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Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's UniScoops back in business! We hope you didn’t miss us too much over the summer. We’re thrilled to be back in your inbox, ready to fire up that big brain of yours with some juicy snippets from the world of academia (in accessible, bite-sized slices, of course 😋).
Here’s a taste of what we’re serving today:
Why Do Humans Get Goosebumps? 🥶
PLUS: Britain’s Invasion Fiction, How Biology Shapes You, and A Written Constitution for the UK? 📜
MEDICINE
Why Do Humans Get Goosebumps? 🥶
Why does your skin suddenly look like this when you’re cold?
When cold air hits your skin or a piece of music gives you chills, tiny bumps rise along your arms… that’s what we call goosebumps! But why does this happen, especially in modern humans who no longer rely on body hair for warmth?
The answer lies in evolution, emotion, and physiology, all woven together in this quirky reflex.
💡 Things to consider
Ancient thermal regulation: In our furrier ancestors, goosebumps raised body hair to trap more heat, like fluffing up a coat. This helped conserve warmth in cold conditions. Though modern humans are relatively hairless, the reflex remains - a vestigial response that doesn’t do much to heat us anymore.
Your ancestors had a better reason
Fight-or-flight and emotional triggers: Goosebumps also occur in response to fear or awe. This is because the sympathetic nervous system, which governs the fight-or-flight response, activates the tiny muscles at the base of hair follicles. In animals, this makes them appear larger to predators. In humans, it may amplify feelings of awe or deep emotional resonance, explaining why music can give us goosebumps.
What a bop 🎶
A link to survival instincts: Some scientists argue goosebumps are part of an evolutionary “arousal system,” preparing the body to respond quickly to threats. Even without fur, the reflex could act as a leftover signal of heightened alertness, sharpening our senses in moments of stress.
🔎 Find out more
🍒 The cherry on top
🇬🇧 Britain’s Invasion Fiction: Victorian Britain was gripped by a wave of paranoid fiction imagining German invasion, spies on British soil, and national humiliation. This JSTOR Daily article traces the strange history of "invasion fiction" from George Chesney's sensational 1871 story The Battle of Dorking through to H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds, showing how these propagandistic tales helped shape the modern spy novel. Great if you're interested in English Literature or History!
🧠 How Biology Shapes You: Ever wondered why a tiny pill can lift depression, or why you're more scared of spiders than cars (even though cars are way more dangerous)? This Owlcation article breaks down the biological perspective in psychology, exploring how your brain, genes, hormones, and evolutionary history team up to shape your thoughts, feelings, and behavior. A must-read if you're interested in Psychology or Biology!
📜 A Written Constitution for the UK?: Famously, the UK doesn't have a single constitutional document. Rather, its rules are scattered across centuries of laws, court rulings, and traditions instead. This Conversation article looks at Andy Burnham's push for a codified UK constitution, exploring not just whether it's a good idea, but the tricky challenge of explaining complex constitutional concepts (like "parliamentary sovereignty") to the public in the first place. A cool read if you're interested in Politics or Law!
👀 Keep your eyes peeled for…
Wednesday 23rd September
Thursday 24th September
Tuesday 29th September
Wednesday 30th September
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That’s it for this week! We’d like to thank this week’s writer: Rob Folkard.
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