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Gorth

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9 hours ago, Gorth said:

We're getting stupider apparently... human brain sizes having reached their apex about 3000 years ago.

If you include Neanderthals as human- which imo we should- brain size decreased significantly when we ate/ boffed them out of existence as they actually had a bigger average brain size than H. sapiens sapiens. And by a reasonable amount too.

The brain thing was always interesting to me given that while there's a preponderance of evidence that brain size is very important for intelligence on the macro/ species level, there has never been much that it's important on an individual/ micro level despite the best efforts of phrenologists; ie the brains of geniuses are not significantly different from 'normal' people in size terms. It seems to be far more about how well the brain is organised, and that is a lot harder to quantify than just volume alone.

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2 hours ago, Zoraptor said:

 ie the brains of geniuses are not significantly different from 'normal' people in size terms. It seems to be far more about how well the brain is organised, and that is a lot harder to quantify than just volume alone.

There are always exceptions of course. Einsteins brain makes for interesting study because of it's abnormalities

“He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would surely suffice.” - Albert Einstein
 

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This was a very good (if long) read: What did Medieval peasants know

As I written here a hundred time I get annoyed when actual history is subverted or outright misrepresented for modern political ends. The "dark ages" following the fall of the Western Roman Empire to the beginning of the "high Middle Ages" period are good fodder for that because there is very little in the way of preserved history or writing. 

Also I've had a subscription to The Atlantic about 10 years ago and let it lapse. But it seems like they have upped their game in the past decade and are doing some interesting writing again. I may have to buy back in.  

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"While it is true you learn with age, the down side is what you often learn is what a damn fool you were before"

Thomas Sowell

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Blasting out Earth’s location with the hope of reaching aliens is a controversial idea – two teams of scientists are doing it anyway

Probably a bad idea. But, by the time the radio messages actual get where they are going and if there are aliens there, and if they are able to receive it and decide to do something about it it will be at LEAST 20k years and that is assuming they can travel FTL. 

Y'know that was a pretty neat problem from the novel Forever War. Two races of roughly equal technology fighting an interstellar war. Because of time dilation the ships that travelled less time were more technologically advanced. 

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"While it is true you learn with age, the down side is what you often learn is what a damn fool you were before"

Thomas Sowell

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The image on the left is the Magellenic Cloud taken by the now retired Spitzer Space Telescope. The one on the right is the same thing captured by the James Webb telescope:

220509123109-webb-telescope-spitzer-comp

Webb telescope's sharp views of the universe will change astronomy

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"While it is true you learn with age, the down side is what you often learn is what a damn fool you were before"

Thomas Sowell

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Why has elegance found so little following? Elegance has the disadvantage that hard work is needed to achieve it and a good education to appreciate it. - Edsger Wybe Dijkstra

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FS-NxfZXsAA5GkB?format=png&name=900x900

 

Not quite funny enough for the funny things thread, but really kind of.. randomly quirky to find...

Edited by Raithe
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"Cuius testiculos habeas, habeas cardia et cerebellum."

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I really need to start a Deathguard squad or two in WH40k some day... 😁

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“He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would surely suffice.” - Albert Einstein
 

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The relationship between Denmark and Sweden explained...

edit: Iirc, the solution being an artificial island, where the bridge and the tunnel connects

why not both - Imgflip

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“He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would surely suffice.” - Albert Einstein
 

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What a video, this is true skill 

"Abashed the devil stood and felt how awful goodness is and saw Virtue in her shape how lovely: and pined his loss”

John Milton 

"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” -  George Bernard Shaw

"What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead" - Nelson Mandela

 

 

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Mystery issue experienced on NASA's Voyager 1 probe from 1977

It has travelled 45 years in space. It has travelled 15.5 Billion miles. In space! 45 YEARS. Why can't I get a laptop that lasts more than four years?????

Of course no one ever spilled coffee on the two Voyager probes. Probably. 

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"While it is true you learn with age, the down side is what you often learn is what a damn fool you were before"

Thomas Sowell

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11 minutes ago, Guard Dog said:

Mystery issue experienced on NASA's Voyager 1 probe from 1977

It has travelled 45 years in space. It has travelled 15.5 Billion miles. In space! 45 YEARS. Why can't I get a laptop that lasts more than four years?????

Of course no one ever spilled coffee on the two Voyager probes. Probably. 

V'ger had help...

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“He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would surely suffice.” - Albert Einstein
 

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4 minutes ago, Gorth said:

V'ger had help...

I thought we all agreed never to bring that movie up again? Dead stinky things should remain buried!

Edited by Guard Dog
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"While it is true you learn with age, the down side is what you often learn is what a damn fool you were before"

Thomas Sowell

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Why has elegance found so little following? Elegance has the disadvantage that hard work is needed to achieve it and a good education to appreciate it. - Edsger Wybe Dijkstra

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