Have you ever found yourself seeing images right before falling asleep? If so, you might be experiencing hypnagogia! Learn more about what causes our pre-sleep hallucinations in this episode of SciShow, hosted by Hank Green.
Tag Archives: Science & Nature
PhD Student Finds Lost City in Mexico Jungle by Accident
Some achievements require consistent hard work.Some happen by blind luck. But some are a combination of the two. Read this fascinating story of a PhD student who stumbled across a picture on accident, but was skilled enough in his field of study to notice something in the picture that no one else had ever seen before—the ruins of an entire city.
New treatment for Type 1 Diabetics Gives Hope to University of Chicago Patients
Before insulin was first used in the 1920s (barely 100 years ago), a patient with Type 1 Diabetes was expected to live less than 2 years after being diagnosed. After insulin, diabetics began living longer and longer. Type 1 diabetics today can expect to live into their late 60s or early 70s—but doing so requires a lot of medicine, devices, and thoughtful care. However, a new treatment option is currently being tested that may make care easier and help patients live even longer.
A promising test for pancreatic cancer . . . from a teenager
If someone said you could change the world, would you believe it? If you had an idea that could save countless lives, would anyone listen? Watch this talk by Jack Andraka, a teen who discovered a revolutionary way to detect certain cancers. Discover what he did, how he did it, and what it took to get people to listen.
Tool Use Found in Octopuses
When we think of intelligent animals, we usually think of mammals, such as dolphins and dogs. So it might be surprising to learn that a creature that seems much more primitive—the octopus—is capable of planning, strategizing, and using tools.
Your Brain Perceives Reality By Hallucinating
Are our minds playing tricks on us all the time? Click this link to watch an animated video that explains what perception and hallucination have in common.
How reintroducing wolves helped save a famous park
Wolves had been absent from Yellowstone National Park for more than 70 years when they were reintroduced in the 1990s – and their return had some surprising benefits.
Colorblind viewfinders in Virginia parks allow guests to experience fall foliage in full color
Virginia is known for its vibrant, breath-taking autumn views, but people with colorblindness were often left out from fully enjoying the scenery. That is, until one park ranger set out to make a change.
Teen is one of the first ever to get his genes edited. Why he says the process is ‘cool and freaky’
Johnny Lubin, one of the first in the world to try a new kind of medicine that uses a gene-editing tool called CRISPR to offer a potential cure for sickle cell disease.
NASA clears $5 billion Jupiter mission for launch after review of suspect transistors
Europa, one of Jupiter’s many moons, is an icy environment with a saltwater ocean beneath its surface. NASA plans to learn more about this ocean by sending the Europa Clipper into Jupiter’s orbit.
What Causes Déjà Vu?
It’s an eerie feeling: You walk into a place you know you’ve never been before but are overwhelmed by a sense of familiarity—a memory you can’t quite reach. Has this all happened before?
The sensation is known as déjà vu, and though it is hard to study, scientists are slowly figuring out why it happens.
The 10 Most Intriguing Science Breakthroughs of 2023
It’s too early to know what the greatest scientific discoveries and achievements of 2024 will be, but now that we’ve had some time to reflect on last year, here is one site’s opinion on what the Top 10 most intriguing advancements of 2023 were. Which ones do you agree with? Are there any you think should have made the list?
Scientists Say They’ve Discovered A New Human Organ
Quick! How many organs are there in the human body?
Don’t worry, I can’t remember, either. But whatever that number is, some scientists are proposing that we add one more to the list—a newly discovered system of fluid-filled tissue that goes throughout the body called the interstitium. And understanding it may open up brand-new options for treating everything from cancer to immune disorders to gum disease!
Video shows isolated Amazon tribe emerge from rain forest in Peru amid threat from loggers
Logging in the Amazon rainforest could threaten the health and wellbeing of an isolated tribe known as the Mashco Piro people.
This year’s Olympic flame isn’t a flame at all—and that’s a good thing
The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris had a goal of being the most environmentally-friendly games in history. One way to meet this goal was by asking the question: “What if the Olympic flame looked like a flame, but wasn’t one?” Learn how engineers came up with the illusion at the heart of the Olympic Games
Science and Poetry: Predation or Symbiosis?
Though poets often draw on imagery from nature, science and poetry often appear to be set in opposition to each other. Can the world of facts mesh with the world of emotions? In this essay, poet and scientist Pireeni Sundaralingam analyzes the complex relationship between the two.
5 ways to face your fears through travel
By traveling to exciting new places, confronting phobias might turn into a thrilling adventure. Explore five sites people can visit to overcome fears such as heights or the dark.
Earthquakes, Megaquakes, and the Movies: Lights! Cameras! Disaster!
Tornadoes, ice ages, asteroids, megaquakes, and sometimes angry aliens: Hollywood sure enjoys disasters! Read this article about the differences between Hollywood’s view of earthquakes and the views of the scientific community. Learn the real-world science behind movie myths and mayhem.
The CIA’s Most Highly-Trained Spies Weren’t Even Human
Pigeons that guide missiles to their targets? Cats that spy on secret meetings? Trained spiders? Read this article to learn why Bob Bailey, the first director of the Navy’s dolphin training program, says he’s never found an animal he couldn’t train—and find out what his animals have been trained to do.
Toddler born deaf can hear after gene therapy trial breakthrough her parents call “mind-blowing”
Opal Sandy, a little girl born with genetic deafness, can now hear for the first time thanks to gene therapy designed to treat certain types of deafness.