LINKS - October 4th, 2023
Welcome to LINKS — my attempt to provide Rhapsody readers with five interesting stories that tell us something about what it means to be human. LINKS is published every Wednesday. Have a link you want to share? Drop it in the comments.
A Crucial Ingredient for Life Is Bubbling Up on Europa
“In recent years, Europa has emerged as a prime target for that search because it is overflowing with water. Beneath its frozen surface, Europa has a balmy, globe-spanning ocean that may contain more than twice the liquid in Earth’s oceans combined. Life cannot get by with water alone, however; it also needs carbon. Now research suggests that Europa’s ocean has that, too, in the form of carbon dioxide, aka CO2, aka the stuff of Pepsi bubbles.”
Life in the Age of Apology
By Tara Denneny, Psychology Today
“More and more in this day and age, we seem to scroll through public apology videos and statements from celebrities and influencers on our various social media timelines. A study published in 2015 in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology explains how the dramatic increase in public apologies might be diminishing the effectiveness and promotion of forgiveness in them.”
Salt Taste Is Surprisingly Mysterious
By Amber Dance, Knowable Magazine
“Exactly how our taste buds sense the two kinds of saltiness is a mystery that’s taken some 40 years of scientific inquiry to unravel, and researchers haven’t solved all the details yet. In fact, the more they look at salt sensation, the weirder it gets.”
Forces of Fitness: Meet 6 Women Changing The Industry For The Better
By Jacqueline Andriakos & Amanda Lucci, Women’s Health
“Indeed, there’s recently been a shift in people’s ‘why’ when it comes to exercising: Stress relief and mental health are now the top two reasons people sweat, according to a report from Mindbody, a workout scheduling platform. ‘Now we think, What does it mean to be fit in multiple areas of my life?’ Gunter says. ‘If you see people who hold different identities walking journeys similar to yours, it expands your idea of what fitness and community looks like.’”
This is what Earth’s continents will look like in 250 million years
By Jonathan O'Callaghan, Nature
“Earth is currently thought to be in the middle of a supercontinent cycle as its present-day continents drift. The last supercontinent, Pangaea, broke apart about 200 million years ago. The next, dubbed Pangaea Ultima, is expected to form at the equator in about 250 million years, as the Atlantic Ocean shrinks and a merged Afro-Eurasian continent crashes into the Americas.”