Cities and Food

A very interesting video from TED highlighting the way in which food has shaped and is shaping urban areas around the world.

The Brain and Moral Judgments

It's all in the physiology of our bodies and it is acquired with its development with age.

Global Warming Caught on Camera

Despite what Glenn Beck will tell you, cooler summer temperatures do not translate into cooler global temperatures.

As the video below shows through time-lapse pictures of strategically placed cameras, global warming is a global event to the reality of which all of us need to warm up... no pun intended.

Cymatics

Cymatics is the science of visualizing sound, which I just learned now by watching the short video below. Quite interesting and very inviting for somebody with a passion for the intersection of art and science.

I Can See Clearly Now...

...the fluid's in.

Liquid-filled prescription eyeglasses that can be adjusted by the wearer.

You Reap What You Sow... or Save

A scientist gives a TED talk about the diminishing genetic diversity in crops, the importance of genetic diversity for a future with climate changes, and the Norwegian project to preserve samples of seeds across the world.

World Statistics

Hans Rosling does it again. Another lecture on our 'flat world,' with some updates.

The data in the video can be accessed on his website, Gapminder World.

Wireless Electricity

Cool stuff! Maybe in a few years it will be commonplace....

On the Origins of Skin Color

The video below by Nina Jablonski addresses the issue of the origin of skin pigmentation. Needless to say, sunlight (i.e. UV radiation), melanin, and Vitamin D factor into her equation for the origin of variation in skin pigmentation. The presentation goes beyond that, of course.

On Morals of Liberals and Conservatives

I watched this video with a very open mind and I agree with most of the things he says and concludes, but take issue with certain others that appear overly simplified. Nevertheless, it is a very interesting analysis of morals that strengthens my conviction that we are innately moral.

In his speech he mentions his website and the questionnaire he has in terms of morals. I took it and the results are below. Not surprisingly, I am quite liberal and more so than other liberals who have taken the test (mine is the green column). I am not so sure the questionnaire's answers are accurately indicative of one's true leanings, morals, or goodness/badness. It is all relative and case-dependent. Click for larger view.

Fungi to the Rescue

According to the speaker in this video, fungi have a lot of advantageous uses for humans and for the earth itself. They really are interesting organisms.

On a related note—and I've been aware of this since high school—it astounds me that the Albanian word for 'mold' has been derived from Latin and that it has been retained almost unchanged—more so than the corresponding words among Romance languages. The root of the Latin word was muc- (hence the -mycin ending in certain antibiotics) and the Albanian word is myk (pronounced as if it were in IPA). The next closest words, from what I gather, would be mucegai (Romanian) and moho (Spanish).

Fusiform Gyrus, Phantom Limbs, Synesthesia

All explained through brain function for the lay man in this very entertaining video by V. S. Ramachandran. I must admit, his solution to pain from phantom limbs is ingenious.

Stem Cells & Tissue Regeneration

Another interesting video from TED, this time on the advantages of stem cell use for tissue regeneration.

Militant Atheism

Richard Dawkins calling on all atheists to come out and fight the smothering influence of religion in public and political life in America. He has a refreshing style of delivery and uses funny and lay examples in order to better illustrate his message. Always entertaining.

Da Vinci's Mug Shot

I know I've posted too many TED videos in the past few hours and will probably do so for another day or two. I hadn't monitored the site in a while, so I'm catching up and sharing them here.

For now, an artist's deductions on the real face of Leonardo Da Vinci and his reasons behind them.

Hairy Bipeds

This presentation by Susan Savage-Rumbaugh on Congo's bonobos is to remind us that, no matter what we evolved from, we share similarities with these astoundingly humanoid creatures of the wild.

Skeptic Watchdogs

Michael Shermer of Skeptic magazine talks about some beliefs that people have and how they go about making sense of and debunking them.

It's a Queer Queer Queer Queer Universe

As evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins shows in the video below.

World Statistics Made Fun & Easy

Hans Rosling, a Swedish professor presents statistics on world development, wealth, and population. Very informative and educational.

Naked Aquatic Bipeds

I found the video below via The Daily Dish. It puts forth the hypothesis that, unlike previously thought, man might have evolved from aquatic animals rather than the ape family. It does seem plausible, but I am sure nothing will be confirmed for a long while.