5 ways to face your fears through travel
Source: CNN
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.
Health & Medicine
Civil War Pioneers: Meet Some of America’s First Female Nurses
Source: US Department of Defense
Nurses played a crucial role during the Civil War, though many of them faced unsanitary conditions, long hours, and a lack of medical supplies. Learn more about the women who became nurses despite these obstacles.
Seeing things that aren’t there? It’s called pareidolia.
Source: EarthSky
Have you ever looked at an electrical outlet and thought it looked like a face? Or looked at a cloud and seen a bunny rabbit? If so, you’ve experienced the phenomenon of pareidolia. But why does our mind create faces out of random shapes? Read this article to learn more.
Are We Losing Too Much Sleep to Our Electronic Devices?
Source: Parade
Did you know that most Americans sleep with some sort of electronic device in their rooms at night? Do you? Find out how this habit might be affecting your sleep.
Scientists Think They Know What Causes Trypophobia
Source: MentalFloss
Trypophobia describes the fear of clusters of holes. While it’s not officially recognized, many are convinced they have it.
Experimental robot performs simulated surgical operations aboard space station
Source: NBC
A surgical robot originally intended for space has the potential to revolutionize surgery here on Earth.
A new device let a man sense temperature with his prosthetic hand
Source: ScienceNews
Researchers in Italy and Switzerland have developed a new device that makes it possible for a person with an amputation to sense temperature through their prosthetic hand. The technology is a major step toward prosthetic limbs that could restore a full range of senses, improving both the prosthesis’s usefulness and its acceptance by those who wear them.
This Is Your Body on Fear
Source: Right as Rain (University of Washington Medicine)
Your fear response starts in your brain but quickly spreads through your body—affecting your thinking, heart rate, breathing, muscles, digestion, and more. Fear is normal and helpful, but it can become anxiety if your fear response kicks in when no threat is present. Read this article to learn more about how fear works, how it differs from anxiety, and when fear may be negatively affecting your life.
Would Shakespeare’s poisons and drugs work in reality?
Source: BBC
Several Shakespearean plots points, including the climax of Romeo and Juliet, focus on powerful potions. Did the bard dream them up, or might they have really existed?
Is Fear Contagious?
Source: PBS: Gross Science (on YouTube)
Fear may be able to spread from person to person—just like a virus. Recent studies have indicated that humans can smell fear and disgust in the body odor of those nearby, causing the part of their own brain that processes those emotions to become active.