When you take a bite of a hot pepper, your body reacts as if your mouth is on fire — because that’s essentially what you’ve told your brain! Rose Eveleth details the science and history behind spicy foods, giving insights into why some people continue to pay the painful price for a little spice. [TED […]
The science and history of popcorn by the folks over at NPR. Skunk Bear boots up its time machine, microscope and slow motion camera to explore the science and history of popcorn. [NPR | Via LS]
From the Sci Show: Statistics! They’re every scientist’s friend. But they can be easy to misinterpret. Check out this thought exercise with Hank to understand how some mental kung fu known as Bayesian reasoning can use stats to draw some downright surprising conclusions. [Sci Show]
Astronaut Mark Kelly has an identical twin brother named Scott. Together, they will undergo a unique NASA study that will focus on “the effects of long-term space missions on the human body,” according to TODAY. The sub-focus is this: A “what if?” Mars mission. In 2015, Scott will travel with a Russian cosmonaut and spend […]
A 13-year-old boy from the UK has built a working nuclear reactor just in time to beat the record of a 14-year-old American boy. As you’d probably guessed, Jamie Richards’s project didn’t involve the nuclear fission found in most nuclear power plants. Instead, reports the Lancashire Evening Post: Jamie, who is 14 on Sunday, started […]
University of Warsaw researchers have found people who speak foreign languages find it easier to swear when not using their first language. A study asked Polish speakers who also speak fluent English to translate expletives between the two languages. It found that when they translated to English they tended to pick strong curses but when […]
The atoms around you have existed for billions of years — and most originated in the flaming, gaseous core of a star. Dennis Wildfogel tells the captivating tale of these atoms’ long journeys from the Big Bang to the molecules they form today. [Ted Ed]
Whether we cry during a sad movie, while chopping onions, or completely involuntarily, our eyes are constantly producing tears. Alex Gendler tracks a particularly watery day in the life of Iris (the iris) as she cycles through basal, reflex and emotional tears. [Ted Ed]