2,628 search results
The real reason clowns scare us
Health, Sports & Psychology

The real reason clowns scare us

...world over the past few months. I barely noticed it at first, even though I actually study what people find creepy and unsettling. As well as my recent studies of the uncanny valley (a disturbing region where things can be so close to human that they become frightening) I have been fascinated by ghost stories, horror novels and urban legends since I was young enough for...
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Article 10 mins
Is there life on Europa?
Science, Maths & Technology

Is there life on Europa?

...world offers an enormous diversity of alternatives which mean they can be found in environments on Earth where other organisms could not survive. On Europa, the thick ice layer (4–20 km) prevents any light from reaching the ocean and so, if life is present, it must be sustained by the energy released by chemical reactions such as those described above. Microorganisms...
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Article 5 mins
Irish Women’s Poetry: Sinéad Morrissey
OpenLearn Ireland

Irish Women’s Poetry: Sinéad Morrissey

...world. Poet and critic Gerard Smyth notes how in each of her volumes, Morrissey devises a strategy involved in developing a theme or set of themes in order to sustain a mood and seek out new territory (2014). Sinéad Morrissey frequently explores ideas of voice, history, visual media (photography and early cinema) and politics (with a particular interest in Russia and the...
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Article 5 mins
Welcome to nowhere special
Languages

Welcome to nowhere special

...world and particularly in countries that do not use the Latin script has become bilingual and largely follows the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals. Article 14 stipulates that “The inscription of words on informative signs […] in countries not using the Latin alphabet shall be both in the national language and in the form of a transliteration into the Latin...
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Article 5 mins
How do we learn language?
Education & Development

How do we learn language?

...world over have mastered many of its intricacies by their fifth birthday. By calculating back from the average adolescence’s vocabulary, we estimate a child must be learning about one word every two waking hours from when they begin speaking. Contrast the apparent ease with which children learn language with the effort taken to learn an additional language as an adult...
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Article 5 mins
A head for heights: How athletes keep calm at altitude
Health, Sports & Psychology

A head for heights: How athletes keep calm at altitude

...world cup win in Kitzbuhel last month. Ryding has prided himself on his hard work, discipline and determination and his ability to keep focused on the task in hand, he is able to use this focus to control the pressure he faces and control his emotions. “I just want to be able to stand in the start gate knowing that I'm skiing well, I'm comfortable, and I can race as...
View article A head for heights: How athletes keep calm at altitude
Article 5 mins
The Dates of the Buddha
History & The Arts

The Dates of the Buddha

...world, with about two and a half thousand years of development. It has touched and adorned virtually every single aspect of Asian society: its lore, mythology, morals, art and even metaphysics and religion, despite the fact the Buddha, its founder, does not seem to have had any kind of metaphysical or religious concerns. There are still areas in which there is no...
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Article 5 mins
Turning the pain of racial discrimination into protection for others
Education & Development

Turning the pain of racial discrimination into protection for others

...world view had shifted significantly. I remember feeling that another child should not face the humiliation I had felt, which is why I wanted to share my story publicly, hoping it would empower other children and young people to challenge school hair policies. The BBC article contains a video that was shot in 2018, but not made public until 2020. When I was finally...
View article Turning the pain of racial discrimination into protection for others
Article 15 mins