Not too much stuff this month and even what we have is lighter fluff than usual.

• The outlier here is this economics study examining how being financially invested deters a proclivity to war. The researchers gave Israelis seed money to trade stocks and then periodically quizzed them about their voting intentions. The intent was to prove that people who become invested in the stock market also become more favorable to peaceful outcomes, in this case peace with Palestine. The results appear to be small but positive.
• I don’t usually post news about gadgets but I love how this has been a staple of science-fiction forever and is only just now becoming reality. It’s a wearable device that recognizes subvocalizations, that is speaking in your head without actually making sounds. It works by interpreting neuromuscular signals, not actually reading your mind, so I guess you do still need to work your tongues and throat and mouth muscles even if no air passes through your lips. I would say it’s still much more usable than talking to yourself to give voice commands to devices.
• An article that is closer to home is this one about the Bajau people of Malaysia and the Philippines. Renowned as being expert divers, they have long been subject to speculation about whether their abilities are trained or genetic in nature. A new study found that the Bajau do indeed have larger spleens than usual, which are used to store oxygenated red blood cells and release when the body needs them. Genetic analysis of the people, compared against closely related but land-locked peoples also show genetic modifications related to an enlarged spleen.
• The bit of science news that got the most play this month is the accidental discovery that puffin beaks are fluorescent. A researcher shone a UV light on a dead puffin based only on a whim and saw that the ridges on their beaks do indeed light up. It’s a revelation of no great consequence but serves as a reminder that nature still has all sorts of surprises for us right under our nose especially when we realize that other animals who can see into other parts of the spectrum have known about this all along.
• A more involved read is this article about the ethical aspects of growing brain organoids. These are blobs of tissue grown from stem cells, with brain organoids in particular being made out of neurons. Scientists have known how to make them for a while and they are useful as a smaller, simpler model to study than a complete brain. But as the organoids have grown larger, with some research involving linking distinct organoids together or transplanting them into animal hosts, ethical concerns are raised as to when exactly an organoid become a brain and develop a consciousness. This article doesn’t provide any answers but it does serve as a good overview of the topic.