The traditional accounts of Aztec sacrifice are almost too gory to be true. In them, Aztec priests cut beating hearts from the chests of sacrificial victims before throwing them down the steep steps of pyramids. “It is the most terrible and frightful thing,” an account from 1519 stated, shortly after the Spanish arrival in Mesoamerica.But the Aztecs, or Mexica, whose empire controlled most of central Mexico in the 15th century, didn’t see sacrifice as quite so startling, nor as quite so si ...read more

Back in 2019, a group of computer scientists performed a now-famous experiment with far-reaching consequences for artificial intelligence research. At the time, machine vision algorithms were becoming capable of recognizing a wide range of objects with some recording spectacular results in the standard tests used to assess their abilities. But there was a problem with the method behind all these tests. Almost all the algorithms were trained on a database of labelled images, known as ImageNet. Th ...read more

Conspiracy theories are everywhere, and they can involve just about anything.People believe false conspiracy theories for a wide range of reasons– including the fact that there are real conspiracies, like efforts by the Sackler family to profit by concealing the addictiveness of oxycontin at the cost of countless American lives.The extreme consequences of unfounded conspiratorial beliefs could be seen on the staircases of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and in the self-immolation of a protes ...read more

If you’ve ever had the misfortune to swallow a mouthful of seawater, you have some idea of its intense salinity. One small gulp is bad enough, but the total salt content of Earth’s oceans is truly staggering: Based on an average of 7 tablespoons per liter, scientists have calculated that they hold about 50 quadrillion tons (that’s 15 zeros) of dissolved salt.More incredible still, it wasn’t always there. It trickled slowly into the ocean — grain by grain, year by year — from the moun ...read more

Many medical organizations have been recommending lung cancer screening for decades for those at high risk of developing the disease.But in 2022, less than 6% of people in the U.S. eligible for screening actually got screened. Compared with other common cancer screenings, lung cancer screening rates fall terribly behind. For comparison, the screening rate in 2021 for colon cancer was 72%, and the rate for breast cancer was 76%. Why are lung cancer screening rates so poor?I am a pulmonologist who ...read more

Wouldn’t it be great to be able to know someone’s next move and beat them to it? It’s the key to winning a game of chess, negotiating a deal, or winning a round of poker. It makes us better at the tasks at hand, but it may also be that we were better at these skills in the first place.According to research, expertise lays the groundwork when it comes to thinking farther ahead. The more skill you have in something like chess, the better equipped you are to think steps farther ahead when com ...read more

Shorebirds fly thousands of miles each year along ancient and largely unknown migratory routes called flyways. But their populations are crashing amidst climate change and urban development. Global Big Day, on May 11, is your opportunity to get involved during this momentous global migration and help scientists understand how bird populations are changing. Participate in the projects we’ve curated for you below and watch the extraordinary film Flyways, produced by SciStarter partner HHMI Tangl ...read more

If you’re a lazy cook, this will probably come as good news: Not only do you not have to peel most fruits and vegetables before you cook or eat them, you shouldn’t peel most of them.Several studies over the years have found that the peels of fruits and vegetables contain lots of nutrients. “Peelings are excellent, excellent sources of many vitamins and minerals, specifically vitamin C, vitamin K, and the B vitamins,” says Amy Bragagnini, board-certified oncology nutrition specialist and ...read more

Dolphins are known by many for their playful nature and remarkable intelligence. But experts say they have far more in common with humans than meets the eye — like the fact that they’ve been known to form highly advanced social dynamics, building friendships and relationships much like we do.  Dolphins typically live in groups called pods, which can consist of as few as two dolphins or as many as 1,000 dolphins in a “super-pod”. Most pods include somewhere between 40 and 60 dolphins, a ...read more

The brown note, sometimes called the brown frequency, is an infrasonic noise frequency that has a particular effect. Hence the name: If you play a note at this very low frequency, it’s known to make you lose your bowels. That’s right, a sound frequency that causes you to run to the potty. Only, it’s not true. According to experts, there is currently no frequency known to man that will make you poop. But some may ask, what is the brown note?The brown note myth likely started as an interne ...read more