Topic

Science & Nature

A collection of 265 issues

Beyond the Clock: Why Time Stretches and Shrinks in Our Dreams

Our sense of time warps dramatically during REM sleep, creating dreams that feel like they span days or years. This isn't a random glitch; it's a feature of how our brain processes memories, unanchored from waking reality and its rigid chronological rules.

Science & Nature Psychology & Health Oddities & Curiosities

The Great Antarctic Fast: How Weddell Seal Mothers Convert Their Bodies into Life

In Antarctica, Weddell seal mothers perform an extreme sacrifice, fasting for up to seven weeks while nursing. They produce milk over 60% fat, converting a third of their own body mass into fuel for their pups, ensuring their survival in the harsh environment.

Science & Nature Environment & Climate

The Jellyfish That Cheats Death: Unraveling Biological Immortality

The tiny jellyfish Turritopsis dohrnii holds a key to biological immortality. When stressed, injured, or old, it can reverse its aging process, reverting from an adult to its earliest polyp stage. This unique ability to reset its life cycle is a marvel.

Science & Nature Oddities & Curiosities Medicine, Psychology & Health

The Unbreakable Calorie: Why a True Zero-Calorie Cooking Oil Remains a Scientific Fantasy

A true zero-calorie cooking oil is elusive because fat's culinary functions are intrinsically tied to its digestible structure. The most notable attempt, the synthetic fat Olestra, failed due to severe gastrointestinal side effects and vitamin malabsorption.

Food & Lifestyle Science & Nature Medicine, Psychology & Health

A Measure of Mold: The Surprising Reality of the FDA's Food Defect Levels

The FDA's 'Defect Levels Handbook' sets maximum allowable levels for unavoidable impurities in food, including mold. For instance, frozen strawberries are only deemed adulterated if the average mold count is 45% or more, highlighting the practical realities of food production.

Food & Lifestyle Science & Nature Law, Crime & Justice

Rewriting the Code: How Gene Modulators Are Granting Cystic Fibrosis Patients a Near-Normal Lifespan

Groundbreaking drugs called CFTR modulators are revolutionizing Cystic Fibrosis treatment. By correcting the faulty protein at the heart of the disease, medications like Trikafta are predicted to extend the average lifespan for most patients to over 80 years.

Medicine, Psychology & Health Science & Nature Inventions & Discoveries

The Microbial Heavyweights: What's Really Living on Your Gym Equipment

The average free weight harbors 362 times more bacteria than a toilet seat, with over one million colony-forming units per square inch. Unlike frequently cleaned, non-porous toilet seats, high-touch gym equipment is an ideal breeding ground for germs.

Medicine, Psychology & Health Science & Nature Oddities & Curiosities

The Galactic Constant: Why All Galaxies Spin to the Same Beat

Astronomers have discovered a hidden cosmic rule: all galaxies, regardless of size, complete one rotation at their outer edge in roughly a billion years. This universal 'galactic year' reveals a fundamental relationship between a galaxy's matter and its spin.

Space & Astronomy Science & Nature Inventions & Discoveries

Unraveling the Myth: How Spaceflight Changes Gene Expression, Not an Astronaut's Core DNA

Contrary to viral headlines, Scott Kelly's DNA did not permanently change after a year in space. The myth stems from NASA's Twins Study, which found significant changes in his *gene expression*—how genes turn on and off—most of which reverted upon his return to Earth.

Space & Astronomy Science & Nature Myth, Folklore & Legends

Loading more posts...