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Earthquake lightsplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigEarthquake lights

'Earthquake Lights' [ EQL ] are airborne luminosities associated with seismic activity - reports of them go back more than 2000 years.

"With the beginning of seismology as a science in the 19th century, many scholars devoted time to reporting luminosities associated with earthquake activity. To name a few, the Irish engineer Robert Mallet, the “founder of seismology”, published a five part catalog entitled “On the Facts of Earthquake Phenomena” (Mallet, 1851, 1852, 1853, 185…

Water - its originplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigWater - its origin

One obvious difference between Earth and other planets in the Solar System is that it's 70% covered in liquid water. There are at least five major (and very different) theories proposing the origins of such a large volume of water (estimated at around 1.3 billion cubic kilometres).

Roanoake colony enigmaplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigRoanoake colony enigma

In 1587, Walter Raleigh, acting on behalf of the British monarch Queen Elizabeth I, made attempts at re-establishing a permanent colony at Roanoake island (now in modern-day North Carolina and part of the Outer Banks Islands) There had been a previous attempt in 1585 which failed due to food shortages and lack of other supplies etc.

Radiotrophic Fungiplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigRadiotrophic Fungi

Radiotrophic fungi were first discovered in 2000 as black moulds growing inside and around the damaged Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine. Subsequent research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine showed that three melanin-containing fungi,

Brodmann area 10plugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigBrodmann area 10

Brodmann area 10 (a.k.a. BA10, frontopolar prefrontal cortex, rostrolateral prefrontal cortex, or anterior prefrontal cortex) is a frontal lobe area in the human brain which has been found to be generally associated with working memory and multiple-task coordination. The area has also been implicated in 'decision making'.

Neuronal noiseplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigNeuronal noise

The laws of physics and mathematics dictate that all electronic systems are subject to background 'noise' in their transmission and reception. It's been found that biological systems which involve electrical and chemical signals between neurons are also inherently quite 'noisy'.

Sighingplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigSighing

A sigh is defined as a kind of paralinguistic respiration in the form of a deep, audible, single exhalation of air out of the mouth or nose.

Sighing may have purely physiological triggers (see: Respiratory variability preceding and following sighs: A resetter hypothesis [ paywalled ] in: Biological Psychology, Volume 84, Issue 1, Pages 82-87), or may arise from negative emotion, i.e. from feelings such as dismay, dissatisfaction, boredom, or futility.

CISS theoryplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigCISS theory

The Chirality-Induced Spin Selectivity ( CISS ) effect was first discovered over two decades ago in the field of optical polarization. (ref.)

It was found that a fundamental quantum property of electrons - known as 'spin' - is strongly influenced by the 'chirality' i.e. 'handedness' of molecules.

Tail wagging in domestic dogsplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigTail wagging in domestic dogs

"Tail wagging is a conspicuous behaviour in domestic dogs (Canis familiaris). Despite how much meaning humans attribute to this display, its quantitative description and evolutionary history are rarely studied.

Source :

Colonialityplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigColoniality

"The evolution of group living remains an outstanding question in evolutionary ecology. Among the most striking forms of group living are the enormous assemblages of breeders that occur in many colonial marine birds and mammals, with some colonies containing more than a million individuals breeding in close contact.

Neanderthal extinctionplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigNeanderthal extinction

In August 2014 an international research team reported (in Nature 512, pages 306–309 [ paywalled ] ) on a new analysis of 40 sites in Western Europe - concluding that Neanderthals died out about 40,000 years ago.

There are numerous theories which attempt an explanation of their extinction - including :

Tully Monsterplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigTully Monster

"Tullimonstrum, colloquially known as the Tully Monster, is an extinct genus of soft-bodied bilaterian that lived in shallow tropical coastal waters of muddy estuaries during the Pennsylvanian geological period, about 300 million years ago."

Self-Organized Criticalityplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigSelf-Organized Criticality

The term Self-Organized Criticality (SOC) was introduced in a 1987 paper for Physical Review Letters. The groundbreaking research by Per Bak, Chao Tang and Kurt Wiesenfeld (now known as 'BTW') described how complex systems can feature 'critical' points in their development which can lead to sudden, dramatic changes (phase transitions).

Allergiesplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigAllergies

The word 'allergy' was coined in 1906, and is used to describe people's immune system hypersensitivity to seemingly harmless substances in their environment.

Allergic reactions can be light - e.g. a mild skin rash - or life-threatening if it leads to

Crampplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigCramp

"A muscle cramp is a sudden, severe, and involuntary muscle contraction or over-shortening. It can cause mild-to-severe pain, and a paralysis-like immobility. Usually, it resolves on its own over several seconds, minutes, or in the worst scenario after several hours. In the healthy adult population, the incidence of muscle cramping is 50–60%.

Macular degenerationplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigMacular degeneration

Macular degeneration, also known as age-related macular degeneration (AMD or ARMD), is a medical condition which results in blurred (or absent) vision in the centre of the visual field. It can affect one or both eyes.

It's characterised by a general degeneration of the eye's central photo-receptors (retina) and surrounding tissues. Some types develop over a number of years, others in a matter of weeks.

Cold water swimmingplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigCold water swimming

Cold water swimming is currently considered as a treatment for Major Depressive Disorder. Several studies have examined the possible benefits, but results are not clear, partly because of the problems in excluding placebo effects, and social / lifestyle changes.

The 'Brain in a vat' problemplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigThe 'Brain in a vat' problem

unfalsifiable

Philosophers have been puzzling over the 'Brain in a Vat' problem for several decades. The 'problem' comes down to arguments over whether it's possible (or not) to philosophically 'prove' that one (i.e. the observer) is not simply an isolated brain that is, in effect, imagining the entire world around it.

Mars - methaneplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigMars - methane

In 2004, three different research groups independently announced the discovery of significant concentrations of methane in the atmosphere of Mars. But the predicted lifetime of methane in the Martian atmosphere has been calculated at just 200 days (Source :

Major Depressive Disorderplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigMajor Depressive Disorder

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), also known simply as 'depression', is a mental disorder characterized by at least two weeks of pervasive low mood.

Current estimates are that severe depression affects around 2% of the global population at any given time, currently more than 150 million. The majority of cases don't appear to have an obvious personal and/or societal cause.

The 'drunken monkey' hypothesisplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigThe 'drunken monkey' hypothesis

Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is one of the most common addictive substance abuses. It's estimated that in the US alone, there more than 3 million early deaths each year as a result.( ref.)

Leading to the question - why do humans have such a preference for alcohol?

'Filling in' (visual phenomenon)plugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_big'Filling in' (visual phenomenon)

It's been known for centuries that human eyes (and all other vertebrate eyes) have a so-called Blind Spot. The spot is located where the optic nerve connects to the retina* - there are no light-perception cells in this area. Around 5° (a bit less than 1%) of the visual field of each eye is profoundly blind.

Heat and Human Aggressionplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigHeat and Human Aggression

It's often suggested that increased ambient temperatures tend to increase aggressive behavior in humans. There is, however, no generally agreed explanation for the phenomenon.

See: ‘Ambient Temperature and Horn Honking : A Field Study of the Heat/Aggression Relationship’ [ paywalled ] in: Environment and Behavior

The 'Moon Illusion'plugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigThe 'Moon Illusion'

"The Moon illusion is an optical illusion which causes the Moon to appear larger near the horizon than it does higher up in the sky. It has been known since ancient times and recorded by various cultures. The explanation of this illusion is still debated.

The Return Trip Effect (RTE)plugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigThe Return Trip Effect (RTE)

Many will have experienced the Return Trip Effect (RTE), whereby the outgoing journey to a destination (any mode of transport) very often 'seems' considerably longer than the return over exactly the same route.

As well as being widely-experienced, the effect is readily reproduced in lab-based experiments - and has been quite extensively investigated.

This list might not be complete due to ACL restrictions and hidden pages.