Here’s a collection of various bits from the web that I’d like to share. I’m still figuring out exactly how I want to do these posts, so I’d be happy to get any kind of feedback.
- The Guardian covered some research suggesting that symbols found alongside ancient cave paintings might be an early form of language.
- Ideas Illustrated has a nice post about visualizing the etymology of words in English texts.
- Ed Yong writes about dolphins who cooperate with humans to catch fish.
- An article in Wired about research using “flavor networks” to test the idea that certain foods go well together because they have the same molecular components.
- Eric Johnson writes about the history of human mating systems on The Primate Diaries at Scientific American’s blogs.
- This video of the view from a hula hoop is an interesting way to think about frames of reference.
- It’s absolutely amazing that we’ve started to build a catalog of habitable exoplanets during my lifetime.
- Being insatiably fond of books, I reveled in these pictures of the 20 most beautiful bookshops in the world.
- A letter from 1865 in which a former slave responds to his old master’s request that he return to work on the farm.
That’s all from me! If you’ve got an interesting, amusing, inspiring or educational link you’d like to share, feel free to put it in a comment. 🙂
Inspiring Science 
I read the one on cave paintings found in southern France and Spain. It’s remarkable to think that man was communicating concepts with written symbols as long as 30,000 years ago! I don’t know why the researchers hesitate to call the symbols a “language”; as an attempt to communicate the events surrounding their lives, what else would you call it?
I think it’s a good idea to err on the side of caution…I guess the question is whether or not the symbols were actually an attempt to communicate with each other — it’s also possible that they were something like signatures or aesthetic accessories.
I like flavor networks and exoplanets. In fact I clicked on habitable exoplanets first…maybe you can write a post bringing together myth and reality with respect to colonization? Flavor networks would also be interesting and probably more unique…my two cents 🙂