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This Star-Shaped Pill Could Revolutionize the Way We Take Medicine
The pill is capsule-shaped when swallowed, then expands in the stomach to deliver an entire course of treatment over several weeks.
6 Everyday Foods With Major Fitness Benefits
Skip the protein bar and pour yourself a bowl of cereal instead.
13 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets of Roller Derby
There's a good reason players refuse to wear the number "1" on their jersey.
The human body is an amazing thing. For each one of us, it’s the most intimate object we know. And yet most of us don’t know enough about it: its features, functions, quirks, and mysteries. Our series The Body explores human anatomy part by part. Think of it as a mini digital encyclopedia with a dose of wow.
The brain is arguably the one organ that makes you who you are—and the largest part of the brain is the neocortex. Taking up a vast amount of space in your skull, the neocortex is what allows you to do many things you take for granted, such as write and speak, have social interactions, and muse philosophically about the meaning of life. But you might not have known these nine crucial facts about this critical part of your brain.
You might have guessed that, considering the name. The origin of the neocortex is surprisingly recent, evolutionarily speaking. It dates back to reptiles of the Carboniferous Period, about 359 million years ago. It emerged then as “a uniform, six-layered sheet consisting of radially deployed neurons” in the first small mammals who appeared during the transition of the Triassic and Jurassic periods.
The human neocortex accounts for a whopping 76 percent of your gray matter.
The reason birds, lizards, and frogs can’t do much more than attend to the basic functions of survival, and certainly will never write a poem or perform a piece of theater, may be due to the fact that they lack a neocortex. And yet some birds are incredibly clever. The term bird brain is turning out to be quite the misnomer.
The fossil record tells us that early mammals were typically small—generally somewhere between mouse- and cat-sized. They likely had small brains with much smaller neocortices [PDF].
In 1999, contrary to previous theories, scientists were surprised to discover that the adult neocortex can in fact experience neurogenesis—the growth of new neurons. This helped develop a theory about plasticity in the brain—the idea that even adult brains can be retrained and strengthened after adulthood.
The neocortex controls language and consciousness, among other things. It is also involved in higher functions such as sensory perception, motor commands, spatial reasoning, and conscious thought.
As the cortex develops in mammalian species, its neurons are not generated within the area, but migrate from neighboring “transient proliferative embryonic zones” near the surface of the cerebral lateral ventricles.
A team at Yale’s Kavli Institute for Neuroscience found that the human brain is “like a neighborhood”—better defined by the community living within its borders than its buildings. The team writes, “The neighborhoods get built quickly and then everything slows down and the neocortex focuses solely on developing connections, almost like an electrical grid.”
If the neocortex is injured through accident, surgery or head trauma, patients may lose any number of cognitive abilities including speech, space recognition, eyesight, motor control, the ability to recognize social cues and more. Wear your helmets!
November 17, 2016 – 12:00pm
Among other things, Washington, D.C. is known for its thousands of beautiful cherry blossom trees, which flower spectacularly every March and April in an eye-popping explosion of blush-colored blooms. But on November 17, 1938, the gorgeous trees caused fireworks of a different sort.
The iconic trees have commanded attention for more than a century, with the first pair planted in 1912 by First Lady Helen Taft and the Viscountess Chinda, the wife of the Japanese Ambassador. A total of 3020 cherry trees of 12 varieties were eventually planted in the area, including East Potomac Park, the Washington Monument grounds, and the Tidal Basin. The trees grew and flourished for more than 20 years—and then the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Commission was formed, charged with planning the construction of the monument to our third president.
After much debate, the commission recommended that the Jefferson Memorial be erected on the Tidal Basin site where it stands today, which would require the removal of some of the cherry blossom trees. Washington society ladies, led by editor of the Washington Times-Herald Eleanor Patterson, immediately protested, horrified at the prospect of losing the natural splendor of the trees.
The media piled onto the problem, with one article estimating that nearly 600 trees would meet their untimely demises. President Franklin Roosevelt called the report “one of the most interesting cases of newspaper flimflam” he had ever come across. The trees, he promised, would be relocated—not chopped down.
Unconvinced by the president’s statement, 50 women marched on the White House on November 17, 1938, the day construction started, to deliver a petition to halt the wanton destruction of their beloved trees.
When that didn’t work, approximately 150 society ladies showed up to the construction site the next day, wearing furs and carrying chains. They snatched shovels from the workers’ hands, refilling freshly dug holes and even chaining themselves to the trees. They sang a version of Joyce Kilmer’s “Trees” poem and created their own chant: “Who is it wants these grand old trees displaced? Who is it wants our fair D.C. disgraced?”
“This is the worst desecration of beauty in the capital since the burning of the White House by the British,” a woman chained to a tree declared.
Roosevelt remained unmoved by the protests: If the activists didn’t remove themselves, he said, “the cherry trees, the women and their chains would be gently but firmly transplanted in some other part of Potomac Park.”
According to the National Parks Service, the women eventually left because they needed bathrooms; Roosevelt had the trees taken out in the middle of the night instead. The protesters may have lost the battle, but they would no doubt be pleased to know that the war eventually went their way—today, there are more than 3750 cherry trees in Washington.
November 17, 2016 – 11:30am
Before the fall of the German Wall, East Germany lacked significant resources to manufacture cars. As a result, the Trabant automobile used recycled cotton waste for the body instead of steel.
Harrison Ford and Sean Connery filmed their conversation scenes onboard the Zeppelin in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade without pants on, because of the hot set.
Fried turkey is Thanksgiving’s answer to pufferfish: Delicious but potentially dangerous. Dropping a frozen turkey that hasn’t been fully thawed into a pot of boiling oil is a recipe for a traditional Thanksgiving explosion, but if you want a less stressful holiday dinner, Amazon is here to help. Prime members can get the Char-Broil Big Easy TRU-Infrared Oil-Less Turkey Fryer for just $79.99, with Prime shipping getting it to your door well before the big day. Amazon usually marks the oil-less fryer down to $88.19, but it’s knocking off another 10 percent for the holiday. The Big Easy can tackle turkeys that weigh up to 16 pounds. Since there’s no oil in play, you can rub the outside of your turkey with spices and seasonings, and the lack of oil makes the proceedings a bit healthier. Just hook up a propane tank and get cooking.
If you’re a turkey traditionalist who prefers an oven-roasted bird, Amazon hasn’t forgotten about you. It’s offering this non-stick 16-inch Calphalon roasting pan with rack, two stainless steel lifters, and an injection baster for just $67.99, a huge discount from its $170.00 list price. The pan is big enough to cook a 25-pound turkey, so start planning how you’re going to use those leftovers.
Mental Floss has affiliate relationships with certain retailers, including Amazon, and may receive a small percentage of any sale. But we only get commission on items you buy and don’t return, so we’re only happy if you’re happy. Good luck deal hunting!
November 17, 2016 – 11:00am
Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 has long been hailed as one of the most divisive and important books of the 20th century. Its dystopian setting and social commentary regarding government censorship spoke to a world dealing with the ramifications of Nazi Germany, the rule of Joseph Stalin, and the overreach of McCarthyism. Not only was the book controversial when it was released in 1953, apparently it’s still causing a stir.
When The Daily Show writer Daniel Radosh’s son Milo came home with a permission slip to be able to read Fahrenheit 451 in his school’s book club, the comedy veteran knew the irony was a bit too good to pass up. Not only did he sign the slip, he also wrote a letter with his thoughts on the matter to school officials. Here is just part of his response:
“I love this letter! What a wonderful way to introduce students to the theme of Fahrenheit 451 that books are so dangerous that the institutions of society—schools and parents—might be willing to team up against children to prevent them from reading one. It’s easy enough to read the book and say, ‘This is crazy. It could never really happen,’ but pretending to present students at the start with what seems like a totally reasonable ‘first step’ is a really immersive way to teach them how insidious censorship can be. I’m sure that when the book club is over and the students realize the true intent of this letter they’ll be shocked at how many of them accepted it as an actual permission slip. In addition, Milo’s concern that allowing me to add this note will make him stand out as a troublemaker really brings home why most of the characters find it easier to accept the world they live in rather than challenge it. I assured him that his teacher would have his back.”
tfw your kid’s school makes you sign a permission slip so he can read Fahrenheit 451 ? ? pic.twitter.com/t9lmD8vKTu
— Daniel Radosh (@danielradosh) October 24, 2016
Obviously this response is just dripping with sarcasm, but what else would you expect from someone working on The Daily Show? Apparently the book’s (mildly) profane language and Bible burnings caused the school to implement the permission slip, but it does make you wonder if they see the irony here. Maybe Milo can tell them all about it after he reads the book.
[h/t The Daily Dot]
November 17, 2016 – 10:30am
The Babylonians (c. 5000 BC) discovered Apple Cider Vinegar when a courtier found wine had formed from grape juice that was forgotten, leading to the evolution of vinegar. But it was Hippocrates, that first put it to use medicinally to treat wounds of soldiers. From there it evolved and is now used for cooking, cleaning, health, and beauty. With over 100 documented uses for Apple Cider Vinegar, it’s understandable you can be confused by how many are proven versus anecdotal. Below I focus on six of its uses supported by science, including details on how they work in your body.
The post 6 Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar appeared first on Factual Facts.