HUMANS EVOLVED TO COMPETE IN A COOPERATIVE WORLD

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Based on the provided text, here is a gist of the key points:

• Humans are political and social animals, but not necessarily designed to be perfectly collaborative. While we excel at cooperation, we also have evolved to be highly competitive and deceitful, leading to a constant tension between these two behaviors.

• Our large brains evolved to handle complex social dynamics. The sophistication of the human brain is linked to our ability to navigate a world that requires both cooperation and competition, including the capacity for cunning and manipulation, as well as the ability to assess when to trust others.

• We are programmed to work together, but betrayal is always a possibility. We have a deep-seated need to cooperate to survive, yet we are also wired to detect deceit and betrayal. This is a crucial element of our social intelligence.

• Experiments show the conflict between cooperation and betrayal. A psychological experiment is described where participants in a cooperation game often split the money unevenly or even betrayed others, highlighting that not everyone is trustworthy and our ability to detect these intentions is a vital human trait.

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Based on the text provided, here is a gist of the key points:

• Humans have evolved to cooperate, but also to compete and be deceptive. The text argues that humans are "invisible rivals," meaning we have a deeply ingrained tendency to deceive and betray, even while cooperating. This is a crucial element of our social nature, and our culture and immune system have evolved to handle this conflict.

• Social systems and religious institutions help manage this conflict. To facilitate cooperation on a large scale, societies have developed "cultural immune systems," such as laws and social norms, to protect against betrayal and to punish cheaters. The text suggests that religions, with rules like the "Golden Rule," serve a similar purpose, providing a framework for trusting others and fostering cooperation.

• Our biological defenses have evolved in tandem with our social systems. The article draws an analogy between the body's immune system, which fights off internal threats like cancer and external threats like viruses, and our social systems. It suggests that our bodies have evolved biological mechanisms, such as programmed cell death, to deal with internal threats, just as society has developed ways to deal with "cheaters" and "free-riders" to ensure the survival of the group.

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AIRFLIGHT X EARTHS ROTATION 

The Coriolis Effect and travel time: The main question posed is why flying east takes the same amount of time as flying west, even though the Earth rotates at a high speed. The answer is that the plane's speed is measured relative to the ground and the air it's flying through, not the absolute rotation of the Earth. The atmosphere moves with the planet, so a plane at a high altitude is already rotating along with the Earth.

Air travel vs. Earth's rotation: Two different perspectives are offered. One suggests that the atmosphere also rotates with the Earth, so a plane isn't flying "against" or "with" the spin of the planet in a way that significantly alters flight time. The other perspective is that air masses move differently depending on their location relative to the equator, which can have an impact, but the overall effect is still negligible for a commercial flight.

Photosynthesis at night (Lunar Glow): The article discusses whether plants can photosynthesize using moonlight. While it is theoretically possible for plants to use low-level light, there has been little evolutionary pressure to develop this ability since they receive sufficient sunlight during the day.

Low-Light Photosynthesis: A study found that microalgae can photosynthesize at depths of up to 50 meters under the Arctic sea ice, where light levels are extremely low—just four times the minimum required. Another type of bacteria was found photosynthesizing at depths of 2500 meters, surviving on the faint glow from hydrothermal vents.

The Importance of "Please": The text addresses the question of why "please" is such a crucial word. It's explained as a word that implies a level of politeness and a request to "do good." The example given is the Danish word "vaersgod," which is a shortened version of "would you be so good as to." This highlights how the word is a way of showing respect and making a polite request rather than a demand.