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TED Talk By Geoffrey West

Amazing Art Form – Lichenberg Figures (Also known as captured lightning)

Lichenberg figures are created by running an electrical current through a piece of wood or glass. The resultant pattern is reminiscent of lightning, and other branching networks such as trees, rivers, and circulatory systems.

The creation of a Lichenberg Figure in glass (Skip to 0:40)

I’d attach some images of more Lichenberg Figures, but don’t want to get in trouble for copy write infringement (I seriously doubt that would happen, but better safe than sorry). If you want to see some amazing Lichenberg art, click here.

Graph of the Week – The Price of Light (Photo Credit: Our World in Data)

Light is so cheap that we rarely think twice before using it. That was not always the case…

Weird Phenomenon – Blindsight  

It turns out that some people who believe themselves to be blind actually still have subconscious access to visual information. Damage to certain areas of the brain can lead to this phenomenon, which is known as “blindsight,” in which patients are still able to “see” subconsciously, despite reporting themselves to be entirely blind. Patients with blindsight are capable of feats such as navigating obstacle courses, and responding to pictures of frightening faces, all without conscious awareness of what they are seeing.  To learn more about blindsight, click here.

Effect of Gestation Season on Personality

It turns out that there are small yet measurable personality differences that seem to be a function of the time of year during which people were in the womb.  This isn’t astrology. Some suspected mechanisms of action are varying levels of sunlight exposure, leading to depletions in vitamin D and serotonin levels both during gestation, and shortly after birth.