Friday, March 30, 2012

36,000 feet into the ocean...

A fascinating infograph. Don't miss the gadget on the right that shows you the pressure at any given point. (Also, per the note at the very bottom, I didn't realize that anyone had ever been to the deepest point in the ocean!)

Thursday, March 29, 2012

This is your brain on fiction

Some interesting data about how the human brain process fiction:

What scientists have come to realize in the last few years is that narratives activate many other parts of our brains as well, suggesting why the experience of reading can feel so alive. Words like “lavender,” “cinnamon” and “soap,” for example, elicit a response not only from the language-processing areas of our brains, but also those devoted to dealing with smells.