Curio Cabinet
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October 4, 2023
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7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
From the BBC World Service: The U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions against what it’s called a China-based network responsible for manufacturing and...
From the BBC World Service: The U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions against what it’s called a China-based network responsible for manufacturing and...
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2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: October 4, 2023\splih-NET-ik\ adjective
What It Means
Splenetic is a formal word that typically describes expressions of sh...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: October 4, 2023\splih-NET-ik\ adjective
What It Means
Splenetic is a formal word that typically describes expressions of sh...
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FREEEngineering Daily Curio #2735Free1 CQ
The tooth fairy is about to get a lesson in inflation. All the dental floss and toothpaste in the world can’t replace a missing tooth, which is why dentists remind their patients to be diligent with oral hygiene. But a team of scientists in Japan may be close to regrowing teeth in humans. In fact, they’ve already succeeded in animal trials. Currently, there are a handful of ways to deal with teeth that fall out or have to be removed. Patients can get implants, bridges or dentures, but none of these compare to the real deal. Even when patients have a mouthful of unhealthy teeth, dentists often consider extractions a last resort. That’s because even bad teeth can be better than implants, which are expensive and may need to be replaced periodically. Removing enough teeth can also lead to a receding jaw bone, which can make further dental work difficult or impossible. With enough bone loss, patients may even become unable to use dentures, which are already prone to causing irritation and other issues.
It’s no wonder that regrowing teeth has long been a dream of dentists and their patients. Now, according to scientists at Toregem Biopharma, a startup based in Kyoto, Japan, that dream may be within reach. Their treatment uses a drug that targets a gene called USAG-1, which is responsible for suppressing activity in tooth buds. Everyone has undeveloped tooth buds, and the idea is to stimulate them into growing. So far, the team has managed to regrow teeth in ferrets, which have separate sets of baby and adult teeth just like humans. Clinical trials in humans are set to begin next year, but they’re starting with people suffering from anodontia, a disorder that causes a partial or complete absence of teeth. If successful, researchers hope to segue their efforts into regrowing teeth that have been lost to cavities. Chew on that!
[Image description: A set of dentures against a black background.] Credit & copyright: dental-inno, PixabayThe tooth fairy is about to get a lesson in inflation. All the dental floss and toothpaste in the world can’t replace a missing tooth, which is why dentists remind their patients to be diligent with oral hygiene. But a team of scientists in Japan may be close to regrowing teeth in humans. In fact, they’ve already succeeded in animal trials. Currently, there are a handful of ways to deal with teeth that fall out or have to be removed. Patients can get implants, bridges or dentures, but none of these compare to the real deal. Even when patients have a mouthful of unhealthy teeth, dentists often consider extractions a last resort. That’s because even bad teeth can be better than implants, which are expensive and may need to be replaced periodically. Removing enough teeth can also lead to a receding jaw bone, which can make further dental work difficult or impossible. With enough bone loss, patients may even become unable to use dentures, which are already prone to causing irritation and other issues.
It’s no wonder that regrowing teeth has long been a dream of dentists and their patients. Now, according to scientists at Toregem Biopharma, a startup based in Kyoto, Japan, that dream may be within reach. Their treatment uses a drug that targets a gene called USAG-1, which is responsible for suppressing activity in tooth buds. Everyone has undeveloped tooth buds, and the idea is to stimulate them into growing. So far, the team has managed to regrow teeth in ferrets, which have separate sets of baby and adult teeth just like humans. Clinical trials in humans are set to begin next year, but they’re starting with people suffering from anodontia, a disorder that causes a partial or complete absence of teeth. If successful, researchers hope to segue their efforts into regrowing teeth that have been lost to cavities. Chew on that!
[Image description: A set of dentures against a black background.] Credit & copyright: dental-inno, Pixabay -
FREEFinance Nerdy CurioFree1 CQ
The Vegas entertainment industry is really rounding out. A new, eye-catching entertainment venue opened in Sin City on September 29, with some speculating that it has the potential to change the nature of the entertainment industry. The Sphere is an arena meant to host all sorts of performances, from concerts to sports games. But unlike a traditional stadium, the structure is almost entirely spherical. In fact, it’s being billed as the largest spherical structure in the world. The outside of the venue is covered in 1.2 million LED lights which can be programmed with all sorts of complicated, animated designs, turning the structure itself into a source of entertainment. After U2 played The Sphere’s official opening concert, the venue’s parent company, Sphere Entertainment, experienced a 15 percent stock-jump. The company’s market capitalization (the value of its publicly-traded shares owned by stockholders) currently sits at $1.4 billion. To top it all off, Sphere Entertainment also announced that they plan to build another spherical venue in London, assuming that they’re approved to do so. Have we entered an era in which traditional stadiums will be overtaken by higher-tech venues that light up their respective skylines? Here’s hoping we’re around to find out.
[Image description: A portion of the Las Vegas skyline at night, including the hot-air-balloon-sign and Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas.] Credit & copyright: Pexels, Pixabay. This image is in no way associated with Sphere Entertainment.The Vegas entertainment industry is really rounding out. A new, eye-catching entertainment venue opened in Sin City on September 29, with some speculating that it has the potential to change the nature of the entertainment industry. The Sphere is an arena meant to host all sorts of performances, from concerts to sports games. But unlike a traditional stadium, the structure is almost entirely spherical. In fact, it’s being billed as the largest spherical structure in the world. The outside of the venue is covered in 1.2 million LED lights which can be programmed with all sorts of complicated, animated designs, turning the structure itself into a source of entertainment. After U2 played The Sphere’s official opening concert, the venue’s parent company, Sphere Entertainment, experienced a 15 percent stock-jump. The company’s market capitalization (the value of its publicly-traded shares owned by stockholders) currently sits at $1.4 billion. To top it all off, Sphere Entertainment also announced that they plan to build another spherical venue in London, assuming that they’re approved to do so. Have we entered an era in which traditional stadiums will be overtaken by higher-tech venues that light up their respective skylines? Here’s hoping we’re around to find out.
[Image description: A portion of the Las Vegas skyline at night, including the hot-air-balloon-sign and Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas.] Credit & copyright: Pexels, Pixabay. This image is in no way associated with Sphere Entertainment.
October 3, 2023
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8 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
From the BBC World Service: In an exclusive interview, the Secretary General of the oil producers cartel OPEC warns of “dire consequences” for the global eco...
From the BBC World Service: In an exclusive interview, the Secretary General of the oil producers cartel OPEC warns of “dire consequences” for the global eco...
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2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: October 3, 2023\FAYZ\ verb
What It Means
To faze someone is to disturb their composure. Faze is a synonym of disconcert and...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: October 3, 2023\FAYZ\ verb
What It Means
To faze someone is to disturb their composure. Faze is a synonym of disconcert and...
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FREEMusic Appreciation Song CurioFree2 CQ
No need to stand in line at the stadium, these record-breaking concerts are coming to a theater near you. The music scene this summer was dominated by Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour, both of which were hard to get tickets to. Fans who missed out needn’t despair, though. Swift recently announced that an Eras Tour concert film would be released in AMC movie theaters. In an industry first, the film was sold by Swift directly to the theaters, rather than released via an intermediary, allowing her to retain more than 50 percent of the profits. Now, Beyoncé has announced a similar deal, in which a concert film for her Renaissance World Tour will also be released at AMC. Not only will it feature concert footage (including performances of massive hits like Single Ladies and Run the World (Girls)) but also behind-the-scenes looks at her rehearsals and family life. With the world’s two biggest pop stars embracing this new, direct-to-theaters strategy, it’s likely that other artists will also use it to retain more profits from their own music. Who run the cinema? Girls!
No need to stand in line at the stadium, these record-breaking concerts are coming to a theater near you. The music scene this summer was dominated by Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour, both of which were hard to get tickets to. Fans who missed out needn’t despair, though. Swift recently announced that an Eras Tour concert film would be released in AMC movie theaters. In an industry first, the film was sold by Swift directly to the theaters, rather than released via an intermediary, allowing her to retain more than 50 percent of the profits. Now, Beyoncé has announced a similar deal, in which a concert film for her Renaissance World Tour will also be released at AMC. Not only will it feature concert footage (including performances of massive hits like Single Ladies and Run the World (Girls)) but also behind-the-scenes looks at her rehearsals and family life. With the world’s two biggest pop stars embracing this new, direct-to-theaters strategy, it’s likely that other artists will also use it to retain more profits from their own music. Who run the cinema? Girls!
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FREETravel Daily Curio #2734Free1 CQ
When it comes to haunted hotels, there’s one name that’s shining above the rest. Opened in 1909, the Stanley Hotel has a reputation for lodging both the living and the dead. In fact, it's said to be so beset by malevolent spirits that famed horror novelist Stephen King was inspired to write The Shining after spending just one night there. Lately, the hotel's fame has reached a new generation and it's become an oddly popular filming location for social media influencers.
The Stanley Hotel has a long history of ghost stories. It was built by inventor Freelan Oscar Stanley who moved to Colorado on the recommendation of doctors in order to recover from tuberculosis in the mountain air. Once his health improved, Stanley decided to settle down and build a luxury hotel to bring in wealthy travelers. After he died in 1940 at the age of 91, hotel staff and visitors claimed that his spirit lingered in the grand, Edwardian building. Another purported resident ghost is Elizabeth Wilson, a housekeeper who was caught in a gas explosion while at work. Even though she didn’t die in the explosion, her ghost is still said to be trapped in the hotel due to trauma from the incident.
Plenty of ghost hunters and supernatural enthusiasts consider the Stanley Hotel to be an important supernatural landmark. Recently, the hotel has become a trendy destination for ghost-hunting T.V. shows and online content creators looking to spook their viewers. There was even a bit of a showdown earlier this year when two Youtubers, Tyler Oliveira and Brent Rivera, ended up filming at the hotel at the same time. The content creators got into a squabble which ended with Oliveria being kicked out.
As for The Shining, the hotel did play a role in Stephen King’s inspiration…though not in the way you might think. As he tells it, King met a bartender named Grady at the hotel bar and then had a nightmare about a fire hose chasing his 3-year-old son down the hotels’ halls. Startled awake, he looked outside his hotel room window, at the view of the Rocky Mountains, and the idea for the book came to him. And yes, he really did stay in Room 217. A fire hose in the Rockies might not sound that scary, but just wait until one starts chasing you!
[Image description: A photo of the white-and-red Stanley Hotel under a blue sky.] Credit & copyright: kabaldesch0, PixabayWhen it comes to haunted hotels, there’s one name that’s shining above the rest. Opened in 1909, the Stanley Hotel has a reputation for lodging both the living and the dead. In fact, it's said to be so beset by malevolent spirits that famed horror novelist Stephen King was inspired to write The Shining after spending just one night there. Lately, the hotel's fame has reached a new generation and it's become an oddly popular filming location for social media influencers.
The Stanley Hotel has a long history of ghost stories. It was built by inventor Freelan Oscar Stanley who moved to Colorado on the recommendation of doctors in order to recover from tuberculosis in the mountain air. Once his health improved, Stanley decided to settle down and build a luxury hotel to bring in wealthy travelers. After he died in 1940 at the age of 91, hotel staff and visitors claimed that his spirit lingered in the grand, Edwardian building. Another purported resident ghost is Elizabeth Wilson, a housekeeper who was caught in a gas explosion while at work. Even though she didn’t die in the explosion, her ghost is still said to be trapped in the hotel due to trauma from the incident.
Plenty of ghost hunters and supernatural enthusiasts consider the Stanley Hotel to be an important supernatural landmark. Recently, the hotel has become a trendy destination for ghost-hunting T.V. shows and online content creators looking to spook their viewers. There was even a bit of a showdown earlier this year when two Youtubers, Tyler Oliveira and Brent Rivera, ended up filming at the hotel at the same time. The content creators got into a squabble which ended with Oliveria being kicked out.
As for The Shining, the hotel did play a role in Stephen King’s inspiration…though not in the way you might think. As he tells it, King met a bartender named Grady at the hotel bar and then had a nightmare about a fire hose chasing his 3-year-old son down the hotels’ halls. Startled awake, he looked outside his hotel room window, at the view of the Rocky Mountains, and the idea for the book came to him. And yes, he really did stay in Room 217. A fire hose in the Rockies might not sound that scary, but just wait until one starts chasing you!
[Image description: A photo of the white-and-red Stanley Hotel under a blue sky.] Credit & copyright: kabaldesch0, Pixabay
October 2, 2023
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2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: October 2, 2023\kun-FEK-shun\ noun
What It Means
Confection usually refers to a sweet prepared food item made to be eaten a...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: October 2, 2023\kun-FEK-shun\ noun
What It Means
Confection usually refers to a sweet prepared food item made to be eaten a...
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FREEArt Appreciation Art CurioFree1 CQ
Does this funeral seem strange, or is it just us? Jean-Jacques Grandville, a French caricaturist in the 19th century, created this whimsically morbid, Halloween-season-worthy scene for a songwriter. Drawn in brown ink, The Relics depicts a skeleton, wearing a religious mitre, rising from its casket. There are smoking candles on either side of him, and a few, nearby witnesses speak to each other. Grandville’s illustrations were often featured in satirical journals that were critical of the government, but he drew this piece for a songbook of Pierre Jean de Béranger’s complete works. Lacking the usual solemnity that surrounds a reliquary, the casket is instead a stage for a musical revue. Indeed, the song that the illustration accompanies is supposedly sung by the skeleton. Such an irreverent take on religion might have been shocking to Grandville’s more devout contemporaries, but it’s a fair representation of the artist’s fantastical body of work. Not to mention that it’s spine-tinglingly silly.
The Relics, Jean-Jacques Grandville (1803–1847), 1835, Pen and brown ink on paper, 4.62 x 3.68 in. (11.8 x 9.4 cm), The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
[Image credit & copyright: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of Muriel Butkin, CC0 1.0 DEED, CC0 1.0 Universal, Public Domain]Does this funeral seem strange, or is it just us? Jean-Jacques Grandville, a French caricaturist in the 19th century, created this whimsically morbid, Halloween-season-worthy scene for a songwriter. Drawn in brown ink, The Relics depicts a skeleton, wearing a religious mitre, rising from its casket. There are smoking candles on either side of him, and a few, nearby witnesses speak to each other. Grandville’s illustrations were often featured in satirical journals that were critical of the government, but he drew this piece for a songbook of Pierre Jean de Béranger’s complete works. Lacking the usual solemnity that surrounds a reliquary, the casket is instead a stage for a musical revue. Indeed, the song that the illustration accompanies is supposedly sung by the skeleton. Such an irreverent take on religion might have been shocking to Grandville’s more devout contemporaries, but it’s a fair representation of the artist’s fantastical body of work. Not to mention that it’s spine-tinglingly silly.
The Relics, Jean-Jacques Grandville (1803–1847), 1835, Pen and brown ink on paper, 4.62 x 3.68 in. (11.8 x 9.4 cm), The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
[Image credit & copyright: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of Muriel Butkin, CC0 1.0 DEED, CC0 1.0 Universal, Public Domain] -
FREEBiology Daily Curio #2733Free1 CQ
The water’s perfect for an octopus party. In 2018, Scientists exploring the depths of the Pacific with a submersible discovered an underwater site off the coast of California where around 20,000 octopuses gather every year. That’s unusual, since octopuses tend to live solitary lives. After wondering for years what exactly made this spot special, researchers have now discovered the answer: the water’s just really nice down there.
The location, which has been dubbed the “octopus garden,” is located about two miles down in the Pacific Ocean. It seems unremarkable at a glance, but there was something drawing thousands of Muusoctopus robustus, a species of octopus the size of a grapefruit. The secret, it turns out, is warm water. This octopus garden is home to hydrothermal springs that spew hot water. The octopuses use the warmth to hatch their eggs more quickly. Once the site of an underwater volcano, the hydrothermal springs now raise the temperature of the frigid deepsea waters from 35 degrees Fahrenheit to a balmy 51 degrees Fahrenheit.
That’s a rare oasis of warmth in an environment where conserving energy is paramount to survival. Although the octopuses don’t need the springs to hatch their eggs, it certainly helps. Colder temperatures mean slower metabolisms, which in turn means slower growth. Longer hatch times also mean more time spent by the female octopuses guarding their broods, which can be particularly problematic since they can’t hunt and defend at the same time. Adult octopuses die soon after their part in the reproductive cycle is over, and hatchlings are imperiled by predators as soon as they emerge without anyone to protect them. As a result, most don’t survive into adulthood.
On the bright side, the discovery of this hydrothermal octopus nursery has made it easier for scientists to study octopus life cycles. They’ve even been able to set up cameras to monitor the animals’ development. There’s also a possibility that other marine animals might be taking advantage of these underwater hot springs. Clearly, things are heating up in the world of marine biology.
[Image description: A green-and-yellow octopus underwater.] Credit & copyright: Pia B, PexelsThe water’s perfect for an octopus party. In 2018, Scientists exploring the depths of the Pacific with a submersible discovered an underwater site off the coast of California where around 20,000 octopuses gather every year. That’s unusual, since octopuses tend to live solitary lives. After wondering for years what exactly made this spot special, researchers have now discovered the answer: the water’s just really nice down there.
The location, which has been dubbed the “octopus garden,” is located about two miles down in the Pacific Ocean. It seems unremarkable at a glance, but there was something drawing thousands of Muusoctopus robustus, a species of octopus the size of a grapefruit. The secret, it turns out, is warm water. This octopus garden is home to hydrothermal springs that spew hot water. The octopuses use the warmth to hatch their eggs more quickly. Once the site of an underwater volcano, the hydrothermal springs now raise the temperature of the frigid deepsea waters from 35 degrees Fahrenheit to a balmy 51 degrees Fahrenheit.
That’s a rare oasis of warmth in an environment where conserving energy is paramount to survival. Although the octopuses don’t need the springs to hatch their eggs, it certainly helps. Colder temperatures mean slower metabolisms, which in turn means slower growth. Longer hatch times also mean more time spent by the female octopuses guarding their broods, which can be particularly problematic since they can’t hunt and defend at the same time. Adult octopuses die soon after their part in the reproductive cycle is over, and hatchlings are imperiled by predators as soon as they emerge without anyone to protect them. As a result, most don’t survive into adulthood.
On the bright side, the discovery of this hydrothermal octopus nursery has made it easier for scientists to study octopus life cycles. They’ve even been able to set up cameras to monitor the animals’ development. There’s also a possibility that other marine animals might be taking advantage of these underwater hot springs. Clearly, things are heating up in the world of marine biology.
[Image description: A green-and-yellow octopus underwater.] Credit & copyright: Pia B, Pexels -
7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
From the BBC World Service: Shares in the Chinese property giant Evergrande have plunged after it said it’s unable to issue new debt, because its subsidiary,...
From the BBC World Service: Shares in the Chinese property giant Evergrande have plunged after it said it’s unable to issue new debt, because its subsidiary,...
October 1, 2023
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2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: October 1, 2023\EKHT\ adjective
What It Means
Echt is an adjective used mostly in formal or literary speech and writing as ...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: October 1, 2023\EKHT\ adjective
What It Means
Echt is an adjective used mostly in formal or literary speech and writing as ...
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FREELiterature PP&T CurioFree1 CQ
If you’re trying to create a frightening monster, the first step is to make him look as scary as possible…right? In 1897, famed science fiction author H.G. Wells flipped that idea on its head with his publication of The Invisible Man, a novel about a scientist who turns himself invisible and loses his mind because of it. Though he may not be as famous as Dracula or Frankenstein, Wells’ invisible man does have undeniable staying power, as this unlikely villain is still showing up in horror media today.
As the fourth novel to be published by H.G. Wells, The Invisible Man helped propel the author to fame. By this point, Wells was gaining a reputation as an innovative science fiction writer owing to the successes of 1895’s The Time Machine and the following year’s The Island of Doctor Moreau. Although many of the concepts introduced and explored in these novels still show up time and time again in popular media, The Invisible Man was more often directly adapted, especially in visual mediums.
The story follows a mysterious man named Griffin who shows up one day in a small town dressed in bandages and wearing a prosthetic nose. His quick temper and suspicious activities draw the animosity of the locals, who eventually find out that Griffin’s actual body is completely invisible. During the course of the novel, Griffin grows more and more violent and paranoid. He reveals to a confidante that his invisibility is the result of a chemical experiment gone wrong, and that his criminal escapades were necessary to fund a cure. In the end, Griffin is killed by an angry mob as he cries for help. After he draws his last breath, his body becomes visible again. The narrative doesn’t seem to fully blame Griffin for his actions, though it doesn’t absolve him either. The only monster, it seems, is the potential for unfettered violence that exists in all people. It’s thanks to this nuance that the book not only continues to resonate with readers but remains so ripe for interpretation.
The first film adaptation of Wells’ novel, which shared the same title, was released in 1933 to wide acclaim. Starring Claude Raines, the film featured revolutionary special effects that seemed to render the lead actor truly invisible. While this was a relatively faithful adaptation of the novel, subsequent movies featuring similar characters or plotlines were bound by Hollywood’s Motion Picture Production Code which forced filmmakers to adhere to a strict moral code. Thus, 1940’s The Invisible Man Returns features a character who becomes invisible to clear his own name after being framed, while The Invisible Woman, released later that same year, features a protagonist who fools her boos into providing better working conditions. More recent takes on the concept, like 2000’s Hollow Man and 2020’s The Invisible Man tackle themes of sexual violence, misogyny, and toxic masculinity. The quirkiest interpretation may have been 2003’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, in which an invisible burglar joins a group of heroes to stop a criminal mastermind.
Whether or not he intended to, in writing The Invisible Man Wells created a character template capable of embodying the salient topics of any given time. It’s a fitting legacy for a man whose work had a penchant for being oddly prophetic. Invisible men now serve as more of an archetype than a singular character, in popular media. It really is the perfect blank slate.
[Image description: A digital illustration of an invisible person wearing a suit and top hat, with question marks in the background.] Credit & copyright: Tumisu, Pixabay.If you’re trying to create a frightening monster, the first step is to make him look as scary as possible…right? In 1897, famed science fiction author H.G. Wells flipped that idea on its head with his publication of The Invisible Man, a novel about a scientist who turns himself invisible and loses his mind because of it. Though he may not be as famous as Dracula or Frankenstein, Wells’ invisible man does have undeniable staying power, as this unlikely villain is still showing up in horror media today.
As the fourth novel to be published by H.G. Wells, The Invisible Man helped propel the author to fame. By this point, Wells was gaining a reputation as an innovative science fiction writer owing to the successes of 1895’s The Time Machine and the following year’s The Island of Doctor Moreau. Although many of the concepts introduced and explored in these novels still show up time and time again in popular media, The Invisible Man was more often directly adapted, especially in visual mediums.
The story follows a mysterious man named Griffin who shows up one day in a small town dressed in bandages and wearing a prosthetic nose. His quick temper and suspicious activities draw the animosity of the locals, who eventually find out that Griffin’s actual body is completely invisible. During the course of the novel, Griffin grows more and more violent and paranoid. He reveals to a confidante that his invisibility is the result of a chemical experiment gone wrong, and that his criminal escapades were necessary to fund a cure. In the end, Griffin is killed by an angry mob as he cries for help. After he draws his last breath, his body becomes visible again. The narrative doesn’t seem to fully blame Griffin for his actions, though it doesn’t absolve him either. The only monster, it seems, is the potential for unfettered violence that exists in all people. It’s thanks to this nuance that the book not only continues to resonate with readers but remains so ripe for interpretation.
The first film adaptation of Wells’ novel, which shared the same title, was released in 1933 to wide acclaim. Starring Claude Raines, the film featured revolutionary special effects that seemed to render the lead actor truly invisible. While this was a relatively faithful adaptation of the novel, subsequent movies featuring similar characters or plotlines were bound by Hollywood’s Motion Picture Production Code which forced filmmakers to adhere to a strict moral code. Thus, 1940’s The Invisible Man Returns features a character who becomes invisible to clear his own name after being framed, while The Invisible Woman, released later that same year, features a protagonist who fools her boos into providing better working conditions. More recent takes on the concept, like 2000’s Hollow Man and 2020’s The Invisible Man tackle themes of sexual violence, misogyny, and toxic masculinity. The quirkiest interpretation may have been 2003’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, in which an invisible burglar joins a group of heroes to stop a criminal mastermind.
Whether or not he intended to, in writing The Invisible Man Wells created a character template capable of embodying the salient topics of any given time. It’s a fitting legacy for a man whose work had a penchant for being oddly prophetic. Invisible men now serve as more of an archetype than a singular character, in popular media. It really is the perfect blank slate.
[Image description: A digital illustration of an invisible person wearing a suit and top hat, with question marks in the background.] Credit & copyright: Tumisu, Pixabay. -
8 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
Late-night talk show fans rejoice: The Hollywood writers strike is over. We outline the wins of the deal — including pay increases, minimum staffing requirem...
Late-night talk show fans rejoice: The Hollywood writers strike is over. We outline the wins of the deal — including pay increases, minimum staffing requirem...
September 30, 2023
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2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: September 30, 2023\PAH-mee\ adjective
What It Means
Palmy describes something that is flourishing or marked by prosperity, ...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: September 30, 2023\PAH-mee\ adjective
What It Means
Palmy describes something that is flourishing or marked by prosperity, ...
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8 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
While the latest COVID vaccines are now out, this is the first round of COVID vaccinations to rely mostly on the usual health insurance and provider networks...
While the latest COVID vaccines are now out, this is the first round of COVID vaccinations to rely mostly on the usual health insurance and provider networks...
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FREEFootball Sporty CurioFree1 CQ
Football is a team sport, so it’s only natural to work together. The USFL and the XFL, the beleaguered competitors of the NFL, are planning to merge ahead of the 2024 season. Originally founded in 1983, the USFL only lasted a few seasons before shuttering. It returned in 2022 but has been struggling to raise viewership. Likewise, the XFL was founded in 2001 by WWE ringmaster Vince McMahon, though the league has come and gone and come back again since then. The latest iteration has been going on since 2020, but neither the XFL nor the USFL have managed to bring in more than 700,000 average viewers. Assuming that no teams are added or removed, merging the two leagues could bring their combined 16 teams into competition with each other. As for the game itself, it’s not clear which set of rules the newly merged league will adopt, though the USFL has been taking XFL’s lead already in some instances. The USFL’s rules were originally almost identical to those of the NFL, but there are more differences now. The biggest difference is that both the USFL and XFL allow the double forward pass, which can potentially make for a more hectic and fast-paced start to a play. Maybe they’ll put the “X” in exciting.
[Image description: A brown football sits on green grass.] Credit & copyright: OliverCardall, Pixabay
Football is a team sport, so it’s only natural to work together. The USFL and the XFL, the beleaguered competitors of the NFL, are planning to merge ahead of the 2024 season. Originally founded in 1983, the USFL only lasted a few seasons before shuttering. It returned in 2022 but has been struggling to raise viewership. Likewise, the XFL was founded in 2001 by WWE ringmaster Vince McMahon, though the league has come and gone and come back again since then. The latest iteration has been going on since 2020, but neither the XFL nor the USFL have managed to bring in more than 700,000 average viewers. Assuming that no teams are added or removed, merging the two leagues could bring their combined 16 teams into competition with each other. As for the game itself, it’s not clear which set of rules the newly merged league will adopt, though the USFL has been taking XFL’s lead already in some instances. The USFL’s rules were originally almost identical to those of the NFL, but there are more differences now. The biggest difference is that both the USFL and XFL allow the double forward pass, which can potentially make for a more hectic and fast-paced start to a play. Maybe they’ll put the “X” in exciting.
[Image description: A brown football sits on green grass.] Credit & copyright: OliverCardall, Pixabay
September 29, 2023
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9 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
From the BBC World Service: Officially, “Barbie” isn’t showing in Russia, but unofficially, pirated versions are doing a roaring trade in Moscow cinemas. The...
From the BBC World Service: Officially, “Barbie” isn’t showing in Russia, but unofficially, pirated versions are doing a roaring trade in Moscow cinemas. The...
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2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: September 29, 2023\KOHKS\ verb
What It Means
To coax a person or animal is to influence or persuade them to do something by...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: September 29, 2023\KOHKS\ verb
What It Means
To coax a person or animal is to influence or persuade them to do something by...
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FREEMind + Body Daily CurioFree1 CQ
What’s all this then? The official national dish of Great Britain may be chicken tikka masala, but fish and chips is certainly a close second. Brits love this hearty, battered meal, and they’ve been enjoying it since at least the mid-1800s, though two different cities claim to have invented it.
Fish and chips is a dish of battered fish and french fries (called “chips” in the UK). The fish is usually cod or haddock, coated in a batter made of flour, baking powder, milk, eggs, and seasonings. Sometimes, beer is added to the batter for extra flavor. The chips are usually cut thick, so some Americans might consider them “steak fries.” While both cod and haddock have been eaten in England since before the country’s founding, the practice of battering fish didn’t become popular until around the 16th century. That’s when Jewish immigrants from Spain and Portugal first brought the practice to England. It quickly caught on with the Brits, who served it alongside bread or mashed potatoes. As for chips, they were likely invented in the 1680s by Belgian housewives who fried potatoes in place of more-expensive fish. By 1830, chips had made their way to England, where they were popular with working people.
Some claim that the first recorded instance of a restaurant selling fish and chips side by side comes from London, in the 1860s. Joseph Malin, a Jewish immigrant who had fled persecution in Eastern Europe to work as a rug weaver in England, opened a small fish and chips shop, also known as a “chippy”, to supplement his income. The shop exploded in popularity…so it seems that London can claim fish and chips as their own, right? Not quite. Some people claim that the first fish and chips shop was actually a wooden hut opened in 1863 at the Mossley market, an outdoor market in Lancashire that still exists today. The hut’s owner was John Lees, a local businessman.
Though we’ll probably never know which man (or which city) first spawned fish and chips, there’s no doubt that the dish has staying power. It remains as popular as ever in Britain, where it’s also a point of national pride. Each year, the National Federation of Fish Fryers even awards one restaurant the title of Fish & Chip Takeaway of the Year, and the winners even get a free trip to Norway. Not too shabby for a chippy!
[Image description: Fish and chips with mashed peas and white dipping sauce on a blue plate.] Credit & copyright: Famifranquoi, PixabayWhat’s all this then? The official national dish of Great Britain may be chicken tikka masala, but fish and chips is certainly a close second. Brits love this hearty, battered meal, and they’ve been enjoying it since at least the mid-1800s, though two different cities claim to have invented it.
Fish and chips is a dish of battered fish and french fries (called “chips” in the UK). The fish is usually cod or haddock, coated in a batter made of flour, baking powder, milk, eggs, and seasonings. Sometimes, beer is added to the batter for extra flavor. The chips are usually cut thick, so some Americans might consider them “steak fries.” While both cod and haddock have been eaten in England since before the country’s founding, the practice of battering fish didn’t become popular until around the 16th century. That’s when Jewish immigrants from Spain and Portugal first brought the practice to England. It quickly caught on with the Brits, who served it alongside bread or mashed potatoes. As for chips, they were likely invented in the 1680s by Belgian housewives who fried potatoes in place of more-expensive fish. By 1830, chips had made their way to England, where they were popular with working people.
Some claim that the first recorded instance of a restaurant selling fish and chips side by side comes from London, in the 1860s. Joseph Malin, a Jewish immigrant who had fled persecution in Eastern Europe to work as a rug weaver in England, opened a small fish and chips shop, also known as a “chippy”, to supplement his income. The shop exploded in popularity…so it seems that London can claim fish and chips as their own, right? Not quite. Some people claim that the first fish and chips shop was actually a wooden hut opened in 1863 at the Mossley market, an outdoor market in Lancashire that still exists today. The hut’s owner was John Lees, a local businessman.
Though we’ll probably never know which man (or which city) first spawned fish and chips, there’s no doubt that the dish has staying power. It remains as popular as ever in Britain, where it’s also a point of national pride. Each year, the National Federation of Fish Fryers even awards one restaurant the title of Fish & Chip Takeaway of the Year, and the winners even get a free trip to Norway. Not too shabby for a chippy!
[Image description: Fish and chips with mashed peas and white dipping sauce on a blue plate.] Credit & copyright: Famifranquoi, Pixabay
September 28, 2023
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7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
In many parts of the U.S., it’s still legal to pay workers with disabilities a subminimum wage. But the Department of Labor said this week that it’s planning...
In many parts of the U.S., it’s still legal to pay workers with disabilities a subminimum wage. But the Department of Labor said this week that it’s planning...
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2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: September 28, 2023\FER-vid\ adjective
What It Means
Fervid is a somewhat formal word describing people or things that expre...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: September 28, 2023\FER-vid\ adjective
What It Means
Fervid is a somewhat formal word describing people or things that expre...
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FREEBiology Nerdy CurioFree1 CQ
If you’d like to be immune to most viruses, resilient against cancer, and have the ability to fly, what you actually want is to be a bat. A new study published by researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in the journal Genome Biology and Evolution works to reveal the secrets behind the winged mammals’ hale and hearty nature. The secret to bats’ extraordinary immunity to diseases (like ebola) that kill other mammals lies in their inflammation response—or, rather, their lack of one. In humans, many symptoms of illness are actually the result of our bodies’ own immune response. This includes inflammation. Bats don’t experience the same level of inflammation, allowing them to tolerate viral loads that would kill most other mammals. It’s also the reason that bats are famously disease-ridden (the technical term is viral reservoir) and easily spread diseases, even as they remain unaffected by them. Recently, after using long-read sequencing, which allows scientists to study much longer fragments of DNA than other methods, researchers found that the DNA of the Jamaican fruit bat (Artibeus jamaicensis) and the Mesoamerican mustached bat (Pteronotus mesoamericanus), lack the gene for interferon(INF)-alpha. This protein is produced by other mammals’ immune systems to fight viruses. Instead, bats rely on INF-omega, which is more potent. Researchers have theorized that targeting genes that produce INF-omega in humans could one day be used to treat viral illnesses. As for cancer, long-read sequencing revealed the presence of 6 DNA repair genes and 33 tumor-suppressor genes in bats. These are genes aren’t entirely unique to bats, but bats do seem to use them more effectively than other animals. It’s possible that, one day, gene therapy using bat immunity as a blueprint could treat cancer in humans as well. Seems like a good idea, as long as no one grows wings.
[Image description: A black-and-brown bat with brown eyes hanging from a green treetop.] Credit & copyright: Pixel-mixer, Pixabay
If you’d like to be immune to most viruses, resilient against cancer, and have the ability to fly, what you actually want is to be a bat. A new study published by researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in the journal Genome Biology and Evolution works to reveal the secrets behind the winged mammals’ hale and hearty nature. The secret to bats’ extraordinary immunity to diseases (like ebola) that kill other mammals lies in their inflammation response—or, rather, their lack of one. In humans, many symptoms of illness are actually the result of our bodies’ own immune response. This includes inflammation. Bats don’t experience the same level of inflammation, allowing them to tolerate viral loads that would kill most other mammals. It’s also the reason that bats are famously disease-ridden (the technical term is viral reservoir) and easily spread diseases, even as they remain unaffected by them. Recently, after using long-read sequencing, which allows scientists to study much longer fragments of DNA than other methods, researchers found that the DNA of the Jamaican fruit bat (Artibeus jamaicensis) and the Mesoamerican mustached bat (Pteronotus mesoamericanus), lack the gene for interferon(INF)-alpha. This protein is produced by other mammals’ immune systems to fight viruses. Instead, bats rely on INF-omega, which is more potent. Researchers have theorized that targeting genes that produce INF-omega in humans could one day be used to treat viral illnesses. As for cancer, long-read sequencing revealed the presence of 6 DNA repair genes and 33 tumor-suppressor genes in bats. These are genes aren’t entirely unique to bats, but bats do seem to use them more effectively than other animals. It’s possible that, one day, gene therapy using bat immunity as a blueprint could treat cancer in humans as well. Seems like a good idea, as long as no one grows wings.
[Image description: A black-and-brown bat with brown eyes hanging from a green treetop.] Credit & copyright: Pixel-mixer, Pixabay
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FREEScience Daily Curio #2732Free1 CQ
That’s no dog, that’s a dingo! A video from Australia, which showed a dingo committing literal daylight robbery, recently went viral. The tenacious pup swam to a boat where it proceeded to steal food and even a handbag. While dingoes may look similar to domesticated dogs, they’re considered wild animals. In fact, these pirate pests have actually carved out a niche for themselves in one of the planet’s harshest ecosystems.
Dingoes first arrived in Australia thousands of years ago, though it’s not known exactly when. Genetic analysis shows that dingoes are closely related to East Asian domestic dogs, meaning that they were likely brought over by humans who used them to hunt vermin. Archaeological evidence shows that dingoes have been in Australia for at least 3,500 years, but they likely arrived no earlier than 12,000 years ago. That’s around the time that rising sea levels separated Tasmania from the mainland, and no dingoes are found on Tasmania today. On the mainland, though, they went from human companions to apex predators.
Unfortunately, dingos were considered pests by many early Australian settlers looking to raise livestock. This led to massive culling programs in southeastern Australia that all but wiped out dingoes in the region. Then, farmers constructed a 5,600-kilometer-long fence meant to keep out rabbits, a more recently-introduced invasive species. The fence did little to keep rabbits out, but it did keep dingoes out. Settlers didn’t understand that dingoes had, by then, become an integral part of Australia’s ecosystem, even filling the ecological niche left over when thylacines (or Tasmanian tigers) went extinct. Without dingoes to keep kangaroos and other herbivore populations in check, the fenced-in area has become overgrazed, leading to a crash in biodiversity. The effects are so drastic that, today, the difference in vegetation levels on either side of the fence can be seen from space.
The dingo is listed as a vulnerable species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Despite the fact that they weren’t originally wild animals, they’ve been part of the ecosystem for so long now that their demise would likely mean ecological disaster for Australia. Dingoes are still being baited, trapped, and hunted as pests, while conservationists work to educate the public about the valuable role dingoes play, as wild predators. It might be a long road ahead, but every dog has his day.
[Image description: A tan-colored dingo stands in green grass.] Credit & copyright: TheOtherKev, PixabayThat’s no dog, that’s a dingo! A video from Australia, which showed a dingo committing literal daylight robbery, recently went viral. The tenacious pup swam to a boat where it proceeded to steal food and even a handbag. While dingoes may look similar to domesticated dogs, they’re considered wild animals. In fact, these pirate pests have actually carved out a niche for themselves in one of the planet’s harshest ecosystems.
Dingoes first arrived in Australia thousands of years ago, though it’s not known exactly when. Genetic analysis shows that dingoes are closely related to East Asian domestic dogs, meaning that they were likely brought over by humans who used them to hunt vermin. Archaeological evidence shows that dingoes have been in Australia for at least 3,500 years, but they likely arrived no earlier than 12,000 years ago. That’s around the time that rising sea levels separated Tasmania from the mainland, and no dingoes are found on Tasmania today. On the mainland, though, they went from human companions to apex predators.
Unfortunately, dingos were considered pests by many early Australian settlers looking to raise livestock. This led to massive culling programs in southeastern Australia that all but wiped out dingoes in the region. Then, farmers constructed a 5,600-kilometer-long fence meant to keep out rabbits, a more recently-introduced invasive species. The fence did little to keep rabbits out, but it did keep dingoes out. Settlers didn’t understand that dingoes had, by then, become an integral part of Australia’s ecosystem, even filling the ecological niche left over when thylacines (or Tasmanian tigers) went extinct. Without dingoes to keep kangaroos and other herbivore populations in check, the fenced-in area has become overgrazed, leading to a crash in biodiversity. The effects are so drastic that, today, the difference in vegetation levels on either side of the fence can be seen from space.
The dingo is listed as a vulnerable species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Despite the fact that they weren’t originally wild animals, they’ve been part of the ecosystem for so long now that their demise would likely mean ecological disaster for Australia. Dingoes are still being baited, trapped, and hunted as pests, while conservationists work to educate the public about the valuable role dingoes play, as wild predators. It might be a long road ahead, but every dog has his day.
[Image description: A tan-colored dingo stands in green grass.] Credit & copyright: TheOtherKev, Pixabay