Buzz
Across virtually every field, from medicine to quantum physics, scientists are working relentlessly to update textbooks and expand our understanding. However, not every scientific breakthrough is a groundbreaking cancer cure or a cutting-edge technological fix for a complex issue. Some discoveries are simply, well, delightfully quirky. We believe these deserve a mention too.
10. Herbivorous Piranhas
Piranhas have been a source of fear for the public since 1978, when Joe Dante’s Jaws-inspired movie Piranha introduced the razor-toothed fish to the mainstream. However, most people are unaware of a close relative of these notorious creatures that is far less menacing. With its mostly herbivorous diet and strangely human-like teeth, this fish poses no real threat.
The red-bellied pacu, a fish native to South America, has been making an unexpected appearance in Michigan. In July 2016, three pacus were caught in two separate lakes. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources believes that pet pacus, which grow quickly, are being released by their owners. While these fish are unlikely to become an invasive species due to their tropical nature, non-native creatures can spread diseases and disrupt local ecosystems.
9. Violet Googly-Eyed Squid
Scientists aboard the undersea exploration vessel Nautilus in the Pacific Ocean were recently fortunate enough to witness a rare spectacle: Rossia pacifica, a species of bobtail squid that typically stays close to the ocean floor. They had no difficulty spotting it, as this squid looks like a living, swimming plush toy.
These squid have been found as deep as 1,300 meters (4,000 feet) below the surface, where the extreme cold and pressure create strange, almost alien characteristics in the native species. The researchers aboard the Nautilus had to reach out to multiple institutions, including the University of California Santa Barbara, to identify this adorable creature. When spotted, these squid often freeze in place due to their adaptation to pitch-black environments, leading to perfectly posed snapshots like the one shown above.
8. Meteorite Surprise
One of the most fascinating mysteries regarding the early years of Earth's existence is how our planet came to be covered in water. One theory suggests that ancient ice-bearing asteroids may have bombarded the surface of a very young Earth. This hypothesis is logical since ice is abundant in space, but solid evidence for it has only recently surfaced.
The breakthrough came with the discovery of intact opal fragments on a meteorite found in Antarctica. Opal contains 30 percent water, and this is the first time it has been found on an asteroid's surface. A detailed analysis of the opal showed that its isotopes matched those of the meteorite, providing evidence that the ice originated beyond Earth, confirming its extraterrestrial origin.
7. Sleeping Trees
Do trees experience a true resting phase that allows them to recover from their daily photosynthetic activities, much like sleep does for animals? Recent findings from the Finnish Geospatial Research Institute suggest the answer is yes.
By using infrared light to observe the branches of two silver birch trees, researchers uncovered a fascinating pattern of nighttime drooping and sagging, which was seen in both trees, despite being hundreds of miles apart. What was truly remarkable, however, was that the 'awakening' phase, in which the tree's limbs began to rise to capture sunlight, started long before sunrise. This suggests that this behavior is not merely a mechanical response to the Sun but rather points to a natural circadian rhythm, similar to what humans experience.
6. Dreaming Dragons
In another intriguing discovery related to sleep, a team from the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research in Germany made a groundbreaking finding while studying the brainwaves of Australian dragons. For the first time, they detected REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep—the phase in which most human dreams occur—in a lizard. This discovery suggests that the origins of REM sleep and slow brainwave activity during sleep may date back millions of years earlier than previously believed.
Previously, REM sleep had only been observed in birds and mammals, and it was believed to be a result of convergent evolution, with the trait evolving independently in different species. The new discovery challenges this idea, suggesting that REM sleep was actually common in an amniote ancestor of these species. This means REM sleep is likely at least 100 million years older than previously estimated. This finding could eventually provide valuable insights into the origins of sleep and whether its role in ancient organisms was different from its function in modern creatures.
5. Socializing Solar-Powered Worms
The mint-sauce worm has long intrigued scientists because it possesses a remarkable ability that few other creatures share: photosynthesis. This worm forms a symbiotic relationship with a specific species of algae, which supplies it with a continuous source of nutrients. While the image of a tiny, cheerful algae feeding its worm host with sunlight is undeniably charming, a recently discovered behavior is even more heartwarming.
When a sufficient number of mint-sauce worms gather in the right conditions, they become highly social. They will form a swirling vortex pattern, which helps to attract even more worms into the group. While circular milling behavior is seen in other species, it’s generally not beneficial (for example, ants can literally mill themselves to death). However, for the mint-sauce worm, the larger the group, the more algae they can gather, which effectively boosts their natural solar panel efficiency.
4. The 10 Smells
While there may be countless scents in the natural world, researchers from Bates College and the University of Pittsburgh have concluded that all of them are made up of some combination of 10 primary smells that humans can detect. Their study narrowed down the original 144 scents to just 10, which were derived from thousands of different aromas. The list includes: fragrant, woody/resinous, non-citrus fruity, sharp/pungent, chemical, minty/peppermint, sweet, popcorn, sickening, and lemon.
Among these, one smell may have stood out to you. The distinctive popcorn aroma was found to appear in a variety of foods. It’s described as 'an earthy smell that isn’t quite grass or wood,' and perhaps this is why we’re willing to pay eight dollars for a bag of popcorn every time we go to the movies.
3. The Origin Of Laughter
Both humans and primates exhibit involuntary facial muscle movements during sleep, often resembling a smile. This behavior is believed to be the evolutionary precursor to smiling and laughter in humans. However, recent studies suggest that this behavior actually dates back further in our evolutionary history than previously recognized.
A study conducted by Kyoto University’s Primate Research Institute, which involved closely observing dozens of sleeping, smiling baby monkeys, revealed that infant Japanese macaques, much more distantly related to humans than apes and other primates, also displayed this behavior. This discovery indicates that the evolution of smiling likely predates our divergence from ancient primates, meaning that humans, along with our oldest ancestors, have probably been smiling and laughing throughout our entire existence.
2. Location Of The Christmas Spirit
Danish scientists have pinpointed exactly where the Christmas Spirit resides in the brain. In an experiment with 20 individuals from different cultural backgrounds, participants were shown a series of dull control images mixed with Christmas-themed ones like holiday lights and festive treats. Afterward, they were asked to answer a questionnaire about their personal feelings toward Christmas.
When shown the festive images, the same three brain regions were activated in those who exhibited the most 'Christmas spirit.' This did not occur in individuals who either had no cultural connection to the holiday or held negative feelings toward it. This discovery suggests that the Christmas spirit doesn't reside in the heart, but in the left primary motor cortex, premotor cortex, right inferior and superior parietal lobules, and bilateral primary somatosensory cortex.
Perhaps the Christmas spirit isn't quite as mystical as we once believed.
1. The Nose Knows
The medical community has been sounding alarms for some time about the diminishing effectiveness of antibiotics. Overuse of these drugs, coupled with the ability of bacteria to mutate and adapt, are the primary culprits. However, scientists may have stumbled upon a new antibiotic from an unexpected source.
While most bacteria that produce antibiotics are found in soil, Staphylococcus lugdunensis is an exception. This bacteria thrives within the human body, particularly in our nasal passages. Despite being a harmful bacterium, it has been observed that areas infected by lugdunensis rarely experience the usual bacterial infections. The antibiotic it produces, known as Lugdunin, was previously undiscovered and has shown promising results in initial lab tests against multi-resistant bacterial strains.
