Discover Daily by Perplexity

We're experimenting! Give us (constructive) feedback.In today's episode of Discover Daily, we begin with news that Meta is embarking on an ambitious $10 billion project to construct a 40,000-kilometer subsea cable network. Nicknamed "W," this marks Meta's first exclusively owned undersea infrastructure. This massive project will connect multiple continents in a W-shaped pattern, linking the U.S. East Coast to India via South Africa, then to Australia and finally returning to the U.S. West Coast. The project, set to begin operations around 2029, represents Meta's strategic move to enhance global connectivity and reduce dependence on third-party networks.Scientists have made a breakthrough discovery in feline genetics, identifying the specific mutation responsible for orange fur in cats. The research reveals a 5 kb deletion in the Arhgap36 gene on the X chromosome that affects how pigments are distributed in cat hair follicles. This finding explains why orange cats have RNA levels 13 times higher than cats of other colors, and why approximately 80% of orange cats are male.Our deep dive explores the fascinating scenario of what would happen if humans suddenly vanished from Earth. Drawing from real-world examples like Bulgaria's Tyurkmen region, where abandoned settlements showcase nature's remarkable ability to reclaim spaces, we examine how quickly ecosystems would recover and adapt. From the immediate clearing of pollution to the gradual transformation of urban landscapes and the rebounding of wildlife populations, this journey through a human-free Earth reveals both challenges and opportunities for planetary recovery.From Perplexity's Discover Feed:https://www.perplexity.ai/page/meta-plans-world-spanning-inte-LFjJEcDkTjeuhdK9.USwyAhttps://www.perplexity.ai/page/elusive-orange-cat-gene-found-mD9XXzSUT4abcNwCQ4phrAhttps://www.perplexity.ai/page/if-humans-disappeared-on-earth-j8oM1M_QQli_emTESk7hTAShop like a Pro: Perplexity’s new AI-powered shopping assistantPerplexity is the fastest and most powerful way to search the web. Perplexity crawls the web and curates the most relevant and up-to-date sources (from academic papers to Reddit threads) to create the perfect response to any question or topic you’re interested in. Take the world's knowledge with you anywhere. Available on iOS and Android Join our growing Discord community for the latest updates and exclusive content. Follow us on: Instagram Threads X (Twitter) YouTube Linkedin

We're experimenting! Give us (constructive) feedback.In today's episode of Discover Daily, we explore how Earth bacteria demonstrated remarkable adaptability by rapidly colonizing samples from the asteroid Ryugu, despite rigorous containment protocols. The Japanese Hayabusa2 spacecraft's samples, initially microbe-free, saw bacterial growth expand from 11 to 147 organisms within a week of Earth exposure, raising important questions about containment methods for future space missions and our understanding of microbial adaptation to extraterrestrial materials.A NASA-funded study has challenged our understanding of life's molecular preferences, revealing that RNA shows no inherent bias toward left or right-handed amino acids. This discovery questions long-held assumptions about how life developed its distinctive molecular handedness and suggests that life's preference for left-handed molecules emerged through evolution rather than chemical predetermination, potentially broadening our criteria for detecting life beyond Earth.Scientists have uncovered a fascinating mathematical pattern known as Zipf's Law that appears consistently across human languages, where the most frequent word occurs about twice as often as the second most common word, three times as often as the third, and so on. This pattern, which transcends cultural and linguistic boundaries, may reflect fundamental aspects of human cognition and could help develop more natural AI language processing systems, while raising intriguing questions about language evolution and brain function.From Perplexity's Discover Feed: https://www.perplexity.ai/page/bacteria-colonizes-asteroid-sa-6M8G2zu5QUqahhLVD2WwWQhttps://www.perplexity.ai/page/life-s-left-handed-mystery-MNDE1vGXTs.G1dgCgPDT6ghttps://www.perplexity.ai/page/zipf-s-law-in-languages-aLTn8J_gRlO39uqMv9t2sAShop like a Pro: Perplexity’s new AI-powered shopping assistantPerplexity is the fastest and most powerful way to search the web. Perplexity crawls the web and curates the most relevant and up-to-date sources (from academic papers to Reddit threads) to create the perfect response to any question or topic you’re interested in. Take the world's knowledge with you anywhere. Available on iOS and Android Join our growing Discord community for the latest updates and exclusive content. Follow us on: Instagram Threads X (Twitter) YouTube Linkedin

We're experimenting! Give us (constructive) feedback.In this episode of Discover Daily, we look at how scientists are getting closer to achieving human hibernation, with Harvard Medical School researchers identifying specific neurons in the hypothalamus that control torpor states in mice. This breakthrough discovery provides the first clear entry point for understanding how the brain initiates and maintains states of decreased physiological activity, bringing us one step closer to controlled human hibernation.During hibernation, animals undergo remarkable physiological changes, with heart rates dropping dramatically and body temperatures falling to near-freezing levels. Arctic ground squirrels can survive at temperatures as low as -2.9°C, while black bears demonstrate an impressive ability to suppress their metabolism to 25% of normal rates while maintaining relatively high body temperatures. These insights are driving research into potential applications for human medicine, particularly in treating neurodegenerative diseases, as hibernating animals can naturally clear harmful tau protein tangles from their brains - the same proteins that accumulate in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's patients.NASA and other space agencies are already planning to test hibernation technology on animals aboard the International Space Station. However, significant challenges remain, including the human body's lack of natural hibernation triggers and protective mechanisms, risks of blood clots, and potential brain damage during extended periods of reduced activity.From Perplexity's Discover Feed:https://www.perplexity.ai/page/real-life-human-hibernation-AXj2mn0OReugnTTXm806DQPerplexity is the fastest and most powerful way to search the web. Perplexity crawls the web and curates the most relevant and up-to-date sources (from academic papers to Reddit threads) to create the perfect response to any question or topic you’re interested in. Take the world's knowledge with you anywhere. Available on iOS and Android Join our growing Discord community for the latest updates and exclusive content. Follow us on: Instagram Threads X (Twitter) YouTube Linkedin

We're experimenting! Give us (constructive) feedback.In today's episode of Discover Daily, we begin with a closer look at a groundbreaking archaeological discovery. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have unearthed the world's oldest known alphabetic writing in Syria, dating back to 2400 BCE. Found in a non-royal tomb at Tell Umm-el Marra, these perforated clay cylinders with etched writing predate previous alphabetic scripts by 500 years, challenging long-held beliefs about the origins and democratization of written communication.We then move deep beneath the Indian Ocean where a mysterious "gravity hole" lies. Known as the Indian Ocean Geoid Low (IOGL), it's where Earth's gravitational pull is significantly weaker than surrounding areas. Recent computer simulations by researchers at the Indian Institute of Science have traced its origins to about 20 million years ago, revealing how the ancient Tethys Ocean's disappearance and complex mantle dynamics created this unique geological feature.Today's episode explores how these discoveries reshape our understanding of human communication and Earth's internal structure. From the democratization of writing in ancient Syria to the complex geological processes affecting modern navigation and climate patterns, these findings offer fresh perspectives on our planet's past and present.From Perplexity's Discover Feed: https://www.perplexity.ai/page/oldest-alphabetic-writing-disc-U3uvSSYuQnOHpilq92XXcwhttps://www.perplexity.ai/page/indian-ocean-gravity-hole-MAufXi4SQy.OjFmBrQuOJgPerplexity is the fastest and most powerful way to search the web. Perplexity crawls the web and curates the most relevant and up-to-date sources (from academic papers to Reddit threads) to create the perfect response to any question or topic you’re interested in. Take the world's knowledge with you anywhere. Available on iOS and Android Join our growing Discord community for the latest updates and exclusive content. Follow us on: Instagram Threads X (Twitter) YouTube Linkedin