The brightest take on this week’s science

Like most pets, cats are highly food-motivated, but they aren’t wolfing down their meals in quite the same way as dogs.

It’s not uncommon for a cat to leave some food in their bowl and wander away, even after fasting.

A new study suggests it’s not because they are full or sick.

When a dozen domestic cats were put through a new meal regime, only four of the cats ate the whole feast in 10 minutes.

The pets stopped eating after consuming about a third of the food. When the meals were the same, over and over, the amount they ate decreased.

The findings suggest that our pets may prefer some variety in their diet.

After kibble for the seventh time in a week, who can blame them?

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A lack of refreshing sleep is a major risk factor for dementia, but exactly how many hours of shut-eye do you need to protect your aging brain?

Researchers at York University in Canada have analyzed data from 69 studies to estimate the ideal amount of sleep for minimizing dementia risk.

It’s not yet clear whether sleep directly prevents or delays cognitive decline, but that’s a leading hypothesis, supported by a growing body of evidence.

In this same study, researchers also considered the ideal amount of daily physical activity for minimizing dementia.

Luckily, that chunk of time wasn’t quite so long…

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A) Bee stinger
B) Cactus spine
C) Rose thorn
D) Insect antenna

Answer at the bottom.

That haunting feeling you get when you step inside an old building may not be only inside your head.

Scientists have now found evidence that aging pipes and ventilation systems can make spooky noises that may give us bone-chilling feelings.

While our brains do not consciously perceive infrasound, it may evoke negative emotions.

In experiments, 36 participants sat alone in a room, listening to calming or unsettling music.

Those who were unknowingly exposed to infrasound at the same time as the music later reported feeling more irritable and uncomfortable.

Their cortisol levels were also higher, a biomarker of stress…

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There are more potential moves in some board games than there are atoms in the Universe.

In the game of Go, scientists predict there are about 10¹⁷⁰ legal moves.

Meanwhile, the observable Universe only contains up to 10⁸² atoms.

Signing off with a splash!

Microscope answer: Cactus spine

This is the spine of a ‘jumping cholla’, a big cactus plant with detachable bits that stick to people if they get too close. The overlapping layers on each barb make it difficult to escape. In fact, a single lodged cholla spine can lift a half-pound slab of meat.