A timeless quote from Tolstoy: "The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him."
Tolstoy on Difficulty, 1897
Lemurs get high by licking toxic millipedes and rubbing them on their bodies
The toxic secretions of millipedes are a real trip for Lemurs who know not to eat them, but to lick them and rub the enslobbered arthropods around their furry flanks. The ritual has an evolutionary narrative with it—the toxins kill parasites—and getting high is part of the package. READ THE REST
Absolutely astonishing video of a single cell becoming a tadpole
Spoilers below. From Aeon Video: Native to central and southern Europe, the amphibious alpine newt breeds in shallow water, where its larvae are born, hatch and feed on plankton, before sprouting legs and moving to land. This timelapse video from the Dutch director Jan van IJken tracks the development of a single-celled zygote into the… READ THE REST
Boy, 11, earns quantum physics degree in 18 months, wants to make people immortal
Laurent Simons, 11, earned a bachelor's degree with distinction from the University of Antwerp in 18 months of study. His major was quantum physics. Now Simons, who is half Belgian and half Dutch, is planning for his doctorate that will take him to several different countries including Israel, a hub of biotechnology. He says that… READ THE REST
Fight nasty card skimmers with this super-slim, ultra-compact Zenlet wallet
It feels like not many of us use cash anymore, but that hasn't eliminated the need for that staple of American manhood — the wallet — anytime soon. Of course, the idea of what a wallet is has certainly been changing in recent years. Where leather billfolds used to be stacked thick with cash, cards, photos,… READ THE REST
Power your devices in a crisis with up to $249 off these EcoFlow Power Stations
If mobile devices had been around when the Boy Scouts were organized over 110 years ago, it feels likely that telling scouts to have a stable supply of standby power around in case of emergency would have been high on the essentials list. The Boy Scouts are all about being prepared — and that's pretty… READ THE REST
Are you a hot sleeper? Stay frosty this summer with a chilled water sleep cooling system.
Trying to sleep during the height of the summer heat isn't always easy. If you live in a warm climate and if you have upstairs bedrooms, you know the heat rises — and while the air conditioning keeps things feeling comfortable downstairs, that isn't always the case upstairs. Once you throw some sheets and blankets… READ THE REST
