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ScienceHealthOur Weirdest Dreams Could Be Training Us for Life, New Theory Says
I once dreamt that I lived inside the belly of a Tyrannosaurus rex. Another dream about a haunted refrigerator that kept reappearing in my kitchen despite my repeated attempts to get rid of it makes me chuckle to this very day. And just last night, for reasons beyond my comprehension, I dreamt that I stole … Continued
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ScienceBiologyBenefits of Petting a Therapy Dog Last for Weeks After Cuddle Sessions, Study Finds
Though no one may have needed a study to tell them this, new research has found that therapy dogs are indeed good boys and girls. The experiment found that these dogs helped sharpen the cognitive skills of stressed college students weeks after they took part in a petting program, to an even greater degree than … Continued
By Ed Cara -
Tech NewsGiz AsksWhy Am I Still Embarrassed About Things That Happened 10 Years Ago?
It’s a nice day, you’re strolling along, music’s queued up, prospects looking good, your sweater’s matching your pants, the person you’re seeing just sent you a cute text, no one you know is actively sick or angry at you, your dreams are, if not on the brink of actualization, not impossibly far from it, and … Continued
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Tech NewsGiz AsksWhy Do I Feel Like I’m Dying During a Panic Attack?
If you would like to know what it feels like to die, while at the same time continuing to live, you have a number of solid options. You can eat fast food quickly on a 90-degree day; you can lay awake all night mentally rehearsing your greatest failures and then board a packed bus to … Continued
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ScienceHealthScientists Implant and Then Reverse False Memories in People
Researchers have demonstrated just how easy it is to trick the mind into remembering something that didn’t happen. They also used two very simple techniques to reverse those false memories, in a feat that paves the way for a deeper understanding of how memory works. Our brains are far from perfectly functioning recorders of our … Continued
Sofia Quaglia -
Tech NewsNewsTexas Rangers Say They’ll Stop Trying to Hypnotize Crime Victims and Witnesses
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), which oversees the Texas Highway Patrol and the state’s (in)famous Texas Ranger Division, said this week it has finally halted the discredited hypnosis techniques it used to provide evidence in criminal investigations since at least the start of the 1980s. It’s not exactly a surprise that police would … Continued
By Tom McKay -
ScienceHealthAncient Memorization Trick Boosts Long-Term Memory and Changes the Brain
Imagine the route you typically take to the grocery store. Now imagine the many identifiable landmarks that exist between your home and the store—like a specific garden, stop sign, or gas station. Take these landmarks and associate them with things you’re trying to remember, such as the items on your grocery list. So for the … Continued
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ScienceHealthScientists Find a Way to Communicate With Dreaming People
The veil between dreamworld and reality may be thinner than we thought. In a new study released Thursday, scientists in four countries say they’ve shown it’s possible to communicate with people while they’re lucid dreaming. At least some of the time, the dreamers were reportedly able to respond to yes-or-no questions and answer simple math … Continued
By Ed Cara -
io9MoviesStrawberry Mansion Dreams of Mental Taxation Without Explanation
Writing-directing duo Albert Birney and Kentucker Audley’s Strawberry Mansion imagines a world where the time people spend fast asleep isn’t truly their own. Instead, it’s the latest frontier where both businesses and the government see money-making opportunities that people usually only have to deal with in the waking world. While there are a fair number … Continued
