(via Pleated-Jeans)
Tuesday, June 09, 2026
What We've Learned From Twin Studies
When you think about how your life turned out, you might wonder how it happened. How much can you attribute to, or maybe blame on, your family? An awful lot of it. You probably resemble your siblings in appearance, health, temperament, and psychological well-being. But is that because you carry the same genes, or because the same parents raised you? The question of nature vs. nurture has been around for a long time. That's why scientists are so interested in twin studies. Identical twins have the same genes, so there's a factor you can control for. But most twins also have the same environment, too.
However, throughout the 20th century, scientists have been able to study the phenomena of twins raised separately, which opened a new door to answering the question of nature vs. nurture. From these studies, it turns out that genetics has more say in some factors, while environment is more important for other facets of life. This video from AsapSCIENCE shares some of the findings of those studies, but it doesn't address the disturbing scenario that made them possible. Why have there been so many identical twins raised apart? It's already a tragedy when a child cannot be raised by their biological parents, but being separated from your identical twin only adds more unnecessary trauma. How does finding that out later in life affect the studies?
There's a skippable ad from 7:49 to 9:36. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Once In A Lifetime: Isolated Vocals
"Once in a Lifetime" by The Talking Heads with just David Byrne and the chorus, without any musical instruments, sounds like the depraved rantings of a lunatic mind. (via Dangerous Minds)
Monday, June 08, 2026
Six Ways America Feels Like a Movie
Most Americans assume that the way things are in America is normal. Yeah, it's normal to us. Every country has its own customs and flavors, but what makes America different is that the rest of the world gets to see the way we do things in the movies. Sure, there are foreign films, but the majority of what the world sees is cinematic America, which is different from any other place. And that's what made Laurence Brown dream of visiting America when he was a child. Now he's an American citizen who's lived here for 18 years. And he still has those moments when the movies of his childhood come alive for him here. This video has a skippable ad from 3:30 to 5:02.
US Military Food
Today's US military is an all-volunteer force, and they spend most of their time on military bases. These young, strong people eat a lot of food. To attract and retain them, base food is plentiful and pretty good. There are plenty of options, and experts are always trying to improve both nutrition and quality.
The story is different for wartime. From the beginning, the nation grappled with the difficulties of procuring, paying for, and delivering food to its troops in the field. There was no refrigeration, and preservation was hit-or-miss. but behind the scenes, there were those trying to solve the problem, because an army travels on its stomach. They developed C-rations, K-rations, and ultimately MREs. All of those work under the idea that hunger makes everything taste better. Weird History Food takes us through the evolution of military food in the United States.
Rolling in the Deep Fried
Taco Bell food has a reputation, deserved or not, for running right through you. It's never happened to me, but then again I have never been able to eat a whole bag of their food. But that's what happens in this parody version of Adele's "Rolling in the Deep." Not that Taco Bell deep fries their food, no, they rely on mini-ovens to melt that cheese. But it works with the title.
This is the first offering from Dustin Ballard of There I Ruined It in three months, since YouTube put him in a time-out over some copyright kerfluffle. The song isn't AI-generated. He wrote and sang it, then ran it through an AI filter to make him sound like Adele. His band is working on a way to present it live at their Austin and Houston shows this summer.
Miss Cellania's Links
The 100 Greatest Bird Names of All Time. They didn't ask for these titles. (via Nag on the Lake)
DuPont vs. the Phantom Airborne Saboteurs. Did the Germans infiltrate the US to bomb gunpowder factories? (via Strange Company)
Getting disability benefits got harder after the Social Security Administration’s staff was slashed and program rules were changed by Trump.
The Beatles Hit John Lennon Called “Meaningless” That Sparked Their Breakup.
Peacock silliness. (via Everlasting Blort)
Gargoyles – Glorious Gruesome Grotesques.
The reality of having a premature baby.
We analyzed paper money printed by Ben Franklin to uncover his anti‑counterfeiting techniques and materials innovations.
Why Are There No Mosquitoes at Disney World?
The worst mosquito tourist experience I know is Roanoke Island in North Carolina, and the best is at Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. But when you go to Disney World in Orlando, you're too busy having fun to notice the lack of mosquitoes. The theme park is built on a swamp in Florida, so what gives? The truth is that Disney goes to great lengths to control the mosquito population. Rob Plays explains how that happens.
Hand Dryers
When there's no paper towels, I am most liable to dry my hands on my jeans. This comic is from Tommy Siegel. (via Pleated-Jeans)
Sunday, June 07, 2026
One Man Band
Three Dog Night released "One Man Band" in 1970. I seemed like a strange title for a band that had seven members, including three singers. This performance is from the BBC series In Concert in 1972.
Moose Calf Rescued on the Highway
A mother moose in British Columbia could cross a highway barrier, but her twin calves couldn't. Traffic stopped for the drama, but what could anyone do? Approaching a full-grown moose, especially a protective mother, is dangerous. One calf made the leap, leaving his brother behind. Finally, when the mother was off the highway, people could approach the stranded youngster. While others surrounded the calf, Duane Hogberg was able to lift him over and carry him to the other side of the road.
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