Posts by Ava Linker

Ava Linker

Ava Linker is an Editorial Intern at My Modern Met. She is currently a student at California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, where she is on Cal Poly's club rowing team and majoring in Communications Studies. Ava enjoys dabbling in all things artistic, with a particular affinity for baking, fashion, and interior design. Her other interests include F1 racing.
History
January 1, 2026

How People in the Victorian Era Enjoyed Animation Before Its Modern History

Before Walt Disney, the internet, and entertainment as we know it today, Victorian-era children had the phenakistoscope. The name has origins in the Greek word phenakisticos and means “deceiver of the eye.” This ingenious pioneer of animation featured a spinning disk that, when moved, created the illusion of fluid movement, thanks to the evenly spaced slits around the edges.

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Astronomy
December 29, 2025

German Aerospace Engineer Becomes First Wheelchair User To Go to Space

German aerospace engineer Michaela Benthaus always dreamed of being an astronaut. Unfortunately, a mountain biking accident seven years ago resulted in a spinal cord injury that left her paralyzed, making her ambitious dreams even more difficult to achieve. Despite being a wheelchair user now, her disability didn’t stop her from taking necessary steps towards her goals, including working for the the European Space Agency (ESA).

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Archeology
December 24, 2025

Ancient 2,220-Year-Old Gold Coin Discovered in Jerusalem Sheds Light on Its History

This coin is smaller than a fingernail. But don't let its diminutive size fool you; the bit is made of 99.3% solid gold. It’s thought by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) to have been minted in Alexandria 2,200 years ago, or around 246 to 241 BCE. The coin is also rare—just one of about 20 of its kind that we know of—and the only one to be found outside of Egypt.

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Science
December 1, 2025

Research Shows Chimps Can Revise Their Choices Based on Evidence Like Humans Do

Chimpanzees have long been considered clever creatures, but just how intelligent they are continues to be researched. A new study recently published in Science tested whether chimpanzees are metacognitive thinkers. In order to determine this, the great apes had to complete a series of five experiments of increasing complexity to see if they could learn from their mistakes.

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My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.