WEIRD FACTS 
							
						
			            																									
							
							
									
				
					
	
					
	
		The system of scientific naming began in the 1700s. Westend61 via Getty Images – By Nicholas Green, Assistant Professor of Biology, Kennesaw State University Published: 2025 Jun 03 – Most people would call it a “field mouse,” but a scientist would ask, “Was …	
	        
        				
						
			            																									
							
							
									
				
					
	
					
	
		Coming in to land: A cockatoo heads to the park drinking fountain.  Klump et al, Biology Letters.  View 6 Images – By Bronwyn Thompson 2025 Jun 04 – In an impressive feat of rapid urban adaptation, sulphur-crested cockatoos have worked out how to use …	
	        
        				
						
			            			
																												
							
							
									
				
					
	
					
	
		The study unlocks more evidence of how weight gain and changes in the gut drive negative mental health outcomes.  Depositphotos – By Bronwyn Thompson 2025 Jun 03 – A new study has found that gaining weight as a result of poor diet is linked …	
	        
        				
						
			            																									
							
							
									
				
					
	
					
	
		The government can make you silence yourself – out of fear. Deepak Sethi, iStock/Getty Images Plus – By Gregory P. Magarian, Thomas and Karole Green Professor of Law, Washington University in St. Louis Published: 2025 Jun 02 – When most people think of how …	
	        
        				
						
			            									
																						
							
							
									
				
					
	
					
	
		If a solar storm of this magnitude were to hit the Earth today its effect would be cataclysmic on our electronic and telecommunications networks.  Depositphotos – By Jay Kakade 2025 Jun 01 – A study published in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters …	
	        
        				
						
			            																									
							
							
									
				
					
	
					
	
		DEI has a long history. Nora Carol Photography via Getty Images – By Rodney Coates, Professor of Critical Race and Ethnic Studies, Miami University Published: 2025 May 29 – Few issues in the U.S. today are as controversial as diversity, equity and inclusion – …	
	        
        				
						
			            															
																
							
							
									
				
					
	
					
	
		Alcohol is the most common substance misused by parents. igorr1/iStock via Getty Images Plus – By Ty Schepis, Professor of Psychology, Texas State University Published: 2025 May 30 – About 1 in 4 U.S. children – nearly 19 million – have at least one …	
	        
        				
						
			            																									
							
							
									
				
					
	
					
	
		There appears to be a link between this gene variant and dementia in men – now scientists just need to work out what’s driving it.  Depositphotos – By Bronwyn Thompson 2025 May 29 – Men who carry two copies of a common genetic variant are …	
	        
        				
						
			            																					
										
							
							
									
				
					
	
					
	
		Pope Leo XIV leaves the Augustinian General House in Rome after a visit on 2025 May 13. AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis –  By  Joanne M. Pierce, Professor Emerita of Religious Studies, College of the Holy Cross Published: 2025 May 27 – When Pope Leo …	
	        
        				
						
			            																									
							
							
									
				
					
	
					
	
		Ultraprocessed foods contain ingredients not found in a typical kitchen and are often designed to be extremely palatable. beats3/iStock viaGetty Images Plus – By Paul Dawson, Professor of Food Science, Clemson University Published: 2025 May 26 – On 2025 May 22, the White …