Category: Article of the Day

Burden is a performance artist who emerged as part of the American art scene in the 1970s, performing controversial, dangerous pieces in which he used his own body as the art medium. During a 1971 performance piece titled Shoot, he was shot in his left arm by an assistant standing a short distance away. He was labeled insane following the performance, but it has since become one of his most well-known pieces from the period. Why did he resign from the University of California in 2005? Discuss

The pituitary, thyroid, and adrenal glands are all part of the endocrine system, a bodily system that is instrumental in regulating metabolism, tissue function, and growth and development. The endocrine system is an integrated network of small glands located throughout the body that release extracellular signaling molecules known as hormones. Hormones travel in the blood to distant targets, where they cause specific physiological responses. What diseases result from endocrine system problems? Discuss

The Trojan Room coffee pot, a coffee pot located in the so-called “Trojan Room” of Cambridge University’s computer laboratory, inspired the development of world’s first webcam in 1991. A camera aimed at the pot allowed people throughout the building—and eventually Internet users worldwide—to see a live image of the coffee pot on their computers and judge whether a trip to the coffee room would be worthwhile at any given moment. What happened to the pot after the webcam was switched off in 2001? Discuss

Transient lunar phenomena are short-lived lights, colors, or other changes in the appearance of the moon’s surface. Reports of such events have been recorded for at least 1,000 years and range from foggy patches to major changes in the lunar landscape. Though some have been observed independently by multiple witnesses or reputable scientists, the vast majority of accounts have come from a single observer or from a single location. What explanations have been given for the phenomena? Discuss

Bloodletting is one of the oldest medical techniques, practiced from antiquity through the 18th century. It involves the withdrawal of considerable quantities of blood from a patient, and practitioners believe it can cure or prevent a number of illnesses and diseases. Numerous bloodletting methods have been employed over the centuries, including drawing blood directly from large veins, puncturing arteries, and even using leeches. A form of bloodletting is still used today to treat what diseases? Discuss

An essential part of almost all cellular processes, enzymes are biological catalysts, proteins that can accelerate the rates of chemical reactions by several orders of magnitude. Enzymes serve a wide variety of functions inside living organisms, especially in the digestive systems of animals, where they help break down large molecules like starches and proteins. Like a key for a lock, each enzyme is specific to one molecule. What household products use enzymes to speed up biochemical reactions? Discuss

The term “Orientalism,” when used to refer to Westerners’ study of Eastern cultures and peoples, has negative connotations, implying old-fashioned, prejudiced, outsider interpretations of the East. However, the term also refers to the imitation or depiction of aspects of Eastern cultures in the West by writers, designers, artists, and architects. Examples include Western attempts—from the Renaissance to the 18th century—to imitate the technical sophistication of what Chinese art form? Discuss

Initially a journalist, Philby became a high-ranking member of British intelligence and is believed to have provided the USSR with classified information that caused the deaths of scores of American and British agents. Always in danger of having his cover blown by Soviet defectors, Philby himself defected to the USSR in 1963, after he was exposed as a member of the Cambridge Five spy ring. Philby died in Moscow in 1988. What killed him? Discuss

Acheulean tools are the stone hand axes, cleavers, and other core tools created by prehistoric hominins across Africa, Asia, and Europe during the Lower Paleolithic Period. These tools date from around 1.5 million to 150,000 years ago, and some believe their development represents the genesis of human art, economy, and social organization. Curiously, some sites contain hundreds of hand-axes that are impractically large and apparently unused. What are some theories about their function? Discuss

Instead of asking who voters plan to support in a future election, as is done in opinion polling, pollsters involved in exit polling ask people who they actually voted for as they leave polling stations. Exit polls are usually conducted by firms providing media outlets with an early indication of an election’s outcome, though they have also been used to deter election fraud. Critics, however, maintain that the results of these surveys can be distorted. How might exit polls influence an election? Discuss