smart & curious
A list of intriguing things
Hello, ‘fluffy’ galaxy! The Hubble Space Telescope has captured a very detailed image of a unique galaxy known as NGC 2775 which is a flocculent: “meaning it has a woolly, feathery, or fluffy appearance, which is a very apt description considering the arms spiraling out from its center look like they're made of dog fur dotted with millions of blue stars.” That may be the most poetic description of dog fur ever written!
Related item: this is a ten-year time-lapse video of the sun, also from NASA. TBH, it sounds a lot more intriguing than it looks. We recommend it as a form of visual ASMR.
Hello, AR elephant! Kerala classrooms are using augmented reality to teach little kids online. And it looks seriously cool!
Hello, ???? Kite! Indian ornithologists are holding a global poll to rename the casteist name of the Brahminy Kite—which is now sadly closed. And there is precedent: The Black Kite was once named Pariah Kite. Why always with the kites?
Talk to the glove! Scientists have developed a high-tech glove that translates sign language into speech in real time. Why this is brilliant news: deaf people can communicate directly with everyone—even those who do not understand sign language.
A short list of good reads
- A founder explains why the pandemic is, in fact, an excellent time to start a new business in Fast Company.
- The Lede explains why 12 elephants died in Coimbatore under mysterious circumstances. No, there weren’t any bombs or traps involved.
- LitHub has an excellent piece on how the Human GPS—or our brain’s navigational system—works, and why it’s quite easy to get lost. This is reassuring for some of us who routinely get lost in malls. (h/t our subscriber Aarathi Ganesan)
- Tanmoy Goswami has a startling and must-read take in The Correspondent on the phrase ‘community transmission’—and why it is taboo in India. No, this isn’t about what you think it is about.
