Self-Motivation
David Goggins
Former Navy Seal
Career Development
Bryan Cranston
Actor
Critical Thinking
Liv Boeree
International Poker Champion
Emotional Intelligence
Amaryllis Fox
Former CIA Clandestine Operative
Management
Chris Hadfield
Retired Canadian Astronaut & Author
Learn
from the world's big
thinkers
Start Learningfrom the world's big
thinkers
Good grammar is the key to effective communication—and promotions
Stop embarrassing misspellings with this handy grammar checker app.
Photo by freestocks on Unsplash
- Digital communication results in numerous grammar mistakes.
- Learning proper grammar makes you a better and more effective communicator.
- People with fewer grammar mistakes in their online profiles achieve higher positions and receive more promotions at work.
Let's face it: the online world has made grammar take a backseat. Yet, good grammar still matters. One report found that learning better grammar helps your attentional skills, critical thinking, and intellectual aptitude. This matters, as professionals with fewer grammar mistakes in their online profiles achieve more success in the workplace.
If you're tired of confusing "your" with "you're" or "there" with "their" and "they're," the WhiteSmoke Grammar Checker Web Plan is for you. This software, which is available in 50 languages, arms you with all of the grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style correction features you'll need to be a competent communicator. Not only does it help you avoid typos, but it also helps you identify monotony in your writing, avoid improper tense changes, and correct confusing punctuation mistakes, all through the use of Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Statistical Machine Translation (SMT) technologies.
The app itself has received high praise from a number of publications, including CNN and TopTenREVIEWS.
Right now you can get a five-year subscription to the WhiteSmoke Grammar Checker Web Plan for 93 percent off its list price. Secure a better writing future for just $39.99. The people you talk to and work with will thank you.
Prices subject to change.
When you buy something through a link in this article or from our shop, Big Think earns a small commission. Thank you for supporting our team's work.
More From Big Think
Related Articles
Spiders lace webs in toxins to paralyze prey
Just what every arachnophobe needed to hear.
August 06, 2020
By Luciano Marra from São Paulo, Brasil - Aranha de Teia (Nephila clavipes), CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38223978
Surprising Science
- A new study suggests some spiders might lace their webs with neruotoxins similar to the ones in their venom.
- The toxins were shown to be effective at paralyzing insects injected with them.
- Previous studies show that other spiders lace their webs with chemicals that repel large insects.
<p>Everybody knows how spiders catch bugs to eat. They weave a sticky web and wait for something to land in it. These webs are remarkably tough, elastic, and have been the focus of engineers hoping to replicate their properties for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider_silk#Properties" target="_blank">years</a>. It all seems rather straightforward, as trap setting goes.</p><p>But in a twist that will send a chill down the spine of arachnophobes, a new study suggests that some spiderwebs assure their prey won't get away by adding neurotoxins to their webs. </p>
<p class=""><br></p>
Just what we needed to know before walking into another spider web
<div class="rm-shortcode" data-media_id="vV8EYzwn" data-player_id="FvQKszTI" data-rm-shortcode-id="37004fd34a066f4eee06fa5feba6c111"> <div id="botr_vV8EYzwn_FvQKszTI_div" class="jwplayer-media" data-jwplayer-video-src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/vV8EYzwn-FvQKszTI.js"> <img src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/thumbs/vV8EYzwn-1920.jpg" class="jwplayer-media-preview" /> </div> <script src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/vV8EYzwn-FvQKszTI.js"></script> </div> <p>The study, published in the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jproteome.0c00086" target="_blank"><em>Journal of Proteome Research</em></a>, was carried out by Biochemical ecologist Mario Palma of the University of São Paulo State, their Ph.D. student Franciele Esteves, and their colleagues. They focused on the webs of the striking <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichonephila_clavipes" target="_blank">T. clavipes</a><em>, also known as the Banana Spider.</em></p><p><em>These spiders are orb weavers, known for their complex and often large webs. They can have up to seven glands that produce silk for various </em><a href="https://www.loc.gov/everyday-mysteries/item/how-do-spiders-avoid-getting-tangled-in-their-own-webs/" target="_blank">purposes</a><em>, including catching prey, shielding themselves, protecting their eggs, mating rituals, and making webbing to walk on.</em><em></em></p><p>The researchers examined the spiders' various web producing glands. This revealed a spectrum of neurotoxin-like proteins not dissimilar to those found in the spider's venom present on the silk. On the web, these proteins are suspended in oily, fatty acids. <br> <br> Following up on this discovery, they tested the proteins' effectiveness on insects. Most of those test subjects were paralyzed less than a minute after exposure, and a few died. These experiences relied on the injection of the proteins rather than on absorption but did demonstrate their capacity. Further tests showed that the fatty acids the proteins reside in could allow them to enter the body of prey <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/spider-webs-me-be-more-than-just-a-trap-they-might-also-do-the-butchering" target="_blank">insects</a>. </p><p>Previous studies demonstrated that some spiders can add certain chemicals to their webs to repel larger insects which could cause the spider trouble. So, the idea that some spiders are adding another chemical, this time to cause paralysis, to the mix isn't too far-fetched. </p><p>However, some scientists aren't so sure about all <a href="https://www.sciencenews.org/article/spiders-poisonous-webs-neuro-toxins-genes" target="_blank">this</a>. They call for further study into the mechanism of action to demonstrate that these proteins cause paralysis and rule out potential other applications.</p><p>So, those of you who like animal facts can take pride in knowing that spider webs sometimes have poison in them to stun their prey. Those of you who are terrified of spiders can fear the same information. Either way, walking into a spider web just got even less pleasant. </p>
Keep reading
Show less
Improving Olympic performance with asthma drugs?
A study looks at the performance benefits delivered by asthma drugs when they're taken by athletes who don't have asthma.
August 06, 2020
Image source: sumroeng chinnapan/Shutterstock
Culture & Religion
- One on hand, the most common health condition among Olympic athletes is asthma. On the other, asthmatic athletes regularly outperform their non-asthmatic counterparts.
- A new study assesses the performance-enhancement effects of asthma medication for non-asthmatics.
- The analysis looks at the effects of both allowed and banned asthma medications.
<p>The most common chronic disease among athletes competing in the Olympic Games is asthma. It's not a coincidence — asthma is a risk associated with activities that require increased ventilation, such as high-performance athletics. One treatment for the condition is the inhalation of <a href="https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=24664" target="_blank">β-agonists</a> prior to exercise as a means of warding off asthma symptoms. The drugs relax the airways that provide oxygen to the lungs.</p><p>But β-agonists pose a problem for World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) officials — drugs have been tied to performance enhancement. In fact, asthmatic athletes, who have a sound medical reason to use β-agonists, have consistently outperformed non-asthmatic athletes at the Games. There has been unconfirmed speculation that athletes who don't have asthma may also be taking β-agonists in hopes of gaining their own performance boost.</p><p>A new study published in <a href="https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2020/08/04/bjsports-2019-100708" target="_blank">British Journal of Sports Medicine</a> seeks to be the most comprehensive look yet at the effect of β-agonists on athletic performance, looking at a broad selection of β-agonist drugs, including medications both allowed and banned by the WADA.</p>
WADA uncertainty
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzUzNzU0OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMDc4NjUwN30.fFTvRR0yJDLtFhaYiixh5Fa7NK1t1T4CzUM0Yh6KYiA/img.jpg?width=980" id="01b1b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2fd91a47d91e4d5083449b258a2fd63f" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="urine sample for drug test" />Image source: joel bubble ben/Shutterstock
<p>When inhaled β-agonists first came out just before the 1972 Olympics, they were immediately banned altogether by the WADA as possible doping substances. Over the years, the WADA has reexamined their use and refined the organization's stance, evidence of the thorniness of finding an equitable position regarding their use. As of January 2020, only three β-agonists are allowed — salbutamol, formoterol, and salmeterol —and only in inhaled form. Oral consumption appears to have a greater effect on performance.</p>The study
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzUzNzU0Ny9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MTIzMDQyMX0.Gk4v-7PCA7NohvJjw12L15p7SumPCY0tLdsSlMrLlGs/img.jpg?width=980" id="d3141" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ebe7b30a315aeffcb4fe739095cf0767" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="runner at starting position on track" />Image source: MinDof/Shutterstock
<p>Of primary interest to the authors of the study is confirming and measuring the performance improvement to be gained from β-agonists when they're ingested by athletes who don't have asthma.</p><p>The researchers performed a meta-analysis of 34 existing studies documenting 44 randomized trials reporting on 472 participants. The pool of individuals included was broad, encompassing both untrained and elite athletes. In addition, lab tests, as opposed to actual competitions, tracked performance. The authors of the study therefore recommend taking its conclusions with just a grain of salt.</p><p>The effects of both WADA-banned and approved β-agonists were assessed.</p>Approved β-agonists and non-asthmatic athletes
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzUzNzU1MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMzkxODk0M30.3RssFwk_tWkHRkEl_tIee02rdq2tLuAePifnngqcIr8/img.jpg?width=980" id="39a99" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b1fe4a580c6d4f8a0fd021d7d6570e2a" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="vaulter clearing pole" />Image source: Andrey Yurlov/Shutterstock
<p>What the meta-analysis showed is that the currently approved β-agonists didn't significantly improve athletic performance among those without asthma — what very slight benefit they <em>may</em> produce is just enough to prompt the study's authors to write that "it is still uncertain whether approved doses improve anaerobic performance." They note that the tiny effect did increase slightly over multiple weeks of β-agonist intake.</p>Banned β-agonist and non-asthmatic athletes
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzUzNzU1Mi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzNjI3ODU5Mn0.vyoxSE5EYjPGc2ZEbBN8d5F79nSEIiC6TUzTt0ycVqc/img.jpg?width=980" id="de095" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="02fdd42dfda8e3665a7b547bb88007ef" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="swimmer mid stroke" />Image source: Nejron Photo/Shutterstock
<p>The study found that for athletes without asthma, however, the use of currently banned β-agonists did indeed result in enhanced performance. The authors write, "Our meta-analysis shows that β2-agonists improve anaerobic performance by 5%, an improvement that would change the outcome of most athletic competitions."</p><p>That 5 percent is an average: 70-meter sprint performance was improved by 3 percent, while strength performance, MVC (maximal voluntary contraction), was improved by 6 percent.</p><p>The analysis also revealed that different results were produced by different methods of ingestion. The percentages cited above were seen when a β-agonist was ingested orally. The effect was less pronounced when the banned substances were inhaled.</p><p>Given the difference between the results for allowed and banned β-agonists, the study's conclusions suggest that the WADA has it about right, at least in terms of selection of allowable β-agonists, as well as the allowable dosage method.</p>Takeaway
<p>The study, say its authors, "should be of interest to WADA and anyone who is interested in equal opportunities in competitive sports." Its results clearly support vigilance, with the report concluding: "The use of β2-agonists in athletes should be regulated and limited to those with an asthma diagnosis documented with objective tests."</p>
Keep reading
Show less
Live tomorrow! Unfiltered lessons of a female entrepreneur
Join Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and best-selling author Charles Duhigg as he interviews Victoria Montgomery Brown, co-founder and CEO of Big Think, live at 1pm EDT tomorrow.
August 06, 2020
Big Think LIVE
Add event to your calendar
<p>
Women today are founding more businesses than ever. In 2018, they made up 40% of new entrepreneurs, yet in that same year, they received just 2.2% of all venture capital investment. The playing field is off-balance. So what can women do?
</p><p>
<strong>They can get candid with each other. </strong>In this Big Think Live session, <a href="https://youtu.be/vJNpOHQdSsg" target="_blank">Victoria Montgomery Brown</a>, co-founder and CEO of Big Think, and Charles Duhigg, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, will discuss entrepreneurship, decision-making, and leadership lessons from Victoria's new book, <a href="https://www.harpercollinsleadership.com/digital-goddess/#order?utm_source=bigthink&utm_medium=authorsite&utm_content=preorder&utm_campaign=digital-goddess-bigthink" target="_blank"><em>Digital Goddess</em>: <em>The Unfiltered Lessons of a Female Entrepreneur</em></a>. The book is a raw and real roadmap for any woman who has ever thought about striking out on her own, and will empower you to get meetings, raise money, and make hard choices—and never get so serious that you can't still have fun doing what you love.
</p><p>
<em>Ask your questions for Victoria Montgomery Brown during the live Q&A!</em>
</p><p>
<em>Join the live stream at 1pm EDT on Friday, 7 August.</em>
</p><h2>STREAMING LINKS</h2><p>
<strong><a href="https://edge.bigthink.com/live_streams/106" target="_self">Big Think Edge</a> | <a href="https://youtu.be/_jb0pM9FrZk" target="_blank">YouTube</a> | </strong><strong><a href="https://www.facebook.com/BigThinkdotcom/posts/10157549491758527" target="_blank">Facebook</a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/BigThinkdotcom/posts/10157549491758527" target="_blank"></a></strong><a href="https://www.facebook.com/BigThinkdotcom/posts/10157549491758527" target="_blank"></a>
</p><p>
--
</p><p>
<strong>Victoria Montgomery Brown</strong> has built and run <a href="http://www.bigthink.com/" target="_self">Big Think</a> for the last 12 years. It's become the leading digital media knowledge company, making people and companies smarter and faster with the world's best thinkers and doers. It wasn't a venture-funded tech darling, born and raised in a Silicon Valley incubator. It's a scrappy, creative, labor of love that was born in a New York City bar and raised in a rented closet in someone else's office. It's had to fight for its existence most of the time. Her new book is <a href="https://www.harpercollinsleadership.com/digital-goddess/#order?utm_source=bigthink&utm_medium=authorsite&utm_content=preorder&utm_campaign=digital-goddess-bigthink" target="_blank"><em>Digital Goddess</em>: <em>The Unfiltered Lessons of a Female Entrepreneur</em></a> (available for preorder).
</p><p>
Brown graduated from Montreal's McGill University in 1997 and received her MBA from Harvard Business School in 2003.
</p><p>
<strong>Charles Duhigg</strong> is a Pulitzer-prize winning reporter and the author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0812983599?tag=bigthink00-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1" target="_blank"><em>Smarter Faster Better</em></a><em>,</em> about the science of productivity and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/081298160X?tag=bigthink00-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1" target="_blank"><em>The Power of Habit</em></a>, about the science of habit formation in our lives, companies and societies. Duhigg studied history at Yale, received an MBA from Harvard Business School, and was a reporter at <em>The New York Times</em> for a decade. Today, he is a leading writer on the nature of habits and productivity. He writes books and magazine articles for <em>The New York Times Magazine</em>, <em>The New Yorker</em> and <em>The Atlantic</em>.
</p><div class="rm-shortcode amazon-assets-widget" data-rm-shortcode-id="235cee081340897abf765d4cf877a093" contenteditable="false">
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1400220610?tag=bigthink00-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1" target="_blank">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51m2Nh4qmOL.jpg" class="amazon-assets-widget__image widget__image">
<div class="amazon-assets-widget__description">
<div class="amazon-assets-widget__title" style="display: block;">Digital Goddess: The Unfiltered Lessons of a Female Entrepreneur</div>
<div class="amazon-assets-widget__by-amazon"><!-- <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1400220610?tag=bigthink00-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1" target="_blank">by now at amazone</a> --></div>
<div class="amazon-assets-widget__list-price"><span class="grey">List Price: </span><span class="list-price">$27.99</span></div>
<div class="amazon-assets-widget__new-price"><span class="grey">New From: </span><span class="new-price">$27.99</span> <span class="grey">in Stock</span></div>
</div>
</a>
</div>
<p class="media-headline">
<br>
</p><div class="rm-shortcode amazon-assets-widget" data-rm-shortcode-id="51c80e7df1c81b3e4a70c13ea9f673f7" contenteditable="false">
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/081298160X?tag=bigthink00-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1" target="_blank">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/517FwF49v+L.jpg" class="amazon-assets-widget__image widget__image">
<div class="amazon-assets-widget__description">
<div class="amazon-assets-widget__title" style="display: block;">The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business</div>
<div class="amazon-assets-widget__by-amazon"><!-- <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/081298160X?tag=bigthink00-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1" target="_blank">by now at amazone</a> --></div>
<div class="amazon-assets-widget__list-price"><span class="grey">List Price: </span><span class="list-price">$13.64</span></div>
<div class="amazon-assets-widget__new-price"><span class="grey">New From: </span><span class="new-price">$10.45</span> <span class="grey">in Stock</span></div>
<div class="amazon-assets-widget__used-price"><span class="grey">Used From: </span><span class="used-price">$7.11</span> <span class="grey">in Stock</span></div>
</div>
</a>
</div>
Keep reading
Show less
Big think's weekly newsletter.
Get smarter faster from the comfort of your inbox.
See our newsletter privacy policy here
Most Popular
Most Recent
Big think's weekly newsletter.
Get smarter faster from the comfort of your inbox.
See our newsletter privacy policy here
© Copyright 2007-2018 & BIG THINK, BIG THINK EDGE,
SMARTER FASTER trademarks owned by The Big Think, Inc. All rights reserved.
SMARTER FASTER trademarks owned by The Big Think, Inc. All rights reserved.
