Scientists find something in the ancient universe that’s in all our bones
Plus: How the brain absorbs a comedy vs. a caper.
The old cliché “being one with the universe” is often used to describe how people accept themselves as they are and their history. But a new study gives new meaning to that old saw.
We’re talking about fluorine, and this element connects stars in distant galaxies with what’s in your bones.
We’ve also got stories about a new tech feature that’s finally coming to all Toyotas, the long-awaited, much-hyped Tesla Semi truck, and how different types of stories stick in our brains differently.
It’s brain food. It’s Inverse Daily. I’m Nick Lucchesi. Thanks for being with us!
This is an adapted version of the Inverse Daily newsletter for Wednesday, November 10, 2021. Subscribe for free and earn rewards for reading every day in your inbox. ✉️
An element found in human teeth discovered in a distant galaxy
[By Passant Rabie]
The Carl Sagan quote “we’re made of star stuff” is not only poetic, but also quite accurate. All the elements found in the human body were once forged in the cosmos and can still be found lingering across the expanding universe.
Scientists recently made the most distant discovery of an element commonly found in our bones and teeth. Researchers at the European Southern Observatory detected fluorine in the large clouds of gas of a distant galaxy located 12 billion light-years away, meaning the universe was only about 1.4 billion years old at the time.
The discovery helps scientists understand how fluorine is made amongst the stars and get a better estimate of the lifecycle of ancient stars.
Related:
Toyota Tundra’s most impressive feature is finally coming to all its cars
[By Jordan Golson]
As the ever-expanding iPhone has shown, we love big screens. The bigger the better. I remember when I was a kid and a 27-inch tube TV seemed enormous. Then a friend’s family got a 50-inch projection TV and my mind was blown. Now, I have a 55-inch OLED monster from LG hanging in my bedroom. It’s glorious.
But we also spend a ton of time in our cars, and that’s why it’s such a big deal that Toyota is putting massive screens in all its cars over the next few years. It’s taking the beautiful 14-inch touchscreen from the new 2022 Tundra pickup and taking over the entire Toyota (and Lexus) lineup within three or four years. And none too soon.
The announcement came from an interview with a Toyota Connected North America executive. As with many new car infotainment systems, the Toyota and Lexus cars will have over-the-air updates and cloud connectivity.
Related:
Brain wave study reveals why one type of story can connect people
Tell me a story!
[By Jenn Walter]
Humans are storytellers. Every culture in history has its own legends, myths, and records — and modern people are no exception. But when it comes to remembering the finer details, does the content of a story matter?
A study published in the journal eNeuro on dives into how stories with different emotional overtones are processed in the brains of storytellers and listeners.
Related:
Tesla Semi: Pepsi CEO confirms date of delivery for 100-truck order
Tesla Chairman and CEO Elon Musk unveils the new "Semi" electric Truck for buyers and journalists on November 16, 2017 in Hawthorne, California, near Los Angeles.
[By Mike Brown]
Tesla’s next electric vehicle could soon clean up soda deliveries. This week, PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta told CNBC that his company expects to receive deliveries of the Tesla Semi all-electric truck in the fourth quarter of this year.
Laguarta, speaking from the COP26 climate change summit in Scotland, cited the truck as part of PepsiCo’s plans to cut emissions.
“We’re already starting to buy electric trucks, actually, from Tesla,” Laguarta said. “I don’t want to promote anybody but that’s the brand we’re using so far, and we’re getting our first deliveries this Q4.”
Related:
School children pose in class for a photo with Big Bird of Sesame Street in October 1998 in a Shanghai classroom.
- About the newsletter: Do you think it can be improved? Have a story idea? Want to share a story about the time you met an astronaut? Send those thoughts and more to newsletter@inverse.com.
- Notable birthdays: Ellen Pompeo (52), Sinbad (65), Warren G (51), Eve (43), Tracy Morgan (53). (Source: AP.)
- On this Day: On November 10, 1969, Sesame Street debuted. In the decades since, the warm, silly, sweet, educational program has become a national treasure that still delights and trains young minds today, including that of my kid (she loves Big Bird, of course).
- Song of the Day: “Them Bones” by Alice in Chains.
