Jonathan Lambert

Yeah, okay. So to put this in context, have you ever heard of contagious yawning? Yeah, totally. Like if I yawn, you get the urge to yawn too? Yes.

So this observation got Ina wondering if this behavior might be socially contagious like yawning. And to see if it was, she spent more than 600 hours watching a group of 20 chimpanzees.

So this observation got Ina wondering if this behavior might be socially contagious like yawning. And to see if it was, she spent more than 600 hours watching a group of 20 chimpanzees.

So this observation got Ina wondering if this behavior might be socially contagious like yawning. And to see if it was, she spent more than 600 hours watching a group of 20 chimpanzees.

Yeah, and she said that it was easier to hear them pee than to see them pee. But so she noted when each individual chimp peed and where they were relative to each other. And looking at the data altogether, an interesting pattern emerged.

Yeah, and she said that it was easier to hear them pee than to see them pee. But so she noted when each individual chimp peed and where they were relative to each other. And looking at the data altogether, an interesting pattern emerged.

Yeah, and she said that it was easier to hear them pee than to see them pee. But so she noted when each individual chimp peed and where they were relative to each other. And looking at the data altogether, an interesting pattern emerged.

And they don't know why this is. It could just be that lower ranking chimps are paying closer attention to higher ranking ones. But that's just one possibility.

And they don't know why this is. It could just be that lower ranking chimps are paying closer attention to higher ranking ones. But that's just one possibility.

And they don't know why this is. It could just be that lower ranking chimps are paying closer attention to higher ranking ones. But that's just one possibility.

One idea is that doing the same thing together just kind of helps a group sync up, which could help them operate better as a unit. If this happens in the wild, it might help the chimps avoid predators who get attracted by the smell of pee by concentrating it all in one spot.

One idea is that doing the same thing together just kind of helps a group sync up, which could help them operate better as a unit. If this happens in the wild, it might help the chimps avoid predators who get attracted by the smell of pee by concentrating it all in one spot.

One idea is that doing the same thing together just kind of helps a group sync up, which could help them operate better as a unit. If this happens in the wild, it might help the chimps avoid predators who get attracted by the smell of pee by concentrating it all in one spot.

That's about 165,000 kilometers. It's a natural phenomenon thought to be created from bunched up electrons trapped in Earth's magnetic field. And what's interesting is that these waves have been studied for almost 70 years, but Earth's chorus waves have never been found that far out until this recent study published in Nature.

That's about 165,000 kilometers. It's a natural phenomenon thought to be created from bunched up electrons trapped in Earth's magnetic field. And what's interesting is that these waves have been studied for almost 70 years, but Earth's chorus waves have never been found that far out until this recent study published in Nature.

That's about 165,000 kilometers. It's a natural phenomenon thought to be created from bunched up electrons trapped in Earth's magnetic field. And what's interesting is that these waves have been studied for almost 70 years, but Earth's chorus waves have never been found that far out until this recent study published in Nature.

But here's the complication. This study, for the first time, found chorus waves further out, where Earth's magnetic field is much weaker and non-uniform. And yet the waves were growing and the electrons were still bunched, so the magnetic field gradient did not seem to be that important.

But here's the complication. This study, for the first time, found chorus waves further out, where Earth's magnetic field is much weaker and non-uniform. And yet the waves were growing and the electrons were still bunched, so the magnetic field gradient did not seem to be that important.

But here's the complication. This study, for the first time, found chorus waves further out, where Earth's magnetic field is much weaker and non-uniform. And yet the waves were growing and the electrons were still bunched, so the magnetic field gradient did not seem to be that important.

And these extremely fast particles can disrupt electrical components that are aboard so many communication satellites and can damage spacecraft too. So understanding how chorus waves are created is important to our everyday lives.