SCIENCE

Image via The Guardian.

Why it's time for brain science to ditch the 'Venus and Mars' cliché. "As hardy perennials go, there is little to beat that science hacks' favourite: the hard-wiring of male and female brains. For more than 30 years, I have seen a stream of tales about gender differences in brain structure under headlines that assure me that from birth men are innately more rational and better at map-reading than women, who are emotional, empathetic multi-taskers, useless at telling jokes. I am from Mars, apparently, while the ladies in my life are from Venus." Read full article in The Guardian. E.T.P. 7'

Photo via Gizmodo.

Genetically modified bees can make concrete instead of honey? Apparently so. "Spiders, silkworms, and honeybees are already 3D printers—and bioengineering is rapidly making that more than just a poetic metaphor. These creatures are organic examples of depositional manufacturing, and they have been domesticated and used throughout human history for specific creative ends". Read full article in Gizmodo. E.T.P. 15'

SCIENCE

Photo via The Independent.

A new end of the world? Ucranian astronomers discover a 1,300 ft asteroid that might impact with Earth in 2032 with a force 50 times greater than the biggest ever nuclear bomb. With a chance of collision of 1 in 63,000, asteroid TV135 is going to be added to NASA's Torino scale for risky near Earth objects. Read full article in The Independent. E.T.P.: 1'12''.

Photo: Lwp Kommunikáció/Flickr via Futurity.

As humans live longer, number of endangered animals grow. Human life expectancy is a determining factor for the life expectancy of endangered birds and mammals and “it’s not a random pattern,” says lead author Aaron Lotz, a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology at the University of California. Read this article in Futurity. E.T.P.: 3'40''