Charles Darwin speculated that music is closely related to mating, much like how it’s believed that other animals bellow out their songs to attract mates. However, Michael Spitzer suggests that these may be over-sexualised ideas, and puts forth that music is ‘simply’ a language designed to communicate with other members of our species; animals don’t just sing with the intention of finding a partner, but sing to promote any kind of social bonding. Read full article here
Science
An Eerie Poisonous Fog
If you’re visiting a farm, keep an eye out for an ominous-looking bronze fog. Nitrogen tetroxide, a red-orange gas, is made by certain bacteria during fermentation when oxygen is lacking in the crop. The lack of oxygen causes the bacteria to use the nitrate within the crops, which then produces nitrogen tetroxide. Inhalation of the gas is known to cause permanent lung damage or kill people and livestock. To prevent this, farmers have started performing nitrate tests after four weeks of fermentation. Read full article here
Merv
November 30, 2022
