Join me in this requested tutorial where I show you how to create a stunning vortex particle effect using both sprite and mesh techniques in Unreal Engine 5. Perfect for game developers looking to enhance their projects!#UnrealEngine #NiagaraTutorial #GameDevelopment #ParticleEffects #SlimeRancher

Many adults can remember the days when their screen time was limited to Saturday morning cartoons, as well as their class’s weekly visit to the computer lab to play Oregon Trail. It was a quick half-hour of fatigued oxen, snakebites, and surprise bouts of dysentery.Over the past few decades, screen time has expanded from an occasional treat to a full-day affair. People of all ages stare at screens for work, school, and entertainment. Within the last two decades, scientists have increasingly studied the impact of screen time on the brain.But what happens when a person steps away from their screen? Researchers are discovering what happens neurologically when a person goes on a digital detox.Scanning the Impact of ScreensTo learn more about how a person’s brain benefits from reduced screen time, scientists have been studying how phones, tablets, and TVs affect a person’s cognitive functioning. Technologies like functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) are helping researchers identify differences in people who spend a lot of time or a little time in front of screens. In a 2018 study in Acta Paediatrica, scientists used fMRI to study functional connectivity in 19 kids aged 8 to 12. Prior to the study, the parents completed questionnaires on how much screen time their children had each day, as well as time spent independently reading.When the kids were in the fMRI, they were in a resting state, not actively looking at screens or books. The researchers were interested in the level of connectivity in the parts of the brain associated with language and literacy. They found that older kids who spent more time in front of their screens had lower connectivity in these regions than kids who read more.Similarly, a 2023 study in Child Neuropsychology collected resting-state fMRI data from kids aged 8 to 12 to learn about screen time and its impact on the regions of the brain related to attention and cognitive control. The study found that the more screen time a kid had, the less connectivity they had in these neural networks.Researchers are also turning to diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), a type of MRI that is able to visualize white matter. In a 2020 study in JAMA Pediatrics, researchers used DTI to examine the white brain matter in the regions supporting language and pre-literacy in preschool-age children. The study found that children who had more than one hour of screen time per day had lower myelination in white matter tracts – meaning they had slower neural signaling.Adults aren’t immune to the impact of screen time, either. For young adults ages 18 to 25, studies have found higher levels of screen time associated with addiction, lower self-esteem, mental health issues, and slower learning. A Digital Detox for the BrainResearchers have been able to measure what happens to a child or young adult’s brain when they step away from their screens and into the fMRI machine. But what is happening in the brain when a person is deep into their phone? And how is that different than when they are reading a book?In a 2025 study in Developmental Science, a team of researchers set out to measure brain functioning in study participants while they engaged in either a screen-related or book-based activity.“That is why our study is so exciting, because it’s the first study to actually compare how children’s brains are functioning during screen time compared to shared book reading,” says Meredith Pecukonis, the study’s lead author and a postdoctoral research fellow at the Massachusetts General Hospital Lurie Center for Autism in Lexington, Massachusetts.The team recruited 28 kids ages 3 to 6, and then had them prepare to wear the functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) cap. As many parents can attest, during winter, getting a small child to wear a hat can be impossible. Thus, getting a child to wear a cap attached to probes and wires requires some finessing. Pecukonis’ team gave the children practice caps that had lights and rainbow strings. The kids put the cap on themselves, their parents, and stuffed animals.  “Once we were able to determine that the child was comfortable wearing the practice cap, we would move on to putting on the real cap,” Pecukonis says.With the real cap in place, children listened to a story being read by a member of the research team while they followed along in a book with matching words and pictures. For the screen time condition, the little participants listened to an audio recording of a story while looking at words and pictures on a screen.Both conditions involved a story being read, accompanied by pictures and words. One might think, same diff, but the study found the brain activation was distinct.  During the book reading, the right temporal parietal junction was activated, but this did not happen during the screen time condition.“Given that we saw that this region of the brain was active during shared book reading, but not during screen time, suggests that children were more engaged in these social cognitive processes during shared book reading,” Pecukonis says.  “This region of the brain is also involved in attention more generally, and so it could be that children were just more attentive during shared book reading.”Digital DietsFor parents worried about the impact of screen time on their child’s development, Pecukonis recommends following the guidelines set by the American Academy of Pediatrics: No screen time for children ages two and younger, and no more than one hour a day for kids ages three to five.But Pecukonis also acknowledges that life can get in the way, and a bit of Baby Shark can give parents a moment to fold a basket of laundry or cook dinner. When possible, she recommends co-viewing with the child. Keep an ear out, ask questions about the show, and the emotional states of the characters. Talk about the program after it’s over and apply it to real life.“[...] Co-viewing should be used to promote learning and social interaction whenever possible,” she says.Article SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:Developmental Science. Do Children's Brains Function Differently During Book Reading and Screen Time? A fNIRS StudyAmerican Academy of Pediatrics. Media and Young MindsEmilie Lucchesi has written for some of the country's largest newspapers, including The New York Times, Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and an MA from DePaul University. She also holds a Ph.D. in communication from the University of Illinois-Chicago with an emphasis on media framing, message construction and stigma communication. Emilie has authored three nonfiction books. Her third, A Light in the Dark: Surviving More Than Ted Bundy, releases October 3, 2023, from Chicago Review Press and is co-authored with survivor Kathy Kleiner Rubin.

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 In the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest of Uganda, two young gorillas playfully taunt each other during a game of chase. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed mountain gorillas as endangered since 2018, but conservation efforts have brought hope for the species. The gorillas are the only great ape species whose population is growing. The balance of cautious hope and realistic awareness is at the center of the celebrated Remembering Wildlife photography book series. Since launching in 2016 with Remembering Elephants, the collection has raised awareness and funds to support endangered animals. In October, the series will release 10 Years of Remembering Wildlife, the first multi-species book in the series. ‘Gama, the beach huntress’ “Gama, a desert adapted lioness and part of a small group of lions that have learned to navigate this unforgiving landscape, venturing to the ocean’s edge to hunt seals. in a place where survival is a constant battle, Gama embodies the resilience and adaptability of nature’s most elusive predators.”Species: LionessCredit: Griet Van Malderen / Remembering Wildlife The new book will feature 20 stunning wildlife images (seen here on Popular Science) selected from 4,500 entries alongside photographs from previous editions. “Remembering Wildlife exists to raise awareness of the plight facing wildlife, as well as funds to protect species at risk,” a statement reads. “More than 55,000 books have been sold worldwide since its first title, Remembering Elephants, was published in 2016. All profits from the books go to conservation and more than £1.2m GBP/$1.55m USD has been donated to 79 projects in 34 countries.” ‘Clash of Titans’ Illegal poaching of rhinos for their horns means they remain under huge threat. Remembering Wildlife has donated funds to several rhino protection units and conservation projects, helping to provide smart phones fitted with cameras and GPS systems, fuel for patrol vehicles and clothing for rangers.Species: RhinosCredit: Alessandro Marena / Remembering Wildlife ‘A Touching Moment’ “A young Asian Elephant calf asking for a drink, as mother drinks water from Ramganga river, during hot summer afternoon.”Species: ElephantsCredit: Jagdeep Rajput / Remembering Wildlife @Jagdeep Rajput ‘Age of Innocence’ “Baffin Island is one of the most majestic & pristine environments in the world to see polar bears, especially in March & April when the sea ice has frozen. However, with temperatures between-30 to -40 it is also one of the most challenging to ensure you keep your hands warm to press the shutter. We had spent most of the morning & part of the afternoon with this mother & her COYS (Cubs of the year) which were likely a week or so out of their den. However, just as they were settled the mother got spooked & she & the cubs ran off towards a nearby iceberg. We set off to see if we could spot them & when we got to this iceberg I couldn’t believe my eyes. The mother & cubs were huddled together on top of the iceberg. To witness such intimate moments, such as this one, between the cubs whilst their mother sleeps is something that is a once in a lifetime sighting.”Species: Polar bearsCredit: Julie Oldroyd / Remembering Wildlife ‘In the Arms of Eternity: A Mother’s Timeless Promise’ “A mountain gorilla mother cradles her infant – a portrait of tenderness etched in shadows and light. Here, where Dian Fossey’s legacy still whispers through the bamboo, every touch is a lesson, every gaze a vow. Her quiet strength shields not just her child, but the fragile future of species reborn from the brink.”Species: Mountain Gorilla and her babyCredit: Kim Paffen / Remembering Wildlife Kim Paffen ‘Tiger reflection’ Weighing up to 260kg and measuring up to 3 metres in length, the tiger is the largest of the big cats. It is found in Asia, from India – where two-thirds of all wild tigers live – through to the Russian Far East and into China.Species: TigerCredit: Bircan Harper / Remembering Wildlife BIRCAN HARPER ‘Mbili bora in the rain’  “The famous coalition of 5 cheetahs that ruled the Masai Mara, during a storm.”  Species: CheetahsCredit: Xavier Ortega / Remembering Wildlife ‘Cold Callers Welcome’  “Sloth Bear making use of an abandoned building.”Species: Sloth bearCredit: Mark Meth-Cohn / Remembering Wildlife ‘Thirst’ Remembering Wildlife supports several elephant conservation projects in Kenya, including the funding of ‘bee fences’, an effective elephant deterrent that landowners can install (elephants hate bees); and anti-poaching teams.Species: ElephantCredit: Tom Way / Remembering Wildlife ‘Enjoying the sunrise’ Margot Raggett MBE, founder and producer of Remembering Wildlife said: “It’s an oft-quoted fact that there are more tigers in captivity in the U.S. than there are left in the world, a stark reminder of how the future of tigers might end if conservationists do not continue their focus and their fight. Tigers are a bellwether for the health of an ecosystem. For every tiger protected in the forest, there are plants, trees, insects, birds and other mammals who thrive.”Species: TigersCredit: Mark Meth-Cohn / Remembering Wildlife ‘Puppy love’ Projects that Remembering Wildlife supports include vaccinating domestic dogs to help prevent the spread of rabies to African wild dogs; GPS collars to track their movements and even helped facilitate the translocation of 14 African wild dogs from South Africa and Mozambique to Liwonde National Park and Majete Wildlife Reserve, in a historic project to reintroduce this endangered species to Malawi. Since the successful translocation, pups have been born.Species: African Wild Dog puppiesCredit: Marcus Westberg / Remembering Wildlife ‘Fire of Creation’ “Instead of focusing on the negative aspects of rhino poaching – much of Botswana’s rhino population was wiped out during the covid-related absence of tourists – I wanted to create an image that conveyed a sense of hope – a new beginning almost – as if these were the first rhinos being forged in a fire of creation. Having waited at a waterhole in the hope that these rhino would come to drink, I positioned myself on the route I anticipated they would exit in order to shoot into the sun. The effect of the backlit dust, which created a blurred shadow image, added to the ethereal effect.”   Species: RhinosCredit: James Gifford / Remembering Wildlife James Gifford ‘Carried Away’ “A lioness carries one of her two little ones to a new hiding spot in early morning. Taken in 2021 when vehicle traffic was light and we were able to follow without impacting her movements.” Location: Maasai Mara Species: Lioness and her cubCredit: Vicki Jauron / Remembering Wildlife ‘Entourage’  “One very early morning we found the painted dogs on the road, and they looked like they just woke up. We pulled to the side and got out of the car to photograph the dogs coming towards us. They didn’t disappoint. We gave them their space, but they chose to approach us. They would walk toward us and then pass us very calmly and casually. It was an incredible moment to capture the pack coming straight at me. A moment I will never forget.”Location: Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe Species: Wild dogsCredit: Torie Hilley / Remembering Wildlife Torie Hilley ‘A Majestic Union!’  “A three year wait bears fruit as I managed to get an exclusive sighting of this ever-elusive Melanistic Leopard and his lady.”Species: LeopardsCredit: Kaustubh Mulay / Remembering Wildlife ‘5 at Blue hour’ “Five cheetahs at the Shompole Hide at blue hour.”Species: CheetahsCredit: Johann du Toit / Remembering Wildlife Johann du Toit ‘African Black Bellied Pangolin’ The landmark book 10 Years of Remembering Wildlife has a special focus on pangolins – also called scaly anteaters because of their preferred diet. Species: Black bellied pangolinCredit: Alessandra Sikand / Remembering Wildlife ‘Leopard Enjoying Morning Sun Break’ “After three days of heavy downpour this leopard took the opportunity to enjoy the first morning sun break.”Species: LeopardCredit: Ifham Raji / Remembering Wildlife ‘Sunset Scales’“The vibrant colours of a winter dusk highlight the gentle spark of life in our planet’s most trafficked mammal.”Species: PangolinCredit: Armand Grobler / Remembering Wildlife

Nature, Published online: 23 April 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01293-8Endangered sea turtle populations are bouncing back around the world — but there are still significant challenges. Plus, chimpanzees like to share fermented fruit and three ways to cool Earth by pulling carbon from the sky.

The World Health Organization estimates 600 million people a year already suffer from foodborne illnesses.

It's hybrid approach between full rigid bodies sim and full animation. submitted by /u/zgredinho [link] [comments]

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You can upload any image to @Grok for analysisLuis Batalha 🇵🇹🇺🇸: Grok actually guessed that the left image is on Mars and the right one on Earth