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Must Reads

• Two unique races featuring non-human contenders took place this weekend: A in Scotland and the in China
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• The Lyrid meteor shower is expected to peak this week — ?

Science

“It Was Jaw-Dropping”: Scientists Say They Found a New Color Never Before Seen by Humans

Think you’ve seen it all? Think again (maybe). According to a published Friday, a brand new color never before seen by humans has been identified. The blue-green hue, dubbed “olo,” is “more saturated than any color that you can see in the real world,” co-author Ren Ng told BBC Radio 4, and isn’t normally visible to the human eye.
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To create the circumstances for olo to be perceived, Ng and his colleagues had five human subjects (three of whom were the researchers themselves) gaze into , which beamed laser pulses into one of their pupils. There are three types of cone cells in the eye — S, L, and M — and each is sensitive to different wavelengths of blue, red, and green, respectively. In the real world, light that stimulates the M cone cells also triggers the nearby S and L cone cells. But the Oz tool enabled researchers to stimulate only M cone cells in the participants’ retinas, sending a unique color signal to the brain “that never occurs in natural vision,” they wrote.
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“We predicted from the beginning that it would look like an unprecedented color signal but we didn’t know what the brain would do with it,” Ng told The Guardian. “It was jaw-dropping. It’s incredibly saturated.”
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While some experts are contesting the claim that a truly novel color was discovered, the research does represent an innovative step forward in triggering specific cone cells, and the findings may hold potential to further the understanding of color blindness and other conditions that affect vision. ?

Together With Pacaso

The Next Big Tech IPO May Not Be Who You Think

Imagine if you’d invested in Zillow before it changed homebuying. Your little-known investment would have cashed in on a $47 billion IPO. Well, is now changing how buyers own homes — offering co-ownership of luxury vacation properties for fractions of the cost. Even better? Pacaso was co-founded by former Zillow execs Spencer Rascoff and Austin Allison.
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As Zillow’s co-founder, Rascoff wished everyone could have invested before Zillow’s IPO. So they made sure people could . Pacaso already has over 2,000 happy homeowners and $100 million in profits. No wonder firms like Greycroft and SoftBank invested — and you can join them.
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You missed Zillow’s early gains. Don’t miss this: ?

This is a paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Please read the offering circular at . There’s no guarantee that Pacaso will file for an IPO.

Tech

FYI: Study Links Tech Use to Reduced Dementia Risk in Older Adults

Facebook enthusiasts, “,” and all tech-savvy seniors, you may want to share with your group chat: Researchers found that frequent use of digital technology might help stave off cognitive decline in older adults.
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After reviewing 57 studies involving more than 411,000 older adults, researchers that consistent use of technology — e.g. smartphones, computers, email, and social media — was associated with a 42% lower risk of mild cognitive impairment or dementia. The study results challenge the “digital dementia” hypothesis, which suggests reliance on tech can weaken cognitive abilities in the long run.
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But this isn’t to say there’s no such thing as too much screen time: “Our findings are not a blanket endorsement of mindless scrolling,” co-lead author Jared Benge told CNN. “They are instead a hint that the generation that gave us the internet has found ways to get some net positive benefits from these tools to the brain.”

Health

Pets May Bring as Much Life Satisfaction as a Spouse

Science has confirmed what pet owners already knew: Dogs and cats are equally valuable to us as our human family and friends. Researchers at the University of Kent discovered that having a dog or cat can bring as having a husband or wife or meeting with friends and relatives on a regular basis.
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They figured this out using the “life satisfaction approach,” a method developed by economists to determine the “implicit price of different factors or occurrences in life,” per . Economists previously used the model to estimate that both marriage and meeting up with friends and relatives once or twice a week are worth about $90,000 a year in Britain, and the new study found that pet companionship is worth up to the same amount.
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“First when I obtained the values I was surprised; I was thinking that is a lot of money even for me who loves [pets],” co-author Adelina Gschwandtner told CNN. But then she asked herself: “If pets are indeed like friends and family, why shouldn’t that measure be comparable to talking to friends and family once a week? You have your pet every day.”

In Other News

1. America’s oldest active astronaut, Don Pettit, landed back on Earth on his 70th birthday Sunday ()
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2. Oklahoma City beat Memphis yesterday in the fifth-largest margin of victory in NBA postseason history ()
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3. Star Wars superfans donned creative costumes at a three-day convention in Japan this weekend: See pics ()
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4. Disposable vape use has dropped by nearly 50% over the last year in the U.K., ahead of a nationwide ban ()
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5. A baby orca was spotted near Victoria, British Columbia, a glimmer of hope for the endangered population ()

Inspiring Story

Life has a way of coming full circle

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When Eileen Reilly was just 26, she co-founded Women’s Lunch Place, a day shelter in Boston where women can have a meal, a safe place to sit, and perhaps a conversation with a new friend. Reilly eventually left to go to medical school and pursue a career in psychiatry — but as life would have it, she’s come full circle more than 40 years later: . “I feel that I have the best psychiatry job in Boston, because I really have time to spend with people,” she said.

Photo of the Day

Yevhenii Zavhorodnii/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

In a rare overlap, Christians in the east and west celebrated Easter on the same Sunday this year. Eastern Orthodox churches follow the Julian calendar, while protestant and Roman Catholic churches follow the Gregorian, and the differing denominations also use varying ecclesiastical calculations for lunar cycles and the equinox — so multiple elements must align for the holiday to land on the same date around the world. In the photo above, a priest blesses observers with holy water in Kyiv, Ukraine. , from Nairobi, Kenya, to New York City.

Ride off Into the Sunset With an Upway E-Bike

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Odds & Ends

? Throwback to ?
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? your dermatologist would love
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? We might all be overspending on *
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? Smartwatches just keep getting ?

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Quote of the Day

“Life is always a rich and steady time when you are waiting for something to happen or to hatch.”

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– E. B. WHITE, CHARLOTTE’S WEB