reconstruction, which relied on analyses of excavated pollen, reveals a paradise of exotic plants.
The luxurious garden had been discovered at Ramat Rahel, an archaeological site located high above the modern city of Jerusalem, about midway between the Old City of Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
[Read More]Apple Obsession: The Science of iPad Fanaticism
Posted on March 1, 2023
| 10 minutes
| 1984 words
| Trudie Dory
When Apple released its iPad, people lined up for hours to get their hands on the latest shiny techno-gadget stamped with the Apple logo.
While there likely wasn't reason to worry iPads would go out of style, or worse, become unavailable, and those die-hard consumers didn't urgently need the tablet for an essential task that same day, still the lines persisted — as they often do when Apple comes out with something new.
[Read More]Enormous 'shipyard' of ancient galaxies discovered 11 billion light-years away
Posted on March 1, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 469 words
| Arica Deslauriers
Astronomers have discovered a massive "shipyard" where galaxies are built, similar to the one our Milky Way grew up in.
The giant structure, called a protocluster, contains more than 60 galaxies and is 11 billion light-years from Earth, so far away that scientists are observing a part of the universe that is only 3 billion years old.
Researchers released a paper on the protocluster named G237 in January, but its existence has now been confirmed by an international team of astronomers, who published their follow-up findings on Oct.
[Read More]Frigid Winter? Blame 4,000 Years of Wild Jet Streams
Posted on March 1, 2023
| 4 minutes
| 787 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
This winter's wild weather got its start 4,000 years ago, a new study finds.
The roaring jet stream, whose swooping winds drove frigid cold in the East and record warmth in the West this winter, first started twisting and turning about 4,000 years ago, according to a new analysis of ancient rainfall records from North America. Jet stream winds race from west to east, and kinks in the narrow atmospheric current can suck Arctic cold south or hold warm air in place.
[Read More]Galileo Toned Down His Heretical Words, Long-Lost Letter Proves (But the Church Persecuted Him Anyway)
Posted on March 1, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 455 words
| Trudie Dory
Did Galileo Galilei really say all those terrible things that the Vatican said he did in his famous 1613 letter about a sun-centered solar system — and in saying so, violate church doctrine? Or did the Catholic Church alter his words to make him look bad, so they could more easily declare him a heretic? A long-lost letter that recently emerged from a library archive in the United Kingdom may finally put this question to rest.
[Read More]