Hi, we've got three stories from Curiosity.com to help you get smarter in just a few minutes.

I'm Cody Gough.

And I'm Ashley Hamer.

Today, you learn about four up-and-coming batteries that could overtake lithium ion,

how micro sleep happens without you even knowing it,

and what you're getting wrong about CRISPR gene editing technology,

and how to get smart about it,

with a little help from Minu Prabine of Synthigo.

Let's satisfy some curiosity on the award-winning Curiosity Daily.

What do you know about lithium-ion batteries?

They power your phone, your laptop, and pretty much any rechargeable device you own.

But that might not be for long, because experts are scrambling to find a safer, more efficient, and less expensive substance to power our gadgets.

That's why, instead of just telling you how

lithium ion batteries work, today I'll tell you about four up-and-coming batteries that could

overtake lithium-ion. But let's start with some battery basics. Every chemical battery is made up of the same parts.

That includes two electrodes called the cathode and the anode,

and some sort of electrolyte.

Charged particles called ions travel through the electrolyte to go between those two

electrodes. In a lithium ion battery, the cathode is made of a compound that has lithium

in it, like lithium-cobalt oxide or lithium-iron phosphate. The anode is made of carbon or

graphite and the electrolyte varies depending on what type of battery you're talking

about. Lithium-ion batteries are great because they don't take up a lot of space.

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