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Sunday, 18 November 2018

Sunday Rest: heliotaxis. Word Not To Use Today.

Disappointingly, heliotaxis are not solar-powered vehicles for private hire.

No, the word describes the movement of an organism in response to sunlight.

For example, worms tend to move away from the sunlight (that's negative heliotaxis) and cats tend to move towards it (positive heliotaxis).

Humans are their usual awkward selves: half of them go one way and half the other...

File:Solar taxi at Dartmouth.jpg
2008 photo by SayCheeeeeese

...though of course they'd all take the taxi if they had the chance.

Sunday Rest: heliotaxis. Hēlios is the Greek for sun. Taxis is the Greek for arrangement. Tassein means to place in order.


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