Episode #708
News Items
Who's That Noisy
- Answer to last week: Seizure
Science or Fiction
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Item #1
Fiction
Ostracods, having survived from the Cambrian to modern times, are the single most common fossil in the fossil record. https://medium.com/@plotnick/the-most-common-fossil-2f893db74f2b
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Item #2
Science
Ostracods have unusually large gametes, with sperm 20 times bigger than human sperm, and up to 16 times longer than the ostracods themselves. https://www.nature.com/news/giant-sperm-found-in-crustacean-fossils-1.15218
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Item #3
Science
Some species of ostracods have bioluminescent saliva, that was used by Japanese soldiers during World War 2 to read maps and correspondence. https://www.hakaimagazine.com/features/secret-history-bioluminescence/
Skeptical Quote of the Week.
‘Don’t be afraid of hard work. Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Don’t let others discourage you or tell you that you can’t do it. In my day I was told women didn’t go into chemistry. I saw no reason why we couldn’t.’ — Gertrude B. Elion, shared the 1988 Nobel Prize for Medicine