Plants Can Feel You Touching Them
Amazing read that sheds light on how contact with humans (and other plants, the wind, etc.) can go so far as to alter a part of the genome of a plant. The article's title mentions that they "don't like it", which seems a bit of subjective notion especially considering the examples cited where the plant was able to be stimulated enough to fight off a fungus, but nevertheless it's all pretty fascinating to me.
Steve McCurry's Photo Galleries
Steve McCurry is a living legend of the photography world. His stunning portraits capture the gamut of human emotion, and the subtleties of conflict — all in stunning shades of color that he's most famous for.
How Extremophile Bacteria Living In Nuclear Reactors Might Help Us Make Vaccines
I wasn't aware that our cells evolved their repair mechanisms to combat oxidative stress billions of years ago when free oxygen first entered the atmosphere, and this same principle is used to repair radiation damage as well, and in the case of the bacterium in question it occurs on a massively enhanced scale such that it can withstand all kinds of environmental extremes.
Why Black Hole Interiors Grow (Almost) Forever
So strange that cosmological properties related to space and time can have such drastically different properties when they are contained in the domain of a black hole; effectively the complexity of a black hole interior becomes exponentially greater than outside the event horizon. At least I think that's the gist of the article.
New Material Is Strong, Light and Non-Cuttable
This is a real marvel of material science and engineering. Being able to mimic nature in such a way as to create a seemingly indestructible substrate of which the core properties lie in it's flexibility when faced with pressure.
Satan's Bank Note
Informative exposition on the history, usage, and transformation of value from gold to the many stages of paper that comprise modern day fiat currency. What's notable to me is the way the medium of transfer affected the culture and shaped even the political ideologies of the time.
Virginia Woolf And Hot Fudge Sundaes For Lunch
It's somewhat serendipitous that the author was able to relate and appreciate the wisdom contained in the bits of knowledge passed from one generation to another. A soft, personal story filled with realizations that I think most readers can relate to in one way or another.
Haunting Relics of a Country That No Longer Exists
Beautiful geometric and brutalist architecture give a vivid impression of a place really frozen in time. The simplicity and juxtaposition of the structures are wonderfully balanced by way of their abstract design.
The Code I'm Still Ashamed Of
Making a choice that leads to real-world consequences (whether indirect or unintentional) can't be an easy thing to live with at a young age. I appreciate the author not cutting himself any slack, and carrying the life lesson with him all through to the person he is today. A sobering read for anyone that works in industries that have far-reaching implications.