Is that a scientific curiosity in your pocket?
A site dedicated to archiving the science I find interesting.
Can you please put on deodorant?
January 24, 2023
Saw this one a while back but just getting around to sharing. Based off the experience of a woman who discovered she could smell Parkinson's Disease on people who develop the disease. Her husband developed it and she began noticing a musky smell on him. She didn't make the connection at first but later when the two attended a group meeting of Parkinson's sufferers, she became convinced the smell was directly related. Science later confirmed and isolated the compound involved and have been developing new tests that can identify Parkinson's month's before traditional testing methods. Since it's best treated early, this is going to be amazing work to improve the quality of life of people. It's also lead to work in identifying similar compounds from other diseases that can be detected by scent.
Shrinking human brain
April 27, 2022
Following on 3 million years of rapid growth in brain size, the last 3,000 years have seen our cranial cavity precipitously shrink ~9%. The video author covers several potential evolutionary drivers: self-domestication, dietary changes, efficiency gains in brain function and communication for sharing and recording information. Without living specimens to compare to, it's arguable whether there's associated cognitive decline but food for thought.
Penetrating 12 miles deep
April 25, 2022
Much like a nuclear reactor, running water through the geothermal heat 12 miles deep under our feet could be used to drive turbines and produce energy. The interesting part of this story however is the unique way they are going to make the hole, instead of using a traditional drill bit and removing the rock, the Quaise Company is going to vaporize the rock with a directed energy device.
Probably should mention this is a bit tongue in cheek. Vaporizing a 12 mile deep volume of rock in hundreds of locations around the planet... in order to fight climate change....
Honey Bees flying over mirrors
April 24, 2022
Honey bees rely on visual queues on the ground as they fly over it to help regulate their height. When they fly over smooth water (or a mirror as in the study), they lose altitude in an attempt to regain that reference.