Higher emotional intelligence is linked to more emoji use with friends, while avoidant attachment is associated with less emoji use with friends and dating or romantic partners, according to a study published December 4, 2024, in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Dr. Simon Dubé, Research Fellow at The Kinsey Institute, Indiana University, U.S., and colleagues. This...
Culture
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Gold Star Medal Taken from an Ethiopian War Hero Surfaces at Auction
The grandchildren of Ras Desta Damtew, an Ethiopian general and noble, are seeking to recover the piece, listed in the online auction catalogue as coming from the estate of an Italian soldier who was present at Desta Damtew’s execution The family of an Ethiopian war hero, Ras Desta Damtew, is seeking to recover his gold...
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France Returns Prehistoric Artifacts to Ethiopia in Diplomatic ‘Handover’
A French government official recently said the return of three artifacts to Ethiopia was a diplomatic handover rather than a restitution. On November 30, France‘s foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot handed over two prehistoric stone axes, bifaces, and a stone cutter to Ethiopia’s tourism minister Selamawit Kassa during a symbolic ceremony at the National Museum of Ethiopia in the...
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A Blind Beetle Named Hitler? the Case for Changing Offensive Names of Animals and Plants, and How It Can Be Done
Taxonomy is the science of describing, classifying and naming organisms. It organises the vast diversity of life on Earth. Species are grouped based on shared characteristics, providing a system that allows scientists to understand and communicate about the natural world. Naming species is no simple task: a scientist doesn’t just assign a name and call...
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‘For the Very First Time I Really Enjoyed Sex!’ − How Lesbian Escort Agencies Became a Form of Self-Care in Japan
In Japanese society, prostitution is often framed as a necessary evil – a way to maintain social harmony by providing men with an outlet for their pent-up sexual desires. While there are a number of issues with this view – such as the implication that men are inherently unable to control their sexual impulses –...
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Can Family Members Talk Politics During the Holidays?
Home for the holidays? Cal State Fullerton educator William Toledo, who prepares future teachers to guide possibly controversial conversations about politics in middle and high school classrooms, says the same tools used in classrooms can apply to holiday gatherings. The process of listening to a person and trying to understand their way of thinking is still...
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Caste Differentiation in Ants
Superorganismal social insects Scientists from the University of Copenhagen have revealed how a specific hormone regulates ant caste differentiation by phenotypic measurements of organ-level developmental changes and matching transcriptome analyses. Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) on November 4th, 2024, the study entitled “Juvenile hormone as...
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The Opera and The Magic Flute
The Florida Grand Opera’s staging of The Magic Flute is a truly astonishing update on the classic Mozart opera. The FGO and director Jeffery Marc Buchman have gone beyond the usual expectations for this lavish fantasy of an opera, and have rooted it in reality by framing with dream sequences of an actual, contemporary child....
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‘Yellowstone’ Highlights Montana’s Long-Forgotten Connection to the Confederacy
The popular “Yellowstone” TV series, set and filmed in Montana, taps into a lesser-known chapter of the state’s history: its settlement by Confederates and ex-Confederates during and after the Civil War. I come to this story with a unique perspective. I’m a fourth-generation Montanan. I’m also a scholar of U.S. Western literary and cultural studies...
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Quincy Jones Mastered the Art of Arrangement, Transforming Simple Tunes into Epic Soundscapes
On the sleeve notes of some of the most memorable and best-selling albums of all time, you’ll find the words “Produced and arranged by Quincy Jones.” It was a hallmark of quality. Jones, who died on Nov. 3, 2024, at the age of 91, transformed our understanding of musical arrangement. His work spanned decades and...
