The Biology of Risk and Other Fascinating News on the Web

TIME Newsfeed NextDraft June 9, 2014

Risk by its very nature threatens to hurt you, so when confronted by it your body and brain, under the influence of the stress response, unite as a single functioning unit. This occurs in athletes and soldiers, and it occurs as well in traders and people investing from home. In the NYT John Coates takes an interesting look at the biology of risk. Coates focuses on traders and finance for his examples, but the mind-body connections he describes apply to anyone. Next time someone tells you its all in your mind, remind them thats impossible.

+ When a crisis hits, some of us are able to power through it, while others drown in a pool of learned helplessness, overcome by the belief that No matter what I do, it wont change anything. (Others just open 75 browser tabs and quietly mumble to themselves). From WaPo: Why are some depressed, others resilient?

+ Tai-curious: And somewhat related, Simon Doonan wonders if Tai Chi is the New Yoga.

One way or another, Bitcoin is going to be huge. It could be the as big as the Internet, it could transform into something else, or it could be one of techs biggest busts. Meanwhile, many of us are still wondering exactly what it is (its both a currency and means of transporting that currency). GQs Marshall Sella decided to score some of this newfangled dough and blow it on all the pleasures that Bitcoin can buy. Sex, Drugs, and Toasters: My Life on Bitcoin. Within two months, Id be visiting Charlie Shrem at his parents place, where he was wearing an ankle monitor and living under house arrest. (That sounds like the beginning of every great startup story.)

The Pakistani Taliban has taken responsibility for an attack on Karachi Airport that lasted several hours and resulted in the death of at least 18 people. None of those killed were passengers.

Over the past few years, weve seen the over-prescription of pain-killers result in a dramatic increase of addictions, overdoses, and, ultimately, deadly heroin abuse. Well, get ready for Zohydro. In the annals of new-drug rollouts, Zohydro seems to be in a class by itself.

People are worried about how much has been spent. But once we see the first game, the parties will start. Thats the hope of many in Brazil, but as the NYT reports, the lead-up to the World Cup has been marked by apathy and apprehension (and strikes and protests).

+ Comically grotesque and cartoonishly evil. Thats how John Oliver describes FIFA, the organization behind the World Cup.

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The Biology of Risk and Other Fascinating News on the Web