The size matters 2

1. The size matters
2. Created for design
3. Mysterious disappearance
4. Necessary requirements
5. The way to save it
6. Not fashionable at first
7. An ambitious initiative
8. Pluses of complexity

A. What actually was the first tie is somewhat disputed. It could either be a cloth worn around the neck to protect its wearer from cold and also double as a handkerchief. Or it could be the a piece of clothing that Croatian soldiers participating in the Thirty Years War wore around their necks to allow them identify each other on the battlefield. After the war, French soldiers introduced the tie to France, where it was often worn by the rich upper class.

B. Bubble wrap is that nylon-like polymer filled with air bubbles that everyone, or at least almost everyone, loves pressing. Today, it is used to wrap items to prevent them from damage, although it can also be used to save the life of someone suffering from hypothermia. Bubble wrap did not start off as a material for protecting goods while in transit. It was invented in 1957 when Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes sewed two shower curtains together. Their plan was to create a wallpaper that would have some airbubble space within.

C. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums approved rules requiring any zoo with elephants to keep at least three of the species and a full-time elephant scientist on staff, among other things. But not every zoo has the space or budget to meet those guidelines. Some, such as the zoos in Omaha, San Diego and Houston, have doubled down with better facilities. Others in San Francisco, Seattle and Chicago, to name a few have given up on keeping elephants entirely.

D. Small group travel makes for the best experience. It’s why many tourist agencies limit the size of their groups to just 16. Small group journey transforms from bus trip to road trip, complete with likeminded travellers that become new best mates. Tourist agencies would make more money if they crammed as many people on their buses as they can, but they don’t. It means that while the big group has to stick to the main road, small groups can easily get to those magical, hard to reach places.

E. The internet has reached almost every corner of the globe, but most research on how it is used, particularly among children, focuses on the US and Europe. This is a problem, because according to best estimates one in three children around the world now uses the internet – most of them outside the West. Global Kids Online is an ambitious project to find out which children are using the internet, what they are learning, and the opportunities and risks it presents.

F. While teenagers have always thought they knew everything, current generations are part of a continuing trend of increasing IQ scores over the last 100 years. James Flynn, who first observed the trend, says it’s due to the world becoming increasingly complex. People are becoming better and better at analyzing the world, rather than thinking in terms of what’s useful to their survival. As technology and access to information continues to increase, it’s possible that IQ scores will as well.

G. Even though our air and water may be much cleaner than it was more than 40 years ago, Earth Day is more important than ever. With carbon emissions climbing, temperatures rising, and weather getting weirder all over, it can feel like the existential threat of our changing climate is impossible to stop. But don’t let the scope of the problem get you down. You can change your lifestyle to help protect the environment, and you can vote by supporting companies who help protect it, too.