sciencesoup:

Creativity in Science

“They should have sent a poet,” whispers Ellie in the 1997 film Contact. She is a radio astronomer, and when sets eyes on an alien galaxy for the first time, she has no words for its beauty. Despite being fiction, I think this interestingly highlight for pursuits in arts and sciences to be cross-disciplinary. Many students lose interest in science at an early age because it’s largely “taught to the test”, and so there is a decreased focus on creativity and imagination. Even practical experiments allow little room for creativity, as students all expected to get the same results—and although this is important for teaching the scientific method, careers in science are not entirely like this: they require creativity and innovation. The infographic above shows the results of Creativity and Education: Why it Matters, a survey by research firm Edelman Berland (note: it is not specifically science-related). The research shows that that 85% of participants think creativity is crucial for problem solving in their career, yet 32% don’t feel comfortable thinking creatively. Yet, creativity is what keeps science moving forwards, because it fosters new connections and therefore gives rise to not only practical innovation, but also the creation of new knowledge. Scientists and engineers frequently encounter problems where they must use abstract, creative thinking, and they should be equipped to do this. From an early age, students should be encouraged to let their imaginations run wild, and also to use scientific reasoning to assess and test their ideas—and this approach of being open to multiple disciplines would be beneficial not only to science, but also foster innovation in other disciplines too. In Einstein’s words: “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”

beautifulwhatsyourhurry:

poopdegrace:

fwiffo:

stupidlittletuftybeard:

c-lov3r:

taintedsound:

taureanproject:ask-changeling-lyra:

A quick audio lesson on Southern Linguistics.

Press play. Trust me on this one.

I love linguistics 

Bless.

THIS PERSON IS A GOT-DAMN GENIUS

I love southern accents.

Okay I live in the South and this thought never once occurred to me. But it’s quite interesting once you figure it out and try speeding up your speech.

love this

lettersintheampersand:

“This (is) 19-year-old (Schoep) being cradled in his father’s arms last night in Lake Superior. (Schoep) falls asleep every night when he is carried into the lake. The buoyancy of the water soothes his arthritic bones. Lake Superior is very warm right now, so the temp of the water is perfect. I was so happy I got to capture this moment for John. By the way, John rescued Shoep as an 8 month old puppy, and he’s been by his side through many adventures :)”  photographer Hannah Stonehouse Hudson [x]

strawberrypatty:

… And, in fandom, everyone seems to jump right towards Eros, passionate love with sensual desire.

But there’s also Storge, familial love.

There’s Philia, the love of a friend.

And Agape, unconditional, self-sacrificing love.

Sometimes, I think we limit ourselves.

sugarbooty:

Size 50 needles at YARNHOUSE IN Charlotte, NC!

brighteyedblaine:

In Your Light — Gotye

Speaking of being happy, here’s a good pick-me-up. :)

Darren & Chuck [X]