Enjoy these fascinating reads from across the internet:
- What can the healthcare system learn from chain restaurants like the Cheesecake Factory, Pizza Hut and Red Lobster? Atul Gawande explores. [New Yorker] Watch Atul’s brilliant talk from TED2012, “How do we heal medicine?”
. - In 2009, American students ranked 23rd in the world in science and 31st in math, out of a pool of 65 countries. Is raising the bar on science classes the key to raising performance? A look at the Next Generation Science Standards. [Scientific American]
. - This is how sperm whales sleep. [Buzzfeed]
. - Portland, Oregon, has gone through an economic renaissance in recent years. Here, a few lessons other cities can take away. [Slate]
. - Neuroscientist Rebecca Saxe talks about her fascinating work examining what in the brain drives conflict and prevents reconciliation. [Edge.org] Watch her excellent talk from TEDGlobal 2009, “How we read each other’s minds.”
. - Of the world’s population, about 1.5 billion currently live without electricity. Here’s one idea for how to bring power to remote areas. [Good]
. - Check out the first color panoramic pic from the Mars rover Curiosity. [BBC News]
. - Beck’s next album will have an interesting twist — you have to play the music yourself. In other words, it comes as sheet music. [Newser]