Clodomiro Picado, one of Costa Rica’s foremost scientists, conducted research on venomous snakes in Central America in the early-20th century and advocated for better products tailored to the types of snakes that lived in the area. The institute now named after him — the University of Costa Rica’s Clodomiro Picado Institute — is one of few in the world helping people bitten by snakes in Latin America and Africa. Before the institute was created, people in Costa Rica and surrounding coun ...read more

If social media is anything to go by, dog and cat vision are certainly having a moment, especially on TikTok, where it seems like practically every pet-owning user has accessed the platform’s wildly popular dog- and cat-vision filters.Sooner or later, anyone with a dog or cat is bound to wonder how their pet sees the world. But are apps and filters really a good representation? Let’s take a look at what our furry friends can and can’t see compared to us. The Basics of Dog and Cat Vision(C ...read more

NASA has long understood that abnormal amounts of cerebrospinal fluid accumulate deep in the brains of astronauts exposed to microgravity. In 1983, the space agency received a patent for a “ventricular catheter” designed to be inserted into the brains of astronauts, to relieve the pressure.And since then, the space agency has funded research into the problem. A new study has found that astronauts in space for six or more months develop the worst hydrocephalus, meaning they had the most enlar ...read more

If you haven't jumped on the TikTok bandwagon, you're one of the few, considering that the mega app now has a reported 150 million American users, and that number is growing. And those who get on TikTok can't seem to put it down, thanks to the app's innate ability to seemingly read its subscribers' minds. Its subtle understanding of a user's preferences has made it addictive, which begs the question: How is this app so apt at diving into its users' deepest desires?What Is the TikTok algorith ...read more

A deep, dark section of the Pacific Ocean — the abyssal plain known as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone — contains more than 5,500 marine life species, about 90 percent of which are new to science, according to a new study.Mining companies have staked out licenses to mine precious minerals from the area, something that can begin once the International Seabed Authority lays out final mining regulations, which could happen in a few weeks. Meanwhile, scientists should start assessing which of these ...read more

No, it’s not Photoshop; this fish has human-like teeth. Meet the sheepshead fish — Archosargus probatocephalus. While this fish made quite a stir in 2021 after an angler posted an image of the fish on social media, the sheepshead has been well-known for centuries. There is even a neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY, named after the fish. While plenty of fish have teeth, there are not many fish with human teeth. Here is more information on our toothy twin. Why Does the Sheepshead Fish Have Hum ...read more

Before his death in 1996, Carl Sagan was likely the most famous living scientist. A pioneer in space exploration and in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, he spent his life probing ideas that aroused the public imagination.Who Is Carl Sagan?It’s no surprise that Sagan’s greatest feats occurred not in secluded laboratories, but on the bright, world-wide stage of late-night talk shows, award-winning books and TV programs viewed by hundreds of millions.His scholarly accomplishments � ...read more

In the dynamic world of health and wellness, understanding the delicate balance of hormones within the human body is crucial. Estrogen, one of the primary sex hormones in both men and women, plays a significant role in various bodily functions. However, an excessive amount of estrogen can lead to imbalances and undesirable effects. As a result, an increasing number of individuals are turning to anti-estrogen supplements to help regulate their hormone levels and promote overall well-being.Steppin ...read more

As the field of artificial intelligence (AI) has grown from vague hopes to striking realities, as seen in technologies like ChatGPT, so too have alarms grown clearer. Geoffrey Hinton, the so-called “godfather of AI,” left Google to speak more clearly about the threat posed by the technology, which may one day grow smarter than its creators. He strictly opposes allowing the military to use AI and worries that an artificial hyperintelligence could one day manipulate human beings.How do we conv ...read more

From YouTube to Twitter and TikTok, much of our digital diet is dictated by social media algorithms, sets of rules that determine what content you see. The algorithms learn what makes us tick, then give us more and more (and more) of it.At first glance, this may sound like a convenience.Why wade through an endless morass of Facebook posts when a handy algorithm can simply present the ones it knows you’ll care about? Don’t we all want perfectly curated sequences of hedgehog memes to fall effo ...read more