Mizu, which is also the Japanese word for water, is seen by Japanese speakers as a color completely independent of the color we call blue. The results of a study just published in the Journal of Vision showed that Japanese speakers consider mizu to be a color all its own. . . .
Running Marathons: Health and History
Marathons test runners’ health and endurance. When preparing for a marathon, athletes eat healthy foods, regularly run long distances, and give their bodies adequate rest.
However, a recent study published in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases found that running a marathon can damage a runner’s body. . . .
Exiting Europe
In June 2016, citizens of the United Kingdom had an important decision to make: Should their country remain a member of the European Union (EU), or should it leave the EU behind? The British vote was big news across the EU. Before the vote, the German magazine Der Spiegel featured a British flag on its cover with the plea “Bitte Geht …
Sound Tourism
When people travel, they usually say it is to see new places, and when they return, people are likely to ask them what they saw. Travelers capture what they’ve seen with cameras or smartphones, so they can remember these sights later. Vision has always been a key part of traveling. For example, the English word visitor is based on the ancient Latin root word vis, …
Somalia’s New President
In February, people around the world celebrated the victory of Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo Mohamed, when he was elected president of the East African country of Somalia. Known by the nickname Farmaajo, Mohamed ran on the campaign slogan Dalka Danta Dadka, which means “The Land, The Needs, the People” in the Somali language. Somalis living both in Somalia and as refugees in …
A Banking Pioneer
The end of the American Civil War was a time for celebration. The fighting, the bloodiest in the young nation’s history, was finally over. The country, once fractured, was again one. The Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution outlawed slavery, and became the law of the land in December 1865, eight months after the end of the war. Former African …
A Teen Demands Justice
Let’s go back to 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama. Segregation laws separating whites from African Americans were common. On the city’s public bus system, the rules were clear—African Americans were expected to give up their seats for white passengers if the bus driver asked. Finally, one passenger had had enough. The law was unfair! When a bus driver demanded that this African American …
From Child Prodigy to the Manhattan Project
Like many thirteen-year-olds, J. Ernest Wilkins liked to attend parties with other kids his age. He also liked sports. He was even a whiz at table tennis, winning the State of Illinois boy’s championship in 1938. But Wilkins was also different from many of his friends. He studied difficult mathematics, like calculus and trigonometry. Instead of attending middle school, he was a student at the University …
The Dean of African American Music
American musician William Grant Still could boast of many firsts. In 1935, his Symphony No. 1 was the first symphony by an African American composer to be performed by a major American orchestra. Then in 1936, he conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, making him the first black man to conduct a major American orchestra. William Grant Still was …
Dangerous Driving in Thailand
A recent report says that the Asian country of Thailand is one of the most dangerous places to drive in the world. During the recent New Years holiday, 478 people were killed in accidents from December 29 to January 3, an increase of 26 percent over the same period the year before. In one accident alone, 25 people in an overcrowded van lost their lives …