AbouBenAdhem

Not using special relativity (the object would have to travel faster than light in order to overtake the photons it’s already emitted)—but using general relativity, some of the photons could be bent and/or redshifted by a massive object en route (aka gravitational lensing).

The New Oxford American.

Except that a rose/red filter would pass wavelengths centered around red, while a magenta filter would block wavelengths centered around green. So a magenta filter would let in proportionally more blue.

They are dichromats—with red and blue receptors—as opposed to most humans, who are trichromats with red, green, and blue receptors. So in terms of colors, they can distinguish roughly the same colors as a human looking through a magenta filter.

roof

| ro͞of, ro͝of |
noun (plural roofs | rufs, rʊfs |)

1. the structure forming the upper covering of a building or vehicle.
2. the top inner surface of a covered area or space; the ceiling: the roof of the cave fell in.
3. used to signify a house or other building, especially in the context of hospitality or shelter: helping those without a roof over their heads | they slept under the same roof.

Also, mammalian and avian predators are perceptive enough that they could tell we were acting like prey if we reacted to them the way we do to snakes and spiders. Alert attention without fear or aggression is probably the safest way to interact with such predators without provoking them—natural selection doesn’t care why we behave that way, as long as we do it.

almost none of the mothers had local ancestors: they must therefore have come from other regions and other communities. However, there were hardly any genetic connections between Mödling and Leobersdorf. [...] the women that became mothers in Leobersdorf apparently came from communities that also descended from East Asia (possibly from the center of the Avar realm), while in Mödling they were of European descent. Yet they did not differ in status or wealth. "Status symbols such as belt fittings depicting griffins, and their culture and customs were the same. Most likely both considered themselves Avars"

Hmm... if these assortative marriages weren’t based on class, culture, or (perceived) nationality, could they have been based on language?

I think part of it is that predators instinctively attract our attention—they fascinate us so we don’t get used to them and turn our backs on them.

I thought they were talking about the elementary particle—I was afraid we’d have to find some other way of manifesting our physical existence.

Eight billion people currently have this condition, and they’ve all survived so far.

I’m currently reading Orbital by Samantha Harvey—it’s a meditative, conflict-free novel following the inner thoughts of six astronauts during a routine day aboard the ISS, as they watch the world turning under them and contemplate humanity.

I’ve not read anything else in the series, but Elsewhere was a lot of fun—probably the most interesting take I’ve seen on how extreme longevity would mess with your psyche.