Science
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The blurry black hole photo
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2 min read
In the New Republic, writer Matt Ford rightly argues why we should be in awe of the blurry photo of the black hole. It’s not about the picture as much as the effort in went in to capturing it. Context is king. This level of cynicism is better understood as ignorance. The image itself might…
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Placebos: the lies we make true
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1 min read
What the mind believes, the body can achieve. Look no further than a placebo who’s sole power is in its real effects. If it’s broken, only then do you fix it. But placebos work just as an app’s colors dupe the brain into submission. The slightest taste of sugar helps the medicine go down. The…
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“Who you are depends on what your neurons are up to, moment by moment.” — David Eagleman, The Brain: The Story of You
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How complaining affects the brain
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2 min read
“Don’t whine, don’t complain, don’t make excuses, just do the best you can do,” said UCLA coach John Wooden. It turns out the coach was on to something. Recent studies show that complaining every day changes the structure of the brain. Harmful behaviors such as complaining, if allowed to loop within the brain continually, will…
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‘Short sleep predicts a shorter life’
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1 min read
I never sleep/because sleep is the cousin of death. Nas, ‘New York State of Mind’ Everyone knows sleep is critical few people prioritize it. Some folks think it’s a badge of honor to get five hours a night. But your brain literally eats itself when you don’t sleep. Sleep is a ‘non-negotiable biological necessity.’ And why…
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Human plus machine 🤖
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1 min read
It’s inevitable. In technology, nothing stands still. We’ll know what we want to accomplish and we’ll do so with incredible pace and confidence. The only thing that stands in our way is lack of belief in the brain and body’s flexibility. Virtual or non-virtual reality, there will only be one continuous world. Everything else is…
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Looking ahead, seeing behind
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1 min read
Stuck in the moment, nostalgic for the past. How do people run life at a dizzying pace while also wanting society to replicate the 1950s? Technology facilitates progress yet turns back the clock on thinking. Mobile phones allow anyone with a social account to amplify misinformation and weaken the willpower to do good. Even the inactive…
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Think of humans ‘as a little fish out of water’
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1 min read
There’s more than one theory of evolution, most notably Darwinian natural selection. But according to LSU biology professor Prosanta Chakrabarty, we’re still evolving. We’re not the goal of evolution. Think of us all as young leaves on this ancient and gigantic tree of life — connected by invisible branches not just to each other, but…
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Planet or Plastic?
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1 min read
The tip of an iceberg is actually the top of a plastic bag. But what you see is what you get. Art by Jorge Gamboa
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Earth stripped of water
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1 min read
Life as we know it can survive without sunlight and oxygen: witness the creatures that populate the sulfurous vicinity of submarine hydrothermal vents. Life as we know it cannot live without water, and where there is water, there is almost always life.“I discovered living creatures in rain, which had stood but a few days in…
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Closeup of the heart minus fat and muscle ❤️
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1 min read
Close up view of the human heart stripped of all fat and muscle, showing just the coronary arteries and cardiac veins exposed. 💓 History Daily
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Why sitting is bad for you, animated
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1 min read
Sitting is the new smoking. While that claim may be a bit exaggerated, it is an effective reminder to remind ourselves to take our body for a walk. The more than 360 joints inside our bodies are also ample evidence that we are built to stand up and move. And while more offices are including…