That something that reveals who you truly are.. Cum poţi dezvălui caracterul adevărat al unei persoane? Cercetătorii ne dau răspunsul

EN: That something that reveals who you truly are

If you asked some of your single friends what they're looking for in a potential mate, you'd probably elicit a bunch of bashful smiles and receive scores of different answers. You might hear, for example, "tall," "wealthy," "nice," "good-looking," "intelligent," "a similar personality," "compatible likes," "ambitious," or even the occasional (and shameless) "dynamite-in-the-sack," but there's one item that's almost sure to appear near the top of everyone's wish list: "a good sense of humor." This is universal. In almost every culture, people want that special someone to make them laugh.

According to Rutgers evolutionary biologist Robert Lynch, when such a characteristic is so highly sought after, "That tends to be a hallmark of an evolutionary trait." 

Lynch theorized that humor may be pivotal in some way to human reproductive success and mate selection. To delve deeper, he conducted a number of studies. In one, individual subjects were placed in a room where they watched clips of HBO comedian Bill Burr, whose politically-incorrect brand of comedy is quite divisive: people often love it or hate it. While in the room, the individuals' reactions to Burr's jokes were filmed and recorded. After viewing the clips, subjects took an implicit preference test, which requires takers to rapidly categorize two target concepts with an attribute in order to determine inherent biases or attitudes. 

Lynch found that "participants laughed more in response to jokes that matched their implicit preferences." For example, people who associated men and women with stereotypical gender roles laughed much more at Burr's jokes about women.

Genuine laughter arises subconsciously, so it's notoriously hard to fake. This fact, combined with Lynch's findings, suggests that sense of humor is an excellent indicator of a person's true personality. Thus, it would make sense for relationship-seekers to require a compatible sense of humor.

"I can lie about what I like, but when I laugh, I identify my real preferences," Lynch told PBS' Nova. "That would account for why [sense of humor] is so important in mate selection."

Laughter, itself appears to be all about sociality, and more specifically, relationships, says University of Maryland neuroscientist and laughologist Robert Provine. (Note: "Laughologist" is my made-up title for him.) For example, women tend to laugh more at men they deem attractive.

"A woman doesn't think I want this man to like me so I'm going to laugh a lot," Provine told Science Focus. "It just happens." 

As evidence for laughter's social function, it has been gauged to be thirty times less frequent in solitary situations compared to social ones. This, you probably already realize. It's why comedies are far more enjoyable to watch with a group than by yourself. Laughter appears to be an innate signal of group cohesiveness, a way to identify with other individuals.

In summary, sense of humor may very well be a true indicator of character, with laughter as its mechanism. So whether you chuckle or chortle, guffaw or giggle, you'll probably find yourself drawn to individuals who regularly tickle your funny bone.

Thriving since 1960, my garden in a bottle: Seedling sealed in its own ecosystem and watered just once in 53 years.. Infloritoare din 1960, gradina mea intr-o damigeana: Rasadul sigilat si udat doar o singura data in 53 de ani, si-a creat propriul sau ecosistem

EN: Thriving since 1960, my garden in a bottle: Seedling sealed in its own ecosystem and watered just once in 53 years

For the last 40 years it has been completely sealed from the outside world. But the indoor variety of spiderworts (or Tradescantia, to give the plant species its scientific Latin name) within has thrived, filling its globular bottle home with healthy foliage.

Yesterday Mr Latimer, 80, said: ‘It’s 6ft from a window so gets a bit of sunlight. It grows towards the light so it gets turned round every so often so it grows evenly.

‘Otherwise, it’s the definition of low-maintenance. I’ve never pruned it, it just seems to have grown to the limits of the bottle.’ 

The bottle garden has created its own miniature ecosystem. Despite being cut off from the outside world, because it is still absorbing light it can photosynthesise, the process by which plants convert sunlight into the energy they need to grow.

Photosynthesis creates oxygen and also puts more moisture in the air. The moisture builds up inside the bottle and ‘rains’ back down on the plant. 

The leaves it drops rot at the bottom of the bottle, creating the carbon dioxide also needed for photosynthesis and nutrients which it absorbs through its roots.

It was Easter Sunday 1960 when Mr Latimer thought it would be fun to start a bottle garden ‘out of idle curiosity’.

Into a cleaned out ten gallon carboy, or globular bottle, which once contained sulphuric acid, he poured some compost then carefully lowered in a seedling using a piece of wire.

He put in about a quarter of a pint of water. It was not until 1972 that he gave it another ‘drink’.

After that, he greased the bung so it wedged in tightly... and has not watered it since.

The bottle stands on display under the stairs in the hallway of his home in Cranleigh, Surrey, the same spot it has occupied for 27 years after he and his wife Gretchen moved from Lancashire when he retired as an electrical engineer.

RO: Infloritoare din 1960, gradina mea intr-o damigeana: Rasadul sigilat si udat doar o singura data in 53 de ani, si-a creat propriul sau ecosistem 

Rasadul a fost complet inchis fata de lumea exterioara in ultimii 40 de ani. Insa planta telegraf din interior (in latina Tradescantia, asa cum este cunoscuta dupa numele stiintific) a continua sa prospere, umpland casa ei din damigeana rotunda cu frunze sanatoase.

Domnul Latimer de 80 de ani, spunea: "Sunt 6 picioare(aproximativ 1.83 metri) de la fereastra prin care planta poate sa isi procure putin soare. Creste inspre lumina asa ca este intoarsa din cand in cand astfel incat sa creasca in mod egal.

In afara de asta, este definitia efortului minim cu intretinerea. N-am mai tuns planta, se pare ca a crescut doar in limitele sticlei."

Tranzitul lui Venus - un fenomen care se va repeta abia in decembrie 2117

Zilele de 5 şi 6 iunie 2012 sunt extrem de importante pentru astronomii din întreaga lume, ele marcând ultima oară când oamenii aflaţi astăzi în viaţă au şansa să fie martori la un eveniment foarte rar: tranzitul lui Venus, evenimentul în care cel mai luminos astru al nopţii se interpune pentru câteva ore între Pământ şi Soare, de pe Terra văzându-se ca un mic disc negru. Acest moment astronomic urmează să se repete abia în decembrie 2117.

Tranzitul lui Venus, un eveniment important în istoria ştiinţei

Tranzitul lui Venus are loc întotdeauna în evenimente-pereche, cele două tranziţii având loc la 8 ani diferenţă. După fiecare pereche de tranziţii (un ciclu complet), trece mai bine de un secol până la următoarea. Pauzele între perechile de tranziţii sunt fie de 121,5 ani, fie de 105,5 ani, ciclul întreg având o durată de 243 de ani.

Evenimentul astronomic este remarcabil nu doar prin raritatea sa, ci şi prin importanţa pe care a avut-o în istoria ştiinţei: tranzitul lui Venus din 1761 şi cel din 1769 au adus prima colaborare ştiinţifică internaţională, fiind astfel un moment cheie ce a stat la baza ştiinţei moderne.

Artefactele lăsate în urmă de civilizaţia maya în care Venus este "consumat" de către Soare şi despre care experţii au concluzionat că au fost realizate în perioada 1200 - 1350 e.n. i-au făcut pe unii specialişti în astronomie să susţină că mayaşii au fost primii oameni care au observat un tranzit al lui Venus, pe 25 mai 1275.