Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. When the brain releases oxytocin during sex, childbirth, breastfeeding, and social interactions, the hormone supports strong feelings such as attachment, trust, and closeness. That's why oxytocin is frequently nicknamed the love, cuddle, or happy hormone--even though it's also linked with aggression. To continue investigating the biological role of oxytocin, a team of researchers studied it with scientist's poster species for love and friendship, the prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster). The small rodents found throughout central North America have bonds that are "similar to human friendships in the sense that they are selective and long-lasting. Voles form strong, stable bonds with specific peers," Markita Landry, a chemist from the University of California (UC), Berkeley, tells Popular Science.

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. If you step on a snail, you'll know it. Despite their slow speeds, and simple bodies, apple snails (Pomacea canaliculata) have eyes that are anatomically similar to human eyes. Both species have complex camera-like eyes with a lens, cornea, and retina that visually capture the world around them. Unlike humans, apple snails can regrow their peepers if they are injured or amputated.

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. It is in these waters that marine mammal ecologist Ari Friedlaender shuts off the inflatable boat's engine and waits. This is the edge of the world--remote, hostile, and stunningly alive. Beneath the hull, the dark sea churns with wonder abound. A humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) emerges, slow, deliberate, and gentle in its curious demeanor, casting a ripple across the surface.

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. More than 180 million years ago, ichthyosaurs ruled the early Jurassic oceans. The carnivorous marine reptiles ranged from the size of a briefcase to larger than a school bus. The biggest of these whale-like creatures were apex predators, hunting ancient fish, ammonites, and even their smaller reptile relatives. As they searched for prey, some may have swum with surprising stealth.

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Your body is constantly generating new cells. In your digestive tract, the colon's lining turns over every five to seven days. Your red blood cells replace themselves every few weeks, skin cells about once a month. But certain organs are a big exception.

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Despite their bee-like appearance, hoverflies are all buzz, no bite. The harmless insects, more closely related to midges than wasps, imitate their distant stinging cousins with stripes, high contrast colors, and narrow waists. In theory, the "flies in wasps' clothing" use this strategy to ward off would-be predators, without having to pay the cost of evolving venom and an appendage to inject it. The quality of hoverfly mimicry can vary– from detailed disguises to the insect equivalent of slapping on a pair of cat ears for a Halloween party.

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. When classic films undergo 4K restorations, the results can divide fans. Look around Hollywood and you'll find numerous examples of movie rereleases featuring controversial uses of digital noise reduction, motion smoothing, and other post-production tools. Meanwhile, the proliferation of AI- and machine learning-based upscaling programs has only complicated the debate. When approached properly, though, the technique has helped revive some of Hollywood's oldest--and for a long time, inaccessible--movies.

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Egg-freezing boomed in the last decade, with a 400 percent increase since 2012. Now, research about sperm degradation and its impact on family-building is driving a generation of health-conscious men to consider their own fertility preservation. Whether men of the past were left out or checked-out of the fertility conversation depends on who you ask. But old beliefs about the lifelong assurance of fatherhood are out and men are taking control of their reproductive futures with the help of mail-in sperm testing and freezing.

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. The ticking tyranny of 2 a.m. after you climbed into bed–responsibly–at 11. As the minutes go by, all you can think about is the importance of good sleep for function, mood, and productivity. What's worse, the big white letters on your sleep score will read "poor" like a middle school quiz. And while health-tracking devices have helped many gain insight into their bodies, hyperfixation on sleep metrics can backfire.

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. We like to think our brains are reliable recorders--but reality says otherwise. From misremembered childhood moments to mistakenly "recalling" that you took your pills when you didn't, false memories are surprisingly common. And in high-stakes situations like courtroom testimony, these errors can have devastating consequences. Wouldn't it be amazing if there were an objective way to measure just how accurate someone's memory really is? New research suggests we might be able to do just that--by watching the eyes.