In 25 May 1986, 6.5 million people joined hands over 6,638km (4,125 miles) from New York to Los Angeles to do an impossible thing. They were part of Hands Across America, a fundraising stunt to improve awareness about hunger and homelessness in the world’s richest country. I was there. We held hands for 15 minutes. It was thrilling.
Hands Across America was organized by a team of people who had their internal threshold of reality skewed by successfully carrying off previously impossible things. The team was the USA for Africa, who, a year before had raised $64m (about £45m) for famine relief with the charity single We Are The World. As Marty Rogol, the executive director of the USA for Africa, explained to me, “we were probably a little full of ourselves in terms of what we could accomplish.”
Bu hikaye BBC Focus - Science & Technology dergisinin June 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye BBC Focus - Science & Technology dergisinin June 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.
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IS IT SAFE TO RUN EVERY DAY, OR SHOULD I DITCH MY RUN STREAK TO SAVE MY KNEES?
A running streak, where you run every day without taking rest days, can be highly motivating and beneficial for overall fitness. Running is great cardiovascular exercise and isn't to be discouraged (and finding a routine with some consistency is great). Getting a bit of exercise as often as possible is also hugely beneficial for your mental health.
WHAT MAKES THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET SO GOOD FOR US?
The Mediterranean diet may help you live longer, especially if you also adopt the lifestyle of people living near the Med during the 1950s.
WHAT IS MEXICO'S BLUE HOLE?
The world's deepest blue hole (marine sinkhole) lies off the coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. It's at least 420m (1,378ft) deep, but explorers still haven't found its bottom.
HOW CAN I TELL IF I'VE GOT HIGH CORTISOL LEVELS?
Cortisol is a hormone produced by glands in our bodies called the adrenal glands, which sit above the kidneys. It plays a critical role in various bodily functions, including regulating metabolism, reducing inflammation and helping the body respond to stress. While essential for our health, chronic elevation of cortisol levels can lead to several issues.
THE LUNGFISH
In 1836, European scientists discovered a peculiar animal from the River Amazon that they struggled to identify. Its eel-like body was a few feet long and its air-filled lungs persuaded anatomists it must be a reptile.
ARE WE THE ONLY SPECIES TO HAVE BEEN THROUGH A STONE AGE?
The Stone Age might conjure up images of early humans, sitting around a campfire or hunting prehistoric beasts, but evidence shows that we're not the only species that has learned how to work with stone tools. Wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) use stone tools to crack open nuts.
Should we scrap daylight saving time?
Most of us look forward to the extra hour we get in bed every October, but researchers argue that changing the clocks twice a year harms our health
THE INTERNET OF ANIMALS
SCIENTISTS ARE USING ELECTRONIC TAGS AND SATELLITES TO TRACK WILD ANIMALS AND CREATE A DATA NETWORK THAT COULD HELP US ADDRESS THE BIODIVERSITY CRISIS
MUSIC FOR A DISTRACTED GENERATION
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