This Week in Science: Dinosaurs, Hot Weather, and Why Cats Love Tuna

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 figured out why cats love tuna.  They go nuts for the umami flavors.  It’s loaded with two chemicals that enhance those flavors and bind to their taste buds.  Our taste buds are slightly different, so it doesn’t taste quite as good to us.

2.  In dinosaur news:  We may have found a missing link between dinosaurs and birds.  And people on social media were shocked to learn the asteroid itself didn’t kill off all the dinosaurs on impact.  The most widely accepted theory is it kicked up so much dust that plants died, and the food chain collapsed.

3.  In health news:  Depression might cause type 2 diabetes . . . we grew humanized kidneys in pigs for the first time . . . and researchers in Israel created an artificial human embryo without using a womb, eggs, or any baby batter.

4.  In anti-aging news:  A study found we might be able to take a longevity gene from mole rats, and use it to increase our lifespan by three to four years.

5.  And in Earth news:  It’s official.  This has been the hottest summer ever.  July was the hottest month on record.  August is now second on that list.