Explainer

Person enjoying a virtual reality gaming session with a VR headset and controllers

38 people took the same virtual dive on land and underwater, but floating in the pool made the imagined journey feel much longer

Thirty-eight people ended this experiment with two different internal maps of the same virtual trip. Everyone watched the same underwater VR dive, yet the group floating in a pool judged that they had traveled farther than the group who stood on solid ground. A Scientific Reports study published on January 13, 2021, treated that gap…

A view of the Puget Sound area from Dune Peninsula Park in Tacoma, Washington

Health Explainer

More than 16,000 people across 18 countries reported better mental health when they frequently visited coasts and other natural spaces rather than merely living nearby

A tired-looking space traveler holding a helmet inside a dim spacecraft

Humans Explainer

12 men spent 72 hours either sleepless or isolated, and missed sleep did more damage to mood, heart regulation and response control

Two astronauts exploring a rocky Mars-like landscape

Space Explainer

6 men spent 520 days in a mock Mars mission, and the crew logged 673 more sleep hours in the second half as one body clock drifted toward 25 hours

Space Explainer

25 researchers spent 12 months at Antarctica’s Concordia station, and better sleep tracked with smaller gray matter losses as several brain regions changed

Health Explainer

96 U.S. service members with depression tried 6 weeks of surfing or hiking, and both groups improved while neither outdoor therapy clearly pulled ahead

A young surfer riding a gentle ocean wave

Health Explainer

36 young people completed 6 weeks of surf therapy and reported less depression and anxiety, but the gains had faded 6 weeks after the program ended

Three athletes swimming freestyle in a bright indoor pool

Health Explainer

22 college students completed a 15-week swim program, and they reported calmer moods, stronger social confidence and less academic strain than 22 classmates

Forty-four students took part in a small controlled trial that asked a simple question: could time in the pool improve how college life feels from the inside. By the end of the program, the students assigned to swimming reported better scores for calm, emotional steadiness, social confidence and several measures tied to handling school pressure.…

Swimmers compete in an outdoor pool race, showcasing athleticism and sportsmanship

Humans Explainer

19 teenage swimmers practiced imagery and paced breathing for 15 minutes each night, and after 10 weeks mental toughness rose while any speed advantage remained uncertain

The obvious question is whether mental drills make swimmers faster. A small Scientific Reports study points to a subtler answer first. Over 10 weeks, the clearest shift appeared in the minds of the swimmers who practiced a short nightly routine of visualization and breathing, while the case for extra speed in the pool stayed much…

Two women experiencing virtual reality technology

Humans Explainer

30 students watched Earth from orbit for 25 minutes in virtual reality, and their connection to nature rose while scores barely moved among 30 classmates who meditated

Sixty students took part in a pilot experiment built around a simple question: can a convincing view of Earth from space make ordinary people feel closer to the natural world after just one session? According to the final results, the answer was yes for the group that watched a virtual journey around the planet, while…

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