Category: ideas

“A lost parakeet in Japan was returned safely to its owner last week after it told police its home address. Why do captive birds mimic human speech, and how do they decide what to say?”

“The truth is that everything you do changes your brain. Everything. Every little thought or experience plays a role in the constant wiring and rewiring of your neural networks. So there is no escape. Yes, the internet is rewiring your brain. But so is watching television. And having a cup of tea. Or not having a cup of tea.”

“New research suggests that rather than describe how humans perform, the bell curve may actually be constraining how people perform. Minus such constraints, a new paper argues, lots of people are actually outliers.”

“For centuries, the Tidewater coast of North Carolina has held one of early America’s oldest secrets: the fate of more than 100 English colonists who vanished from their island outpost in the late 1500s. … The shroud of mystery may finally be lifting.”

“The incomplete copy of the gene seems to have showed up just as the extinct hominin Australopithecus made room for the genus Homo, which led to modern humans. That’s also when the brains of our ancestors began to expand and when dramatic changes in cognitive abilities are likely to have emerged.”

“Siu has created Touchy, a camera-like helmet that renders him blind. That is, until someone touches him. When actual physical contact is maintained for 10 seconds, the ‘human camera’ takes a photo and displays it on the back of the helmet.”

“The question of whether every human society has formal laws is far from settled, but they do all have rules. This is a peculiarly human trait.”

“But no other species pursues such a wide variety of entertainment or spends so much time enjoying themselves. The list of universals includes such diverse extracurricular pleasures as sports, music, games, joking, hospitality, hairdressing, dancing, art and tickling.”

“Where [animals] just eat, we make a meal of it. The main difference is down to one of humanity’s greatest inventions: cooking. People in every culture cook at least some of their food.”

“Language was once thought to be the defining characteristic of humans. These days we are more likely to consider it as part of a continuum of animal communication. … Arguably, [humans’] way with words reaches its apogee in gossip.”