Knowable Magazine
Sound science. Smart stories. Fact-checked journalism. Published by the nonprofit @annualreviews.bsky.social
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- “One project, Odeuropa, developed a database of 2.5 million historical smell references, pulled from 43,000 images and 167,000 historical texts across seven European languages to help develop an understanding of odors over the ages.” Thanks for highlighting our story, Numlock News!
- Unlike violent crimes, there are no comprehensive national statistics on the serious misconduct of companies. Some see a need for change. ✍️ Elise Hansen knowmag.org/4qgs0hS
- “From the woody scent of the library in London’s St Paul’s Cathedral to the aromatic odour of mummies at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, scientists are working to define and reproduce the smells of heritage and history.” Thanks for highlighting our story, @floragraham.bsky.social & @nature.com!
- Inside the brains of aging dogs: In a citizen science project, thousands of pet dogs are helping scientists to understand what happens to memory and cognition in old age 📷 Credit: Annette Shaff / Shutterstock knowmag.org/4nfIvtR
- 👀 On our radar: A Congressional bill restores funding for most NASA space-science missions, but there is no money for returning samples already collected on the red planet. ✍️ Jenna Ahart, via Nature
- From monkeys washing potatoes to cockatoos raiding trash cans, socially spread behaviors allow creatures to adapt more rapidly to changing environments than conventional evolution would allow. But the traits are also more easily lost. ✍️ Tim Vernimmen knowmag.org/46CWoLT
- #Opinion ✍️ If we’re truly serious about protecting animal species from extinction, we should learn more about how they reproduce. knowmag.org/3IxCLNc
- In the US, people charged with a crime usually need to post a large cash bond to be released before trial — a system used barely anywhere else in the world.
- This doesn’t enhance public safety and causes great hardship to defendants and families. There’s a better way, researchers say. knowmag.org/3W2rNlL
- 👀 On our radar: Scientists also name an overlooked snowdrop growing in the UK and a fruit that tastes like banana and guava. ✍️ Damian Carrington, via The Guardian
- Scientists find that a small amount of animal products could have a place in our diets without wreaking environmental havoc. But it’s far less than what we consume today, and only if farmed in just the right way. ✍️ Bob Holmes knowmag.org/4rk0MYM
