Solar Storms, Isaac Newton, and a Very Old Shark: Lux Recommends #268

Editor
3 min readMar 5, 2021

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By Sam Arbesman, PhD

Welcome to Lux Recommends #268, this week’s edition of what we at Lux are reading and thinking about (want to receive this by email? Sign up here).

Articles

Earth, wind, and solar fire: “If a major solar storm were to sweep across Earth, would today’s electrical and communications infrastructure be resilient enough to endure its impact?” — Sam

How to Stop Doomscrolling News and Social Media: ‘“Doomscroll Reminder Lady” Karen K. Ho explains how to step away from the screen’ — Deena

7 Major Experiments That Still Haven’t Found What They’re Looking ForAdam K

The Origins Of ‘Planetary Realism’ And ‘Whole Earth Thinking’: “There is no escaping an interconnected world.” — Sam

Why Does the Pandemic Seem to Be Hitting Some Countries Harder Than Others? “While the virus has ravaged rich nations, reported death rates in poorer ones remain relatively low. What probing this epidemiological mystery can tell us about global health.” — Deena

Scientists Discover 400-Year-Old Greenland Shark Likely Born Around 1620: “Greenland sharks are now the longest-living vertebrates known on Earth, according to scientists.” — Lisa McLaughlin, Cofounder and Co-CEO of Lux portfolio company Workit Health

10 Breakthrough Technologies 2021Deena

Sneakerheads Have Turned Jordans and Yeezys Into a Bona Fide Asset Class: “When the pandemic presented a buy-low opportunity, one college dropout hit the road and filled his truck with $200,000 worth of kicks.” — Adam K

Pennsylvania man snaps picture of rare half-male, half-female cardinal — Lindsay Kalish, proud Lux wife

Hackers are finding ways to hide inside Apple’s walled garden: “The iPhone’s locked-down approach to security is spreading, but advanced hackers have found that higher barriers are great for avoiding capture.” — Cameron

‘Deep Nostalgia’ Can Turn Old Photos of Your Relatives Into Moving VideosAdam K

How a Man’s Unborn Twin Fathered His Child — Lux Recommends reader Rohan Pai

A Cephalopod Has Passed a Cognitive Test Designed For Human Children: ‘a cuttlefish passes a modified “marshmallow experiment” showing higher-level thinking and understanding of delayed gratification’ — Cameron

Mars rover’s giant parachute carried secret messageSam

Smithsonian Will Celebrate 175 Years With An Exhibit About The FutureDeena

Books

Isaac Newton by James Gleick: “James Gleick…brings the reader into Newton’s reclusive life and provides startlingly clear explanations of the concepts that changed forever our perception of bodies, rest, and motion — ideas so basic to the twenty-first century, it can truly be said: We are all Newtonians.”— Sam

Movies

Animals on the Loose: A You vs. Wild Movie: “When wild animals escape from a sanctuary, Bear Grylls — and you — must pursue them and secure their protective habitat. An interactive special.” — Josh

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