Regarding education and raising children, there are two extreme views of human nature. A tragic one that resigns itself to its defects, that considers that children are already born with a quota of genetic success determined mainly by the success of their parents, and another utopian that denies its existence, considering that we are all born as amorphous masses of clay that can be improved by the environment.

For those who consider that the balance is in the middle or, at least, leans favorably towards the parenting side, this book will be very useful. Because The big questions from children and the simple answers from great experts, compiled by Gemma Elwin Harris, contains all kinds of teachings that will make many cultured, critical and curious adult children; and of many adult individuals with a greater predisposition to ask themselves the big questions.

Childhood curiosity

It is said that there are no stupid questions, only idiotic answers, and this book demonstrates both facets of the sentence. The seemingly simple questions are actually pertinent questions that all of us could ask ourselves one day; and the answers have been written by a collection of scientists, philosophers, scholars and dreamers who are among the finest in the intellectual world.

So, questions like Why evil exist?Why do men have beards and women not? Who is God? Why is the sun so hot? Why don't animals talk like us? Why do we cook food? or what can you do if you are on a boat without food and water? These are some of the questions that people such as Richard Dawkins, Noam Chomsky, David Attenborough, Marcus du Sautoy, Alain de Botton, David Crystal, Simon Singh, AC Grayling, Lawrence Krauss, Julian Baggini, John Gribbin try to answer in one or two pages. , Gary Marcus, Clay Shirky, Robin Dunbar... and so on dozens and dozens of authors who have already been reviewed here on more than one occasion.

The questions were collected by the compiler after tracking ten primary schools. Thousands of children between four and twelve years old sent their questions. The best ones were published here. An ideal way to introduce children to the big little questions, or the little big questions. And, also, a form of introduction to the thinking of all the selected authors.

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The news

Books that inspire us: 'Children's big questions and the simple answers from great experts', by Gemma Harris

was originally published in

Xataka Science

by
Sergio Parra

.

The squinting movements in cats bear some parallels to the genuine smile of humans (the Duchenne smile), so a stronger bond could be established between cats and humans If humans squinted. What is known as "slow blinking."

That's at least what it suggests a new study published in Nature Scientific Reports by Tasmin Humphrey and Karen McComb, animal behavior scientists at the University of Sussex.

Slow flashing

To arrive at this curious explanation, two experiments were carried out.

He first experiment included a total of 21 cats from 14 different homes. Fourteen different owners participated in it. Ten of the cats were males and 11 of the cats were females, with an estimated age of between 0.45 and 16 years. The experiments were carried out in each cat's home.

This first experiment revealed that cats are more likely to blink slowly at their owners after their owners have blinked slowly at them, compared to when they do not interact at all.

He second experiment included a total of 24 additional cats. Twelve cats were male and 12 cats were female, with an estimated age between 1 and 17 years. The cats included in the final analyzes were from eight different homes.

In this experiment, the researcher, who was unfamiliar with the cat, blinked slowly at the cat or adopted a neutral face without direct eye contact. It was thus proven that cats were more likely to move closer to the experimenter's outstretched hand after blinking slowly at the cat, compared to when they had adopted a neutral tone of expression.

In Xataka Science

The Duchenne smile, probably the most sincere smile

According to Explain McComb:

This study is the first to experimentally investigate the role of slow blinking in cat-human communication. And it's something you can try yourself with your own cat at home or with cats you meet on the street. It is a great way to improve the bond you have with cats. Try squinting at them like you would with a relaxed smile, followed by closing your eyes for a couple of seconds. You will see that they respond in the same way and you can start a kind of conversation.

–
The news

If you squint, your cat will like you better: no joke

was originally published in

Xataka Science

by
Sergio Parra

.