As humans, we speak approximately 16,000 words every day. That’s a lot to talk about. Unless we learn a new language, by the time we are adults, we do it a lot without thinking. There are so many factors that explain why we use the words, phrases, and phrases that come out of our mouths on a daily basis, including differences in generation, location, culture, and education. Sometimes you may find yourself using a certain word or phrase that now, in 2020, may seem archaic or callous. And while there probably isn’t any malice behind your choice of word, it may have questionable origins or applications that you’re not at all aware of, like these 12 common expressions that are in fact racist.
Considering that much of Western culture and civilization was built on the assumption (by men) of male superiority, it makes sense that our language reflects this. For centuries, words and phrases have been used to control women and dictate their behavior. And given that one woman, Kamala Harris, is the running mate of a major party, expect to hear a lot of that language over the next few months. Here are 12 everyday expressions you didn’t realize were sexist.
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Hysterical / in hysterics
Have you ever described someone as being “hysterical” or crying “hysterically”? Now it’s just part of our everyday vocabulary, but her origin story is probably the best example of the myriad ways women have been silenced and rejected throughout history. It starts with the ancient Greeks, who believed that a woman’s uterus could wander throughout the rest of her body, causing a number of medical and psychological issues including, but not limited to, weakness, shortness of breath, brittleness, loss of consciousness and general “dementia.”
Centuries later, Victorian physicians (who were, of course, almost exclusively male) really clung to the idea that the uterus was the source of virtually any health or psychological problem a woman could face. . The diagnosis ? Hysteria, based on “hystera”, the Greek word for uterus. Female hysteria, as it was called, was a catch-all term for anything men didn’t understand or couldn’t handle about women, and was a valid excuse to institutionalize them. There is so much more to this story, but even though “female hysteria” was discredited as a condition — which, by the way, only happened when 1980– the word and its variations continue to be used to refer to someone who displays extreme and exaggerated excitement or behavior. “Hysteria” can also mean a time when people are extremely attached to something, much like the coronavirus panic purchase earlier this year.
If you walked into a science class today and opened your notebook, the subject might be slightly different from where you were in school.
Our scientific knowledge base is constantly expanding and evolving. New findings or investigations frequently lead to revisions of previous beliefs and, in some cases, invalidations. As a result, some of the “facts” you learned in school may no longer be correct.
Dinosaurs, for example, probably didn’t appear like in your textbook. The history of Homo sapiens is not as simple as you might think. And much of what you learned in your health classes about nutrition and exercise has been refuted.
Here are some scientific facts that are no longer true that you may have studied in school.
(Photo: Gary Todd on Wikimedia Commons) Fossil trilobites
No one knows what caused the dinosaurs to go extinct just yet
Scientists were puzzled as to the cause of the dinosaurs extinction. National geography Shared suggestions ranging from low-dino sex drives to a world overrun with caterpillars.
However, in 1978, geophysicists discovered Chicxulub, a 10 km wide crater on the Yucatan Peninsula created by the asteroid that likely killed the dinosaurs.
Since, Business intern said new information regarding the asteroid’s collision had been discovered. The collision resulted in a kilometer-high tsunami, forest fires and the release of billions of tons of sulfur into the atmosphere. Another Business intern the report says it has erased the sun for years.
READ ALSO : Dino-Killer Space Rock left fossilized mega-ripples from the giant Mile-High tsunami
Sixth sense and more? Sure?
Taste, touch, sight, hearing and smell are just some of the ways we perceive the environment. Accelerometers, located in the vestibular system of our ears, detect movement. Fluid moving through microscopic tubes deep inside our ears allows us to perceive movement and use our sense of balance. Make you dizzy and The conversation says it’s that feeling that puzzles you.
We can feel our blood turn acidic when we hold our breath because the carbon dioxide dissolves in it and forms carbonic acid. Not to mention the sensations of temperature, pain and time, among many others, which allow us to respond to what is happening in us and in the environment around us.
Did humans reach North America 13,000 years ago by crossing the Bering Land Bridge? NOPE!
Archaeologists have unearthed traces of human existence dating back thousands of years. Business intern experts have found nearly 2,000 stone tools, ashes and other human artifacts in a high-altitude cave in Mexico. Some are 30,000 years old.
However, none of these finds pushed the period as far back as the Mexican cave artefacts.
Camels don’t store water in their humps
Camels store fat on their humps, which they use as fuel when they travel great distances with limited resources. According to Animal planet, the fat of a camel can replace almost three weeks of food.
The camel’s red blood cells are responsible for the camel’s ability to go a week without drinking water. Britannica said camels, unlike other animals, have oval-shaped blood cells that are more flexible and can store huge amounts of water.
RELATED ARTICLE: How do Arabian camels travel 100 miles of desert and endure weeks without water?
Discover more news and information about Science in Science Times.
People on Reddit have shared “scary” science facts they think the public knows nothing about in a thread urging scientists to reveal it all. We’ll be honest, you probably would rather not know a lot of them. So come back now if you want to save yourself some trauma, and everyone keeps reading as we compile some of our “favorites.” Some are self-explanatory; we will intervene if we have anything to add.
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Yes, good old smut can indeed remain buried for many years, only to be revived and infect others. In 2016, an anthrax outbreak in Siberia that killed at least 1,500 reindeer, hospitalized four humans and potentially killed a 12-year-old was caused by the thawing of an infected 75-year-old reindeer corpse.
As the climate crisis continues, this could happen more often.
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Prion diseases are rightfully terrifying. Perhaps the worst part is the familiar fatal insomnia. It’s more complicated (see here) but essentially, the hereditary disease strikes around the age of 50. You lose sleep, and you lose sleep, and you lose sleep
“As a rule, one day in middle age, the patient discovers that he [or she] started to sweat. A look in the mirror will show that his pupils have shrunk to pin pricks and that he is holding his head in a weird and stiff way, “describes journalist DT Max in his 2006 book. The family that couldn’t sleep. “Constipation is common, women suddenly go through menopause, and men become powerless. The victim begins to have trouble sleeping and tries to compensate with an afternoon nap, but to no avail. Her blood pressure and pulse have become high and her body is overdrive. Over the next several months, he desperately tries to sleep, sometimes closing his eyes but never managing to fall into more than a slight stupor. “
Within 18 months of its onset, people who contract the disease have died.
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This is true, but the situation is actually much worse than that.
If you want to scare yourself more about anesthetics, we highly recommend checking out The Forgotten Twilight Sleep Practice.
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That’s right, according to a 2020 study. However, we can’t decide if this one is scary or heartwarming.
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Bad news, the “pirate disease” is making a comeback in the United States.
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Yes, dying from jumping into a pool of lava is much worse than what is portrayed in the movies.
“Jumping into your deadly tub will get you stuck on the surface as the lava begins to burn all the way through you,” former IFLScience writer Dr Robin Andrews wrote in 2017.
“This injury is the type that not only destroys the top layer of your skin (epidermis), but quickly destroys your nerve endings and cuts your blood vessels in your underlying dermis. Your subcutaneous fat will also boil, so indeed. , you ‘I’ll be seared like a beef steak. “
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We are starting to know how it works, many years after using it.
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In 2019, part of a Russian laboratory that stores smallpox exploded. Sleep loudly.
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And finally.
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In addition, we need to let future humans know that what we have buried is dangerous. The ideas we have so far are pretty far-fetched and have led to the suggestion of the atomic priesthood, which is just as Publication date like that sounds.
This week in IFLScience
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Nowadays, more and more people are using cannabinoid products for their health and wellness applications. However, these applications and benefits are so many and varied that you practically need a table to keep up with them all. Fortunately, a company called Golden leaf actually makes such graphics and infographics. And contrary to what you probably imagine, they are so beautiful that you are going to want to make this cannabis art the centerpiece of your home decor.
Public perception of cannabis has changed a lot over the past decade. As the legalization movement took hold across the country, more and more people realized that hemp isn’t just for stoners and hippies. In addition to their perfectly legitimate recreational uses, cannabinoids such as THC and CBD have been shown to relieve a host of health problems without the side effects that often accompany other prescription drugs.
Sadly, our scientific understanding of cannabis has been held up by decades of draconian drug laws. Now we are finally starting to catch up. But there is so much information coming in all the time, it can be hard to understand.
This is where Goldleaf comes in. Their mission is to make the resort more accessible, dispelling myths and misinformation through the latest peer-reviewed research. To this end, they create unique products that combine a beautiful minimalist design with the most recent information on cannabis. These products include a whole range of information tables and infographics on various cannabis-related topics that are also stylish and educational.
If you are looking for a stylish way to educate yourself, friends, patients or clients on the latest cannabis facts, Goldleaf prints are a great choice.
Golden leaf CBD vs THC Comparison Impression is a sleek and modern infographic designed to serve as a starting point for treating twenty common medical conditions. Focusing on two of the most beneficial and studied cannabinoids, this beautiful and useful infographic shows which symptoms respond best to CBD, which respond best to THC, and which respond best to a combination of the two.
This fine art print comes on heavyweight archival paper with a matte finish using a very high quality press for vibrant color and brilliant resolution. It is available in two sizes, with or without hanging rods.
In many cases, people start to treat cannabis the same way they treat wine, beer, and coffee, analyzing different strains for their very nuanced flavor profiles. If you want to impress your guests at your next dinner you must check out Goldleaf’s Table of food and wine pairings Terpene to print. It is designed to help you pair gourmet food and wine with the right terpenes, which are the chemical compounds that give cannabis plants their flavor. Developed with the guidance of several professional chefs and culinary experts, this chart provides eight beautiful botanical illustrations explaining different flavor profiles of specific terpenes.
This fine art print comes on heavyweight uncoated archival paper using a very high quality press for vibrant color and brilliant resolution. It is available in two sizes, with or without hanging rods.
Gold leaf created the Cannabis delivery methods table print for cannabis newcomers who want to explore the different methods of cannabis consumption, as well as cannabis veterans who want a quick and aesthetically appealing visual reference for stats like onset times, duration and bioavailability. With Goldleaf’s signature minimalist design front and center, the Cannabis Delivery Method Chart is perfect for dispensaries, doctor’s offices, or the home of anyone interested in the science of cannabis use.
This fine art print comes on heavyweight archival paper with a matte finish using a very high quality press for vibrant color and brilliant resolution. It is available in two sizes, with or without hanging rods.
Futurism Fans: To create this content, a non-editorial team worked with an affiliate partner. We may charge a small commission on items purchased through this page. This post does not necessarily reflect the opinions or endorsement of the Futurism.com editorial team.
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There is nothing quite like the sinking feeling that viewers get when a beloved sci-fi piece fumbles around a technical detail and ends up embarrassingly distorting scientific reality.
What is that? There is fiction in the name, and just because it’s about science doesn’t he has to shoot with infallible precision all the time?
Maybe, but even the most intentionally silly sci-fi movies need to create tension and get viewers to invest in their characters, which means they need at least a minimum of credibility to make it happen. history has issues.
After all, viewers may not know how the xenomorph developed acidic blood, but given how remote and inhospitable their home planet is, it’s conceivable that even their body makeup is lethal to humans. Likewise, a recent WhatCulture list of wasted twists noted that while M Night Shyamalan’s The Happening offered an in-depth explanation of its killer plants, it is perhaps fondly remembered as more than a laughing stock. These days.
With that in mind, this list is here to uncover the most egregious science missteps, miscalculations, and outright fabrications that have the power to turn compelling sci-fi classics into unintentional comedies.
Okay, get ready to see more Roland Emmerich repeat offenders.
Keep in mind, this is the man who connected an Apple laptop to the operating system of an alien space fleet on Independence Day, when half the time iPhones don’t not even connect to each other.
The cheesy 2004 disaster epic The Day After Tomorrow deserves kudos for being one of the first major blockbusters to take climate change seriously (sorry, Waterworld, but no one could take you seriously), as well as ‘describing a human destroyed by New York after 9/11. pride rather than risky metaphors for terrorists.
However, as the world is now discovering since the release of this film in 2004, global climate change does not happen overnight (or even over the course of three whole days). According to climatologists, the film’s apocalyptic vision of a sudden global catastrophe would actually occur over many years.
Say, at a rate that most of the Western world could comfortably ignore or outright deny until it is too late to correct …
Since Einstein, we know that nothing goes faster than the speed of light – around 300,000 km per second. But this is only true in a vacuum, or almost as in space. Under the right circumstances, your neighbor’s turtle can overtake the light. It all depends on the medium.
When light shines through glass or water, it slows down by about a third. It’s still too fast to catch. But use even more exotic materials and you can reduce the speed of light to the rhythm of walking. Recently, scientists have even managed to turn off the light completely and then release it later. Just about anything can move faster than light, as long as you have a world-class lab to cut its heels off.
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Sputnik was the first man-made object in space – FALSE!
Sputnik 1, launched by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957, changed the world. It circled the globe for three months, as the first man-made object to enter orbit. But it was not the first to reach space. Hundreds of previous rockets had fired well beyond the recognized limit, only to immediately fall back to Earth on a ballistic trajectory. These were the German V-2 missiles, which rained devastation on England, France and Belgium during the last years of World War II. It was not a good start to the conquest of space.
Read more amazing facts:
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Glass is a liquid – FALSE!
Stroll through an old building with a knowledgeable friend, and they are sure to refer you to old windows. “See how thicker the glass is at the bottom?” », They will say. “It’s because glass is a liquid, not a solid. Over the centuries, gravity has caused the glass to sink downwards ”. Sounds convincing, right? It is in fact an urban myth.
Old glass is thicker at the bottom because it was made that way. The first glass technologies could only produce small panes of varying thickness and transparency. It made sense to install these imperfect panels so that the heaviest edges were at the bottom. This is the reason why old windows seem thicker at the base.
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Fish were the first animals to leave the oceans – FALSE!
We’ve all seen the illustrations. Millions of years ago, a particularly brave fish learned to venture on land for short periods. Over time, his species have spent longer and longer stays on land. Gradually, the gills gave way to the lungs to produce amphibians first, then reptiles, birds and mammals. Then, we. But this adventurous fish was not a true pioneer. The land was already teeming with life, including insects, centipedes, plants and fungi. This fact is often overlooked in a human-centered life story.
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Your body is entirely yours – FALSE!
Here is a scary thought. About half of the cells in your body are non-human. Rogue agents are bacteria, fungi and archaea. Your body is full of these tiny intruders. Between 500 and 1,000 species have taken up residence in your folds, ducts, shutters and rooms, and they are each present in the billions. Even your human cells are not entirely yours. Many mothers store their baby’s cells in a process known as microchimerism. These cells function and divide alongside the mother’s native cells, while remaining genetically distinct.
These leftovers can be passed on to other babies and even persist into the next generation. Your grandmother’s cells might hang around in your abdomen; a tincture from your uncle can sequester in your spleen.
Fgetting rid of the fear of a fatal disease is a luxury by historical standards, enjoyed by most Britons. But luxury cultivates complacency. This is one of the explanations for the decline in the number of children receiving routine vaccinations. NHS data released this week showed absorption of the first dose of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine to drop from 91.2% to 90.3% in England. This is the fifth consecutive annual decline. This moves the UK away from the World Health Organization’s 95% coverage target – the point of “herd immunity” where collective defense can stifle contagion. Last month, the WHO revoked Britain’s “measles-free” status just two years after that milestone was taken. There were around 1,000 cases last year, double the number recorded two years earlier. Mumps is experiencing a similar resurgence.
There is something particularly troubling about a society choosing to make itself vulnerable to infection. There is no new pathogen to defeat. The means of prevention are available on the NHS. Their rejection points to a different trend – the spread of toxic disinformation online and contempt for science in a culture that has devalued rationalism and expertise. Suspicion about the MMR vaccine peaked around the turn of the century and scared stories of association – completely debunked – with autism. This lie was first defeated by the facts, but is now enjoying a second life online as part of a much larger apparatus of fear and fraud. Parents who search Google or Facebook for information on vaccinations encounter mounds of deception, camouflaged in pseudoscience. Some of them channel the profits to charlatans and charlatans. Some are a gateway to paranoid sites on the far left and far right of the political spectrum. Some people, for whatever reason, just don’t trust vaccines, even though we wish they would. Tech giants have been reluctant to take control of this area as the “anti-vaxx” culture fuels a lucrative advertising market in hokum. Claims of social media companies to be responsible corporate citizens collide with their commercial interest in clickbait poison. Anti-vaxx content may not contain hate speech or glorify terrorism, but it still poses a danger to public health and should be regulated accordingly. Late, some companies act on the threat, but measures are not enough.
Meanwhile, the need to restore collective immunity is forcing the government to consider stronger measures: compulsory vaccination or a requirement of proof of immunization as a condition of occupancy of places in nurseries and schools. Such measures would entail additional bureaucracy and the risk of a counterproductive backlash against the state. These are important objections, but not insurmountable when the associated benefit is preventing epidemics and saving lives. Ideally, information campaigns, combined with more effective postnatal care, would be sufficient to strengthen the defenses against the disease. Not all vaccine refusals are anti-science activists. Many are simply bewildered and lend themselves to persuasion. With the right methods, more can be done to help the facts win this battle before coercion becomes necessary. But there might still come a time when the government may have to draw the line and declare that the refusal of a minority to get vaccinated is a luxury our society can no longer collectively afford.
In politics, it is common to have disagreements over values and goals. What makes government decision-making even more difficult today is that we disagree not only on goals but also on facts.
Is the planet getting warmer? Are asylum seekers in danger if they are sent back to their country or if they have to wait in Mexico? Would a single-payer health care system bankrupt the government?
The easy problems are those on which we agree on facts and goals: the bridge has collapsed and needs to be replaced. There are a lot of additional issues that will need to be addressed (design, contractors, and how to pay for it), but we know how to build a new bridge. Agreement on facts and purpose makes subsequent decisions easier to make.
When we agree on facts but not on values and goals, then we need a political process.
For example, if a city has a million dollar surplus, what should we do with the money? We agree on the amount of the surplus, but not on what to do with it.
Disagreements over goals and values can only be resolved through negotiations, compromises or the exercise of power. We have the voices; you lost.
There are even political situations where we agree on goals but disagree on facts, or don’t know how to achieve the goal.
During WWII we wanted to defeat our enemies, but at the start of the war it was not clear how to do it. During the space race, we decided to send a man to the moon, but no one in Congress had the scientific and technical knowledge to do so.
In both of these cases, we brought in experts to investigate the problem, find solutions, and get the job done. This often involved trial and error until a good solution was found.
Research and science, however, are corrupted when people play quickly and freely with the facts. Bias researchers are usually funded by special interest groups who want the facts on their side. Politicians use “alternative facts” to back up their case. Disputes over fact have become so common that they have created a new branch of journalism devoted to fact-checking statements by politicians on both sides.
Saint Augustine believed that the prohibition of lying was absolute for Christians, even if it cost them their lives. In his eyes, lying was an inherent evil. Later moralists argued that one can lie to protect oneself from an evil person or state.
Today we are so far from Augustine that people are lying just to make an argument or make money. The end justifies the means. And when they are caught lying, they have no shame or a sense of guilt.
The immigration debate is one in which we see disagreements over values and facts, which makes it so difficult to resolve.
Values: What kind of immigrants do we want in terms of wealth, education, ethnicity, race and religion? Should we favor the reunification of families or immigrants who boost our economy? How should we treat those who have come here illegally? Should families be separated at the border?
But there are also disagreements over the facts: what happens to asylum seekers when they are returned to their country? Do immigrants commit more crimes than native born citizens? Are immigrants or native-born citizens more dependent on government assistance? Does immigration help or hurt the economy? Do immigrants pay more taxes than they receive government benefits?
Confusion over the facts makes decision making more difficult. Ignoring or lying about research already done makes things worse.
If we want to make progress in our country, we must value the facts and the truth. We must promote research and science.
There is no doubt that sometimes researchers and scientists are wrong. But science at its best is a process of self-correction, in which other scientists can critique and improve the work of their peers. But when politicians and the public reject scientific findings because they don’t like the results, then we’re in trouble.
The plight of asylum seekers worries me a lot. Asylum seekers are people who say they fear harm if returned to their country of origin. Jews fleeing Nazi Germany were a classic example of asylum seekers. Some Jews were refused entry and returned to Germany, where they were killed in concentration camps.
Today’s asylum seekers from the Middle East, Africa and Central America claim that their lives have been threatened for political, religious or identity reasons or simply because they refused to cooperate with the gangs prevalent in their country. Some refugees are women fleeing domestic violence. Sometimes the government is the persecutor; sometimes he just looks the other way and allows the violence to take place.
The Trump administration claims that most asylum seekers are fraudsters who really come to the United States for economic reasons. The administration says they can be safely returned to their country.
It is a question of fact which should be studied. The Trump administration has already returned thousands of asylum seekers to Central America. What happened to them after their return? We have a few anecdotal reports of returned asylum seekers, but no comprehensive study.
Congress should demand that the Government Accountability Office, the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department do research to find out what happened to these people after their return. were they killed? Are they still threatened? Did their governments protect them?
Academics, non-governmental organizations and the Catholic Church should also do this research. We need to know what happens to people who are fired.
Policy making must be influenced by facts. Making decisions ignoring the facts is irresponsible. It’s shooting in the dark when you don’t know who you’re going to hurt.
But our values must also be taken into account. When the facts are uncertain, when the research is incomplete, we must look to the solution that is safest for those affected. Playing with people’s lives is not acceptable.
(Updated March 26, 2021) We humans love anecdotes. In fact, here are some fun facts for you:
1) Three out of five people are likely to share an anecdote they found on their social media feed. 2) One on three will find a way to bring it up in a future conversation. 3) Only 13 of 27 take the time to verify whether the incredible fact they just read was in fact too good to be true.
Oh, and in case you haven’t already figured it out, these are just dummy stats that I made up on the fly.
“Trust me on these numbers – I’m a scientist! Now stay still while I clip them to your eyelids… ”(Image: Universal Pictures)
Still, it’s not that far-fetched to think that if there’s one thing people love more than getting smarter, it’s looking at more intelligent. More often than not, the easiest way to do this is to drop some random, out of this world, hyper specific scientific fact designed to leave everyone in awe.
Unfortunately, this also means that many so-called “facts” circulate without any fact checking. And as they repeat themselves out of the blue, the line between fact and fiction blurs faster than you can say “fake news!” “
Here are five of the many, many pieces of “science trivia” that don’t quite hold up when real science – or sometimes, even just common sense – kicks in.
Myth # 1: You only use ten percent of your brain.
Made: There are many ways to dispel this long-held myth. Indeed, the neuroscientist Barry beyerstein willing Seven. Conclusion: we use 100% of our brain… and perhaps the easiest way to prove it is from a practical point of view.
Think about it. What exactly are we talking about when we say “ten percent”? Are we talking about a physical region of the brain? If so, then what’s the point in leaving 90 percent unused? From an evolutionary standpoint, it would make absolutely no sense for our brains to be this big. In fact, the brain consumes about a fifth of our body’s energy, although it only accounts for two percent of the human body’s weight. Or do we assume that our neurons stop receiving signals from other neurons when we hit that “ten percent” quota?
Moreover, no existing study or research supports this silly idea. Also, if this is really the case, then any brain injury or head trauma that does not reach that “ten percent” magic zone should not hinder mental performance.
“On the bright side, at least we have a Scarlet johansson movie about this one, isn’t it? (Image: 20th Century Fox)
Myth # 2: It takes seven years to digest chewing gum.
Made: Nope. In fact, you’re just going to poop him straight away. Seriously.
It is true that today’s gum uses synthetic polymers. However, things that are less than 2cm in diameter usually exit the digestive system safely. This myth was invented by your parents to prevent your teen from swallowing chewing gum, and for good reason. While this wad of chewed gum does not semi-permanently live in your gut, it can certainly be a choking hazard, both for children and adults.
Warning: Excessive chewing gum can give you brilliant mutant powers and an outdated fashion sense. (Image: Marvel Comics)
Myth # 3: Goldfish have a memory duration of three seconds.
Made: Research shows that contrary to popular belief, a goldfish’s memory lasts beyond a few seconds. In fact, an experiment has shown that they are able to remember things for as long as Five months!
If you own some of these shimmering swimmers yourself, you’ve probably noticed how much they tend to come to the glass of their tank when you walk into the room. What they are exhibiting is in fact associative learning. Your pets have come to associate human presence with feeding time, so they will come closer in anticipation of a delicious goldfish larva. The fact that commercially available goldfish food doesn’t even look like anything they would eat in the wild is proof of this.
“Now stop believing in false scientific ‘facts’ and give me some food, a meaty dispenser. (Image: Roberto Machado Noa / Getty Images)
Myth # 4: The color red makes bulls angry.
Made: Red alert: This is absolutely false. It’s not the red cape (or muleta) worn by a matador who charges his horned enemy in a bullfight. Rather, this is the way the cape moves that enraged the bull. It has been shown that bulls will charge on a moving cape regardless of its color; red happens to be the preferred color for muletas because it helps to hide the blood (whether it is that of the matador or that of the bull) much more easily.
“Do bulls hate red?” What a ridiculous idea. (Image: Beth A. Kesler / Associated Press)
Myth # 5: Bats are blind.
Made: You’ve probably heard the expression “blind as a bat”, usually to insult someone else’s supposed poor eyesight. The truth, however, is that on the 1,300 known bat species, none of them are completely blind.
In reality, different species of bats have different levels of visual acuity. Some of the very small bats (microbats) tend to have poorly developed eyesight. On the other hand, larger bats (megabats) have much better eyesight; in fact some of them can see three times better than we can. As for echolocation (the ability to determine the position of an object through sound waves and echoes), many bat species use it in tandem with real vision to hunt for food, especially in the dark caves.
Oh, wait. We are pretty sure this we can not see. (Image: ministicks.com)
Bitten by the virus of scientific writing, Mikael has years of writing and writing experience to his credit. As the editor-in-chief of FlipScience, Mikael has vowed to help make science more fun and interesting for geek readers and the casual audience.
A visitor reads a comic strip during the 46th edition of the Angoulême International Comic Strip Festival in… [+] Angoulême, southwest of France, January 24, 2019 (Photo by Yohan BONNET / AFP)
YOHAN BONNET / AFP / Getty Images
What if reading comics was not only fun, but also educational?
According to a paper presented earlier this year at a conference on Human factors in computer systems, comics can help convey complex data. In a small study, researchers at the University of Edinburgh and others tried to find out which method was best for presenting different sets of data: a text written with a picture, an infographic or a comic strip. They gave study participants information in each format, then tested them on their understanding of the data they learned.
A small majority of participants were able to retain more information from the comic book than from the other two formats. In general, people thought that one of the biggest advantages of the comic book format over computer graphics was that the comic immediately indicated which direction you were supposed to read the information. Infographics don’t have a fixed reading order, so it’s not always clear what information needs to be seen first.
In contrast, research subjects thought the comics were sometimes too repetitive. To maintain the narrative structure, the same image often appeared in multiple panels with only a small change, but some readers found that boring. One participant was cited as saying “every time I see new images (panels), I expect something new ”.
It was only a small study, and there wasn’t a huge difference between comics and infographics when it came to getting the point across, but educational comics can have other purposes. than to explain data.
One of the co-authors of the Data Comics Effectiveness study was a scientific comic artist. Matteo farinella. Last week he also spoke about science comics at the World Conference of Science Journalists in Lausanne, Switzerland. Here he demonstrated how he uses visual aids to convey complex ideas. For example, a comic book allows you to introduce new types of characters to drive the story. In a regular written non-fiction sci-fi article, these characters are always real people – usually the scientists who did the work, or sometimes patients who received some scientific breakthrough. But in a comic book, you can get creative, and introduce fictional characters or even characters representing scientific objects.
Matteo Farinella talks about science comics at the World Conference of Science Journalists, at… [+] Lausanne, Switzerland.
Eva amsen
This round table also included two other scientific comic artists: Claudia Flandoli and Tailgate. Flandoli showed how the peculiar reading style of comics allows you to introduce many details and asides that would be extremely tedious to include in the prose. If she wants to develop a concept, she can add a panel to “zoom in” on the detail, or add an aside. The layout of the comic makes it clear to the reader that it involves a larger story detail. In the written text, it would be tedious paragraphs of examples.
Comics also have the potential to inspire people to explore scientific ideas. Hayanon, who has been making comics for over 15 years, shared the story of a researcher who was inspired to become a scientist after reading one of her comics years ago.
The image-based nature of comics also allows them to cross language barriers. While some of Hayanon’s Japanese comics have been translated into 25 different languages, others don’t use text at all. For example, a recent article in PLOS One describes how textless comics were used in Madagascar to communicate scientific recommendations on farmland management.
Even though this medium has been around for a few decades now, only a few studies have investigated whether comics are effective in teaching people complex scientific concepts. It has always been a ‘good to have’ rather than an essential part of science education, and comics may not be suitable for all types of information. But who knows, if science and data comics prove to be more effective than other media, maybe we’ll see more of it.
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