NEWS YOU CAN USE: Bananas may improve heart health, especially for women
When the Black Death hit Europe in 1346, it left millions dead. We know now that the pestilence that ravaged Europe was likely caused by fleas that travelled on rats, likely from Asia. There are also three forms of plague, so scholars still debate the exact origins of the disease.
Picasso sipped coffee and visited Parisian brothels while Spain was bombed. Before “Guernica," his political awakening seemed unlikely Picasso
PREDICTION: BODYBUILDERS WILL BE THE FIRST TO USE THIS. Hibernating Bears Have a Secret Superpower Hiding in Their Blood. “If we humans tried to lie dormant for as long as a black bear, our muscles would begin wasting away from the sheer lack of physical activity. But when a bear emerges from its den at the start of spring, it stretches out a lean and strong body. The creature’s muscle mass and strength are largely maintained from the year before, despite little to no movement, not even to drink or eat, poop or pee.”
THIS WOOD-FIRED PIZZA OVEN looks cool. We already have on … You can’t go low-carb all the time.
How Animals Perceive the World
In the New Statesman Ellen Peirson-Hagger wonders Why are so many literary prizes closing ? in the UK.
She does ... note: "Other countries such as France and the US have state-funded literary prizes" -- rather odd choices, as France and the US are actually unusual in that the leading literary prizes in those countries (Goncourt, Pulitzer, National Book Award, etc.) are, in fact, not run (or funded -- beyond, in the US, being taxpayer-subsidized (being run by so-called 'non-profit'-organizations)) by the government.
It should also be noted that, despite several prizes losing funding and others being in danger of shutting down, there are still a hell of a lot of them out there, in the UK and elsewhere.
Publishing in 'Web3'
At Esquire Elle Griffin writes at some length on how The Crypto Revolution Wants to Reimagine Books.
Of course it does .....
As she notes, however, far into the piece:
If this is all starting to sound like a pipe dream, that's because it is, for the time being.Oh, yes -- there's also this:
Even if these platforms become more user-friendly (they'll have to if they hope to attract business), none solve one of the biggest challenges facing the publishing industry right now: finding readers.Some creative ideas here, but .....
But.