Category: ideas

“Crushing guilt is a common symptom of depression, an observation that dates back to Sigmund Freud. Now, a new study finds a communication breakdown between two guilt-associated brain regions in people who have had depression. This so-called ‘decoupling’ of the regions may be why depressed people take small faux pas as evidence that they are complete failures.”

“The JOBS Act changed the game for crowdfunding. It makes it legal for crowdfunding sites to give actual equity to investors – not just thank-you gifts such as T-shirts and coffee mugs – and it’s expected to draw a vast amount of capital to crowdfunding. Some are predicting an influx of as much as $300 billion, 10 times the amount now deployed in the venture sector.”

For four decades, the Queen’s English Society “has championed good English – and hasn’t been above the occasional criticism of the Queen’s own pronouncements – but it has finally conceded that it cannot survive in the era of textspeak and Twitter.”

“Over the next decade, new implantable technologies will fundamentally alter the social landscape. We are fast approaching a milestone in the eons-long relationship between human beings and their technology. … Simply put, prosthetic limbs help people move, and neural implants help people think.” But these devices “may not only erase physical or mental deficits but leave patients better off than ‘able-bodied’ folks.”

“When we talk with someone, we carefully monitor their facial expressions and physical gestures, both consciously and subconsciously. When we don’t see what we expect to see, the situation starts to feel weird. More specifically, according to a new study, it feels chilly.”

Tree rings confirm that something, and something huge, happened in the cosmos – and it affected the Earth’s atmosphere. But what was it?

A new book says yes. Historian Tom Holland “says that while there’s no doubt some historical accuracy in the sources for early Islam, those documents are more likely to be reflecting conditions at the time of their writing in the ninth and 10th centuries.”

“Blacksmithing is an ancient trade that, like other crafts, saw a downturn during the Industrial Revolution, when machines took over jobs that humans once did. Now, blacksmithing is having a small revival as smiths build new ways of connecting with customers.”

How did humans start speaking? Other primates tell us: All this talk began with some seriously intense lip smacks.

Want electronic clothes? A video game on your subway strap? Your laptop as part of the kitchen table? These innovations, and more, are all coming – and for some people, they’re already here.