The brightest take on this week’s science
You might want to sit down…
New evidence suggests that some ‘active’ forms of sitting can actually benefit the brain.
Surely reading Spark counts…
Also in this edition:
☄️ An alien treasure that fell from the sky
🤯 A mind-blowing science fact
🔬 A flowery microscope mystery
Now put your feet up and scroll!
LOOK OUT
Brain-Friendly Ways to Sit
(Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty Images)
We’ve heard it all before: We are sitting too much, and it isn’t good for our brain health.
But not all sitting is equal.
A systematic review of 85 studies has now found health differences between ‘passive’ sitting, like watching TV, and ‘active’ sitting, like reading, playing cards, or using the computer.
Across numerous studies, passive sitting was consistently associated with negative cognitive outcomes, including increased dementia risk.
But putting up your feet doesn’t have to put the mind to rest.
Active sitting activities showed overwhelmingly positive associations with cognitive health.
If that’s what you’re up to right now, your brain might be sitting pretty…
HEADLINES
What Else We're Watching
🏅This week’s most read: Mysterious Giants Could Be a Whole New Kind of Life That No Longer Exists
ICYMI
Mysterious Detail in a Raphael Masterpiece
The paintings of Raphael have drawn the attention of millions of art experts and museum visitors over the years.
But artificial intelligence (AI) can see what the human eye cannot.
According to machine learning analysis, the painting Madonna della Rosa may not be entirely the work of the Italian Renaissance painter after all.
The brush strokes, color palette, and shading of the face of St Joseph, in the top left of the painting, don’t match the skilled hand of Raphael.
Perhaps it was a student of his…
ZOOM ZONE
Microscope Mystery: What Do You See?
(Steve Gschmeissner/Science Photo Library/Getty Images)
A) Gut cells
B) Fungal spores
C) Protozoa
D) Measles virus
Answer at the bottom.
LOOK UP
Strange Space Metal Found in Ancient Treasure
(Municipal Archaeological Museum of Villena)
An ancient cache of treasure from the Iberian Peninsula contains two objects made from material beyond our planet.
A dull bracelet and a rusted hollow hemisphere are composed of iron from meteorites.
These are some of the oldest iron objects found in the region.
The official Iron Age in this part of the world didn’t start until centuries after the bracelet and hemisphere were made.
Long ago, an advanced material literally fell from the sky.
Maybe it inspired us.
WOW FACTOR
Science Fact of The Week
(Jyoti Sangya/Getty Images)
We emit a light that vanishes when we die.
It’s not some woo-woo paranormal aura; it’s a feature of all living things. The glow comes from the ultra-weak photon emissions of active cells.
It’s far too weak for human eyes to see, but it’s there all the same time…
… until it’s not.
DOPAMINE HIT
Before You Go…
Boop.
Microscope answer: Gut cells.
Who knew your gut was so beautiful? These flower-like objects are cross-sections of intestinal ‘crypts’ – finger-like projections in your colon and small intestine that help with digestion and cell renewal.
That’s all for today… see you next week!
- Carly
