Inverse Daily: Big Nut Eyes Fertility Research
We still don’t know exactly what’s causing that dip in sperm quality, but the international nut industry is arguing that 60 grams of nuts per day will solve a myriad of sexual woes.
What’s poppin, Inverse Daily fam? If you haven’t seen the bewilderingly weird “bigger than before” egg craft video yet, give it a watch, then join me on a deep dive into today’s news.
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INVERSE QUOTE OF THE DAY
“That’s one small step for a man.”
— Neil Armstrong, in the official quotation transcribed by NASA during the historic moon landing in 1969. Weird, right?
Hole Lotta Money
Elon Musk’s big plan to drill big tunnels under big cities has been a hard sell. Even though the Boring Company’s tunnels have the potential to alleviate traffic in very congested places and provide a blazing-fast throughway between distant cities, many lawmakers have been unsure how to implement it. Virginia’s head of rail transport dismissed the project as “a car in a very small tunnel.”
In February, the Boring Company’s talks with New York City were shut down because issues with ventilation, emergency responses, and existing infrastructure couldn’t be resolved. Other cities have likewise been unimpressed. Nevertheless, reports Mike Brown, the company has announced that it’s raised $120 million in its first outside investment, putting its value at around $920 million.
Find out where the Boring Company’s headed with all its newfound cash.
The more you know:
Lust for Nuts
Nope, there’s absolutely nothing funny about a study named FERTINUTS that’s funded by the International Nut and Dried Fruit Council and is meant to show that eating nuts can improve male sex lives. No sir, not funny at all. Data from this study recently formed the basis of a new paper, which shows that eating 60 grams of nuts per day is associated with higher self-reported sexual desire and better orgasms among men. Biologically, the link remains a mystery.
Attempting to link nuts and sex may seem like an odd venture, Emma Betuel tells me, but it’s all part of a greater idea that diet has serious impacts on reproductive health. In many nations, male sperm quality is sharply declining, and one explanation pins blame on the western-style diet, packed with fatty, processed foods. Big Nut continues to fund fertility studies and seems to hope that a nut-filled diet might reverse the trend.
Learn why nuts are suspected to be good for male fertility.
The more you know:
Shades of Green
Those of you who got some nature time this past weekend might feel better than you usually do on a Monday morning. More and more studies are showing that exposure to nature is good for your mental health (I think of it as “washing my eyeballs”), but as Sarah Sloat reports, some types of green spaces might be more helpful for your brain than others.
Green space comes in many shades, like local gardens, far-off nature preserves, and patches of sidewalk grass. As Australian scientists recently found, seeing trees is what seems to count: Exposure to 30 percent or more total green space and tree canopy, they say, is associated with lower incidence of psychological distress, but being around only low-lying vegetation is not.
Discover the best options for greening your mind.
The more you know:
Sleep Smarter
Does your spouse or significant other make jokes about how you’re always sawing wood at night? If you haven’t been diagnosed with sleep apnea, this might be your solution.
Meet Smart Nora:
- Smart Nora works for side sleepers and back sleepers alike.
- Smart Nora’s pillow insert is designed to work with firm, soft, thin, and puffy pillows.
Super Loopers
Hyperloops are increasingly looking a viable option for future rapid, long-distance travel, but there’s one big problem: They only work on some types of terrain. Long, potentially solar-powered, vacuum-sealed tubes meant to house pods zipping back and forth wouldn’t exactly do well cutting through mountains or swamps. Some landscapes are best left to planes and cars.
Some think that a public hyperloop track could be create a seamless switch between other modes of transportation, much like the Channel Tunnel between the UK and France loads cars onto a giant train that then zips through the tunnel, says Mike Brown. Despite criticism about whether hyperloop tunnels can stay vacuum-sealed, one industry expert believes we can see a public hyperloop project in fewer than eight years.
Find out where the first one is most likely to pop up.
The more you know:
Mealtime Myths
A common refrain among intermittent fasting and diet enthusiasts is that fasting is “natural.” As the argument goes, ancient humans went long stretches without food, and so the human body has evolved to cope with fasting. Sounds like a fair point, but as science writer Ali Pattillo reports, those assumptions about our ancestors are simply untrue. As one food historian told her: “There were good days and bad days, but for the most part, people had more choice and security than we think.”
One thing is clear: Our ancestors consumed fewer calories in general, and those came from whole foods, not processed ones. A paleoanthropologist suggests dieters ask themselves two questions: Just because eating less is a dietary practice of our ancestors, does it mean that it was beneficial? And is it something we should return to because it would be good for us today?
Read up on one expert’s argument that dieting is eerily similar to religion.
The more you know:
Today’s Good Thing
Because life on this planet is only going to get better if we try to make it better, each day I’ll be presenting One Good Thing humans are doing to create positive change.
Today, that’s the collaboration between UK band The 1975 and Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old environmental activist known for her powerful speeches to international politicians. In a deeply moving song called “The 1975,” Thunberg urges listeners: “It’s time to rebel.” All proceeds from the single will go to Extinction Rebellion, a prominent environmental activist group.
Meanwhile …
- Behold, the mystery surrounding the July 31 “Black Moon.”
- Here’s how the ending of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood swerves from what actually happened on the night of August 8, 1969.
- Sunday Scaries: Learn how to work on mental toughness all the time, from an Ironman champ.
- Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker leak teases a big twist to Rey’s backstory.
- The benefits of owning a pet could vastly improve your life in four key areas.
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Thanks for reading, gang! Thoughts on whether dieting has replaced humanity’s need for religion? Let me know what you think at yasmin@inverse.com.
If it brings me to my knees, it’s a bad religion,
— Yasmin
