Processed food gets a bad rap. But without it, we might have never been able to even say the word “food.” Or “friendly,” or “fun” or “velociraptor” for that matter. Why is that? “F’s” and “v’s” belong to a group of sounds known as labiodentals. They happen when you raise your bottom lip to touch your top teeth and are used in more than half of today’s human language. But science suggests we didn’t always have this linguistic ability. As hunter gatherers, our ancestors ate a diet that was minimally processed and required more effort to chew. As a result, by adolescence their teeth would develop what’s called an edge-to-edge bite, where the jaw is elongated so that both the bottom and top teeth are completely flush with one another. Cue the Neolithic period, where widespread agriculture meant more soft foods like stew and bread and less laborious chewing. Over time, the slight overbite that most people are born with stayed preserved, because chewing was less of an arduous process.This also made labiodentals easier to produce, as indicated by a 2019 study published in Science magazine. You can catch the video below:Researchers created two models—one of an edge-to-edge bite and the other of an overbite—to see which version was better for articulating labiodentals. The models clearly showed that the edge-to-edge bite required far more effort. Try to align your bottom and top teeth right now and say “fuh” or “vuh.” Not easy, is it? The study offered the compelling argument that without the introduction to farming and softer foods, humans might have never incorporated labiodentals into their vocabulary. Even today, modern language used by hunter-gatherer groups use only one-fourth as many labiodental sounds as other languages affected by agriculture. While the study was met with criticism, its findings offer an unprecedented concept: that our language is shaped not only by cultural and intellectual factors, but also by biological conditions. It also poses some new questions, such as what the spoken word actually sounded like thousands of years ago. It’s certainly an idea to chew on. This article originally appeared two years ago.

Hot springs enthusiasts are hoping for Arctic temperatures in Canada so an annual hair-freezing contest can go forth later this winter. The yearly competition began in 2012, launched by a spa in the Yukon territory that has since produced some hair-raisingly hilarious pictures. In the town of Whitehorse, a 10-hour drive from Juneau, Alaska, bathers […] The post Canadian Spa Hopes Hair-Freezing Contest Can Continue for Another 12 Years – SEE the Hilarious Winners appeared first on Good News Network.

Unless you’ve been living on another planet for the last two years, you know we’ve all lived in a Taylor Swift era. With the global success of the Eras Tour, millions of people have been enchanted by the singer and shared in a once-in-a-lifetime concert experience. One of the key elements of an Eras Tour show is trading friendship bracelets. Fans spent months creating the perfect accessories to share while at the show. It seems McDonald’s is also in their Taylor Swift era and introduced a new meal just for besties. That’s the good news. The bad news is you might not be able to get your hands on one. Don’t worry, we’ll explain. @brittany_giaccani Please Canada besties send me your extras ILY #mcdonaldsbestiebundle #mcdonalds #canadatiktok #swifties #taylorswift #taylornation @McDonald’s @mcdonald’s canada ♬ invisible string – Taylor Swift You Can Only Get The Taylor Swift-Inspired Besties Meal in Canada If you live up North, you’re in luck. Canadian McDonald’s new “Bestie Bundle” costs $13 CAD, because, of course, it does. It includes two Junior Chicken sandwiches, two small fries, and two small fountain drinks, per the New York Post. The bundle is a perfect deal for besties to share and comes with limited-edition friendship bracelets. The news came as an exciting revelation, but it bummed out some Americans who can’t get a Taylor Swift McDonald’s meal. TikToker Brittany Giaccani, who lives in the States, said, “Never in my life have I wanted to be Canadian more than today,” while showing pictures of the Taylor Swift-like friendship bracelets from McDonald’s. An American wrote, “Wisconsin is basically Canada. I want my bracelet.” This person is on their way, “We’re going to Canada right now get the plane!!!!” McDonald’s Canada commented, “but can we still be besties.” She will play the last of the Eras Tour in Canada in the next few weeks. We bet Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce will share a McDonald’s Besties Bundle while she’s there. This story’s featured image is by Sombat Muycheen via Shutterstock. The post McDonald’s Celebrates Taylor Swift With A Swiftie Meal Deal —& It Includes A Special Gift appeared first on InspireMore.

Life is always exciting for Blake Shelton. For decades, he’s entertained us with his country music and spent 23 seasons as a coach on The Voice. He met his wife, Gwen Stefani, on the show and now the pair spend time raising her three sons in Oklahoma. Blake Shelton’s stepson’s Kingston, 18, Zuma, 16, and Apollo, 10, keep the family busy. They love music, sports, and spending time together. He told Entertainment Tonight there is always music at home. “It’s to the point that it’s getting a little ridiculous,” Blake said. But he doesn’t actually seem to mind. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Blake Shelton (@blakeshelton) Blake Shelton Loves Sharing Music With His Stepsons Blake told ET that he and Gwen will both work on their projects, and the boys will start playing music of their own. Blake said everyone sings different songs and plays instruments, all while the TV is on. “I swear I’m not kidding,” he joked. It’s been a busy few months for Blake, who announced he’s working on a new reality competition show called The Road. And if that wasn’t enough, he’s also been making new music. His newest single, Texas, dropped last week, and fans love it. Blake credited Post Malone with his new sound. He explained after returning from The Voice; he wasn’t sure what he would do. The Post asked him to collaborate on Buy Me A Drink, and things changed. “I told him that really got me excited again about what I do and what I feel like I was born to do,” Blake Shelton shared. It’s an exciting time to be Blake Shelton. His stepsons and wife always encourage him to try new things, and he’s their number one fan as well. He told ET he enjoys watching Gwen on The Voice, but if she can’t win it all, he’d love to see a Michael Bublé victory. This story’s featured image is by Featureflash Photo Agency via Shutterstock. The post Blake Shelton Described Life With His Three Stepsons & We’re Not Surprised By What He Said appeared first on InspireMore.

Move over, sniffer dogs! Scientists in Tanzania are now using African giant pouched rats to locate smuggled wildlife products such as pangolin scales, rhino horns, elephant tusks, and illegal timber. The organization Apopo‘s effort capitalizes on these rodents’ exceptional sense of smell, potentially providing law enforcement with a new tool in combating a $20 billion-a-year illegal wildlife trade. Apopo, a Belgian-founded NGO located in Tanzania, has already trained its rats to detect landmines and disease, demonstrating that these small animals can tackle significant hurdles. The rats, named after conservation luminaries such as David Attenborough, are being trained to detect out-trafficking species. “These rats have incredible noses,” Apopo researchers claim, “and they’re showing that they can remember scents for a very long time—possibly as long as sniffer dogs.” How are the rats trained? Training these rats is not a simple process. Initially, the Apopo team exposed eight rats to fragrances derived from pangolin scales, rhino horn, wood, and ivory. They began with easy tasks, such as rewarding rats with food pellets if they held their nose over one of these scents for three seconds. Over time, the training became more intense. Rats wore little red vests tied to leashes and equipped with a beeper. When the rats found contraband, they would use their front paws to inform handlers and receive a food incentive for their discovery. One of the most striking features of Apopo’s research is the rats’ long-term scent retention. After eight months of no exposure to pangolin, wood, or rhino horn scents, the rats still properly detected these compounds, indicating a memory comparable to trained sniffer dogs. However, Apopo scientists warn that their accuracy with elephant ivory may require further testing, as the ivory was stored with rhino horn, causing some rats trained on rhino horn to detect ivory as well. A successful real-world test After considerable training, it was time to see how these rats would perform in the field. In 2023, Apopo conducted a real-world simulation in Tanzania’s major port of Dar es Salaam. The rats had to discover hidden illegal wildlife products within stacks of cargo containers. According to Apopo, the rats correctly identified 85 percent of the planted samples, even via the vents in shipping containers. The findings point to a possible future for rats as sniffer animals in high-volume shipping zones where illegal wildlife items are frequently transported. Why rats might be game changers in anti-trafficking efforts African giant pouched rats are inexpensive, easily trainable, and have a remarkable sense of smell. Their small stature also enables them to fit into spots that larger animals may miss, such as container vents and restricted cargo compartments. Furthermore, the use of rats provides a sustainable and scalable component to wildlife preservation operations. As conservationists continue to fight the illegal wildlife trade, these tiny heroes could have a significant impact. Source study: Frontiers in Conservation Science—Ratting on wildlife crime: training African giant pouched rats to detect illegally trafficked wildlife  The post Rat patrol: African rodents trained to sniff out smuggled wildlife products first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.