Weekly Dose of Wonder

A visualization of the accretion disk around a black hole. Jeremy Schnittman / NASA Goddard Space Flight Center hide caption

The rich savory flavor of miso soup is one way to experience umami, the fifth major taste. Yuuji/Getty Images hide caption

Scientists have engineered an albino squid that provides a window into the inner workings of the brain. Carrie Albertin/MBL Cephalopod Program hide caption

Marine scientists Jan-Olaf Meynecke attaches video-enabled tracking tags to humpback whales near Brisbane, Australia. While collecting data for a larger project on the whales' migration patterns and climate change, Meynecke and his colleagues discovered a new behavior they call "sand rolling." Jan-Olaf Meynecke hide caption

When humans interact with dogs, the feel-good hormone oxytocin increases — in the person and the dog. Sally Anscombe/Getty Images hide caption

When people listen to the same song, their brain waves can synchronize. It's one way that music creates a sense of connection and wonder. BlackJack3D/Getty Images hide caption

Scientists have identified a fossil of an herbivorous dinosaur, Psittacosaurus, being bitten by a mammal, Repenomamus. Gang Han hide caption

Devils Hole pupfish gather on the precious rocky shelf that supports their entire fragile existence in the wild. Olin Feuerbacher/NPS hide caption

Nassim Haddad, who owns three sweets shops in Lebanon, greets his customers and life with unflinching cheer. Ari Daniel for NPR hide caption

The interior of the Savannah remains a time capsule of the mid-century era in which it operated. The main lobby of the cruise ship welcomed paying passengers from 1962 to 1965. Meredith Rizzo for NPR hide caption

Scientist Amy Apprill, with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, places a recording device onto a coral reef in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Paul Caiger/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution hide caption

The California two-spot octopus can edit the RNA in its brain on a massive scale, likely allowing it to keep a clear head in both warm and cool waters. Tom Kleindinst/Marine Biological Laboratory hide caption

The reporter's kids, Sasha and Noa, both love falling asleep to lullabies. This is a sleeping self-portrait by Sasha, age 4. With great attention to detail, she has drawn the unicorns on her comforter. Sasha Ladly hide caption

Pando began with a single seed and now contains over 40,000 "stems." Lance Oditt hide caption

Some of the constellations that are visible from the Northern Hemisphere at different times of the year. NASA/JPL-Caltech hide caption

The author's daughter, Rosy, with two of the family chickens. Among Rosy's discoveries: "When the sun goes down, they all go up into the coop and go to bed. Nobody has to tell them it's bedtime." Michaeleen Doucleff/NPR hide caption