Definition: (noun) A state of quiet (but possibly temporary) inaction.
Synonyms: dormancy.
Usage: The volcano erupted after centuries of quiescence.
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Month: December 2021
observation
sight – A measurement or observation taken with an optical device. More…
auspice – Originally denoted the observation of bird flight as a form of divination. More…
noegenesis – The generating or obtaining of new knowledge from experience through observation and the inferring of relations. More…
contemplate, contemplation – The base of contemplate and comtemplation is Latin templum, “open space for observation.” More…
the mind's ear
The imaginative capability to create or recall sound within one’s mind; the part of the mind that experiences imagined or recalled sound. (An allusion to the “mind’s eye,” which is likewise responsible for mental imagery.) Watch the video
Joseph Jagger: The Man Who Broke the Bank
Before Mick Jagger strutted with the Stones, fellow Brit Joseph Jagger brought fame to the surname in 1873 when he won two million francs at the Beaux-Arts Casino in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Jagger began his scheme by hiring six clerks to record the outcomes of six of the casino’s roulette wheels. They discovered that nine numbers came up more frequently than the others on one of the wheels. How did the casino respond when Jagger put his plan into action and began racking up winnings? Discuss
sycophant
medical term
brainstorm – By the 1890s, it was a medical term for “mental explosion”. More…
canities – The medical term for the graying or whitening of hair. More…
repercussion – First a medical term for “repressing an infection.” More…
tension – Originally a medical term for the condition of being physically strained. More…
Camille Claudel (1864)
A skilled French sculptor in her own right, Claudel is best remembered for being a student, collaborator, model, and mistress of famed sculptor Auguste Rodin. The two had a tumultuous affair that began to crumble in the 1890s, and Claudel, who suffered from mental illness, became increasingly unstable and reclusive. She was committed in 1913 and remained institutionalized until her death 30 years later. Her work is highly valued by collectors, but little of it survives today. Why is this? Discuss
mind (one's) manners
To be well behaved and act appropriately. Watch the video
Braconidae
Humans fear wasps for their sting, but some insects, like caterpillars, have a different reason to be wary: they are little more than prey to the more than 50,000 species of parasitoid wasp in the family Braconidae. Most braconids kill their hosts with viruses that suppress the immune system and allow the wasp’s eggs to grow inside a host undetected. These polydnaviruses are actually produced by the wasps using viral genes that were integrated into their DNA how many million years ago? Discuss