There is definitely a seasonality to human births, writes Beth Skwarecki at Double X Science. The complicated bit is that human baby season isn't necessarily the same (or as strongly expressed) from place to place and culture to culture. In the United States, significantly more babies are born in July, August, and September. Meanwhile, in Europe, babies seem to make their way into the world in spring. So there's clearly a cultural component to this — but culture doesn't explain it, entirely. Skwarecki's piece explores a messy place where culture, genetics, and circadian rhythms intersect.
Coming in late summer — human baby season
NASA's Osiris-Rex spacecraft touches asteroid Bennu, sends rubble flying, high hopes it grabbed sample
The NASA Osiris-Rex spacecraft "crushed rocks and sent rubble flying as it briefly touched an asteroid, a strong indication that samples were collected for return to Earth, officials said Wednesday," reports AP. More at the OSIRIS-REX Sample Return Mission site: "OSIRIS-REx TAGS Asteroid Bennu." Excerpt: Captured on Oct. 20, 2020 during the OSIRIS-REx mission's Touch-And-Go… READ THE REST
Scientific paper about being bitten by a weird snake
Meet the leaf-nosed snake, a peculiar Madagascan species with a gift for crypsis. Reading about it I found my way to Envenomation by the Malagasy colubrid snake Langaha madagascariensis, which turns out to be "This God Damned Snake Bit Me!" written up as a formal scientific paper. To avoid harming the snake and to prevent… READ THE REST
Sasha Sagan interviews a series of inspiring female scientists
In Violet magazine, writer Sasha Sagan, author of the must-read For Small Creatures Such As We, is interviewing a series of inspiring and diverse female scientists. First up is evolutionary biologist Dr. Michelle Trautwein, "curator of flies" at the California Academy of Sciences. followed by South African chemist/nanotechnologist Dr. Tebello Nyokong of Rhodes University, and… READ THE REST
Check out 10 of the Boing Boing Store's most popular CBD products at up to 60% off
If you suffer from chronic pain, anxiety, sleep disorders or even something as insidious as cancer, you've undoubtedly heard of the effects of CBD. Or maybe you're a regular CBD user already who's often experimenting with better, more efficient means of receiving your dosage. Either way, the soothing effects of CBD may end up changing… READ THE REST
Learn how to effectively invest in stocks and cryptocurrency with these online classes
If you thought the fear and instability that the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic unleashed on world financial markets would send investors scurrying for the sidelines, think again. In fact, the individual investor has jumped into this new economic landscape with both feet in 2020. Retail investors — everyday, non-professional stock traders — now account… READ THE REST
This field-tested light brings big illumination to your work site — along with a few surprises
Fix-it projects don't always fit to your schedule. In fact, it often feels like projects or even emergencies that require your attention often come at the worst possible moments. That's why it feels like every time there's a leaky pipe or a problem underneath a vehicle or a wild animal stuck underneath your house, it… READ THE REST
