MUSIC IS GETTING GRUMPIER - HERE’S THE PROOF

ARTS

MUSIC IS GETTING GRUMPIER - HERE’S THE PROOF

Over the past 40 years of music, researchers found a sharp increase in the rates of angry and self-obsessed lyrics.

Words like “me” and “mine” are much more common in songs after 2020 than in songs before 1980 - repetitive lyrics featuring sadness and rage rose as well.

WHY IT MATTERS?

• This increase coincides with rises in clinical depression and social anxiety.

• Every genre of music was found to have become angrier - but rap/pop music led the way in crankiness.

GO DEEPER: Read more here

SCIENCE

HOW SMART WAS THE T-REX?

Shocking evidence previously suggested that a T-Rex may have been intelligent enough to sharpen tools and develop primitive culture because of the quantity of neurons in its brain.

While the T-Rex did indeed have a massive brain, researchers have now found that its cognitive function was probably limited to basic survival skills and lacked the brain power of a primate.

THE ANSWER: Probably dumber than a monkey, but maybe smarter than a crocodile.

GO DEEPER: Read more here

SCIENCE

NEW AI KNOWS HOW DELICIOUS A YAM WILL BE

Illinois researchers are giving their AI models a new challenge - picking out delicious and disgusting sweet potatoes.

The study found that AI was remarkably effective at determining the taste of a yam by using a hyperspectral camera, proving superior to traditional quality control methods.

WHY IT MATTERS?

• Accurately predicting the quality of a particular vegetable is critical for maximizing crop yields during harvest season.

• If AI can improve crop selection, it could relieve millions of people from starvation.

GO DEEPER: Read more here

QUICK HITS:

• This highly rare genetic variant might be a determinant of left-handedness

• The modern “Paleo Diet” looks almost nothing like what hunter-gatherers actually ate. See why here

• This cat was mistakenly shipped as an Amazon return from Utah to California. Watch her wild journey here

BOOK OF THE WEEK: The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

Anxiety has skyrocketed among people under the age of 30, particularly among young girls, and researchers have struggled to answer why

In this important new book, Jonathan Haidt reveals just how harmful the proliferation of social media has become for the mental health of America’s youth.

GET IT HERE