Новости за 13.11.2015

English started out as a kind of German brought to England by the Angles, Saxons and Jutes. This proto-English collided with the Celtic languages of the Scots and Welsh, before getting another Germanic overlay, Old Norse, from the Vikings. The Normans brought French. The Middle Ages brought infusions of Latin. The outcome is a language simple in some ways, complicated in others, that can cope with a lot of rough handling

A British perspective, in which class and wealth are confounded. “If you want to make lots of money – lots more than almost everyone else in the country – you have to go to Oxford, King’s College London or Imperial College, then get a job in London.” But don’t worry if you have to skip Eton. “The London-based economic elite are almost as likely to have attended comprehensive as private schools”

There are at least four evolutionary arguments explaining why humans often choose to help others. First, in the special case of genetic kinship; second, as part of a continuing trade in the giving and receiving of favours; third, to acquire a reputation for generosity and kindness; fourth, to advertise the giver’s high social status. “Only a genuinely superior individual can afford to advertise the fact by means of a costly gift”

Digest of the past month’s scientific news. “Malagasy lemurs yawn more following an episode of anxiety. The eruption of Cotopaxi threatened to kill off the Quito rocket frog. Climate change is shortening the tongues of bumblebees. Raindrops bounce ants into pitcher plants. Mad cow disease causes the Galician wolf to eat more wild ponies. Transcranial magnetic stimulation reduces belief in God”

A modern signalling system for the New York subway would allow trains to run more frequently, reduce delays, provide real-time travel information, and slash costs. But don’t hold your breath. The MTA’s attempt to upgrade a single stretch of line took 12 years. At that rate, upgrading the whole system would take 175 years and cost at least $20 billion. “You try to benchmark New York to other places and you can’t”