16 APR 2013 by ideonexus
Neem: Cognitive Drug
Neem is a mnemonic drug that works by
“tagging” experiences and mental input with a set of
unique sensations that contribute to the formation
of state-based memories. Neem gummy chews come
in a variety of fruit avors shaped like extinct old
Earth animals. Neem gives characters a 20 bonus
on COG Tests to recall information they learned
while on Neem (see Memorizing and Remembering,
p. 176). The drawback to Neem is that memories they
accumulate while under the drug’s in uence have no
em... 1 
notes
notesA drug that "tags" experiences and ideas with a set of unique sensations to link to a memory. One could then take another dose of Neem to recall the memory.
16 SEP 2011 by ideonexus
Convergent Evolution in Cacti and Succulents
Let’s begin with one observation that strikes anyone who travels widely.
If you go to two distant areas that have similar climate and terrain,
you find different types of life. Take deserts. Many desert plants are
succulents: they show an adaptive combination of traits that include
large fleshy stems to store water, spines to deter predators, and small or
missing leaves to reduce water loss. But different deserts have different
types of succulents. In North and South America, the succulents... 1 notes
notesThe two groups of species share many many traits, but they exist in completely different parts of the world, evolving separately, but converging to be almost interchangeable.
