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"Completing that Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle isn't just a diverting — if usually futile — pastime. It's also a great way to keep your wits about you as you age. At least that's the common belief, which holds that a regular schedule of cognitive exercise can bulk up your brain with new neurons, the same way vigorous weight lifting can build muscle mass."
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"Much to the dismay of wacky masochist everywhere, the human brain is wired against self-tickling. Because the brain controls movement, it knows what your hand is going to do before you do it."
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"The science of weather is a fascinating one; but even more so are the flukes and irregularities that can occur within our world. This is a list of 20 of the most amazing and unusual of those anomalies."
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"In 1977 Irene Pepperberg, a recent graduate of Harvard University, did something very bold. At a time when animals still were considered automatons, she set out to find what was on another creature's mind by talking to it. She brought a one-year-old African gray parrot she named Alex into her lab to teach him to reproduce the sounds of the English language. 'I thought if he learned to communicate, I could ask him questions about how he sees the world.'"
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"Space junk, space debris, space waste — call it what you want, but just as junk and waste cause problems here on Earth, in space spent booster stages, nuts and bolts from ISS construction, various accidental discards such as spacesuit gloves and cameras, and fragments from exploded spacecraft could turn into a serious problem for the future of spaceflight if actions to mitigate the threat are not taken now."
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"In the bayous of Louisiana, researchers have discovered that alligators have a ferocious immune system that can take down a vast range of viruses, bacteria and other infectious microbes, including HIV, the virus that causes AIDS."
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"In his new book, photographer Nick Veasey creates inside-out images of the everyday and the bizarre. Using a lead-lined studio he shoots his subjects, then composes and embellishes the images on a computer."
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"UK experts say research which finds drinking lots of water does little to improve health should not discourage people from topping up regularly."
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"Moondust. 'I wish I could send you some,' says Apollo 17 astronaut Gene Cernan. Just a thimbleful scooped fresh off the lunar surface. "It's amazing stuff."
Feel it—it's soft like snow, yet strangely abrasive.
Taste it—"not half bad," according to Apollo 16 astronaut John Young.
Sniff it—"it smells like spent gunpowder," says Cernan.
How do you sniff moondust?"
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" A man lies in hospital hoping for emergency treatment - on an 11 stone tumour."
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"Scientists who conducted the most comprehensive survey to date of New Zealand's Antarctic waters were surprised by the size of some specimens found, including jellyfish with 12-foot tentacles and 2-foot-wide starfish."
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Thanks, Chrissy
"In my surfing journeys through the internet’s reefs and shoals, I’ve encountered some really strange stuff. Factoids hardly anybody knows, about pretty much anything that might turn up as subject matter in a rousing championship match of Trivial Pursuit down at the pub on Thursday night. Some of these are real crowd pleasers sure to draw spontaneous applause, stunned gasps, and plenty of free beers from admirers."
Link
"Completing that Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle isn't just a diverting — if usually futile — pastime. It's also a great way to keep your wits about you as you age. At least that's the common belief, which holds that a regular schedule of cognitive exercise can bulk up your brain with new neurons, the same way vigorous weight lifting can build muscle mass."
"Much to the dismay of wacky masochist everywhere, the human brain is wired against self-tickling. Because the brain controls movement, it knows what your hand is going to do before you do it."
"The science of weather is a fascinating one; but even more so are the flukes and irregularities that can occur within our world. This is a list of 20 of the most amazing and unusual of those anomalies."
"In 1977 Irene Pepperberg, a recent graduate of Harvard University, did something very bold. At a time when animals still were considered automatons, she set out to find what was on another creature's mind by talking to it. She brought a one-year-old African gray parrot she named Alex into her lab to teach him to reproduce the sounds of the English language. 'I thought if he learned to communicate, I could ask him questions about how he sees the world.'"
"Space junk, space debris, space waste — call it what you want, but just as junk and waste cause problems here on Earth, in space spent booster stages, nuts and bolts from ISS construction, various accidental discards such as spacesuit gloves and cameras, and fragments from exploded spacecraft could turn into a serious problem for the future of spaceflight if actions to mitigate the threat are not taken now."
"In the bayous of Louisiana, researchers have discovered that alligators have a ferocious immune system that can take down a vast range of viruses, bacteria and other infectious microbes, including HIV, the virus that causes AIDS."
"In his new book, photographer Nick Veasey creates inside-out images of the everyday and the bizarre. Using a lead-lined studio he shoots his subjects, then composes and embellishes the images on a computer."
"UK experts say research which finds drinking lots of water does little to improve health should not discourage people from topping up regularly."
"Moondust. 'I wish I could send you some,' says Apollo 17 astronaut Gene Cernan. Just a thimbleful scooped fresh off the lunar surface. "It's amazing stuff."
" A man lies in hospital hoping for emergency treatment - on an 11 stone tumour."
"Scientists who conducted the most comprehensive survey to date of New Zealand's Antarctic waters were surprised by the size of some specimens found, including jellyfish with 12-foot tentacles and 2-foot-wide starfish."
"In my surfing journeys through the internet’s reefs and shoals, I’ve encountered some really strange stuff. Factoids hardly anybody knows, about pretty much anything that might turn up as subject matter in a rousing championship match of Trivial Pursuit down at the pub on Thursday night. Some of these are real crowd pleasers sure to draw spontaneous applause, stunned gasps, and plenty of free beers from admirers."
