It's time for "Nerd News," covering the most important news for your brain.  Here's a quick rundown of this week in science . . . 1.  We hit an asteroid with a satellite on Monday to see if we could change its orbit, and the whole thing was streamed live.  NASA also released new photos of it yesterday taken by Hubble and the James Webb telescope. 2.  In canine news:  A study found your dog can tell you're stressed out without even seeing or hearing you.  They can smell stress on people. 3.  In climate news:  All the CO2 we've pumped out is making trees grow bigger. 4.  In tech [...]

Let's be honest, we have all looked for the cheapest possible option of something . . . and then, months later, when that piece of junk breaks, we say, "they don't make things like they used to." In a survey, the average American says they'd pay 108% more than the listed price . . . or DOUBLE the cost . . . if they knew it would last at least 20 years. 63% of people say they've regretted purchasing a cheaper product. People were asked which things they'd pay more for, if they could reliably "last forever" . . . or [...]

It's time for "Nerd News," covering the most important news for your brain. Here's a quick rundown of this week in science . . . 1.  How many ants would you guess there are in the world?  Whatever you're thinking, it's more.  A study in Germany put the number at 20 QUADRILLION ants.  That's 20,000 trillion, or about 2.5 million ants for every human. 2.  In space news:  The James Webb telescope took a wild picture of Neptune . . . and NASA released audio of a meteorite crashing into Mars.  It's the first audio recording of something hitting another planet. 3.  Speaking of crashing into [...]

An annual study found the happiest states in the U.S. in 2022. All 50 states were ranked based on 30 different metrics, including stuff like:  Emotional and physical health . . . career satisfaction . . . unemployment . . . life expectancy . . . depression . . . sleep . . . and weather. The 10 happiest states in the U.S. are:  Hawaii . . . Maryland . . . Minnesota . . . Utah . . . New Jersey . . . Idaho . . . California . . . Illinois . . . Nebraska . . . [...]

We all know things like thunderstorms and fireworks have a tendency to scare our pets.  But here are six common everyday things that can also do it . . . 1.  Changes in routine.  Like if you're going on vacation or hosting a party. 2.  Moving furniture. 3.  Noisy appliances.  Such as the vacuum or blender. 4.  Insects. 5.  Loud voices.  You don't have to be yelling AT your pet to freak them out . . . it could be something as simple as rooting for your team while watching the game on TV. 6.  Unfamiliar objects.  Remember when everyone was scaring their [...]

A lot of fast food chains tease us by taking away menu items . . . and making others only available for a "limited time" . . . for hype and publicity.  But THIS was unexpected. McDonald's is bringing back a menu item after more than 30 YEARS, which sounds exciting . . . except that it's a cheese Danish. They're being described as "a flaky pastry, filled with sweet cream cheese and topped with a buttery streusel and light vanilla drizzle." McDonald's says it's a "fresh take" on a similar pastry they had back in the '80s, so it isn't [...]

It's time for "Nerd News," covering the most important news for your brain. Here's a quick rundown of this week in science . . . 1.  The Artemis 1 moon mission launch got postponed Monday.  They said a faulty sensor may have been to blame.  They're planning to try again tomorrow. 2.  Footage of a crazy rainbow cloud in China went viral.  If you haven't seen it, it almost looks fake, but it's not. Here's the science behind it . . . It's called a pileus cloud or "scarf cloud."  Basically, a wispy cloud forms above a cumulus cloud.  Then light gets diffracted by tiny [...]

You know your pilot's done screwing around when he pulls out his "Dad halfway to Myrtle Beach" voice... A Southwest pilot got on the intercom . . . and threatened to TURN THE PLANE AROUND if passengers didn't stop acting like idiots.  It happened last week on a flight from Houston to Cabo San Lucas. He was specifically addressing the person . . . or people . . . who wouldn't stop sending other passengers NAKED PHOTOS over AirDrop. They were still on the tarmac, so he threatened to turn around . . . go back to the gate . . [...]

Do you ever leave music on for your dog to keep them company while you're gone, or maybe put on a TV show?  Well, turns out you might just be wasting electricity . . . A new study looked at how dogs behaved when their owners played music and audiobooks while they were gone.  And in general, it didn't make a big difference. If music helped, it was only a little.  And audiobooks had NO effect. The study involved 82 different dogs.  Some sat in silence . . . some listened to Mozart . . . and others listened to the [...]

If you can't study without listening to music, that's actually a GOOD thing . . . and it doesn't seem to matter what you're listening to. A new survey looked into the connection between music and study habits, and it found that students who play music were more likely to have a GPA above 3.2. There are several reasons why.  Some say music is "therapeutic," while others say listening helps them focus better and absorb the information more.  And 81% of those who listen to music say it just makes studying more fun. 31% of people say they like listening to [...]