Look up!
Photo by Benjamin Voros
Some wonderbringers for me this week:
Coffee's real benefit may have been discovered: A mountain of population studies link coffee to longer, healthier lives, and researchers at Texas A&M have discovered a possible source (and it isn’t caffeine). It turns out that the polyphenols in regular brewed coffee interact with a receptor called NR4A1, a protein that protects normal cells under stress but gets hijacked to fuel growth in some cancer cells. These same compounds appear to support NR4A1's protective role in healthy cells while blocking its cancer-promoting role in tumour cells. So have that second (or third) cup!
The mystery hum, half-solved: For decades, 2-4% of people worldwide have been tormented by a low droning sound with no visible source. “The Hum”, that is audible to those afflicted but silent to everyone else, was initially thought to be sound waves from sources like traffic, wind turbines, or ocean waves picked up by hyper-sensitive ears. New research suggests the explanation isn't out there at all, but inside the ear itself. It appears to be a rare, low-frequency form of tinnitus.
A rare double bill in the sky: The annual Perseids meteor shower began July 14th and will peak on the nights of August 11-13th. But this year the peak occurs under a brand new moon, meaning close to zero moonlight and some of the darkest skies going, with rates approaching 100 meteors an hour. Parts of the Arctic, Iceland and Spain get an added treat of a total solar eclipse earlier that same day. Follow the link to learn everything you need to know about the Perseid meteor shower and how to see it.
Wondermaker of the week, Meg Saligman, the artist who turned a derelict bank into six floors of wonder: A well-known Philadelphia public artist bought a vacant 19th-century bank building and transformed it into the "Ministry of Awe". Working with more than 100 local artists across disciplines, the 8,500 square-foot immersive experience blends sculpture, murals, robotics, AI, embroidery, mosaics, and performance art, with visitors themselves often becoming part of the artwork. It’s described as “a bank with no money, where the only currency is the human spirit.” As Saligman explains, “At this bank, we trade in curiosity, imagination, and awe.”
With wonder,
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