Our hearts began beating as early as four weeks after conception, even before they had fully developed. Heart valves formed shortly afterwards, ensuring blood always flows in the right direction – a similar valve is developing in this beating zebrafish... Continue Reading →
Arteriosclerosis occurs when the blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients from your heart to the rest of your body (arteries) become thick and stiff — sometimes restricting blood flow to your organs and tissues. Healthy arteries are flexible and... Continue Reading →
Blood vessels of the foal hoof with the chorion laminae and anatomical details of the vascularisation of the equine foot and hoof by German plastinator Dr. C. von Horst. Infographic: https://anatomicexcellence.com/about-plastination/plastination-process/
May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art, write or draw or build or sing or... Continue Reading →
You are sitting quietly, and suddenly your brain tunes out the world and wanders to something else entirely — perhaps a recent experience, or an old memory. You just had a daydream. Yet despite the ubiquity of this experience, what... Continue Reading →
"Christmas tree worm" is the common name for a marine worm that lives on tropical coral reefs around the world. You won’t find Spirobranchus giganteus, also known as the Christmas tree worm, eating your fir tree this year. The common name for... Continue Reading →
Vision is a complex process. The visual perception of the environment is created by a combination of different wavelengths of light, which are decoded as colors and brightness in the brain. Photoreceptors in the retina first convert the light into... Continue Reading →
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most prevalent greenhouse gas driving global climate change. However, its increase in the atmosphere would be even more rapid without land and ocean carbon sinks, which collectively absorb about half of human emissions every year.... Continue Reading →
MIT neuroscientists have discovered that the adult brain contains millions of “silent synapses” — immature connections between neurons that remain inactive until they’re recruited to help form new memories. Until now, it was believed that silent synapses were present only... Continue Reading →
Scents of Science 