Every week, we scour the web to bring you interesting bits and pieces from around the world. Enjoy!

To Freeze or Not To Freeze

Like our story today on stem cell banking, this article examines egg freezing with the same rigor. The conclusion is similar: Egg freezing is a bet on the future; the technology, too new for anyone to know if the investment will be worthwhile. Yet women are buying into (literally) the science of egg freezing in droves. If you’re considering freezing your eggs, or know someone who is, this article is definitely worth a read.

More Maternity Leave

The Swaddle would like to extend a big Bravo! to Accenture India, which just extended maternity leave for its employees.

An Honest Look at Divorce

An honest look at divorce’s impact on kids is never easy; even more difficult is parenting well while going through one (just ask our experts). Laura Lifshitz seems to be managing both in her essay about how her four-year-old daughter is dealing with her divorce. We especially appreciate her mention of how therapy has helped her daughter deal. We hope both mom and daughter begin to heal soon.

One Cup of Conservation

A team in Berlin is aiming to save both the water and energy wasted in excessively filled electric kettles. Their product consists of a simple rod and plate and heats the water directly in the cup or glass to be used. An environmentally friendly enabler of all the tea and coffee addictions at The Swaddle? Sign us up!

It’s Not The Flight Attendants’ Fault

Have you ever had an airplane meal that tasted good? We certainly haven’t. Turns out there’s a scientific reason behind it–beyond poor cooking. Researchers have found a noisy and claustrophobic environment can affect human taste. The cool, dry cabin air might also play a role.

Tinkering To Learn

Timely to us, following our recent editorial, is this article on learning through tinkering. Founded by the author of 50 Dangerous Things (You Should Let Your Children Do), the Tinkering School is a program that teaches kids how to use tools, then lets them form teams to invent and construct their own solutions to set challenges. It sounds like an incredible program to us, one that fosters curiosity and builds skills like collaboration, strategic thinking, and attention to detail.

We’re Basically Just A Hot Mess

This humorous take on the design flaws of the human body make it abundantly clear we’ll never reach perfection as a species. Or can we? Check out each of these 10 flaws and scientists’ theoretical solutions to them. Some might be nearer than you think!