ART & DESIGN EDITOR'S PICK Who Really Was Mona Lisa? Key Takeaway: The Mona Lisa, a Renaissance icon, has been a subject of debate for over half a millennium. The painting has been traditionally associated with Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Florentine silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo. However, another theory suggests Isabella of Aragon, a princess deeply entwined in the political and cultural fabric of […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
ART & DESIGN EDITOR'S PICK TECHNOLOGY The Science Fiction Feedback Loop Key Takeaway: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman sparked controversy by referencing the 2013 movie “Her” to highlight the novelty of ChatGPT’s latest iteration. Actor Scarlett Johansson accused the company of improperly using her voice after she spurned their offer to make her the voice of ChatGPT’s new virtual assistant. This highlights the “sci-fi feedback loop,” which […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
CULTURE EDITOR'S PICK SOCIOLOGY Why Do We Fall In Love? Key Takeaway: Around 100 AD, Roman lawyer and aristocrat Pliny wrote a letter to his third wife, Calpurnia, expressing his love and longing for her. Passionate romantic love has been happening for thousands of years, with ancient people recognizing its randomness and complexity. Ancient love stories include those of Aristoxenus, Harpalyce, and Iphiclus, as well […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
EDITOR'S PICK PSYCHOLOGY The Complexity Of Narcissism Key Takeaway: New research reveals that narcissism manifests differently in women, but narcissistic women can be as dangerous and violent as their male counterparts. Women with high traits of narcissism tend to be more vulnerable and insecure than their male peers, which can sometimes be missed by clinical professionals. Narcissism is a complex personality trait […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
EDITOR'S PICK SOCIOLOGY TECHNOLOGY Theology Of The Metaverse Key Takeaway: The metaverse, an informational and experiential technology, is transforming religious experiences. It allows users to interact in virtual reality (VR) environments, deepening their sense of belonging and allowing them to listen to others, select texts, empathize with others, and share aspects of well-being. The metaverse has already attracted religious users, with Second Life […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
CULTURE EDITOR'S PICK SCIENCE The Science Of Ancient Egyptian Mythology Key Takeaway: A recent study has found an intriguing link between an Egyptian goddess, Nut, and the Milky Way. The Milky Way, a celestial body, is believed to be linked to Nut, the Egyptian goddess of the sky who swallowed the Sun and gave birth to it. However, attempts to map Nut’s body onto the […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
EDITOR'S PICK SCIENCE The Secrets Of Hibernation Explored Key Takeaway: Hibernation, a deep, deep sleep pattern, has a close link to human history, dating back to the “lotska” in Pskov, Russia, and the Inuit Greenlandic stories in Greenland. It is a complex process that involves reduced calorie intake, low body temperature, and lowered metabolism. Animals that hibernate usually live longer than other species […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
EDITOR'S PICK SCIENCE Does Blindness Change Our Sense Of Sound? Key Takeaway: A recent study published in PNAS found that blind individuals are better at perceiving auditory motion than sighted people. The study involved blind participants who were asked to judge the direction of a sound embedded in bursts of background noise. The results showed that blind participants were able to determine the direction of […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS EDITOR'S PICK ENTREPRENEURSHIP The Paradoxical Life Of Elon Musk Key Takeaway: Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, has a diverse career in space exploration, electric cars, AI, and social media. His biography, written by Walter Isaacson, covers events up to Space X’s unsuccessful Starship rocket launch in April 2023. Isaacson interviews Musk and uncovered newsworthy information, such as his Starlink satellite network’s crucial role […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
CULTURE EDITOR'S PICK These Are The 7 Scariest Books From Literature A truly scary story never really leaves you. It lurks in long evening shadows, calls out through mysterious bumps in the night and blows down your neck whenever you feel a sudden shiver. With Halloween approaching, we asked six of our academic experts to tell us about the scariest book they’ve ever read. From haunted […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
The Upcoming Revolution For Global Internet Access Key Takeaway: High-altitude platform stations (HAPS) are emerging as a new frontier in communications technology, offering a unique blend of accessibility and affordability. Positioned between 4 and 30 miles above Earth, these stations bring telecommunications equipment closer to the surface than satellites, resulting in stronger, higher-capacity signals. Researchers have demonstrated that HAPS could provide high-speed […] Written by Empirics Asia September 6, 2024September 6, 2024 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
The Mystery Of Horse Domestication Key Takeaway: Horse domestication remains a mystery, despite its significant impact on human civilization. The Indo-European or “Kurgan hypothesis” suggests that horse domestication began on the steppes of western Asia, specifically among the Yamnaya people. However, recent advances in technology have revealed that the horses from the Botai culture were not the ancestors of today’s […] Written by Empirics Asia September 5, 2024September 5, 2024 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Quantum Physics Meets A.I. Key Takeaway: Quantum tunnelling, a phenomenon from quantum mechanics, has been applied to artificial intelligence (AI) to create a neural network that mimics human perception of optical illusions. This neural network, trained to recognize optical illusions like the Necker cube and Rubin’s vase, exhibits a state of ambiguity, mirroring human ambiguity in perception. This finding […] Written by Empirics Asia August 30, 2024August 30, 2024 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
The Power Of Small Changes: How Marginal Gains Lead To Extraordinary Success Key Takeaway: The British cycling team’s 2008 Beijing Olympics victory was a result of a simple strategy: the pursuit of marginal gains. The team’s coach, Sir Dave Brailsford, believed that success could be achieved by making a series of 1% improvements across every aspect of the cyclists’ gear, stamina, and physical conditioning. This principle, known […] Written by Empirics Asia August 29, 2024August 29, 2024 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
The Science Of Choosing The Perfect Bottle Of Wine Key Takeaway: Wine is a popular choice for many cultures, but its value is subjective and influenced by personal taste. Wine reviews, such as the 100-point scale, are rated based on quality relative to similar grape varieties and regions. However, the integrity of these reviews is debated, with some arguing that financial arrangements can influence […] Written by Empirics Asia August 28, 2024August 28, 2024 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
The Hidden Power Of Underwater Avalanches Key Takeaway: A study examining an ancient underwater avalanche off the coast of Morocco has challenged our understanding of these powerful events and their potential to disrupt global communications and infrastructure. These avalanches, also known as turbidity currents, are difficult to observe and measure, but their impact is undeniable, particularly on the intricate web of […] Written by Empirics Asia August 27, 2024August 27, 2024 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Reviving State Power: The New Era of Industrial Policy Key Takeaway: State intervention in global economics is gaining momentum, particularly since the 2010s, due to financial crises, geopolitical tensions, and the fragility of global supply chains. The relationship between exports and protectionism is complex, as successful industrial and trade policies often blend export promotion with elements of protectionism. South Korea and Taiwan have used […] Written by Empirics Asia August 26, 2024August 26, 2024 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Rethinking Education Key Takeaways: The Industrial model of education that fueled the modern era and its dizzying reach did its job incredibly well. In his writing, Flynn illustrates study after study, spanning nations and decades, in which modern educational gift of abstraction — a transcendent sign of intelligence, as we saw in Raven’s Matrices — has been […] Written by Anthony Fieldman March 2, 2022October 19, 2022 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
How China Is Transforming Its Economy Through Learning I highly recommend reading the McKinsey Global Institute’s new report, “Reskilling China: Transforming The World’s Largest Workforce Into Lifelong Learners”, which focuses on the country’s biggest employment challenge, re-training its workforce and the adoption of practices such as lifelong learning to address the growing digital transformation of its productive fabric. How to transform the country […] Written by Enrique Dans February 1, 2021February 1, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Why You’re Not Seeing Success With Influencer Marketing With the new year around the corner, now is a good time to re-evaluate your past marketing strategies and gear up for the year ahead. For some businesses, influencer marketing has simply not seemed to live up to its lofty promises of genuine engagement, credibility, and transparency. Some have claimed that it has been failing […] Written by Michael Tan January 14, 2021January 15, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
A New Philosophy of Business I’m about to ask you to take a mental leap. For the next 8 minutes, suspend your notions of what a business is, and I’ll propose a new lens for you to look through. There are a lot of questions asked around what “community” means for business. “Where should community fit in my organization?” and […] Written by Empirics Asia September 5, 2018September 5, 2018 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked