Today, you’ll learn about how moms helped us evolve to live longer, the jumping leeches of Madagascar, and how cities affect bird diversity. Maternal Bonds “Mothers’ care is central factor in animal, human longevity.” by Caitlin Hayes. 2024. “Why Humans Live So Long.” by Heather Pringle. 2013. “Maternal care leads to the evolution of long, slow lives.” by Matthew N. Zipple, et al. 2024. Jumping Leeches “A jumping terrestrial leech from Madagascar.” by Mai Fahmy & Michael Tessler. 2024. “New ...
Sep 04, 2024•11 min
Today, you’ll learn about the effect of space on our kidneys, how a simple display of pride can win a fight, and bad news for artists we know bad things about. Kidneys & Space “Would astronauts’ kidneys survive a roundtrip to Mars?” UCL. 2024. “Cosmic kidney disease: an integrated pan-omic, physiological and morphological study into spaceflight-induced renal dysfunction.” by Keith Siew, et al. 2024. Boxing Pride “Pride displays can sway perceptions of victory in evenly matched boxing fights....
Aug 30, 2024•11 min
Today, you’ll learn about a potential breakthrough in stroke detection, how AI could help put a lid on online hate speech and create safer spaces, and the delicious development of healthier chocolate. Stroke Blood Test “Researchers develop ‘game-changing’ blood test for stroke detection.” EurekAlert! 2024. “Large Vessel Occlusion in Acute Stroke.” by Lena-Alexandra Beume, et al. 2018. “Prospective Validation of Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein, D-Dimer, and Clinical Scales for Acute Large-Vessel ...
Aug 29, 2024•12 min
Today, you’ll learn about AI that can detect wildfires from space, why going to bed late might not be so great on your mental health, and a breakthrough in recycling. Space Firefighting “Fighting fires from space in record time: how AI could prevent a repeat of Australia’s devastating wildfires.” University of Southern Australia. 2024 . “Fire detection from space.” YouTube Video, University of South Australia. 2024. “Number of wildfires to rise by 50% by 2100 and governments are not prepared, ex...
Aug 28, 2024•12 min
Today, you’ll learn about how a simple walk through nature could make you want to eat healthier foods, a new finding that T.rexes might not have been as cognitively advanced as we thought, and the sheath that keeps sawfish from doing battle in the womb. Nature & Healthy Food “Experiencing nature seems to have an important impact on food choices.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024. https://www.psypost.org/experiencing-nature-seems-to-have-an-important-impact-on-food-choices/ “Experiencing nature leads t...
Aug 23, 2024•11 min
Today, you’ll learn about a new method to cryopreserve parts of the brain for later use, the personality changes that happen after organ transplants, and how fungicides cause dangerous fungi to self-destruct. Cryopreservation “Effective cryopreservation of human brain tissue and neural organoids.” by Weiwei Xue, et al. 2024. “Brain organoids: Establishment and application.” by Hao Chen, et al. 2022. Personality Transplant “Personality Changes Associated with Organ Transplants.” by Brian Carter, ...
Aug 22, 2024•12 min
Today, you’ll learn about why giving babies foods with peanuts could crack the peanut allergy problem, a wild discovery of cancer treatment 4,000 years ago, and the sneaky way cuckoos evolve to look like other birds so they can live in their nests. Peanut Allergy “Giving young children peanut products cuts allergy risk, study finds.” by Ian Sample. 2024. “Peanut Allergies.” Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. 2024. “Follow-up to Adolescence after Early Peanut Introduction for Allergy Prevention...
Aug 21, 2024•11 min
Today, you’ll learn about the lifelong learning of chimps, a mysterious strange signal from space, and the possible treatment for depression that involves heating up the body. Chimp Tools “Chimps are lifelong learners, study on tool use shows.” by Charles Mpaka. 2024. “Protracted development of stick tool use skills extends into adulthood in wild western chimpanzees.” by Mathieu Malherbe, et al. 2024. Space Radio “A strange intermittent radio signal from space has astronomers puzzled.” by Manish...
Aug 16, 2024•12 min
Today, you’ll learn about how when chimpanzees can’t figure out how to do something they get their friends to teach them, a potential breakthrough in the fight against breast cancer, and how singing repairs the brain after a stroke. Chimpanzee Learning “Chimpanzees use social information to acquire a skill they fail to innovate.” by Edwin J. C. van Leeuwen, et al. 2024. “Like Humans, Bumblebees and Chimpanzees Can Pass on Their Skills to Form ‘Cumulative Culture’.” by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes. 2...
Aug 15, 2024•10 min
Today, you’ll learn about the remarkable social memory of chimps, the gut bacteria that could help fight cancer, and how gene therapy might one day help you out with that pesky lower back pain. Chimp Memory “Chimps Can Still Remember Faces After a Quarter Century.” by Carl Zimmer. 2023. “Bonobos and chimpanzees remember familiar conspecifics for decades.” by Laura S. Lewis, et al. 2023. Bacterial Tumor Killer “Gut bacteria boost immune response to fight tumors.” by Marta Wegorzewska. 2024. “The ...
Aug 14, 2024•12 min
Today, you’ll learn about the surprising prevalence of heart abnormalities in elite athletes, how an oxytocin nasal spray might help with chronic loneliness, and a discovery that could help doctors diagnose a disease just by looking at your fingernails. Elite Athlete Hearts “Why are elite athletes prone to abnormal heart rhythms?” by Jennifer Couzin-Frankel. 2024. “2023 ACC/AHA/ACCP/HRS Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Atrial Fibrillation: A Report of the American College of Cardiol...
Aug 09, 2024•13 min
Today, you’ll learn about what goes on in our brains when we sleepwalk, how playing video games might actually help us navigate the world IRL, and the endurance hunting of traditional societies. Sleepwalker Brain “Scientists Discover What’s Happening Inside a Sleepwalker’s Brain.” by Rhianna-lily Smith. 2024. “Shared EEG correlates between non-REM parasomnia experiences and dreams.” by Jacinthe Cataldi, et al. 2024. “Consciousness and cortical responsiveness: a within-state study during non-rapi...
Aug 08, 2024•13 min
Today, you’ll learn about a breakthrough in the effort to create a vaccine for HIV, how engineers are turning carbon dioxide into useful products, and the silk fabric that could one day make your clothes noise-canceling. HIV Vaccine “A Trial HIV Vaccine Triggered Elusive and Essential Antibodies in Humans.” Duke Health. 2024. “The impact of antiretroviral treatment on mortality trends of HIV-positive adults in rural Uganda: a longitudinal population-based study, 1999-2009.” by Ivan Kasamba, et a...
Aug 07, 2024•10 min
Today, you’ll learn about people who lack an inner voice, how yoga could help cancer survivors defog their minds, and the newly discovered hormone that is connected to promiscuous behavior in mice. No Inner Voice “People without an inner voice have poorer verbal memory.” University of Copenhagen. 2024. “Not Everybody Has an Inner Voice: Behavioral Consequences of Anendophasia.” by Johanne S. K. Nedergaard & Gary Lupyan. 2024. Yoga & Brain Health “Yoga shows ‘most improvement’ in restorin...
Aug 02, 2024•12 min
Today, you’ll learn about a gel that stops alcohol from making you drunk and harming your liver, the ancient viruses of Yellowstone hot springs, and the song that tiger beetles sing to confuse bats. Anti-Drunk Gel “Anti-intoxicant gel keeps alcohol out of the bloodstream.” by Ben Coxworth. 2024. “Single-site iron-anchored amyloid hyrdrogels as catalytic platforms for alcohol detoxification.” by Jiaqi Su, et al. 2024. Hot Spring Viruses “Hot springs viruses at Yellowstone National Park have ancie...
Aug 01, 2024•12 min
Today, you’ll learn about a new anxiety-free way to collect blood samples modeled on the sucking power of leeches, the super carbon-gobbling power of blue-green algae, and a new understanding of how asthma happens - and maybe how to stop it. Leeches & Blood Tests “Blood diagnostics modeled on leeches.” by Fabio Bergamin. 2024. “Prevalence, causes, impacts, and management of needle phobia: An international survey of a general adult population.” by Kimberly Alsbrooks & Klaus Hoerauf. 2022....
Jul 31, 2024•11 min
Today, you’ll learn about a groundbreaking new treatment for hair loss caused by autoimmune skin disease, a condition that affects the imagination, and the gadget that will put a cold brew coffee in your cup in minutes instead of hours. Hair Loss Treatment “New treatment could reverse hair loss caused by an autoimmune skin disease.” by Anne Trafton. 2024. “Microneedle-mediated Delivery of Immunomodulators Restores Immune Privilege in Hair Follicles and Reverses Immune-Mediated Alopecia.” by Nour...
Jul 26, 2024•12 min
Today, you’ll learn about the possible link between asthma, ADHD, and income in children, how whale communication is much more complex than we thought, and the secret lithium hidden away for millions of years under Pennsylvania. Asthma & ADHD “ADHD, asthma, and economic hardship: New research suggests a causal pathway.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024. “Associations between symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, socioeconomic status and asthma in children.” by Makiko Omura, et al. 2024...
Jul 25, 2024•13 min
Today, you’ll learn about an accidental discovery of a dial in the brainstem that controls the body’s inflammation level, how centipedes might offer a treatment for kidney disease, and the problem with bringing back our deceased loved ones using AI. Brainstem Dial “Found: the dial in the brain that controls the immune system.” by Giorgia Guglielmi. 2024. “Your brain could be controlling how sick you get - and how you recover.” by Diana Kwon. 2023. “Tissues, not blood, are where immune cells func...
Jul 24, 2024•12 min
Today, you’ll learn about how sleep isn’t the brain detoxifier we thought it was, a new glass made out of bamboo, and the connection between leprosy and red squirrels in medieval England. Sleeping Brain “Sleep does not help brain wash out toxins, study suggests.” by Hannah Devlin. 2024. “The sleep-deprived human brain.” by Adam J. Krause, et al. 2017. “Brain clearance is reduced during sleep and anesthesia.” by Andawei Miao, et al. 2024. Bamboo Glass “A Novel Flame-Retardant, Smoke-Suppressing, ...
Jul 19, 2024•12 min
Today, you’ll learn about how reading fiction could make you smarter, the first ever likely transmission of bird flu from a cow to a human, and how a beluga whale communicates with its squishy head. Fiction Readers “People who read a lot of fiction tend to have better cognitive skills, study finds.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024. “Cognitive effects and correlates of reading fiction: Two preregistered multilevel meta-analyses.” by Lena Wimmer, et al. 2024. Bird Flu Transmission “Texas dairy farm worker’...
Jul 18, 2024•11 min
Today, you’ll learn about a new and stimulating method that could potentially help smokers kick the habit, an innovative copper coating that kills bacteria on touchscreens, and the little birds that sometimes make for great stepdads. Tobacco Treatment “Can brain stimulation help people kick their tobacco addiction?” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024. “Why Won’t Our Patients Stop Smoking?” by David M. Mannino, MD. 2009. “A randomized controlled trial of intermittent theta burst stimulation to the medial pre...
Jul 17, 2024•12 min
Today, you’ll learn about the demand for a compound called squalene that is decimating deepwater shark populations, an amazing effort to create an eco-friendly lubricant using green chemistry, and the surprising connection between shepherds, women, and wildfires. Shark Oil “Deepwater Sharks Are Threatened by Demand for Liver Oil.” by David Shiffman. 2024. “100 Million Sharks Killed Every Year, Study Show On Eve of International Conference on Shark Protection.” National Geographic. 2013. “Fishing...
Jul 12, 2024•12 min
Today, you’ll learn about a newly discovered deep sea ghost shark, the best way to treat prolonged grief disorder, and how the blood vessels in our brain coordinate to improve brain functioning. Ghost Shark “‘Ghost shark’ with enormous head and giant iridescent eyes discovered off Thailand.” by Elise Poore. 2024. “Chimaera.” Shark Trust. 2020. “Chimaera supapae (Holocephali: Chimaeriformes: Chimaeridae), a new species of chimaera from the Andaman Sea of Thailand.” by David A. Ebert, et al. 2024....
Jul 11, 2024•11 min
Today, you’ll learn about the incredible dynamics that make the thresher shark so good at threshing, how people with a rare growth disorder might actually have an advantage that leads to longer lifespans, and why people listen to sad music. Thresher Shark Fear the Tails, Not the Jaws, of These ‘Weirdo’ Sharks.” by Kate Golembiewski. 2024. “Vertebral morphology in the tail-whipping common thresher shark, Alopias vulpinus. ” by Jamie L. Knaub, et al. 2024. Laron Syndrome “People with Rare Longevit...
Jul 10, 2024•12 min
Today, you’ll learn about the possible holy grail of great white shark sightings, a new flu vaccine that could knock out every strain and last a long time, and a map of human consciousness. Newborn Great White “Great white sighting may reveal ‘holy grail’ of shark science.” by Katie Hunt. 2024 . “Novel aerial observations of a possible newborn white shark ( Carcharodon carcharias) in Southern California.” by Carlos Gauna & Phillip C. Sternes. 2024. Long-Term Flu Shot “New strategy could lead...
Jul 05, 2024•12 min
Today, you’ll learn about the rare study of a hammerhead shark embryo, how touching your teammate might help them make free throws, and a super alloy that doesn’t break - it kinks. Hammerhead Embryos “Secrets of Hammerhead Sharks Revealed in ‘Very Rare’ Images.” by Robyn White. 2024. “Bonnethead shark.” David A. Ebert, et al. 2021. “Are Hammerhead Sharks Dangerous and Do They Attack Humans?” by Robyn White. 2022. “Embryonic development in the bonnethead (Sphyrna tiburo) , a viviparous hammerhead...
Jul 04, 2024•12 min
Today, you’ll learn about a massive prehistoric shark, the controversial plan to kill millions of barred owls, and how a condition called misophonia could be linked to stress and trauma. Giant Shark “Ancient, 30-foot relative of great white shark unearthed in Mexico quarry.” by Melissa Hobson. 2024. “Exceptionally preserved shark fossils from Mexico elucidate the long-standing enigma of the Cretaceous elasmobranch Ptychodus.” by Romain Vullo, et al. 2024. “Cretaceous period: Animals, plants and ...
Jul 03, 2024•12 min
Today, you’ll learn about tiny robotic nerve cuffs, an orangutan that treated its own wound with medicine, and how nostalgia encourages us to take part in rituals. Robotic Nerve Cuffs “Robotic nerve ‘cuffs’ could help treat a range of neurological conditions.” University of Cambridge. 2024. “Peripheral Nervous System (PNS).” Cleveland Clinic. 2022. “Electrochemically actuated microelectrodes for minimally invasive peripheral nerve interfaces.” by Chaoqun Dong, et al. 2024. Orangutan Medicine “In...
Jun 28, 2024•12 min
Today, you’ll learn about a new way to turn certain blood types into universal blood types that could save countless lives, how exercise makes time slow down, and the new plastic made of eggshells that could clean up our water and stop plastic pollution. Universal Donors “Bacterial enzyme strips away blood types to create universal donor blood.” by Paul McClure. 2024. “Blood safety and availability.” WHO. 2023. “Facts About Blood and Blood Types.” American Red Cross. 2024. “ Akkermansia muciniph...
Jun 27, 2024•11 min
