IB Theory of Knowledge - an ongoing list of interesting finds

Elizabeth Loftus, a professor at the University of California, Irvine, is the most influential female psychologist of the twentieth century ( New Yorker feature article ) "Her work helped usher in a paradigm shift, rendering obsolete the archival model of memory—the idea, dominant for much of the twentieth century, that our memories exist in some sort of mental library, as literal representations of past events. According to Loftus, who has published twenty-four books and more than six hundred papers, memories are reconstructed, not replayed." Also, check out this interview with Loftus from the American Psychological Association, where Loftus discusses  how our recollections of events and experiences may be subject to manipulation. 

The Smithsonian published this engaging review of a recent publication entitled  Women and Other Monsters: Building a New Mythology .  Explore the myths surrounding many female monsters from ancient Greek and Roman tradition.  "M onsters reveal more about humans than one might think. As figments of the imagination, the alien, creepy-crawly, fanged, winged and otherwise-terrifying creatures that populate myths have long helped societies define cultural boundaries and answer an age-old question: What counts as human, and what counts as monstrous?" Caravaggio,  Medusa , 1595  

A feature article on how one particular group is mitigating the ongoing natural crises of flooding and fires throughout Australia.  "What’s the solution to mitigating these disasters? More technology, more fire fighters, more flood-proofing? Those may sound like reasonable, modern fixes, but many believe the answer really lies in the past. Indigenous communities in Australia have dealt with wildfires for millennia using natural technology, namely fire itself." Photographed by Talei Elu.

The Guardian reports on knowledge at risk as language disappears.   "Knowledge of medicinal plants is at risk of disappearing as human languages become extinct, a new study has warned. Indigenous languages contain vast amounts of knowledge about ecosystem services provided by the natural world around them. However, more than  30% of the 7,400 languages on the planet are expected to disappear  by the end of the century, according to the UN." Amazonian herbal remedies on sale at Ver-o-Peso market in Belem, Brazil.  Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty