At NPSC we know that one of the best ways to keep your brain healthy is to learn new things. Unfortunately, with all of the information available to us, it can feel almost impossible to find the time to sift through the web to find the gems.

So, we’ve decided to do it for you! Every Friday, you can find five new articles or videos from the week that will stretch your mind, fuel your spirit, and feed your brain.

“HOW THE JUMP ROPE GOT ITS RHYTHM” by Kyra Gaunt, ted.com

“Hip-hop owes a lot to the queens of double dutch. Ethnomusicologist Kyra Gaunt takes us on a tour of the fascinating history of the jump rope.”

“WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE PERSEVERANCE LANDS ON MARS” by Nora McGreevy, smithsonianmag.com

“Experts describe their plans for the February 18 event, what could go wrong and what they hope to learn.”

“HOW BOSTON CREAM PIE CHANGED AMERICANS’ RELATIONSHIP WITH CHOCOLATE” by Julie Tremaine, atlasobscura.com

“It was likely the country’s first cake made with cacao.”

“GLIMPSES OF AN ANCIENT FIRE-WALKING RITUAL IN NORTHERN GREECE” by Demetrios Ioannou, nytimes.com

“Each May in the small Greek village of Lagadas, a group of celebrants upholds a three-day tradition that incorporates a range of age-old rites.”

“THE SUBTLE MINDSET SHIFT THAT COULD RADICALLY CHANGE THE WAY YOU SEE THE WORLD” by Arthur C. Brooks, theatlantic.com

“The Dalai Lama teaches that we are all interconnected and inseparable from one another. Acknowledging that can make us less lonely, more compassionate, and better investigators of the truth.”

At NPSC we know that one of the best ways to keep your brain healthy is to learn new things. Unfortunately, with all of the information available to us, it can feel almost impossible to find the time to sift through the web to find the gems.

So, we’ve decided to do it for you! Every Friday, you can find five new articles or videos from the week that will stretch your mind, fuel your spirit, and feed your brain.

“HOW TO MEANINGFULLY RECONNECT WITH THOSE WHO HAVE DEMENTIA” by Anne Basting, ted.com

“By incorporating art and creativity into elder care settings, gerontologist Anne Basting helps families reconnect with loved ones who have dementia. In this moving talk, she shares how asking “beautiful questions” — questions that don’t have a right or wrong answer — opens up a shared path of discovery, imagination and wonder.”

“NEW U.S. CIVIL RIGHTS TRAIL BOOK HIGHLIGHTS ‘HISTORY YOU CAN TOUCH'” by Katherine LaGrave, afar.com

“The travel guide, released in January 2021, gives readers a road map to exploring the legacy of the movement.”

“THE TRUE HISTORY AND SWASHBUCKLING MYTH BEHIND THE TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS’ NAMESAKE” by Nora McGreevy, smithsonianmag.com

“Pirates did roam the Gulf Coast, but more myths than facts have inspired the regional folklore.”

“MERRIAM-WEBSTER ADDS MORE THAN 520 NEW WORDS TO DICTIONARY, INCLUDING ‘COVID-19,’ ‘SECOND GENTLEMAN’ AND ‘SAPIOSEXUAL” by Hannah Herrera Greenspan, Chicago Tribune/triblive.com

“Brewster says lexicographers pay attention to how language changes, and how culture and social media influence the addition of new words.”

“CAN EXERCISE MAKE YOU MORE CREATIVE?” by Gretchen Reynolds, nytimes.com

“To spur innovation and ideas, try taking a walk.”

At NPSC we know that one of the best ways to keep your brain healthy is to learn new things. Unfortunately, with all of the information available to us, it can feel almost impossible to find the time to sift through the web to find the gems.

So, we’ve decided to do it for you! Every Friday, you can find five new articles or videos from the week that will stretch your mind, fuel your spirit, and feed your brain.

“LUCK, FORESIGHT AND SCIENCE: HOW AN UNHERALDED TEAM DEVELOPED A COVID-19 VACCINE IN RECORD TIME” by David Heath and Gus Garcia-Roberts, usatoday.com

“Credit for Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine belongs in part to discoveries dating back 15 years. The team behind it was inspired by two infant deaths.”

“25 GREAT WRITERS AND THINKERS WEIGH IN ON BOOKS THAT MATTER” by Tina Jordan, Noor Qasim and John Williams, nytimes.com

“To celebrate the Book Review’s 125th anniversary, we’re dipping into the archives to revisit our most thrilling, memorable and thought-provoking coverage.”

“FRANCESCA JONES QUALIFIES FOR AUSTRALIAN OPEN YEARS AFTER DOCTORS RULED HER OUT OF TENNIS” by abc.net.au

“The now-20-year-old Brit was born with the rare genetic condition, ectrodactyly ectodermal dysplasia syndrome, leaving her with three fingers and a thumb on each hand and a total of seven toes.”

“RETIRED MATHEMATICIAN FIXES BIKES FOR HUNDREDS WITHOUT CHARGING A DIME” by Chip Reid, cbsnews.com

“The avid cyclist and retired mathematician has since fixed more than 650 bikes for friends, neighbors, even strangers.”

“INAUGURATION HIGHLIGHTS RAINBOW PAINTING BY AFRICAN AMERICAN ARTIST” by Eleanor Jones Harvey, americanart.si.edu

“A curator decodes the powerful messaging in this landscape painting.”