There have been several times when I have observed our dog moving while she sleeps, and I wondered whether she was having a dream. Of course, I couldn't know. Apparently, there are some animals that exhibit behavior similar to what humans do during REM sleep. Behavioral ecologist Daniela Rößler and her colleagues found that spiders seem to experience a similar rapid eye movement at particular intervals.

Though the spiders are motionless in the run-up to these REM-like bouts, the team hasn’t yet proved that they are sleeping. But if it turns out that they are — and if what looks like REM really is REM — dreaming is a distinct possibility, Rößler says. She finds it easy to imagine that jumping spiders, as highly visual animals, might benefit from dreams as a way to process information they took in during the day.

Furthermore, spiders aren't the only creatures that might be dreaming in their sleep. It is possible that bearded dragons, cuttlefish, octopuses and even pigeons also enter into a REM sleep state. Learn more at Knowable Mag.

(Video credit: Knowable Mag)

The video of octopuses punching fish is quite surprising and funny to me. I know animals display certain odd behaviors from time to time, but seeing an octopus sucker punch a fish is very amusing. What are the octopuses thinking when they do that? Is it a reflex reaction or was it intentional? Furthermore, what did the fish do to provoke the ire of the octopus? A paper suggests that the reason for this is that certain fish are taking advantage of the octopus on a hunt, and the octopus is merely retaliating.

On another note, Marina Wang from Hakai Magazine had created a comic based on a new study where researchers looked into the biomechanics of the octopus punch. Take a look at the comic here.

(Video credit: Hakai Magazine)

Research on artificial wombs have been ongoing for years, and some advisors for the US FDA are now in talks about moving forward to human trials, and how to navigate that delicate line. These devices are designed not to replace an actual human uterus, but merely as a means to help premature babies survive.

In most of the technologies, the infant would float in a clear “biobag,” surrounded by fluid. The idea is that preemies could spend a few weeks continuing to develop in this device after birth, so that “when they’re transitioned from the device, they’re more capable of surviving and having fewer complications with conventional treatment,” says George Mychaliska, a pediatric surgeon at the University of Michigan.

As with any technology, uncertainty surrounds its effectiveness with humans and since we will be dealing with human life, especially the most vulnerable of human life, it's going to be difficult to figure out how we can test the viability of this device. Despite tests having been done on animals, as with research similar to this like cloning, there is a degree of risk that might cross the line when it comes to the ethics of testing these procedures or devices on humans. MIT Technology Review looks into what human testing for artificial wombs will look like, when it might happen, and who might be the first test subjects.

(Image credit: Alexander Grey/Unsplash)

I love stand-up comedy specials. It's a great way for me to get a laugh once in a while. In the world of entertainment, comedians aren't usually equated with award-winning performances as with actors. In awards shows, they're usually the hosts and rarely the nominees, unless they are involved in a show or film wherein they are the producer or in Ricky Gervais' case for The Office, the creator. But the Golden Globes wants to change that and recently announced that they will be adding two new categories in their lineup which includes one for best performance in a stand-up comedy special.

The Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on Television recognizes outstanding work from a comic in a traditional stand-up format (or as a breakout comic in a troupe or ensemble). Comedy specials airing on broadcast, basic and premium cable, streaming and pay-per-view cable will considered. Projects must have a recognized distributor and individual social media accounts will not be eligible.

In response to this, several stand-up comedians shared their opinions on the latest addition.

(Image credit: Michel Grolet/Unsplash)

Designed and developed by the Sung Robotics Lab from the School of Engineering and Applied Science in the University of Pennsylvania, this tiny robot inspired by an origami design can do so many things despite having only one motor. CurveQuad is able to "self-fold and unfold, crawl, and steer, all using a single actuator."

(Video credit: Mashable)

The Nile river is officially the longest river in the world and coming at a close second is the Amazon river. The current measurements for both rivers are at 6,650 km and 6,400 km respectively. However, a group of explorers are on a quest to put a debate on which exactly is the longest river by going on a trip to the Amazon as they believe that the Amazon river is actually 7,000 km long.

“The Nile is like a worm and the Amazon is an anaconda,” 55-year-old Brazilian expedition leader Yuri Sanada, a seasoned explorer and film producer, recounts of his colleague’s metaphorical take on the Amazon’s volume, which carries four times more water than any other river.

The planned five-month-long expedition, due to set off in April 2024, aims to voyage the Amazon’s full length, using modern river-mapping satellite technology to scientifically prove once and for all that the Amazon is not just the world’s most voluminous river, but its longest.

More about this on CNN.

(Image credit: Ivars Utināns/Unsplash)

The research on deja vu's opposite, jamais vu, recently won an Ig Nobel Prize. It's that feeling when something that you have done routinely before starts becoming unfamiliar. I have certainly experienced deja vu before, but I don't think I have ever felt jamais vu, so I think it goes much deeper into our psyche and it might be even more serious than deja vu which I would often just pass off as a happy surprise or coincidence. I can move from it, but I guess if I were to experience jamais vu, it would be more disconcerting. The only thing I can think of that might be similar would be if someone were to forget how to walk or ride a bike. Ian Sample, of The Guardian, discusses the science behind jamais vu on this podcast with Dr. Akira O'Connor, one of the researchers into jamais vu.

(Image credit: Sander Sammy/Unsplash)

I'm quite skeptical about aliens. There, I said it. I haven't seen UFOs and I'm doubtful of the authenticity of photos purported to be of UFOs. I'm not sure whether eyewitness claims aren't simply hallucinations or fabricated stories of people who are seeking attention. However, I do concede that there are sightings of mysterious flying aircraft, and they might have a different, more plausible explanation other than aliens. NASA is just as concerned about these sightings as well and they are quite determined to get to the bottom of it. To prove how serious they are, they have actually formed a committee for these unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP).

(Image credit: Albert Antony/Unsplash)

You've had those moments I bet, when you're trying to tell a story to a friend or you're trying to make a point in an argument or just sharing a witty anecdote at your family reunion, and you stop halfway through your sentence because you can't seem to remember a particular word and you say that it's at the tip of your tongue. It's a common occurrence and we oftentimes just shrug it off because, as we are often bombarded with too much information every day, it's impossible to have a perfect recall of everything, unless you have an eidetic memory. Greig de Zubicaray, a professor of neuropsychology at Queensland University of Technology, says that it's normal for a human thing, but you should be concerned if this were to happen more frequently and with a broad range of words, name, and numbers. It might be a sign of a neurological disorder.

(Image credit: Brooke Cagle/Unsplash)

Our body is amazing at keeping pathogens at bay. The moment our immune system detects a foreign body, it springs into action to combat the unknown assailant. The body will react by sending neutrophils and lymphocytes to kill the pathogen. However, there are cases when our immune system has been compromised and it's not strong enough to fight off the infection, and that's when we get sick. However, normally, we have enough defenses to prevent that from happening, unless the microorganisms that entered our system are able to reach what is called their "infectious dose", which is the number of microbes it takes to make us sick.

Tara C. Smith elucidates more about the infectious dose on Quanta.

(Image credit: svetjekolem/Unsplash)

Ever since climate change became a primary global concern, people have been thinking up of ways on how to counteract it and prevent further global warming. There have been measures to reduce carbon emissions and other anthropogenic emissions that could affect the ozone layer. While all of that is happening, a group of scientists have been focused on studying cloud formations, since we have found how clouds have a dual effect of reflecting sunlight but also trapping heat that's melting the icebergs.

Lubna Dada, an atmospheric scientist, is now concerned about natural emissions and how they affect the climate. Particularly, her team found that trees have been releasing chemicals that factor greatly into the formation of clouds. And this has caused quite a stir in our climate models. With this finding, we need to recalculate the effect that these natural emissions have on the ozone layer and subsequently, the climate. Read about the vapors trees emit that are messing up climate calculations on Wired.

(Image credit: Dan Otis/Unsplash)

The first camera was invented in 1816 by Joseph Nicephore Niepce. Since that time, cameras have evolved and every person is now able to hold a camera in the palm of their hands. And we've had some very interesting photos throughout history. Kaushik Patowary posed this question as regards the history of photography: who was the earliest-born person to be photographed? To learn who it is, and why s/he might be contested for the title, read about it on Amusing Planet.

(Image credit: Annie Spratt/Unsplash)

The ancient Inca civilization appears to be more genetically diverse than what we would expect according to findings by a team of international researchers who looked into the DNA analysis of the remains of 68 individuals who were buried in Machu Picchu and Cusco.

The researchers sequenced the DNA and compared that with DNA from indigenous peoples living in the Andes. For good measure, they also included ancestries from other parts of South America. Here is a summary of their findings:

Of all the DNA samples we analyzed, we found 17 individuals had ancestry from one of the distant sources tested (colored on the map below). These included all regions of the Peruvian coast and highlands as well as the Amazon regions of Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia.

I don't think it's quite surprising that they find a great genetic diversity in that region of the world. Even today, Peru is a hotpot of culture. To learn more about the research, read it here on Sapiens.

(Image credit: Eddie Kiszka/Unsplash)

One of the concepts I heard when I was younger when referring to a person's facial attractiveness is something called the golden ratio. You may have heard of it, and it is used to determine whether your length and width of your face is visually balanced, thus giving you a generally appealing look. Now, there is a new cosmetic fad making rounds on TikTok and it has something to do with the term canthal tilt. What exactly is it? Dr. Kassir, a plastic surgeon, spoke with Glamour and says that it is the angle or slant of the outer corners of the eyes in relation to the horizontal plane of the face. And plastic surgeons are concerned that it might instill skewed standards of beauty.

(Image credit: Kamila Maciejewska/Unsplash)

What little I know about equinoxes is that they mean that days are as long as nights. However, even that little tidbit of knowledge is erroneous, and I stand corrected after reading this article by Phil Plait on Scientific American. It's a slight misconception but if we were to be factually accurate, then it is important to get the equinox right.

In some ways, defining what the equinox isn’t is easier than describing what it is.

For example, it’s not when the day and night have equal lengths. That’s a common misconception and an understandable one. The trouble’s right in the name: “equinox” means “equal night”, implying that day and night are each 12 hours long. But it turns out they’re only mostly equal because of a couple of pernicious physical facts.

To know further what an equinox is, read the rest of Phil Plait's article here.

(Image credit: Jack Taylor/Unsplash)