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I'm going to the US v. Belgium game tomorrow and felt the need to brush up on random facts about our Western European adversary.
Some good ones: 1) Belgium invented french fries, 2) Belgium produces 80% of the world's billiard balls, 3) Belgium holds the record for most castles per square mile.
They make decent waffles too, I guess.
As always, please forward IQNEWS to a friend if you're a fan!
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STORY OF THE WEEK |
Who needs human friends anymore?!
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First AI wrote college essays. Then it provided medical advice. Now it's providing a digital shoulder to cry on.
A new YouGov survey revealed one in five folks under 30 have an ongoing friendship with a bot.
Some other notable stats from the survey:
→ 23% of under 30s confided in a bot about a secret they've never told a human
→ 28% of AI users have hidden their AI use from a partner or family member
→ 47% would let AI choose which news they see each day
→ 40% would let AI teach or tutor their child in core school subjects
→ 49% say AI couldn't do their job as well as them; 23% say it couldn't do other people's jobs as well (inflated self-confidence strikes again!)
Macro takeaway: we're getting increasingly comfortable with AI orchestrating bigger and bigger chunks of our lives.
But, again, the friendship stat hits different. Because that's not about productivity or competence or education - it's about core human interaction.
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IN OTHER NEWS |
Fish oil foiled, kindness is #1, sneaky fructose…
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| A new USC trial of 365 adults found high-dose fish oil supplementation didn't help memory or thinking, nor slow brain shrinkage. Millions swallow it daily anyway. |
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| A new U of Wrocław study of 41,606 people across 74 countries found that the #1 determinant of a happy romantic relationship is perceiving your partner as being kinder than you. |
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| Monell scientists just discovered that fructose (sugar in fruit) barely tells your brain you're full, while glucose flips the switch hard. Two sugars, only one hits the brakes. |
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| In open space, people naturally loop leftward, a new study finds. It's nothing to do with being left- or right-handed; scientists blame subtle quirks in the body's motion sense. |
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| In a new Cedars-Sinai study of ~355,000 adults, heavy coffee drinkers had 47% lower liver-cancer risk (including decaf drinkers). Polyphenols are powerful! |
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HACK OF THE WEEK |
Clean your grill with *checks notes* an onion?
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It's the 5th of July, meaning your grill just did a full tour of duty.
Now for the part no one likes: cleaning.
Skip the wire brush. Those bristles snap off, hide in your food, and can land you in the ER (bristles in burgers is a thing…I swear).
Reach for an onion instead, get the grill hot, halve the onion, jab a fork into the round side, and scrub the cut face hard across the grates.
The heat turns the onion's water into steam that lifts the gunk, while acids break down the baked-on grease.
Your eyes might water up in the process, but you're overdue for a good cry anyways.
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SHOWER THOUGHTS |
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1. If you get out of the shower clean, how does your towel get dirty?
2. How do you throw away a garbage can?
3. If you buy a bigger bed, you're left with more bed room but less bedroom.
4. The youngest picture of you is also the oldest picture of you.
5. If there's an earthquake on another planet is it still an earthquake?
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POST OF THE WEEK |
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QUOTE / TIL / WORD / TRIVIA |
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Roald Dahl: “Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.” |
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Today I learned Ancient Roman concrete can heal its own cracks. The Romans mixed in chunks of quicklime, so when a crack forms and water seeps in, the lime dissolves and recrystallizes to seal the gap, which is why the Pantheon's dome has stood for nearly 2,000 years. (more here)
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gigil [ GEE-gil ] - noun
The overwhelming urge to squeeze or pinch something unbearably cute.
One look at the corgi puppies and I was overcome with gigil.
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Q: Which of these can a house cat do that a lion cannot?
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SHOP BRAIN + BODY FUEL |
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Fan of IQNEWS? Forward to friends! 
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