It’s okay to be smart

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Sept 1-7, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

And now, it’s time to get your mental corn popping.

German Lopez: America’s problem with gun violence, explained. Vox

It’s okay to be smart debunks seven scientific myths.

Peter Coy explains why the periodic table is more important than ever before. Bloomberg

PBS Space Time considers whether Earth’s magnetic poles are flipping.

James Gallagher reports that scientists have identified the gene responsible for left-handedness—which also affects how the brain processes language. BBC

Josh Dzieza follows some storm chasers as they search the clouds for the key to climate change: thunderheads. The Verge

Jessica Stewart showcases the amazing winners of the 2019 bird photographer of the year contest. My Modern Met

Thank you for visiting. I hope you found something to inspire your next creative project.

Until next time, be well, be kind, and stay strong. The world needs your stories!

ThoughtyThursday2019

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Aug 4-10, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s that time of week again. Let’s get your mental corn popping!

Jake Cline: internet slang is more sophisticated than it seems. An introduction to Gretchen McCulloch’s new book, Because Internet. Because language 🙂 The Atlantic

Dr. Becky relates the story of the Milky Way.

Rowan Jacobsen dives into SoulBuffalo and their ocean plastic field trip for corporate executives. Outside Online

Veronique Greenwood explains why indoor air quality is important to our bodies and our brains. BBC

Bill Sullivan shares his surprising findings about why we like what we like. National Geographic

Joe tries out human echolocation. It’s okay to be smart

SciShow examines the mammalian dive reflex.

Kate Bueckert reports on a flicker of hope in the insect world: firefly and monarch numbers are up according to Ontario researchers. CBC

And that was thoughty Thursday. Thanks for visiting and I hope you found something you need.

Until next tipsday, be well, be kind, and stay strong. The world needs your stories!

ThoughtyThursday2019

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, July 21-27, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

Since I’m a learning mutt, the stuff that interests me runs the gamut. I hope something here pops you mental corn. They did mine 🙂

This week, a couple of disturbing images were shared online about vulnerable populations in downtown Sudbury. I will not share them. My brave and thoughtful friend, Kim Fahner, was moved to post about it: a reflection on despair, mental health, and being mindful of one another when it’s not always popular to do so. Choose compassion people. There but for the grace of God go I. The Republic of Poetry

A group of young people on Manitoulin Island spent the last month crafting a birch bark canoe like their Anishnaabe ancestors. CBC’s “Up North” with Waubgeshig Rice.

Marina Koren tells the story of JoAnn Morgan, the Apollo engineer who almost want allowed in the control room. The Atlantic

It’s okay to be smart tries to figure out why we haven’t found evidence of other technological civilizations in the galaxy yet.

Physics Girl follows up with how we’re looking for life within our solar system.

Marjan Yazdi invites us to learn about the ancient art of henna-making in modern-day Iran. Ozy

Bob Holmes reveals how archaeologists study the common peoples of the past. Knowledgeable

SciShow Psych looks at the sunk cost fallacy.

Neville Ellis considers hope and mourning in the Anthropocene: understanding ecological grief. The Conversation

It’s okay to be smart considers the wood wide web.

Thank you for stopping by. This weekend, I’ll be composing my next chapter update for July. You’re welcome back if you want to find out what I’ve been up to.

Until then, be well!

ThoughtyThursday2019

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, June 30-July 6, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s time to get your mental corn popping 🙂

Sabrina Imbler covers the forgotten trans history of the wild west for Atlas Obscura.

Nicole Cliffe interviews Alanis Morissette on being pregnant at 45, childbirth, post-partum depression, and #metoo. You might be surprised, but I like Alanis Morissette. I’ve been a fan since she was on “You can’t do that on television.” I’ve only really liked her music since Jagged Little Pill, but, ya know, I was never into the pop princesses. And Alanis wasn’t either. She didn’t want to follow that path. I’m glad she didn’t. Self

SciShow Psych explores whether you can learn emotional intelligence.

Kris Newby recounts one family’s journey to a diagnosis of Lyme disease. It felt like the flu. It took ten doctors, a year, and $60,000 to find out the truth. Vox

It’s okay to be smart looks at what it takes to create a world-sized telescope to see a black hole.

This is just something cool: ceramic skulls for your fire pit or fireplace. Can You Actually

Michael Greshko reports that these capuchin monkeys are 3,000 years into their own “stone age.” National Geographic

The White Wolf Pack shares a sweet video of raven courtship. Have I ever told you that corvids rock my world?

Haley Weiss: dogs’ eyes have changed since humans befriended them. It might be argued that dogs domesticated us 😉 The Atlantic

Thanks for stopping by.

Until next tipsday, be well, be kind, and stay strong. The world needs your stories!

ThoughtyThursday2019

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, June 16-22, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

Here we are with some inspirational, research-y goodness to get your mental corn popping!

Lindsay Holiday reviews the lives and reigns of the gay kings and queen of England.

Anna Silman: every girl I knew was on it. Why some women are questioning hormonal birth control. I stopped birth control in my mid twenties because it was messing with my mental health. My spouse could see it clearly. The few times I’ve had to use it since, usually for some form of menstrual intervention, I’ve turned into a basket case. So support women listening to their own bodies and minds. The Cut

Olga Khazan explores a breakthrough in the mystery of why women get so many autoimmune diseases. The point was made by a commenter, however, that many of these autoimmune diseases develop before puberty. Can they explain that? The Atlantic

Anna Bianca Roach: her death made headlines. We should learn from her life, instead. The Washington Post

Karen Russell writes a letter of recommendation about superstitions. The New York Times Magazine

Open Culture reveals that Leonardo da Vinci’s huge notebook collections, the Forster Codex, are now digitized in high resolution so you can explore them online.

Ryan F. Mandelbaum reports on a Norwegian town that wants to abolish time. Gizmodo

Meilan Solly reports that a perfectly preserved, 32,000-year-old wolf head was found in Siberian permafrost, and what wildlife biologists are learning from it. The Smithsonian Magazine

Nathan Rott: going “zero carbon” is all the rage but will it stop climate change? NPR

Michael Greshko wonders, what is the summer solstice? National Geographic

Maria Popova reveals the mesmerizing microscopy of trees—they look like lovely crochet patterns! BrainPickings

Chris R. Morgan says, the best streaming service is the National Film Board of Canada 🙂 The Outline

SciShow looks at the origin of butts 🙂

Kaitlyn Schwalje reports that we finally have the answer to how many squirrels there are in NYC’s Central Park. But who was asking the question? National Geographic

Joe paints butterfly wings with CRISPR. It’s okay to be smart

And that was thoughty Thursday.

Until next tipsday, be well, be kind, and stay strong. The world needs your stories.

ThoughtyThursday2019

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, May 12-18, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

And now, it’s time to get your mental corn popping 🙂

Marina shares the dark saga of Katie Bouman (the woman who rendered the final image of the black hole). April 15, 2019 The Atlantic

Anne Harrington tells the tale of psychiatry, racism, and the birth of “Sesame Street.” UNDark

Milt Estrow recounts the many, many theories about Leonardo da Vinci. The Atlantic

Czerne Reid show us the “lost” book of exquisite botanical drawings rediscovered after 190 years. Women in STEM connection: the author/illustrator was Anne Wollstonecraft. National Geographic

Allison C. Meier: designing the butterfly-friendly city. CityLab

SciSchow says the bee-pocalypse is … fake.

 

Laura Tenenbaum blows the lid off three plastic recycling myths. I thought I was a good environmental citizen. Turns out we’ve all been lied to. Forbes

It’s okay to be smart takes a look—ha!—at where your eye colour really comes from.

 

SciShow news reports that we’re one step closer to understanding aging (and other effects of oxidative stress).

 

I hope something here has given you inspiration or research tools for a new creative project.

Until next tipsday, be well, be kind, and stay strong. The world needs your stories!

thoughtythursday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Apr 7-13, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

I’ve got a bunch of resources here to get your mental corn popping.

Akshat Rathi: how we get to the next big battery breakthrough. Quartz

James Griffiths warns that Welsh and Hawaiian have been saved from extinction, but other languages may not be so lucky. CNN

Sandee LaMotte reports on the 99-year-old woman with all her organs in the wrong places. CNN

Jonathan D. Grinstein reveals a new way to detect Parkinson’s—by smell. Scientific American

Karen Weintraub: the adult brain does grow new neurons, after all. Scientific American

Antonio Regalado reports that doctors plan to test a gene therapy that could prevent Alzheimer’s. MIT Technology Review

It’s okay to be smart … about the AMAZING monarch butterfly.

 

To save the monarch butterfly, scientists are moving a forest 1,000 feet up a mountain. Kate Linthicum for the LA Times.

Before the image was released, Veritasium explains what it will look like and why (damned awesome, ‘cause he’s right on the money).

 

Mary Beth Griggs: see the first ever image of a supermassive black hole. The Verge

Natalie Grontcharova gives us a more complete picture: meet Katie Bouman, the woman behind the first image of a black hole. Refinery 29

After the image was released, Veritasium released a second video:

 

Mary Robinette Kowal: if space is the future, that future needs to include everyone. The Washington Post

Kate Sierzputowski shows us the Utrecht apartment transformed into a three storey tromp l’oeil bookcase. This is Colossal

Thanks for dropping by and I hope you found something to inspire a new creative project.

Until next tipsday, be well, be kind, and stay strong. The world needs your stories.

thoughtythursday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Feb 10-16, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s time to get your mental corn popping!

Jessica Stewart shares the unromantic origins of Valentine’s Day. My Modern Met

Kevin Munger: emotional burnout is fueled by envy. It’s focused on Millennial burnout, but I think there’s something for most readers in the social media obsessed age. The Outline

SciShow Psych: you’re probably more likable than you think you are.

 

It’s okay to be smart brings the impossible hugeness of deep time down to (reasonable) size with string.

 

Matt Williams considers how big a generation ship have to be to keep a crew of 500 alive for the journey to another star. Universe Today

Szabolcs Nagy captures an extremely good ISS transit of the moon. Space Station Guys

Kevin Gill posts this fly-by of Europa.

 

Michael Greshko: the Mars Opportunity rover is dead. Here’s what it gave mankind. National Geographic

Charlotte Higgins examines the battle for the future of Stonehenge. The Guardian

Shoshi Parks shares in the quest for Gamalost cheese, Norway’s “Viking Viagra.” Munchies

BBC design looks at the homes of the future. They almost build themselves!

Bryan Armen Graham checks in with Jerry Grymek, dog concierge for the Westminster Dog Show. Then, he profiles the wire fox terrier who won best in show. The Guardian

For your puppy-loving pleasure: Purin, the super beagle.

 

And that was thoughty Thursday.

Until next week, be well, be kind, and stay strong. The world needs your stories 🙂

thoughtythursday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Feb 3-9, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

Another fair number of videos in this week’s gathering of thoughty. I hope it gets your mental corn popping!

Troy Farah steps inside the push to legalize magic mushrooms to treat depression and PTSD. Wired

Sarita Robinson examines the profound effects isolation has on the human mind and body. Science Alert

Veritasium investigates the effects of negative ions. I still like my salt lamps. They’re pretty.

 

Hayden Field of Entrepreneur produced a three-part video series about mental health and entrepreneurship featuring Gabriela Pereira and Michael Phelps (among others). Here’s part 1, part 2, and part 3.

SciShow reveals the real reason it’s so hard to lose weight. This is why I don’t try to lose weight by dieting. I still experience difficulties, but I try not to change my eating behaviours as a way of overcoming a plateau.

 

Matt Richtel shows you how to be creative. The New York Times

Ephrat Livni shares Thich Nhat Hanh’s tips for mindful walking—without looking like a weirdo. Quartz

It’s Okay to be Smart – How can we tell if there’s life on other planets? We look at Earth.

 

SciShow Space looks at the evidence for a new theory about how the universe will end: the big rip.

 

Catherine Zuckerman reveals the hidden world of microscopic life through Jannicke Wiik-Nielsen’s extraordinary photography. ‘Cause microscopy is cool. National Geographic

Phil and I have decided that Torvi has a lot of husky in her … (i.e., T exhibits a lot of these behaviours.)

 

Thanks for stopping by for a little edutainment!

Until next tipsday, be well, be kind, and stay strong. The world needs your stories!

thoughtythursday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Aug 5-11, 2018

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s time to get your mental corn popping, that is, to present you with some interesting stuff in the hope that the resulting creative connections will lead to your next awesome project! Yup, that’s what thoughty Thursday’s all about.

Patricia Grisafi writes about the terrible “what if”: how OCD makes every day a matter of life and death. The Guardian

Brenda Knowles wonders if solitary activities are only half-fixes for anxiety and depression. Space2Live

Your brain on caffeine with Shannon Odell. Inverse

 

Tom Wipple: how to edit a human. On unlocking the human genome, ethics, and CRISPR. 1843

Jason Pontin discusses the genetics (and ethics) of making humans fit for Mars. Wired

Disney princesses look more like children as the years pass. It’s not accidental. It’s all about neoteny. It’s Okay to be Smart

 

And, for your amusement: Ze Frank’s true facts about the dung beetle.

 

Be well until next tipsday!

thoughtythursday2016