The brightest take on this week’s science
The sun is shining, and the science is here!
A new study has shown that daily vitamin D may help those with early signs of dementia.
Read more about the results below.
Also in this issue:
🌎 The safest place on Earth when catastrophe strikes
🤯 A mind-blowing fact
🔬 A microscope mystery
Scroll on!
LOOK DOWN
A Creepy Alien Landscape in the Underworld
An alien landscape. (NOAA)
It’s enough to haunt your dreams.
More than 5,000 feet beneath the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, scientists were investigating what they thought was a shipwreck.
Instead, they accidentally stumbled across the ocean’s own backrooms.
Littered across the abyssal landscape were the rusting fragments of fridges, freezers, and washing machines.
"I don't think the spin cycle is going to be working on it," one crew member commented, to an eruption of laughter.
The photos are downright creepy.
HEADLINES
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LOOK IN
Common Vitamin Linked to 13% Cognitive Boost in Early Dementia
(Science Photo Library/Science Photo Library/Getty Images)
There’s a cheap, daily pill that shows promise for brain health.
In a new study, scientists found that vitamin D supplements were linked with a significant boost in cognitive test results for people with signs of early dementia.
For older folk with cognitive impairment or sleep disturbances, vitamin D seemed to help.
The research is only observational, so it can’t determine if vitamin D is causing these outcomes.
But the results suggest that older folk with cognitive impairment or sleep disturbances may benefit from this common supplement.
Other evidence also suggests vitamin D can enhance brain health. Find out more about its potential by clicking the link below!
ZOOM ZONE
Microscope Mystery: What Do You See?
(Kara & Tahillioglu, Microscopy Research & Technique, 2021)
A) Lymph node
B) Gunshot residue
C) Weathered microplastic bead
D) Pyrite grain
Answer at the bottom.
LOOK OUT
One Country May Be Safest When All Hell Breaks Loose
(Jupiterimages/The Image Bank/Getty Images)
No one can escape from the world of uncertainty we currently live in.
But when all hell breaks loose, one place may be safer than the rest.
In the first study of its kind, researchers have tested the best place to seek shelter during armageddon.
Ultimately, nowhere is safe from unmitigated calamity, but there is one nation that has the fewest risks:
Australia.
The island nation Down Under appears to be the place least exposed to the spectrum of potential threats currently staring us down.
Another four nations also ranked highly as safe havens, and not all are islands, either.
Find out which by clicking the link below!
WOW FACTOR
Science Fact of The Week
(Robin Harris/CC BY 4.0)
More than 300 billion cells in your body die off every day.
Almost all are blood cells (86 percent!) or intestinal lining cells.
Other cells in your body can live for years before dying and being replaced. Some, like those in the brain and eyes, can even last a lifetime.
DOPAMINE HIT
Before You Go…
Have a giggle watching the greatest fails of the 2026 World Humanoid Robot Games.
Microscope answer: Gunshot residue
Forensic scientists use microscopy to scan a suspect’s hands or clothing. If the person of interest fired a gun or was nearby when a firearm discharged, their hands or clothing may contain traces of gunshot residue.
That’s all for today… see you next week!
- Carly
