Cool Stuff Daily

As promised on Friday, more information on the so-called Dragon Man––the recently unveiled 140,000-year-old skull that may be a new species of extinct human. The science behind why all your in-person coffee dates since reopening have been so awkward. And a first-of-its-kind study puts a number on the nonbinary population in the US. Links: Discovery of ‘Dragon Man’ Skull in China May Add Species to...

Researchers have found evidence of a coronavirus epidemic from 20,000 years ago. A new blood test that can detect fifty different types of cancer. And what the lowercase “i” in Apple products stands for and why they stopped using it. Links: A Coronavirus Epidemic Hit 20,000 Years Ago, New Study Finds (NY Times) 20,000 years of coronaviruses (and counting) (Cosmos Magazine) A Coronavirus Epidemic H...

The growing attempts to put flavor back into our produce because, yes, apparently it left. An update on the lumber industry and what it could mean for the economy overall. And the surprisingly strange things astronauts have done with their dirty laundry, plus the introduction of NASA Tide. Links: How farmers and scientists are engineering your food (BBC) Lumber Prices Are Falling Fast, Turning Hoa...

A very big and very strange comet-ish object has entered our solar system. Some tips to help your body recover from a year of virtual learning, working, and socializing. And the two badass twelve-year-old girls going to the Tokyo Olympics for skateboarding. Links: A huge comet called 2014 UN271 is heading toward the Sun (Syfy’s Bad Astronomy) Visitor From Oort Cloud Could Be Among the Largest Come...

How a single-celled yellow slime is changing the way scientists think about intelligence. A new upcycled food label that would let you know when your food has been made with food scraps that would’ve otherwise gone to waste. And everything you need to know about this week’s Strawberry Supermoon. Links: This Weirdly Smart, Creeping Slime Is Redefining Our Understanding of Intelligence (Science Aler...

What will our homes look like in the future and how much has the pandemic shaped that vision? Plus, why are humans so thirsty? And, Brian Eno has found a home for hundreds of his previously unreleased songs. Links: America Should Become a Nation of Renters (Bloomberg) What Will Future Homes Look Like?  Filmed in the 1960's - Narrated by Walter Cronkite (16mm Educational Films, YouTube)  The New Am...

A new species of giant rhino might be the largest land mammal that ever walked the earth. Did you know there are probably dinosaur teeth on the moon? For real. The Girl Scouts have millions of leftover cookies and we must do our part by eating as many as we can. And China sent its first crewed mission up to their new space station yesterday. Sponsors: Credit Karma, creditkarma.com/podcast UTEP Con...

A ranking of the top ten best places in our solar system to find extraterrestrial life. Plus, you know about the food pyramid, but what about the nature pyramid? Also called the 20-5-3 rule. And, I guess we have to talk about that Jeff-Bezos-Eating-the-Mona-Lisa petition. Sponsors: UTEP Connect, Apply at online.utep.edu or call UTEP Connect at 1-800-684-UTEP Credit Karma, creditkarma.com/podcast L...

How Juneteenth has evolved over the years from its origins in Texas, and its reception today. How the Xerox machine (and several dozen dalmatian puppies) saved Disney Animation Studios from closing up shop. And a portal for exploring the cosmos… on Google Chrome. Sponsors: Credit Karma, creditkarma.com/podcast UTEP Connect, Apply at online.utep.edu or call UTEP Connect at 1-800-684-UTEP Links: Hon...

A new report from fifty of the world’s leading experts on the need to combine solutions for combatting the climate crisis and our planet’s rapidly declining biodiversity. California’s historically low water levels may have inadvertently helped solve the case of a missing plane that crashed fifty-six years ago. And an update on that telescope NASA is now planning to construct on the far side of the...

The full story of the man who was swallowed by a humpback whale on Friday and lived to tell the tale. Calories. Who’s responsible for their inclusion in the world of nutrition? Some weird highlights from the history of this controversial measurement. And the growing need for a bill of neuro-rights. Sponsors: Credit Karma, creditkarma.com/podcast UTEP Connect, Apply at online.utep.edu or call UTEP...

Thanks to a new study that sequenced the genomes of several types of wild melons, we now have a better idea of the origins of the watermelon… but we still don’t know how tornadoes are formed. And that’s a problem. Plus, in a bid to continue dominating all Halloween-themed playlists, Danny Elfman released a new punk rock album today, his first since 1994. Sponsor: Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at I...

A new method of carbon capture that would turn carbon dioxide from the ocean into rocks. Mosquitos beefed up with virus-fighting bacteria have proven even more effective at preventing dengue fever than expected. And the often forgotten history of a turn of the century scientist way ahead of his time and his groundbreaking gender and sexuality clinic that was destroyed by the Nazis. Sponsor: Indeed...

Why some people don’t have a mind’s eye and others can visualize things in incredible detail. Watermelons on Mars and human-animal hybrid babies born across the world––neither of those are true, but if you read two of the biggest newspapers in the US, you might have been led to believe they are. And El Salvador has become the first country to officially recognize bitcoin as currency. Sponsor: Inde...

New ocean just dropped. And a new dinosaur species. Big release day. All about the fifth ocean and one of the newest, largest dinosaurs. Plus, what a new cereal says about current marketing trends, the state of cereal as a whole, fan-franchise relationships, and the contemporary fusion of ancient folklore. Sponsor: Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at Indeed.com/goodnews Links: There's a new ocean now...

SpaceX just delivered a bunch of tardigrades and baby squids to the International Space Station. New research finding pupil size is an indicator of intelligence. And why it seems like vaccine lotteries are actually working. Sponsor: Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at Indeed.com/goodnews Links: Why NASA Is Blasting Water Bears And Bobtail Squid Into Space (NPR) NASA Squid In SpaceX Mission To Interna...

COVID-19 precautions largely prevented outbreaks of the flu this past winter, and they also may have caused two types of flu viruses to go extinct. Spinking of extinction, sharks apparently lost 90% of their population 19 million years ago and never fully recovered. And what day-to-day life is like for the first team to arrive at the Tokyo Olympic campus. Links: Flu virus became less diverse, simp...

What if your pick-up truck could power your whole neighborhood? That’s the potential people are imagining with the new Ford F-150 Lightning. The science behind why unique people are more attractive. And updates from the annual State of NASA address, including the latest planet they’ll be returning to. Links: Can Millions of New Ford F-150 Trucks Become a Clean-Energy Storage Grid? (Curbed) 2022 Fo...

John Steinbeck’s secret unpublished werewolf novel that his estate doesn’t want you to read. Lithuania built a portal to Poland and more may soon follow. And set your alarms for the “ring of fire” solar eclipse next week. Links: Yes, Steinbeck Wrote a Werewolf Novel. Don’t Expect to Read It. (NY Times) John Steinbeck’s estate urged to let the world read his shunned werewolf novel (The Guardian) Jo...

Five hundred years later the Medicis continue to ruin Michelangelo’s artworks, but fortunately some bacteria are on the scene to restore his works to their former glory. The new naming scheme for COVID-19 variants. And the story of Allandale, Texas––once the only village in the entire world to be fully air conditioned. Links: Send in the Bugs. The Michelangelos Need Cleaning. (NY Times) Bacteria g...

Seven counties in the US state of Oregon have now voted to leave their state behind and merge with neighboring Idaho. Could this actually work? A new English dictionary of Ancient Greek fully and explicitly makes up for the modesty of its previous Victorian translators. And the best way to cook a hot dog. Links: Oregon's Rural Counties Search for Representation With Idaho (Business Insider) Don Ka...

Potentially good news for longterm COVID-19 immunity. Pizza farms, not just a figment of my imagination, apparently they’re a real and wonderful thing. And the story of a naked mole rat named Joe who just won’t die, and what he could mean for human longevity. Links: Immunity to the Coronavirus May Persist for Years, Scientists Find (NY Times) Vaccinated COVID-19 survivors may be immune for life, a...

Dr. B was the most well-known nationwide vaccine finder in the US. But did anyone actually end up getting their vaccine through the service? Plus, the artist raising awareness about the gender gap on the moon, Disneyland’s $100 sandwich and the newest Willy Wonka on the block. Links: Vaccine waitlist Dr. B collected data from millions. But how many did it help? (MIT Technology Review) We Know What...

The flavorful history of frozen pizza. We check in on how the pandemic continues to affect our dreams. And meet the dude actually taking advantage of Krispy Kreme’s free donut a day offer for vaccinated people. Links: Frozen Pizza History: Ready To Heat, Nearly Ready To Eat (Tedium) Pizza Was the Restaurant Hero of 2020 (NY Times) Frozen pizza sales are red hot and expected to outlast the pandemic...

The latest floating wind farm technology and the part of the US that could make the biggest difference when it comes to offshore wind energy. What we can learn from the Amish about how we use technology. Links: Why the Northeast Could Be America's New Energy Capital Wind farms rivaling the output of coal (NY Mag) GE's designs controls for offshore wind turbines to ride the waves (The Verge) To be...