This week, we learned …
… there’s a lost continent in the Indian Ocean.
Map by Lewis D. Ashwal, Michael Wiedenbeck & Trond H. Torsvik. “Archaean zircons in Miocene oceanic hotspot rocks establish ancient continental crust beneath Mauritius.” Nature Communications 8. doi:10.1038/ncomms14086
How do you lose a continent?
What’s a microcontinent?
How’d scientists find the lost continent?
… how Ikea names products.
What kind of supply chain does Ikea have?
… a medieval skeleton is offering clues about how leprosy spread around the world.
Photograph by Gianreali, courtesy Wikimedia. Public domain
… speed reading doesn’t really work.
Start reading, and take your time!
… how to build an igloo.
Photograph by Emmanuel Milou, courtesy Flickr. CC-BY-SA-2.0
Short on ice? Make a gingerbread igloo instead!
… frogs use reversible spit to catch prey.
How are frogs leaping all over native species in Arizona?
… why the Victorians were so prudish, and how their attitudes shaped our idea of gender.
Photograph by Alexander Bassano, courtesy Wikimedia. Public domain
How is gender being redefined today?
… sea stars aren’t having any of this tagging nonsense.
How do scientists tag aquatic animals?
… the future is mixed-race, and so is the past.
How do different ethnicities contribute to “American Textures”?
… black humor is a sign of intelligence.
Photograph by Andy Wright, courtesy Wikimedia. CC-BY-2.0
Are Nat Geo explorers funny? Decide for yourself.
