With the holiday season upon us… It’s time to brush up on your small talk… Do you wanna be a great dinner party guest? Or do you wanna furnish yourself with some topics for small talk at social events?
Some experts suggest that it’s preferable to steer conversations toward “third things” – not me, not them, but something else – which makes the best kind of small talk. They advise party-goers to come up with stuff the other person has never heard of, stuff that will blow minds and stuff that will give you other stuff to talk about other than work stuff.
Wow. That’s a lot of stuff…
In Brunch Is Hell, the authors identify three categories of topics that are more likely to initiate compelling discussions: portmanteaus, unusual art exhibits and science stories. Not sure about the former two, but we can definitely help you with the latter!
So before your dinner party, get ready to intrigue the room by equipping yourself with a ‘Rolodex’ of some of the most fascinating science facts, brought to you by #TheDailyDUG!
Quantum.
Yup, the quantum hype is real. Engage your fellow guests with some of the basic workings of quantum computing, or discuss how a new form of internet might take over the world by storm, or allow us to peer even deeper into the building blocks of life.
127-qubit…256-qubit… Progress in the quantum realm is hard to keep up!
Feel free to challenge the viability of quantum computers too!
Space.
What’s better than filling the empty spaces in conversations with…space talk.
Introduce Percy, NASA’s latest Mars Rover, and what the SUV-sized robot is up to. Probably a great time to mention that humankind scored a second Wright Brothers moment on the Red Planet too!
And maybe work up a topic on that time Percy failed to obtain its first Martian sample and why it had you tied in knots.
“Do you think life exists beyond our planet?”
Animals.
A lot of interesting and fun science facts related to animals are also described in our blog.
Read about why scientists are so into the largest mammal on Earth – whales. Spoiler alert: It involves lots of talking and lots of pooping, so try not to weave the latter into your conversations while you’re enjoying a scrumptious meal with your guests!
Sometimes the tiniest of creatures attract the most attention – check out these worms flexing in space, or these microscopic organisms coming back to life after being frozen for 24,000 years!
Since the end of the pandemic is still not in sight, perhaps it could be a good topic to talk about too. Tell your fellow guests about how humankind’s best friend has a role in beating the spread of SARS-CoV-2, or how these majestic black swans are key in averting another pandemic in the future.
Plenty of other captivating and thought-provoking topics, such as climate change, renewable energy and computing gizmos, are available on our blog, all free for you to explore and reference for your own use!
