"A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved - I do not expect the house to fall - but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other.”

-Abraham Lincoln at the Illinois Republican State Convention in 1858

Drawing from biblical terms, Abraham Lincoln was clearly on the dot when he stated “a house divided against itself cannot stand” in reference to the antebellum United States. Three years after he said this, the United States Civil War began. Though applied to the United States at the time, this idea can perhaps be echoed in various civil conflicts - not always violent - that led to the ultimate geographic division of nations in recent history. This week, we’ll take a look at several historic examples in which nations split geographically as well as some speculation on current politically “fragile” nations. In the midst of all this conflict, there is still opportunity for growth.

With only 24 hours in a day, it can sometimes be an inconvenience knowing that you should probably sleep for about a third of that time. Our need for sleep does vary throughout our lifetimes since younger children need more sleep than adults. The need for sleep even varies among people, with some individuals functioning fine on less than 6.5 hours of sleep per night (thanks to a genetic predisposition), even though most people need 7-9 hours. Despite this variation, it’s no surprise that a significant proportion of people across the world get less sleep than they need. This is concerning because a lack of sleep is associated with a variety of chronic health conditions. Based on a 2020 survey of 13,000 people representing 13 different countries, the average adult gets only about 6.9 hours of sleep on weeknights. So, this week we’re going to take some time to look at our human need for sleep, factors that affect our ability to sleep, and some insights into how other organisms “sleep”. Hopefully this article doesn’t end up putting you to sleep… well, unless you really need to get some shut-eye. Then I suppose that would be a good thing?

The human brain is certainly an impressive organ. It serves as the epicenter of our critical thinking abilities, senses, muscle movements, and many other aspects of our bodily functions. Unfortunately, the brain also has its flaws when it comes to how we process information. We face a series of engrained cognitive biases and misconceptions that can lead us astray when making decisions or going about our daily life, even if these biases and misconceptions are present to help simplify the world around us. While there is quite the list of identified or hypothesized cognitive biases (with some having strange names such as the “IKEA effect”), I only picked a few to cover in this article. Understanding some of these biases will not prevent you from making poor decisions in your life….that’s still bound to happen…. BUT maybe you’ll be able to catch yourself once in a while.

As summer approaches at an alarmingly fast rate, we might find ourselves flocking more towards planes, trains, and automobiles… and bicycles… to travel around and get out of the house. Transportation infrastructure as a whole can bring about some great memories, such as road tripping or soaring past the landscape in a train. It can also bring some horrible ones, such as getting stuck in traffic or dealing with a public transportation delay. All in all, this infrastructure is usually able to get us where we want to go, even if it takes longer than we expected. This week is in honor of the roads that pave the way to our destination. We’ll take a brief look at the history of roads as well as current trends in road infrastructure around the world. So put the car in Drive and let’s get to it. Just kidding; driving while reading Grow Weekly at the same time sounds extremely dangerous.

GROWTH. It’s something we like to hear when it comes to our retirement account or our business interests. We also like to hear it when it comes to personal growth and getting to read the newest Grow Weekly article, but that’s a bit off-topic for now. Economic growth usually signifies more jobs, higher salaries, and generally an overall better standard of living. If the economy isn’t growing, then we may even run into political and social strife… but what are the potential costs of an ever-growing economy, if any? This week, we’ll take a crack at examining some costs and benefits to economic growth, and we’ll explore an economic idea that may serve as an alternative.

This week, we’ll mix things up a bit. The topic is somewhat all-encompassing because we’ll be taking a look at time. By time, I mean timescales and how we as humans measure the strange phenomenon of time in units of “seconds”. What is a second anyways? Originally, the basis of the “second” was simply one day split into 86,400 equal parts, each of which was considered one second. One day was defined by the time it took for the Earth to rotate once on its axis, as determined by the position of the sun in the sky. This would be rather simple, except for the fact that the Earth’s rotation is slowing down slowly and is not always consistent… 400 million years ago, the Earth rotated on its axis 400 times (400 days) by the time it rotated around the sun once (one year). These days, we measure seconds on a much more consistent basis of the frequency of atomic radiation coming from a Cesium-133 atom transitioning between two hyperfine levels of ground state. Much more complicated, yes, but it seems to be working out alright. Regardless, the “second” still seems relatively short in our daily lives (except when you’re doing a plank). As arbitrary as one “second” is, we can use it to express one of the greatest enigmas known to mankind: time. This week, we’re going to explore the various timescales from the transient (femtoseconds, or 10E-15 seconds) to the nearly infinite (exaseconds, or 10E18 seconds) and certain phenomena that occur over the various lengths of time. Hopefully this article doesn’t plunge you into an existential crisis… but that one’s on you.

Ah yes, happy hour… who doesn’t like a good deal? And while we’re on the topic of good deals, it would be silly not to talk about the amazing deal we have with yeast as an organism. We give yeast food, and they give us happy hour (well, they give us alcohol anyway) through the process of fermentation. The thing is, this process of fermentation does SO much more than make your local happy hour possible. Fermentation also gives us a whole bunch of foods such as bread, yogurt, and chocolate. It also happens in our own bodies to give us energy when we run out of oxygen, and in our gut when our digestive system absorbs nutrients. There are certainly other applications of fermentation, but we’ll hold off on those for now. This week, we’ll take a look at fermentation as a process, how it’s harnessed by us humans, and how you can set up your own fermentation at home. There’s no better way to enjoy happy hour than to indulge in a freshly posted Grow Weekly article… and a fermented beverage, too, of course.

What time is it?! Well, I have no idea what time it is while you’re reading this, but I CAN tell you the time on the Doomsday Clock… which back in 2020 was set to 100 seconds to midnight (“midnight” = world apocalypse). For reference, this is the closest to “midnight” that the Doomsday Clock has been set since its inception back in 1947, when it was started by Einstein and a few other scientists from the Manhattan Project to gauge how close we are to nuclear apocalypse. Don’t worry, the world isn’t actually ending in the next 100 seconds (as far as I know). These days, the Doomsday Clock has some other aspects thrown in, like climate change and biosecurity threats, but nuclear risk still remains a harrowing concern to our world. Compared to other global threats, the risk of nuclear apocalypse is relatively new due to the nascence of nuclear technology within the last 100 years. Having a healthy fear of nuclear technology seems to be a good thing, but nuclear technology has also proven to be beneficial. This week, we’ll take a closer look at the history of nuclear technology (primarily not-so-nice nuclear weaponry), some of the alternative uses of nuclear technology, and what appear to be some of the future developments in the area. So no… this Grow Weekly article does not provide a guide for surviving a nuclear apocalypse. You’re on your own if that actually happens.

Some studies estimate that up to 45% of the decisions we make on a daily basis are controlled by habits, with very little conscious thought or willpower involved. Trying to start up a new exercise routine as a New Years’ Resolution or attempting to break a reliance on coffee every morning can be more difficult than most of us would like to admit. Habits certainly aren’t all unhealthy or negative, though…. (hopefully) most people have established a habit of brushing their teeth every day or washing their hands after using the bathroom. Some companies may even rely on consumers “habit buying” their products in order to maintain a market share. Since habits seem to influence so much of what we do, this week we’ll take some time to go into more detail on where habits come from, the importance of habits, and some strategies for making and breaking our own habits. Maybe you can even use the strategies in this article to start a habit of reading each new Grow Weekly as it gets posted (which I will argue is a good habit)…

Well, this week we won’t be talking about some lost civilization like Atlantis. By “kingdom”, I’m referencing taxonomic kingdoms used to classify all life on Earth. These kingdoms most recently (based on a multinational publication in 2015) include plantae, bacteria, archaea, protozoa, chromista, animalia, and fungi. Kingdom classifications seem to shift over time as we discover new organisms and learn more about life on Earth, but I’m sure most of us remain familiar with the more common ones such as animals (animalia), plants (plantae), and bacteria. And then there’s FUNGI (we’ll ignore archaea, protozoa, and chromista for now). Much more than just mushrooms, the Kingdom Fungi has provided humanity with endless benefits that seem to go unrecognized: beer and wine, medicines, foods such as leavened bread or soy sauce, psychedelic drugs (if you’re into that kind of thing), textiles, and even building materials. The largest organism on Earth is even suspected to be one honey fungus that’s well over 1,000 years old (some suspect 8,650 years old) and living in the Blue Mountains of Oregon. That particular honey fungus spans more than 3 square miles. While we don’t usually think much of the fungi that surround us, maybe it’s time we get to know them better. This week, we’ll take a look at the various types of fungi, how fungi can be cultivated, and the amazing uses of fungi. Don your adventurer outfit and let’s get ready to explore the hidden kingdom of fungi…

Imagine, just for a moment, that you lived in a time and place where you had absolutely NO IDEA what the weather was going to be like tomorrow. There could be a hurricane on the horizon, or a snowstorm, or an extreme heat wave.... and you would have no idea. While you might be able to predict basic weather patterns based on recurring seasonal changes, the precision and accuracy of weather forecasting today is relatively impressive. The general practice of forecasting is basically making predictions based on the information and data we have NOW. Forecasting is not necessarily a “crystal ball” that we use to see into the future, but it may be the closest we can get. And you can certainly apply forecasting to address questions besides “what is the temperature going to be tomorrow?”. Whether it involves high-tech monitoring equipment, complex mathematical models, or some person claiming to have an expert opinion, forecasting is exceedingly useful. This week, we’ll take a look at how forecasting is applied in the fields of politics, meteorology and climate, and economics. I’m forecasting that this is going to be an interesting article, but read on to find out...

It is almost impossible to escape music in our lives, whether you take part in a military march, hear a bird singing, or regularly listen to “American Top 40” with Ryan Seacrest. And, depending on what you’re listening to, it is ALSO nearly impossible to resist the movement frequently associated with music: dancing. Our dance abilities may range from someone who looks like a wet noodle on the dance floor to someone that’s a ballet virtuoso, and sometimes our fragile self-image may prevent us from dancing at all in social situations. Despite varying abilities and inclinations to dance, all human cultures exhibit some form of dance that pairs with music. This week, we’ll discuss why humans dance, different types of dances around the world, and some benefits to dancing. Put on those dancing shoes and get ready to boogie... only after you read the rest of this article, of course.

If you’re in-tune with new technologies, you’ve probably grown used to the term “smart” being applied to almost everything: smartphone, smart watch, smart lock, smart toilet, smart thermostat, smart refrigerators... it’s a fairly long list. In the midst of all this “smart” technology, though, you may or may not have heard the term “Smart City” at one point or another. Many of us might understand that it’s the internet connectivity and software capabilities that lend the smart-ness to a smartphone, but what makes a city so “smart”? This week we’ll take a look at what a Smart City is, some of the current technologies and ideas that operate within Smart Cities, new technologies and ideas on the horizon, and some concerns when it comes to Smart Cities. Don’t be fooled by the name... these technologies and ideas can frequently be applied to smaller towns and municipalities as well, so this isn’t just for you city folks.

Well, about two weeks into the new year and it’s typically around this time that most people give up on those New Year Resolutions unfortunately. If your New Years Resolution had anything to do with personal health or diet, then this article might be for you. If not, then you should still read this article because I’m willing to bet that you consume calories of some kind. One difficulty many of us face in starting a diet is deciding what types of foods fit with our goals – whether that be to gain weight, lose weight, or just get healthy. There’s no shortage of mainstream diets that we hear about: Paleo, Atkins’, vegetarian, Low-fat, Mediterranean, Dukan, no sugar, et cetera. It seems like our understanding of what constitutes a healthy diet is ever-changing as well, and the layout of the Food Pyramid itself has shifted over the years from its initial introduction to the United States in 1992. This week, let’s try to elucidate this miasma of diet information by looking at the evolution of the Food Pyramid, the results of some of the largest food studies, and some general caveats to diet research. Dig in!

The only certainty besides death? Taxes... at least according to some individuals like Ben Franklin. Taxes may not seem like a particularly thrilling topic, but the subject itself can be exciting since it stirs so much controversy. Who gets taxed, and how much? Where does the tax money go? Why does tax law have to be so confusing??? History shows us that taxes are of great concern with examples in Mahatma Gandhi’s Salt March in 1930 as resistance against British salt taxes or the Rosetta Stone created as a multi-lingual written tax decree from the Ptolemaic Dynasty in 2nd Century B.C. Many imperialistic civilizations throughout history imposed taxes on conquered peoples, and tax systems themselves have evolved over the last few millennia. This week, we’ll take a look at modern taxes in the United States, where the money goes, and how the United States compares to other countries in these respects. Don’t worry... tax season in 2021 still hasn’t kicked into gear for most people, so sit back, relax, and enjoy this article brought to you tax-free.

This article isn’t necessarily a how-to guide on having friends, and no, it is also not a method for obtaining a copy of the TV series Friends. This article does present a few ideas that can be useful in understanding the platonic relationships in your life, though. For those that may be thinking, “I don’t need friends anyways” ... you may be wrong. Recent research has begun to point towards the idea that maintaining social connections helps you stay healthy and live longer. While research on human connection has spawned numerous theories, this week we’ll just focus on a few ideas related to friends. Maybe even send this article to one of your friends and see what they think (yes, this is a not-so-subtle marketing ploy for Grow Weekly, but it’s also on-theme).

The Blue Planet – certainly an appropriate nickname for Earth, where around 71% of the surface is covered in water. Maybe more importantly to us as humans, though, is that a small fraction of this water is freshwater... less than 3% of the water on Earth. And only a small fraction of this freshwater is accessible for drinking. Drinking water is an extraordinarily precious resource, and access to clean drinking water is an even greater privilege. This week, we’ll take a look at what actually causes drinking water contamination as well as drinking water treatment technologies used around the world. Pour yourself a glass of H2O and let’s dive in...

Home. It takes many forms, and can range from a sprawling oceanside mansion to a small urban studio apartment… a quiet suburban home to a mattress in the back of a van. The idea of home can elicit different feelings, and it isn’t even always a safe place to some of us. For this week, we’ll look at matters surrounding housing disparities – primarily for urban areas – and some positive ideas in the housing realm.

In 2017, close to 270 Million tons of municipal waste was generated in the United States, with around 10% of this total municipal waste being composted. While that’s a great start, compare that to ~30% at the very least which COULD have been composted (i.e. yard trimmings and food waste). So... why is composting a good thing? And how exactly can we get started composting at home? This week, we’ll take a crack at answering these questions along with a few others related to composting.

The two-party political system in the United States seems like a great breeding ground for polarization and “us against them” sorts of conflict. Though George Washington warned against the creation of political parties when the United States was in its youth, it seemed almost inevitable that they would arise. This week, we’ll take a brief look at the evolution of United States political parties, the existence of third parties, and a few different party models found internationally. Slap on your party hat and let’s get to it.