This Week I Learned

This week I learned the caveat that makes stressful jobs good for your health, the phrase "Patient Zero" was coined accidentally, exposure to a second language during infancy leaves a permanent impression on the brain, and drought is ruining fall's splendor.

This week I learned fish 'speak' with accents, you can trick your brain into relieving an itch, your fridge is destroying your tomato, P.T. Barnum was the Donald Trump of the 1800s.

This week I learned you're surrounded by radioactive objects, you'd be smart to use your middle initial, the existential origins of the Nobel Prizes, and some suffragettes used martial arts to fight for the right to vote.

This week I learned the wonderful olfactory world of a dog, a sense of humor may extend your life, how to quickly ease feelings of regret, and how the pineapple became a symbol of hospitality.

This week I learned dogs have a problem-solving edge on kids, that your pimply complexion will repay you in old age, a happy spouse improves your health, and your favorite holiday dessert is lying to you.

This week I learned we can stop freaking out about air turbulence, that pigeons have reading skills, why we should all be fidgeting at our desks, and what the shape of our ears affects our hearing.

This week I learned how your favorite TV shows can help your marriage, your nicotine addiction may be all in your head, science behind a small paper cut's big pain, and how to defend yourself against snakebites with fashion.

This week I learned the plus side to baggage fees, a scientific explanation for our love of carbs, that your indoor cat is probably depressed, and a species of coral fish invented a unique and delightful love song.

This week I learned there's a much faster way to sort socks, that the slang word "lit" is a century old, the post office has a floating zip code, and a low-carb diet can make your body odor smell better.

This week I learned some good news for screen addicts, why humans are so hairless, that the Caribbean emits a whistle we can't hear, and that a goat may have helped JFK launch his political career.

This week I learned you can imagine yourself fit, that Olympians are taxed for their medals, that your brain plays a sweet trick on you when you're rejected, and that there are rules for how you pledge the American flag because of Nazis.

This week I learned we very nearly started a nuclear war with the Soviet Union over science, that jewel wasps can turn their prey into zombies, that reading books extends your life, and that the first American woman to win gold in the Olympics never knew she had achieved such a milestone.

This week I learned that night light isn't doing you any favors, that cinnamon may boost your memory, that humpback whales are the superheroes of the sea, and doves have a complicated relationship with the Olympic Games.

This week I learned what stresses out your smartphone battery the most, the mystery behind the most lightening-prone place on Earth, that human speech may have evolved from apes after all, and that more mammals than we realize mourn their dead.

This week I learned the origins of that old Hollywood accent, about the woman who first invented Monopoly, science-backed tips for curing your gnarly garlic breath, and that NASA hires a team of professional sniffers.

This week I learned there's a short-term boost to eating healthy, that dinosaurs didn't roar, that in the 1920s a flood of female mayors were elected into office, and that artificial sweetener may be tricking you into eating more.

This week I learned that gesturing while you talk is good for the mind, about a new and potentially better addressing system, that a poison ivy allergy is a nearly exclusively human affliction, and that Elie Wiesel once reviewed Disneyland.

This week I learn why your dog panics during thunderstorms, about the 'dancing plague' that swept medieval Europe, why monkeys also shed friends in old age, and which Oscar-winning actress almost became an Olympian.

This week's fun and interesting facts include a primer on our zombie genes, how delayed exercise can boost your memory, the brief and tasty history of election cakes, and the science of why onions make us cry.

This Week I Learned is a weekly curation of fun and fascinating scientifically backed and historically based information from the internet. Quick, concise, and infectiously entertaining, This Week I Learned makes learning fun again! Coming soon!