https://adapt.one/editorial/link/262/BUCK+%26+Airbnb+Help+Travelers+Avoid+a+Hotel+%E2%80%9CSantastrophe%E2%80%9D/The design and animation team at BUCK continues building on their body of snappy character-driven work for Airbnb with this holiday spot directed with style and a sly wit by Andy Lyon. [Watch]

The mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana) is a tropical evergreen tree with edible fruit native to Maritime Southeast Asia, from the Malay Peninsula to Borneo. It is grown mainly in Southeast Asia, southwest India, and other tropical areas such as Colombia, Puerto Rico and Florida, where the tree has been introduced. The fruit is sweet and tangy, juicy, somewhat fibrous, with fluid-filled vesicles (like the flesh of citrus fruits), with an inedible, deep reddish-purple colored rind (exocarp) when ripe. In each fruit, the fragrant edible white flesh that surrounds each seed is the endocarp, the inner layer of the ovary, and is roughly the same shape and size as a tangerine, about 4 to 6 centimetres (1.5 to 2.5 inches) in diameter. This photograph, which was focus-stacked from 22 individual images, shows two mangosteens, one whole, and the other halved to expose the endocarp.Photograph credit: Ivar LeidusRecently featured: The Book of Fixed StarsAfrican helmeted turtleWinston ChurchillArchiveMore featured pictures

December 3Christiaan Barnard1283 During the First Mongol invasion of Burma, the fort at Ngasaunggyan was overrun after a two-month siege.1927 Putting Pants on Philip, the first official film featuring the British-American comedy duo Laurel and Hardy, was released.1967 Cardiac surgeon Christiaan Barnard (pictured) performed the first successful human heart transplant on Louis Washkansky at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa.1979 Following the result of a two-day referendum, the current Constitution of Iran was adopted.1990 Mary Robinson took office as the first female president of Ireland.Daniel Seghers (b.1590)Octavia Hill (b.1838)Mary Bell (b.1903)Kui Lee (d.1966)More anniversaries: December 2December 3December 4ArchiveBy emailList of days of the yearAbout

Dec 6 | Break down #VFX from your favorite movies and TV shows with #VFXandChill! Together with you, the live audience, the Chill gang uses state-of-the-art 3D software to create cool, funny, or ludicrous creations. You'll laugh, learn, and cry happy tears of VFX joy.VFX Savants Hashi, Seth and Michael Break Down Popular Visual Effects Shots for Artists every Friday at 11am Pacific.

News Inflection: The talks of TED Salon, presented in partnership with Novo NordiskPosted by: Brian Greene, Maria Ladias, Oliver Friedman and Renae Reints December 2, 2024at 10:10 am ESTSally Kohn hosts TED Salon: Inflection, in partnership with Novo Nordisk, at the TED Theater in New York City on November 19, 2024. (Photo: Gilberto Tadday / TED)Weve reached a pivot point in the global conversation about our bodies. In an evening of talks, four speakers delved into how science and innovation are reshaping our understanding of well-being, health and whats possible as we age.The event: TED Salon: Inflection, curated and hosted by Sally Kohn, and presented in partnership with Novo NordiskWhen and where: Tuesday, November 19, 2024, at the TED Theater in New York CitySpeakers: Katherine Saunders, Maija Williams, Adriana Galvn, Gabriella LascanoThe talks in brief:Katherine Saunders speaks at TED Salon: Inflection, in partnership with Novo Nordisk, at the TED Theater in New York City on November 19, 2024. (Photo: Gilberto Tadday / TED)Katherine Saunders, obesity physicianObesity isnt just a lack of willpower, says doctor Katherine Saunders its a complex, chronic disease. Unpacking the science of why its so easy to gain weight (and so hard to lose it), she explains the evolutionary adaptations that have contributed to 42 percent of adults in the US qualifying as obese. She outlines the modern frontier of obesity treatment, including lifestyle interventions and new, powerful medications.Maija Williams speaks at TED Salon: Inflection, in partnership with Novo Nordisk, at the TED Theater in New York City on November 19, 2024. (Photo: Gilberto Tadday / TED)Maija Williams, health equity championIn a powerful personal narrative and slam poem, healthcare executive Maija Williams exposes the stark disparities in the current system, recounting her experience dealing with a dangerous medical emergency. She delivers a passionate call to action all of us to recognize health care as a fundamental right that must be delivered equitably.Adriana Galvn speaks at TED Salon: Inflection, in partnership with Novo Nordisk, at the TED Theater in New York City on November 19, 2024. (Photo: Gilberto Tadday / TED)Adriana Galvn, neuroscientistTeenagers brains are built for growth, adaptability and calculated risk-taking, explains psychology professor and neuroscientist Adriana Galvn. Drawing on 25 years of neuroscience research, she shares three powerful lessons from brain development during adolescence about embracing uncertainty, challenging the status quo and thriving on change to help us all navigate our own lives more boldly.Gabriella Lascano TED Salon: Inflection, in partnership with Novo Nordisk, at the TED Theater in New York City on November 19, 2024. (Photo: Gilberto Tadday / TED)Gabriella Lascano, body positivity pioneerGabriella Lascano rose to prominence as a plus-size influencer, advocating for respect at any size with her natural blend of confidence and self-love. She shares how the death of a friend inspired a candid reassessment of her own health, sparking a viral conversation about balancing body acceptance with the complexities of weight, obesity and self-care.Joshua Roman performs at TED Salon: Inflection, in partnership with Novo Nordisk, at the TED Theater in New York City on November 19, 2024. (Photo: Gilberto Tadday / TED)Showing off his instrumental versatility, cellist Joshua Roman performs a rendition of Julie-O by Mark Summer and his own composition, Immunity.

Your Relationship Expectations Could Be Holding You Back | Stephanie R. Yates-Anyabwile | TED

Researchers hypothesize that this footprint was made by a member of the hominin speciesParanthropus boisei.Kevin Hatala / Chatham UniversityRoughly 1.5 million years ago, members of two different species of early humans walked barefoot across a muddy lakeshore in what is now Kenya.Their footprints, made within hours or days of each other, provide the first direct, physical evidence that multiple early human species coexisted in the same habitat, according to a new study published last week in the journal Science.It really is a snapshot in time, says Tracy Kivell, a paleoanthropologist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology who was not involved with the study, to Nature News Miryam Naddaf.The mind-blowing discovery also raises new questions about how the two speciesthought to be Homo erectus and Paranthropus boiseiinteracted, as Briana Pobiner, a paleoanthropologist at the Smithsonians National Museum of Natural History who was not involved with the research, tells CNNs Katie Hunt.Maybe they actively competed for the same food;maybe they just eyed each other warily from across a grassy patch, Pobiner adds. Maybe they ignored each other entirely Its impossible to go back in time to actually observe these species 1.5 million years agobut having both of their footprints on the same surface? Thats the next best thing.Researchers first discovered the fossilized footprints in July 2021 while excavating the eastern shore of Lake Turkana in Kenya at a site called Koobi Fora. They initially found one hominin footprint, as well as tracks that were probably made by large birds, reports CNN. The team covered the footprints with fine sand until they could take a closer look.In 2022, researchers returned and excavated a 249-square-foot area. Those efforts unveiled 12 total hominin tracks in a straight line, which were probably made by the same individual. Nearby, they found three additional isolated hominin footprints that appear to have been made by three different individuals.They also uncovered dozens of tracks made by wildlife, including three from horse-like creatures and 30 made by cow-like animals. They found 61 tracks left by birds, including some that were probably made by an extinct species of giant stork called Leptoptilos falconeri. The largest bird track was more than ten inches wide.Researchers suggest the footprints were made at least 1.52 million years ago, then covered up almost immediately with sand and sediment. The footprints do not show any signs of cracking, which suggests they werent exposed to the sun and wind for very longand that they were made very close to the same time. The three scattered footprints were likely made by Homo erectus. Kevin Hatala / Chatham UniversityAt first, scientists couldnt tell whether the footprints were left by different species. And, since few fossilized remains have been discovered, they couldnt do the Cinderella thing of fitting the foot skeleton into the footprint, study co-author Kevin Hatala, a paleobiologist at Chatham University, tells the New York Times Katrina Miller.But after creating detailed 3D images and comparing them to other specimens, the team found differences in gait and foot anatomysuch as toe angles and the depth of the archsuggesting at least two species had walked along the lakeshore.The linear, 12-print path was likely made by P. bosei, a hominin that had large molars and big chewing muscles that it likely used to chow down on tough plants and hard nuts. The small-brained, flat-footed species went extinct within a few hundred thousand years after the footprints were made, but researchers dont know exactly why.The discovery of P. bosei tracks is significant in its own right, because scientists had not previously known whether the hominins walked on two legs or four. The footprints are unequivocal evidence of walking on two legs, says Ashleigh Wiseman, a biological anthropologist at University College London who was not involved with the research, to New Scientists Michael Marshall.The three scattered footprints, meanwhile, were probably made by H. erectus, which had bigger brains and human-like anatomy from the neck down. The bipedal species ate a diverse diet, used stone tools and might have cooked with fire. They survived for at least another one million years after the footprints were made and spread to new parts of the world.Skeletal remains of H. erectus and P. boisei are the only early hominin remains to have ever been found in the area, which supports the scientists idea about who made the footprints.Fossil evidence suggests the two species may have shared the site for as long as 100,000 years. This long timeframe suggests H. erectus and P. boisei must have achieved some sort of harmonious coexistence, Hatala tells the New York Timesor, at the very least, they likely didnt view each other as direct competitors.One possible explanation for this seemingly peaceful co-habitation is the two species differing diets, reports Science News Bruce Bower. H. erectus was an omnivore that ate a wide variety of foods, including meat, to fuel its large brain. P. boisei, meanwhile, was mostly eating grass-like plants known as sedges.If the species werent battling for the same resources, they could treat the lake like a 1.5-million-year-old version of a 7-Eleven store, says Bernard Wood, a paleoanthropologist at George Washington University who was not involved with the study, to Science News. Still, the footprints alone cant reveal the nature of the species interactions, and it remains possible that they competed for resources.Its also possible the two species occasionally mated with each otherjust like Neanderthals, Homo sapiens and Denisovans didbut researchers havent found any evidence of interbreeding.Human evolution is complicated and messy, and theres lots of experimentation, says William Harcourt-Smith, a paleoanthropologist at the American Museum of Natural History and the City University of New York who was not involved with the study, to NBC News Evan Bush. Its not a straight line.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Africa, Anthropology, Fossils, Human Evolution, Human Origins, New Research, Paleontologists, Paleontology

"Brain rot," which is now linked to social media overload, first appeared inHenry David Thoreau's Walden in1854. Rasid Necati Aslim / Anadolu via Getty ImagesTheOxford University Press has announced its word of the year for 2024: brain rot, a term connected to the effects of wasting too much time online.According to astatement from the publisher, which assembles the Oxford English Dictionary, the word is defined as the supposed deterioration of a persons mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging. Also: something characterized as likely to lead to such deterioration.Brain rot speaks to one of the perceived dangers of virtual life, and how we are using our free time, says Casper Grathwohl, the president of Oxford Languages, in the statement. It feels like a rightful next chapter in the cultural conversation about humanity and technology.While its current usage is connected to technological advances, brain rot is more than 150 years old. It first appeared inHenry David Thoreaus 1854 bookWalden, which chronicles the authors retreat to a remote cabin in Massachusetts to live in solitude and escape the burdens of communal life.While England endeavours to cure the potato rot, will not any endeavour to cure the brain-rotwhich prevails so much more widely and fatally? wrote Thoreau.Unfortunately for the author, it appears that brain rot has not been cured. Instead, it has continued to spread. Oxford notes that the term is now linked to a specific type of low-quality, low-value content that spreads quickly on social mediaand what happens to us when we spend extensive stretches of time consuming more and more of it. According to Oxford, the term's usage grew over the summer and spiked in September. Oxford University PressIn the past year, the words usage has increased by roughly 230 percent, according to Oxford. It beat out five other finalists: demure, lore, romantasy, slop and dynamic pricing.Choosing the word of the year is a bit of a dark art, Grathwohl tells theNew York Times Jennifer Schuessler, adding: The most successful ones are the ones that are slightly counterintuitive and make people think.Last year, the publishers winning word was rizz, a shortened version of charisma. After the announcement, the terms usage increased by more than 1500 percent, according to the Times. Even now, a year later, its usage is twice as high as it was before it was recognized by Oxford.To determine the 2024 finalists, Oxfords language experts examined usage data and selected words that reflect the moods and conversations that have helped shape the past year, per the statement. They then left the final decision up to a public poll. This year, more than 37,000 people participated in the vote.Several other dictionaries are also announcing their own words of the year. Collins Dictionary picked brat, which describes someone who is characterized by a confident, independent and hedonistic attitude. Meanwhile, Dictionary.com went in the opposite direction and chose demure, an adjective defined as characterized by shyness and modesty. The word, which was also on Oxfords shortlist, caught on after American TikTokerJools Lebron described herself as very demure, very mindful while doing her makeup.The popularity of brain rot is a symptom of the time were living in, Andrew Przybylski, a psychologist who specializes in human behavior and technology at Oxford University, tells BBC News Yasmin Rufo. It describes our dissatisfaction with the online world, and its a word that we can use to bundle our anxieties that we have around social media.While Thoreau helped launch brain rot, Casper says that todays younger generations have given it new life.I find it fascinating that the term brain rot has been adopted by Gen Z and Gen Alpha, those communities largely responsible for the use and creation of the digital content the term refers to, he says in the statement. It demonstrates a somewhat cheeky self-awareness in the younger generations about the harmful impact of social media that theyve inherited.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Brain, Internet, Language, linguistics , Technology, Trending Today

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