A weekly newsletter for all your intellectual, spiritual, and physical needs
Hello all! Welcome to Volume 145 of Dovi’s Digest.
Fake news is rife these days, whether it’s to do with politics, war, or healthcare (remember Ivermectin?). it used to be easy to spot, but it’s become much more subtle, much more insidious. It can take time to unravel the convoluted lies and deception. We all have an internal barometer when something is fishy, but like everything, in some peoples it’s more evolved than others. These days with the world at our fingertips we can upskill ourselves as it were. There are many tools at our disposal. Mental models are useful, as is only using respected news sites (although they are far from infallible).
But one of the most useful skills we can hone is that of critical thinking, and it can very much be taught. In this week’s headline article Carl Sagan, one of the 20thcentury’s great thinkers and astronomers, imparts some wisdom to fortify our minds and keep those scepticism filters running at full speed. I took a lot from it, and I hope you do too.
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In many movies and TV shows, characters are portrayed with tattoos (think Jason Momoa in Aquaman). They’re obviously not permanent, so how do the studios do it? And how do the tattoos get designed in the first place? This week’s added extra has the answers.
Do you enjoy the Digest? Would you like it to get better? Then please consider sharing it, as the more articles I’m sent, the better it is. It only takes a few seconds, and all you need to do is click here 👇. Thank you!
There were FOUR correct answer to last week’s brainteaser. Well done to Yisroel Greenberg, Josh Hazan, Chaim Ehrlich, and Ryan Subotzky! The answer and this week’s puzzle are below.
Keep those articles (and everything else) coming.
Have a great week,
Dovi
And now, the articles:
The Baloney Detection Kit: Carl Sagan’s Rules for Bullsh*t-Busting and Critical Thinking
Necessary cognitive fortification against propaganda, pseudoscience, and general falsehood.
Oldest Nearly Complete Hebrew Bible Heads to Auction
The Codex Sassoon, believed to date from the late ninth or early 10th century, is set to be sold by Sotheby’s for an estimated $30 million to $50 million.
Why Scientists Dug Up the Father of Genetics, Gregor Mendel, and Analysed His DNA
When the man known as "father of genetics" turns 200, how do you celebrate? By digging up his body and sequencing his DNA, of course.
How the Enchanting, Elusive Pink Fairy Armadillo Became One Scientist’s Obsession
A conservation biologist in Argentina once hosted one of the animals in her living room, but finding them in the wild has proven far more difficult.
The Upsides of Feeling Small
Feeling insignificant can be good for you. Richard Fisher explores the benefits of embracing vastness.
How a Shipping Error 100 Years Ago Launched the $30 Billion Chicken Industry
The accidental origins of the chicken on your plate, explained.
Our Business Is Killing
I never understood why veterinarians are at such a high risk of suicide. Until I became one.
Quote of the Week:
“It’s not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it.” – Seneca
Facts of the Week:
Only 0.05% of the Earth's mass is water.
Glaciers can move faster than a speeding train.
Gravity travels at the speed of light.
Super Mario’s jumps and falls suggest he lives on a planet with eight times more gravity than Earth.
Jupiter is so close to its moon Io that it causes the ground there to bulge and contract by hundreds of feet every day.
Jupiter is known to have at least 92 moons (as of February 2023).
Pluto's equator is covered in blades of ice made of methane.
Not all humans have methane in their farts.
Cartoon of the Week:
Tweet of the Week:
Headline of the Week:
Brainteaser of the Week:
Today’s riddle is a serious toughie. It’s inspired by Only Connect, a scintillating but wicked UK game show. I’ll give you four items and you have to find the link that connects them all.
For example, if I wrote: Orange, October, Velvet, and Glorious, you’d correctly answer that they were all revolutions.
Got it? Here we go…
1. Pretzels, double-entry bookkeeping, kung fu, genetics
2. Baltimore & Potomac Station, The Temple of Music, Ford’s Theatre, Dealey Plaza
3. Socrates, Snow White, Emma Bovary, Erwin Rommel
4. Bowl, cistern, brook, beagle
Last Week’s Brainteaser and Answer:
What number corresponds to 1 9 8 5?
0 0 0 0 – 4
1 7 5 2 – 0
1 8 7 9 – 3
2 0 6 1 – 2
3 1 4 1 – 0
4 0 9 6 – 3
7 7 7 7 – 0
9 9 7 3 – 2
1 9 8 5 – ???
Answer:
3.
The numbers on the right display the number of “holes” in the digits on the left. So 0 0 0 0 has 4 holes, 1 7 5 2 has no holes, etc. 1 9 8 5 has three holes: two in the eight and one in the nine.