THOUGHTBOX

Remember when I said Eratosthenes was a total boss ? Well, here's the one and only Carl Sagan telling us why.  Watch the video to find out more about how Eratosthenes discovered the Earth's spherical nature in the 3rd century BC.

We're smart people. We live in a world where information is literally at our fingertips, and pretty much any answer can be found online, yet how much do we educated people know about facts and phenomenons we take for granted? Source: Wikipedia Sure, nobody's asking you to know everything - with Google, after all, you don't have to. Yet there are some things we do take for granted. Imagine you were alone in the middle of a green field - no internet, no help - and a curious child asks you a simple question: why is the Earth round ? What would you say? These little questions in life that have big implications - this is what this series is about. I've asked a few friends to answer a simple question: Why is the Earth Round? Here are some of their answers: And here are some of their (and other) answers, quoted: Andrei said: "The Earth is round because it's on an elliptical path around the Sun. Moreover, it is not completely round, it...

Supermoon in stanga, supermoon in dreapta. Supermoon pe facebook, supermoon pe twitter. Inainte sa incep sa combat lucrul asta, sa va spun un lucru scurt si va puteti opri aici din citit: THERE IS NO SUPERMOON. De ce? Pai, in primul rand, orbita lunara nu este un cerc perfect. Are momente cand este mai aproape de Pamant, si momente cand este mai departe de Pamant. Acuma, se intampla uneori ca acele momente cand se afla mai aproape de Pamant sa coincida cu faza de luna plina. Iata nasterea Super Moon-ului. Dar uneori se intampla si altfel: unde sunt Super-Secera, Super Eclipsa, Super-Primul-Patrar, Super-Ultimul Patrar? Desi SuperLuna de pe 23 a fost MAI MARE decat dimensiunea aparenta, diferenta reala este de 7%. 7%. Adica  359.000 km fata de 384.000 in medie, o diferenta de sub 6%. Mai mult, in ciuda acestui fapt, evenimentele de apropiere sunt supercomune ( da da stiu, bad joke). Dar va stiu. N-ar suna bine sa iesiti la geam sa strigati: "dar h...

Hey there! Whenever you've had a tasty fig or two, have you ever paused to ponder on big issues like mortality, the cycle of life and - what the heck are those crunchy  bits inside the fig? The tiny hole at teh bottom of the fruit is  called an ostiole - remember that. What is the connection between figs, wasps and the more philosophical questions about life, death and purpose? It's all in the very peculiar and amazing symbiotic relationship between the fig tree and the fig wasp. When you think of wasps, you're thinking of the black and yellow striped nuisance and pesky cousin of the more benign and lovable bee. In fact, if you were to take a look at the fig wasp, you'd have a hard time telling them apart from a mosquito with the naked eye - not to mention that the males of the species have an odd, wingless worm like appearance. But the destinies of this fascinating insect and the fig tree are intertwined: fig wasps ensure that new fig plants...

So moving.

Citesti corect. Pe multicolorul afis, sustinut de Alianta Familiilor din Romania , scrie mare si lat: "Ti-ai vedea baietelul... homosexual? Ti-ai inchipui fetita...lesbiana? Pe Olari, in capatul strazii, se fac niste chestii..." Acel afis este rezultatul unei intamplari recente in cadrul liceului bilingv George Cosbuc din Bucuresti. Pe scurt, e vorba de un eveniment impotriva discriminarii sexuale, organizat de un numar de cadre didactice, care a avut ca urmare depunerea unor sesizari la Inspectoratul Scolar. Da, este vorba de o sesizare impotriva unui demers absolut civilizat. Ca sa citez scrisoarea de sustinere a demersurilor pro-toleranta, "Promovarea drepturilor omului in scoli este o datorie, nu o abatere disciplinara." Revenind la afisul cu pricina, care reprezinta exercitarea deplina a dreptului la libera exprimare, garantat de Constitutia Romaniei, trebuie sa precizez ca este opus-ul asociatiei sus-mentionate, Alianta Familiilor din Romani...

Pope Benedict XVI recently announced that he will be officially resigning his papacy on the 28th of February 2013, after eight years serving as the chief of Vatican. That's pretty whack considering most of us didn't realize you can resign as pope - essentially giving God your two weeks notice. The reason behind this decision is very grounded, however: Pope Benedict has cited his age and deteriorating mental and physical strength as the main reasons for his decision. That makes Pope Benedict the first pope to leave office while still alive since Pope Gregory XII in 1415! Not only that, this makes Benedict the first pope to voluntarily resign since Pope Celestine V in 1294.  And of course, the Internet happened. Being what it is, the Interwebs has responded in large volumes, not only with empathy or criticism, but also with puns around the popular "eggs Benedict" dish. Personally, I give Pope Benedict XVI my thumbs up for having the balls and c...

We all feel it. We all know it. But what is love really all about - chemically and physically? What we call love comes not from the heart, as is most often depicted, but from the brain. In fact, while you're in love your brain functions in a very similar fashion to people on cocaine. "No, you hang up!" Surprised? You shouldn't be. You see, love is quite literally a drug. When you're in love, your brain orders increased production of Dopamine and Epinephrine, substances that regulate arousal, craving and desire - which is why early stages of romantic relationships are all about obsessing over the other person and having an increased desire to be with your loved one more and more. Your brain also releases Oxytocin, a neuromodulator associated with commitment. Conversely, your Serotonin levels drop dramatically - just like people with OCD. And the result is the same: an obsessive infatuated person. Ah, life's many healthy cycles. Ho...