In time, a semblance of order emerged. Crumpled wads of paper are no doubt as old and commonplace as paper itself – “graves for failed theories”, Gottesman, a physicist, has called them.

The "crumpled paper" exercise is intended to reduce bullying, but is more likely to intensify it. Unlike inanimate paper, living creatures heal from bruises and even get stronger.

The paper should expand slightly as it releases some energy but eventually it will settle in a crumpled form. “What you have is a system to which you applied forces,” Herculano-Houzel says.

A page of paper is dead. If it is torn, the tear remains. If it is crumpled, the wrinkles remain. But people are alive. One of the basic characteristics of living beings is that they constantly ...