2023, A Pantheon of Curiosities

Several people have remarked to me that this year feels like it has passed by quicker than most. Such a strange year 2023 seems in hindsight. And one without defining characteristics. There is a theory that we sense time passing quicker when not much out of the ordinary happens. After the tumultuous span of 2020 through 2022, that could be a plausible explanation for this uneventful, sped up year.

But within this ordinary year, a curious mind might have stumbled across many odd happenings. Although too many to document here, I thought I might share a few that captured my interest. Hopefully you enjoy these as well.  

Whales

In 2023, whales made their presence known. On May 4^th a group of 3 killer whales rammed a yacht off the coast of Spain. This attack followed similar orca attacks on sailboats in those waters over the past few years. What makes the pattern of these events fascinating, aside from being cinematic displays of total badassery, is they are teaching moments. Teaching for the whales that is. Witnesses described a larger adult whale first whacking the rudder with their tail, followed by ramming the side of the hull. Two smaller whales in the group then repeat the same process. They appear to be students, the big one acting as a teacher. As an educator myself I’m impressed, that’s next level practical learning. 

These attacks only came from what are commonly called killer whales, the Orcinus orca species of whales. Really, should this come as any surprise? They are called killer whales after all, it’s right there in the name. They likely feel they have a reputation to uphold with a name like that.  

In the future it is possible whale-human relations may improve. In November, scientists near Alaska engaged in a 20-minute conversation with a humpback whale in its native humpback language. The whale has a name, Twain. He is a known whale who had previously been given this name by the whale whisperer scientists well before this exchange.  

Microgravity Environments

This is a fancy, science-y term for space. Space is fascinating in so many ways. Astronomy to me is the most important thing we can study. How else can we truly understand what we are and where we fit in the giant cosmic scheme of things? One thing that’s amazing about space is that we as tiny, gravity-bound humans actually go there. Our future explorations of space require that we not simply survive the severity of the environment but thrive in it. Two incredible researchers are working on just that.

Larissa Zhou is a PhD candidate at Harvard investigating methods of cooking food in space. Currently astronauts rely on freeze-dried food that is rehydrated at meal time. Based on her experiences eating this way while hiking, Zhou wondered if there was a better way. She designed and built a device to cook food from scratch in microgravity. You can see the results of her recent space pasta making test flight here: Eating Well . . . in Space!.

Sana Sharma is a designer and researcher at the MIT Media Lab Space Exploration Initiative. With her project Fluid Expressions, Sharma examines the fluid dynamics of making art in low gravity. Like Zhou, she has created and tested prototype tools to create watercolor paintings in space. It’s way more difficult than you might first imagine.

In both cases, these innovators are infusing space engineering with the things that make people uniquely people. Zhou and Sharma are brilliant to recognize that this humanistic approach is essential to prolonged space journeys in the future. Without art and good food, any life becomes drudgery.

Movies

This weekend I went to see “Napoleon”. During the previews before the movie started, a promo clip hyped why movies are important. “They show us who we are, and who we aspire to be.” Do you think this is true, dear readers? It’s not a rhetorical question; I would really love to know what my peers think of this notion. After three hours of watching Napoleon decimate Europe just to impress Josephine, I’m uncertain.

As food for further thought, I offer you the top 5 grossing films of 2023. In addition to the US box office figures, I’ve added a descriptor of the movie’s original source material:

Highest-grossing films of 2023

Rank    Title                                                                  Domestic gross             Origin   

1.         Barbie                                                               $636,210,056                toy                   

2.         Super Mario Bros. Movie                             $574,934,330                video game

3.         Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse       $381,311,319                comic book

4.         Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3                   $358,995,815                comic book

5.         Oppenheimer                                                  $326,034,265               real person

These five movies combined did over $2 billion worth of business in the US alone. What this says about who we aspire to be, I couldn’t begin to guess. But I know this much, money doesn’t lie.

If you enjoy obscure factoids like these, here are a few more quick hits to explore if you like:

• Is your phone on mute and set to vibrate? Is it vibrating right now? Are you sure? Phantom Vibration Syndrome

• Speaking of phones, parrots can learn to use phones to make friends with other parrots, from Northeastern University. 

• Most Canadians live south of Seattle and more map miscellanea, Most Canadians Live South of Seattle

• Reindeer can see in the ultraviolet spectrum, Coevolution helps Santa’s reindeer feast after flight

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Do these obscure little stories from 2023 define the year that has been? Who can say. But for my part, I’ll take whales and parrots and space rigatoni over worse alternatives any year.

If you have discovered fascinating curiosities this year, please do share them in the comments. Until then dear readers, in the spirit of the holidays I wish you all a Happy Boxing Day on December 26^th, the most mysterious and wonderful day of the year.