Obama’s Secret Weapon In The South: 100 Million Year-Old Fossils If you study county-result maps in the southern U.S. from the 2008 election, a certain pattern of blue emerges from the sea of red. There are many reasons for this, but marine biologist Craig McClain says that if you go back in time far enough, you can trace these election results to trillions of fossilized microorganisms, who turned the sun into soil. Don’t believe me? Check out Krulwich Wonders…
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Obama’s Secret Weapon In The South: 100 Million Year-Old Fossils

If you study county-result maps in the southern U.S. from the 2008 election, a certain pattern of blue emerges from the sea of red. There are many reasons for this, but marine biologist Craig McClain says that if you go back in time far enough, you can trace these election results to trillions of fossilized microorganisms, who turned the sun into soil.

Don’t believe me? Check out Krulwich Wonders…

Source: NPR

Which Is Greater, The Number Of Sand Grains On Earth Or Stars In The Sky?

It’s one of those classic questions that have tickled the human brain for ages. Let’s take something whose scale we have no way of reconciling, like the number of stars, and compare it to something else whose scale is completely neuron-warping, like the number of grains of sand on every beach.

Which is bigger?

This likely isn’t the first time you’ve heard this mind-bender. So I won’t be spoiling it by telling you that stars win … big-time. The universe is a very large place.

But we don’t have to go big to beat the stars. You’ll never guess how little of a certain common liquid it takes to beat both of those numbers … I’ll leave that to Robert.

When you are trying to create a version of yourself that will one day make you happy, half the battle is know your insides — know your pleasures.

And the other half is to know your outsides — to find allies, partners, mentors.

You don’t become yourself by yourself. You become you, boosted on others’ shoulders, buoyed by others’ smiles. You may be a singular person, but your success will always be plural.

NPR and Radiolab’s Robert Krulwich, in his commencement address to the College of the Atlantic. It’s about designing your life, getting up when you’re knocked down, and learning for life.

It’s called “The Chumbawamba Principle”. Read the whole thing. It’s simply wonderful.

Source: NPR