Interesting Things with JC #515: "Turtles can breathe through their butts." It's less efficient than normal breathing, but it helps in winter!

Interesting Things with JC #512: "Why do so many things taste like chicken?" Allegedly, everything exotic on a menu tastes like chicken!

Interesting Things with JC #510: "Smell & Dreams - A Mysterious Link" - The sense of smell is intimately linked to the brain regions responsible for memory and emotion, such as the amygdala and hippocampus. This link could explain why certain smells can elicit memories and emotions that can then be incorporated into dreams.

Interesting Things with JC #506: "Fat Dogs" - Overweight dogs are more likely to become obese, which can lead to inflammation and disease. Overweight or obese dogs account for 59% of dogs in the United States and 63% of dogs in the United Kingdom.

Interesting Things with JC #502: "Largest Recorded Snowflake" fell in Montana in 1887 and was reportedly 15 inches wide and 8 inches thick. (38x20cm)!!!

Interesting Things with JC #496: "Microwaved Grapes" - grapes literally explode in the microwave.

Interesting Things with JC #494: "Genomics and AI" - An exciting development in genomics has been the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze and interpret large amounts of genomic data.

Interesting Things with JC #493: "Nutrition and the Aging Process" - proper nutrition is an important factor in reversing the aging process and improving the overall health of our bodies. By making healthy eating choices and incorporating a variety of nutrient-rich foods into our diet.

Interesting Things with JC #492: "Telomeres and Aging" - We might be able to control aging through gene therapy in the near future.

Aguado J, d'Adda di Fagagna F, Wolvetang E. Telomere transcription in ageing. Ageing Res Rev. 2020 Sep;62:101115. doi: 10.1016/j.arr.2020.101115. Epub 2020 Jun 18. PMID: 32565330.

Interesting Things with JC #490: "Heart Disease and Gray Hair" - An observational study found that the amount of gray hair in adult men is associated with an increased risk of heart disease.

Ref - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ehj.2017.07.001

Interesting Things with JC #488: "Koalas & Eucalyptus" - Koalas survive on eucalyptus which contains toxins that will poison almost all other living things. Thank you to Rachael Nelson for suggesting today’s topic!

Interesting Things with JC #487: "Belonging" is a distinct and personal experience that stems from a want to connect with others, and a need for positive esteem.

Interesting Things with JC #486: "A Few Fast Facts About Sea Otters" - The fur of the sea otter is the densest of any mammal.

Interesting Things with JC #484: "An Earth-Like Mars" - Paul Smith of the University of Bristol has laid out the foundation for establishing a thriving, contained ecosystem on Mars.

Ref - Smith, P. (2022). Extraterrestrial nature reserves (ETNRs). International Journal of Astrobiology, 1-39. doi:10.1017/S1473550422000398

Interesting Things with JC #482: "Sampson the Shire Horse" was 3,359 pounds (1,524 kg) at the age of four, and is on record as the largest horse in recorded history.

Interesting Things with JC #478: "Dragonfly Fakes Death to Avoid Coitus" - Extreme sexual conflict resolution in a dragonfly to evade male coercion.

Thank you to Rachael Nelson for suggesting today’s topic.

Ref: Khelifa, R. (2017), Faking death to avoid male coercion: extreme sexual conflict resolution in a dragonfly. Ecology, 98: 1724-1726. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.1781

Interesting Things with JC #476: "When 2 Hearts Beat as 1" - When long-term, devoted partners are in close proximity, their heartbeats synchronize.

Ref: Ogolsky, B.G., et al. (2021) Spatial proximity as a behavioral marker of relationship dynamics in older adult couples. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. doi.org/10.1177/02654075211050073

Interesting Things with JC #475: "2 New Minerals Discovered in Meteorite" - The minerals were discovered within a slice of the ninth-largest meteorite ever discovered, the El Ali meteorite, which crashed in Somalia in 2020.

Ref - https://www.ualberta.ca/folio/2022/11/new-minerals-discovered-in-massive-meteorite-may-reveal-clues-to-asteroid-formation.html

Interesting Things with JC #474: "Nanorobotic Antibodies" - Professor Yanay Ofran has developed the first nanorobotic antibodies, tailored to combat cancer, now in human trials.

Interesting Things with JC #472: "Black Olives" - Green table olives are made edible by putting them in lye, while black olives turn black by being exposed to air!