This Week in Science: Time Travel, Momfluencers, and Perfect Beer
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. We might need to subtract a Leap Second from our clocks in a few years. We’ve added them before, but never removed one. It could cause issues for computing systems, kind of like Y2K.
Activity in Earth’s core and on the surface can make our rotation vary, so it’s necessary sometimes.
Right now, we’re speeding up. They thought we’d need to subtract a second in 2026. But the study found losing ice at the poles could be slowing things down. Now we may not need to subtract a second until 2029.
2. In other time-warp news: A well-respected physicist at the University of Connecticut thinks he cracked the equation for time travel. He says building an actual time machine is different though, and might never be possible.
3. In parenting news: A study found a mother’s diet could help determine a baby’s facial features in the womb. And a study found “momfluencers” who glamorize it too much on social media could be making normal moms feel insecure or inadequate.
4. In chrome-dome news: A compound in cinnamon might offer a cure for baldness. Just eating it won’t do anything though.
5. In Thanksgiving news: A study found too much tryptophan might trigger arthritis.
6. And in happy hour news: Researchers in Belgium think they might be able to use A.I. to engineer the first truly “perfect beer.”