Celestial science and earthly desires

While I wonder how the new Batman animated series is going to turn out, let’s get you caught up on the latest science and innovation stories to expand your mind.

In today’s daily dispatch there’s celestial science, earthly desires, the pitfalls of biomechanics, and, of course, more news about orangutan teenagers. It’s Inverse Daily. I’m Nick Lucchesi, an editor here at Inverse. Thanks so much for being with us. (If you have any suggestions for how to make this morning digest better, please send an email to newsletter@inverse.com.)

This is an adapted version of the Inverse Daily newsletter for May 20, 2021. Subscribe for free and earn rewards for reading every day in your inbox.

China’s ambitious space station plans — The Tiangong station represents the third phase of China’s crewed space program. Where is the space station? How long will it be under construction? And why is it being built? Here's your complete guide by Dave Gershgorn:

Read the full story on China’s big plans.

Be sure to read these stories, too:

• SpaceX Starship: Map and schedule for Elon Musk’s ambitious orbital flight
• The Sun just burped out an explosive space weather event — look
• We only have one hour to avert this space catastrophe

What men and women actually want — Researchers looked at the data of 7,325 Australian men and women on internet dating sites and asked daters about what they found sexy in a potential mate. Sophie Putka has the story.

Some 7,300 people can’t be wrong — can they? See the full story.

Here’s more on the science of dating and love:

• Can travel romances last? These “digital nomads” describe the highs and lows
• Can love be genetic? Science explains what Netflix gets wrong
• A dystopian love simulation could prove you're with the right person

The cost of robotic augmentation — Research for University College London reveals a dark side to human augmentation that could alter how the brain understands our bodies. Sarah Wells has this report.

Read the full report here.

These stories are also worth a click:

• Dead Sea Scrolls: A.I. reveals the hidden author of a crucial Bible text
• Why A.I. knows who you find attractive better than you do
• The secret to super smart A.I. may be hidden inside an Atari cartridge

Orangutan teenagers — A new study shows human teens and young orangutans share a key component of how they learn — by copying older role models of the same sex. Jenn Walter has a captivating card story.

See the full gallery.

More monkeying around:

• Counterintuitive study reveals one strange result of human evolution
• Part-human, part-monkey: welcome science's newest chimera embryos
• Why do animals play? Science explains a longstanding mystery

That does it for today’s edition! Thanks y’all.

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• Before we go, happy birthday (🎂) to these folks: Cher (75), Tony Stewart (50), Timothy Olyphant (53), Louis Theroux (51), Busta Rhymes (49). (Source: AP.)