When one area of a savant’s brain is damaged, other areas compensate by acquiring abilities that can reach genius levels. In addition, a savant can catalog a database of information such as an entire book, indeed, thousands of books.

Yet, in standard IQ tests, results will be substandard.

NASA is currently studying scans of savant brains, as scientists try to explore the potential of human brains.

I made a cream gravy for the leftover roast chicken. Nothing quite as fancy as the food that opens the movie.

Which was excellent. But maybe I will never eat lobster again.

Many women wear Christmas sweatshirts. It is the only time of year we get away with having sequins, pompoms, silver beads, stars, deer, Christmas trees, penguins, and angels on our clothing, sometimes all at once. Most people wear comfortable shoes.

Most. A lot of women are still wearing their summer sandals, which may well be comfy, but it’s cold out there. As I passed a long line of waiting customers at one store, I couldn’t help but note that one young woman had on knee-high black boots of the menacing kind. That is, they had hardware, aggressive bunching in places, and 5-inch soles.

I bet if she trekked from one end of the mall to the other and back again, she would burn some serious calories.

I needed a gift card last night. It was late, I was tired, and didn’t need any surprises. The clerk held up the gift card, which was illustrated with a scene from the movie Jackass. In large type, the movie name was emblazoned across the card.

As it turns out, I know a jackass or two, but this seemed the wrong holiday message. When I expressed dismay, the clerk waved a hand toward the gift card selection behind me. ‘Jackass!’ they all brayed.

Fortunately, she managed to find the absolute last one that was different. Laguna Beach. Sold!

At 6:10 a.m., I’m mostly still asleep, but in desperate need of hot cocoa. Some milk splashes on the stove. Absentmindedly wiping it up (because I hate scraping things up later) with a paper towel, I note that it catches on fire. No matter. I grab a pot lid.

The fire does not go out. The towel adheres to another burner that has grease on it. I get a bigger lid. Doesn’t work. Look, flames. By now the paper towel is smaller. Finally, I get the tongs out of the drawer, and place the towel in the sink.

It is very rare, and can follow a brain injury such as a stroke. English-speaking patients begin to talk with a Spanish or French accent, surprising their doctors and loved ones.

Also known as Belgian Blues. Thanks to a mutation in its myostatin gene, the bulked-up breed develops meat that is low in fat and tender. However, calves cannot be born in the usual manner due to their size, and arrive via cesarean.

On this page, scroll down to the third picture for a look.

Elephants don’t like bees, which can attack vulnerable areas such as behind the ears, around the eyes, under the belly, and under the trunk. Researchers have found that they avoid trees where hives are hung, and are frightened by the smell of honey alone. Simply broadcasting the sound of angry bees also keeps them at bay.

In farm areas where elephants trample cultivated plants, encouraging farmers to keep bees will might keep crop loss at a minimum.

In ancient times, it was passed off as a unicorn’s horn. Royals sought it for the extraordinary monetary worth, and sometimes turned it into a jewel-encrusted sceptre. Others thought it was used in narwhal battles, or as an ice-breaker.

After examining it under an electron microscope, scientists from Harvard and the National Institute of Standards and Technology find that it is a sensory organ, and an amazingly sensitive one at that.

It’s Whiplash, the cowboy monkey, who rides his sheepdog at rodeos. Article contains slide show.

Due to the close proximity of performer and viewer during street shows, there is a danger that these monkeys could infect humans with retroviruses. Apparently, in Indonesia, they climb onto audience members, and this contact heightens the possibility of infection.