A rare New Zealand snail is filmed for the first time laying an egg from its neck
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — The strange reproductive habits of a large, carnivorous New Zealand snail were once shrouded in mystery. Now footage of the snail laying an egg from its neck has been captured for the first time, the country's conservation agency said Wednesday.
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Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Astronomers finally figured out how Pluto cools itself
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, BGR may receive an affiliate commission. Pluto might be small and distant, but it keeps surprising scientists. After the New Horizons spacecraft zipped past it in 2015, we got our first real look at its icy landscape and unexpectedly active atmosphere. But even with those discoveries, one question lingered in scientists' minds. How does Pluto regulate its temperature with such a strange environment? Well, thanks to new data from the James Webb Space Telescope, researchers say they may have found the answer, and it's pretty wild. Where most planets rely on gases in the atmosphere to regulate their temperatures, researchers believe that Pluto cools itself using haze particles. Today's Top Deals Best deals: Tech, laptops, TVs, and more sales Best Ring Video Doorbell deals Memorial Day security camera deals: Reolink's unbeatable sale has prices from $29.98 See, Pluto's atmosphere is incredibly thin and made mostly of nitrogen, with traces of methane and carbon monoxide. What makes it special isn't just its composition, but the presence of a constant haze. This haze is made up of tiny particles, and if the data from James Webb is correct, it does more than just drift around in the cold. Normally, planetary atmospheres manage temperature through movement and properties of gas molecules, as I mentioned before. But Pluto cools itself differently. As sunlight hits the planet, the haze particles absorb energy and rise. When they cool, they sink again. This up-and-down cycle helps manage the planet's heat, keeping the atmosphere in a delicate balance. No other world cools itself this way, as far as we know. The idea is kind of crazy, but it also isn't unprecedented. Researchers actually proposed it a few years ago, before we had any proof. That's where James Webb comes in. Recent observations focused on Pluto using mid-infrared wavelengths. The telescope detected the exact type of thermal signals that scientists had predicted. The haze in Pluto's atmosphere was indeed radiating heat, just as the theory suggested it would. But these findings tell us more than how Pluto cools itself. They will also force scientists to rethink what's possible for other hazy worlds. Moons like Titan and Triton, for instance, also have nitrogen-heavy atmospheres and thick hazes. They could be managing their heat in similar ways. There's also a deeper link to our own planet. Researchers say Earth's early atmosphere may have looked more like Pluto's, filled with nitrogen and hydrocarbons. By studying how Pluto's haze behaves, researchers might uncover clues about how conditions to support life first formed here on Earth. More Top Deals Amazon gift card deals, offers & coupons 2025: Get $2,000+ free See the
Fox News
6 hours ago
- Fox News
Couples who cuddle before sleep reap these health benefits, study reveals
Snuggling with your partner could be a win-win for your health. Cuddling at night promotes more secure attachment between partners and lowers stress levels, according to a new study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. Researchers from Auburn University examined data from 143 heterosexual "bed-sharing" couples, analyzing associations between physical closeness at sleep onset, perceived stress, attachment insecurity and sleep disturbance. Factors including daytime sleepiness, income, age, relationship length, sleep diagnoses and whether children or pets sleep in the bed were also considered. The results revealed that couples who assumed a physically closer position upon going to sleep were indirectly linked with "lower couple insecure attachment" (when they have trouble connecting emotionally) and lower stress. The researchers found no "significant" associations between physical closeness at sleep onset and the chances of sleep disturbance. While stress was found to be lower among cuddlers, the research found that cuddling did not increase sleep quality. The researchers concluded that physical closeness at sleep onset "may be a promising and amenable avenue for improving relational and physiological well-being." Sleep expert Wendy Troxel, PhD — a RAND Corporation senior behavioral specialist and licensed clinical psychologist in Utah — shared with Fox News Digital how these findings highlight the "vital role" that shared time and physical touch play in emotional well-being. Troxel, author of the book "Sharing the Covers: Every Couple's Guide to Better Sleep," commented on the "interesting" finding that cuddling did not influence sleep quality. "This suggests that it's the moments spent together before falling asleep — not necessarily sharing the entire night — that have the greatest positive effect on a relationship," said the expert, who was not involved in the study. "The simple act of cuddling before sleep likely triggers powerful psychological and physiological responses, such as increased emotional security and the release of oxytocin — the 'bonding hormone' associated with intimacy." These effects help reduce stress and deepen connection, which makes pre-sleep cuddling a "meaningful ritual for emotional health," Troxel said. "Whether you and your partner sleep together or apart, don't skip the cuddle before bed," she advised. "Even brief moments of closeness can enhance your relationship and overall well-being." While the study found that most couples sleep in the same position as their partner, 36.3% reported not touching or cuddling at night. Those who did touch reported sleeping back to back (19.6%), having some contact, like touching an arm or leg (23.1%), spooning (13.3%), intertwining (4.2%) and sleeping face to face (3.5%). Study co-author Josh R. Novak, PhD, associate professor at the Auburn University Department of Human Development and Family Science, confirmed in a statement to Fox News Digital that the more physically close position couples are in, the more feelings of "relational safety" were present due to lower stress. "Sleep is one of the most important ways we can manage our physical, relational and mental health," the researcher said. "Research has substantiated that sleep and relationship functioning are bidirectional and cyclical — meaning that bad sleep can negatively impact your relationship, and difficult relationship dynamics can lead to worse sleep." "Sleep is one of the most important ways we can manage our physical, relational and mental health." Novak added that non-sexual physical affection has generally been deemed "critical" for relationships, but there seems to be more "emotional and relational benefit" when there's full-body contact. "My study suggests that cuddling with a partner can be both a barometer of how a relationship is doing and a way to maintain or repair a relationship, as well as lower stress levels," he said. The researchers did not study how much time was spent in a cuddling position, leaving Novak to be "skeptical" of whether it leads to sleep disturbances. "What happens most often is that cuddling only happens for a bit until both partners fall asleep, but there could be a select few that cuddle throughout the whole night," he said. For more Health articles, visit "My hunch is that most use cuddling to induce sleepiness and the feeling of safety and to reduce stress and anxiety, and that afterward either their body temperature increases too much, or there is discomfort and the need to shift around becomes necessary." Novak encouraged couples to cuddle if stress levels are high, as it's a nonverbal way to feel "secure and safe." "Although research needs to substantiate this further, it might also imply that, in the face of conflict during the day that is not solved or repaired … cuddling might be a way to start that process and move toward repair," he added.
Forbes
9 hours ago
- Forbes
3 New Studies Remind Us Eating Well Is About More Than Just Weight
Healthy foods may matter more than weight alone. getty If you've ever made a genuine, perhaps painstaking, effort to eat healthier, only to find that your weight doesn't budge, it's easy to feel like you're failing. Or like your body isn't behaving like it should. But a few new studies remind us that this isn't always true. New research published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology by a team at Ben-Gurion and Harvard Universities followed more than 700 adults with abdominal obesity who committed to different types of healthy eating—low-fat, low-carb, Mediterranean, and green-Mediterranean—for up to two years. Nearly a third of them didn't lose weight, and some even gained weight. But their health improved in meaningful ways. Perhaps not surprisingly, the people who did lose weight saw the most change in their heart and metabolic stats: each kilogram lost was linked to a 1.44% increase in HDL cholesterol (the good kind), a 1.37% reduction in triglycerides (blood fats), a 2.46% drop in insulin, a 2.79% drop in leptin (the hormone signaling hunger), as well as reductions in blood pressure, liver fat, and liver enzymes. But the good news for some of us with more stubborn scales was that in those whose weight didn't change (who tended to be older adults and women), the researchers also measured higher HDL cholesterol, lower levels of leptin, and a reduction in visceral fat (the type that surrounds organs and increases disease risk). These are not meaningless changes—they can reduce long-term risk for heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic conditions. Also revealing was when the team looked into the biology behind these patterns, they identified 12 DNA methylation sites that predicted long-term weight loss outcomes. These sites may help explain why two people can follow the same diet with different results. 'We have been conditioned to equate weight loss with health, and weight loss-resistant individuals are often labeled as failures,' said lead author and Harvard Chan School postdoctoral researcher Anat Yaskolka Meir in a statement. 'Our findings reframe how we define clinical success. People who do not lose weight can improve their metabolism and reduce their long-term risk for disease. That's a message of hope, not failure.' This idea—that health and weight loss are not synonymous—echoes across two other new studies, too. (Note that these two were presented at the American Society for Nutrition conference last week, and not yet published in peer-review journals.) In a massive analysis of nearly 200,000 people over several decades, researchers found that the quality of food mattered more than whether someone followed a low-carbohydrate or low-fat diet. Neither diet was better than the other: Low-carb and low-fat diets both lowered the risk of developing heart disease by about 15% compared to lower quality foods. The difference came from just that—the quality of foods. Eating more whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and nuts rather than potatoes, refined grains, and saturated fats and proteins from animal-based foods. In other words, whether your diet has more fat or fewer carbs may be less important than whether you're eating real food vs. processed foods. A third study focused simply on…beans. Researchers found that a daily serving of black beans or chickpeas significantly lowered cholesterol and inflammation in people with pre-diabetes over just 12 weeks. While this one only looked at people with pre-diabetes, lots of other research before it has shown health benefits of eating beans for people without pre-diabetes. The new studies should bring some hope to those of us who were raised to treat diet success like a numbers game, with weight the only outcome that matters. The reality is that in many cases, the body is doing far more behind the scenes than we know.
