
New App Takes You Inside the Edinburgh of the 16th Century
Researchers have reconstructed how the Scottish city would have looked shortly before it was largely destroyed by the English army in 1544.
1970-01-01 08:00

Poster Artist Drew Struzan Changed the Way We See Movies
You may not know his name, but he designed all of your favorite movie posters.
1970-01-01 08:00

Alex Trebek’s Favorite Jeopardy! Interview Was With a 1987 Teen Who Played the Bagpipes and Wrote Bad Poetry
“Roses are red / Violets are blue / Some poems rhyme / And some don’t.” —Dana Venator at the 1987 ‘Jeopardy!’ Teen Tournament.
1970-01-01 08:00

On This Day in 1962, NASA Launched and Destroyed Mariner 1
A software error coupled with a radar failure led to the loss of NASA's first Venus probe.
1970-01-01 08:00

10 Facts About Guinea Worm Disease
Dracunculiasis, or Guinea worm disease is, by all accounts, pretty awful: A person with the disease hosts a parasitic worm that forms a painful blister under the skin that eventually bursts, allowing the worm to emerge and lay its eggs in water. Those afflicted don't just endure pain (although there's plenty of that); they also run the risk of secondary infection and permanent paralysis, and there are economic consequences to the disease, too.
1970-01-01 08:00

Jeff Bezos Is Helping to Build a Clock Meant to Keep Time for 10,000 Years
It's 500 feet tall and is being built inside of a mountain.
1970-01-01 08:00

Want Pizza...from Your Toaster?
This 1999 commercial takes pizza too far.
1970-01-01 08:00

UK government may ban American XL bully dogs after a child was attacked
Britain’s home secretary says she is seeking “urgent advice” on banning a type of American Bully dog, highlighting an attack on a 11-year-old girl over the weekend
1970-01-01 08:00

8 Mind-Blowing Facts About the Big Bang
The birth of our universe happened at least 13 billion years ago—and you may have seen it on TV.
1970-01-01 08:00

The Racist Origins of 7 Common Phrases
From ‘cakewalk’ to ‘no can do,’ the origins of these common idioms and sayings are surprisingly dark.
1970-01-01 08:00

Scientists reveal everyday pleasures that elevate brain performance
Have you got a favourite track? Well, it’s time to turn it up and enjoy the beat with a warm cup of coffee. Everyday pleasures like listening to music or sipping a cup of coffee can elevate brain activity, improving cognitive performance including in tasks demanding concentration and memory, according to a recent study. A group of researchers looked at a new NYU Tandon School of Engineering study involving MindWatch a brain-monitoring technology. MindWatch is an algorithm that analyses a person’s brain activity from data which is collected from a wearable device which can monitor electrodermal activity (EDA). EDA is a measure of electrical changes in the skin triggered by emotional stress, often associated with sweat responses. In the study, published in Nature Scientific Reports, participants were made to wear these skin-monitoring wristbands as well as brain-monitoring headbands to complete a range of cognitive tests. The tests were conducted while the participants listened to music, drank their coffee and smelled perfumes reflecting their individual preferences. These tests were completed again without any of those stimulants. Researchers found that both music and coffee significantly influenced participants’ brain arousal, and put them in a “state of mind” that could “modulate their performance in the working memory tasks they were performing,” the NYU press release says. The wearable device found that the stimulates specifically triggered increased “beta band” brain wave activity which is linked to peak cognitive performance. Perfumes also had a slight positive effect, suggesting to researchers that there is a need for further investigation. “The pandemic has impacted the mental well-being of many people across the globe and now more than ever, there is a need to seamlessly monitor the negative impact of everyday stressors on one’s cognitive function,” says Rose Faghih, an associate professor of biomedical engineering who developed MindWatch in six years. “Right now MindWatch is still under development, but our eventual goal is that it will contribute to technology that could allow any person to monitor his or her own brain cognitive arousal in real-time, detecting moments of acute stress or cognitive disengagement, for example. “At those times, MindWatch could ‘nudge’ a person towards simple and safe interventions — perhaps listening to music — so they could get themselves into a brain state in which they feel better and perform job or school tasks more successfully, professor Faghih added. The specific tests used in this study involved a working memory task, called the n-back test which involves presenting a sequence of stimuli to the participants, in this case, images or sounds. It was shown one by one, and people were asked to indicate whether the current stimulus matched the one presented "n" items back in the sequence. This study employed a 1-back test — the participant responded "yes" when the current stimulus is the same as the one presented one item back — and a more challenging 3-back test, asking the same for three items back. Three types of music were also tested out, there was energetic and relaxing music familiar to the participants, as well as novel AI-generated music that reflected the subject’s tastes. Results showed that familiar, energetic music led to the best performance, followed by AI-generated music tailored to the participant’s taste. Coffee and perfume had lesser but still noticeable positive impacts. The MindWatch team wish to conduct further experiments to confirm the tool’s reliability and understand the broader effectiveness of various interventions on brain activity. Researchers have noted that while specific interventions might generally boost brain performance, individual results may vary. The study is published in the journal Nature. Read More ‘The Puss in Boots Effect:’ Women use infant-directed speech when addressing dogs with larger eyes Study reveals one thing to focus on if you want to live to 100 Extreme heat may speed up cognitive decline for people from poorer neighbourhoods Quick, moist and flavourful: Jurgen Krauss’s marble cake Mother whose hot flushes led to leukaemia diagnosis says ‘don’t ignore’ symptoms What happens at a sexual health check-up?
1970-01-01 08:00

4 of the Best Massage Guns For Sore Muscles, According to Physical Therapists
Shopping for the best massage guns? These are the models to get from leading brands like Therabody, Hyperice, and others, according to experts.
1970-01-01 08:00