SHINING FACTS

You won't take light for granted after learning these mind-blowing facts

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Without light, there would be nothing - or at least we wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. A form of electromagnetic radiation that we evolved to perceive through our eyes, light is as mysterious a phenomenon as it is universal.

Delve with us into these 10 intriguing facts about light that will enlighten your mind and spark your curiosity.

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Light constantly refuses to behave as we expect it to. Defying classification, it can exhibit characteristics of both particles and waves, a concept known as wave-particle duality. The famous double-slit experiment is one of the best demonstrations of this weird phenomenon, which seems to challenge our understanding of the fundamental nature of our reality.

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Light sails are devices that harness the power of photons from sunlight or directed lasers to propel spacecraft. These sails utilize the momentum generated by photons striking their reflective surfaces, providing a potential means for interstellar travel without the need for conventional fuel. Although the phenomenon was known for centuries - even Johannes Kepler suggested that it could be exploited to navigate the void of space - it was successfully demonstrated for the first time in 2010 by the IKAROS experimental spacecraft.

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Lasers, short for "Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation," are concentrated beams of coherent light with numerous practical applications. From cutting-edge technologies like laser surgery and laser printing to everyday devices like barcode scanners and DVD players, lasers have revolutionized various industries since their invention in the 60s.

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While the speed of light in a vacuum (about 186,282 miles per second) is considered a universal physical constant, it can still vary wildly when passing through different mediums. For instance, light slows down when passing through transparent substances such as water or glass, which is why objects underwater appear distorted.

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When light interacts with matter, it can be absorbed, causing the material to heat up. However, some materials can also emit some of this residual energy as light when excited by an external energy source. This phenomenon, known as fluorescence, is observed in all sorts of natural materials and even in some living organisms.

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Cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) is the oldest light in the universe, dating back to just 380,000 years after the Big Bang. While you can't see the CMB with your naked eye, its faint glow permeates the cosmos and provides crucial insights into the early universe's structure and composition. To appreciate it, scientists have to tune into the microwave part of the electromagnetic spectrum.

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Light is extensively used in medicine, and for a wide range of applications. Phototherapy, the therapeutic use of light, has been employed for centuries to treat various medical conditions. From UV light for skin disorders to laser therapy for surgical procedures, light-based treatments are way more common than you would think.

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Optical trapping, or laser tweezers, is a technique that uses super-focused laser beams to trap and manipulate microscopic particles. This groundbreaking method has a myriad of applications in both physics and biological research, allowing scientists to study individual cells or molecules with unprecedented precision.

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Polarized light waves vibrate in a specific orientation, filtering out light waves oscillating in other directions. This property is harnessed in polarized sunglasses to reduce glare and improve visibility. Additionally, polarized light plays a vital role in technologies such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs), and can be even used for orientation in navigation. In fact, some researchers believe that Vikings made use of a polarizing device (a "sunstone") to find the location of the sun even in a completely overcast sky.

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Where would we be without optical fiber? Not on the Internet, most likely. These flexible strands of glass or plastic allow us to transmit light signals over long distances with minimal loss of signal quality, and they form the backbone of modern telecommunications networks, allowing for rapid and efficient communication across the globe. Also, optical fibers play a crucial role in medical imaging techniques like endoscopy, providing minimally invasive means of visualizing internal structures within the human body.

ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE

"Love Is Blind" And 10 Other Phrases That Came From Shakespeare

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Shakespeare’s genius even influenced many phrases and idioms we unknowingly use every day. That's why we have comprised this list of ten common expressions that were either created or made famous by Shakespeare and his characters.

American literary critic Harold Bloom once said, "Shakespeare will not make us better and will not make us worse, but he may allow us to overhear ourselves when we talk to ourselves." The Bard’s impact on modern literature can’t be denied, but to limit it to the written word would be an extreme disservice to countless other works of art inspired by his works.

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Thinking back on your youth can be a bit of a double-edged sword: one might enjoy reminiscing about our heyday and carefree years, but we might also end up remembering those embarrassing moments when inexperience got the best of us. In any case, the beauty of the phrase "salad days" lies in its ability to encompass both the comfort and the naivete of youth.

Shakespeare coined this expression in the first act of Antony and Cleopatra, when the Queen of the Nile looks back on her relationship with Julius Caesar saying, "My salad days, / When I was green in judgment...." While it is true that Shakespeare’s original meaning for the phrase was about youthful inexperience, currently, "salad days" is more commonly used to refer to someone’s prime.

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To be the butt of an innocent joke or prank is usually harmless. When done in good fun, it’s good to laugh at ourselves. Having said that, to be the laughing stock is an entirely different matter: This expression means to be subjected to general mockery or ridicule, most of the time at one’s expense.

The Bard knew exactly what he was doing when he wrote this line in The Merry Wives of Windsor. In the play, Sir Hugh Evans advises Dr Caius, "Pray you let us not be laughing stocks to other men’s humours." What’s so effective about this phrase is that it conjures up the image of medieval stocks, wooden restraining devices usually used for public embarrassment. In that sense, the ridicule of being the laughing stock could be considered equivalent to being publicly displayed for humiliation.

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No, we are not talking about The Hulk here, unless Marvel’s city-wrecking superhero is now fueled by jealousy instead of anger. "Green-eyed monster" alludes to both a physical manifestation of jealousy (as some sort of unmanageable creature) or someone who is so overridden by this nasty feeling that they lose control of themselves. Shakespeare used this expression in his play Othello: In it, the double-faced advisor Iago tries to make Othello doubt the faithfulness of his wife, and warns him, "O, beware, my lord, of jealousy! / It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock / The meat it feeds on."

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"To wear your heart on your sleeve" is a fairly common expression nowadays, and it is used to describe displaying intimate feelings openly to someone. While there is some debate as to where this expression comes from, the first recorded use comes (once again) from Othello: Curiously, a phrase as honest and sincere as this one comes from the duplicitous villain Iago, who says, "But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve / For daws to peck at: I am not what I am."

It is worth noting that the sleeve used here may not necessarily refer to a piece of cloth that covers our arm. Some linguists believe that the expression might originate from medieval jousting, where knights would wear a token of a lady of the court on their arm armor, known then as a sleeve.

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Contrary to popular belief, this expression does not come from chasing wild geese (or from the substantially scarier image of being chased by them). It refers to a type of horse race practiced in Elizabethan times, where a group of riders would follow and try to keep up with a single rider galloping ahead of them. The name comes from the shape the formation takes since it is similar to the pattern taken by geese in flight.

Shakespeare used this expression in Romeo and Juliet, where the character of Mercutio compares an exchange of jokes between Romeo and himself to a "wild goose chase" race. Mercutio states, "Nay, if our wits run the wild-goose chase, I am done; for thou / hast more of the wild goose in one of thy wits than, I am sure, I / have in my whole five."

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"Cry 'havoc!' And let slip the dogs of war!" This phrase has been endlessly repeated in several pieces of media, muttered by cold and heartless villains ranging from Star Trek to Superman. It’s almost funny how such a somber, heavy line has evolved up to the point of it becoming a bit of a corny cliche. Shakespeare uses this line in Julius Caesar as a way to convey the horrors and bloodshed of war when Mark Anthony instigates the Roman people to rise against Julius Caesar’s assassins.

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This one is a little bit baffling. You, like many others, might be wondering what’s the story behind this commonly-used idiom: We all know what it means, but since when is a doornail synonymous with death? Does that mean that the doornail was at one point alive? And, for that matter, why specifically a doornail? Is the way they move through the eternal, unchanging cycle of life and death truly the main difference between common nails and those specifically hammered into a door?

We might have gone a bit off track here. Going back to Shakespeare, the Bard made this expression popular in Henry IV Part 2, when Jack Cade complains about his hunger by saying, "I have eat no meat these five days; yet, come thou and thy five men, and if I do not leave you all as dead as a doornail." Some believe the expression comes from how doornails used in Shakespeare's times could not be retrieved after being hammered. Since those nails were left unusable, they were considered "dead."

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Shakespeare’s use of "In a Pickle" in The Tempest is considered the first recorded appearance of this expression. In the play, King Alonso asks his Trinculo, "How camest thou in this pickle?" and the jester, who is both drunk and in trouble, answers "I have been in such a pickle since I saw you last that, I fear me, I will never out of my bones. I shall not fear flyblowing.’

What Trinculo is saying here is that he is so drunk that his body will be well-preserved after his death, the same way brine or vinegar is used to preserve pickled food. While, nowadays, this expression is most commonly used to refer to an unpleasant situation or problem, "pickled" can also be used for someone who is extremely drunk.

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Another phrase incessantly repeated in romantic movies and books, the line "Love is blind" appears in three plays by Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice, Henry V, and The Two Gentlemen of Verona. In The Merchant of Venice, Jessica meets with her lover Lorenzo while disguised as a boy to trick her father, Shylock. Upon seeing Lorenzo, Jessica feels self-conscious about her appearance, but she later realizes that he won’t mind her clothes since he loves her. Jessica says "I am glad ’tis night, you do not look on me,/ for I am much ashamed of my exchange./ But love is blind, and lovers cannot see/ the pretty follies that themselves commit."

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It’s funny how one of the least commonly used expressions on this list comes straight from Shakespeare’s most famous speeches: Hamlet’s "to be or not to be" soliloquy. In this monologue, the prince of Denmark grimly ponders on what comes after death, and reflects: "To die, to sleep,/ To sleep, perchance to Dream; aye, there's the rub,/ for in that sleep of death, what dreams may come,/ when we have shuffled off this mortal coil,/ must give us pause."

Curiously, the expression is believed to originate from grass bowling, one of the favorite hobbies of the Elizabethan era. In this sport, an obstacle on the playing field, like a hill or a mound, would be called "a rub" since the bowl would be slowed down or deflected by rubbing against it. While Shakespeare included this phrase in other plays like The Tempest and King Lear, Hamlet’s iconic soliloquy is probably responsible for popularizing "That’s the rub" as a way to refer to an unavoidable problem.