How sustainable is your country's food system? How does mining Cryptocurrency harm human health? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of Nov 25 - Dec 1 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm.

In this week's cream-of-the-crop of science news from around the world, find out why scientists are playing with fake poo and creating non-stick coatings for toilets, and explore how your recurring nightmare may be your brain's way of preparing you to face your fears. ScienceSeeker editors' favourite posts within their respective areas of interest and expertise also cover many other important and exciting topics. Why not have a read, inform yourself, and indulge your scientific curiosity?

• World map rates sustainable food systems by Natalie Parletta for Cosmos magazine.



The new map rating the sustainability of food systems. The scale goes from blue to red, with blue indicating a high score. Grey indicates insufficient data to rate a country.
Credit: Caption - Cosmos magazine, Image - Béné et al./International centre for tropical agriculture
(CC-BY-ND 2.0)


• Cryptocurrency mining harms human health by Sarah DeWeerdt for Anthropocene magazine.
• Noisy home environments affect autonomic reactions in infants by Dr. Jessica Edwards for ACAMH.
• Extra-virgin olive oil-rich diet protects mice from multiple forms of dementia by Sci-News.com.
• The controversial plan to move five captive belugas by Bethany Augliere for Hakai magazine.
• Ocean change written into bird bodies by Sarah Gilman for Hakai magazine.
• Nearly extinct vaquita mothers with calves spotted in recent expeditions by Shreya Dasgupta for Mongabay.
• Non-stick toilets, synthetic poo and saving the environment by Kat Day at The Chronicle Flask.
• Why science needs to catch up with what dog-trainers know by Jessica Hekman for Aeon.
• How our dreams prepare us to face our fears by Science Beta.
• Abstaining from social media doesn’t improve well-being, experimental study finds by Matthew Warren for BPS Research Digest.
• How safe is vaping? New human studies assess chronic harm to heart and lungs by Jennifer Couzin-Frankel for Science.
• Dark energy might not exist after all by Sabine Hossenfelder at Backreaction.
• Science Theories: How Fast Does Santa Travel? by Meghan Nichols at Schooled by Science.
• Astronomy in Shakespeare: How Many of His Plays Were Influenced by the Stars by Megan Ray Nichols at Schooled by Science.
• The physics of car crashes: How to keep your child safe by Tristan Mañalac for FlipScience.

Check back next week for more great picks.