Interesting things

Last night I stumbled across World Science and learnt some interesting things.

• The human brain has got smaller over the last 30,000 years. On the plus side, it has got more adaptable, so we're doing more with less.
• Humans' recognition of musical pitch is way down the scale, along with rats (birds are, unsurprisingly, at the top). This explains why contestants in musical talent shows can sing so wildly out of tune without losing points.
• Punishing wrongdoers activates pleasure centers in the brain, so there may be something in Nietzsche's view of punishment.
• Beauty and ugliness activate the same area of the brain, so there may be something in Lao Tzu's view of beauty.
• Smoking marijuana has long-term effects on short-term memory. Or was it short-term effects on long-term memory?