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“What if gravity — the force that keeps us stuck to the planet — is actually just the Universe trying to save processing power? According to physicist Melvin Vopson, this isn’t just the random musing of a stoned Silicon Valley programmer; it’s the basis of a serious scientific theory. One that kind of, sort of presupposes that life as we know it is, indeed, a simulation. Vopson’s study says the Universe might be a giant cosmic PC trying to run itself efficiently. And gravity is one of the tools it uses to make things run more smoothly. Gravity, he suggests, is what happens when the Universe wants to keep things tidy. When stuff clumps together in space, it’s not just mass attracting mass; it’s a cheat code to reduce the processing load.”

You might not know it, but poor water quality might just be the wrench that’s destroying your skincare routine. Hard water is the culprit — drying you out, irritating your face, and rendering your moisturizer obsolete. What you need is softer water, and you can get that with Waterdrop’s Skincare Water Softening System: a sleek under-sink filter that turns your tap into a spa-worthy stream. With 7-stage filtration and strontium-enriched magic, it reduces chlorine, bacteria, and other harsh chemicals. The result? Better skin health, a stronger skin barrier, lower inflammation, and more hydration (which is what water is supposed to do, after all). [Ad]

“A dating app that, just this past week, announced a creepy new wearable, has been found to have publicly exposed users’ data. The data was granular and personal, including their approximate locations. The app, Raw, says it is dedicated to promoting ‘real and unfiltered love’ through its unique user interface, which resembles BeReal (it utilizes the front and back cameras of your phone), but for dating. Raw also recently announced a bizarre new piece of hardware, called the Raw ring, which purports to allow users to track the location of their lovers to ensure they’re not cheating (there’s no way that could ever lead to problematic scenarios, right?). Unfortunately, it would appear that Raw has also been promoting something else in quite an ‘unfiltered’ fashion: users’ data.”

“A new study has uncovered a previously unknown link between the immune system and the fear response, and how psychedelics can play a role in suppressing it. The finding could improve the treatment of mental, emotional, and physical afflictions. Research into the effects of psychedelics continues to make significant inroads in terms of the methods in which the mind-altering substances can improve our health. A study last year showed that psilocybin was as effective as a commonly prescribed drug at alleviating depression and actually helped improve overall quality of life over the pharmaceutical. A 2023 study showed that psychedelic substances were effective in improving the mental health symptoms and cognitive function of traumatized Special Operations Forces veterans. An even earlier study revealed the substances' role in improving long-term creative thinking.”

You already take photos of your food. Might as well get nutritional insight out of it. MacroSnap AI turns food pics into calorie and macro data using freakishly smart recognition tech. No barcode scanning, no weighing chicken breasts like a lab rat. Set goals, track trends, and let the built-in AI coach gently roast your eating habits into submission. Whether you're bulking, cutting, or just pretending to care, this app makes the whole "healthy choices" thing feel suspiciously doable. [Ad]

“On a sticky,  late-spring night in parts of the eastern United States, you might witness one of the wonders of the animal kingdom: a constellation of hundreds of fireflies blinking in unison. Only three of the 130 or so species of fireflies in the U.S. are known to exhibit this synchrony, and they do so for only a few weeks a year. The displays have gotten so popular that the Great Smoky Mountains and Congaree National Parks hold lotteries for the privilege of watching the fireflies in the parks during their peak. … The data [Peleg] and her colleagues have collected over the past seven years has shed new light not only on how and why fireflies synchronize, but also on the mathematical properties of synchrony across biological and humanmade systems … ‘It’s like seeing all of these mathematical models come to life.’”