Archive | 2025

Can Oxytocin Change Mean People To Nice?

Having more oxytocin receptors in the brain might be the key difference between mean people and nice ones. In a study published in Biology Letters, researchers analyzed seven different closely related lemur species, noting which ones were egalitarian, which ones were male dominant, and which ones were female dominant. While the animal kingdom has many…

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Kangaroo Word Fun

This weekend I heard a podcast mention the concept of ‘kangaroo words’ so decided to have some fun dreaming up derivatives of kangaroo words. Kangaroo words contain letters of another word with the same or similar meaning, in the correct order but not necessarily consecutively. For example, the word chicken has the word hen in…

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World Changing Ideas, 2025 Edition

Despite a constant barrage of negativity, there is uplifting news out there; you just have to look harder to find it. For example, Fast Company annually publishes a list of World Changing Ideas that create “substantive, positive change in the world”.  The winning ideas improve lives, society, or the environment — not just businesses bottom lines. This…

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Words With Two Opposite Meanings

Have you ever noticed the word nonplussed has two opposite meanings? The original definitions of nonplussed is perplexed or disconcerted. Recently, and primarily in the U.S., nonplussed has come to mean unfazed or not surprised – the exact opposite of the original definition. The opposite definitions are certainly confusing but surprisingly it’s not that rare…

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It’s Not Elementary, My Dear Watson

Despite the popularity of the saying, Sherlock Holmes never actually said “elementary, my dear Watson.” Regardless, we recognize the phrase refers to something which is easily understood – perhaps obvious – even if it seems confusing to others. Referring to the books, Watson is surprised and impressed when Holmes is able to figure out things from…

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