To ask you to post the most intellectual thing you have learned recently?

[ethelfleda]

I dont care what subject it is about or how specific or random it may seem. I'm just in the mood to soak up some knowledge! I've been doing a lot of free course on the openlearn website and some of them are fascinating and I feel my self esteem is increasing just through learning. I didn't get the chance to study past GCSE level when I was younger and I have always regretted it.

I will start:

That I think in art history, it can almost be considered a hindrance to try and relate the artist's work with details of their life. This can discount many other factors influencing their work such as patronage or available materials and can cause you to read a painting 'incorrectly' - that is not in the manner in which it was intended'

[BertieBotts]

I don't have a link since she just told it to me in a meeting but I'll have a look later :)

I think I meant Monaco and not Moldova but then perhaps the special collectors editions was what I was thinking of. I was reading a book about Moldova the other day so probably my brain mixed the two up.

(I'm not doing very well at being intellectual here :o)

[elQuintoConyo]

Wonderful female artist who met and was encouraged by Michealangelo Sofonisba Anguissola had a fab artistic life, died at the ripe old age of 93/94. Was a great one for the painting technique called camera obscura.

[ErrolTheDragon]

Prompted by a conversation I had today I was curious about the life cycle of the type of cicadas which emerge synchronously every 17 years (there's also, I see, a 13 year species. But for the purpose of this thread the rather delightful small nugget of information is their genus name - magicicada

[ethelfleda]

I learned today that the brains of intelligent people actually light up less (during scanning) when problem solving than those of their less intelligent peers. Apparently this is down to the brain functioning more efficiently and not needing to use as much energy.

[3luckystars]

Well I learned this yesterday, and after being fan of Bob Marley most of my life, I had to sit down I was so shocked.

Bob Marley was only 36 when he died.

[Theknacktoflying]

I don’t know where I read this or its veracity, but one of the reasons why women do live longer than men is because during pregnancy stem cells are released in the mother’s body and can lead to them helping with cell regeneration ...

[Gwenhwyfar]

Theknack - how does that explain women who've never been pregnant?

[StorminaBcup]

I thought it was because females have XX dna so have a backup chromosome if one is faulty?

[Armchairanarchist]

prometheus means foresight.

[ChazsBrilliantAttitude]

3luckystars
He died from skin cancer (melanoma) didn’t he. It really surprised me as I had only associated melanoma with fair skin and sun exposure but this was a genetic form.

[liz70]

There is more water in Loch Ness than in all the lakes in England and Wales put together. Not particularly intellectual, but I find the notion absolutely incredible. Just thinking of it when on the loch; it's almost unnerving, the sheer awesomeness of it.

[dontquotem3]

We are what we think about.

[Theknacktoflying]

I suppose just one of the reasons why ...