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New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Is it Actually Fine to Look at Your Phone Before Bed?
Don't look at your phone before bed if you want a decent night's sleep, we've been told. In fact, put it in another room! The blue light from screens will make it harder for you to conk out and leave you feeling less rested tomorrow, research says. Right? Actually, no. The link between blue light and sleep is murkier than originally thought, scientists now say. In some cases, screen use can even help you sleep. This doesn't mean you should turn on every device in your bedroom before you hit the sack. But there's already enough anxiety about how to sleep well; maybe don't stress about this. In a story published this morning, I explain what we know. The research After blue light hits your eyes, the brain suppresses the production of the hormone melatonin, which normally makes you feel drowsy. As a result, you feel more alert. Not all screen use seems to cause this dip. It may depend on how bright your device is, how long you use it for and how close it is to your eyes. One small study found that watching television from nine feet away had no effect on melatonin levels. And it's not even clear whether screen exposure impairs sleep in the first place. Most studies on the topic were performed in controlled laboratories with a small number of subjects, so it's hard to say if their results translate to regular life. What caused your restless night? Maybe it was an afternoon cup of coffee or a snoring bed partner, not blue light. In 2024, the National Sleep Foundation concluded that there wasn't enough evidence to blame blue light for sleeplessness. What you're watching Some research suggests that what you do with your device may matter more than whether you use it. Interactive activities like video games, social media, shopping and gambling are among the worst things you can do. They engage the brain's reward system, which can keep you awake and glued to your device well into the night. You can put down the iPad, but 'you can't turn your brain off,' one researcher told me. There's less consensus about other types of screen use. It may depend on what you're watching on your phone or reading on your Kindle. A suspenseful drama might mess with your sleep more than a comforting old series. If you already know the outcome, you'll have an easier time turning off your phone — and your brain. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Scientists want to send tiny, solar-powered spacecraft to Mars
Scientists want to send tiny, solar-powered spacecraft to examine difficult-to-reach parts of Earth's atmosphere – and eventually other planets too. The small devices are able to float in the air and could carry sensing instruments to monitor our climate as well as explore Mars, the researchers behind them suggest. Unlike conventional spacecraft, they do not need fuel to stay floating in the atmosphere. Instead, they use energy from light, through a process known as photophoresis that has been used to make objects levitate for 150 years. Despite that long history, the practical use of photophoresis has been limited to truly tiny objects or very powerful artificial light, and practical devices have not worked out. Now, however, researchers believe that they have made a centimetre-long flying device out of perforated sheets that can use natural sunlight to stay afloat. The flying structure is made from two thin, perforated membranes that are attached together by tiny supports. They can be used to create a tiny disc that is then able to leveitate. They could be sent up to the upper layers of the Earth's atmosphere. If they can be scaled up slightly, they would be able to carry antennae and circuits that would allow them to be used to monitor the atmosphere and for other science work. Eventually, the same design could be taken to other planets, they suggest. It is currently almost prohibitively expensive to send satellites to Mars, for instance – but doing so with the tiny spacecraft could allow researchers to monitor conditions on that planet, they say. 'If the full potential of this technology can be realized, swarms or arrays of such photophoretic flyers could be collecting high-resolution data on the temperature, pressure, chemical composition and wind dynamics of the mesosphere within the next decade,' Igor Bargatin from Penn University wrote in an article accompanying the new research. The work is described in a paper, 'Photophoretic flight of perforated structures in near-space conditions', published in the journal Nature.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Moon phase today: What the moon will look like on August 16, 2025
The moon is half lit up tonight, which means a lot of things. Namely, we're in a new lunar cycle. The lunar cycle is a series of eight unique phases of the moon's visibility. The whole cycle takes about 29.5 days, according to NASA, and these different phases happen as the Sun lights up different parts of the moon whilst it orbits Earth. So, what's happening with the moon tonight, Aug. 16? What is today's moon phase? As of Saturday, Aug. 16, the moon phase is Third Quarter (also known as the Last Quarter) and it is 46% lit up to us on Earth, according to NASA's Daily Moon Observation. From this point onwards, the moon will be less and less visible, as we're now on day 23 of the lunar cycle. But there's still plenty to spot on the moon's surface, if you look hard enough. With your naked eye, catch a glimpse of the Aristarchus Plateau, the Tycho Crater, and the Copernicus Crater. With binoculars, see even more, including the Archimedes Crater, Alphonsus Crater, and the Clavius Crater. If you have a telescope, look out for the Apollo 12, Reiner Gamma, and the Schiller Crater, too. When is the next full moon? The next full moon will be on Sept. 7. The last full moon was on Aug. 9. What are moon phases? According to NASA, moon phases are caused by the 29.5-day cycle of the moon's orbit, which changes the angles between the Sun, Moon, and Earth. Moon phases are how the moon looks from Earth as it goes around us. We always see the same side of the moon, but how much of it is lit up by the Sun changes depending on where it is in its orbit. This is how we get full moons, half moons, and moons that appear completely invisible. There are eight main moon phases, and they follow a repeating cycle: New Moon - The moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it's invisible to the eye). Waxing Crescent - A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere). First Quarter - Half of the moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-moon. Waxing Gibbous - More than half is lit up, but it's not quite full yet. Full Moon - The whole face of the moon is illuminated and fully visible. Waning Gibbous - The moon starts losing light on the right side. Last Quarter (or Third Quarter) - Another half-moon, but now the left side is lit. Waning Crescent - A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again. Solve the daily Crossword
