Sciencespeaking topic
Most people who accept evolution still misunderstand it, why human intuition is so bad at grasping how science actually works.
— YouTube (Veritasium evolution video)
practice with this topic
Set the timer (5-30 min), take 20 seconds of prep if you like, start talking. Jot your thoughts onto the sticky-note board.
similar topics
- There is no sound in space, because there is no air to carry it. Even the greatest star explosions happen in absolute silence. Does an explosion no one hears really count as having 'made a sound'?
- Wanting versus liking: according to Berridge, wanting something and taking pleasure in it are separate systems in our brain. Why are we so often disappointed once we get the very thing we wanted?
- A calorie is a thermodynamic measure, not a measure of digestion: 100 calories of almonds and 100 calories of sugar don't behave the same in the body. Why is 'a calorie is a calorie' half right and half wrong?
- Publication bias: journals print striking positive results and toss we found nothing into the drawer. How much do the failed attempts we never see distort the facts we think we know?
- A young bird can migrate thousands of kilometers and return to the very same tree without ever seeing a map. No one taught it, there is no GPS. Can information sometimes be carried in the body without being learned?