#things we don't know

[reversopedia]

Yes, humans are still evolving. Here's how you can tell.

Researchers looked at DNA from 215,000 people and found that a number of genes are becoming uncommon in older people. One of these genes, for example, predisposes you to Alzheimer’s disease. Although we don't know for sure why this is happening, this is great news for everyone! 

[reversopedia]

The Moving Sofa Problem

The problem is in two dimensions, the corner is a 90-degree angle, and the width of the corridor is 1. What is the largest two-dimensional area that can fit around the corner? 

 The moving sofa problem is still unsolved, since 1966 when it was first asked. 

[questfriendspodcast]

So I know MISHA doesn't sleep but.. what do they do while the rest of the party is sleeping? How do they keep themselves entertained? Do they have some sort of resting-like activity, because being awake and alert 24/7 sounds maddening even for an android....

Even though MISHA doesn’t “sleep” in the human sense of the word, much like a computer, they do need some winding-down process to avoid overheating. 

They start by finding a specific feature in their surroundings they find interesting. Sometimes it is something living, like a plant or a colony of ants, sometimes an intricate wall pattern or the slow-breathing sounds of the party. Their favorite thing to look at though is the stars, and to make their own constellations out of them. At first, while they sense the party is starting to sleep but not quite asleep yet, they truly make notes of whatever new thing they decide to watch that night, which is relaxing in its own right. 

As the night progresses and they sense the party is asleep and safe from danger, they allow themselves to go into a state that closely resembles deep meditation. During this moment their thoughts usually latch on to specific memories, events, or feelings (it’s more like biographical daydreaming than truly dreaming) from their past—sometimes before they met the party, although those are still more fuzzy than the rest. They are still aware of their surroundings and can tell if there is a sudden change of noise, but their awareness is split and a bit dimmer. It’s kind of what I imagine a dolphin feels like when they sleep with only half their brain in order to not drown. 

MISHA considers this process very private and personal, so they take a lot of precautions to avoid being seen in that state (so to the party, MISHA doesn’t sleep). However, if they were to be seen this way, they would look more uncanny valley, with their eyes wide open and unfocused and their redder eye periodically glowing brighter and dimmer (like when a computer is in sleep mode and the CPU is just flashing). They usually can control how long they last in that state, and it can range from minutes to a couple of hours.

[reversopedia]

Astronomers just discovered a strange void near the centre of the Milky Way

An international team of astronomers has discovered a 'stellar void' near the centre of our Milky Way galaxy that's completely devoid of young stars known as Cepheids.

Though you don’t hear about them often, Cepheids are important to astronomers who are trying to understand how stars are distributed throughout the Universe, because they're young – sometimes just 10 million-years-old – and pulse bright enough that researchers can use their light to calculate how far away they are. 

This is important, because understanding how stars are distributed allows astronomers to better understand how the Universe initially formed.

[bubert]

sketch of Henry and his posse of...seagulls...

(???)

[bubert]

....it's 4.30 in the morning

[behagelig-villmark-blog]

This is incredible to me:

We know more about outer space than we do about our oceans.

There are carcasses of strange giant beasts being found in fishing nets, but researchers have never called them anything but giant squid. 

First humans on the moon: 1969

First known outside contact with the Korowai people: 1974.

Don't get me wrong, the study of space is vastly important, especially in the modern age of technology, but doesn't it seem like a vast oversight on our part to be scrambling after the stars when we still are so unaware of the sphere we're living on?

[p-brane]

Things We Don't Know

I’ve been asked to become a guest blogger for the charity ‘things we don’t know ‘. They have a website that aims to compile a list of current research topics and areas in science where it is a little fuzzy. What shall I blog about?!