Many people experience coulrophobia, the fear of clowns. Did you know that there are a number of possible reasons for this phobia? One theory is the “uncanny valley” effect, where something is identifiable as human, but with just a little something that isn’t quite right. This is also the reason why some folks are...
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In 2016, U.S. diplomats in Cuba claimed to have been attacked with some sort of sonic weapon. And just recently, a U.S. employee in China made similar claims. However, scientists who study sound and its impacts doubt that these incidents were actually attacks, and further suggest that the effects on these people probably weren’t a...
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Galaxies typically comprise a mix of ordinary matter and so-called “invisible” dark matter. Dark matter makes up most of the universe, and though it can’t be seen, its impact on ordinary matter shows scientists that it is there. Recently, however, astronomers have identified a galaxy with almost no dark matter. The galaxy has been...
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Scientists in the United States and Sweden recently completed a study of genetics and mental development, using twins and tracking eye movement. When young sets of twins were exposed to the same images, researchers tracking their eye movement found that identical twins tended to look at the images in the same way–focusing on the...
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A good ventriloquist can make you believe that they are not the one doing the talking for their dummy. But the science behind why our brains believe that is a bit more complicated. Scientists long believed that different parts of the brain processed the sensory input from each of our five senses. But a...
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With the number of super heroes who get their powers from radioactive waste, you’d think there’d be a lot more short-lived super heroes. Radiation may seem like an awesome source of powers, but the reality is that it is more likely to cause problems than grant powers. If you’re not entirely convinced that humans...
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Sweet potatoes come from Central and South America. Or maybe they come from Polynesian Islands. Or maybe they come from both! Historical accounts place sweet potatoes in these disparate locations, without any clear evidence of cross-cultural contact in the same time period. And scientists have determined that sweet potatoes in both locations come from...
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If you’re interested in seeing some really strange pseudoscience, head to the Science Museum of Minnesota to check out their exhibits on quackery and medical frauds. For the most part filled with “miracle cures” with no basis in science, this museum began as a small exhibit in a Minneapolis mall, but has since been...
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NASA has recently been studying the impacts of space travel on identical twins, as a part of their Twins Study. And while they haven’t discovered that space changes your DNA, as some news outlets initially reported, they have determined that even after returning to Earth, someone who has spent time in space may have...
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Scientists have recently been studying the causes of anxiety as they are reflected in the brains of laboratory mice, and they believe that they’ve located the source of anxious feelings, along with a potential way to treat them! By studying mice brains as the mice make their way through mazes, portions of which are...
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