"5 COOL THINGS" - weekly emails

The Surprisingly Subtle Ways Microsoft Word Has Changed How We Use Language (BBC)

“Recent filings show there are 1.4 billion Windows devices in use each month…if only a third of those people used Word, it would still be more than the population of North America.” Microsoft Word, the program that multiple generations have now grown up with, is 40 years old. After all that time, linguists say that there are some distinct effects on human language that can be traced to this ubiquitous program. For example, most of Word’s capabilities are English-focused, increasing the spread of English worldwide. And the program’s spell-checker and grammar recommendations are now a source of truth for many authors, subtlety influencing the kind of voice that we write in. Used mindfully, word processors can make writing more efficient and inclusive. In the next 40 years, we will see the impact of AI on the process. Read more…

They Went Hunting For Fossil Fuels. What They Found Could Help Save the World (CNN)

Hydrogen, the simplest of the universe’s elements, is also the most abundant, powering stars like our own sun. However, on Earth the gas is relatively rare, as it’s so light that it escapes easily into space. Until now, most pure hydrogen has been mined by breaking apart water molecules (“green” hydrogen), but that might be about to change. Jacques Pironon and Phillipe De Donato, researchers in France, have discovered an enormous deposit of “white”, naturally occurring hydrogen deep underground. The presence of stores like this could mean a new dawn for alternative energy, allowing for a cheap source of fuel for cars and power plants — and until very recently, one that nobody thought was out there in significant quantities. Read more…

To Lead a Meaningful Life, Become Your Own Hero (Scientific American)

Joseph Campbell first outlined the “hero’s journey” in 1949. This classic narrative structure can be observed in ancient mythology, as well as modern epics such as Star Wars and Barbie, so it’s very ingrained in the human psyche. Is it possible that we could also use it to connect to our own lives in a more meaningful and positive way? According to a recent group of surveys across some 1200 adults, those whose lives paralleled more aspects of the hero’s journey scored higher on metrics of happiness, strong goals, and friendship. On top of this, when prompted to retell the events of their lives in a heroic way, participants felt that their lives had more meaning and a stronger sense of purpose. Read more…

Where the Heck Did All Those Structures Inside Complex Cells Come From? (Knowable)

Learning about the structures inside of human cells can be a compelling, even mystical experience. They’re so complex, and so purposeful, that it seems impossible that they might have simply evolved — but teams of scientists are working to figure out exactly how that happened. Most of us learn about the mitochondrion in school. The so-called (and memed) “powerhouse of the cell” wasn’t accepted as the result of a two-cell merger until the 1960s, but that still doesn’t explain the complexity of the original cell. In 2016, a new theory was proposed: the future mitochondrion, once it had fused with its host cell, released bubbles (known as vesicles) that morphed into today’s cellular components. Read more…

Transatlantic Airplanes are Flying at the ‘Speed of Sound’ Right Now. Here’s Why (CNN)

If you’ve ever heard a pilot say that your flight might “make up some time”, you might have wondered how that happens. At the heights that commercial airlines fly — about 7 miles, or 38,000 feet above the ground — aircraft often enter the global wind system known as the jet stream, which whisks them across the sky at a much faster pace relative to the earth below. This year, planes have even been hitting speeds that would be supersonic had they been flying under their own power. For example, a flight from Dallas to Dubai on November 1 saved an hour of flight time, with a top speed of 777 miles an hour over the North Atlantic — over 200 miles per hour faster than normal. The catch? To take advantage of the jet stream, you usually have to be flying west to east — it’s much bumpier in the other direction. Read more…