PSC Daily_05.31.26

Featured today:
🐦 These birds navigate with their livers
🥸 FDA-approved eyedrops fix farsightedness
⚠️ Study finds major issues with majority of U.S. sunscreens

💫 The Sunday catch-up: Why some power lines have giant orange balls

Our eyes are unlike those of any other animal on Earth—and they just might allow us to do something no other species can.

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NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope spotted a star reminiscent of the “second star to the right, and straight on ‘til morning,” needed to get to Peter Pan’s Neverland. ESO 490-017 is a dwarf irregular galaxy about 12,000 light-years across. It’s about 23 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Canis Major.

The red, orange, and beige dots in Hubble’s image are distant galaxies, many of which have a distinct spiral structure. ESO 490-017 has a low surface brightness which makes it look a bit like a faint and starry swarm behind the brighter, spiky stars in the foreground. -Laura Baisas, news editor

Test your knowledge of the latest science stories. 🤔

1️⃣ Kisspeptin and dynorphin can have an effect on hot flashes. What are they?
♨️ hormones
♨️ neurotransmitters
♨️ nerve cells
♨️ sweat glands
Find the answer in this story.

2️⃣ Near which of these places are orange balls most likely to be affixed to power lines?
🏀 airports
🏀 hospitals
🏀 mountains
🏀 residential areas
Find the answer in this story.

3️⃣ What does the phallic fungus Mutinus elegans smell like?
👃 rotting flesh
👃 rotting fruit
👃 rotting meat
👃 any of the above, depending on the day
Find the answer in this story.

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One dose is reportedly effective for 10 hours.

Without these cells, they may run, er, fly into trouble.

They’re under $100 currently at Walmart.

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This week we asked: What’s the youngest animal you’ve ever seen?

KK told us:

As the director of a preschool, I kept two gerbils in my office, sort of school mascots, named Mike and Ike. One morning as the parents and children came in to visit the gerbils on their way to class, they informed me that Mike, apparently actually Michele, was giving birth, and we watched as several more babies were born. Super tiny and cute, very exciting for the kids, the moms, and myself!

Thanks to everyone who wrote in.

☀️ Few U.S. sunscreens meet safety standards, study claims
😄 The science behind saying cheese in photos
🦠 Why fermented foods have real health benefits

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1️⃣ Kisspeptin and dynorphin can have an effect on hot flashes. What are they?
♨️ neurotransmitters

2️⃣ Near which of these places are orange balls most likely to be affixed to power lines?
🏀 airports

3️⃣ What does the phallic fungus Mutinus elegans smell like?
👃 rotting meat

👋 Today’s newsletter was produced by Cole Paxton

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