I love to read about interesting things that happen around the world, so if you’re like me, go ahead and read these tidbits of information that I’ve discovered over the past month! I hope you learn something new after reading~

1. A Cat to be Officially Ordained Stationmaster!

There’s a cat in Japan, named Yontama, who is the latest in a line of officially ordained stationmasters of the Wakayama Electric railway. The first, Tama, though deceased, holds the positions of ‘Honorary Eternal Stationmaster’ and spirit goddess ‘Tama Daimyōjin’ (たま大明神).

This bizarre but cute situation is also the very definition of ‘Nekonomics’ in practice, a term coined by the Japanese that refers to how cats can have an influence on the economy. In this case, Tama and his successors single-handedly saved the Kishigawa railway line in Japan’s Wakayama prefecture from being shut down.

^Tama, in the uniform of ‘Wakayama de Knight’, one of the many positions he was awarded during his life.

Links for further reading -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tama_(cat)

http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20190522-the-cat-who-saved-a-japanese-rail-line

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/04/08/business/economy-business/nekonomics-bit-keep-japans-economy-purring/

2. Brain Abnormality! What’s that?

A man of French nationality, who despite having most of his brain eroded, lives a relatively normal, healthy life as a civil servant married with two children.

The majority of his brain was compressed into a thin layer of tissue lining his skull as a result of fluid build-up from a condition called ‘hydrocephalus’.

Amazingly, despite his minimal remaining brain tissue, the man wasn't mentally disabled - he had a low IQ of 75, but was working as a civil servant and had a normal family.

Though it merely seems like a miracle, it has wider implications, especially in understanding ‘human consciousness’ and how we as humans perceive it.

Even though this man’s remaining brain was tiny, the leftover neurons were still able to generate a theory about themselves, which means the man remained conscious of his actions.

This renewed understanding of the capabilities of the human brain (which are still largely mysterious to us) can help in understanding and reversing illnesses that result in neurodegeneration.

In the above image, the black region is all fluid, the thin grey matter lining the skull is all that is remaining of the man’s brain - 10% of what is present in normal human beings.

Further reading -

https://www.sciencealert.com/a-man-who-lives-without-90-of-his-brain-is-challenging-our-understanding-of-consciousness