The dream machine makes me uncomfortable.
Slick black cube larger than my head. Unlabeled ports. Snaky cords that attach it to my body for eight hours every night. I’ve been using it since Dad got it second hand, over a year ago, but I still grimace as I Velcro the cord around my wrist and press its sticky white pads against my temples. After the MPLAT, the Multi-Purpose Life Aptitude Test, I can ditch it, at least until college or whatever I end up doing next.
Mom stops in my doorway. “Goodnight, Heather. Sleep well. Dream about—”
“Engineering equations. I know, Mom. Night.”
Instead, I dream of Dad.
I wake up when Mom calls, as she’s leaving: “I’m in court this afternoon. And it’s your night to start dinner!”
I squeeze my eyes closed as the apartment door slides shut. Usually Dad starts dinner, not Mom and me on alternating nights. But that’s all changed now his deployment’s been extended. He won’t be home for the MPLAT.
School’s in a renovated mill building with floor-to-ceiling windows and open floor plan, but there’s the usual bottleneck at the entrance where we all drop off the slap-bracelet screens we use to connect with our phones. I hate giving up my slap-screen and rub my empty wrist as I leave it behind. I pick a terminal—half-pod, half-desk—near the pool; the neon koi are never boring.
Chell nudges me as she slides into a nearby terminal. She whispers, “How were your dreams last night?” A perfect imitation of my mom’s voice, no sign of Chell’s Jamaican accent.
“Stupid MPLAT. Why does it have to be the most important thing to colleges and startups and, you know, everything?” I sigh. “I hate it when my mom’s right.”
Denne historien er fra November/December 2016-utgaven av Muse Science Magazine for Kids.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra November/December 2016-utgaven av Muse Science Magazine for Kids.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Who's Your Cousin?
The great apes are among the most popular animals in most zoos. Their actions, facial expressions, and family life remind us so much of ourselves. Have you ever wondered, though, how we might look to them?
Is it possible to die of boredom?
To figure out if we can die of boredom, we first have to understand what boredom is. For help, we called James Danckert, a psychologist who studies boredom at the University of Waterloo in Canada.
THE PROBLEM WITH PALM OIL
Palm oil is all around you. It’s in sugary snacks like cookies and candy bars. It’s in lipstick and shampoo and pet food.
SERGE WICH
Serge Wich’s favorite days at work are spent out in the forest, studying orangutans in Sumatra and Borneo or chimpanzees in Tanzania.
ELODIE FREYMANN
When you’re feeling sick, it probably doesn’t occur to you to try eating tree bark.
Guardians of the Forest
EARLY, MAKESHIFT WILDLIFE DRONES HELPED TO DETECT AND PROTECT ORANGUTANS.
APE ANTICS
The Whirling World of primate play
Dr. Ape Will See You Now
HUMANS AREN’T THE ONLY PRIMATES THAT USE MEDICATION.
THE LEFT OVERS
A lot has happened for modern humans to get to this point. We lost most of our hair, learned how to make tools, established civilizations, sent a person to the Moon, and invented artificial intelligence. Whew! With all of these changes, our bodies have changed, too. It’s only taken us about six million years.
SO, WHAT IS A PRIMATE?
What do you have in common with the aye-aye, sifaka, siamang, and potto? If you said your collarbone, you re probably a primatologist—a person who studies primates. If you’re not, read on.