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Showing posts from June 5, 2016

ARISTOTLE

Aristotle ( / ˈ æ r ɪ ˌ s t ɒ t əl / ; [1] Greek : Ἀριστοτέλης [aristotélɛːs] , Aristotélēs ; 384–322 BC) [2] was a Greek philosopher and scientist born in the city of Stagira , Chalkidice , on the northern periphery of Classical Greece . His father, Nicomachus , died when Aristotle was a child, whereafter Proxenus of Atarneus became his guardian. [3] At eighteen, he joined Plato's Academy in Athens and remained there until the age of thirty-seven ( c.  347 BC). His writings cover many subjects – including physics , biology , zoology , metaphysics , logic , ethics, aesthetics , poetry , theater, music, rhetoric , linguistics , politics and government – and constitute the first comprehensive system of Western philosophy . Shortly after Plato died, Aristotle left Athens and, at the request of Philip of Macedon , tutored Alexander the Great starting from 343 BC. [4] According to the Encyclopædia Britannica , "Aristotle was the first genuine scientist in history ... [an

Anagnorisis

For the black/death metal band, see Anagnorisis (band). For the German musician, see Anagnorisis (Sariola). Anagnorisis ( / ˌ æ n ə ɡ ˈ n ɒr ᵻ s ᵻ s / ; Ancient Greek: ἀναγνώρισις ) is a moment in a play or other work when a character makes a critical discovery. Anagnorisis originally meant recognition in its Greek context, not only of a person but also of what that person stood for. Anagnorisis was the hero's sudden awareness of a real situation, the realisation of things as they stood, and finally, the hero's insight into a relationship with an often antagonistic character in Aristotelian tragedy. [1] Tragedy In his Poetics , as part of his discussion of peripeteia, Aristotle defined anagnorisis as "a change from ignorance to knowledge, producing love or hate between the persons destined by the poet for good or bad fortune" (1452a). It is often discussed along with Aristotle's concept of catharsis." In the Aristotelian definition of

Strange Microbe Lacks Cell's 'Powerhouse'

 'Powerhouse' A light micrograph of Monocercomonoides , the only known eukaryote to completely lack mitochondria, the cellular powerhouse. Credit: Dr Naoji Yubuki. A microbe that lives in the guts of chinchilla is missing mitochondria, the energy-generating cell organelle once thought crucial to the function of eukaryotes. Eukaryotes are cells with membrane-bound organelles, including a nucleus, a feature that makes them different from prokaryotes (which include bacteria and archaea). One of these membrane-bound organelles is the mitochondria. Mitochondria are known as the cell's "powerhouse" because they create adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which cells use for fuel. Mitochondria are also involved in many other aspects of cell function, said Anna Karnkowska, a co-author on the new study. In that study, Karnkowska and her colleag

Strange 6-Sided Molecule Found

New State of Water: Strange 6-Sided Molecule Found Researchers discovered that water in beryl displays some unique and unexpected characteristics. Credit: Jeff Scovil A strange new behavior of water molecules has been observed inside crystals of beryl, a type of emerald, caused by bizarre quantum-mechanical effects that let the water molecules face six different directions at the same time. Under normal conditions, the two hydrogen atoms in each water molecule are arranged around the oxygen atom in an open "V" shape, sometimes compared to a boomerang or Mickey Mouse ears. But in a new experiment, scientists have found that hydrogen atoms of some water molecules trapped in the crystal structure of the mineral beryl become "smeared out" into a six-sided ring. [The Surprisingly Strange Physics of Water] The ring shape is caus

Why Belief in Witchcraft Can Do Harm

A witch doctor in Zimbabwe, in sub-Saharan Africa where belief in witchcraft is widespread. Credit: Creative Commons Belief in witchcraft is linked to a lack of trust for people in sub-Saharan Africa, new research finds. And that lack of social trust may be a barrier to economic development in struggling nations. In regions where witchcraft belief is high, people are less likely to trust others, including their family, neighbors and local institutions, American University economist Boris Gershman reports in the May issue of the Journal of Development Economics. "What's more, the children of immigrants from countries with high prevalence of witchcraft beliefs are more distrusting than children of immigrants from other countries," Gershman found, suggesting that such beliefs may contribute to the formation of persistent antisocial attitudes.