This Week in Science: JOMO, Boozy Beethoven, and Mice with Antlers
It’s time for “Nerd News,” covering the most important news for your brain.
Here’s a quick rundown of this week in science . . .
1. Researchers in Germany analyzed a lock of Beethoven’s hair, and think he may have drank himself to death. They found evidence he was predisposed to liver disease. He also had hepatitis B when he died, but they couldn’t figure out what made him go deaf as an adult.
2. You’ve heard of FOMO, the “fear of missing out.” But what about JOMO, the “JOY of missing out“? It’s when you supposedly enjoy staying in to regroup and rest. But a new study found that’s rarely why we do it. The real reason behind it might just be social anxiety.
3. In space news: A Harvard astronomer thinks a meteorite that exploded over the South Pacific in 2014 may have actually been an alien probe. He just secured funding to go comb the ocean floor and look for alien technology.
4. If we want to live on Mars, we need to be able to build stuff up there. So a team England came up with a new material called “StarCrete.” It’s like concrete but stronger. And it’s only got three ingredients: Potatoes, Mars dust, and a “pinch of salt.”
(Here’s a photo.)
5. Australia is still finding spiders. They discovered a new type of “trapdoor” spider that can be up to two inches wide and live 20 years. They’re called that because they build trapdoors out of leaves to catch prey. But they’re not dangerous to humans, just very ugly.
6. And in other animal news: Researchers used stem cells from deer to grow “mini antlers” on mice. (???) They say it could lead to new treatments for bone injuries, or even help us regenerate limbs someday.
(Warning: The photos of the mice with antlers are a LOT less cute than you’d expect.)
