I'm a bit wary with making correlations between intelligence and some other variable as if to say that people who have no inclination to engage or to participate in a certain activity are less intelligent. 

While this new study suggests that there may be a link between more intelligent individuals and their musical preference, particularly instrumental music, the basis for such is somewhat suspect.

According to researchers, the reason intelligence evolved is so that humans could adapt to new methods, techniques, and other types of innovation. People with a higher IQ prefer to experience the novel. So, they designed this study to parse through different variables of intelligence in relation to musical preferences.

“From the perspective of evolutionary psychology, intelligence can only predict differences in the preference for instrumental music. Individuals with higher intelligence test scores are more likely to prefer predominantly instrumental music styles, but there are no differences in the preference for predominantly vocal or vocal-instrumental music that can be predicted with intelligence test scores,” Racevska told PsyPost.

The researchers also found that participants used different genres of music for different reasons. For example, those who reported using music cognitively, such as finding enjoyment in analyzing compositions or admiring musical technique, tended to be more fond of instrumental music.

Despite these findings, there were some limitations to the research. As I have said, many factors are involved in determining a person's musical preferences. It doesn't necessarily mean that there is causality between these two variables. 

A person's musical preference does not determine their intelligence or vice versa. It only states that there is a tendency for highly intelligent people to prefer certain genres of music.

The study can be found here.

(Image credit: Mohammad Metri/Unsplash)

There was a theory that a long time ago, a volcano exploded on Mars. Though Mars has no active volcanoes today, scientists hypothesize that such was not the case during the early days of Mars and there are some evidences which could point to a huge volcanic explosion occurring on Mars' surface.

From Mars' volcanic activity, some remnants might have lingered including the recently discovered mineral deposit near the landing site for NASA's next Mars rover. Scientists say these might be volcanic ash.

“This is one of the most tangible pieces of evidence yet for the idea that explosive volcanism was more common on early Mars,” said Christopher Kremer, a graduate student at Brown University who led the work. “Understanding how important explosive volcanism was on early Mars is ultimately important for understand the water budget in Martian magma, groundwater abundance and the thickness of the atmosphere.”

(Image credit: NASA)

For anybody who has watched all six episodes of the final season of Game of Thrones, we're all probably thinking the same thing, what in the world was all that?

With so many things that happened in the series finale, we might be swirling in a lot of questions about contradictions within the plot, the character development, and the direction that the show took. So just to sum up almost every unanswered question from season 8, here is a list at Vox about which we can ponder.

(Image credit: Helen Sloan/HBO; IMDb)

Creating nanomaterials called metal-organic frameworks through the traditional process is a tedious and expensive procedure which could also cause damage to the environment. However, these nanomaterials are some of the most versatile and durable so we cannot eliminate or stop its production.

So researchers designed a new method of producing these MOFs through sound waves.

During the standard production process, solvents and other contaminants become trapped in the MOF's holes. To flush them out, scientists use a combination of vacuum and high temperatures or harmful chemical solvents in a process called "activation".

In their novel technique, RMIT researchers used a microchip to produce high-frequency sound waves. Using the sound waves to arrange and link these elements together, the researchers were able to create a highly ordered and porous network, while simultaneously "activating" the MOF by pushing out the solvents from the holes.

(Image credit: RMIT University)

Robots can be programmed to do a variety of things and this new one developed by researchers at Fraunhofer IPA not only helps with doing tasks but they can also interact with humans through voice and text. They say that MobiKa could be most useful for elderly people to assist them with daily activities.

"MobiKa is a service robot for use at home or in care facilities, which is currently available as a prototype," Graf explained. "The robot consists of a mobile, wheel-driven platform and a slim height-adjustable tablet on top. Using navigation software developed here at Fraunhofer IPA, MobiKa moves safely and autonomously to a given destination."

-via Phys.org

(Image credit: Fraunhoper IPA)

Tests conducted by researchers from Korea and Australia might have found the reason why we develop allergies in the gut microbiome. It has been suggested that the production of immunoglobulin E (IgE) which causes allergic reactions could be linked with the type of diet infants eat.

In the experiment, they tested two groups of mice. One group was fed normal food while the second was placed on a special diet which does not trigger the immune system. They surmised that the introduction of normal food could be the cause of the development of allergic reactions.

(Image credit: Academy of Immunology and Microbiology, Institute for Basic Science, Pohang, Republic of Korea)

via Phys.org

A lot of research has been conducted to see the viability of sending humans to make settlements in space. There are a few essentials that need to be taken into consideration. Food will be the most critical however, at the moment, we don't have the technology to produce a variety of food in space. So that's where NASA's experiment comes in.

Past food experiments on the International Space Station used seed bags (also called pillows) that receive water from syringes, which astronauts push into the bags. While this water is enough for lettuce to grow, tomatoes and similar crops use more water.

The new method lets astronauts cultivate romaine lettuce seeds in 12 passive orbital nutrient delivery systems (PONDS). PONDS units are less expensive than the seed bags and can hold more water, while providing more room for roots to grow.

(Image credit: David Saint-Jacques/NASA)

Based on an ancient practice of preservation, storing your food in ceramic pots filled with some sand and water will keep them cold without having to put them in a refrigerator. You can save up on your bills and help the environment at the same time. More than that, your food stays fresh and organic.

In some parts of the world, this clay pot cooler is called a zeer, and its sustainable, inexpensive design is far from new. People in the Middle East and Africa have long used similar contraptions to keep food from spoiling in hot, dry climates.

Check out Ilana E. Strauss's article on Popular Science to find out the other steps to make this DIY non-electric cooler.

(Image credit: Elaine Casap/Unsplash)

Plastic takes too long to decay and break down into its basic components. There's too much plastic waste in our oceans and environment which has done a lot of damage to wildlife and ecosystems. But we might find our saving grace in microbes that can eat plastic.

In new research, an international team of scientists studied how microbial communities build up on ocean-polluting plastics and contribute to their degradation – a natural biological mechanism we might be able to exploit, if we can learn to understand it better.

"Abiotic degradation precedes and stimulates biodegradation since carbonyl groups are generated on the [plastic] surface," the researchers, led by environmental engineer Evdokia Syranidou from the Technical University of Crete in Greece, explain in their paper.

"Therefore, a wide range of organisms can settle on the weathered surface, using it as a substrate and as a carbon source."

(Image credit: mali maeder/Pexels)

NASA has sent three new members to the International Space Station who will be accommodating scientists and other researchers who are going to make a stop or even stay at the ISS. They are called the Astrobees, flying robots who will help astronauts with their missions.

“The main purpose of the Astrobee platform is to provide a zero-gravity testbed for guest scientists to try out new robotic technologies in space,” says Maria Bualat, Astrobee project manager at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, in a press statement.

“Astrobee will prove out robotic capabilities that will enable and enhance human exploration. Performing such experiments in zero gravity will ultimately help develop new hardware and software for future space missions.”

(Image credit: NASA's Ames Research Center/Dominic Hart)

Pluto has a buried ocean. If there's a water source in this dwarf planet at the outskirts of our solar system, then that might mean there is a possibility that other planets, exoplanets, and worlds in the universe are also hiding oceans underneath their surface.

A gassy insulating layer probably keeps Pluto's liquid-water ocean from freezing solid, a new study reports. And something similar could be happening under the surfaces of frigid worlds in other solar systems as well, study team members said.

"This could mean there are more oceans in the universe than previously thought, making the existence of extraterrestrial life more plausible," lead author Shunichi Kamata, of Hokkaido University in Japan, said in a statement.

-via Damn Interesting

(Image credit: NASA / Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory / Southwest Research Institute, Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)

In the latter half of the 20th century, we focused our research efforts on setting foot on the moon, exploring the uncharted regions of space, and building spacecraft that could bring us to the stars and back. It was the era of physics and engineering.

Susan Hockfield, a neurobiologist and former president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, believes that the next scientific frontier is the confluence of biology and engineering.

New technologies are increasingly being built out of biological parts. The idea of biological engineering, or using inspiration from biological structures to build things, has been in people’s hands and minds for a while. What’s new is the acceleration of these kinds of technologies.

It’s important because when we look at the challenges we’re facing, in terms of population growth and our food resources and our water resources and our healthcare resources, it’s pretty clear that if we’re going to go from our current 7.7 billion [people] to over 9.7 billion by 2050, we’re going to need some new technologies in order to increase productivity without using up all the resources on Earth.

(Image credit: ejaugsburg/Pixabay)

Despite Edison's controversy in scientific history, a lot of Japanese people admire him for he shares a history with Japan. As he worked on improving the light bulb's lifespan, he experimented with different materials until one of his workers, William H. Moore, sent him bamboo samples growing near the Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine in Kyoto.

It’s not clear whether Edison asked Moore to send him that particular species of bamboo, or Moore sent them to Edison of his own volition. In any case, Edison discovered that carbonized bamboo made excellent lamp filaments.

To make these filaments, pieces of a single bamboo plant was sliced lengthwise into extremely fine strips, and bent to their desired hairpin or looped shapes in order to fit into the bulb.

They were then covered with powdered carbon and heated inside a furnace at an extremely high temperature for several hours before allowing them to cool. During this process, the bamboo strips turns from its initial cellulose structure to a pure carbon structure, ready to be mounted in the glass bulbs.

The carbonized bamboo filament weren't brighter but they lasted significantly longer than any existing filament at the time with some burning for over 1,200 hours. Until 1904, carbon filament was used in manufacturing incandescent lamps after which the tungsten filament was discovered. Edison's company, General Electric, then switched to tungsten.

The people of Iwashimizu Hachimangu then built a monument in honor of him three years after he died.

(Image credit: Katie/Flickr)

There is a certain style that companies in the mid-20th century have. The vintage or retro look is pretty recognizable as compared to the modern-looking designs we have today.

Reagan Ray has collected an abundant list of classic airline logos from defunct airlines. And he has even gone further by looking at regional versions of different brands of airlines.

-via Kottke

(Image credit: Adam Moreira/Wikimedia Commons; CC by SA 4.0)

Banquets are as political as they are festive and indulgent. Romans have been throwing these parties not just to show off their wealth but also to network and make important political statements, sometimes subtle, other times outwardly blatant.

The Roman banquet evokes voluptuary images of men in togas reclining on couches and glutting themselves on wild sow's udders and stuffed snails, while servants stream in bearing platters heaped with heavily sauced and delicately spiced foods from all over the world: ostrich from Africa, pepper and sugar cane from India, cumin from Ethiopia, sumac from Syria, olives from Greece, and that perennial Roman favorite, the fleshy homegrown fig.

Wine is drunk in copious amounts from double-handled silver cups, while a lyre plays in the background. There are performing troupes, poets, even the occasional leopard, and sometimes rose petals flutter down from on high.

Some argue however that the Roman banquets have been heavily exaggerated and that it wasn't always as revelrous. But there are stories about how different Roman emperors hosted their banquets, their particular eating habits, and selectiveness when it comes to food. Meanwhile, the plebeians have it rough.

Outside the patrician mansions and saffron-flavored swimming pools, the plebeians lived in overcrowded tenements and ate frugally. Food inequality was as endemic to ancient Rome as it is to our world today, with hunger and hedonism coexisting through the empire.

One thing is quite interesting about these lavish displays. It's not something done on a whim. Historians suggest that these were very calculated, not just to have fun but more so to establish their position in society.

(Image credit: Ulpiano Checa y Sanz/Wikimedia Commons)