Month: September 2023

Saint Francis of Assisi (1181)

The patron saint of animals, Saint Francis of Assisi was an Italian monk canonized as a saint in 1228. Born into a wealthy family, he was a soldier and prisoner of war before he experienced a conversion in his early 20s. He sold his property, gave the money to the church, and began a life of poverty and devoutness. He soon attracted followers and became the founder of the Franciscan order of friars. Catholics believe that Saint Francis was the first person to exhibit stigmata, which are what? Discuss

Congenital Heart Defects

A congenital heart defect (CHD) is a flaw in the structure of the heart and great vessels of a newborn. Most CHDs either obstruct blood flow to the heart or nearby vessels or cause blood to flow through the heart in an abnormal pattern. Though such defects occur in less than 1% of the population, they are the leading cause of birth defect-related deaths. There are 8 defects that comprise the bulk of all CHDs, with ventricular septal defects presenting most commonly. What is the septum? Discuss

Ultima Online Released by Origin Systems (1997)

Ultima Online (UO) is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMPORG) credited with popularizing the genre. Though there were games prior to UO that allowed hundreds of people to play at the same time, this MMPORG introduced simultaneous play by thousands of players worldwide through various servers called “shards.” More than 1 million paid accounts have been created since the game launched in 1997. In July 2003, at the peak of its popularity, UO had how many subscribers? Discuss

Thomas Hunt Morgan (1866)

Morgan was an American zoologist noted for his ingenious demonstration of the physical basis of heredity and the importance of the gene. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1933. Initially skeptical of Gregor Mendel’s research and Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection, Morgan performed rigorous experiments demonstrating that genes were discrete chromosomal units of heredity. Much of his research was done by observing Drosophila melanogaster, which is what? Discuss

The Mediterranean Sea

At 965,000 sq mi (2,499,350 sq km), the Mediterranean Sea is the world’s largest inland sea. It is surrounded by Europe, Asia, and Africa, and is linked to the Atlantic Ocean via the Strait of Gibraltar. Known as the “cradle of civilization,” it was a superhighway of transport in ancient times, allowing for trade and cultural exchange between communities in the area. The regions surrounding the sea have typically warm, dry, sunny climates. How many states have a coastline on the Mediterranean? Discuss

Secret Executive Order Allegedly Establishes Majestic 12 (1947)

Majestic 12 is the purported code name of a secret committee of scientists, military leaders, and government officials supposedly formed in 1947 by an executive order of US President Harry S. Truman. A major part of alien conspiracy theories, the committee was purportedly formed to investigate the aftermath of the Roswell incident—the alleged crash of an unidentified flying object near Roswell, New Mexico. What documents have lent credence to the existence of such a committee? Discuss