Dinajpur, Bangladesh South Asia’s one of the largest Eid-ul-Fitr Congregation held in Gor-e-Shahid Boro Math, Dinajpur, Bangladesh. According to the organizers’ claim, over 600,000 devotees participated in this Eid congregation. The prayers began at 8:30 am with devotees coming from different parts of the region. The photo was taken by...
External distractions can make staying focused on the present moment difficult. This lack of focus causes you to scratch your head, wondering, “How do I fit in all the things I want to do today?” Let’s focus on how we can reduce external distractions while improving focus and concentration. External distractions...
Researchers have just set a new record for data transmission. Using one small computer chip, they moved 1.84 petabits of data per second. That equals 122 million Netflix movies streaming at the same time. “We have transferred all of that at once,” says Asbjørn Arvad Jørgensen. He is a physicist affiliated...
The city of Yazd in the desert of central Iran has long been a focal point for creative ingenuity. Yazd is home to a system of ancient engineering marvels that include an underground refrigeration structure called yakhchāl, an underground irrigation system called qanats, and even a network of couriers called...
Hunting has a long and rich history in Bengal, which is a region located in the eastern part of India that encompasses the present-day states of West Bengal and Bangladesh. The region has been inhabited since prehistoric times, and hunting has been a part of the way of life of...
We direct our attention to every new and novel thing because our brain rewards us with a hit of this neurotransmitter – dopamine. Dopamine does not give us pleasure, but it makes us feel as if pleasure is on the way, so when we use our phones, we feel anticipation...
When considering the lives of the rich and famous, it is always tempting to look for the secrets of their successes. So here’s a brain teaser: what do the cook Julia Child, the novelist Gabriel García Márquez, the singer Taylor Swift, and Google’s founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin all...
Eid al–Fitr is an important celebration for Muslims at the end of Ramadan. At the end of the fasting month, this religious occasion is celebrated in the presence of family and friends with a myriad of color and mouth–watering traditional foods. Traditionally, this “Festival of Breaking the Fast” lasts for...
Inside a dusty compound in the northern Indian city of Kanpur lies a sterilised lab with an incubator full of flasks. Each of these flasks contains a small mound of what looks like a sourdough starter. The room next-door houses a shiny metal cylindrical vessel called a bioreactor, akin to...
It wasn’t until the third time I turned 40 that I began to get suspicious. The first time I’d been a bit preoccupied and unprepared for the existential baggage of a milestone birthday – particularly since I thought I was only 38. I turned 40 again a few months later....
You’re dreading it that conversation with your boss, your significant other, your neighbor, your teenager you know that conversation. You’ve been avoiding it forever, but you just can’t keep things as they are, and this time, you have to say something. Fear of confrontation is something almost every one of us...
Did Vikings find their way to a remote part of Oklahoma? Some in a small community believe so, thanks to controversial runic carvings found in the area. “[Farley] spent the majority of her adult life researching the stone,” said Amanda Garcia, Heavener Runestone Park manager. “She travelled all around the...
At the end of a winding, tree-lined country road in western Finland, four young engineers believe they have a possible answer to one of green energy’s biggest challenges. The challenge is how to provide a year-round, steady power supply from renewable energy during changing seasons and variable weather conditions. The...
Enclosed cities have become a narrative shorthand for futuristic settlements in science fiction. They are self-contained habitats, incorporating all essential infrastructure, including energy generation, food production, waste management and water. The concept of an arcology – a portmanteau term combining architecture and ecology – was proposed by the architect Paolo...
Of the 8,300 million tonnes of virgin plastic produced up to the end of 2015, 6,300 million tonnes have been discarded. Most of that plastic waste is still with us, entombed in landfills or polluting the environment. Microplastics have been found in Antarctic sea ice, in the guts of animals...
More than 2,000 years ago, in a temple in the city of Borsippa in ancient Mesopotamia, in what is now modern-day Iraq, a student was doing his homework. His name was Nabu-kusurshu, and he was training to be a temple brewer. His duties involved brewing beer for religious offerings, but...
In the middle of the Iraqi desert, just north of the city of Mosul, is a pile of limestone blocks. Even at first glance, they’re unusual – each half a metre (1.6 feet) across, with a square shape and one side decorated with enigmatic symbols. Collectively they look like the...
“Get out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.” – Brian Tracy I’m a big fan of doing the unusual thing. Sometimes in big ways. Often in small and daily ways to mix things up....
Reach Penaflor is a man with a mission. Since 2009, he has been working closely with the River Warriors, a group bent on cleaning up estuaries feeding into the Pasig River, which runs through the Philippines’ largest urban area, Metro Manila, and is notorious for its noxious smells. Scientists describe...
It may be an unlikely spot for a cash machine, but the Khunjerab Pass ATM has been serving the small number of residents and border staff – and adventurous tourists – since 2016. “We’re going to the end of Pakistan,” I announced to my children, wrestling on their umpteenth layer...
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