Pocket Archive: Science, History & Discovery

Last year, neuroscientists used a classic branch of maths in a totally new way to peer into the structure of our brains.

Scientists in the UK have even identified four cases of "chronic déjà vu."

In the largest study of its kind, researchers found that testosterone administration did not affect cognitive empathy, a measure of the ability to recognize another’s feelings and motivations. The finding calls into question the theory that the symptoms of autism are caused by a hyper-masculinized brain.

New research shows that it’s not the fights themselves but what you and your partner do afterward that makes or breaks a relationship.

Do fatty animal foods contain within them a secret to human intelligence?

The practice of witchcraft in the U.S. has rise dramatically over the past few decades, with millennials turning to astrology, tarot cards and Wicca beliefs as they turn away from Christianity and other traditional religions.

Well before Bentham, Cesare Beccaria radically questioned the right of the state to imprison and execute its citizens

Do fatty animal foods contain within them a secret to human intelligence?

What everyone needs to know to keep their brains in tip-top shape.

Researchers from the University of Bristol found that deer see the predator as green because they are colourblind. Instead of seeing tigers as humans do (right) they see a green blur instead (left).

Life can be stressful and full of toil. To ease your tortured mind, we present to you some stunning photographs of clouds on Mars, recently taken by

The ritual container, made of three fox snouts, contains the earliest known evidence of ayahuasca preparation.

A thousand-year-old pouch in Bolivia has revealed traces of several psychoactive compounds, indicating not only some of the earliest archeological evidence of ayahuasca use but also other intoxicants. The find suggests significant plant knowledge and a broad ancient plant trading network.

Carcinogens like benzene, acetaldehyde found in scented laundry products, according to University of Washington researchers

A team of scientists believe they have found evidence of human activity in North America that dates back 130,000 years ago — more than 100,000 years earlier than believed.

The fire has nearly completely engulfed the building's roof

One of my biggest pet peeves is when people use the word shaman out of context. I see it as a huge problem within the pagan, witchcraft, and New Age communities as well as within academia for many reasons. Here is a list of six general problems that I have with how it's used and why.

The extravagant splendor of the animal kingdom can’t be explained by natural selection alone — so how did it come to be?

A paper concludes that forgetting things is not just normal, it actually makes us smarter. The researchers say the goal of memory is to optimize intelligent decision-making by holding on to what’s important and letting go of what’s not.

Steven Pruitt has made nearly 3 million edits on Wikipedia and written 35,000 original articles — all for free

The famed science fiction writer was wrong about a world government, but pretty close on robots. On computers, though ...

A new theory of consciousness

Removal of the appendix reduced the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, an analysis of nearly 1.7 million health records in Sweden suggests.

Posted in r/AskReddit by u/luciflerfather • 57,324 points and 28,292 comments

"There was at Athens a large and roomy house, which had a bad name, so that no one could live there. In the dead of the night a noise, resembling...

When humans take the drug MDMA, versions of which are known as molly or ecstasy, they commonly feel very happy, extraverted, and particularly interested

Posted in r/science by u/mvea • 53,272 points and 1,674 comments