inthenoosphere:

A graphical representation of the Arecibo message – Humanity’s first attempt to use radio waves to actively communicate its existence to alien civilizations

Fascinating.

Case No. 218

How’s this for the good life? You’re rich, and you made the dough yourself. You’re well into your 80s, and have spent hardly a day in the hospital. Your wife had a cancer scare, but she’s recovered and by your side, just as she’s been for more than 60 years. Asked to rate the marriage on a scale of 1 to 9, where 1 is perfectly miserable and 9 is perfectly happy, you circle the highest number. You’ve got two good kids, grandkids too. A survey asks you: “If you had your life to live over again, what problem, if any, would you have sought help for and to whom would you have gone?” “Probably I am fooling myself,” you write, “but I don’t think I would want to change anything.” If only we could take what you’ve done, reduce it to a set of rules, and apply it systematically.

Right?

Case No. 47

You literally fell down drunk and died. Not quite what the study had in mind.

Last fall, I spent about a month in the file room of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, hoping to learn the secrets of the good life. The project is one of the longest-running—and probably the most exhaustive—longitudinal studies of mental and physical well-being in history. Begun in 1937 as a study of healthy, well-adjusted Harvard sophomores (all male), it has followed its subjects for more than 70 years.

Read more

(Source: progressivefriends, via ayse)

marcosesparza:

This is what it’s all about…make a difference in this world, support non-profits that impact lives for good. Volunteer your time, make financial donations, or begin your own non-profit and fight for a cause you believe in. Bottom line, there’s no greater reward in life than giving back and helping others. 

Charity Water is a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. 100% of public donations directly fund water projects.

(Source: marcosesparza)

(via almaswithinalmas)

nevver:

Shark Week

This image shows the biomass of popularly-eaten fish in the North Atlantic Ocean in 1900 and in 2000. Popularly eaten fish include: bluefin tuna, cod, haddock, hake, halibut, herring, mackerel, pollock, salmon, sea trout, striped bass, sturgeon, turbot. Many of which are now vulnerable or endangered. (via Information is Beautiful: Plenty More Fish In The Sea? | News | guardian.co.uk)

(via robot-heart-politics)

azspot:

7 Billion, National Geographic Magazine

facesoftheearth:

United States

Genie is the pseudonym for a feral child who spent nearly all of the first thirteen years of her life locked inside a bedroom strapped to a potty chair. She was a victim of one of the most severe cases of social isolation in American history. Genie was discovered by Los Angeles authorities on November 4, 1970.

Read more here.

This is so utterly awful. We humans can exhibit boundless cruelty sometimes. We placate ourselves by thinking that what was done to this child is only done by nut jobs and psychopaths, that that would never be us, but the fact is that all of us, even the best of us, are just mere stops away from descending to the depths.

This is so terrible. It really bummed me out.

azspot:

The Singularity is Near

thedailywhat:

Christmas Miracle of the Day: From The New York Times comes the heartwarming tale of a charming couple from Chelsea who mistakenly received hundreds of letters addressed to Santa and decided to try and fulfill them.

[h/t: inothernews.]

(Source: thedailywhat, via anjum)

Word of my life. Period.

(Source: withveritaserum, via fatimasfilosofee-deactivated201)

unknownskywalker:

Why don’t people understand the urgency of colonizing other planets?

The human race could be wiped off the Earth’s surface at any moment — so why don’t people understand the urgency of colonizing space? In this excerpt from his book Reopening the Space Frontier, Professor John Hickman explains our foot-dragging.

Read the full article at io9.com

Climate Change: Coral Reefs On The Edge

One of the world’s top marine biologists presents scientific evidence that C02 emissions will lead to the extinction of the world’s coral reefs- impacting hundreds of millions of people and 25% of all marine species- unless dramatic international action is taken soon by global political leaders.

Hat Tip: One Climate