Episode #805
News Items
Who's That Noisy
- Answer to last week: Tattoo removal
Science or Fiction
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Item #1
Science
In the first instance of honey bees using a tool, they have been found to deliberately cover their nest entrance with animal feces in order to repel giant hornets. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/12/honeybees-use-tools-dung-repels-giant-hornets/
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Item #2
Fiction
In a new study of canine language ability, dogs demonstrated the ability to differentiate even words that differ by a single phoneme. https://www.sciencealert.com/dogs-may-not-actually-understand-us-as-much-we-think-brain-scans-reveal
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Item #3
Science
In a breakthrough study, a genetic therapy for an inherited mitochondrial eye disorder found that injecting the gene vector into one eye improved vision in both eyes. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2262327-gene-therapy-injected-in-one-eye-can-travel-to-the-other-eye/
Skeptical Quote of the Week.
‘That which parents should take care of (here) is to distinguish between the wants of fancy, and those of nature.’ John Locke, – Some Thoughts Concerning Education, 1693