We’ve heard the phrase “time flies fast when you’re having fun.” But have you ever wondered why that is the case? Why does time seem to slow down at times, and why does it seem to speed up on others? What causes our elastic sense of time?

The answer might be found in dopamine.

… decades of research suggest that the neurotransmitter dopamine plays a critical role in how we perceive time. Dopamine has myriad effects on how much time we think has elapsed in a given period, and these effects may conflict confusingly. Some studies have found that increasing dopamine speeds up an animal’s internal clock, leading it to overestimate the passage of time; others have found that dopamine compresses events and makes them seem more fleeting; still others have uncovered both effects, depending on context.

Head over at Quanta Magazine to know more about this topic.

(Image Credit: Pavlofox/ Pixabay)

Short answer: A very long time.

The distance from the Sun to the Earth is around 93 million miles. Theoretically, If a person drove a car (with an unlimited amount of fuel) at a speed of 93 miles an hour (about 150 km/hr), then it would take 1,000,000 hours, or over 114 years before he arrives at the Sun.

(Image Credit: Solar Dynamics Observatory/ NASA)

The 61st International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) began on September 21, 2020. But, unlike the previous IMOs, this one stands out for two reasons. The first reason is that this year’s IMO was held remotely because of current circumstances. The second reason is more interesting than the previous one: this year’s IMO might be the last one that would only have human contestants. Artificial intelligence systems might also participate in future Math Olympiads.

Indeed, researchers view the IMO as the ideal proving ground for machines designed to think like humans. If an AI system can excel here, it will have matched an important dimension of human cognition.

“The IMO, to me, represents the hardest class of problems that smart people can be taught to solve somewhat reliably,” said Daniel Selsam of Microsoft Research. Selsam is a founder of the IMO Grand Challenge, whose goal is to train an AI system to win a gold medal at the world’s premier math competition.

But why do scientists think that the IMO is the perfect place to test an AI system’s abilities?

Answers over at Nautilus.

(Image Credit: Seanbatty/ Pixabay)

To live on the International Space Station, which, according to Russian cosmonaut Andre Borisenko, is the “most expensive object in the history of humanity”, is nothing short of a privilege. However, one doesn’t live there for months to chill and sightsee. Rather, he lives there to work. And of all the types of jobs that exist in this world, the astronaut’s work might just be the most specialized of them all.

“... we understand our responsibility to humanity,” says Borisenko. “It’s impossible and incorrect to forget that.”

But what is it like to live in the International Space Station for a period of time? Staff from Air & Space Magazine asked some of the astronauts this question. Head over at the site to know about their interesting stories.

(Image Credit: NASA/ Wikimedia Commons)

One of the great things about music is that you don’t need to understand the language in order to tell if it is good or not. It doesn’t even have to have words, or even meaning. Music can be great, even if it’s just nonsense.

Daniel Thrasher treats us to some musical nonsense that we can listen and vibe to. Hear them on this video.

(Image Credit: Daniel Thrasher/ YouTube)

We live very busy lives. We are so busy that most of the time, we unconsciously ignore the weird and funny things that happen around us because our mind is occupied with lots of things. But not for photographer Shin Noguchi, who managed to capture these moments.

Taken around Japan, the photographs appear as objective shots, glimpsing candid moments that are enigmatic and sometimes humorous. “Street photography always projects the “truth”. The “truth” that I talk about isn’t necessarily that I can see, but they also exist in society, in [the] street, in people’s [lives]. and I always try to capture this reality beyond my own values and viewpoint/perspective,” he says in a statement.

One-hundred-thirty of Noguchi’s photographs are compiled in a forthcoming monograph, In Color In Japan, which is currently available for pre-order. The book was printed in two editions, a black and a white, and the former contains an extra, unique image that’s never been shown before and won’t be reproduced in another format. Follow Noguchi on Instagram to see his latest shots from the streets of Japan.

See some of the photos over at Colossal.

(Image Credit: Shin Noguchi/ Colossal)

December 1924. Dr. Curtis Welch thought that a number of children, in the small Alaskan town of Nome, were suffering from tonsillitis. But as the number of cases began to grow, and as children began to drop dead, Dr. Welch knew that it wasn’t tonsillitis. It was something worse.

Diphtheria is a highly contagious disease caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae. The bacteria attacks the respiratory system, destroying healthy tissues there. The dead tissues build up in the throat and nose to form a thick leathery coating that makes breathing difficult. If not treated, a patient can die of asphyxiation. Diphtheria is usually fatal among children. During the 1920s, between one hundred to two hundred thousand people were infected each year in the United States, with fifteen thousand deaths, most of which were children.

By mid-January 1925, Nome, a town home to some 1,400 people, found itself amidst an imminent epidemic. Dr. Welch, the only physician in that town, knew that not only his town was in danger, but also the other communities. If the disease spread, it could potentially affect some 10,000 people. He had to do something. The race against time was on.

After this would be the chain of events which would be known as the 1925 Serum Run to Nome. Know more about this historic event over at Amusing Planet.

(Image Credit: U.S. Bureau of Land Management/ Wikimedia Commons)

If you’re the type of person who drinks coffee first thing in the morning, then you better change that habit and instead drink coffee after eating breakfast. Through this study, researchers from the University of Bath found out that “a strong coffee first thing in the morning can impair the body’s glucose response.” Thus, the researchers recommend that coffee should be drunk after eating breakfast, not before.

“We know that nearly half of us will wake in the morning and, before doing anything else, drink coffee – intuitively the more tired we feel, the stronger the coffee,” says James Betts, corresponding author on the new study. “This study is important and has far-reaching health implications as up until now we have had limited knowledge about what this is doing to our bodies, in particular for our metabolic and blood sugar control.”

Head over at New Atlas to know more about this study.

(Image Credit: freephotocc/ Pixabay)

Seeley Lake, Montana — Three years ago, a fire broke out in the state of Montana. This fire would then consume thousands of acres of land. A day after the smoke cleared out in the area, a group of researchers arrived in the town.

Their plan was to chart how long it took for people to recover from living for seven weeks surrounded by relentless smoke.

Unfortunately,

They still don’t know, because most residents haven’t recovered. In fact, they’ve gotten worse.

Forest fires had funneled hazardous air into Seeley Lake, a town of fewer than 2,000 people, for 49 days. The air quality was so bad that on some days the monitoring stations couldn’t measure the extent of the pollution. The intensity of the smoke and the length of time residents had been trapped in it were unprecedented, prompting county officials to issue their first evacuation orders due to smoke, not fire risk.

So how bad does wildfire smoke affect our health? Very bad. Worse, it’s a long-term effect.

More details about this story over at Undark.

(Image Credit: National Park Service/ Wikimedia Commons)

Imagine having such a hard time playing a piece that you ask for help from a professor, and then finding out that your professor is only a 13-year-old kid. I don’t know if there’s something more intimidating than this kind of situation.

In this video, Brett and Eddy get schooled by prodigy violinist Chloe Chua.

(Image Credit: TwoSetViolin/ YouTube)

Security updates for the Windows XP operating system stopped in 2014. Despite this being the case, some organizations and businesses still use the outdated operating system, and now they might be in danger because of a recent leak circulating online.

The leaked torrent files, published on the bulletin board website 4chan, include the source code for Windows XP Service Pack 1, Windows Server 2003, MS DOS 3.30, MS DOS 6.0, Windows 2000, Windows CE 3, Windows CE 4, Windows CE 5, Windows Embedded 7, Windows Embedded CE, Windows NT 3.5 and Windows NT 4.

[...]

According to a report from computer security company F-Secure, on average it takes about 20 minutes for a Windows XP machine to be hacked once it’s connected to the internet.

[...]

Windows XP is still used by people, airlines, banks, organisations and in industrial environments [over the world].

Learn more details about this over at The Conversation.

What are your thoughts about this one?

(Image Credit: @RoninDey/ Twitter)

When Ernő Rubik invented the Rubik’s Cube (originally called Magic Cube) in 1974, he did not expect it to be as popular as it is today. Over 40 years after its invention, the three-dimensional combination puzzle is still a subject of many books and videos. This isn’t surprising, considering that this puzzle has over 43 quintillion combinations. But this might just be the most challenging Rubik’s Cube of all.

That’s because it’s only .39 inches tall.

Japanese toy company Mega House has introduced an officially-licensed Rubik’s Cube that was made in collaboration with metal precision processing company Iriso Seimitsu Co. Ltd. using precision metallurgy to craft a diversion sized for a Keebler elf. Each colored piece is only .10 inches. And instead of having a white side, Mega House left the metal unpainted. There’s even an engraved Rubik’s logo.

While it’s totally functional, you’ll need to have some nimble fingers to manipulate it.

But don’t think that this cube is cheap because of its tiny size.

Mega House is selling it for 180,000 yen, or about $1700, and will begin shipping it at the end of December.

Well, what do you think?

(Image Credit: MegahouseJP/ YouTube)

Apparently, there is a myth that people in ancient societies die by their 30s. Popular knowledge, however, contradicts this myth. We know for a fact that there are people who have lived a long, full life in the ancient world, with their stories told in historical documents. We also have statues and busts that depict old age, such as those of philosophers. If everyone died young in ancient societies, how then does one explain where they got an idea of how old people would like?

The question is, if we somehow know that some people lived a long life in the ancient past, then where did this myth come from?

The answer over at Big Think.

(Image Credit: Marie-Lan Nguyen/ Wikimedia Commons)

What makes a good earbud and a great earbud? The former fits quite right in your ear, while the latter fits perfectly in your ear. And if you’re not content with good earbuds, then Ultimate Ears just might be the perfect earbuds for you. It’s a little expensive, however.

Ultimate Ears wants to offer that option to more people — without making them go to their local audiologist for a[n] ear mold. The company’s new $249 UE Fits have gel-filled tips that, through a 60-second process initiated on your smartphone, will permanently harden in the shape of your ears.

“This personalized fit provides wearable comfort free of pressure, pain or irritation, even after extended use,” the company said in today’s press release for the earbuds. “UE Fits also offer superior passive noise isolation as the fitted tips create a natural seal that blocks ambient noise.”

Know more about these earbuds over at The Verge.

Well, what do you think? Is the price reasonable?

(Image Credit: Ultimate Ears/ The Verge)

Because students always have to write a lot of papers, oftentimes they forget to double-check whether what they have written is good enough to be submitted. What happens next, you ask? Regret, that's what.

Not only do students misspell a word here and there, but they leave in entire phrases they typed to themselves in a moment of despair or they forget that the name of the text file is so dirty, it sounds like something Eric Cartman would say.

Bored Panda compiles 32 of these moments. See them all over at the site.

(Image Credit: lindsey_bell18/ Bored Panda)