Bartender, SPAM for everybody!
A plucky octopus, stupid aliens and pee-soaked jumpsuits
Nanu, nanu!
Welcome (back) to the Pocket Polymath, your weekly roundup of unexpected stories that could make you up to 68% smarter*.
This week we’re going extra-terrestrial, from the probability of aliens existing to everyone’s favourite Orkan, Mork (that SPAM quote in the header? His. As a Northerner, a primal respect for canned processed meat is in my blood).
Also on the menu: an octopus that is much braver than me, the alleged origins of the ‘x’ in algebra, and an unexpected aesthetic outcome from 17th-century witch massacres. Between all that and a truly terrible Ancient Greek-inspired joke, there’s sure to be something that makes you cry into your Tesco meal deal.
Enjoy!
*fake news
Know some funny, fantastic or f-ing freaky facts? Feel free to share!
Deep Blue Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
You’ve heard of Sharknado, now brace yourself for… SHARKTOPUS.
In New Zealand last week, marine researchers spotted a Maori octopus hitching a ride on a shortfin mako shark. Accident, hedonistic joyride… no one really knows. But this article paints a vivid picture: marine scientist Rochelle Constantine is quoted as saying, “The octopus may have been in for quite the experience… since the [mako] can reach 50km per hour.”
Some B-movies write themselves, don’t they?
Hex and balances
After centuries of wrongful executions, sham trials, and a shitload of unnecessary bonfires, Scotland has finally done right by its so-called ‘witches’ – by giving them their own tartan.
The new Witches of Scotland tartan, officially registered this month, pays tribute to the thousands (mostly women, let’s be real) who were accused of witchcraft in the 16th-18th centuries, usually for the terrible crime of making a cracking herbal tea or, you know, owning a cat. The pattern’s colours are steeped in meaning: red for the victims’ blood, grey for their ashes, and pink for the tape used to tie legal documents.
Because nothing says “sorry we burned you” like a piece of checked fabric.
(Less) close encounters
Nobody tell Richard Dreyfuss: the chances of aliens dropping us a line just got slimmer.
A recent study argues that because continents, oceans, and plate tectonics – all vital for life on our own planet – are rarities within the cosmos, the likelihood of finding technologically advanced extra-terrestrial civilisations is smaller than previously thought. Sad news for alien enthusiasts/the film industry, great news for John Hurt’s torso.
The question on nobody’s everybody’s lips…
Why do we use the letter x in algebra?
Some say it has its origins in Arabic mathematics, where Spanish scholars struggled to translate the word al-shayun (meaning "‘something’), and possibly swapped it for the Greek letter χ, which later became x in Latin. Others blame French philosopher René Descartes, who popularised using the last letters of the alphabet (x, y and z) for variables in his work on analytic geometry in the 17th century. There’s also a theory that Descartes used ‘x’ because printers had plenty of them in stock.
Word of the week
ECDYSIS
/EK-duh-sis/ [Ancient Greek, ἐκδύω meaning 'to take off, strip off']: the process of shedding the old skin (in reptiles) or casting off the outer cuticle (in insects and other arthropods)
If you’ve ever tried to pull down a jumpsuit in a public lav without getting your cuffs in floor pee, you’ll get the vibe.
And finally…
Yey! Great episode 😊😊