Happy June!
Watching the NBA playoffs? Check out the science behind why tall players are often not great 3-point shooters, and what makes Wemby special. 🏀
Here’s what we’ve got this week:
TRIVIA
Human trivia 🕵️
Which fact is false?
(Explanation at the end!)
ANIMAL FOCUS
Pink river dolphins 🐬🩷
Amazon river dolphins (also called botos) are known for their pink color. Here are some fun facts:
Botos aren’t born pink! They’re born gray but turn pink as they get older. In fact, males are usually pinker than females!
They can turn their heads 90 degrees! Their neck bones aren’t fused like those of ocean dolphins, which gives botos greater flexibility to swim around roots and branches.
They have two kinds of teeth! They have sharp teeth for grabbing fish and flat molars for crushing turtles and crabs. No other dolphin has both kinds of teeth!
They can blush! When they get excited, more blood flows to their skin, which makes them turn brighter pink!
Males love to show off! They pick up sticks, rocks, and grass and wave them around to get attention and impress other botos!
Want more? Visit our website for more, plus why piranhas fear them!
EVER WONDER?
Why do planes leave white lines? ✈️
Those white lines are called contrails (short for condensation trails).
How do they form? ☁️
Contrails are like man-made clouds.
Plane engines release hot, moist air with tiny soot particles from the fuel. When this mixes with the high-altitude cold air, water condenses around the particles and forms tiny droplets and ice crystals.
Contrails only form when the air is cold and humid. Even though planes fly at around 35,000 feet where the air is very cold, contrails only form about 5-10% of the time. Depending on the air, they can last from a few seconds to several hours.
Are they harmful? 🌎
Contrails are not directly harmful, but they do trap heat in the atmosphere and can play a major role in adding to global warming.
PICKS OF THE WEEK
🦑 Can you tell which deep-sea creature is AI-generated?
🐻 Baby animals in Yellowstone!
⌛ How the pyramids survive earthquakes
BRAIN TRIVIA
Logic Puzzle: Four animals are in a jungle talent show. Each animal has a different snack and talent.
Animals: Monkey, Parrot, Tiger, Elephant
Snacks: Bananas, Nuts, Fish, Berries
Talents: Singing, Dancing, Juggling, Painting
Figure out which animal goes with which snack and which talent.
Clues:
The monkey doesn’t like bananas or dance.
The parrot sings but doesn’t eat nuts.
The tiger doesn’t eat fish.
The elephant loves berries.
The juggler eats nuts.
The animal that eats fish is not the monkey.
The elephant paints.
Ami Vitale | The Nature Conservancy
Thanks for reading! See you next week!
- Steve
P.S. In 2019, the average American spent nearly $1000 on clothes! Given inflation, that number has probably increased!
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