It’s time for “Nerd News,” covering the most important news for your brain. Here’s a quick rundown of this week in science . . . 1. A study on Zoom backgrounds found books and plants make you seem more trustworthy. People are less likely to trust what you say if you have a random picture as your background. Stupid One-Liner: Having books in your Zoom background makes you seem more trustworthy. Unless you’re an adult male and they’re “Harry Potter” books. That’s just creepy. 2. A study in Japan found the perfect nap is actually two naps. A 90-minute snooze followed by 30 minutes later on is more helpful than one two-hour nap. 3. A drug to help regrow teeth is now set to begin its first human trials next summer. They’re hoping to have it on the market by 2030. 4. Researchers in Brazil found a dog-fox hybrid. Until now, experts didn’t think they could mate. 5. Chemical engineers in California came up with a new type of fuel that’s fireproof. It only ignites when you run electricity through it. 6. And a study found the formation of a new “supercontinent” could drastically affect the climate and kill off all mammals, including us . . . but not for another 250 million years or so. (In more immediate news: A study on global warming and substance abuse found it could turn more people into alcoholics.)
