Oh the places you'll go

From start to finish, every episode of The Carol Burnett Show was full of laughs. Whether it was “The Family”, a movie parody, or Carol doing her signature cleaning lady character with bucket and mop, you were in stitches.

Speaking of buckets, a new study was just put together to determine the top bucket list items for folks around the world. Curious to know if your own items are in line with everyone else’s? Have a look.

Then get to work ;)

Tonight’s edition of Stake Trivia Wednesdays is sure to get warm and fuzzy—it’s our special Holiday Edition!

As always, we’ve got great questions, great people and great prizes. Register now and stay off that naughty list 😉

This is our final trivia night for the season, but don’t fret, there’s plenty to be excited about! This week marks the return of Twelve Days of Giving. Every weekday from Dec 5-20, we’ll be giving away a $100 Amazon card to a lucky subscriber.

Be sure to open Stake Your Day every morning to get in on the giving! 🎁 

A new study published on Nov. 10 in Advanced Healthcare Materials looked into the effects muscle exercise can have on the nervous system, such as helping damaged nerves to grow out and allowing the subject to regain motor function in the damaged areas.

The researchers analyzed muscle cells in mice, looking specifically at the production of a chemical called “myokines,” which is stimulated by exercise.

Myokines are known to release a molecule that can reduce inflammation and help muscle cells uptake sugar. The researchers involved in the Nov. 10 study wanted to see how myokines affected motor neurons, which impact the ability for nerve cells to control movement.

A previous study revealed triggering muscle contractions in mice with damaged nerves helped them regain motor function, but the researchers involved in the recent study wanted to confirm it was as a result of myokine production.

They grew mouse muscle cells in a sheet the size of a quarter, genetically modified them to contract when exposed to light, and then inserted the motor neurons into the “juice” produced by the contracting muscle cells, which was full of myokines.

The motor neurons grew rapidly when exposed to the myokine-rich solution.

The researchers say this study could be instrumental in treating and potentially curing certain diseases of the nervous system, including ALS.

Tis the season for filling your house with the scent of all things Christmassy - some natural, like your tree, and others synthetic, like you find in candles.

While there aren’t extensive or conclusive studies on the health risks related to exposure to scented candles, reason would suggest you may want to steer clear of of the chemicals they emit .

The most commonly used material in candle wax is paraffin, which is a cheap byproduct derived from petroleum refining. It isn’t necessarily dangerous on its own, but when paraffin is burned, it releases volatile organic compounds (VOCs), many of which are officially toxic.

VOCs are gaseous molecules that dissolve quickly into the surrounding air. They’re emitted from paints, car exhaust systems, air fresheners, gas stoves, and, of course, scented candles.

One commonly-emitted VOC is toluene. It’s a colorless liquid that gets vaporized into a gas with a distinct smell, often emitted from the refining of crude oil. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Environmental Protection Agency have it listed as a neurotoxin that causes headaches and dizziness.

Paraffin can also emit benzene and formaldehyde, which are also known neurotoxins.

Oxford University Press (OUP) revealed its “word” of the year this year is “brain rot,” surprising literally nobody, despite the fact that it’s actually two words.

The long-running word of the year tradition for Oxford is actually framed as “a word or expression that reflects a defining theme from the past 12 months,” so we’ll let it slide.

Brain rot was certainly a leading candidate, reportedly used 230% more in 2024 than the year before, according to OUP.

It defines brain rot as "the supposed deterioration of a person's mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging."

Gen Z unfortunately didn’t come up with the top prize, but the kids certainly made a play for it. The runners up to brain rot were "demure, slop, dynamic pricing, romantasy and lore,” according to OUP.

Brain rot stuck out, though, both to members of the public who voted and to Oxford Languages President Casper Grathwohl.

"It feels like a rightful next chapter in the cultural conversation about humanity and technology. It's not surprising that so many voters embraced the term, endorsing it as our choice this year," he said.

The “Dull Men’s Club” on Facebook was bumpin’ the other day when member Harry Seager revealed he’d found a smooth Mars bar, lacking the signature ripple of the classic confection.

The group generated enough buzz—including with one member calling it “hideous”—that Mars awarded Seager monetary compensation for his tragic snacking experience…in the form of £2.

“The only reason I emailed [Mars] was because I was interested in what might have caused it to happen. That is all I wanted to know and they kept side-lining that question,” he said.

“I think £2 is great, it will be two free Mars bars. Maybe they could have sent me more but I’m not being ungrateful. I think it’s amazing after everything that’s happened that I got the £2 voucher.”

According to one member of the Facebook group who used to work for Mars Wrigley UK, the candy bars are supposed to pass through what’s called an “enrober,” which is like a waterfall that coats the chocolate bar with the wavey exterior. Mars said this one “slipped by” this part of the process.

Note to reader: not messing with you. It actually happened. Carry on!

C’mon…how could we not 🤣 That's right, today's trivia is all about the comedy juggernaut that was the Carol Burnett Show ;)

Have a great day ahead Staker!

Trivia courtesy of funtrivia.com. Today’s issue written by Michael Cowan, Joey Cowan, and Maureen Norman.