DOMO ARIGATO, MR. ROBOTO

From "gracias" to "merci," here are 10 ways to say "thank you" abroad!

Image: Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦

Have you ever wondered how people around the world express their gratitude? Wonder no more, because here you'll find out how to say "thank you" in 8 different languages. Without further ado, let's get to it!

Image: Kelly Sikkema

If you are reading this, you probably already know this one. However, it's interesting to consider the etymology of the word "thanks". It derives from the Old English and Proto-Germanic words for "thought" and "memory" and, according to Merriam-Webster, it is also related to the Latin word tongēre, "to know". When you give your thanks to someone, you are acknowledging what they have done for you and stating that you won't forget it.

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Spanish is one of the most widespread languages in the world, and you'll probably be surprised to learn that the United States is the second country with the largest number of Spanish speakers in the world (yes, including Spain!). If you are feeling extra-grateful, you can go beyond the simple gracias and say muchas gracias! (thanks a lot!) or muchísimas gracias! (thank you very much!).

Image: Hanson Lu

For non-native speakers, Mandarin Chinese is an incredibly difficult language to learn. However, due to the size and population density of its country of origin, it's spoken by way over 900 million people. That's over 900 million people you can now say "thank you" to! Not a small number by any means.

Image: Jad Limcaco

Merci has been in use in the French language, as an expression of gratitude, at least from the 12th century onward. It derives from a Latin word meaning "wage" or "price", but its modern use comes from the Old French mercit, meaning "gift," "kindness," or even "pity". In the latter sense, it shares roots with the English word "mercy".

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There are plenty of ways to say "thank you" in Hindi, another one of the most widespread languages in the world. Dhanyavaad is the most formal one, but also quite standard, and you'll never go wrong with it. Shukriyaa, on the other hand, is more informal and should be reserved for your friends and family. Lastly, thaiṅkyū is kind of a cheat, as it is a loan word that tries to replicate the way "thank you" sounds.

Image: Lucas Campoi

This one is a little different. Because of how Portuguese grammar works, how to say "thank you" will depend on the gender of the speaker. Men should say Obrigado, while women should say Obrigada. They both mean "I'm thankful" or, if you'd rather get technical, "I'm indebted to you".

Image: Didssph

Being one of the largest countries in terms of surface area, Russian is a language spoken by a proportionally large number of people. Spasiba, sometimes written phonetically in English as "Spa See Bah", is the most common expression used to say "thank you" in Russian. It is short for Spasi Bog, which translates to something close to "let God save you".

Image: Clay Banks

It has been suggested that Arigatō derives from a phonetic corruption of the Portuguese Obrigado. However, this has been disproven, and both of these ways to say "thank you" are false cognates. Arigatō, and the longer and more formal arigatō gozaimasu, find their roots in an old Japanese word meaning "rare" or "precious". It signifies the gratitude felt for an outstanding kindness received.

DECODING DNA

10 Surprising Facts About Genetics and DNA

Image: Sangharsh Lohakare

Genetics can both fascinate and befuddle us with its complexity, but understanding its mechanisms just might be the key to deciphering the building blocks of our entire existence. From genes that are shared between different species to viruses that insert themselves into our DNA, here are 10 things you—likely—didn’t know about genetics and DNA.

Image: Ganapathy Kumar

We vastly underestimate the amount of DNA we carry around in our cells. If you were to unravel all the DNA molecules in your body and lay them end to end, they would stretch an astonishing 10 billion miles—enough to reach the moon and back over 40 thousand times! However, despite the vast amount of DNA in our bodies, if we were to gather and weigh all of it together, it would surprisingly amount to only around 8 ounces.

Image: Harshad Khandare

Surprisingly, humans share about 50% of their DNA with bananas! But this shouldn’t be too surprising given the fact that all life on Earth evolved from a single organism, roughly 3.5 billion years ago. Every living creature on our planet has the same type of DNA, undergoing almost identical processes in order to live and reproduce.

Image: Pedro Lastra

Certain species, like salamanders and starfish, possess remarkable regenerative abilities, allowing them to regrow lost limbs. Other species like axolotls or jellyfish can even go further, regenerating anything from parts of their brains to crucial internal organs, or even recovering from being cut in half! Understanding the genetic mechanisms behind this ability holds promise for regenerative medicine and even tissue engineering.

Image: Hillshire Farm

Surprisingly, we inherit slightly more DNA from our mother’s side. While everyone receives 50% of DNA from each parent, a small portion of mitochondrial DNA, which is passed down exclusively from mother to child, contributes to this imbalance. Mitochondrial DNA also allows for tracing the ancient relationships of human populations, and for this reason, it is extensively studied in anthropology and evolutionary biology.

Image: Pietro Jeng

Scientists have already successfully stored digital data within DNA molecules, and many believe the technique has potential as a long-term storage solution. Its vast storage capacity and durability make it very attractive to store digital information, but the technology is still in development.

Image: George Prentzas

DNA is sort of a blueprint that determines most of our traits and characteristics, but it is far from having the last say on how particular traits or genes will express themselves. Environmental factors can modify gene expression without changing the underlying DNA sequence, potentially impacting health and development. This is the reason that even identical twins have noticeable differences, like unique fingerprints.

Image: Transly Translation Agency

Studies have shown that certain environmental factors experienced by parents, like exposure to stress or traumatic events, can leave chemical marks on DNA that are passed down to offspring. This phenomenon is called transgenerational epigenetic inheritance, and though it seems to contradict some of the tenets of Darwinian ideas, it is now widely accepted as one of the many mechanisms of genetic inheritance in most living organisms.

Image: Fusion Medical Animation

Rare genetic mutations can give natural immunity to certain diseases. In time, if these genes can be distributed sufficiently within a given population this can even lead to collective immunity. For example, there is a genetic mutation called CCR5-delta 32 that provides natural immunity to the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) by altering the structure of a specific protein these viruses use to infect cells. Studying these unique phenomena can be promising for developing cures and more effective treatments.

Image: Sangharsh Lohakare

A significant portion of the human genome consists of non-coding DNA, often referred to as "junk" DNA because it does not code for proteins. However, recent research suggests that this non-coding DNA plays important roles in gene regulation and genome stability, challenging the notion of it being just 'junk'.

Image: Belinda Fewings

Horizontal gene transfer is a very weird phenomenon where genetic material is transferred between completely different species, bypassing traditional vertical inheritance from parent to offspring. Although the mechanism behind this process is poorly understood, scientists believe that it played a significant role in the evolution of many organisms. In fact, certain types of viruses force this to happen in order to encode themselves into the DNA of their hosts and reproduce.