Brady’s Nerd News

1.  “National Geographic” released its list of the most astonishing scientific discoveries of 2023.  They include a brain decoder that can translate thoughts . . . a study that found female chimps go through menopause . . . and a study that found T-rexes probably had lips.

2.  The website “The Conversation” asked the important question:  “Why Do Some Farts Smell, and Some Don’t“?  It depends on the food you eat, and how much sulfur gets turned into hydrogen sulfide.

They also talked about why some farts feel HOT.  Spicy food has a chemical called capsaicin.  (kap-SAY-sin)  When you eat a lot of it, your body can’t break it all down.  So it goes in spicy, and comes out spicy too.

3.  In space news:  The Space Station turned 25 this week.  It was only supposed to be up there 15 years.  They started assembling it on December 6th, 1998.  It could cost $1 BILLION to destroy it when it’s decommissioned in 2030.

Also, the Space Force is set to launch a secretive space plane . . . Australia’s first Moon rover will be named “Roo-ver” after kangaroos . . . and astronauts on the Space Station just found a tomato that went missing up there eight months ago.

4.  In health news:  A study found that if you have high blood pressure, there’s a good chance your spouse does too . . . a new blood test can predict which one of your organs is most likely to fail first . . . and researchers figured out how to turn human cells into tiny robots.  They say it could transform how we treat diseases.

5.  In aging news:  A study found too much exercise might actually make you age faster.  And dinosaurs might be why we only live to 100 or so.  (???)

Once they started hunting mammals, the mammals’ bodies had to reprioritize.  Instead of living as long as possible, they had to reproduce faster.  And slowly, our longevity genes got turned off.  Otherwise, we might live 200 years or more.

6.  In animal news:  Dolphins might have a sixth sense that lets them perceive electrical signals in fish.  And parents can relate to this:  A study found penguins have to sleep in four-second-long bursts while protecting their newborns.