Iron Age mass grave may hold unusual victims: mostly women and children - Science News

There's a specific kind of joy in opening the fridge to find leftovers waiting for you like a gift from your past self. Many people insist that they taste better than the original. Some might accept this as one of life's little quirks, similar to how one sock disappears in the wash. But scientists like to investigate quirks, and a team at Deakin University in Australia did just that. To see whether this kitchen myth is backed by evidence, they recruited people to blind-test fresh dishes against their day-old counterparts. Their study is posted as a preprint (it hasn't yet undergone peer review) and concludes that 'leftovers taste better' is not entirely a myth. But it isn't as universal as we might think. In fact, only one of their test dishes lived up to the reputation. "Few culinary beliefs are as persistent as the idea that some foods taste better the next day," the team writes. First author Russell Keast has a personal history with this phenomenon. Before becoming a food and sensory scientist, he trained as a chef and heard the claim many times, even experiencing it himself.

More than 99% of the US population lives under light-polluted skies, according to a 2016 study published in Science Advances. With streetlights, brightly lit parking lots, arenas, and passing headlights brightening the night, it can be easy to forget how dark the sky actually is and how many stars appear when you get away from populated areas. Seeing that many stars for the first time can make you pause and remember where you truly are. You are on a rock spinning through space, surrounded by a universe filled with stars, planets, and galaxies larger than anything you can imagine. A remote mountain excursion can combine a dark sky encounter with a day of hiking and sightseeing. After sunset, bright stars emerge above the slopes and ridgelines. These American mountains lie within officially designated dark sky locations that protect natural darkness and the views of the universe it reveals. In northeastern New Mexico, Capulin Volcano sits among volcanic cones, mesas, and buttes in one of the darker areas of the lower 48 states. These landforms help shield the night sky from distant lights, while the rugged terrain has discouraged development in the area.