SciShow Space

Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, Jan 8-14, 2023

/ Melanie Marttila

Has it been a long January week? Refresh yourself in time for the weekend by getting your mental corn popping 🙂

Nina Bai reports that nasal injections could treat long-term COVID-19-related smell loss. Stanford Medicine

Researchers identify protein that helps skin cancer spread throughout the body. Queen Mary University of London

Tony Parrottet introduces us to the misunderstood Roman empress who willed her way to the top. The Smithsonian Magazine

Aja Romano says Friday the 13th isn’t unlucky. It’s a meme disguised as superstition. Vox

Joshua Rothman: how should we think about our different styles of thinking? The New Yorker

Abelardo Riojas provides a natural language playlist that will generate a playlist you can plug into Spotify based on keywords and phrases you enter. Fun, if nothing else.

J.R. Patterson wonders, why do kids hate music lessons? The Walrus

Joni Mitchell to be first Canadian recipient of prestigious Gershwin Prize. CBC

Monica Hesse considers a woman on the moon: why has one small step taken so long? The Washington Post

Ivan Pereira reveals that a rare, green comet to pass by Earth this week. ABC News

NASA’s TESS discovers planetary system’s second Earth-sized world. Jet Propulsion Laboratory

The Future search for life. SciShow Space

Adam Symington presents a cool resource: mapping the world’s river basins by continent. Visual Capitalist

Bruce Bower reports that complex supply chains may have appeared more than 3,000 years ago. Science News

Thank you for visiting, and I hope you took away something to inspire a future creative project.

Until my next chapter weekly update, be well and stay safe; be kind and stay strong. The world needs your stories!

Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, Dec 1-3, 2022

/ Melanie Marttila

Welcome to the return of thoughty Thursday (post-NaNo 2022)! It’s time to get your mental corn popping.

Matthew Wills reveals the origins of child protection. JSTOR Daily

Livia Gershon wonders what fundamentalism is. JSTOR Daily

Alexis Wright considers the inward migration in apocalyptic times. Emergence Magazine

Find your dark why. Struthless

Clémentine Pirlot takes you inside the autistic experience. Code Like a Girl

Elana Spivak: nightmares have plagued humans for millennia—have we finally learned how to tame them? InVerse

The unexpected measure that makes the modern world tick. Be Smart

Nergis Fertina reports that a small tweak to genes may finally enable us to regrow cartilage. Interesting Engineering

Dyani Lewis: ancient skull found in China could be million-year-old homo erectus. Nature

How do you find the Moon’s best picnic spot? SciShow Space

Will Dunham reports that scientists build “baby” wormhole as science fiction moves closer to fact. Reuters

Amelia Soth: Cairo’s Zabbaleen and the secret life of trash. JSTOR Daily

Thank you for visiting, and I hope you took away something to inspire a future creative project.

Until next tipsday, be well and stay safe; be kind and stay strong. The world needs your stories!

Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, Sept 18-24, 2022

/ Melanie Marttila

As we say farewell to September, fortify yourself for the last quarter of the year by getting your mental corn popping 🙂

Janelle Griffith: ex-Minneapolis police office sentenced to three years in George Floyd’s murder. NBC News

Erin Doherty: Cambridge joins elite universities grappling with ties to slavery. Axios

Erin Doherty reports that another nuclear power plant is at risk from Russian missiles. Axios

Karl Ritter: Putin issues partial military call-up, risking protests. Associated Press

Kim Fahner says Laurentian must rebuild, appeal to a variety of students. The Sudbury Star

The sharp axe method. Struthless

Theresa Massony says six planets are retrograde right now, which explains everything. Pop Sugar

Lori Cuthbert explains why the autumn equinox ushers in fall. National Geographic

Emily Zarevich introduces us to the lady who might have been Queen of England. JSTOR Daily

Rachel E. Gross: “feminist science” is not an oxymoron. Slate

Marshall Sheppard shares lessons from a mermaid about representation in science and engineering. Forbes

Mitochondia are the powerhouses of … Alzheimer’s? SciShow

Leila Gray take us beyond AlphaFold: AI excels at creating new proteins. University of Washington (UW) Medicine

Moss repair team also works in humans. Potential progress for the treatment of hereditary diseases. University of Bonn

Nina Bai announces that Emmanuel Mignot wins Breakthrough Prize for discovering the cause of narcolepsy. Stanford Medicine

New and ancient lessons from lunar eclipses. SciShow Space

NASA’s InSight “hears” its first meteoroid impacts on Mars. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Robert Lea: JWST’s first images of Mars reveal atmospheric secrets. Space.com

Laura Betz, Hannah Braun, and Christine Pulliam: new Webb image captures the clearest view of Neptune’s rings in decades. NASA

Grace Ebert: a rare glimpse of Comet Leonard’s last moments wins Astronomy Photographer of the Year contest. And the runners up aren’t bad, either. This is Colossal

Why it took 200,000 years to invent the wheel. Answer in Progress

Jesus Diaz says this new wind turbine concept isn’t like any we’ve seen before. Fast Company

Check out Audubon’s new Bird Migration Explorer! I could get lost in this for HOURS.

Rivka Galchen: peak cuteness and other revelations from the science of puppies. The New Yorker

Thanks for visiting! I hope you took away something to inspire a future creative project.

I should be posting my next chapter update for September this weekend.

Until then, keep staying safe and well!

Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, Sept 11-17, 2022

/ Melanie Marttila

Happy equinox, to those who celebrate. Welcome fall!

It’s time to get your mental corn popping in time for the weekend.

Robin Maynard: Canadian education is steeped in anti-Black racism. The Walrus

Michelle Cyca presents the curious case of Gina Adams, “pretendian.” McLean’s

Vasilisa Stepanenko: Zelenskyy states burial site contains torture victims. Associated Press

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: a visual explainer. The International Crisis Group

Greg Allen: in a surprise, the defense rests early in the Parkland School shooting trial. GPB News

Michael Tarm and Joey Cappelletti report that R. Kelly convicted of child porn, enticing girls for sex. Associated Press

Julia MĂ©treaux says, before long covid, there was post-polio syndrome. JSTOR Daily

New study reveals mechanism for how disease-spreading prions migrate from one species to another. Phys.org

Sanah Ahsan is a psychologist, and she believes we’ve been told devastating lies about mental health. The Guardian

Simon Lewson takes us inside the mental health crisis facing college and university students. The Walrus

Where did Mercury’s spots come from? SciShow Space

Jesus Diaz says a new satellite brighter than any star could ruin the night sky. Fast Company

Will Sullivan: scientists discover planet with the potential to support life. The Smithsonian Magazine

Hannah Devlin reports that Saturn’s rings could be the result of a moon that strayed too close. The Guardian

Connie Lin explains why Changesite-(Y) could fuel a goldrush for lunar mining. Fast Company

Wyatte Grantham-Philips reports that NASA’s Perseverance rover finds organic matter in rock samples, begging the question, did life ever exist on Mars? USA Today

Two new papers on the Fagradalsfjall eruption published in the newest issue of Nature. Institute of Earth Sciences

Bob Yirka reports that a new study of the Gough map shows what might be the lost islands of Welsh folklore. Phys.org

Laura Fletcher reveals a breakthrough discovery in carbon capture conversion for ethylene production. Phys.org

The biggest myth about climate change. Be Smart

Chinese researchers test maglev cars. The Byte | Futurism

Ian Rose tells a precautionary tale. JSTOR Daily

Adele Peters: a NASA scientist designed a platform to track the carbon in every tree on the planet. Fast Company

Conifer communication is complex and can be altered by air pollution. The University of Eastern Finland

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you took away something to inspire a future creative project.

Until next tipsday, be well and stay safe; be kind and stay strong. The world needs your stories!

Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, Aug 28-Sept 3, 2022

/ Melanie Marttila

We’re rounding the bend and almost to the weekend. Pour on that last bit of speed by getting your mental corn popping!

Dr. Torvi, mid-operation.

No charges in police killing of Rayshard Brooks. BBC

How did Al Sharpton become a joke? Princess Weekes

Yessica Fisch reports that Russia, Ukraine trade claims of nuclear plant attacks. Associated Press

Dave Lawler: Ukraine launches counteroffensive to retake Russian-occupied Kherson. Axios

Jamey Keaten and Edith M. Lederer announce that the UN cites possible crimes against humanity in China’s Xinjiang. Associated Press

Jessica Stillman explains how to spot an emotional vampire and a 5-step process to defeat one, when you do. Inc.

Dr. Patricia Lockwood: scientists pinpoint the brain area responsible for effortful helping behaviour (AKA altruism). The University of Birmingham

Bill Hathaway wonders what makes the human brain different? Yale neuroscientists reveal clues. Yale News

Stefan Van der Stigchel reveals what the science says about daydreaming and concentration. The MIT Press Reader

Guy Kawasaki interviews Fran Houser about how to kindly, gently, and powerfully embrace your work. The Remarkable People Podcast

Laura Ungar: zombie cells central to quest for active, vital old age. Associated Press

The world’s highest jumping robot. Veritasium

Tariq Malik reports that NASA calls off Artemis I moon rocket launch over engine cooling issue. Space.com

Webb inspects the heart of the phantom galaxy. The European Space Agency

Hannah Devlin reveals historic JWST images showing exoplanet in unprecedented detail. The Guardian

S.N. Johnson-Roehr: Caroline Herschel claims her comet. JSTOR Daily

The ominous reason Phobos has lines on it. SciShow Space

Mount Sinai Hospital researchers find spaceflight may be associated with DNA mutations, increased risk of heart disease, and cancer. Phys.org

Dinah Voyles Pulver: melting Greenland ice sheet will raise sea levels nearly a foot, study finds. USA Today

Leo Sands reports on the Pakistan floods: one third of the country is under water, minister says. BBC News

Abir Ahmar: parched UAE turns to science to squeeze more rainfall from clouds. Reuters

Sarah Keartes explains how giant isopods got supersized. Hakai Magazine

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you found something to inspire a future creative project.

Until next tipsday, be well and stay safe; be kind and stay strong. The world needs your stories!

Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, July 24-30, 2022

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s time, once again, to get your mental corn popping!

Amy Forliti reports that the last to ex-cops involved in George Floyd’s murder have been sentenced. Associated Press

Porter Braswell explains the difference between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation. Fast Company

Julia MĂ©treaux: how to dismantle systemic ableism, according to disabled people. DAME

Matthew Rodriguez: the House passed the Respect for Marriage Act. 157 republicans voted against it. Them

Tom Yun and Melissa Lopez-Martinez report that Pope Francis issues apology for residential school abuses: “I ask forgiveness.” CTV News

Eric Reguly and Joy Spearchief-Morris: Pope Francis holds second mass amid calls for broader residential school apology. The Globe and Mail

Simon Lewis introduces us to the Ukrainian fighters standing in Russia’s way on the eastern front. Reuters

Helen Regan and Rhea Mogul report that Myanmar junta executes leading democracy activists. CNN

Maria Cheng: WHO declares monkeypox a global emergency; Canada confirms 681 cases. CTV News

Consent … is messy. Khadija Mbowe

Guy Kawasaki interviews Ayelet Fishbach about the art of goals, incentives, and motivation. The Remarkable People Podcast

Ellen Scott wonders, could “quiet quitting” be the answer to burnout? What you need to know. Metro

Darren MacDonald reports that more than $38 million in LU scholarship and bursary money gone, court filing shows. CTV News

Eclipses that don’t eclipse? SciShow Space

Vladimir Isachenkov and Marcia Dunn report that Russia to drop out of International Space Station after 2024. Associated Press

Amelia Soth: gold weights and wind scales in the Asante empire. JSTOR Daily

Willow Defebaugh: burning out. On the intersection of climate change and personal burnout. Atmos

Serge Pellissier wonders, can electric vehicle batteries be recycled? Fast Company

Olivia Box examines the interaction of ecosystems and extreme weather events. JSTOR Daily

Linda Geddes announces that fossil of earliest animal predator named after David Attenborough. The Guardian

Anna Kate Cannon introduces us to the plant of the month: white sage. JSTOR Daily

Vanessa Gera reports that Polish institute classifies cats as invasive alien species. And cats (and cat-lovers) ain’t too pleased. Associated Press

Thank you for visiting, and I hope you took away something to inspire a future creative project.

This weekend, I should have my super-massive July next chapter update posted (trying something new—we’ll see how it flies).

Until then, keep staying safe and well!

Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, July 10-16, 2022

/ Melanie Marttila

How has your week been, my writerly friends? Good news: it’s thoughty Thursday and that means tomorrow is Friday 🙂 It’s time to get your mental corn popping in time for the weekend.

Where did the blind and Black musician trope come from? Historian’s Take | PBS Origins

Tamara Dean reveals the truth about the history of abortion in America. The Guardian

Matthew Wills relates the history of policing abortion. JSTOR Daily

Pro-life vs. pro-choice: Roe vs. Wade overturned. Uncomfortable Conversations with Emmanuel Acho

Mary Yamaguchi reports that Japan’s ruling party wins big in polls in wake of Abe’s death. Associated Press

Hannah Ellis-Petersen: Sri Lankans revel in overrun presidential palace. The Guardian

Len Gillis interviews Kim Fahner about her experience with long covid. Sudbury.com

Nihilism, absurdity, and hope … online and off. Khadija Mbowe

Savanah Walsh: Constance Wu says she attempted suicide after Fresh Off the Boat tweets stoked ire. Vanity Fair

Monica Torres lists five work personality traits that are actually forms of anxiety. The Huffington Post

Clark Quinn: emotion, motivation, or … Learnlets

Harold Jarche considers intentionality in personal knowledge management (PKM).

Melissa Angell: a good night’s sleep is vital for heart health. Inc.

The Webb’s forst four (actually seven) images explained. SciShow Space

The first images of the hidden universe from the James Webb Space Telescope. NASA

Marie-Louise Gumuchian reports that primatologist Jane Goodall gets a Barbie. Reuters

Catherine Bush wants us to become Earth’s aunties. “What if … we cared for the world’s future inhabitants like aunts? As if the people-to-be and the more-than-human are not ours — because they are not.” Noema

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you took away something to inspire a future creative project.

Until next tipsday, be well and stay safe; be kind and stay strong. The world needs your stories!

Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, June 19-25, 2022

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s the last thoughty Thursday of June! Early happy Canada Day to my Canadian friends and early happy Independence Day to my friends south of the border.

Mon M: the Uvalde shooting is just the latest example of why we need abolition. Prism

Jia Tolentino says America’s not going back to the time before Roe. We’re going somewhere worse. The New Yorker

Vanessa Taylor explains why Muslim teens love surveillance memes. Teen Vogue

Max Hunder and Tom Balmforth: Ukraine to withdraw from Sievierodonetsk as Russia closes in. Reuters

Laurentian gets court approval to sell the Art Gallery of Sudbury. They haven’t said what they’re doing with the art collection. Yet. CBC

Frances Solá-Santiago wonders what’s really behind TikTok’s “weird girl aesthetic”? Refinery 29

Why you can’t smell yourself (and other ways your senses lie to you). Be Smart

Clark Quinn is all about reality checks. Learnlets

Danielle D. King and Megan R. McSpedon explain what leaders get wrong about resilience. Harvard Business Review

Guy Kawasaki interviews Gloria Romero, former senator, author, and feminist. The Remarkable People Podcast

Rina Torchinsky says, get your binoculars: five planets are lined up nicely for you to see at dawn this month. NPR

“Do fabulous science”: Jane Rigby. SciShow Space

Robert Lea: fastest nova ever seen “rings” like a bell thanks to feeding white dwarf. Space.com

Nina Lakhani introduces us to the farmers restoring Hawaii’s ancient food forests that once fed an island. The Guardian

Olivia Box spotlights improving communications around climate change. JSTOR Daily

Thanks for taking the time to stop by, and I hope you took away something to inspire a future creative project.

This weekend, I hope to post my June next chapter update (we’ll see how that works out).

Until then, be well and stay safe; be kind and stay strong. The world needs your stories!

Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, May 8-14, 2022

/ Melanie Marttila

Celebrate the coming of the weekend by getting you mental corn popping.

Livia Gershon considers the cosmopolitan culture of the Gullah/Geechees. JSTOR Daily

True crime and the theatre of safety. Princess Weekes

Charles Maynes and Alina Selyukh: Russia’s Victory Day celebrations take on new importance for Kremlin this year. NPR

Sylvia Hui and Aamer Madhani report that G7 leaders mark VE Day stressing unity and support for Ukraine. Associated Press

Ehsan Popalzai and Irene Nasser: Taliban decree orders women in Afghanistan to cover their faces. CNN

Libby Cathey reports that US senate republicans block bill that would codify Roe vs. Wade abortion rights. ABC News

Graham Lee Brewer: US counts Indian boarding school deaths for the first time but leaves key questions unanswered. NBC News

Hong Kong’s John Lee: ex-security chief becomes new leader. BBC

The editors curate their best articles to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. JSTOR Daily

You don’t own your partners. The Ultimatum, love, and possession, analyzed. Khadija Mbowe

Bastian Fox Phelan says female facial hair is not uncommon. What happens when we make it visible? The Guardian

Terry Nguyen says trends are dead. Vox

Clark Quinn: gamification, or … Learnlets

Arman Khan says that work thing is probably not urgent. Vice

George Monbiot says that the secret world beneath our feet is mind-blowing—and the key to our planet’s future. The Guardian

Ellen Gutoskey lists 11 elements with names inspired by folklore and mythology. Mental Floss

The new black hole image explained by an astrophysicist. Dr. Becky

Nicole Mortillaro: astronomers reveal first image of the monster black hole at the heart of our galaxy. CBC

We may be wrong about planet formation. SciShow Space

Thank you for visiting, and I hope you took away something to inspire a future creative project.

Until next tipsday, be well and stay safe; be kind and stay strong. The world needs your stories!

Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, Jan 23-29, 2022

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s a real mixed bag of thoughty this week. Dig in and get your mental corn popping 🙂

Daniel Martinez HoSang , LeeAnn Hall , and Libero Della Piana: to tackle racial justice, organizing must change. The Forge

Susanna Ashton shares John B. Cade’s project to document the formerly enslaved. JSTOR Daily

Kelly Hayes interviews Bree Newsome Bass: “Capitalism has to collapse.” Truthout

Muriel Draaisma reports that Pickering’s Sir John A. Macdonald Public School to be renamed Biidassige Mandamin Public School. CBC

Bobby Hristova reveals that Burlington park is renamed Sweetgrass Park, no longer honouring residential school architect. CBC

Kirsten Grieshaber: 77 years after Auschwitz, Jews honor those who rescued them. Associated Press

Joe got omicron. Here’s what he learned. Be Smart

Evan Dyer reports that public outrage over the unvaccinated is driving a crisis in bioethics. CBC

Claire L. Evans is searching for Suzy Thunder. The Verge

Bob McDonald: researchers call for a new awareness of scientific colonialism. CBC’s “Quirks and Quarks”

Daniel Garisto: Euler’s 243-year-old “impossible” puzzle gets a quantum solution. Quanta Magazine

Amanda Morris reports that nearly 1,000 mysterious strands revealed in Milky Way’s center. Phys.org

Christy Somos: astronomers find mysterious object in space “unlike anything” seen before. CTV News

Ben Turner reveals that an “X particle” from the dawn of time discovered in the Large Hadron Collider. Space.com

Rahul Rao: curvature of space-time measured using “atomic fountain.” Space.com

Ashley Strickland reports that the JWST reaches its final destination a million miles from Earth. CNN

What’s next for the James Webb Space Telescope. SciShow Space

Rebecca Ruiz: politics is a huge stressor for some your people. That’s a huge problem. Mashable

Earliest human remains in eastern Africa dated to 230,000 years ago. Phys.org

Yessenia Funes examines the dark side of paper. Atmos

Sierra Garcia considers Bangalore’s green belt 50 years on. JSTOR Daily

Sophie Yeo reveals how Finland is restoring its river ecosystems: “We’re basically starting from zero.” The Guardian

Thank you for visiting, and I hope you took away something to inspire a future creative project.

Until next tipsday, be well and stay safe; be kind and stay strong. The world needs your stories.