And finally we made it over the finish line and tumbled into 2021. Will it be better or worse than 2020? Who knows. Probably the best way is to keep taking things day by day and enjoying the small things in life at least for the time being. And speaking of small things… it’s time for another Crate of Curios.

1. Unless there’s a terrorist attack or some conflict between countries, we don’t really hear much about India in the news. Yet in a similar vein as elsewhere, people in India are taking to the streets in order to try and improve their lot – or at least keep it from getting worse. And in this spirit, protesting farmers in India have made their own rendition of the well-known Italian folk protest song “Bella Ciao”.

2. You think you know how to microwave your food? Think again. Most likely you are not doing it in the most optimal manner.

3. Orchids are generally considered the gracious swans of the flower world, but even they have an occasional duckling. Gastrodia agnicellus from Madagascar keeps itself quietly underground and only surfaces to flower and disperse its seeds. Although it looks rather like a flesh-eater, it’s actually a member of the genus of potato orchids.

4. Ever since the race to develop vaccines for Covid-19 started, mRNA has become one of the buzzwords. It sounds new and scarily unknown. However, the research behind it dates back to 1990 and owes much of its existence to the stubbornness of the Hungarian biochemist Katalin Karikó.

5. After 2020, it feels like a very practical approach to be prepared for every survival scenario.

And that’s it for this time. Happy reading and until next week!

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