Conversation Piece, June 25, 2017

Enjoy our Sunday series, Conversation Piece, a NUVO–curated digest of things on the Internet we think you’ll want to talk about.

Dragon’s blood. It’s not a magical potion ingredient, but a potential medical enhancement. Scientists have discovered that Komodo dragons’ blood is rife with 48 previously unknown potential antimicrobial peptides (proteins that strengthen the immune system and resist dangerous toxins). With the possibility of implementing these peptides into antibiotics, this fierce and ancient lizard might just save lives. Learn more, here.

Coco-not. It’s been a tumultuous week for coconut oil lovers. The American Heart Association’s recent report about the supposed superfood’s link to heart disease was met with an uproar from health gurus around the world. As New York Magazine writes, though the debacle has led to quibbling over which oil will lead us to our death (spoiler: none), it also highlights a need for critical consideration of scientific studies and nutrition trends in general. Read more, here.

Chasing waterfalls. Picture Niagara Falls and surely what comes to mind are boatloads of poncho-ed tourists amid unceasing cascades of water—which is perhaps what makes these photos from 1969 all the more shocking. After an onslaught of rockslides plagued the Niagara region, the falls were completely drained and 28,000 tonnes of earth diverted, leaving behind an eerie stretching scape of bare rocks. See the photos, here.

Mistresses, be gone. With the rise of adultery among men in major Chinese cities, a new profession has cropped up.  Known as mistress dispellers, these people help wives preserve their marriages by fending off what is known in Chinese as a xiao san, or “Little Third”. Tactics range in extremity, but, as they say, all is fair in love and war. The New Yorker reports, here.