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Uncommon Knowledge

Uncommon Knowledge: Can You Trust Your Gut?

July 1, 2015

http://flowslowly.com/product/molecular-gastronomy-kit-cuisine?utm_medium=social+networks&utm_source=twitter
Considering the fact that it’s connected to your brain by a nerve that handles all things “anxious feelings,” yeah. The vagus nerve, also known as the “wandering nerve,” has multiple branches that go from the brain’s cerebellum, lightly touches your heart, then finds it final destination at the lowest part of your abdomen—those gut feelings you get about a bad date or that questionable job offer. The vagus nerve is constantly sending updated sensory information about the body’s organs to your brain, meaning gut instincts are literally emotional intuitions that are transferred up to your brain—jury’s still out on what happens when you have a bad feeling about something AND indigestion. That might call for a sick day.

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The Uncommon Life, Uncommon Knowledge

Uncommon Knowledge: Why Are Yawns Contagious?

June 29, 2015

“Don’t do it,” you warn your drowsy coworker. They yawn and it’s all over. Yawning has many triggers, such as boredom, sleepiness, and even temperature. Studies also show that we will sometimes yawn to draw in brain-soothing ambient air through the nose and mouth. All that aside, yawns are pretty universally contagious. Yawning feels pretty great, so why not join in? Some studies have even shown contagious yawning after just being shown a photo of someone yawning. But why? Scientists are stumped, which can only lead to some fun speculation. It’s currently believed that they are indeed an evolutionary trait whose original purpose has faded out, but because there’s no negative affect, there’s no pressure to get rid of it. Let the theories fly on what evolutionary advantage they once held…

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Uncommon Knowledge

Uncommon Knowledge: Are Polar Bears Sneaky?

June 22, 2015

Sagacious

Totally. Polar bears would make great spies or robbers, in case you’re looking for a large bear to assist you in a jewel heist. We already know that a polar bear’s fur helps it blend in to its environment. But did you know that this camouflage also hides them from infrared technology? In the mid-1990s, scientists were trying to track the bears, but had some trouble seeing them with the naked eye due to the white on white combo. To solve this, scientists set up infrared cameras. Think again, scientists! Cameras were able to pick up heat from the bears’ eyes, nose, and breath, but their enormous bodies were all but invisible. Turns out the bears’ large deposits of blubber keep their bodies from radiating heat, making the infrared signature of polar bear fur almost identical to that of the snow. Now who’s up for a game of super cold hide and seek?

Sagacious | $65.00 – 120.00

Uncommon Knowledge

Uncommon Knowledge: Does tickling have to tickle?

June 16, 2015

Shower Squids
Behold, super ticklish people of the world! There is hope! When the nerve endings in your skin are stimulated by a light, ticklish touch, they send a signal to the brain, stimulating the somatosensory cortex, the area that analyzes touch, and the anterior cingulated cortex, the area that creates pleasurable feelings. Most adults find tickling downright unpleasant, but the laughter is said to be a reaction to the activation of the hypothalamus during tickling, the part of the brain that regulates fight or flight responses. This means that we could be laughing as a way to show submission to our tickle attacker and thus hopefully reduce the duration of the tickle. You can’t tickle yourself because the brain anticipates it—and there, ticklish ones, is the source of your salvation. To become less ticklish, simply place your hand on top of the tickler’s. You trick your brain into thinking it’s you and the tickle no longer has power over you. Rejoice! The ticklee becomes the tickler…

Shower Squids | $36.00

Uncommon Knowledge

Uncommon Knowledge: What caused the first speeding ticket?

June 15, 2015

Personalized Family Ride MinivanIf you guessed a whopping twelve miles per hour, you were right. In 1899, cab driver Jacob German was driving his car through the streets of New York City, just minding his own business. Though horse-powered cabs were still more prevalent but at the time, there were roughly 60 Electric Vehicles worked as cabs throughout the city. A bicycle cop saw Jacob’s cab speeding down Lexington Avenue at breakneck speed (12mph, if you recall), easily pulled him over with his bike, and delivered a stern reprimand for ignoring the posted 8mph speed limit on straightaways and 4mph around curves. For this, Jacob German was thrown in jail for an indeterminate amount of time. This was the first speeding punishment on record; the first written citation came five years later in Ohio. Harry Myers of Dayton received a ticket for his own blistering speed…also 12 miles per hour.

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Uncommon Knowledge

Uncommon Knowledge: Is there seawater in that taffy?

June 9, 2015

Salt Water Taffy | UncommonGoods

Nope, sorry. It has been widely agreed upon that Saltwater Taffy’s origins come from the mind of a business-savvy candy maker, though the specifics remain a little murky. However, there is a Jersey Shore legend that seems pretty convincing:

In 1883, a massive storm hit Atlantic City, clearing the boardwalk of many businesses. Most remaining storefronts were flooded, including a candy shop owned by David Bradley. When a girl came by the shop to buy some taffy after the storm, Bradley looked around the watery store and joked, “All I have is salt water taffy.” His mother overheard the exchange and suggested that it was a catchy name. It was eventually picked up by other vendors in Atlantic City, and then adopted by other vendors in coastal towns. Talk about a name that sticks! Ba-dum-chhh.

Salt Water Taffy, $6.50

Uncommon Knowledge

Uncommon Knowledge: Should you yell at that crow?

June 7, 2015

Perching Birds Bookends | UncommonGoods

NO! Definitely no! Unsettling studies have shown that crows have the ability to remember the faces of threatening humans. Researchers at the University of Washington’s School of Forest Resources wore a unique mask as they trapped, banded, and released up to 15 birds at five study sites near Seattle. The released birds immediately began to go Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds on the mask wearer, encouraging other birds to join in and eventually forming an angry mob. As if that wasn’t horrifying enough, the researchers later put the masks back on while traveling to a different area. Crows immediately recognized the “dangerous face” and began to Hitchcock it up again, showing that the birds learned of the threat through social means and not a direct experience. So what happens when you’re on a crow’s hit list? The bothered crow will first give out harsh calls, called scolds, in order to tell other crows a mob is in order. Then, the mob of birds takes action, diving from the sky to drive you out of their territory. Think the grudge won’t last too long? Crows can live for up to 20 years, meaning you’ll be the target of retribution for quite some time—and even from some birds you never even met. We’d hate to be a scarecrow right about now.

Perching Birds Bookends, $90

 

Uncommon Knowledge

Uncommon Knowledge: Did the colonies take shape because of beer?

May 31, 2015

Wise Beer Growler | UncommonGoods

Plymouth Rock and Massachusetts’ Cape Cod has beer to thank for its deep roots in history. Back in 1620, the Pilgrims were heading for an area of land right around what is now Virginia to settle and plant crops. This area had been checked out and authorized to colonize. After months of stormy seafaring and a series of inconvenient events, however, the final straw came when the beer supplies were depleted. At the time, clean water was hard to come by, so beer was the go-to solution for hydration. The pilgrims found themselves quite a bit north of their target destination in the middle of November—not exactly New England’s most nurturing time of year—but the lack of clean drinking options made dropping anchor a must. Once landed, passengers were hastened ashore so they could find water, leaving the seamen to drink the remaining brewskis. While the Pilgrims did discover plenty of clean streams, they were wary of the New World’s liquids and not really clamoring for the spring water taste—one passenger wrote that they “dare not prefer it before good beer.” Sounds like someone needs a happy hour.

Wise Beer Growler, $45