Episode Details

Today, you’ll learn about how reading fiction could make you smarter, the first ever likely transmission of bird flu from a cow to a human, and how a beluga whale communicates with its squishy head. 

Fiction Readers   

• “People who read a lot of fiction tend to have better cognitive skills, study finds.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024.  
• “Cognitive effects and correlates of reading fiction: Two preregistered multilevel meta-analyses.” by Lena Wimmer, et al. 2024.  

Bird Flu Transmission 

• “Texas dairy farm worker’s case may be first where bird flu virus spread from mammal to human, scientists say.” by Helen Branswell. 2024.  
• “Bird Flu Detections Reporting in Backyard and Commercial Birds.” CDC. 2024.  
• “Avian Influenza.” World Organization For Animal Health. 2023. 
• “Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Virus Infection in a Dairy Farm Worker.” by Timothy M. Uyeki, M.D., M.P.H., et al. 2024.  

Beluga Heads 

• “Belugas may communicate by warping a blob of forehead fat.” by Elizabeth Anne Brown. 2024.  
• “Belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) create facial displays during social interactions by changing the shape of their melons.” by Justin T. Richard, et al. 2024.  

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