Researchers have published a new paper suggesting that the universe began not with one, but with two big bangs. This hypothesis tries to explain the existence of dark matter, by positing that the first big bang created ordinary matter, and the second one produced dark matter.

According to the standard model of cosmology, the universe is made up largely of dark matter and dark energy. As dark matter does not interact with light or the gravitational field, there have been no means to observe it. However, by observing the way other celestial bodies like stars behaved, scientists concluded that there must be some other mass in the universe that influenced them, and so the idea of dark matter came up to describe that unobservable mass. But the question was, where did it come from?

That's what the new hypothesis tries to explain. And with the technology that we have, the researchers say that it is possible to test it out.

(Image credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, J. Lee and the PHANGS-JWST Team; ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. Chandar Acknowledgement: J. Schmidt)

If there is anything that can succinctly sum up human history, then the short animated film Cuties does the job pretty well. It's five minutes long and it was animated by Theo W. Scott. It starts with the origins of human life, and we then follow the main character of the film depicted by a white, roundish person who goes back through time to all the representations of different eras in human history.

It's wonderfully animated, with no dialogue, but the images and scenes shown through this montage can make you feel squeamish and confused. But that is exactly what we might feel when we try to look at human history. We know the major events that happened in the past, but looking through the details is messy and bloody, and once we get to the end, we feel more perplexed than when we began.

The film also tried to project into the future, with everything collapsing into a black hole. In the end, no matter how far we've come through history, there are still things that remain the same. -from Cartoon Brew

(Video credit: Animatic/Youtube)

Running an Ironman Triathlon is no laughing matter. It entails a 3.9-kilometer swim, a 180.2-kilometer bicycle ride, and a marathon run (42.2 km) completed in one day, for a total of 226.3 kilometers. Usually, participants of an Ironman Triathlon have a time limit of 16 to 17 hours to finish the race.

Connor Emeny has been competing in the Ironman Triathlon for the past three years. Initially, he tried it out after seeing a teammate from his varsity triathlon team compete in the Ironman World Championship. His initial goal was to finish the race faster than the men's average, but after that, he set the goal of finishing an Ironman Triathlon in each of the seven continents.

His first Ironman Triathlon was in New Zealand, and then in Chattanooga, Tennesee. So far, he has been able to complete six, one from each continent, and he's now looking for his seventh and final stop - Antarctica. For this leg, he has increased his training each day, and has been conditioning his body to face the cold waters. He will be running in January next year.

(Image credit: Tony Pham/Unsplash)

When we look at portraits of ourselves juxtaposed with our parents, grandparents, or relatives, we sometimes notice resemblances or similarities in facial features that show how we are related. Sometimes, parents or grandparents look at newborn babies to figure out which side of the family they look like, although it's baffling how resemblances actually occur.

Geneticists have been trying to figure out how to break down the way our facial features and structures are formed for years. Trying to identify the particular gene responsible for the way our faces look is an arduous task. One would have to sift through thousands of genes to analyze how each one affects the development of our facial features.

So, several researchers looked toward grouping the genes into teams instead of identifying each gene responsible for specific features. Particularly, a study by Sahin Naqvi and his colleagues suggest that certain regulatory genes could be the 'captain' of the team of genes that are responsible for the development of the jaw or the forehead.

This, along with research by Benedikt Hallgrimsson and his team, are trying to pave the way to shed light on how our faces develop.

(Image credit: Jennifer Marquez/Unsplash)

Dolphins are highly intelligent mammals, and crab fishers are very familiar with how smart dolphins can be. For two decades, they have noticed that bottlenose dolphins have been stealing the fish they use as bait to catch crabs. And, for the first time ever, researchers have been able to film the behavior.

Although it's an astonishing feat for the dolphins to figure out how to get around the crab baits, some conservation biologists have expressed concern about the safety and health of the dolphins. Despite the dolphins' intelligence, they can still be ensnared in the traps, just like an incident in Clearwater, Florida, in which a baby dolphin got caught in the ropes of a crab trap.

Still, for over two years, the researchers filmed the dolphins as they snatched the fish from the crab traps. No matter what the fishers did to try and dissuade the dolphins from stealing the bait, they were still able to get around it. They tried putting the fish on hooks, changing the location of the fish in the crab pot, and even sealing the bait inside a plastic container with a lid.

The only way they were able to succeed in stopping the dolphins from stealing their bait was by making sure that the bait was tightly fastened in a mesh bait pouch. It may be worthwhile to study why the dolphins engage in this behavior, but researchers suspect that the dolphins wanted to have a little bit of fun while getting a reward for their efforts.

(Video credit: Dolphin Discovery Centre TV/Youtube)

The Ship Handling Research and Training Centre in Poland is a very unique school. This is where ship's pilots can learn how to steer through the biggest, most crucial ports, locks, and canals on earth, like the Panama Canal and the Suez canal. This training is meant to supplement on-the-job training with more experienced pilots, not to replace that experience. The goal is to keep from becoming a global meme, like the Ever Given a couple of years ago. They use a combination of computer simulations and real piloting. The school uses ships and courses that are scaled at only 1/24th the size of the the real thing, but that's still surprisingly big. They also use current generators to recreate various real-world conditions. Tom Scott talked them into letting him pilot one of these ships without taking the entire course, just for funsies. I don't think he's going to try for a job with Evergreen or any other shipping company. but someday, you might.    

Oh yeah, they have another of these training facilities in France, too.

King Frederick William I was the ruler of Prussia from 1713 to 1740. He instituted a number of reforms and improvements in the Prussian military, but one project was for his own amusement. The king, upon ascending the throne, immediately began recruiting very tall men for a regiment that became known as the Potsdam Giants. This recruitment took many forms, from giving incentives to soldiers, their families, and employers to kidnapping and imprisonment for tall men who refused to join. Foreign leaders who wanted to court favor with the king sent the tallest men from their own armies to join the Potsdam Giants. Most, however, were volunteers. After all, the Potsdam Giants got the best food in the entire Prussian military, and tall hats to make them look taller. It turned out to be one of the safest places to serve, too.

Frederick William I himself was only 5' 3" tall, so his obsession with tall soldiers was easily explained- not that anyone spoke of it at the time. The regiment of giants grew to around 3,200 men, some of them topping seven feet tall. But they weren't sent into battle, because they meant too much to the king. That changed after Frederick William's death. Read about the rise and fall of the Potsdam Giants at Amusing Planet.

On the one hand, you'd think that the ability to think outside the box would be an asset for a Jedi Knight. On the other hand, we know young Anakin Skywalker is an ass and is liable to get Obi-Wan killed before his time. You are supposed to discuss new strategies with your master before surprising them with your outlandish new battle tactics. That's what Obi-Wan should have gotten onto him about. Oh yeah, and about Yoda.

At the same time, we all know that Force powers are completely underused in Star Wars, particularly in battle. Anakin has an another idea that might give him the upper hand.



Once again, Obi-Wan is surprised by Anakin's dangerous secret tactics. Events of their future notwithstanding, Obi-Wan should have seen how dangerous this kid was years before. But Anakin eventually gets his comeuppance, and finally learns a lesson. This nonsense is brought to you by Matthew McCleskey. -via Geeks Are Sexy

What makes a good first impression? When meeting someone for the first time, we usually want to leave a good impression because that would generally help us become friends with them, or potentially be their long-term romantic partner, or get a job after an interview. But what exactly do people find likable?

Michael Dufner and Sascha Krause conducted a study in order to figure out what factors contributed to how much people like someone whom they've met for the first time. They recruited 139 undergraduate students, put them in groups where they knew nobody, had each person in the group introduce themselves, and then have round-robin conversations.

After each step, they had everyone rate the other members on how much they liked them. Apart from this, they had observers who watched videotapes of the conversations to see how the pairs responded to each other.

They found two behaviors as key predictors of people's likability - agentic and communal behaviors. Agentic behaviors relate to assertive and dominant traits which would evoke confidence, while communal behaviors generally refer to congenial traits like being polite, friendly, or warm.

People with high levels of agentic and communal behaviors score high with their peers in likability. However, depending on the situation, certain behaviors would be better for a certain objective. For example, communal behaviors are better for making friends, while agentic behaviors would favor those who aim to be popular.

(Image credit: Alejandro Escamilla/Unsplash)

People who have experienced a bout of insomnia at night know the feeling of doing anything just to get a good night's sleep. I took an allergy medicine that doubled as a sedative whenever I had insomnia attacks, and it's been quite effective. Middle-aged adults and seniors may go for the trendier melatonin pills which promote better sleep.

Melatonin is a hormone that helps regulate our circadian rhythms, thus giving us a regular sleep schedule. However, exposure to light can block melatonin production and keeps us awake. So, they made supplements of melatonin to help people having insomnia or just difficulty falling asleep.

But a new research from the University of Colorado Boulder found that more children are using melatonin to get to sleep. Although the researchers say that it's not necessarily harmful for children, they need to do more research before saying that it's completely safe for children to take.

Since melatonin is labeled as a dietary supplement in the US, there's less regulation and that also raises some concerns for the researchers. They advise that parents should talk to their pediatrician or a sleep specialist for alternative methods such as behavioral changes to help with sleep problems in children.

Although the study only used a small sample size, the researchers believe that it's still concerning for children to be taking melatonin and they must address the root of the sleep problems instead of just the symptom.

(Image credit: Annie Spratt/Unsplash)

Work should have meaning and be meaningful to its workers is a popular paradigm for many people. It makes sense that if somebody finds their work to be of value to others and to themselves, then they will feel more motivated to make the effort.

But a research from the University of Sussex is now saying that if companies and employers are trying to artificially create meaning in their employees' work, then it might backfire. Furthermore, if the company climate is trying to push this ideal of meaningful work without seeing any concrete improvements to their working conditions, workers will become more demotivated.

So, if companies want to make work meaningful to their employees, then they can start with a few simple actions such as expressing gratitude and sincerity. Allowing people to have ownership over their work and have control over how to accomplish their tasks may boost their confidence in their work.

Providing mentoring opportunities and trying to align people's passion with their work can also improve morale and performance. For other tips on how to reinforce the meaning of work and meaningful work, Tracy Brower gives more suggestions in this article on Fast Company.

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There was this trend several months ago that said that global sperm counts have been drastically falling, and that this could be a sign that the future of mankind is bleak. Though there have been countries whose birth rates have been on a downward trajectory for several years and decades, is the threat of 'spermageddon' true and should people be concerned?

We might just shrug this off and say that the global population is large enough as it is, and it might be a great thing that birth rates are slowing down, so that we can better allocate resources and have enough for everyone. But researchers have looked into it, and acknowledge that men's reproductive health has declined over the past 50 years.

Some of the reasons suggested by researchers for the plummeting sperm count are the chemicals that we are exposed to throughout our childhood and adult life, the production of hormones in our body especially during pregnancy when testosterone isn't produced at the right time or not enough is produced, and lifestyles.

On that last note, a study from the University of Geneva wanted to find if there was any connection of this declining sperm count to our use of smartphones. Although they saw a link between smartphone use and sperm quality, it's not conclusive.

Other scientists not related to the University of Geneva study did say that it was very well-conducted but it cannot be considered the causal link. There might be other factors affecting sperm quality in men, and for any men who might be concerned, it would be advisable to see a doctor.

(Image credit: Luis Villasmil/Unsplash)

Some baby animal names are pretty easy as they are quite common. Baby dogs are puppies, baby cats are kittens, and baby goats are kids. Baby sheep are lambs, and baby rabbits are bunnies. Baby kangaroos are joeys and so are baby koalas. But would you know what a baby platypus is called? Or a baby jellyfish? Better yet, you probably haven't heard what baby mice or rats are called.

Oddee has compiled a list of some of the cutest names of baby animals. Many of them we already know, but there are some which we may not have encountered our entire lives, unless we specifically looked for them, or was given that as homework from school.

The list not only includes baby animal names, but they also put the collective names of animal groups. We've heard of a colony of ants, but how about a colony of bats? We know that a herd is for elephants, but they can also be called a parade. Giraffes are called, quite cheekily, a tower, meanwhile a group of crows is a murder.

There is one thing however, that they neglected to include on this list, which you might want to look up yourself. What are baby sharks called?

(Image credit: Bill Fairs/Unsplash)

For an adventurer or a seafarer, maps inform them about the way or different paths which could lead to their destination. Maps have been a means for direction, but there is a subtle assertion behind the method cartographers draw out their maps.

For example, there are ancient East Asian maps which depict China at the center of the world. Buddhist missionaries who traveled to China later would show them intricate maps called the Jambudvipa which paved the way for Buddhism to become accepted and integrated into Chinese culture.

Due to the detailed geographical information and the sophistication of Buddhist thought, the Chinese became aware that there was a civilization that was on a par if not more technologically advanced and philosophically developed. From these examples, we can see how worldviews seep into a cartographer's perspective on how maps must be drawn.

Nowadays, with satellite and GPS technology, it's much easier for anyone to access accurate geographical information. Still, there are cases such as China's claim over territories in the waters of Southeast Asia in which they argue that they have ancient documents proving dominion over those lands.

Whatever the case may be, maps are sources of information, and in this information era, whoever possesses authority over the sources of information has the power.

(Image credit: Zhu Xiling/Wikimedia Commons)

The 2023 Miss Universe competition was held last night in San Salvador, El Salvador. The winner was Miss Nicaragua, Sheynnis Palacios. In case you missed the broadcast, we know what you really want to see is the parade of national costumes, which is always pretty entertaining, although not entertaining enough to sit through the entire show. There was the usual mix of colorful evening gowns, traditional culture costumes, and Las Vegas showgirl-style constructions.

At first I thought that Miss Denmark must be mislabeled, but no, this is Nikoline Uhrenholt Hansen, wearing a costume titled "The Nordic Ocean Dragon," which looks suspiciously South American.  

Miss Myanmar, Amara Bo, dressed as a money tree.

Miss Netherlands, Rikkie Kollé, walked in as a literal tulip. But this face-hiding costume was designed to change, and she soon "blossomed" into her final form.

See a video of the transformation here. One of noticeable trends this year was a written statement on a sign affixed to costumes, sometimes only seen from the backside, which featured into several costumes. The costume competition winner was Sheynnis Palacios of Nicaragua, who went on to win the Miss Universe title. See all the contestants in their national costumes, the good, the bad, and the over-the-top at Buzzfeed.