An actual chemist looks at claims made about "toxic foods" in a recent Buzzfeed linkbait post and calmly explains why the whole thing is ridiculous. Of the 8 foods (actually, mostly food additives) mentioned, one is hardly used anymore, another was withdrawn from the market two years ago, two only sound scary if you failed chemistry, and four have had their risks vastly overstated. It's the sort of situation where some studies show a risk, some studies don't, and there's good reasons to think the risk — if it exists — isn't that big, to begin with.
8 foods that aren't as frightening as Buzzfeed thinks they are
Building the world's biggest and deepest swimming pool… for science!
The Blue Abyss is a deep sea and space research training facility that will be constructed near the Cornwall Airport Newquay in England. Holding nearly 1.5 million cubic feet of water, the Blue Abyss will be the world's largest and deepest swimming pool of its kind. Unfortunately, it's unlikely most of us will have a… READ THE REST
This animal was revived after being frozen for 24,000 years
This is a bdelloid rotifer, a common microscopic animal that lives in freshwater all over the world. But the one seen here is unique in that it was frozen in Arctic permafrost for 24,000 years and just revived by scientists. Once thawed, the rotifer was able to feed and reproduce. The Russian researchers had collected… READ THE REST
People can learn to echolocate like bats in just ten weeks
We've posted several times about how people who are blind who have learned how to "see" and navigate the world using echolocation like bats, shrews, and whales. The skill involves making loud clicking noises with the tongue and then listening for the echo to judge not only distance but sometimes even determine the material of an object. New research… READ THE REST
Get a Sam's Club membership for only $20 this weekend only
You may not have heard about it, but earlier this month, America took another important step toward restoring life to normalcy in our post-COVID world: Sam's Club announced samples were back. Look, it might not seem like a huge milestone, but nobody can deny that noshing on a bite of a new cold cut variety… READ THE REST
17 apps, software, streaming services, and more on sale for this weekend only
For all their everything-ness, there are still some areas where even the great and powerful Amazon isn't all that. Sure, you can find just about any physical item being sold in the depths of Amazon product pages somewhere, but when it comes to software and apps, well, that's an area where the eCommerce giant mostly steers… READ THE REST
Amazon can't beat the prices on these killer portable monitors
There's only so much squinting you can do at a tiny smartphone screen before you start wondering why we ever thought it was a good idea to build devices so small in the first place. Sure, portability is a plus, but when you're trying to watch videos on your phone, that itty-bitty baby screen won't… READ THE REST
