In a study of 6,455 semen samples (yup), scientists at Israel's Ben-Gurion University of the Negev found that human sperm were most atheletic — and were found in the highest concentrations — in winter. There was a marked decrease in sperm motility and numbers in spring, summer, and fall. It's an interesting and logical addendum to the fact that sperm counts and motility decrease in men who subject their testicles to warm conditions; in hot tubs, say, or a pair of overly tight underpants.
Some like it cold
Is your name spiky or round? Scientific study shows people judge you based on the sound of your name
The bouba-kiki effect (aka the maluma-takete effect) is the name of a phenomenon in which people map certain verbal sounds to shapes, no matter the language. For example, b, m, l and o sounds are associated with rounded shapes while k, t, p and i sounds map to jagged or spiky shapes. Now researchers have… READ THE REST
Mars helicopter Ingenuity snapped a fantastic aerial photo of the Perseverance rover
During Sunday's third flight of the fantastic Mars helicopter Ingenuity, it snapped the image below in which you can see the Perseverance rover that delivered the chopper to the Red Planet and acts as its base station for communications to Earth. "The helicopter was flying at an altitude of 16 feet (5 meters) and roughly… READ THE REST
"Where does a candle go when it burns?"
A New York Times reader asks: "Where does a candle go when it burns, anyway? Is it healthy to be breathing in melted candle particles? How concerned should I be?" Randall Munroe of XKCD fame breaks down the science in his illustrated "Good Question" column. From the New York Times: Wax is made of hydrogen… READ THE REST
This $80 drone sports a 4K camera for stellar photography and video footage
You could be forgiven for thinking drones are basically big boy toys because…well, they're a heck of a lot of fun. But with the proliferation of powerful, inexpensive drone models on the consumer market, industries are turning to these tiny powerhouses like never before for a variety of important, even life-saving tasks, according to the… READ THE REST
Learn the web's most popular coding language with this JavaScript training package
Python may get a lot of the showy buzz and Java is…well, Java, but if you're looking for the coding discipline that still effectively rules the roost with most developers, your answer is still the same as it's been for decades: JavaScript. Over 14 million developers use JavaScript as the core or at least a portion of… READ THE REST
These Klipsch T5 earbuds deliver premium audio, now with an extra $30 off
You can find $15 earbuds almost anywhere, but at that price point, you're just hoping to get something even vaguely decent. You get what you pay for most of the time. And most of the time, that means basically junk. So if audio quality matters to you (and it should), most buyers need to step… READ THE REST