Surprising Science — March 7, 2014

You Are a “Planet Earth” for Microbes

Think you’re human? Think again. You’re more microbe than human according to this animated video by NPR. Before any germaphobes jump into a bath of sanitizerknow that the kingdoms of germs that cover our bodies are good for us. Without them, we would get sick. Microbes also help us regulate our bodily functions.

Watch this video from It’s Okay to Be Smart about your countless microbes and make peace with being a host:

Image credit: Filter Forge/Flickr

A woman with a blue lightning bolt in her face.

Neuropsych

The faulty weathermen of the mind

Could a theory from the science of perception help crack the mysteries of psychosis?

An artist's rendering of an alien planet and a red star.

13.8

New JWST results show we’re on a path to finding alien life

Within the next few decades, we may well have hard evidence for the existence of alien life on worlds light-years distant from Earth.

Business

5 key areas where generative AI can help dissolve business roadblocks

We used to think, "That email isn’t going to write itself." But now it can, thanks to AI. And there's so much more, from coding to marketing.

The Past

Here’s what it was like to live in ancient Rome

Historians have been able to piece together a clear picture of how the average Roman citizen spent their waking hours.

A man in a cowboy hat holding a chicken in a basket.

Health

Where’s the beef? Middle-aged, American men ate all of it

Just 12% of Americans account for half the country's total beef consumption.

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