Happy belated Mother’s day!
Here’s what we’ve got this week:
TRIVIA
Alaska-sized? 🏴
Which of these has NOT been grown in Alaska?
(Explanation at the end!)
ANIMAL FOCUS
Aardvarks: an unlikely hero 🐕🐽
Their teeth are made of tubes! Aardvark teeth are made of thousands of tiny tubes shaped like hexagons. They don’t have enamel, and their teeth grow their whole lives! 🦷
They have amazing noses! Aardvarks can smell ants and termites hiding several feet underground. Their snouts have more bones than any other mammal, which gives them a sense of smell even stronger than a dog’s! 🐽
They’re elite diggers! With strong legs and shovel-like claws, aardvarks can dig faster than a person with a shovel. They can dig a whole burrow in minutes, and some burrows stretch more than 30 feet long! 🔨
Other animals need them! Aardvarks are a keystone species, which means many animals depend on them. Warthogs, porcupines, hyenas, pangolins, and even small antelope use their burrows for shelter and to stay cool! 🐷
They barely use their eyes! Aardvarks can only see blurry shapes, and bright light hurts their eyes. Instead, they’re active at night and use smell, hearing, and their whiskers to get around. 🕶️
Right image: Aardvark teeth
EVER WONDER?
Why do we dream? 🛏️
Why do we dream? 🌙
Most dreams happen during REM sleep, when your brain is almost as active as when you’re awake. Your brainstem helps your body enter REM, and your forebrain creates the dreams. Dreams mostly come from your memories and imagination.
Why do we dream? 💭
Scientists have a few ideas:
Handling emotions: During REM sleep, the thinking parts of your brain quiet down while the emotional parts stay active. This can make dreams feel strong or intense.
Saving memories: Dreams may help move memories from short-term to long-term storage.
Practicing challenges: Some scientists think dreams let us rehearse scary or tricky situations safely, like being chased or falling.
Why are dreams so weird? 🤔
During REM sleep:
Chemicals that activate your brain (like acetylcholine and dopamine) go up, making dreams more active and creative.
Chemicals that keep you alert (like histamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine) go down, so you’re less aware of the real world.
Do dreams mean anything? 🔍
People have tried to interpret dreams for decades, but there’s no proven system. Dream meanings are personal and different for everyone.
PICKS OF THE WEEK
BRAIN TRIVIA
Sudoku: each 3×3 grid and each row should contain the numbers 1-9 with no repeats.
Kavan Chay | Milky Way Photographer of the Year 2026
Thanks for reading! See you next week!
- Steve
P.S. Alaska’s long summer days and nutrient-rich soils have helped produce some giant vegetables, including a record 2,051-pound pumpkin, a 138-pound cabbage, and a nearly 6-foot-long carrot! (The biggest broccoli was only 35 pounds.)