Lovecraftian horror is a unique type of terror that responds to the rapid scientific progress of our era, using scientific elements to lend eerie plausibility. Rather than recognizable monsters or graphic violence, the terror in Lovecraft's fiction lies in what's not directly portrayed, but left instead to the dark depths of our imagination. Lovecraft's protagonists often stumble onto hints of the existence of the Great Old Ones, beings that exist beyond our conceptions of reality, whose true forms are as inscrutable as their motives. Even indirect glimpses of them are enough to drive them insane. The Cthulhu Mythos, named after Lovecraft's infamous blend of dragon and octopus, is a shared universe adopted by a wide variety of authors, often reimagining them from diverse perspectives that transcend the author's prejudices. Learning about Lovecraftian horror will inspire you to independently explore academic topics through reading, reflection, writing, and self-directed projects.

Understanding the science behind climate change is crucial for high school students. Eunice Foote, a women's rights activist, discovered the greenhouse effect in 1856, but her work was buried for 150 years. Guy Stewart Callendar and Charles Keeling continued their research in the 1930s and 1950s, respectively, and proved that human activity was causing global warming. Keeling's Mauna Loa project is still the world's benchmark site for measuring CO2. By learning about the history of climate science, students can appreciate the importance of perseverance in scientific research and the impact of human activity on the environment. Understanding climate science can also help students make informed decisions about their own carbon footprint and advocate for change in their communities.

Medieval texts, ice core, and tree ring data reveal how volcanic eruptions triggered the Little Ice Age. Researchers from the University of Cambridge and the University of Geneva examined hundreds of annals and chronicles from across Europe and the Middle East, in search of references to total lunar eclipses and their coloration. They found that the darkest lunar eclipses all occurred within a year or so of major volcanic eruptions, leading to cooling and other climate anomalies. Find out how the monks' records of the brightness and colour of the eclipsed moon helped narrow down when the eruptions must have happened.

Luke Howard's classification of clouds in the early 1800s revolutionized meteorology and changed humanity's understanding of the skies. Howard's simple insight based on years of observation was that clouds have few basic forms, and he introduced a series of intermediate and compound types to accommodate their essential instability. Howard's classification had an immediate international impact, and clouds became easier to understand as visible signs of otherwise invisible atmospheric processes. Understanding clouds is important in comprehending weather and climate patterns. Howard's classification also had a significant impact on art, with painters like John Constable painting clouds in the open air. Learning about clouds and meteorology can be intellectually stimulating and practically useful in comprehending weather patterns and climate change.

Are you curious about the possibility of asteroids hitting Earth in the next 1,000 years? Well, according to a new study published in The Astronomical Journal and reported by MIT Technology Review, there's good news - none of them are expected to hit us! The study, led by Oscar Fuentes-Muñoz from the University of Colorado, Boulder, used a new method to model when asteroids are expected to come near Earth in their orbit and pushed those estimates up to 1,000 years into the future. Read on to discover more about the study's findings and what this means for our planet's future.

Space debris tells a story of humanity's evolving relationship with space. With over 100 million objects orbiting Earth, Lisa Ruth Rand, a Caltech professor, studies the impact of space debris on human culture and the environment. Learn how gender politics intersect with space exploration and how space is a global environment that poses unique challenges. Discover the fascinating history of space junk and its potential hazards to spacecraft and satellites.

Maps are a fundamental tool for navigation and education, but did you know that every map humans have ever made is wrong? That's because it's impossible to make a 100% accurate flat map of a spherical planet. Despite this, maps are still widely used today, including the Mercator projection, which distorts the size of land masses and bodies of water. However, maps are not just about navigation - they also shape our perception of the world. Simple changes in map design can completely shift our point of view. Learning about the different types of maps and their limitations can expand your understanding of geography and the world around you. By exploring this topic through reading, reflection, and self-directed projects, you can become an expert in cartography and gain a deeper appreciation for the power of maps.

Are you interested in environmental conservation but find it difficult to navigate the complex language used in the field? Look no further than Sustainability by Bryan Norton. Norton argues that the key to successful conservation lies in effective communication and proposes a new, interdisciplinary approach to defining sustainability. By creating a nonideological vocabulary that can accommodate scientific and evaluative environmental discourse, Norton encourages cooperation and adaptation through social learning. If you're looking for a practical framework that emphasizes problem-solving and interdisciplinary collaboration, Sustainability is the book for you. Recommended for environmental science students, policymakers, and anyone interested in sustainability and conservation, Sustainability by Bryan Norton offers a unique perspective on the importance of effective communication in environmental policy. Norton's interdisciplinary approach to defining sustainability provides a practical framework that encourages experimentation and problem-solving. This book is relevant to a range of fields, including philosophy, linguistics, and environmental science, and emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in creating solutions. If you're interested in learning more about how communication can be used to promote environmental conservation, Sustainability is a must-read.

The Inca's discovery of naturally occurring titanium dioxide and silica in a rare mineral deposit revolutionized the history of color, leading to the use of the brilliant white pigment in their ceremonial cups, centuries before its invention in the West. Explore the story of the Giacomo Deposit and the Inca's chromatic revolution.

Have you ever wondered how inventions come about? Sometimes it takes the willingness to question long-accepted ideas, like the belief that a vacuum couldn't exist. Aristotle and other ancient philosophers thought that a true vacuum, a space devoid of matter, couldn't exist because the surrounding matter would immediately fill it. But in the early 17th century, Gasparo Berti conducted a simple but brilliant experiment to demonstrate that a vacuum was possible. This led to Evangelista Torricelli's invention of the barometer, a key tool for measuring air pressure and predicting extreme weather events. Torricelli's willingness to think outside the box and question long-accepted dogmas about vacuums and the weight of air led to his invention, which remained one of the most common ways to measure atmospheric pressure until 2007. Learning about the history of scientific discoveries can inspire us to question long-accepted ideas and come up with our own innovative solutions.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a perfect memory? In the short story "Funes, the Memorious," Jorge Luis Borges explores just that. His character, Ireneo Funes, remembers everything he has ever seen in perfect detail, rendering him unable to think beyond the overwhelming details. Borges was a master of exploring infinity, and his literary style of "lo real maravilloso," known in English as Magical Realism, is evident in his body of essays, poems, and stories. He was an avid reader, and his image of paradise was an infinite library, an idea he brought to life in "The Library of Babel." Borges' work also explores the idea of condensing all of time into a single moment, as seen in "The God's Script." Reading Borges can give you a glimpse of infinity and inspire you to explore the depths of your own imagination.

Waste management is an essential aspect of public health, and it has a long and fascinating history. From ancient Roman public latrines to modern wastewater treatment plants, the evolution of toilets and sewage systems has been pivotal in preventing the spread of dangerous microorganisms that cause cholera, dysentery, and typhoid. Learning about the history of waste management is not only intellectually stimulating but also practically important for understanding the importance of proper sanitation. While modern toilets have a wide range of features, billions of people around the world still lack access to proper sanitation facilities, putting them at risk of disease. By studying the history of waste management and developing new sanitation technologies, we can address the behavioral, financial, and political issues that produce inequity throughout the sanitation pipeline and improve public health for all.

Words have the power to tell stories, and even a single word can reveal a lot about our history and culture. By studying the origins and evolution of a word, we can learn about ourselves and the world around us. The oldest words in present-day English come from Old English, which was first spoken over 1500 years ago. The word "true" is an example of a word with a rich history that can be traced back to the concept of faithfulness and trust, which was associated with trees in ancient times. Trees have been revered in many cultures throughout history, and planting a tree is an act of faith and commitment. Just as trees witness our histories, the stories of words capture the rains and sunshine of generations. By exploring the stories of words, we can gain a deeper understanding of our past and present.

As high school students, we often think of ourselves as separate from the Earth, but are we really? We are all made of the same molecules as everything else on our planet and are part of an interconnected ecosystem that keeps us all alive. Throughout human history, many cultures have viewed their relationship to the Earth in other ways, such as animism and Taoism, and placed the spirit of the Earth at the center of their worldview. However, under colonization, the Earth became a place to be conquered, dominated, farmed, fished, plundered and mined, on a vast scale. Today, we are still trying to bend the planet's environment, processes, and biodiversity to our will, but can anything fundamentally change while we still see ourselves as somehow separate from Earth? By understanding that there is no Earth and us, but that we are one, we can find ways to truly reconnect to all life on the planet and make a positive impact on our environment. Learning about these concepts can not only benefit us intellectually but also practically in helping us to become better stewards of our planet.

Are you curious about how weather conditions can impact the success of a song in the music market? A new study by the University of Oxford has found that environmental factors such as weather patterns can play a significant role in shaping listener preferences and choices, potentially impacting a song's success. The study analyzed over 23,000 songs that reached the UK weekly top charts in the last 70 years and found that songs that were energetic, danceable, and evoked positive emotions were positively associated with warm and sunny weather and negatively associated with rainy and cold months. Check out the full article on Phys Org to learn more!

The future is unpredictable and exciting, and everyone from world leaders to industry experts wants to know what's in store. Futurists use trend analysis to make predictions, but there are always surprises that no one could have foreseen. Science fiction has been a useful tool for imagining the unimaginable and thinking outside of the box. The best science fiction invites us to consider the consequences of radical shifts in familiar institutions, and can even fulfill the words of philosopher Michel Foucault by making windows where there were once walls. By reading science fiction, we can prepare for a future that will be as magical to us as our present would be to someone from the 19th century. Science fiction can inspire us to work towards making the possibilities it presents a reality.

Did you know that crossing your fingers for good luck has been a practice for centuries? The ancient Pagan custom believed that crossing fingers with someone would keep their wishes safe until they came true. The idea of capturing good fortune also explains the practice of tying string around a finger. Crossing fingers also has roots within Christianity, where early Christians would cross their fingers to invoke the power of Christ's crucifixion. Even today, we cross our fingers behind our back when making a promise we don't intend to keep. But did you know that crossing fingers can also reduce painful sensations? A recent study found that crossing fingers confuses the way our brains process pain signals. Learning about the origins and beliefs behind this common practice can expand your cultural knowledge and understanding of different beliefs and practices.

Lightning is a fascinating natural phenomenon that has puzzled scientists for over 260 years. While the basics of lightning formation are known, scientists still don't fully understand how it forms. Lightning is like a zap of static electricity but on a much larger scale. It occurs when positive and negative charges build up in storm clouds, and a spark jumps between these areas. Learning about the science behind lightning formation can be intellectually stimulating and practically useful, as it can help us understand and prepare for thunderstorms. While there are still many unanswered questions, exploring this topic through reading and self-directed projects can be an exciting endeavor for high school students curious about the world around them.

When natural disasters strike, it's not just the physical infrastructure that's affected, but also the social fabric of communities. How well a community responds to a disaster is largely dependent on their level of social cohesion and preparedness. In this write-up, we will explore the role of these two crucial factors in the face of natural disasters. Social Cohesion refers to the relationships, networks, and norms that hold a community together. A community with high social cohesion is better able to respond to disasters as they have established trust, cooperation, and a sense of shared responsibility among its members. On the other hand, a community with low social cohesion is likely to struggle in the aftermath of a disaster, as individuals may be more focused on their own self-interest rather than the common good. Social Preparedness, on the other hand, refers to a community's readiness to respond to a disaster. This includes having emergency plans in place, access to resources and support systems, and the ability to effectively communicate and coordinate during a disaster. Research shows that communities with high levels of social preparedness are better able to recover from disasters and experience fewer negative impacts. One example of a community with high social cohesion and preparedness is the city of Kobe, Japan. In 1995, Kobe was hit by a massive earthquake, but due to the city's strong social cohesion and preparedness, they were able to effectively respond and recover from the disaster. Kobe had a well-established disaster response plan, a strong community support system, and effective communication channels, which all contributed to their success. Leading academic researchers in the field, such as sociologist Eric Klinenberg and psychologist Irving Janis, have emphasized the importance of social cohesion and preparedness in disaster response. Klinenberg has shown that social cohesion can play a critical role in determining a community's ability to withstand and recover from disasters. Janis, on the other hand, has explored the role of groupthink in disaster response and how it can hinder effective decision making. In conclusion, the role of social cohesion and preparedness in dealing with natural disasters cannot be overstated. By understanding the importance of these factors and how they interact, we can work together to create more resilient and disaster-ready communities.

The study published in PLOS ONE reveals the discovery of Roman gold coins that were previously thought to be fake for over 150 years. The coins, which are now scientifically proven to be authentic, shed light on the long-lost emperor Sponsian and his reign. The coins were found in an isolated gold mining outpost in Roman Dacia, providing insight into the area's untold story.