All posts tagged: Discover

People Left Stunned As They Discover What Paprika Is Really Made From

People Left Stunned As They Discover What Paprika Is Really Made From

Published by Sam Flores

Sometimes, learning more about your favourite foods makes you feel good. For instance, I was pretty happy to discover that a pumpkin spice mix is really easy to make at home, and that the secret to Biscoff’s distinctive taste is more than likely just… sugar. Other times, though (like when I learned that cola is flavoured with a kola nut), the news changes my perspective forever. Such is the case with paprika, which I always thought was some variety of dried… chilli? With tomato powder, maybe? Nope ― it’s usually a sweet, moist veg we all eat on the reg. Go on then ― what is it? A lot of the time, paprika is made from plain, spag-bol-staple bell peppers, a fact that’s left people like Redditor u/albertpaca11 surprised. Writing to r/cookingforbeginners, they said: “I just found out Paprika is just Bell Pepper… my mind is blown. Why is it spicy?” Granted, it’s a particular species of bell pepper (Capsicum annuum) ― but the ruby-red variety wouldn’t be out of place on your crudité plate. …

Scientists discover a hydraulic link between the abdomen and the brain

Scientists discover a hydraulic link between the abdomen and the brain

Published by José Betancourt

A recent study published in Nature Neuroscience suggests that the brain is more mechanically connected to the body than previously appreciated. Scientists found that abdominal muscle contractions compress blood vessels connected to the spine and brain, pushing fluid that gently moves the brain within the skull. This physical swaying provides evidence for how exercise might benefit brain health by washing away cellular waste. Scientists set out to understand the specific mechanical origins of brain motion in awake animals. The central nervous system is encased in thick bone, making it seem isolated from the physical forces of the rest of the body. However, the work builds on previous studies detailing how sleep and neuron loss can influence how and when cerebrospinal fluid flushes through the brain, according to Patrick Drew, a professor of engineering science and mechanics, neurosurgery, biology and biomedical engineering at Penn State. “Our research explains how just moving around might serve as an important physiological mechanism promoting brain health,” said Drew, corresponding author on the paper. “In this study, we found that when …

Astronomers discover 27 potential Tatooine-like planets that orbit two stars

Astronomers discover 27 potential Tatooine-like planets that orbit two stars

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. There is a reason the most recognizable planet orbiting two stars is the fictional desert world of Tatooine from Star Wars. So far, astronomers have only located 18 examples of circumbinary planets—a fraction of the over 6,000 exoplanets known to science. However, researchers at Australia’s University of New South Wales (UNSW) believe there’s a better way to spot potential dual-sun candidates. To prove it, they just offered up 27 possible circumbinary planets in time for May 4th, aka Star Wars Day. “Most of our current knowledge on planets is biased, based on how we’ve looked for them,” Margo Thornton, a UNSW astronomer, said in a statement. “We’ve mostly found the easiest ones to detect.” As Thornton and her colleagues explain in a study published today in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, the secret weapon is a technique called apsidal precession. Typically used to only confirm binary stars, astronomers using apsidal precession observe the twin stellar bodies …

Harvard researchers discover how the human nose decodes smells

Harvard researchers discover how the human nose decodes smells

Published by Jenni Sidey

For decades, smell stood apart from the other senses. Scientists could point to orderly maps in the eye, the ear, and the skin, showing how sensory cells are arranged to capture information and how those patterns connect to the brain. Smell never fit that picture. The usual view held that odor receptors in the nose were only loosely sorted into broad zones, with a lot of randomness inside them. A new study in mice now argues that this picture was badly incomplete. Researchers led by Sandeep (Robert) Datta at Harvard Medical School report that the nose contains a detailed receptor map, one that places more than 1,000 smell receptor types in overlapping but distinct horizontal bands running from the top of the nose to the bottom. The work, published in Cell, suggests that smell may be organized more like vision, hearing, and touch than scientists had realized. “Olfaction is super-mysterious,” Datta, a professor of neurobiology in the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School, said in background material describing the findings. A microscope photo of a …

Monkeys discover unusual tactic that lets them binge on junk food – don’t try this at home | UK | News

Monkeys discover unusual tactic that lets them binge on junk food – don’t try this at home | UK | News

Published by Sam Flores

Gibraltar’s famous Barbary macaques have hit upon a clever but dirty solution to the perils of tourist handouts: swallowing soil to settle their stomachs after gorging on chocolate, crisps, ice cream and other junk food. A University of Cambridge study has, for the first time, documented regular “geophagy” – intentional dirt-eating – among the only free-ranging monkey population in Europe. Troops with the closest contact with holidaymakers eat far more soil, with rates spiking during the busy summer season. Researchers believe the high-sugar, high-fat, low-fibre snacks disrupt the monkeys’ gut microbiome and cause digestive misery. Eating dirt appears to act as a natural buffer, lining the gut, supplying minerals and beneficial bacteria, and limiting the absorption of irritating compounds. Dr Sylvain Lemoine, a biological anthropologist at Cambridge, explained: “Foods brought by tourists and eaten by Gibraltar’s macaques are extremely rich in calories, sugar, salt and dairy. This is completely unlike the foods typically consumed by the species, such as herbs, leaves, seeds and the occasional insect.” The behaviour lets the monkeys keep bingeing on calorie-dense …

Researchers discover a new way to control light in empty space

Researchers discover a new way to control light in empty space

Published by Jenni Sidey

Light does not usually surprise people. It travels, it reflects, it bends. In labs, researchers can twist it into more exotic forms, but that has often required special surfaces, unusual materials, or intense focusing with powerful optics. This time, the surprise came from free space itself. Scientists at the University of East Anglia, working with colleagues in South Africa, report that light can develop a kind of handedness as it moves through empty space, without mirrors, materials, or special lenses shaping it along the way. The work, published in Light: Science & Applications, points to a new way of controlling light by using its internal geometry. That matters because handedness, also called chirality, sits at the center of chemistry and biology. Many molecules, including some used in medicines, come in left- and right-handed forms that can look nearly identical while behaving very differently in the body. Schematic of the experimental setup depicting (a) the generation and (b) detection components. (c) Experimentally recorded polarization intensities for H, V, D, A, R and L for 3 separate …

Discover Dropping Two Apple Wallet Features

Discover Dropping Two Apple Wallet Features

Published by skeptic

Discover is planning to eliminate some of the Apple Wallet integrations that it introduced in 2023, according to letters that cardholders are receiving. As of June 4, 2026, Discover users will no longer be able to see their total card balance and transaction history in the iPhone’s Wallet app, or use the Pay with Rewards feature in Apple Pay. Apple has a Connected Cards feature that allows credit cards from participating companies to display balances and recent transactions when they’re added to the Wallet app. Discover has supported the feature for nearly three years, as have many UK banks, but other credit card companies in the U.S. did not add support. Pay with Rewards, which is also being eliminated, allows Discover cardholders use their cashback bonuses toward ‌Apple Pay‌ purchases. Discover says that while several ‌Apple Pay‌ features are being eliminated, Discover users will still be able to use the Discover card to make ‌Apple Pay‌ purchases in retail locations and online. Here’s a full list of the changes Discover is making: Enrollment Cancellation – …

Scientists discover the genetic cause of sweeter grapes

Scientists discover the genetic cause of sweeter grapes

Published by Jenni Sidey

Sweet grapes do not happen by accident. As berries ripen, the plant has to move, make, and store sugars with remarkable timing, and even small shifts can affect flavor, harvest quality, and market value. A new study in Horticulture Research traces part of that process to a specific molecular chain in grapes, showing how the ripening hormone abscisic acid, or ABA, helps drive sugar buildup. Researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University found that ABA sped ripening in ‘Muscat Hamburg’ grapes and increased soluble sugar accumulation, then linked that change to two transcription factors, VvMYB44 and VvERF045, and a sucrose-related gene called VvSPS4. The findings gives grape biology a more defined route between hormone signaling and sweetness. Rather than treating ABA as a broad ripening signal with many downstream effects, the study identifies a narrower control point tied to sucrose metabolism. That matters because sweetness is one of the traits people notice first. The findings gives grape biology a more defined route between hormone signaling and sweetness. (CREDIT: Shutterstock) ABA pushed berries along faster The team …

Scientists discover how local brain cells hijack serotonin signaling

Scientists discover how local brain cells hijack serotonin signaling

Published by José Betancourt

A new study published in Nature Communications reveals that a brain chemical called acetylcholine can directly trigger the release of serotonin. These results suggest that the brain uses a highly coordinated system to link different chemical messengers. The findings might help explain the biological roots of compulsive behaviors seen in psychiatric conditions like obsessive-compulsive disorder. The brain relies on an array of chemical messengers to transmit signals across microscopic gaps between nerve cells. These chemicals allow the brain to coordinate everything from basic reflexes to abstract thoughts. The striatum is a deep brain structure that acts as a central hub for processing habits, movement, and goal-directed learning. Within this region, a small population of cells known as cholinergic interneurons act like local conductors. Interneurons are specialized nerve cells that form connections between other neurons, helping to manage the flow of information within a specific local area. These particular interneurons release acetylcholine, a chemical messenger that helps the brain respond to important behavioral events. Acetylcholine works by binding to specific proteins on the surface of other …

David Attenborough at 100: Discover the five secrets to a long and healthy life

David Attenborough at 100: Discover the five secrets to a long and healthy life

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Sir David Attenborough, the beloved natural historian and environmental advocate, is set to mark his 100th birthday next month on 8 May. This extraordinary milestone not only celebrates a seven-decade career that has profoundly shaped our understanding of the natural world but also prompts reflection on the secrets to a long and healthy life. The BBC will commemorate the occasion with a week of special programming, including a new documentary, Making Life on Earth: Attenborough’s Greatest Adventure, offering a behind-the-scenes look at his seminal 1979 series, Life on Earth. While human life expectancy has steadily risen over the past two centuries, reaching a century remains a remarkable achievement, sparking widespread curiosity about the factors contributing to such longevity. Dr Mohammed Enayat, a GP and founder of London-based longevity clinic HUM2N, defines this increasingly popular health trend as “an approach that seeks …