Salt makes almost everything taste better — we add it while cooking to enhance the flavor of other ingredients, sprinkle some into baking to balance out sweetness, and enjoy it in our favorite snacks, like chips, pretzels, and microwave popcorn. Besides these obvious sources, many highly processed foods — foods we wouldn't ordinarily consider salty — contain an unexpectedly high amount of sodium, such as canned goods, salad dressings, cold cuts, various cheeses, flavored yogurts, ketchup, ...read more

Generative AI (Gen AI) tools like ChatGPT have become an ever-present part of many people’s personal and working lives. And whether they are causing more harm than good to our cognitive skills or problem solving is a growing concern. Experts are worried that dependence on Gen AI is making users who lean heavily on these tools “dumber,” according to research findings.In a recent paper, a team from Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon University found that “higher confidence in Gen AI is associat ...read more

When the 2020 pandemic sent everyone home to “shelter in place,” kids began online school and adults telecommuted using videoconferencing. Suddenly, people saw a constant reflection of themselves mirrored on the screen.There we were, side-by-side in little boxes next to our colleagues as we pretended to listen to a department meeting or a budget update. Our every move was mirrored back to us, and it gave many people a chance to scrutinize their appearance.Small smiles revealed previously unn ...read more

Earth’s largest mass extinction eliminated a lot of marine species. But it didn’t eliminate them all. According to a study in Science Advances, warm, oxygen-depleted waters may have helped select survivors of the end-Permian extinction in the aftermath of the event around 252 million years ago, allowing them to expand their ranges throughout Earth’s oceans. The results reveal how marine animals have recovered from past mass extinctions and how they could recover from mass extinctions in th ...read more

Spring brings warmer temperatures, fresh greenery, and the return of birdsong. Songbirds are known for performing species-specific tunes to attract mates and defend their territories. But how do birds learn these signature songs? Much like humans, it takes time and practice to master a skill.To understand the brain signals involved in birds’ intrinsic desire to learn their songs, a research team from Duke University, North Carolina, closely studied how zebra finches practice their songs until ...read more

A surprising observation from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has revealed a vestige of a galaxy that peeked through the early universe’s dense fog just 330 million years after the Big Bang. The recent sighting of ultraviolet light from this distant galaxy — called JADES-GS-z13-1 — has astonished researchers, shattering prior expectations of early galaxy formation. Shortly after the Big Bang, the developing universe was clouded by a thick fog of neutral hydrogen, blocking the l ...read more

Cold plunging has become all the rage. Whether in the ocean, rivers, lakes, or your own personal cold plunge bath, enthusiasts claim that the therapy has a host of benefits, both mentally and physically, from reducing anxiety to reducing brain fog and improving focus. It’s also been touted for improving athletic performance, reducing inflammation and joint pain, improving immunity, and increasing metabolism. But are any of these benefits backed by science?Shock the Body with Cold Water Plunge ...read more

After 25 years of research, a 444-million-year-old inside-out fossil has finally been named. The fossil, which researchers at the University of Leicester have identified as a new species of multisegmented fossil, has been named Keurbos susanae, or “Sue” for short, after the lead researcher’s mom. And while its insides seem to have been well-preserved, researchers are still debating what this organism may have been. The researchers published their findings in the journal Palaeontology. � ...read more

Whether it's the near infamous Stanley cups or the Naglene, covered in national park stickers, you likely have spotted reusable water bottles almost everywhere you’ve go. College campuses, cafes, the office, and of course, the gym or on a hiking trail. People carry reusable water bottles for a variety of reasons. Perhaps they want to reduce plastic waste or microplastic intake, or maybe they are trying to stay hydrated for health reasons. Regardless of the different reasons, there is one thin ...read more

For humans, the gestation period can last forty weeks. There are cramps, morning sickness, strange food cravings, increasing discomfort, and a multitude of other effects. And the nine months of pregnancy is often just a prelude to the real drama. All this pain and suffering is for a good reason though.Scientists are still learning more about when live birth evolved, but one fossil discovery in the South China Sea revealed a 250 million-year-old creature with an embryo in its ribcage. The Dinocep ...read more