Sculpture
May 7, 2025

Artist Meticulously Recreates Italian Monuments With Thousands of LEGO Bricks

Luca Petraglia often refers to his custom-designed LEGO models as “miniature emotions.” For years, the Italian artist has recreated some of his country’s most renowned architectural marvels, alongside what he calls “overlooked gems,” but it was only during his first few exhibitions that he registered their emotional valence. “People would stop, share personal memories, and even get emotional while looking at the sculptures,” Petraglia tells My Modern Met.

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Health
May 6, 2025

How Long Does It Take to Form a Habit? Research Says Longer Than You May Think

There’s an enduring belief that it only takes 21 days to form a habit—at least that’s what plastic surgeon Maxwell Matz insisted upon in his 1960 self-help book Psycho-Cybernetics. He claimed that it took his patients about 21 days to adjust to their new appearance after surgery and, though no formal experiment was conducted to verify this further, Matz’s observation eventually became an enduring myth in the popular imagination.

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Dogs
May 6, 2025

Study Says Dogs Can Smell Your Stress and It Affects How They Behave

Dogs perceive the world through their sense of smell—and this includes the way they gauge their human's emotions. Just like us humans can tell a person is stressed by seeing their facial expressions and body language, pups can determine it by the levels of cortisol, known as the “stress hormone,” you exude. Interestingly, a study has found that they have a more pessimistic outlook if they can tell you're feeling stressed.

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Science
May 5, 2025

Man Who Let Snakes Bite Him 200+ Times Helps Create Antivenom With His Blood

Most people would avoid snake venom at any cost, but Tim Friede is not your average person. Over the past 20 years, the former truck mechanic has received over 200 snake bites and injected himself with venom cocktails over 700 times. Now, his blood could lead scientists to a breakthrough universal antivenom, which could help the 1.8 to 2.7 million people bitten by venomous snakes every year.

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My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.