Neurons under a microscope

The giant, perfectly circular area you’re referring to is indeed quite striking and often prompts imaginative explanations like alien activity. However, this circular shape is entirely man-made. It surrounds Mount Taranaki, an extinct stratovolcano in New Zealand, within a forest reserve whose borders were established by humans. The distinct boundary between the lush forest of the reserve and the surrounding farmlands creates this almost perfect circle visible from space. The reserve’s purpose is to protect the ecosystem around the volcano, and the contrast between the preserved forest and agricultural land results in the striking shape.

📊 Survey Results: Geographic Distribution of Our Readers 🌍

We asked, and more than 2,000 of you responded! Here are the current results showing where our readers are located:

1️⃣ Central & South Asia (India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, etc.) - 26%
2️⃣ Western Europe (UK, France, Germany, Netherlands, etc.) - 11%
3️⃣ Eastern Europe & Russia (Russia, Ukraine, Poland, etc.) - 10%
4️⃣ North America (USA, Canada, Mexico) - 10%
5️⃣ Middle East & North Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Israel, etc.) - 10%
6️⃣ Sub-Saharan Africa (Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, etc.) - 9%
7️⃣ Northern & Southern Europe (Sweden, Norway, Italy, etc.) - 8%
8️⃣ East & Southeast Asia (China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, etc.) - 8%
9️⃣ Central & South America (Brazil, Argentina, Chile, etc.) - 6%
🔟 Australia & Oceania (Australia, New Zealand, etc.) - 2%

Thank you to everyone who participated! It’s amazing to see how diverse our community is. 🌏✨

@science

Why should an organism, like the green crab spider (Diaea dorsata), have two eyes? In nature, eye number often evolves based on specific environmental and survival needs. Many spiders, for example, have multiple eyes (usually eight), allowing them to detect movement and focus on prey from various angles, even in low light.

In the case of this spider, its visual system with multiple eyes maximizes its ability to detect predators and prey across its environment, providing a critical survival advantage. So, while many creatures, including humans, have two eyes for a stereoscopic vision that enhances depth perception, spiders need a broader field of vision due to their predatory and defensive strategies.

In an image captured at 20x magnification by Pavel Blachowicz, this green crab spider, adorned with eyes, shows how evolution has tailored its visual apparatus for survival in its habitat.

If you’re wondering, no, this isn’t a scene from the latest Alien movie.

What the fisherman is holding is a wolf eel, a fascinating creature found in the northern Pacific Ocean. It can grow up to 2.5 meters long!

Despite its fearsome appearance, the wolf eel mainly feeds on crustaceans and mollusks and rarely hunts fish.

#CheckThisOut #ScienceIsCool #OceanLife #WildCreatures
#science

Why Men and Women Experience Pain Differently

It is well-known that men and women perceive pain and respond to analgesics in distinct ways.

A recent study involved 98 participants, both healthy individuals and those suffering from chronic lower back pain. They were trained in pain-relieving meditation techniques. Some participants received a high dose of naloxone—a drug that blocks opioid receptors—before meditating to improve their well-being.

In men, naloxone completely neutralized the pain-relieving effects of meditation. In contrast, for women, it even slightly enhanced the relief. Meditation showed significant benefits for participants with back pain who did not receive naloxone.

The study concludes that men rely on opioid receptors for pain relief, while women engage other biological mechanisms to manage pain.

#Science #PainResearch #GenderDifferences #Meditation #Neuroscience #Health

🚀 The Largest Prime Number Ever Discovered!

The GIMPS project has identified the 52nd Mersenne prime, which is now the largest known prime number. This mathematical giant has the form and spans more than 40 million digits! The discovery was made possible through distributed computing, with thousands of volunteers worldwide contributing their computing power.

Think you can find the next record-breaking prime? Join the hunt and become a part of mathematical history!

🔗 Learn more at Mersenne.org

Tyrannosaurus Rex vs. Emu Foot: Spot the Difference

In 2008, American scientists studied the fossilized remains of a Tyrannosaurus Rex and concluded that the closest living relatives of the mighty T-Rex are none other than ostriches and chickens. Evolution certainly knows how to surprise!

#ScienceFacts #TyrannosaurusRex #Paleontology #Evolution #Ostrich #Chickens #Dinosaurs #Emu #ScienceChannel #InterestingFacts #Science

Hydra Under the Microscope

The hydra preys on invertebrates, most often small crustaceans. It extends its tentacles, waiting patiently for its target. When the prey touches the tentacles, it is struck by the hydra’s stinging cells.

#Hydra #Microscopy #MarineBiology #Invertebrates #Zoology #Science