How Does a Poppy Seed Bagel Trigger a Positive Drug Test?

 Posted on October 21, 2022  |  4 minutes  |  646 words  |  Fernande Dalal

A mother in Maryland said that eating a poppy seed bagel caused her to test positive for opiates while she was giving birth, according to news reports. But how does this happen? The woman, Elizabeth Eden, ate a poppy seed bagel the morning she gave birth to her daughter in April, according to local news station WBAL. Eden was in labor when her doctor told her she had tested positive for opiates. [Read More]

Inflation could hit your mental health as much as your wallet, psychologists say

 Posted on October 21, 2022  |  7 minutes  |  1411 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

The cost of living is rising, creating new economic uncertainty on the tail end of a very uncertain two years. Experts say the result could be more mental strain, stress and anxiety. Inflation in the U.K. hit a 30-year high in January, with consumer prices up 5.5% from the previous year. The U.S. saw consumer prices rise 7.5% year-over-year as of January, the biggest annual increase in 40 years. [Read More]

Lightest Metal Ever Is 99.9 Percent Air

 Posted on October 21, 2022  |  4 minutes  |  792 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

How do you build the world’s lightest metal? Make it mainly from air, according to scientists. The material, known as a "microlattice," was developed by scientists at HRL Laboratories in Malibu, California, which is co-owned by Boeing and General Motors. The new microlattice is made up of a network of tiny hollow tubes and is roughly 100 times lighter than Styrofoam. In an effort to save fuel, aerospace and automotive companies constantly strive to make their materials as lightweight as possible without sacrificing structural integrity. [Read More]

Photos: Adorable and Amazing Guenon Monkey Faces

 Posted on October 21, 2022  |  1 minutes  |  173 words  |  Trudie Dory

Colorful guenon monkeysGuenon monkeys are one of the most diverse groups of Old World monkeys. Recently, researchers discovered that their incredibly intricate facial patterns help the sociable monkeys avoid interbreeding with other guenon species. Erythrocebus patasThere are more than 30 different guenon monkey species, such as the Erythrocebus patas shown here. Cercopithecus lesula Guenon monkeys forage in large groups, with two to six different species traveling together for added protection. [Read More]

Prehistoric Sailors May Be Responsible for Stonehenge, Other Megaliths

 Posted on October 21, 2022  |  2 minutes  |  352 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

Stonehenge and similar large, arranged rock structures around Europe may have a common origin. Hunter-gatherers in northwestern France might have first created these megaliths around 7,000 years ago and spread them throughout Europe, according to a new study published yesterday (Feb.11) in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It was previously thought that megaliths originated in the Near East, but nowadays more and more anthropologists agree that they were independently invented in various places across Europe, according to the magazine Science. [Read More]

Scientists finally solve the mystery behind a 100-year-old chemistry experiment

 Posted on October 21, 2022  |  4 minutes  |  765 words  |  Trudie Dory

Scientists may finally understand the mysterious transition behind a century-old chemistry experiment. The details of this transformation, in which adding electrons to a bright blue ammonia solution morphs it into a lustrous, metallic bronze, have long eluded scientists. The new study reveals the subtle details of this change, and shows that this transformation is gradual, rather than sudden. "What we've done successfully is that we've pretty much understood how these solutions behave at a wide range of concentrations using a microjet technique," [Read More]

Smoke sets off alarms on the International Space Station

 Posted on October 21, 2022  |  2 minutes  |  361 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

Alarms blared aboard the Russian side of the International Space Station (ISS) early Thursday (Sept. 9), and the crew reported seeing smoke and smelling burnt plastic, according to news reports.  The incident occurred in Russia's Zvezda module as the station's batteries were recharging, Russia's space agency, Roscosmos, reported, according to the BBC. The systems are now back to normal, and the crew has returned to "regular training," Roscosmos said. The ISS crew activated air filters, which cleared the air, according to the Associated Press. [Read More]

Transparent Octopus Goes Opaque in Blink of an Eye

 Posted on October 21, 2022  |  4 minutes  |  807 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

Two deep-ocean species of cephalopod, an octopus and a squid, can go from transparent to opaque in the blink of an eye, a new study finds. This impressive camouflage swap is an adaptation that likely keeps the cephalopods safe from two different types of predators. The first are deep-sea creatures that hunt by looking upward for prey silhouetted against the light filtering down through thousands of feet of water. The second are fish that spotlight prey in " [Read More]

Transparent Touchpad Works Even When It's Bent and Stretched

 Posted on October 21, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  560 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

A new transparent, flexible touchpad can sense the touch of a finger even when the material is stretched or bent, which could help engineers one day create advanced wearable touch screens, according to a new study. Increasingly, researchers around the world are developing flexible electronics, such as display screens, cameras, batteries and solar panels. These devices could one day be woven into clothing, prosthetic limbs or even human bodies, the researchers said. [Read More]

Was the Star of Bethlehem Actually Venus?

 Posted on October 21, 2022  |  2 minutes  |  280 words  |  Trudie Dory

That glittering star topping your Christmas tree isn't there just to look pretty it represents the Star of Bethlehem, which glowed overhead when Jesus was born, according to the Bible. But some scientists believe the star was not a star at all, but three planets. There are many theories as to what the Star of Bethlehem really was. Some believe it never existed, while others argue it could have been a nova . [Read More]