Just Plain WEIRD #2

Can Drinking Cocoa Make You Smarter?

Cocoa Flavanols Found to Boost Brain Oxygenation and Cognition – By University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 2020 Nov 24 – The brains of healthy adults recovered faster from a mild vascular challenge and performed better on complex tests if the participants consumed cocoa …

 

How Pink Salt Took Over Millennial Kitchens

It’s not healthier for you. It doesn’t technically come from the Himalayas. But pink salt’s appeal has exploded nonetheless. Photo by Morinka / Shutterstock – By Amanda Mull, The Atlantic – For decades, I was under the impression that salt is white. Table …

Graphene tractor beams could one day redirect lightning strikes

A new study has demonstrated how a tractor beam containing trapped graphene microparticles could one day redirect lightning strikes.  Anettphoto/Depositphoto – By Michael Irving 2020 Nov 12 – Lightning strikes are a major trigger for wildfires, including the record-breaking blazes that devastated Australia, California …

Why This New Technology Inspired by Camel Fur Is Super Cool

A two-layered material that mimics the animals’ sweat glands and insulating fur chills surfaces 400 percent longer than traditional methods. Camels stay cool through a combination of sweat and insulating fur. (Balint Meggyesi / Getty Images) – By Corryn Wetzel SmithsonianMag.Com 2020 Nov …

Watch an Amazing Time-Lapse of Growing Mushrooms

A mesmerizing 10,000-shot video captures the dramatic life cycles of several species – photographed by Owen Reiser. By Corryn Wetzel SmithsonianMag.Com 2020 Nov 02 – Owen Reiser was running through the nature preserve around his college campus when he spotted some “crazy looking …