The size of the human brain has been increasing each decade since at least the 1930s‚ new research has revealed. According to the study authors‚ this cerebral growth is likely to be the result of improved early life environmental factors and may act as a buffer against the threat of dementia as we age.Researchers looked at the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans of 3‚226 people who were taking part in the Framingham Heart Study (FHS). Launched way back in 1948 in Framingham‚ Massachusetts‚ the FHS features participants born in every decade since the 1930s and now includes the children and grandchildren of some of the original cohort.When reviewing the scans – which were conducted between 1999 and 2019 – the study authors sought to compare the brains of people born in the 30s with those born in the 1970s. In doing so‚ they found that average brain volumes have increased from 1‚234 milliliters to 1‚321 milliliters over this 40-year period‚  representing an expansion of around 6.6 percent.Astonishingly‚ the surface area of participants’ brains displayed an even greater increase: the average cortical surface area of those born in the 1970s was almost 15 percent larger than that of those who entered the world four decades earlier‚ rising from 2‚056 to 2‚104 square centimeters (319 to 326 square inches).Commenting on these findings in a statement‚ study author Charles DeCarli said that “the decade someone is born appears to impact brain size and potentially long-term brain health.” Seeking to explain these differences‚ the researcher said that “genetics plays a major role in determining brain size‚ but our findings indicate external influences — such as health‚ social‚ cultural and educational factors — may also play a role.”Exactly what impact our expanding encephalons will have on our long-term wellbeing remains to be seen‚ although the researchers note that adult brain volume is “an important predictor of cognition in old age.” Based on these observations‚ the study authors “hypothesize that larger brain volumes indicate larger brain development and potentially greater “brain reserve” that could explain the declining incidence of dementia”. Indeed‚ despite the fact the number of people with Alzheimer’s continues to rise in the US‚ the overall percentage of the population suffering from age-related neurological disorders has been falling for several decades.Importantly‚ the study also revealed that the size of the hippocampus – which is strongly associated with learning and memory – appears to be increasing decade-by-decade‚ along with white and gray matter volumes within the brain. Putting these findings into context‚ DeCarli explained that “larger brain structures like those observed in our study may reflect improved brain development and improved brain health.” “A larger brain structure represents a larger brain reserve and may buffer the late-life effects of age-related brain diseases like Alzheimer’s and related dementias‚” said the researcher.The study is published in the journal JAMA Neurology.

Who experiences more pain‚ a man who has been kicked in the balls‚ or a woman going through childbirth? Let's break down the argument here.

“Almost everyone wishes to modify their personality in some way‚” is the straight-shooting opener to a new paper that promises to detail four mechanisms by which you too could achieve lasting change. But we wouldn’t want you to go in with lofty expectations – the scientists say that small adjustments are the most you can realistically hope for.People have been fascinated by the vagaries of human personality since time immemorial. If you can wade through the inevitable pseudoscience‚ there are legitimate tests psychologists use to categorize different personality types‚ and a body of research has shed light on how personality factors can have a real impact on someone’s life trajectory.But once you’ve discovered your dominant traits‚ are you stuck with them? Or is it really possible to change your personality for good? In a new review‚ Professor Joshua J. Jackson of Washington University in St. Louis and Dr Amanda J. Wright of the University of Zurich suggest that yes‚ you can‚ and detail four research-backed mechanisms.For each element of your personality you’d like to modify‚ you need to identify four things. Preconditions are the tools you need within yourself to make the change. Then follows setting your environment up in the right way to help the change stick‚ acknowledging both the triggers and the reinforcers. Finally‚ there are the integrators‚ which will help support your desired change in as many places as possible.Sounds simple? Maybe. But in reality‚ this kind of work is difficult and fraught with pitfalls.While following this pathway could indeed help new personality habits become automatic over time‚ there are strong drivers towards keeping personality stable that you will have to fight against.“Merely wanting to change is not enough. In general‚ personality is a very consistent and stable system‚ so it should be no surprise that intervening in and changing personality is difficult‚” the review authors write. But if you really do feel that an aspect of your personality is holding you back‚ a framework like this can be a good starting point. Speaking to Medical News Today‚ registered psychologist Dr Emily Moore‚ who was not involved in the review‚ explained that in her view‚ these four mechanisms constitute “a rough outline for how to begin modifying your personality.”However‚ she cautioned that it’s important to first interrogate why you want to make a change.“If you feel like you should be more extraverted because it is socially valued and not because it feels personally meaningful to you‚ it is unlikely that you will be able to maintain that conscious will throughout the process of change‚” Moore said. So as long as you’re doing it for the right reasons‚ these four steps could genuinely help you make a small change in your personality over time. Sometimes‚ though‚ it can be less about consciously deciding to change your personality‚ and more about hanging on to a change that’s occurred organically. The review authors explain that major life events‚ such as starting a new job‚ moving countries‚ or becoming a parent‚ can provide all four mechanisms to engender change‚ but particularly triggers and reinforcers. If someone then decides they like what they see in their personality‚ they may be able to take active steps towards integrating those changes more permanently.It's worth remembering that some people may have very good reasons for wanting to be less anxious‚ or more outgoing‚ for example. The takeaway is that personality does not necessarily have to be static – changes are possible‚ and there are some evidence-backed ways to achieve them.But the authors stress there are still lots of open questions‚ and much more research is needed in this area. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach‚ and any changes will take time. Fundamentally‚ they write‚ “a person is not able to become someone completely different.”The study is published in Nature Reviews Psychology.[H/T: Medical News Today]

Has Pierce Brosnon taught us nothing? Far from how we should order our martinis‚ the former Bond actor was recently in court and later fined for trespassing in Yellowstone National Park and it appears the cautionary tale did not reach everyone. Now a man has been convicted for taking a shovel to the sands at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan to redirect a river‚ charged with acts of tampering and vandalism.Andrew Blair Howard‚ a reportedly keen member of the fishing community‚ was seen taking a shovel to the sand in a bid to dredge a waterway between the Great Lake and the river allowing for better access for boats in August 2022. Typically the water flows down the Platte River before emptying into Lake Michigan and is enjoyed by kayakers and beachgoers. Previously the area has been dredged every year allowing boats to pass between Platte River and into Lake Michigan to fish for salmon. However‚ according to the New York Times‚ the dredging stopped to allow the dune vegetation to grow after an environmental assessment report in 2016. Images above from 2022 show the extent of the diversion created by Mr Howard and others. Howard used a shovel to dig the trench and stacked rocks to dam the water and divert it‚ the US Attorney's Office Western District of Michigan said. Mr Howard claimed he dug the trench to get better access for his boat after he enlisted the help of four people to drag it over the river bed. The trench‚ which was narrow at first‚ became greatly enlarged by the power of the river and dam in a matter of days‚ opening the channel to around 61 meters (200 feet) wide. The US Park Rangers called for more information into the case and help from the community on August 26‚ 2022‚ including opening an anonymous tip line. The creation of a new channel caused an influx of fishers who took advantage of the new wider passage for their boats. In February 2024‚ Howard was convicted of one count of tampering and one count of vandalism‚ both of which are federal misdemeanors. US Magistrate Judge Ray Kent said that Mr Howard “intended to and in fact did divert the flow of the Platte River into Platte Bay” in a statement.“The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a Michigan jewel‚” said US Attorney Mark Totten. “Every year countless visitors enjoy its pristine waters‚ towering sand dunes‚ and rolling forests. Mr. Howard had a policy dispute with the National Park Service and took matters into his own hands‚ breaking the law rather than using lawful means to advocate for his position. His actions resulted in significant financial and ecological harm and altered the landscape so many enjoyed."Mr Howard called his conviction a “tremendous injustice” according to the New York Times. However‚ tampering with US National Parks can come with hefty fines‚ result in bans and‚ as Howard has shown‚ risks conviction of federal misdemeanors. It's best you leave them as you found them.

Unless we take action‚ global timekeeping could be heading toward a major problem that will upset everything from computer networks to financial markets. The culprit‚ oddly enough‚ is melting polar ice caused by climate change. The world uses Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) to ensure there’s a consistent‚ standardized measure of time across the world to facilitate communication‚ navigation‚ scientific research‚ commerce‚ and so on. This measure of time is computed using data from about 450 atomic clocks‚ super-accurate time-keeping devices that use the ultrastable “vibrations” of atoms to measure time. Annoyingly‚ it doesn’t perfectly align with astronomical time‚ which is based on Earth's rotation.The rotation of our planet is a few milliseconds longer than a day defined by atomic clocks‚ plus the speed of Earth’s spin can vary due to many factors. To account for this‚ leap seconds are added to UTC every few years or so to ensure it's synchronized with astronomical time. For instance‚ strange and somewhat unknown changes within Earth’s mostly liquid core and solid mantle have accelerated Earth’s rotation in recent decades‚ but this has been accounted for by the addition of leap seconds. Now‚ new forces are starting to emerge that could meddle with Earth’s rotational speed even more and upset global timekeeping.Duncan Carr Agnew‚ a geophysicist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego‚ has recently been studying the rotation of Earth and how it’s being impacted by melting polar ice.Due to climate change‚ ice caps in Greenland and Antarctica are melting at such a scale that they are changing the shape of the planet and decreasing its angular velocity more rapidly than before.Because of Earth’s slowing spin‚ Agnew argues that the UTC will need to receive a negative leap second – ie. a minute with just 59 seconds – some time around 2029."Even a few years ago‚ the expectation was that leap seconds would always be positive‚ and happen more and more often. But if you look at changes in the Earth's rotation‚ which is the reason for leap seconds‚ and break down what causes these changes‚ it looks like a negative one is quite likely‚” Agnew explained in a statement.“One second doesn't sound like much‚ but in today's interconnected world‚ getting the time wrong could lead to huge problems‚" he added.Regardless of climate change‚ it’s likely that changes to Earth’s liquid core alone may have necessitated a negative leap second by 2026. However‚ Agnew’s calculations show that changes in polar ice mass have delayed this eventuality by another three years to 2029. In other words‚ climate change is already affecting global timekeeping.If the negative leap second isn’t added‚ it’s possible that global timekeeping will become unsynchronized‚ causing massive disruptions to computer systems and telecommunications networks.The press release for the research suggests the situation could lead to a problem akin to Y2K bug panic – but is that a real concern?In the late 1990s‚ there was intense paranoia that computer systems around the globe would crash in the new millennium because computers were not prepared to format or store calendar data in and after the year 2000. People envisioned a computer-induced apocalypse in which planes fell out of the sky‚ bank accounts were reset to zero‚ and nuclear weapons would spontaneously launch. As you have no doubt guessed‚ the fears were hugely overblown‚ and very few errors were actually reported.Given how badly the predictions of the Y2K scare went‚ it would be naive to throw out wild guesses about how this new problem might unfold. That said‚ it’s something that many scientists are starting to ponder.“A negative leap second has never been added or tested‚ so the problems it could create are without precedent. Metrologists around the world are following the unfolding discussion attentively‚ with the view to avoiding any unnecessary risks‚” Dr Patrizia Tavella‚ Director of the Time Department at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures‚ writes in a commentary article about the study.Dr Tavella adds that the task of introducing the negative leap second – and coordinating the effort worldwide – would be a “formidable” one.The new study is published in the journal Nature.

Astronomers have found a way to measure the jets produced by an accreting neutron star. It is hoped that once a large sample of such measurements have been made it will be possible to answer a question that has bugged astronomers since the jets were discovered: what is accelerating these jets so spectacularly? According to one theory it is magnetic fields around the star; another suggests it is the star itself.Many black holes‚ particularly the supermassive black holes (SMBH) at the heart of galaxies‚ accelerate jets of material to astonishing speeds. It is less well known that some neutron stars do the same thing. Dr Tom Russell of the Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica told IFLScience even white dwarfs occasionally produce jets.The jets are a product of accreting neutron stars‚ those that are gradually drawing more material onto them‚ for example from a companion star being dismembered by their more powerful gravity. Only a small minority of neutron stars are doing this‚ but that still means tens of thousands in the Milky Way alone.The material in the accretion disk slowly spirals inwards until it falls on the neutron star. “That’s a very stable and steady process‚” Russell told IFLScience. Once it hits the star‚ however‚ it builds up until it reaches a critical density and undergoes a thermonuclear outburst‚ accompanied by gamma and X-rays. How frequently this happens depends on the rate of accretion and possibly other factors about the star‚ but in the case of 4U 1728-34 these bursts occur every few hours.Russell is part of a team who realized that‚ using a combination of telescopes operating at different wavelengths‚ they could use these bursts to measure the jets’ speeds. “The explosion tells us when the enhanced jets were launched‚ and we simply time them as they move downstream – just like we would time a 100m sprinter as they move between the starting blocks and the finish line‚” Professor James Miller-Jones of the Curtin University node of the International Center for Radio Astronomy Research said in a statement. Calculating speed requires a knowledge of distance as well as time. Russell explained to IFLScience that the frequency at which the jet radiates changes with distance from the star. “Through some previous studies on black holes and neutron stars and theory we can work out the distance that relates to a particular frequency‚” he said.Putting this together‚ the team came up with a 38 percent of the speed of light (114‚000 kilometers or 70‚ 836 miles per second) for 4U 1728-34. That’s puny compared to black holes‚ whose jets are thought to exceed 99 percent of light speed. Given the much lower escape velocity of a neutron star‚ the difference is not surprising.The more important finding should come once the work is extended to more stars. “If the star itself is responsible we should see a direct relationship between the speed of a jet and the spin of a neutron star‚” Russell said. Neutron stars’ spins are much easier to measure than those of black holes‚ making the comparison easy. If the relationship is not found‚ magnetic fields are probably responsible.“The great thing about this work is that it is very reproducible‚” Russell said. “We need two telescopes looking at a neutron star at the same time‚ but aren’t relying on a bunch of theory to get the result.”In this case those two telescopes were the gamma ray space telescope Integral and the Australian Telescope Compact Array‚ a set of six dishes that can operate together. Many hours of time on each were required to obtain the results‚ but this may fall as experience grows.Work like this requires combining telescopes at the opposite ends of the electromagnetic spectrum‚ with one of those represented by the Australian Telescope Compact Array‚ shown here.Image credit: Alex CherneyThe jets produced by SMBH’s can shape the development of a galaxy‚ so understanding them is even more crucial. “Despite [black holes and neutron stars] having profoundly different physical characteristics‚ i.e.‚ an event horizon versus a stellar surface‚ very few differences between the emitted jets have been identified‚ beyond the jets appearing to be generally more luminous in black hole systems at similar X-ray luminosities‚” the authors note‚ suggesting the lessons learned here may have wider applications.The study is published in Nature.

How many times did federal authorities get away with similar acts of sabotage before Border Hawk caught them in the act and forced a national conversation?

Alright‚ imagine this: a regular day in the great outdoors‚ the kind where the sun’s shining just right‚ making the leaves glow like they’re part of some enchanted forest. Now‚ in this slice of nature‚ there’s this dog‚ right? Just your average‚ happy-go-lucky furball out for its daily adventure‚ sniffing around‚ living its best life‚... The post Wild fox sneaks up on oblivious dog leading to the most precious play time appeared first on Animal Channel.

CBS News' "60 Minutes" recently boosted the grievances of activists who fancy themselves online narrative curators‚ including so-called "misinformation expert" Kate Starbird‚ the cofounder of the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public. The liberal news network framed Starbird as a defender of truth and a victim of conservative criticism but failed to mention critical biographic information about the so-called expert‚ namely that she's a partisan who has taken money from the Biden administration and is named as a defendant in an ongoing legal battle over censorship. The beleaguered academic "60 Minutes" introduced Starbird as "a professor at the University of Washington‚ a former professional basketball player‚ and a leader of a misinformation research group created ahead of the 2020 election." The dribbling academic complained to host Lesley Stahl that X has not responded to or heeded more than 30% of her censorial outfit's suggestions — "and on the majority of those‚ they put labels." Additionally‚ she claimed that conservatives disproportionately push "misinformation" online‚ insinuating further that they have a stake in combating her fact-checking efforts and have sought to intimidate both her and her team. "This campaign against you is meant to discredit you so we won't believe you‚" said Stahl. "Absolutely. And it's interesting that the people that pushed voter fraud lies are some of the same people that are trying to discredit researchers that are trying to understand the problem‚" said Starbird. "60 Minutes" leaned on Starbird's claims in the episode to later suggest that while conservatives bemoan censorship of speech online‚ they simultaneously seek to "chill the research" of benevolent academics such as Starbird. X‚ formerly Twitter‚ only responded to 30% of the notes from researchers flagging misinformation in posts‚ says Kate Starbird‚ the leader of a misinformation research group. https://t.co/yCfxH64hAU — (@) The censorious partisan The liberal news outfit neglected to mention that Starbird is a radical partisan‚ a Biden donor‚ and a recipient of Biden administration grants who has collaborated with the Biden Department of Homeland Security on efforts to shut down speech deemed undesirable by the powers that be. The Daily Caller highlighted that Starbird ran lead on a narrative-curing project that secured $2.25 million from the National Science Foundation in August 2021. The stated purpose of the initiative was to "study ways to apply collaborative‚ rapid-response research to mitigate online disinformation." Upon receipt of the grant‚ Starbird said in a statement‚ "Working to advance scientific understanding of online disinformation‚ this research will develop and evaluate 'rapid response' methods for studying and communicating about disinformation at a sophistication and pace on par with the dynamic and interdisciplinary nature of the challenge." Starbird was named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed last year by Jim Hoft of the Gateway Pundit and Jill Hines‚ codirector of the conservative Health Freedom Louisiana group‚ whose criticism of mask wearing was suppressed on Facebook. Starbird is also referenced in Murthy v. Missouri‚ the case concerning the Biden administration's efforts to have Americans censored online now before the U.S. Supreme Court. Hoft and Hines' complaint alleged that Starbird and other personnel from her organization were involved in "probably the largest mass-surveillance and mass-censorship program in American history — the so-called 'Election Integrity Partnership' and 'Virality Project.'" The complaint further claimed that Starbird's UW lab secured the aforementioned $2.25 million grant "just months after Starbird's lab helped censor the Biden Administration's political adversary during the 2020 election." Starbird served as a member of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Cybersecurity Advisory Committee. She apparently also ran lead on the CISA task force "Protecting Critical Infrastructure from Misinformation and Disinformation." CISA‚ a component of the Department of Homeland Security‚ is accused along with other prongs of the Biden administration in Murthy v. Missouri of violating Americans' First Amendment rights online. Last year‚ Mike Benz‚ executive director of the Foundation for Freedom Online‚ shared a video from Starbird detailing how to kill or curate narratives on Twitter. — (@) In her interview with "60 Minutes‚" Starbird regurgitated many of the talking points advanced by the Biden administration in its fight to keep leaning on social media companies to censor dissenting voices online. "It's interesting that the people that pushed voter fraud lies are some of the same people that are trying to discredit researchers that are trying to understand the problem‚" said Starbird. The bespectacled researcher is not only sympathetic to the Democratic administration's clampdown on undesirable speech online but also a fan of the man in the White House. The Daily Caller noted that Starbird donated to then-candidate Joe Biden's presidential campaign in 2020. Extra to signing checks for the Biden campaign and the Biden Victory Fund‚ Starbird has poured cash into ActBlue and other leftist causes‚ according to Federal Election Commission records. The Caller indicated that "60 Minutes" did not respond to requests for comment. Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) responded to Starbird's interview‚ writing‚ "Missouri v. Biden exposed this. 'Misinformation Researchers' are part of the Vast Censorship Enterprise. No tax dollars to these wannabe authoritarians." Trump advisor Stephen Miller's America First Legal noted‚ "Irony Alert: CBS is guilty of rank disinformation in this interview. They use Kate Starbird as their 'expert' ... but they don't tell you that Starbird is the defendant in our lawsuit alleging a vast scheme to silence speech and deprive Americans of their fundamental civil rights." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Actor Ryan Phillippe said he developed a strong sense of faith and a desire to develop a relationship with God after filming his latest movie‚ in which he played a missionary.After working on the film "Prey‚" where Phillippe played a Christian missionary who faces a life-or-death situation in South Africa‚ he became inquisitive about some of the film's themes."I have a firm and fervent belief in God and that things happen for a reason and that we should put positive energies out into the world and treat people with respect and spread as much love and light as we can to offset the darkness that we see around us everywhere."These themes were reflected in the movie‚ which Phillippe said featured a "slight theological thread" of questioning God and "wondering why things happen to certain people.""They’re just good people trying to do a good thing in Africa in these villages and help others. Then something like this befalls them‚" Phillippe explained‚ according to the Boston Herald. "It makes them question. ‘What’s going on here? Is it worth being good? Who’s looking out for me?’ These aspects — Man’s search for meaning or search for God — really appealed to me."Phillippe admitted in an interview with Fox News that he ended up spending "a lot of time" in prayer and study‚ calling it the "most important thing" a person can spend their time doing."It's become a very‚ very important part of my life."Watch the latest video at foxnews.comHis prayer‚ along with a newly strengthened belief in God‚ is what Phillippe said got him out of a dark place he found himself in after the film's production ended."It was right after filming it where I went on this spiritual journey where I started going really deep inside‚" he remembered. "I got back into reading the Bible and various other religious tomes‚ but I found myself drawn to this notion of spirituality." Along with saying that spirituality seemed to come with age‚ the actor revealed that success and money no longer brought him pleasure or satisfaction."You look for more‚" he said. "I wanted to have a relationship and understanding with God‚ and I was craving that."Phillippe has publicly discussed his depression since 2015‚ calling it a "huge obstacle" since he was a child."I'm just innately kind of a sad person‚" he described at the time. "I see it in my daughter‚ she has it‚ and I wish to hell she didn't. It's just some people do have this pervading sort of sadness or they're so analytical that they can kind of take the fun out of things because they think too much."However‚ since his prayer and spirituality became a larger part of his life‚ Phillippe says he has shed those feelings."Since I started that journey‚ I have not been more at peace. My depression is gone‚ I shedded addictions so I'm a big proponent for people going inward and trying to understand those aspects of life."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!