Surprising Science — July 7, 2010

The Long Life of Radiation

Twenty-four years after the nuclear accident at Chernobyl, Scottish sheep are finally free of radioactive material brought on by heavy rain following the meltdown.

bigthinkeditor

Twenty-four years after the nuclear accident at Chernobyl, Scottish sheep are finally free of radioactive material brought on by heavy rain following the meltdown. “It happened 24 years ago and more than 1,300 miles away from the UK. But, for the sheep farmers of Scotland, the effects from the fallout from Chernobyl have only just ended,” reports The Independent. “Some Scottish farmers have been unable to slaughter, sell or even move their livestock without stringent testing and government pre-approval for the past 24 years.”

a computer generated image of a human brain.

Thinking

The great free will debate featuring Michio Kaku and Steven Pinker

Who — or what — really controls your mind?

Building destroyed by the Halifax Explosion. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

The Past

The largest accidental explosion of all time

More than a century ago, Halifax suffered an accidental blast one-fifth the size of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

a collage of photos of a man with a hat and a book.

High Culture

6 great books with wildly unreliable narrators

Dive into the twisted truths and concealed realities told by literature’s most unreliable narrators.

a group of five matches on a pink background.

The Well

Signs you’re burned out — and how to bounce back

If you don’t feel better after the weekend, the “burnout paradox” could explain why.

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7 min

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with

Laurie Santos

Starts With A Bang

The trick to instantly identifying JWST images

If you can identify a foreground star, the spike patterns are a dead giveaway as to whether it’s a JWST image or any other observatory.

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Horses: Man’s Second Best Friend

After dogs, horses may be man’s best friend, new research suggests. Based on their ability to understand subtle eye and body movements, horses can grasp human dispositions relatively well.