SoT 349: Our Favourite Science Stories of 2019
Channel: Science on Top
Date: 17/12/2019

SoT 349: Our Favourite Science Stories of 2019
https://scienceontop.com/349

The switch to agricultural societies 12,000 years ago may have changed how we talk, introducing the 'f' and 'v' sounds.
The cane toad is an introduced pest in Australia, with no real natural predators. Until recently, when a small group of water rats learned how to eviscerate them with surgical precision!
The search for Planet Nine continued this year, and a new hypothesis was proposed: it might not be a planet, but a tiny primordial black hole.
The first ever image of a black hole's accretion disk was revealed this year.
NASA's InSight lander has been trying to drill a heat probe into the Martian surface, but it's been a heartbreaking story of progress and setbacks.
DNA testing has found that the same variety of grapes used 9,000 years ago to make wine are still being used today by some winemakers in France.
Researchers painted cows to look like zebras to find out if they were less likely to be bitten by flies. They were!
Scientists found that rats who had been taught to drive tiny electric cars were 'happier' and less stressed.
Australian scientists have developed an artificial intelligence algorithm that developed a new flu vaccine.
Some people can smell when other people have early stages of Parkinson's Disease. Thanks to the help of one of these “super-smellers,” researchers were able to identify volatile compounds produced by sufferers.
A crater on Hawaii's Kilauea volcano has begun to fill up - but with water, not lava.

Associate Professor Mick Vagg is a consultant in rehabilitation and pain medicine.

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https://scienceontop.com/349

Chapters:
00:01:14 How ‘F’ Sounds Might Break a Fundamental Rule of Linguistics https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/03/farming-hunter-gatherers-labiodentals-linguistics/584950/
00:05:24 Eat your heart out: native water rats have worked out how to safely eat cane toads http://theconversation.com/eat-your-heart-out-native-water-rats-have-worked-out-how-to-safely-eat-cane-toads-123986
00:07:04 Our Solar System Might Have a Black Hole From the Dawn of the Universe https://www.vice.com/en_au/article/qvgz97/planet-nine-might-be-a-black-hole-from-the-dawn-of-the-universe
00:11:54 Black hole pictured for first time — in spectacular detail https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01155-0
00:14:32 M87 Black Hole Size Comparison https://xkcd.com/2135/
00:15:56 Mars 'mole' hits blockage in its burrow https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-47469071
00:20:04 A Medieval Grape Is Still Used to Make Wine https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/06/grape-clone-wine-900-year-old/591181/
00:25:55 If the shoo fits: cows painted with zebra stripes keep flies in line http://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/11/if-the-shoo-fits-cows-painted-with-zebra-stripes-keep-flies-in-line
00:29:13 Rats feel less stressed when driving little cars https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50167812
00:32:00 Australian researchers just released the world's first AI-developed vaccine and it could prevent another horror flu season https://www.businessinsider.com.au/australian-researchers-just-released-the-worlds-first-ai-developed-vaccine-and-it-could-prevent-another-horror-flu-season-2019-7
00:37:25 This Woman Can Smell Parkinson's. It Might Help Lead To Earlier Treatment https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/this-woman-can-smell-parkinsons-it-might-help-lead-to-earlier-treatment
00:41:05 A New Lake Grows in Kilauea Caldera https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/rosetta-stones/a-new-lake-grows-in-kilauea-caldera/