Science 🧬(@science) 인스타그램 상세 프로필 분석: 팔로워 1,872,119, 참여율 1.82%

In 1991, NASA launched 2,478 baby jellyfish aboard Space Shuttle Columbia to answer a terrifying question about humanity's future in space—and what returned were 60,000 jellyfish that had developed severe space-induced vertigo, permanently unable to navigate Earth's gravity.⁠ ⁠ Lead researcher Dr. Dorothy Spangenberg designed the experiment aboard NASA's first Spacelab Life Sciences (SLS-1) Mission with a profoundly human motivation: if humanity ever colonizes space and children are born beyond Earth, will those humans be able to return home? Jellyfish provided the perfect biological proxy—their calcium sulfate crystal gravity-sensing organs (statoliths) operate on identical principles to the calcium carbonate structures in human inner ears that tell our brains which way is up.⁠ ⁠ 2,478 moon jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) were launched in bags of artificial seawater aboard Columbia alongside seven human astronauts. Astronauts injected iodine into the bags to trigger strobilation—asexual reproduction—and monitored development closely. After just nine days in orbit, NASA had 60,000 jellyfish in space, reproducing exponentially in microgravity.⁠ ⁠ Upon returning to Earth, six times more space-born jellyfish exhibited pulsing abnormalities compared to Earth-raised controls. While the jellyfish successfully formed calcium sulfate crystals in space, those crystals developed incorrectly—leaving the animals with a severe, permanent case of vertigo that made normal swimming impossible.⁠ ⁠ This revealed that gravity is not merely a comfort—it is a fundamental biological necessity during critical developmental windows that cannot be compensated for afterward.⁠ ​⁠ If children were born and raised in microgravity, their inner ear gravity-sensing structures might develop incorrectly—just like the jellyfish statoliths—leaving space-born humans potentially unable to function normally on Earth, trapped forever in the environment where they were born.

Meet nature's most weather-sensitive primate—a critically endangered monkey so anatomically unlucky that rainstorms turn into sneeze-filled nightmares.⁠ ⁠ The Myanmar snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus strykeri), discovered just 15 years ago in the remote mountains of northern Myanmar, possesses one of evolution's most peculiar design flaws: upturned nostrils that act like tiny rain funnels. When precipitation falls directly into their exposed nasal cavities, the monkeys sneeze so loudly and frequently that local hunters can easily track them during the wet season by following the distinctive sound echoing through the forest.⁠ ⁠ Local Lisu and Law Waw communities have long known these primates by names meaning "monkey with an upturned face"—mey nwoah and myuk na tok te—and report that the animals have developed a remarkable behavioral adaptation to cope with their unfortunate anatomy. During rainstorms, the monkeys sit with their heads tucked face-down between their knees, maintaining this uncomfortable position until the weather clears to prevent water from entering their problematic nostrils.⁠ ⁠ Scientists formally described Rhinopithecus strykeri in 2011 based on specimens obtained from local hunters, making it the first snub-nosed monkey species discovered in Myanmar. However, the species entered the scientific record already critically endangered, with only 260-330 individuals surviving in a tiny range spanning the Myanmar-China border at altitudes between 8,500-10,000 feet.⁠ ⁠ Habitat destruction from Chinese logging operations and hunting pressure threaten to eliminate this unique species before researchers can fully study their remarkable rain-avoidance behavior. The monkeys spend summer months in higher altitude mixed forests, descending to lower elevations in winter—a seasonal migration that makes them particularly vulnerable to human encroachment and habitat fragmentation.

Scientists have finally solved the mystery of why cute animal content dominates the internet—and it's not just about getting likes. A study from Concordia University and ESSEC Business School reveals that sharing videos of cute animals actually strengthens human relationships in ways we never understood before.⁠ ⁠ Researchers Zeynep Arsel and Ghalia Shamayleh discovered that sending animal content creates "digital affective encounters"—moments that trigger genuine positive emotions between people. ⁠ ⁠ The study, published in the Journal of Consumer Research, interviewed animal content creators and consumers to understand this phenomenon. What they found was shocking: people put serious thought into which animal posts they share, using them to recall shared memories and show deep personal knowledge of their friends.⁠ ⁠ The research reveals that animal content acts as a "social lubricant" online, creating what scientists call "digital affective networks"—entire relationship systems built around mood-boosting content. Someone might send a video of baby pandas falling over with the caption "You and me at our first yoga class," instantly connecting past experiences with present laughter.⁠ ⁠ This isn't mindless scrolling—it's sophisticated emotional communication. In a world where social media gets criticized for toxic content, cute animals have become our secret weapon for maintaining genuine human connections across digital spaces.⁠ ⁠ The findings suggest that your daily dose of cat GIFs isn't digital junk food—it's relationship maintenance disguised as entertainment.⁠ ⁠ Source: 10.1093/jcr/ucaf023

President Donald Trump has fired all 24 members of the National Science Board, the independent body that oversees the U.S. National Science Foundation, one of the country’s most important engines of basic research.⁠ ⁠ The board is not ceremonial. It sets policy for NSF, approves major research investments, and advises Congress and the White House on science and engineering priorities. Its members, usually leading figures from academia and industry, serve staggered six-year terms so the agency’s direction does not swing wildly with every administration.⁠ ⁠ The dismissals came through brief emails saying each member’s position was “terminated, effective immediately.” No detailed explanation had been provided by the White House at the time of the Science report. The move follows months of tension over NSF’s future, including Trump’s proposed 55% budget cut and reported concerns that the board had resisted political pressure. ⁠ ⁠ Critics say the firing threatens the independence of an agency that funds research across physics, biology, engineering, computing, climate, education, and social science. Supporters of independent science advice argue that without a functioning board, NSF loses a major layer of oversight, transparency, and public accountability.⁠ ⁠ The deeper concern is not only who was removed, but what happens next. A research agency built to protect long-term discovery now faces a sudden question about who gets to steer the future of American science.⁠

NASA just launched a FREE interactive tool that searches 50 years of Landsat satellite imagery to spell your name using real river bends, desert formations, mountain ridges, and coastlines captured from 438 miles above the planet's surface.⁠ ⁠ Called "Your Name in Landsat", NASA's Kennedy Space Center unveiled the tool and allows anyone to visit the free web portal and instantly see their name assembled from genuine landscape photographs taken by the Landsat constellation—America's longest-running Earth observation satellite program.⁠ ⁠ Check it out:⁠ https://science.nasa.gov/specials/your-name-in-landsat/

In one of the largest studies of its kind, researchers found that people generally reported their strongest mental health and wellbeing in the morning, and their lowest point around midnight.⁠ ⁠ The study analyzed nearly one million survey responses from 49,218 adults in England, drawn from a large UCL social study between 2020 and 2022. Each response carried a timestamp, allowing researchers to compare depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, happiness, life satisfaction, loneliness, and the sense that life feels worthwhile across the day.⁠ ⁠ The pattern was clear. Morning responses tended to show lower anxiety, lower depressive symptoms, less loneliness, and higher happiness, satisfaction, and purpose. Late-night responses leaned in the opposite direction. The researchers caution that the study cannot prove the clock itself caused these shifts, since people who feel better in the morning may simply be more likely to answer surveys then.⁠ ⁠ Still, the daily rhythm held even after accounting for age, gender, ethnicity, education, employment, location, and health conditions. Weekends showed more emotional variation than weekdays, while seasons had an even stronger effect: people generally felt best in summer and worse in winter.⁠ ⁠ The body’s internal clock may help explain part of the pattern. Cortisol, a hormone linked to stress, energy, and alertness, usually peaks after waking and falls near bedtime. But routines, work schedules, social activity, fatigue, and late-night isolation may also shape the curve.⁠ ⁠ The finding is not that sunrise cures distress. It is that mental health may move through daily rhythms, and midnight may be one of the mind’s most vulnerable hours.⁠ ⁠ Source: 10.1136/bmjment-2024-301418

People are speaking fewer words out loud every year, and the decline is large enough to raise some eyebrows. A new analysis in Perspectives on Psychological Science found that daily spoken word use dropped by about 338 words per year between 2005 and 2019.⁠ ⁠ The Researchers were revisiting earlier work on how much people talk, using audio recordings from more than 2,000 participants across 22 studies. Those recordings came from everyday life and covered people from ages 10 to 94. In 2005, the average person spoke about 16,000 words per day. By 2019, that had fallen closer to 12,700.⁠ ⁠ The pattern was steeper among people under 25, who lost about 452 spoken words per day each year, compared with 314 among older adults. But the drop appeared across age groups, suggesting the shift is not just a young-person problem. Researchers point to a world with fewer incidental exchanges, such as asking for directions, chatting with a cashier, or making small talk with a neighbor.⁠ ⁠ Texting, apps, kiosks, and online life may replace some communication, but spoken language carries tone, timing, warmth, and presence in ways typed words often do not. Studies cited in the discussion suggest voice-based interaction can build stronger social bonds than text, even when people expect talking to feel awkward.⁠ ⁠ The missing words amount to tiny social contacts disappearing from daily life, and together, they may be reshaping how connected ordinary life feels.⁠ ⁠ Source: 10.1177/1745691626142513

When faced with a big decision, take a lesson from the ancient Persians.⁠ ⁠ Herodotus, the Greek historian, reported that the ancient Persians tended to deliberate on important matters while they were drunk. They then reconsidered their decisions the following day when they were sober. If it happened that their first deliberation took place when they were sober, they would always reconsider the matter under the influence of wine. If a decision was approved both drunk and sober, the decision held; if not, the Persians set it aside.⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #persianemprire #decision #psychology

During his studies here Darwin was the president of the University’s “Glutton Club,” whose main objective was to find “strange flesh” to eat as well as the “birds and beasts which were before unknown to the human palette.”⁠ The Christ’s College website summarizes Darwin’s days at University by saying this:⁠ “Although Darwin eventually did quite well in his final exams, most of his three years was spent eating exotic meats with his Glutton Club, drinking a bit too much, riding his horse, and of course collecting beetles.”⁠ ⁠ The Glutton Club was a huge success, with many enlistees wanting to taste the flavors of faraway meats, but it all came crashing down with a rather disappointing and stringy brown owl.⁠ Much to Darwin’s dismay, the gastronomic society’s members chose to focus instead “upon the effects of the port accompanying their meat” rather than the exotic meats themselves.⁠ ⁠ _____⁠ ⁠ But luckily for the “Father of Evolution,” his culinary conquests didn’t end with the Glutton Club, and he managed to have many more tasteful adventures aboard the HMS Beagle later on in life.⁠ During his time on the Beagle, Darwin ate many types of meat, among which were armadillo, which he described as looking and tasting like duck, iguana, and an unnamed 20-pound brown-colored rodent, which he described as “the best meat [he] ever tasted.”⁠ ⁠ As Darwin continued to travel he continued to discover more and more species, which he continued to eat one of... or more than one, depending on how great they tasted!⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #charlesdarwin #darwin #biology #scientist #biologist #science

Researchers assessed the effects of a conventional swear word (“f**k”) and two new “swear” words identified as both emotion-arousing and distracting: “fouch” and “twizpipe.” A mixed sex group of participants completed a repeated-measures experimental design augmented by mediation analysis. The independent variable was repeating one of four different words: “f**k” vs. “fouch” vs. “twizpipe” vs. a neutral word. The dependent variables were emotion rating, humor rating, distraction rating, cold pressor pain threshold, cold pressor pain tolerance, pain perception score, and change from resting heart rate. ⁠ ⁠ _____⁠ ⁠ Mediation analyses were conducted for emotion, humor, and distraction ratings. For conventional swearing (“f**k”), confirmatory analyses found a 32% increase in pain threshold and a 33% increase in pain tolerance, accompanied by increased ratings for emotion, humor, and distraction, relative to the neutral word condition. The new “swear” words, “fouch” and “twizpipe,” were rated as more emotional and humorous than the neutral word, but did not affect pain threshold or tolerance. Changes in heart rate and pain perception were absent. ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #cursing #curse #paintolerance #science #biology

You may have never heard of strategic incompetence, and yet you are, at the same time, a lifelong expert at it. If you aren't, you know someone who is. Strategic incompetence is the art of avoiding undesirable tasks by pretending to be unable to do them, and though the phrase was apparently only recently coined in a Wall Street Journal article, the concept is surely as old as humanity. ⁠ ⁠ Modern-day exemplars include the office colleague who responds to the photocopier message "clear paper jam" by freezing in melodramatic pseudo-panic until someone else steps forward to help; you're equally guilty if you've ever evaded a household task or DIY project by claiming you might screw things up. ("I'd do the laundry - I'm just worried I'll damage your clothes.") The Journal interviewed one executive who'd managed to avoid organizing the office picnic for several years running. "You'd be amazed," he noted, "at how much I don't know about picnics."⁠ ⁠ _____⁠ ⁠ What swiftly happens, the masters of strategic incompetence learn, is that people stop expecting you to undertake certain tasks; they no longer ask you to do them, and they adjust how they rate you: your failure to perform the activity stops counting against you. If all this sounds overly Machiavellian, it's worth noting that it's only a personalized version of what corporate types refer to as "expectations management", which is a key component of any company's customer-relations strategy. If you want satisfied customers, it's certainly wise to act in ways that will satisfy them. But it's also wise to pay attention to (and, if possible, influence) their criteria for feeling satisfied.⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠

Morton's toe, also known as Greek toe, is the condition of having a first metatarsal bone that is shorter than the second metatarsal. It is a type of brachymetatarsia. This condition is the result of a premature closing of the first metatarsal's growth plate, resulting in a short big toe, giving the second toe the appearance of being long compared to the first toe.⁠ ⁠ The metatarsal bones behind the toes are of different lengths, and the relative lengths vary between people. For most feet, a smooth curve can be traced through the joints at the bases of the toes (the metatarsal-phalangeal, or MTP, joints). But in Morton's foot, the line has to bend more sharply to go through the base of the big toe, as shown in the diagram. This is because the first metatarsal, behind the big toe, is short compared to the second metatarsal, next to it. The longer second metatarsal puts the MTP joint at the base of the second toe further forward.⁠ ⁠ If the big toe and the second toe are the same length (as measured from the MTP joint to the tip, including only the toe bones or phalanges), then the second toe will protrude farther than the big toe, as shown in the photo. If the second toe is shorter than the big toe, the big toe may still protrude the furthest, or there may be little difference.⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #mortontoe #greekfoot #toe #greektoe #science #biology