neuroscience

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Jan 14-10, 2018

/ Melanie Marttila

A few articles to get your mental corn popping.

Not that bad. Katy Kati Kate: momming your ass off

Jennifer Wright: women are afraid men will murder them. Harper’s Bazaar

Suzannah Weiss offers a psychological explanation for why compliments are so embarrassing. The Cut

Kaya Oaks shares what medieval women taught her about being 40. On Being

Judith Graham reveals the secret to keeping your brain sharp as you grow older. It may be simpler than you think. Business Insider

Anika Burgess: the secret paths that led Ireland’s Catholics to forbidden mass. Atlas Obscura

Nikhil Sonnad explains that it’s tea if by sea and cha if by land and why the world has two words for tea. Quartz

Paul Cooper expounds on the timeless allure of ruins. BBC

Jenn M. Jackson: Martin Luther King Jr. was more radical than we remember. Teen Vogue

The extraordinary life of Nikola Tesla. Richard Gunderman for The Smithsonian Magazine.

Is the interbrain a kind of human wifi? IFLS

Bored Panda features photographs from the world’s coldest village.

Monitoring the wildlife overpass on highway 69, March 20, 2017.

 

A close encounter between a fox and a snowy owl. CTV News

Be well until the weekend!

thoughtythursday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Jan 7-13, 2018

/ Melanie Marttila

This week was thoughtier than usual 🙂

Dana Goodyear: can Hollywood change its ways? The New Yorker

Joseph Shapiro exposes the sexual assault epidemic that no one talks about. NPR

Zdravko Cvijetic lists 13 things you must give up to live the life you want. Uplift

Judith Graham says that good friends might be your best brain booster as you age. Scientific American

Ed Yong pays tribute to the transgender scientist who changed how we understand the brain. The Atlantic

The benefits of deep sleep and how we can get more of it. Dan Gartenberg’s TED Talk.

 

Holly Butcher was diagnosed with Ewings sarcoma and posted an inspirational message on the eve of her death. BoredPanda

Mya Fourstar aims for college basketball and life beyond the reserve. Jesse Dougherty for The Washington Post.

Arthur C. Clarke predicts the internet in 1962.

 

Dave Mosher reports on the Jupiter probe’s latest mind-bending images of the gas giant. The Business Insider

Andrew Fazekas shares his top eight must-see sky events of 2018. National Geographic

NPR’s Skunk Bear explores the sci-fi sound of singing ice.

 

SciShow: Egyptian Blue. Modern applications for an ancient pigment.

 

Shake your silk-maker: the dance of the peacock spider.

 

The firefly experience.

 

I hope something in this curation got your mental corn popping.

Be well until the weekend.

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Dec 1-2, 2017

/ Melanie Marttila

Thoughty Thursday’s here, and you know what that means—tomorrow is Friday!

Again, this is just a brief curation to restart the blogging engine 🙂

It’s time to get the mental corn popping.

Fan asks Dan Harmon about depression and he offers insightful advice. Bored Panda

Nothing But Thieves frontman, Conor, on his experience with depression and anxiety.

 

Jack Turban: nice brains finish last. Scientific American

ASAP Science: can you change someone’s opinion?

 

Rich Bellis explains how to design your ideal workday based on your sleep habits. Fast Company

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) reports that they’ll be able to extend the life of Voyager 1 (and possibly Voyager 2) by using thrusters that haven’t been fired in 37 years.

Nothing But Thieves – Broken Machine live for #IAMWHOLE

 

How’s that for a practice run?

Be well until the weekend!

thoughtythursday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Oct 1-7, 2017

/ Melanie Marttila

Just a little bit of thoughty this week.

Julie Ireton: report says Phoenix was doomed from the start. CBC

What new Governor General Julie Payette’s coat of arms means. CBC

Sherri Borden Colley: after 200 years without a land title, Nova Scotia black communities offered hope. CBC

David Eagleman explores the impact of neuroscience on the criminal justice system: the brain on trial. The Atlantic

SciShow news: how to bring someone back from a vegetative state and generating energy from evaporation.

 

ASAP Science: how to learn faster.

 

Robert Wicks on the necessity of self-care:

 

I hope something in this mix got your mental corn popping.

Fare thee well until the weekend!

thoughtythursday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Sept 24-30, 2017

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s time to get your mental corn popping!

Ibram Kendi, one of Americas leading racism scholars, says that love and education aren’t the answer. Lonnae O’Neal for The Undefeated.

Reni Eddo-Lodge posted this back in 2014: why I’m no longer talking to white people about race.

The reaction to the post, both from people of colour who shared her experience, and by white people who were changed by the post and begged her not to withdraw from the conversation, led Reni to write a book of the same name.

Now that book is out.

Colin Grant reviewed Reni and her book for The Guardian earlier this year: why “racism is a white problem.”

And, just last week, she was interviewed on The Link.

Do we really have two brains? It’s okay to be smart

 

And, honestly, I couldn’t not share this one. SciShow answers the question, why do your farts smell worse in the shower? Oh yeah. They went there 🙂

 

SoulSpot presents the Native American version of the zodiac.

Yes. This is silly. But we all need some silly sometimes, amirite? If you feel sad, just remember, horses can grow moustaches. Bored Panda

A puppy’s life – 1 day per second. What a mush face!

 

And that was thoughty Thursday.

Be well until the weekend!

thoughtythursday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Sept 3-9, 2017

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s a little bit of everything to get your mental corn popping 🙂

If you get goosebumps when you listen to music, like Greg Evans, your brain might be special. (Not church lady special …) A friend of mine calls them les frissons musicale 🙂 The Independent

David Nield: scientists may finally have discovered the trigger for autoimmune diseases. Science Alert

Katherine Schafler says the one thing no one ever says about grieving. Thrive Global

Patti Neighmond warns, get off the couch, baby boomers, or you might not be able to later. NPR

If you drink tap water, you’re consuming plastic pollutants—ick! Dan Morrison and Christopher Tyree for PRI.

Kate Shuttleworth counts the 606 pairs of shoes that represent New Zealand suicides this year alone. The Guardian

Mary Shepperson discovers ancient Iraq’s Sealand Kings. The Guardian

Brigit Katz reports on the lost languages discovered in one of the world’s oldest continuously run libraries. The Smithsonian Magazine

Tom Nichols: how we killed expertise. Politico

Maria Sacchetti reports on what will happen to the Dreamers if DACA is repealed. The Washington Post

Jessica Taylor says Congress can save DACA—but will they? NPR

Eric Roston shows you what’s really causing global warming. Bloomberg Businessweek

Now is exactly the time we should be talking about climate change. Phil Plait for Syfy.

Phil Plait documents our close encounter with asteroid Florence. SyFy

94 year old veteran Harry Leslie Smith has a warning for the world: don’t let my past be your future. The Independent

Ta-Nahisi Coates: the first white president. The Atlantic

The United Nations unveils stunning memorial in New York dedicated to the millions who were killed or sacrificed in the slave trade to create America’s riches. Nick Chiles for the Atlanta Black Star.

Chelene Knight says, constantly proving my blackness is exhausting. The Globe and Mail

This is simply brilliant: even racists got the blues. Read the whole post. Brill, I say! The Geeky Gaeilgeoir

Bored Panda presents the photos of a 17-year-old Stanley Kubrick.

Nothing but Thieves – Broken Machine

 

And, just for fun, the original, 1969 (year of my birth, incidentally) Manamana from Sesame Street. Muppet mania forever!

 

And that was your Thoughty Thursday for the week!

Be well until the weekend 🙂

thoughtythursday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Aug 27-Sept 2, 2017

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s time to get the mental corn popping, people!

Alfredo Corchado: Mexico offers to help Harvey-soaked Texas. The Dallas News

Charles P. Pierce reports that we are not prepared for the ecological disaster Harvey is creating. Esquire

And Harvey isn’t the only system making news. Chloe Farand reveals that monsoons have killed 1,200 and left millions homeless in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal. The Independent

Murray Sinclair says we’re focused on the wrong thing when it comes to reconciliation. CBC’s “As it happens.”

Brandi Morin: First Nations students face continued funding shortfalls. CBC

David Kadavy explains how to be a creativity machine. Medium

Hannah Nichols wonders, what happens to the brain as we age? Medical Health News

What science tells us about good and evil. Yudhijit Battacharjee and Lynn Johnson for National Geographic.

Tom Chivers explains how to spot a psychopath. The Telegraph

The latest Cassini images of Saturn and its moons are breathtaking. Sci-Tech Universe

Phil Plait shares what he discovered standing under the shadow of the moon. SyFy

Jaymi Heimbuch shares seven things you never knew about dragonflies. Cause I loves the dragonflies 🙂 Mother Nature Network

Chris Ketonen reports on the Northwestern Ontario man who nursed an injured eagle back to health. CBC

Be well until the weekend!

thoughtythursday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, June 11-17, 2017

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s time to get your mental corn popping!

Leonard Sumner: I know you’re sorry. CBC

Ivan Semeniuk charts Canada’s troubled waters. The Globe and Mail

Douglas Fox: Antarctica is melting and giant ice cracks are just the start. National Geographic

Simon Lock explains the new theory of how the moon formed. Scientific American

ASAP Science wonders if binge watching is good for you …

 

Ryan Kost covers one family’s experience with their transgender child: finding himself. An excellent and honest portrayal. The San Francisco Chronicle

Kerri Anne Renzulli looks at how different generations view youth and age. Money

Clementine Morrigan shares three thoughts on emotional labour. Guts Magazine

Kerin Higa interviews Michael Gazzaniga on his split brain research and what he’s discovered. NPR

Timothy Morton is the philosopher prophet of the Anthropocene. Alex Blasdel for The Guardian.

An Aztec temple emerges in the heart of Mexico City. The New York Times

Archaeologists in northern Iceland discover Viking age chief buried in his ship with his sword and his dog. (That’s how this shield maiden would like to go …) Iceland Magazine

Veterinary technician Kelsey Beth Carpenter lists five things you should know before euthanizing your dog (number one is it’s okay to cry). Pup Journal

Sad and Useless (but so darned cute) presents first world cat problems.

Be well until next Tipsday. I’m off to CanWrite! For the weekend and due to my volunteer obligations, I will not be blogging.

Have a great weekend, all!

thoughtythursday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, May 28-June 3, 2017

/ Melanie Marttila

Just a little thoughty this week.

Canada is not 150 years old. Greg and Mitch (ASAP Thought and ASAP Science)

 

Ossie Michelin explains how to talk about Indigenous people. CBC

 

Dan Van Winkle: at Cannes, Jessica Chastain calls out the real problem with how women are portrayed in film. The Mary Sue

Neuroscience reveals four rituals that contribute to happiness. Eric Barker for Ladders.

Bec Crew reports that only half of your friends actually like you. Science Alert

Natalie Zarrelli reveals the knitting spies of WWII. Atlas Obscura

Phil Plait: we thought Jupiter was weird; now we’re finding out just how weird. Blastr

Later in the week, Phil reports how astronomers may have seen a star collapse directly into a black hole. And then, two merging black holes, 3 billion light years away send ripples of spacetime through Earth.

Veritasium covers the two black holes merging, too.

 

Anthony Brooks reports on Brisco the pit bull, who rescued his owner’s neighbors from a home invasion. Good dog! The Miami Gazette

I hope something in that lot got your mental corn popping 🙂

 

See you on the weekend.

Be well until then.

thoughtythursday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, April 9-15, 2017

/ Melanie Marttila

Pop that mental corn! It’s good for you!

Petula Dvorak: Mary Magdelene has been reviled as a prostitute. That’s not how she was portrayed in the Bible. The Washington Post

Angela Gemmill reports on the latest developments on a new combined art gallery and library for Sudbury. CBC

Drew Hayden Taylor considers smudging to be spiritual, but not religious. The Globe and Mail

Caitlin Thompson reports on the Heiltsuk village that is three times older than the pyramids and what it means for indigenous oral history. Coast Mountain News

Michaeleen Doucleff explains how scientists cracked a 50 year old mystery about measles. NPR

Andrew North: how Mongolia is getting palliative care right. Quartz

Belinda Luscombe: Sheryl Sandberg’s new book, Option B, is a guide for finding life after the death of a loved one. Time

Robyn Reisch explains why intelligent people choose to be less social. Intelligence.com

Dan Dowling says, here’s why you can’t stay focused. Entrepreneur

Olga Khazan examines recent studies that may prove difficult childhoods can improve cognition. The Atlantic

Alice G. Walton lists seven habits that may actually improve brain function. Forbes

Yes, you can measure white privilege. Michael Harriot for The Root.

Stephen Hui: five reasons why we should stop calling white people “Caucasian.” The Georgia Straight

Hannah Devlin discovers why AI programs exhibit racial and gender biases. The Guardian

Natalie Wolchover covers the retiree who discovered an elusive mathematical proof. Wired

Rob Waugh: Hubble just spotted something massive coming out of Uranus. Yes, you may giggle. Metro

Phil Plait shares a video from the ESA’s Gaia project: how the sky may look in 5 million years. Blastr

Physicists say they’ve created a fluid with negative mass. Holy crap is right. Fiona MacDonald for Science  Alert.

It’s okay to be smart looks at the relationship between dogs and humans.

 

And minute earth cover the feline side of the tale. Tail?

 

See you on the weekend!

Be well, my lovelies 🙂

thoughtythursday2016