The mystery of the ‘ghost trees’ may be solved – SFGate Redwoods can also clone themselves, further complicating scientists’ understanding of them. Vast rings of related plants communicate via their roots, and during the hard months of winter and early spring, they’ll distribute nutrients evenly among themselves. Scientists have spilled dye onto trees at one end of a grove and traced it through the root network all the way to the other side. “Most people, when they come to the redwood, they look up at the canopy,” Kuty says. “But down is where the action is.” This collaboration lasts only until summer comes. Then every tree, sprout and branch must fend for itself. Those that can’t photosynthesize enough sugar are cut off from the shared root system and discarded during what’s known as the autumn “needle drop.” Douglas Coupland: ‘I’m actually at my happiest when I’m writing on a plane’ | Books | The Guardian There’s a kind of existential heebie-jeebies that accompanies the abandonment of routine: what if I lose my skills and they never come back? What if I become too fragmented? What if the forces of the future I’m trying to depict crush me like a bug? But then, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Live asynchronously. If your job requires even an ounce of creativity, you’ll do your best […]

You have a goal. Todoist has a plan. How strong is a chimpanzee, really? Repeated tests in the 1960s confirmed this basic picture. A chimpanzee had, pound for pound, as much as twice the strength of a human when it came to pulling weights. The apes beat us in leg strength, too, despite our reliance on our legs for locomotion. A 2006 study found that bonobos can jump one-third higher than top-level human athletes, and bonobo legs generate as much force as humans nearly two times heavier. Post-Election College Paper Grading Rubric – McSweeney’s Internet Tendency Dear Students, Because I can no longer claim with any credibility that reading, writing, and critical thinking are essential skills for 21st-century success, I have revised the grading rubric for your papers accordingly. Effective January 20, 2017. Anish Kapoor, Fine Art Supervillain – Scientific American Blog Network Other fine artists, including evopunk painter Flying Trilobite, have vowed to create their own illicit Vantablack production lab, restoring the power of this art material to fine artists, and the world.