triggers

Neuroscientists at Washington State University think they have figured out why cannabis is so notorious for causing the 'munchies' among users.Their research on mice is the first to investigate how cannabis impacts the real-time activity of brain regions that control appetite.The findings support an abundance of anecdotes and rigorous studies on humans, which all strongly suggest smoking, vaping, or eating cannabis can trigger acute cravings and have you headed for the pantry or fridge in no time.Still, while…

Accessory maker Hyperkin is bringing back Microsoft’s original Xbox Controller S as a modern gamepad, complete with Hall effect joysticks and triggers. The original Controller S came with the Japanese version of the console, while other markets got the massive “Duke” controller. Eventually, the more compact controller became the default and superseded the Duke. Hyperkin is calling its take on the more compact gamepad the “DuchesS.”The controller in white. Image: HyperkinLike its previous retro Xbox controllers, the…

A strong overnight earthquake rattled a mountainous region of northwestern China, authorities said Tuesday, destroying homes, leaving residents out in a below-freezing winter night and killing 127 people in the nation's deadliest quake in nine years.The magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck just before midnight on Monday, injuring more than 700 people, damaging roads and knocking out power and communication lines in Gansu and Qinghai provinces, officials and Chinese media reports said.WATCH | Aftermath of the earthquake: See…

The ongoing saga between Apple and iMessage for Android app Beeper Mini has led to a bipartisan letter calling on the Assistant Attorney General to investigate “whether this potentially anticompetitive conduct by Apple violated the antitrust laws.”The letter, co-signed by Senators Amy Klobuchar and Mike Lee and Representatives Jerrold Nadler and Ken Buck, was sent Sunday to US Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter. According to their letter, Apple has previously admitted it leverages iMessages “to lock users into…

A week ago, Meta Platforms finally added Threads hashtags to the platform, fulfilling a long-requested wish of users. Hashtags, for those who do not know, is a social media feature that allows users to categorize their posts to different themes and subjects. These hashtags are clickable links that take you to a separate page where you can see more posts on the same theme - these are different from the hashtags that are used in X (Twitter). However, due to Threads' unique style of hashtags, some are using the feature to…

We all know that stress can rob you of a good night’s sleep, but it’s more than just racing thoughts behind it. For the first time, scientists have identified how stress fires up brain cells at the wrong time during sleep stages, causing interrupted slumber and poor quality of rest.Investigating the physiological impact of stress on sleep in a mouse model, University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) scientists monitored activity in the preoptic area (POA) of the hypothalamus during natural sleep. They found that glutamatergic…

Inching forward bumper to bumper on a highway when you’re on the way to an appointment, or worse, the airport, is enough to spike anyone’s blood pressure (BP). But researchers have found that a BP surge occurs independent of external stressors, and it could be due to the poor air flowing into the car from surrounding traffic.The University of Washington (UW) researchers undertook a randomized crossover trial and were surprised to see that sitting in traffic and breathing unfiltered air was linked to a 4.5 mm Hg surge in…

The nail-biting drama around Sam Altman being sacked from OpenAI, joining Satya Nadella-run Microsoft and then returning to OpenAI -- all within a span of six days -- has alerted governments and regulators and the call to apply guardrails on AI industry is now more vocal than ever.Couple of days before his ouster, Altman had said at a tech event that big regulatory changes weren't needed for current AI models, but would be soon.Elevate Your Tech Prowess with High-Value Skill CoursesOffering CollegeCourseWebsiteIndian…

A new observation reveals the ongoing effect humanity had after intercepting a chunk of rock drifting around the Sun last year.In September 2022, NASA slammed a spacecraft into the asteroid Dimorphos. Hubble's latest observations show a giant swarm of boulders shaken loose by the impact, scattered like stars in the asteroid's wake.The new images will help an upcoming mission to the asteroid study the results of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), to help refine and better plan for such impacts in the…

Scientists have published research indicating that movements in Earth’s tectonic plates indirectly stimulate bursts of biodiversity through 36-million-year cycles by causing sea levels to rise and fall. They believe that these geological cycles, traceable back 250 million years, critically influence marine species diversity.  This animation is a 250 million-year re-creation of the geography of Earth, showing the interplay between plate tectonics and sea level variations. Credit: Paleomap Project and Michael ChinTectonic…