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Two lost notebooks Charles Darwin, one of which contains the iconic 1837 sketch of the Tree of Life, have been stolen and Cambridge University Library is asking for help to locate them.

In January 2001, the notebooks disappeared. But it is now, after an exhaustive search, that it can be confirmed that they have probably not been lost, but rather stolen.

Evolution Day

The call to find the notebooks It was released this November 24, coinciding with what is commonly known each year as 'Evolution Day', which recognizes the anniversary of Darwin's publication of The origin of species, November 24, 1859.

As explained Jessica Gardner, University Librarian and Director of Library Services:

This public appeal could be instrumental in bringing the notebooks back safely, for the benefit of all, and I would ask anyone who thinks they can help to get in touch. We would be very grateful to hear from any staff, past or present, members of the book trade, researchers or the general public, information that could assist in the recovery of the notebooks.

The image of 'Tree of Life' It is part of one of Darwin's handwritten notebooks. The notebook in question is stored in a custom-made blue box, along with a second similar notebook, where Darwin develops his theory in terms of geographical distribution, the origin of humans and classification by descent.

Darwin sketched his ideas around an evolutionary tree in the summer of 1837, having recently returned from his trip around the world aboard the HMS Beagle, more than two decades before publishing a more developed tree of life in The origin of species.

The content of the manuscript of the two notebooks, fortunately, was previously digitized, including the Tree of Life sketch, and is available at the Cambridge Digital Library.

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The news

Charles Darwin's iconic sketch of the tree of life and help is requested to locate it

was originally published in

Xataka Science

by
Sergio Parra

.

The concept that the poor are poor because they deserve it or that they are somehow unworthy dates back to Victorian times.

However, according to this recent study on food poverty, these attitudes are still alive today, and are a very important part of How those who receive a benefit from social security are perceived.

Poor unworthy

According to the study cited, people consider or tend to consider that the poor are lazy, that they are not trying hard enough to alleviate their own difficulties, which makes them less deserving of help.

The idea of the deserving and undeserving poor is linked to our understanding of the causes of poverty: whether it is the result of “agency” or “structure.” Agency refers to the actions of an individual, while structure is the external forces that may have led to an individual's poverty.

If we are in the second case, then many people consider that the poor do not deserve help, as exemplified this tweet:

For example, if people with financial problems spent money on conspicuous or considered services, such as a streaming service or a manicure service, it was understood that they did not deserve help to feed their children. Or if they did not buy cheap and abundant food, they were considered to be somehow They did not manage their resources well and they deserved their situation. However, perhaps poor people are not so battered that they need to vent in one way or another, or have they not received enough support to manage their resources more intelligently?

It is something similar to when, in a Spanish television debate, a debater pointed out that an activist politician: "You are too fat for the hunger you are experiencing" (when in reality it is precisely the poor who are the most obese because they eat cheaper and more caloric food).

In Xataka Science

Losing purchasing power not only affects your health but also your life expectancy.

Poor people are usually born with various burdens, even at a neurochemical level, just as if they had been affected by a virus. They have less self-control, less tenacity, less intelligence, less ability to thrive, generally speaking; And furthermore, this is not so much a question of poverty itself as of inequality. So, in the debate over whether someone is responsible for their situation or not, we should at least be aware of it, as I elaborate in the following talk given at the BCNspiracy TALKS 2020:

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The news

If it is perceived that the poor are poor because of their responsibility, we tend to believe that they do not deserve our help.

was originally published in

Xataka Science

by
Sergio Parra

.

The European middle class is already falling behind compared to the middle classes of emerging markets, such as China or India, and this trend, along with others, will be accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic.

As a society we must be prepared to face all these changes that are already coming, and not conceptualize them as a series of catastrophes without a solution, but as a series of opportunities to make evolutionary breakthroughs using lateral thinking. That is the main thesis of this book. Mauro F. Guillén, 2030. Traveling towards the end of the world as we know it.

Opportunities

Forecasting the future, there is no doubt, is an enterprise doomed to failure. But we can take into account some trends to guide us. And that is what this book aspires to be: a compass.

2030: Traveling to the end of the world as we know it (No collection)

RRP on Amazon €18.95

Marked by economic, sociological and technological data, this compass, then, allows us two things: face the next decade with a little less fear and surprise for what is to come. And two: do it with a more resilient and constructive spirit.

For this reason, the book has also been a source of inspiration in Xataka Ciencia in order to produce entries such as The number of patents does not stop growing, but it does so especially in China either Leapfrogging: when a society makes a technological leap by skipping stages.

In Xataka Science

Leapfrogging: when a society makes a technological leap by skipping stages

There was a time when the world was clearly divided between prosperous economies and backward economies. Many children were born, there were more workers than retirees and the aspirations of people who wanted to be part of the middle class consisted of having a car and a house. It was enough for companies to operate in Europe and the United States. It was paid with cash. And we expected the rules that governed our lives to be stable and predictable. But the world, pandemic through, has changed, and those rules are no longer valid.

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The news

Books that inspire us: '2030. Traveling towards the end of the world as we know it', by Mauro F. Guillén

was originally published in

Xataka Science

by
Sergio Parra

.

Our conception of romantic love could not be more trite, nor could it be more overflowing with pleonasms and tautologies, and endless inaccuracies, hunches and intuitions that contradict six decades of scientific literature.

However, there are intuitions or simple physical manifestations that have been corroborated. Like the neurophysiological changes that take place in a brain in love.

Neuroimaging

Stephanie Cacioppo, a psychologist at the University of Chicago who has studied the neuroscience of romantic love for the last decade, explains that the process involves several complex changes, particularly in the brain's reward system.

More specifically, in a review from 2012 From the scientific literature on love, Lisa Diamond and Janna Dickenson, psychologists at the University of Utah, found that romantic love is most consistently associated with activity in two brain regions: the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and the caudate nucleus.

These areas play an essential role in our reward pathway and regulate the neurotransmitter dopamine. In other words, during the early stages of love we miss your loved one because he or she makes you feel so good.

In Xataka Science

Why can't you buy my love for money?

In fact, simply thinking about your partner not only makes you feel good, but also can buffer pain, stress and other negative feelings. A study, for example, has shown that women in love do better on cognitive tasks after being subliminally told their lover's name.

These neural patterns of romantic love appear to be universal across genders, cultures, and sexual orientations. Romantic and platonic love, for example, may be associated with unique neural signatures. And studies show that the neural processes in charge of sexual attraction and desire can occur alongside and sometimes overlap with those that regulate romantic love, but they are largely different from them.

Be that as it may, it seems that finding someone special in our lives is a safe and stable source of happiness, although we are not very good at choosing a partner, on many occasions. Maybe we need help. Big Data + machine learning algorithms in order to find your perfect match. The one that suits you. And, furthermore, the offer will not be as limited as now (basically the people who live in your neighborhood or just beyond), but total (humanity). You can learn more about it in the following video:

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The news

Thinking about your partner can dull pain, stress and other negative feelings.

was originally published in

Xataka Science

by
Sergio Parra

.