Things We Don't Know's articles EDITOR'S PICK SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY The Methane Mystery The methane mystery Methane on Mars is really interesting – and really hard to explain. On Earth, methane signals microbes: they produce it, lots, as they break down organic matter. Although there are other, non-living sources of methane, such as some geological processes, it is generally considered a useful biomarker: i.e. if you find methane, you […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked EDITOR'S PICK POLITICS Plastic Waste And The Pandemic Our use of plastic is changing worldwide – and not for the better. Many governments with bans or restrictions on the consumption of single-use plastics have withdrawn the bans and, during the COVID-19 pandemic, our consumption of them in the form of personal protective equipment (PPE) has escalated, with estimates as high as sixfold increases […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked EDITOR'S PICK PSYCHOLOGY SCIENCE The Secrets Of Sleep Humans spend roughly a third of our lives doing it, yet scientists still don’t really know what sleep is for, nor why we need it[1]. Yet going without sleep will cause death sooner than going without food, so it must have some incredibly important and evolutionary ancient function… Some theories suggest that sleep is essential to […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked EDITOR'S PICK PSYCHOLOGY SCIENCE Solving The Mysteries Of Emotion We all know what emotions feel like, but what exactly are they? What is going on in our brain when we feel them, and why have we evolved to have them? These are all questions that science can’t yet answer, although researchers in many different areas, from neuroscience to AI, are trying to get to […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked PSYCHOLOGY SCIENCE Isolation And The Brain As babies, we are all born with vastly more neural connections than we need[1], and these connections get ‘pruned’ as we go through life, cutting out the unused ones, strengthening most the ones we use daily[2]. As social animals, we learn best and develop neural connections by interacting with others. So what happens when our brains […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked EDITOR'S PICK SCIENCE The Mysteries Of Memory Our memories make us who we are, and yet we still don’t understand how memories are stored in the brain, or what happens when memory problems develop. Neuroscientists have identified some regions of the brain that seem to be vital for memory storage, however the exact networks that allow us to store and recall information […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
EDITOR'S PICK SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY The Methane Mystery The methane mystery Methane on Mars is really interesting – and really hard to explain. On Earth, methane signals microbes: they produce it, lots, as they break down organic matter. Although there are other, non-living sources of methane, such as some geological processes, it is generally considered a useful biomarker: i.e. if you find methane, you […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
EDITOR'S PICK POLITICS Plastic Waste And The Pandemic Our use of plastic is changing worldwide – and not for the better. Many governments with bans or restrictions on the consumption of single-use plastics have withdrawn the bans and, during the COVID-19 pandemic, our consumption of them in the form of personal protective equipment (PPE) has escalated, with estimates as high as sixfold increases […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
EDITOR'S PICK PSYCHOLOGY SCIENCE The Secrets Of Sleep Humans spend roughly a third of our lives doing it, yet scientists still don’t really know what sleep is for, nor why we need it[1]. Yet going without sleep will cause death sooner than going without food, so it must have some incredibly important and evolutionary ancient function… Some theories suggest that sleep is essential to […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
EDITOR'S PICK PSYCHOLOGY SCIENCE Solving The Mysteries Of Emotion We all know what emotions feel like, but what exactly are they? What is going on in our brain when we feel them, and why have we evolved to have them? These are all questions that science can’t yet answer, although researchers in many different areas, from neuroscience to AI, are trying to get to […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
PSYCHOLOGY SCIENCE Isolation And The Brain As babies, we are all born with vastly more neural connections than we need[1], and these connections get ‘pruned’ as we go through life, cutting out the unused ones, strengthening most the ones we use daily[2]. As social animals, we learn best and develop neural connections by interacting with others. So what happens when our brains […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
EDITOR'S PICK SCIENCE The Mysteries Of Memory Our memories make us who we are, and yet we still don’t understand how memories are stored in the brain, or what happens when memory problems develop. Neuroscientists have identified some regions of the brain that seem to be vital for memory storage, however the exact networks that allow us to store and recall information […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
