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Compelling Stories for the Curious-Minded

Women’s Day Protests: Today, thousands of women across the world will stage demonstrations demanding equal pay, education, decision-making roles and reproductive rights.
Health Warning to Dog Owners! Almost half of all dog owners admit to letting their four-legged companions lick their face. While animals can help with a range of issues, from anxiety to eating disorders, getting too close can pose significant health risks. Dogs’ mouths carry a range of microorganisms that usually pose few risks. However, for the immunocompromised, very young children, pregnant women and the elderly, a lick on the lips can transmit infectious diseases — especially if your dog likes to indulge in coprophagia (faeces eating).
A Born Criminal? Identical twins, who share 100 per cent of their DNA, have long been used to study the pathology of criminal behaviour. While genes can play a role in predisposing certain behavioural traits, recent studies suggest that the environment and upbringing are equally important factors. Independent researcher Jay Joseph, argues that studying twins raised apart may offer more clarity on whether genes play a central role in fostering criminal tendencies.
Political Deepfakes Spread like ‘Wildfire’: A recent study from the Centre for Countering Digital Hate, notes a 130 per cent monthly rise in AI-generated deepfakes on X. 2024 is the year of elections across the globe, but with an influx of unregulated photorealistic propaganda, there are fears that certain elections could be hijacked by AI-generated misinformation and disinformation. In a 2023 University of Waterloo study of deepfakes, only 61 per cent of respondents could tell the differences between real and AI-generated people.
British Museum Fails at Humour: A meme parodying a popular TikTok trend of women asking men how often they thought of the Roman Empire, failed to resonate with some audiences. The meme, urging single women to visit a new exhibition on the Roman Army and look confused to get a man to explain things, backfired. One critic wrote that it was ‘boring’ to see social media accounts trying to be ‘down with the kids.’
Did You Know …? According to the old Roman Calendar, one year was ten months long, starting from March and ending in December.
Some Good News! For the first time, India’s poverty rate dips below 5 per cent. A survey by the National Sample Survey Office measured expenditure between rural and urban households, noting the lowest divide in monthly expenditure between rural and urban Indians.