Page 1930 – fakuto

October 17, 2016

The solar system is moving through the Local Interstellar…

The solar system is moving through the Local Interstellar Cloud, proving that you are never in the same spot more than once on a cosmic scale.

October 17, 2016

The Fairness Doctrine was removed in 1987…

The Fairness Doctrine was removed in 1987. It required news broadcasters to both present controversial issues of public importance and to do so in a manner that was honest, equitable, and balanced.

October 17, 2016

Up until the mid-1980’s female flight attendants…

Up until the mid-1980’s female flight attendants in the US were required to be single (either unmarried or widowed) and were fired if they decided to get married.

October 17, 2016

Presidential Doodles Up for Sale in Historic Manuscript Auction

Shaunacy Ferro

filed under: History, politics, presidents

Image credit:

Getty Images

Even presidents have to doodle sometimes, and you can now get your hands on absentminded markings by the likes of John F. Kennedy as part of an upcoming auction that’s rich with presidential ephemera.

Dallas-based Heritage Auctions has a plethora of historic American documents and photos for sale from the collection of Malcolm Forbes, the late publisher of Forbes magazine. Up for auction are numerous handwritten letters from presidents throughout history, including a note from James Garfield (who didn’t sign all that many letters as president, since he was assassinated just five months into his tenure) and a letter in which John Adams gives one of Alexander Hamilton’s publications a harsh review.

In the Oval Office, even quick doodles are worth saving, so you can also buy a small pencil sketch on legal paper by JFK that references the Berlin Wall for some $1100 or more. When or where it was drawn is unknown, but it features a sailboat (the president was an avid sailor) and possibly a wall with a ladder leaned against it. He wrote various phrases inside boxes like “Haiti,” “this morning,” and “armored / personnel carriers.” He wrote down “Berlin” three separate times.

But Kennedy wasn’t as talented an artist as Douglas MacArthur, the five-star general who commanded the Pacific forces during World War II (and was removed from command during the Korean War). In a drawing on official stationery he sent to someone named Babe Fairchild while serving as a military advisor to the Philippines in the 1930s, he drew a shapely lady with a smattering of messages in Spanish and French, headlined “Bellisima Trigueňa!!” or “Beautiful Brunette!!”

In addition to the doodles, the auction will include handwritten speeches, drafts of historic statements, and signed photographs from the likes of Franklin Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Harry Truman. On the non-presidential front, there are signed letters from Ernest Hemingway, Mark Twain, and Stonewall Jackson, among other notable historic artifacts. The auction will be held on October 19, so get your wallets ready.

All images courtesy Heritage Auctions unless otherwise stated.

Know of something you think we should cover? Email us at tips@mentalfloss.com.

October 17, 2016 – 11:30am

October 17, 2016

One Gene Mutation Links Three Mysterious, Debilitating Diseases

Kate Horowitz

filed under: disease, genetics, medicine, science

Image credit:

iStock

On a good day, my shoulders, knees, and hips will dislocate two to five times apiece. The slightest bump into a table or door will bloom new bruises on my arms and legs or tear a gash in the thin skin on my hands. My blood pressure will plummet each time I stand, making me feel woozy, nauseated, and weak. I’ll have trouble focusing and remembering words. I’ll run my errands from underneath an umbrella to prevent an allergic reaction to the Sun.

I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS)—a trifecta of weird diseases. POTS, EDS, and MCAS are so obscure that many doctors have never even heard of them. But a study published today in Nature Genetics might help change that: Researchers have found a genetic mutation that links all three conditions.

There are at least six types of EDS, all caused by defective connective tissue. I’ve got the most common form, Hypermobility Type (EDS-HT), also known as EDS-III. EDS-HT is considered the most “benign” form—that is, it’s generally not fatal—but the chronic pain, injuries, and other symptoms it causes can easily take over a person’s life.

POTS is a form of dysautonomia, or dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The ANS manages all the things your body does without thinking, from breathing and pumping blood to digesting food. My POTS is pretty mild; at the moment, the hardest parts are the fatigue and the cognitive issues caused by decreased blood flow to my brain. Other people are not so lucky and may need feeding tubes or constant bed rest.

MCAS, also called Mast Cell Activation Disease, is the newest and potentially the trickiest of the three. Mast cells are generally heroes in the body, helping keep the immune system alert and responsive. But some people have paranoid mast cells that can perceive just about anything (foods, medications, temperatures, deep breathing) as a threat. And when they go off, there’s no telling what will happen; researchers have implicated mast cell activation issues in dozens of symptoms and conditions, from anaphylactic shock to irritable bowel syndrome as well as dysautonomia and connective tissue problems.

People who have EDS-HT often also have POTS or MCAS or both, yet the relationships between the three remain murky. Some scientists think EDS causes POTS. Others think MCAS causes POTS and EDS. But we don’t really know, because there’s been barely any research on any of them. It’s hard to study conditions that look different in every patient (I’ve never met anyone else with one of these conditions who has a sunlight allergy) and have few, if any, quantifiable symptoms. Another reason for the lack of scientific interest? All three conditions are far more common in women, a trait long associated with meager research funding and minimal medical concern.

Consequently, there are no FDA-approved tests for these diseases, and there are certainly no cures. People with EDS-HT wear joint braces to reduce dislocations and are taught to manage their pain. People with POTS are prescribed beta blockers, high-sodium diets, and compression gear to keep up their blood pressure. People with MCAS are given antihistamines.

EDS-HT is typically passed from parent to child, and scientists have found genetic markers for other types of EDS, so it’s not unreasonable to think that it could be caused by mutated DNA.

Fortunately, the cost of DNA sequencing has continued to drop, and clusters of researchers around the world are beginning to take a look. The latest study, led by Joshua Milner at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, involved 96 people with EDS-HT and mast cell issues. POTS symptoms were common, especially gut problems like Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

The study participants had another thing in common: higher-than-normal levels of a protein called tryptase in their blood. Tryptase is part of the immune system’s reaction and has been linked to a handful of core EDS-HT and POTS symptoms, Milner says.

“Tryptase can contribute to pain sensitivity,” he told me. “It can contribute to blood vessels doing funny things, and it can contribute to how your connective tissue, your bones and joints, are made.”

Most people with mast cell issues actually have normal levels of tryptase, so the group Milner and his colleagues tested represented just a small subset of mast cell patients. But that subset did seem to have a unique genetic signature: an extra copy of a gene called TPSAB1. Under normal circumstances, TPSAB1 makes a form of tryptase called alpha-tryptase. People with a double dose of the gene are getting a double dose of the protein, too.

Armed with this clue, the researchers then went back through thousands of patient records for healthy people. When they looked at the DNA results of people with high tryptase levels, they found that all of them also had the TPSAB1 mutation. The scientists then interviewed a number of these supposedly hearty specimens and found that all of them were living with symptoms that sounded suspiciously similar to those of EDS-HT, POTS, and MCAS. They’d just never been diagnosed. (This is unsurprising—the average time to diagnosis for a person with EDS-HT is 10 years.)

In short, Milner and his team had discovered a genetic biomarker for Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Now, EDS-HT is a very variable condition, and the few experts that do exist suspect it’s actually a bunch of different diseases called by the same name. Still, this finding represents one possible clinical test for what has been an un-testable illness.

Alpha-tryptase is a funny thing. About 30 percent of people don’t make it at all, and they seem just fine without it, which means that a potential treatment pathway for the EDS-HT/MCAS/POTS hat trick could involve simply shutting down the alpha-tryptase factory.

It’s “interesting work,” says Lawrence Afrin, a hematologist at the University of Minnesota. He told me the study represents “early progress toward further unraveling these illnesses.” And Afrin should know: he’s one of the leading MCAS experts in the country.

He agrees that alpha-tryptase could be a promising avenue for treatment. “But if I’ve learned anything about [MCAS],” he says, “it’s that it’s incredibly complex. Hopefully, with another 10,000 studies, we’ll make 10,000 more bits of progress.”

In the meantime, people with EDS, POTS, and MCAS have found other ways to cope. Communities of patients have popped up in cities across the globe and all over Twitter, Tumblr, and elsewhere on the web. These illnesses can be incredibly isolating and lonely—but, as I’ve learned, none of us are alone.

If you recognize yourself or your symptoms in this story, read up on the basics of EDS, MCAS, and POTS, and brace yourself for an uphill battle.

“Find a local physician who’s willing to learn,” Afrin advises.

“And try to be patient,” Milner says. “I know it’s hard, but stick with it. We’re all figuring this out together.”

Know of something you think we should cover? Email us at tips@mentalfloss.com.

October 17, 2016 – 11:15am

October 17, 2016

10 Cool Facts About Rats

If you happen to see a rat on the streets, you might think that they’re gross, dirty creatures. Rats can be found in any area where there are people, and are usually seen as little more than vermin. While rats can carry disease and may not be the prettiest of animals, there are still a lot of cool things about them! Here are ten amazing things you probably didn’t know about rats. 10. Rats Can Eat Anything If you’ve seen Ratatouille, you know that rats can eat a very wide range of foods, and will taste-test before really digging in.

The post 10 Cool Facts About Rats appeared first on Factual Facts.

October 17, 2016

Start the Week With These Amazing Monday Amazon Deals

Smart Shopping Team

filed under: shopping

Image credit:

amazon / istock

As a recurring feature, our team combs the Web and shares some amazing Amazon deals we’ve turned up. Here’s what caught our eye today, October 17.

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!

October 17, 2016 – 12:52pm

Amazon Product Id:

B000TUJP0W

October 17, 2016

Google News Now Offers a Fact Check Feature

Michele Debczak

filed under: internet, technology

Image credit:

iStock

Discerning truth from lies on the internet just got a little easier thanks to a new feature from Google News. As The Verge reports, the web giant now includes a fact check label that highlights reliable sources in news searches.

Using an algorithm, Google’s Claim Review process decides which stories qualify for the “fact check” distinction then specifies the sources that hold themselves to that standard. The description pops up next to stories like other Google News markers including “opinion,” “highly cited,” and “in-depth.” Google doesn’t share how many sites it has deemed worthy of the label, but the company states in a blog post that “rigorous fact checks are now conducted by more than 100 active sites.”

As viral Facebook posts and convincing satire articles have shown us, the internet can easily spread misinformation. It can also be used as a valuable research tool—something Google’s new feature aims to emphasize.

[h/t The Verge]

Know of something you think we should cover? Email us at tips@mentalfloss.com.

October 17, 2016 – 10:30am

October 16, 2016

12 Things You Might Not Know About Dictionaries

Suzanne Raga

filed under: books, Words

Image credit:

iStock

At first glance, the dictionary seems pretty straightforward. Words are listed alphabetically, and you simply locate the right page and scan until you find the word you’re looking for. But there’s a lot you might not know about the dictionary, such as how new words are added and why Noah Webster learned Sanskrit to write his dictionary. So without further ado, read on to discover a dozen things you might not know about various dictionaries.

1. IT TAKES A LOT OF WORK TO ADD A NEW WORD.

When people use a word or phrase frequently enough that it appears in widely read print and online publications, lexicographers take notice. First, they collect citations of the word, documenting the source it appeared in and recording its contextual meaning. Then, lexicographers conduct database research, searching for evidence that people from diverse backgrounds have used the word over a period of time. Finally, dictionary editors review the evidence and decide whether or not to include the new word in an upcoming edition of the dictionary. Thanks to this lengthy process, you can now find modern words such as manspread, presstitute, and athleisure in several dictionaries.

2. THE FIRST ENGLISH DICTIONARIES ONLY INCLUDED DIFFICULT WORDS.

We think of dictionaries as comprehensive tomes containing everything from antelope and apple to zeitgeist and zootrophy, but early English dictionaries didn’t contain any simple, common words. In the 16th and 17th centuries, thanks in part to the Renaissance’s classical influence, English doubled its vocabulary by incorporating words from other languages. People needed to consult word lists to look up these new, difficult words that they hadn’t heard before. In 1604, a teacher named Robert Cawdrey compiled a list of words into A Table Alphabeticall, which defined difficult English words borrowed from Latin, Greek, French, and Hebrew. Throughout the 17th century, other English men published lists of hard words with easy to understand definitions, and people turned to the dictionary to learn these words.

3. NOAH WEBSTER LEARNED 26 LANGUAGES TO WRITE HIS DICTIONARY.

Handwritten drafts of dictionary entries by Noah Webster, circa 1790-1800. Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

Although Noah Webster wasn’t the first American to produce a dictionary, his name has become synonymous with the American dictionary. Hoping to help create a uniquely American lexicon, with Americanized spelling and pronunciation of words, Webster wrote An American Dictionary of the English Language. To thoroughly research word origins and sources, Webster got serious about becoming an etymology expert. He learned 26 languages, including Sanskrit and Old English, to write his dictionary. Published in 1828, it contained 70,000 entries and included the first definitions of “American” words such as chowder and skunk.

4. THE FIRST MERRIAM-WEBSTER DICTIONARY COST SIX DOLLARS.

After Webster died in 1843, George and Charles Merriam bought the rights to revise Webster’s An American Dictionary of the English Language, Corrected and Enlarged. The two brothers printed and sold books in Springfield, Massachusetts, and their intellectual property purchase paid off. In the fall of 1847, the Merriams issued the first revised Webster dictionary for six dollars. The book sold well, and the G. & C. Merriam Co. was eventually renamed Merriam-Webster, Inc. in 1982. Merriam-Webster continues to publish popular print and electronic dictionaries today.

5. IT TOOK ALMOST 50 YEARS TO CREATE THE OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY.

In 1857, the Philological Society of London first called for a comprehensive English language dictionary, including words from the 12th century to the present. In 1879, the Philological Society joined forces with Oxford University Press, and work commenced. In 1884, Oxford University Press published the first part of the dictionary (A to Ant), and the final volume was published in 1928. Called A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles, the dictionary listed more than 400,000 words and phrases. Today, the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is one of the most respected and widely used dictionaries.

6. J.R.R. TOLKIEN RESEARCHED WORD ETYMOLOGIES FOR THE OED.

mrpolyonymousvia Flickr // CC BY 2.0

After serving in World War I, J.R.R. Tolkien worked as an editor’s assistant on the OED. His job was to research the etymologies of certain words that started with the letter w. Tolkien also composed multiple drafts of definitions for words such as waggle, walnut, walrus, and waistcoat. After his time at the OED, Tolkien went on to work as an English professor and write The Lord of the Rings. Subsequently, the OED has added terms that Tolkien himself coined, such as hobbit, mithril, and mathom.

7. SOMETIMES FAKE WORDS MAKE THEIR WAY INTO THE DICTIONARY.

Due to human error, a handful of fake words have appeared in dictionaries over the centuries. Some words, like phantomnation, which appeared in an 1864 edition of Webster’s, are the result of missing hyphens. Others are typographical errors. A 1934 edition of Webster’s New International Dictionary defined dord as density, the result of confusion over spacing. Some dictionary editors have even intentionally included fake words, such as esquivalience in The New Oxford American Dictionary, to protect their copyright.

8. THE OED NEEDS YOUR HELP.

Although many scholars consider the OED to be the definitive authority on dictionaries, the OED needs your help. At any given time, the dictionary’s editors are researching the history of certain words and phrases, and The OED Appeals allows the public to submit evidence (via the comments section) of the earliest record of certain words. Camouflage and Arnold Palmer are two entries that the OED has recently researched, so if you have old books or magazines that mention some weird word, let the OED know. You might just see your contribution in the dictionary’s next edition.

9. SAMPLE SENTENCES FROM DICTIONARIES CAN MAKE INTERESTING SHORT STORIES.

An ad from 1978. Jamie via Flickr // CC BY 2.0

You might think that all those sample sentences in the dictionary are random, but you’d only be partially right. The phrases are deliberately chosen to show the word in a clear context with other words that it’s often associated with, and are ideally so boring that you don’t even think twice about them. Illustrator Jez Burrows has connected these random sentences from the New Oxford American Dictionary into short stories. “Often I’ll find at least one [word] that makes a good jumping-off point and I’ll start to flesh out some sort of vague narrative, then work backwards to imagine what sort of words might give rise to the sentences I’m looking for,” Burrows said last year.

10. A LOT OF WEIRD DICTIONARIES EXIST.

Although most people are familiar with Webster, the OED, and Dictionary.com, there are plenty of obscure or downright bizarre dictionaries. For example, you can find plenty of rhyming dictionaries and reverse dictionaries (that are organized by a theme rather than alphabetized). Scrolling through Wye’s Dictionary Of Improbable Words: All-Vowel Words And All-Consonant Words might help you find some uncommon words to win your next Scrabble game. And Mrs. Byrne’s Dictionary of Unusual, Obscure, and Preposterous Words contains weird English words that have appeared in at least one dictionary in the past. For example, you might learn that junkettaceous means worthless and cuggermugger means whispered gossiping.

11. URBAN DICTIONARY SELLS PLUSH DOLLS NAMED AFTER DIRTY PHRASES.

Urban Dictionary, the online, crowdsourced listing of millions of slang words and phrases, is beloved by middle schoolers and anyone trying to understand the latest slang terms. But Urban Dictionary is more than a dictionary. It also has an online store that sells a mug, a T-shirt, an official card game, and plush dolls inspired by dirty phrases that the dictionary has helped to popularize. You can choose between four dolls—a Dirty Sanchez, Golden Shower, Cleveland Steamer, or Donkey Punch. If you’re unfamiliar with the definitions of those disgusting phrases, we’ll let you look them up, but don’t say we didn’t warn you.

12. A CALIFORNIA SCHOOL DISTRICT CONSIDERED BANNING MERRIAM-WEBSTER’S COLLEGIATE DICTIONARY.

mrd00dman via Flickr // CC BY-NC 2.0

In 2010, a school district in Southern California temporarily removed all copies of the Merriam-Webster 10th Collegiate Edition from elementary school classrooms. Why remove the dictionary? After a parent told the principal of Oak Meadows Elementary School that the dictionary contained an explicit definition of a sex act, the school district decided to remove the books. A committee of teachers, administrators, and parents decided that the dictionary was age-appropriate, and the copies of Merriam-Webster were returned to the classroom. Here’s hoping that parent never discovers Urban Dictionary!

October 16, 2016 – 2:00pm

October 16, 2016

5 New Fascinating Videos About Mars

Chris Higgins

filed under: mars, space, video

Image credit:

YouTube // National Geographic

National Geographic Channel has a new TV series coming in November: MARS. While I haven’t seen the show yet, a bunch of short clips talking about the science behind the drama have begun trickling out. They feature a laundry list of amazing people. You’ve got Ann Druyan, Robert Zubrin, Charlie Bolden, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Peter Diamandis, Jennifer Heldmann, Elon Musk, Jim Lovell, Andy Weir, and many more.

If you have the slightest interest in Mars stuff, check out some of these videos. I can’t wait to see more of this material next month!

1. PLANNING OUR ROUTE TO MARS

This is a two-minute intro to Mars Direct, a scenario sometimes called the “Zubrin Plan,” in which humans pre-supply Mars in a series of missions prior to sending any crew there. Mars Direct, as a strategy, underlies now-famous science fiction like The Martian.

2. BACKING UP THE BIOSPHERE

What does it mean to colonize Mars, versus just visiting? Is it worth the time and money?

3. BUILDING SHELTER

Mars has a thin atmosphere, so its surface is subject to a lot more radiation than we’re used to on Earth. What can we do to avoid irradiating ourselves when we land a crew on Mars?

4. CONTAMINATING MARS

Human arrival on Mars means human microbes contaminating the Martian landscape (making it difficult or perhaps impossible to determine whether there’s microbial life on Mars). What do scientists think about this?

5. WHY SHOULD WE GO TO MARS?

What’s the argument for going to Mars? Of course, we’re all curious what we’ll find there. But is curiosity sufficient on its own?

October 16, 2016 – 12:00pm

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1. IT TAKES A LOT OF WORK TO ADD A NEW WORD.

2. THE FIRST ENGLISH DICTIONARIES ONLY INCLUDED DIFFICULT WORDS.

3. NOAH WEBSTER LEARNED 26 LANGUAGES TO WRITE HIS DICTIONARY.

4. THE FIRST MERRIAM-WEBSTER DICTIONARY COST SIX DOLLARS.

5. IT TOOK ALMOST 50 YEARS TO CREATE THE OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY.

6. J.R.R. TOLKIEN RESEARCHED WORD ETYMOLOGIES FOR THE OED.

7. SOMETIMES FAKE WORDS MAKE THEIR WAY INTO THE DICTIONARY.

8. THE OED NEEDS YOUR HELP.

9. SAMPLE SENTENCES FROM DICTIONARIES CAN MAKE INTERESTING SHORT STORIES.

10. A LOT OF WEIRD DICTIONARIES EXIST.

11. URBAN DICTIONARY SELLS PLUSH DOLLS NAMED AFTER DIRTY PHRASES.

12. A CALIFORNIA SCHOOL DISTRICT CONSIDERED BANNING MERRIAM-WEBSTER’S COLLEGIATE DICTIONARY.

1. PLANNING OUR ROUTE TO MARS

2. BACKING UP THE BIOSPHERE

3. BUILDING SHELTER

4. CONTAMINATING MARS

5. WHY SHOULD WE GO TO MARS?