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No, Vaccinated People Are Not 'Just as Likely' to Spread the Coronavirus as Unvaccinated People
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2dBreakthrough COVID
For many fully vaccinated Americans, the Delta surge spoiled what should've been a glorious summer. Those who had cast their masks aside months ago were asked to dust them off. Many are still taking no chances. Some have even returned to all the same precautions they took before getting their shots, including avoiding the company of other fully vaccinated people. Among this last group, a common r
Covid Vaccine Prompts Strong Immune Response in Younger Children, Pfizer Says
5dVaccinated kids aged 5 to 11 showed evidence of protection against the virus, the company said. The data must be reviewed by the F.D.A. before children can be inoculated.
Footprints in New Mexico are oldest evidence of humans in the Americas
2dScientists have found evidence that humans reached the Americas earlier than previously thought.
Ancient Footprints Suggest Humans Arrived In Americas During Ice Age
2dHuman footprints found in New Mexico are about 23,000 years old, a study reported, suggesting that people may have arrived long before the Ice Age's glaciers melted.
Adam Kinzinger: Republicans Are 'Frigging Crazy'
2dIn each edition of my newsletter, I'll bring readers inside The Atlantic , and discuss the issues that concern us the most. Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here to get future issues of Notes from the Editor in Chief . Political courage is a fascinating phenomenon, particularly at moments when it is largely absent. Which is why I'm so interested in the imperiled career of Representative A
Covid: Immune therapy from llamas shows promise
3dAn immune therapy derived from llama blood shows "exciting potential" in early coronavirus trials.
Scientists May Have Discovered the Cause of Alzheimer's Disease
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5dCause Alzheimer Disease
For years, scientists have been studying how the buildup of toxic molecules in the brain might cause or contribute to Alzheimer's disease. But much more difficult has been figuring out what sets off the process that makes those molecules begin to accumulate in the first place. Now, a team of researchers from Curtin University say that "leakage" of a toxic compound called beta-amyloid from the blo
High Covid Hospitalizations Have Delayed Elective Surgeries
3dIn areas inundated with coronavirus patients, hospitals have postponed treatments and surgeries for people with other serious conditions.
4d
F.D.A. Authorizes Pfizer Booster Shot for Higher-Risk People
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2dCDC Pfizer Booster
Regulators said that people over 65 or at high risk of severe Covid-19 were eligible for an extra shot, setting up a staggered national booster campaign.
C.D.C. Chief Overrules Agency Panel and Endorses Pfizer Boosters for Frontline Workers
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1dCDC Moderna Pfizer
In a highly unusual decision, the C.D.C. director, Rochelle Walensky, reversed a move by agency advisers and endorsed additional doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for health care workers, teachers and other workers at risk.
Moderna vs. Pfizer: Both Knockouts, but One Seems to Have the Edge
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3dModerna Pfizer CDC
A series of studies found that the Moderna vaccine seemed to be more protective as the months passed than the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Here's why.
Evidence that a cosmic impact destroyed ancient city in the Jordan Valley
5dIn the Middle Bronze Age (about 3,600 years ago or roughly 1650 BCE), the city of Tall el-Hammam was ascendant. Located on high ground in the southern Jordan Valley, northeast of the Dead Sea, the settlement in its time had become the largest continuously occupied Bronze Age city in the southern Levant, having hosted early civilization for a few thousand years. At that time, it was 10 times larger
Ceramic jars full of emeralds found in temple tied to El Dorado, a mythical city of gold
3dArchaeologists in Colombia have found eight ceramic jars, with metallic figurines and emeralds inside, within a temple and its adjacent graves.
Ancient Mayans built pyramid partly from ash after catastrophic volcanic eruption
4dAkira Ichikawa, an archaeologist at the University of Colorado Boulder, has found evidence of Mayans returning to a part of Central America that was destroyed after a catastrophic volcanic eruption, much sooner than previously thought. In his paper published on the Cambridge University Press site Cambridge Core, he describes his study of the area around what was once the site of San Andrés in the
Astronomers Have Made an Unprecedented Detection of Clouds on a Far-Off Exoplanet
1dHow's the weather on WASP-127b?
Autism therapy aimed at infants may reduce likelihood of later diagnosis
5dStudy suggests tailored therapy could help some children develop social skills before school age Doctors have shown for the first time that a new therapy aimed at infants can reduce autistic behaviour and the likelihood the children will go on to be diagnosed with autism before they reach school age. Infants who received the therapy after displaying early signs of potential autism, such as avoidi
Tiny Neural Implant Could Give Spinal Injury Patients Control Over Their Own Limbs Again
5dA team of scientists recently published intriguing research on a tiny, splinter-like brain implant that doctors can slide deep into the folds of the brain and use to restore both muscular control over and sensation from a paralysis patient's limbs. In a pair of scientific papers about research on three patients, one published in the journal Brain Stimulation and the other in Frontiers in Neurosci
NYT Confirms Israel Killed an Iranian Nuclear Scientist With a Robot Sniper
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6dIsrael Iranian Fakhrizadeh
AI Assassination Iran's top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was assassinated by an AI-assisted sniper rifle remotely controlled by Israeli operatives, reports The New York Times . This confirms Iran's Revolutionary Guard's account of the events of November 27, 2020 when they claimed a "smart satellite-controlled machine gun" killed the scientist as he was driving his wife to their country ho
Melting of polar ice shifting Earth itself, not just sea levels
3dThe melting of polar ice is not only shifting the levels of our oceans, it is changing the planet Earth itself. Newly minted Ph.D. Sophie Coulson and her colleagues explained in a recent paper in Geophysical Research Letters that, as glacial ice from Greenland, Antarctica, and the Arctic Islands melts, Earth's crust beneath these land masses warps, an impact that can be measured hundreds and perha
The Conservatives Who'd Rather Die Than Not Own the Libs
1dAt Breitbart News , the politics of vaccination have taken a strange turn. A longtime writer at the populist-right website who wants to save his Donald Trump–supporting readers from COVID-19 is speculating that the left has tricked them into rejecting safe and effective vaccines. John Nolte is vaccinated himself and, in an article this week, correctly notes that the shots are "a lifesaver." But e
Earliest evidence of human activity found in the Americas
2dFootprints found at White Sands National Park in New Mexico provide the earliest unequivocal evidence of human activity in the Americas and offer insight into life over 23,000 years ago.
Human footprints thought to be oldest in North America discovered
2dAncient tracks found in New Mexico are believed to be between 21,000 and 23,000 years old, study says New scientific research conducted by archaeologists has uncovered what they believe are the oldest known human footprints in North America. Research done at the White Sands national park in New Mexico discovered the ancient footprints, with researchers estimating that the tracks were between 21,0
Fraudulent ivermectin studies open up new battleground between science and misinformation
1dStudies suggesting ivermectin is an effective Covid treatment relied on evidence 'that has substantially evaporated under close scrutiny', fresh research shows Follow the Australia coronavirus blog Covid vaccine rollout and rates tracker ; Cases, trends and data tracker Get our free news app ; get our morning email briefing Dr Carlos Chaccour ran into difficulty when he and his colleagues began r
Why the Term 'JEDI' Is Problematic for Describing Programs That Promote Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
2dThey're meant to be heroes within the Star Wars universe, but the Jedi are inappropriate symbols for justice work — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Researchers discover four dinosaurs in Montana
4dA team of paleontologists from the University of Washington and its Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture excavated four dinosaurs in northeastern Montana this summer. All fossils will be brought back to the Burke Museum where the public can watch paleontologists remove the surrounding rock in the fossil preparation laboratory.
A Vaccine against Poison Ivy Misery Is in the Works as Scientists Also Explore New Treatment Paths
5dStandard remedies offer little relief for the itchy rash caused by the plant, but researchers have found promising clues in the immune system — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
'Like nothing in my lifetime': researchers race to unravel the mystery of Australia's dying frogs
6dAfter asking for public help with their investigations, scientists have received thousands of reports and specimens of dead, shrivelled frogs In the middle of Sydney's lockdown, scientist Jodi Rowley has been retrieving frozen dead frogs from her doorstep. Occasionally one will arrive dried and shrivelled up in the post. Continue reading…
The smart toilet era is here! Are you ready to share your analprint with big tech?
2dLoo design has barely changed in 150 years – until now. Will people trade their privacy for the chance to find out exactly what is in their waste? For the past 10 years, Sonia Grego has been thinking about toilets – and more specifically what we deposit into them. "We are laser-focused on the analysis of stool," says the Duke University research professor, with all the unselfconsciousness of some
Research suggests a diet rich in dairy fat may lower the risk of heart disease
4dStudy's lead author says evidence shows 'type of dietary fat, or the source of dietary fat, is actually more important than the amount' Get our free news app ; get our morning email briefing A higher consumption of dairy fat may be linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, according to new research that suggests choosing full-fat dairy options is no worse for heart health. The study, from
A mega-penguin stood tall on prodigious limbs
4dNature, Published online: 21 September 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-02562-y Remains discovered by schoolchildren on a fossil-hunting trip belonged to an extinct giant bird.
Organic molecule remnants found in nuclei of ancient dinosaur cells
1dA team of scientists from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and from the Shandong Tianyu Museum of Nature (STM) has isolated exquisitely preserved cartilage cells in a 125-million-year-old dinosaur from Northeast China that contain nuclei with remnants of organic molecules and chromatin. The study was published in Communication
La Palma volcano eruption's infernal beauty visible from space (Photos)
1dNew astronaut and satellite images of an active volcano on the island of La Palma reveal the frightening beauty of the eruption, as well as its dangerous proximity to humans.
Cavers find snakes but no genies in Yemen's 'Well of Hell'
3dA team of Omani cavers has made what is believed to be the first descent to the bottom of Yemen's fabled Well of Barhout—a natural wonder shunned by many locals, who believe it is a prison for genies.
Flowers release their perfume in response to electricity of a bee's touch
4dNew research has found that the electrical charge created by visiting bumblebees stimulates some flowers to release more of their sweet-smelling scent. This is the first time a plant has been shown to use the presence of pollinators as a cue to emit more of its attractive perfume—increasing its chances of being visited.
Understanding photon collisions could aid search for physics beyond the Standard Model
5dHot on the heels of proving an 87-year-old prediction that matter can be generated directly from light, Rice University physicists and their colleagues have detailed how that process may impact future studies of primordial plasma and physics beyond the Standard Model.
Democrats' Free Pass on Immigration Is Over
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11hBiden US Haitian Del Rio
Throughout the last administration, Department of Homeland Security officials at all levels—from Senate-confirmed power brokers in Washington to rank-and-file agents along the border—often complained that they were facing a double standard: They were doing the same work, using the same methods, as they had under previous presidents, they said, but because their boss was now Donald Trump, the publ
Footprint Discovery Hints at Humans in the Americas More Than 20,000 Years Ago
2dSeeds found in fossilized tracks fuel new speculation about when—and how—people arrived — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Microneedle patch delivers COVID-19 DNA vaccine, doesn't require cold storage
3dMore than 2 billion people worldwide are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. However, many who live in resource-limited countries haven't been able to get vaccines, partly because these areas lack temperature-controlled shipping and storage facilities. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Nano have developed a microneedle patch that delivers a COVID-19 DNA vaccine into the skin, causing strong immune
Ung, sund og rask? Derfor bør du stadig overveje at få influenzavaccinen
4dDu kan beskytte sårbare i samfundet ved at få en vaccine, siger ekspert.
Ancient DNA analysis sheds light on a dark event in medieval Spain
2dAn international team of researchers led by the University of Huddersfield's Archaeogenetics Research Group, including geneticists, archeological scientists, and archeologists, has published the genome sequence of a unique individual from Islamic medieval Spain—al-Andalus—the results of which have shed light on a brutal event that took place in medieval Spain.
Chinese scientists report starch synthesis from carbon dioxide
2dChinese scientists recently reported a de novo route for artificial starch synthesis from carbon dioxide (CO2) for the first time. Relevant results were published in Science on Sept. 24.
Carbon dioxide reactor makes Martian fuel
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2dReactor Mars Martian Fuel
Engineers at the University of Cincinnati are developing new ways to convert greenhouse gases to fuel to address climate change and get astronauts home from Mars.
Cloud-spotting on a distant exoplanet
2dAn international team of astronomers has not only detected clouds on the distant exoplanet WASP-127b, but also measured their altitude with unprecedented precision. A presentation by Dr. Romain Allart at the Europlanet Science Congress (EPSC) 2021 shows how, by combining data from a space- and a ground-based telescope, the team has been able to reveal the upper structure of the planet's atmosphere
Intensified water cycle slows down global warming, new study finds
2dA new study led by scientists at the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, in collaboration with scientists at Princeton University, shows that the intensification of global hydrological cycle drives more ocean heat uptake into the deep ocean and moderates the pace of global warming.
Can we see quantum correlations at the macroscopic scale?
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2dQuantum Computing
One of the most fundamental features of quantum physics is Bell nonlocality: the fact that the predictions of quantum mechanics cannot be explained by any local (classical) theory. This has remarkable conceptual consequences and far-reaching applications in quantum information.
Agroecology Is the Solution to World Hunger
3dMillions of farmers are growing and sharing food in ways that enhance nutrition, biodiversity and quality of life — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Inhibiting targets of SARS-CoV-2 proteases can block infection, study shows
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4dSars Cov 2 Spike N
Researchers at the University of Liverpool have shown how SARS-CoV-2 viral proteases attack the host cell, and how this can be targeted to stop virus replication in cell culture using existing drugs.
Rates of infectious disease linked to authoritarian attitudes and governance: study
4dAccording to psychologists, in addition to our physiological immune system we also have a behavioral one: an unconscious code of conduct that helps us stay disease-free, including a fear and avoidance of unfamiliar—and so possibly infected—people.
US Covid death toll surpasses 1918 Spanish flu
5dResurgence of coronavirus puts strain on hospitals and nurses exhausted from previous waves
Nano-scale discovery could help to cool down overheating in electronics
5dA team of physicists at CU Boulder has solved the mystery behind a perplexing phenomenon in the nano realm: why some ultra-small heat sources cool down faster if you pack them closer together. The findings, published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), could one day help the tech industry design faster electronic devices that overheat less.
Extreme volcanism did not cause the massive extinction of species in the late Cretaceous
5dA study published in the journal Geology rules out that extreme volcanic episodes had any influence on the massive extinction of species in the late Cretaceous. The results confirm the hypothesis that it was a giant meteorite impact what caused the great biological crisis that ended up with the non-avian dinosaur lineages and other marine and terrestrial organisms 66 million years ago.
De første timer er afgørende: Sådan påvirker kødædende bakterier kroppen
5dBakterierne frigiver gifte, som får cellerne til at klumpe sammen.
Exotic mix in China's delivery of moon rocks
1dOn 16 December 2020 the Chang'e-5 mission, China's first sample return mission to the Moon, successfully delivered to Earth nearly two kilograms of rocky fragments and dust from our celestial companion. Chang'e-5 landed on an area of the Moon not sampled by the NASA Apollo or the Soviet Luna missions nearly 50 years ago, and retrieved fragments of the youngest lunar rocks ever brought back for ana
Observations confirm that aerosols formed from plant-emitted compounds can make clouds brighter
1dBrighter clouds reduce the amount of solar radiation reaching the Earth's surface, thereby cooling the surface. Emissions of organic compounds from vegetation increase with increasing temperature, thus having the capability to slow down climate warming.
Hubble snapshot of 'molten ring' galaxy prompts new research
2dHubble Space Telescope's glamor shots of the universe are so revealing they nearly always have a discovery behind them.
Making Eye Contact Signals a New Turn in a Conversation
4dNeuroscientists have uncovered an intriguing subtlety in how we communicate—that is, when we're not on Zoom — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Solar electric propulsion makes NASA's Psyche spacecraft go
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5dNASA Psyche Spacecraft
When it comes time for NASA's Psyche spacecraft to power itself through deep space, it'll be more brain than brawn that does the work. Once the stuff of science fiction, the efficient and quiet power of electric propulsion will provide the force that propels the Psyche spacecraft all the way to the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The orbiter's target: A metal-rich asteroid also called
Salty Diet Helps Gut Bugs Fight Cancer in Mice: Study
5dA high-salt diet suppressed the growth of tumors in a mouse model of melanoma, apparently because of an interplay between the gut microbiome and natural killer cells.
Tiny porous crystals change the shape of water to speed up chemical reactions
5dChemical engineers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign now understand how water molecules assemble and change shape in some settings, revealing a new strategy to speed up chemical reactions critical to industry and environmental sustainability. The new approach is poised to play a role in helping chemical manufacturers move away from harmful solvent catalysts in favor of water.
Engineers create light-emitting plants that can be charged repeatedly
5dUsing specialized nanoparticles embedded in plant leaves, MIT engineers have created a light-emitting plant that can be charged by an LED. After 10 seconds of charging, plants glow brightly for several minutes, and they can be recharged repeatedly.
Uncovering how T-cells recognise the SARS-COV-2 virus spike protein
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5dAntibody Sars Cov 2 IgG
The immune system is vitally important for resolving COVID-19 when individuals are infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Moreover, the vaccines that are being administered to millions of people across the globe are designed to 'pre-warn and arm' the immune system so that if infected with SARS-CoV-2, individuals are significantly less likely to develop severe disease or die. Here, two crucial arms of
Jab or job? French vaccine rules force health workers to make a choice
5dHoldouts among hospital and care home staff face suspension but government says mandatory vaccination has worked
Moderna vs. Pfizer: Is There a "Best" mRNA Vaccine?
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1dModerna COVID Pfizer
Both of the mRNA vaccines available in the US are highly effective against severe COVID-19, but recent studies suggest that Moderna's elicits a stronger immune response and might be better at preventing breakthrough infections.
Ancient Human Footprints in New Mexico Dated to Ice Age
2dResearchers excavated human footprints out of a small bluff next to a dried-up playa lake and radiocarbon-dated embedded seeds to around 23,000 years ago. Their results suggest that people entered the Americas thousands of years earlier than the accepted estimate.
Dog parasite is developing resistance to treatments
3dRight now, U.S. veterinarians rely on three types of drugs to kill the hookworms, but the parasites appear to becoming resistant to all of them. Dog hookworms can also infect humans.
Hormoner hämmar signalsubstans bakom migrän
4dHur kan det komma sig att många kvinnor får migrän vid mens? Forskarna tror att nivåerna av hormonerna oxytocin och östrogen kan spela in. Omkring en miljard människor drabbas av migrän i varierande grad. Kvinnor i fertil ålder påverkas i tre gånger så hög grad som män. Sedan länge har vetenskapen antagit att det till stor del beror på kvinnors reproduktionscykel och att hormoner spelar in. Exakt
Strength training can burn fat too, myth-busting study finds
3dA new systematic review and meta-analysis shows we can lose around 1.4 per cent of our entire body fat through strength training alone, which is similar to how much we might lose through cardio or aerobics.
MIND diet linked to better cognitive performance
3dResearchers have found that older adults may benefit from a specific diet called the MIND diet even when they develop these protein deposits, known as amyloid plaques and tangles.
Researchers call for a focus on fitness over weight loss for obesity-related health conditions
5dThe prevalence of obesity around the world has tripled over the past 40 years, and, along with that rise, dieting and attempts to lose weight also have soared. But according to a new article, when it comes to getting healthy and reducing mortality risk, increasing physical activity and improving fitness appear to be superior to weight loss. The authors say that employing a weight-neutral approach
Using internet in retirement boosts cognitive function
5dScientists have studied the effect of internet usage on cognitive function. Examining more than 2000 retirees from 10 European countries, researchers found that, on average, retirees who used the internet were able to recall 1.22 extra words in a recall test compared to non-internet users (which equates to performing around 8 per cent better in the tests). The effects were more significant in wome
Intermittent fasting can help manage metabolic disease
3dEating your daily calories within a consistent window of 8-10 hours is a powerful strategy to prevent and manage chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, according to a new article.
COVID-19 Has Now Killed About As Many Americans As The 1918-19 Flu
5dBefore COVID-19, the 1918-19 flu was universally considered the worst pandemic disease in human history. Whether the current scourge ultimately proves deadlier is unclear. (Image credit: Library of Congress/AP)
Celebrate The End Of Summer With Monday's Harvest Moon
6dThe harvest moon is the last full moon of the summer. This year it will appear to be full for three days with peak illumination occurring at 7:54 p.m. ET Monday. (Image credit: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The Quietest Emmys Speech Was the Loudest
5dWhen the camera turned to Michaela Coel after she won an Emmy for limited-series writing, she looked overwhelmed. The creator, star, writer, and co-director of I May Destroy You kept her head down, her shoulders slouched. Next to her, Coel's former co-star Cynthia Erivo whispered something into her ear—a pep talk, maybe. But for a few seconds, Coel remained still, as if the weight of her first, h
Trump's Plans for a Coup Are Now Public
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2dPeril Trump 2020 Woodward
L ast year, John Eastman, whom CNN describes as an attorney working with Donald Trump's legal team, wrote a preposterous memo outlining how then–Vice President Mike Pence could overturn the 2020 election by fiat or, failing that, throw the election to the House of Representatives, where Republicans could install Trump in office despite his loss to Joe Biden. The document, which was first reported
Does My Mask Protect Me if Nobody Else Is Wearing One?
4dMasks work best when everyone in the room has one on, but you'll still benefit from masking up even when those around you aren't.
Ancient Footprints Suggest Humans Lived In The Americas Earlier Than Once Thought
1dA team of scientists dated the footprints along an extinct lake bed in New Mexico and found them to be between 21,000 and 23,000 years old — far older than reliable evidence has suggested to date. (Image credit: National Park Service via AP)
Why Goats Became the Unconventional Weapon Against Wildfires
7dLani Malmberg travels with a few hundred goats, which eat the tall brush and grasses that power Western wildfires.
A Landmark Autism Intervention Study Has Shown Dramatically Reduced Diagnosis Rates
4dThis could be so powerful.
Joe Manchin Will Craft U.S. Climate Plan
6dSenator Joe Manchin is already a crucial swing vote in the Democrats' sweeping budget bill. But he will also write the details of its climate change program.
Birds Thrived Where Humans Feared To Tread During The Pandemic, Scientists Say
3dA new study shows that as people mostly remained indoors during lockdowns last year, many bird species found less noisy and polluted cities more inviting. (Image credit: Joel Lerner/Xinhua News Agency/Getty Images)
Why is there a CO2 shortage and how will it hit food supplies?
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4dUK Days CO2 British
The UK's food industry has been told it must pay five times more for carbon dioxide in future.
Giant Space Rock Blast Wiped Out Ancient City With 1,000 Times Hiroshima's Ferocity
4d"Almost immediately, the entire city was on fire."
Here's Why Firefighters Are Wrapping Sequoia Trees In Aluminum Blankets
5dThe sequoias are "wrapped with house-wrapping material, kind of an aluminum-foil fabric that goes around the base of the trees," says Jon Wallace, who is helping to lead the firefighting effort. (Image credit: Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks)
Ancient bones reveal previously unknown Japanese ancestors
5dResearchers have revealed a previously unconfirmed third group of ancestors for modern-day Japanese populations, after analyzing ancient bones found in Japan.
Six Rules That Will Define Our Second Pandemic Winter
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5dCovid Vaccines
Updated at 9:28 a.m. on September 21, 2021. For nearly two years now, Americans have lived with SARS-CoV-2. We know it better than we once did. We know that it can set off both acute and chronic illness, that it spreads best indoors, that masks help block it, that our vaccines are powerful against it. We know that we can live with it— that we're going to have to live with it —but that it can and
Skogsbiologen Sebastian Kirppu: "Planterade träd är ingen skog"
6d– Sluta helt att avverka i våra naturskogar! Uppmaningen kommer från den stridbare skogsbiologen Sebastian Kirppu. Enligt honom är den svenska skogen hotad idag. – Snart har vi bara virkesåkrar och inga riktiga skogar kvar, säger Sebastian Kirppu. Spela klippet ovan för att följa med Sebastian Kirppu in i en naturskog.
Boris Johnson: Humanity is reaching a turning point on climate change
2dWorld leaders must make major changes in four areas – "coal, cars, cash and trees", Boris Johnson says.
How Humans Lost Their Tails
4dA new study suggests that a single genetic mutation helps explain why monkeys have tails, while apes and people do not.
7d
There's a Hole in the Ozone Layer Bigger Than Antarctica, Scientists Sigh
7dLooming Problem Whelp, the hole in the ozone layer is as big as ever. Scientists with the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service announced that the hole in the ozone layer over the South Pole is now larger than Antarctica, according to a press release from the organization. Researchers say that the hole has grown "considerably" in the past two weeks, and is currently larger than 75 percent of h
Incredible Fossil Footprints Are The Earliest Known Trace of Humans in North America
1dPeople were here 7,000 years earlier than we thought.
Covid: Cancer backlog could take a decade to clear
1dResearch identifies 20,000 missing patients in England – and warns more staff and equipment are needed.
This Microchip With Wings Is The Smallest Flying Structure Humans Have Ever Built
2dHow is it so tiny O_O
Harvard Study: Melting Polar Ice Is Physically Warping the Planet
3dElastic Earth As rising temperatures melt Arctic ice at an alarming rate, the resulting rise in the sea level stands to reshape coastlines around the world. But the effects on the planet itself may be even more dramatic, according to a new study on how melting ice physically reshapes the Earth's crust. The outermost layer of our planet is surprisingly elastic, according to research published in t
Gas price crisis: Food firms face huge price rise for carbon dioxide
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3dAvro CO2 Crisis Teesside
The US supplier of CO2, which will receive millions in UK taxpayer support to reopen, will hike prices.
Mysterious Skeletons of an Unknown People Rewrite The History of Japanese Ancestry
4dHidden all this time.
There's a Reliable Method For Triggering Lucid Dreams, Scientists Have Found
21hDon't try this at home.
Gen Z Kids Apparently Don't Understand How File Systems Work
1dGiant Bucket Over the past few years, many professors have noticed an alarming trend among their students. Overall, members of Gen Z, even those studying technical scientific fields , seem to have a total misunderstanding of computer storage, The Verge reports , and many fail to conceptualize the concept of directories and folders filled with digital files. "The most intuitive thing would be the
China Makes Crypto Transactions Illegal, Prompting Bitcoin Market Crash
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1dChina Bitcoin Illegal
Crypto Crackdown China has declared all cryptocurrency transactions and any related activities within its borders illegal — a massive crackdown that has sent Bitcoin plummeting yet again. The cryptocurrency fell from highs of just over $45,000 early Friday morning down to under $41,000 around 7 am Eastern. The People's Bank of China made the announcement in a Q&A posted to its website . "Overseas
Flood Insurance Costs Are Set to Skyrocket for Some
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1dFlood Insurance Costs
New federal flood insurance rates that better reflect the real risks of climate change are coming. For some, premiums will rise sharply.
Parental Burnout in The US Is Among The Highest in The World, And We May Know Why
1dYou don't have to be perfect.
Scientists Manage to Study Weather on Planet in Different Solar System
2dWeather Channel Thanks to a combination of observations from both terrestrial and orbital telescopes, a team of scientists got their closest look yet at the distant exoplanet WASP-127b. Not only were scientists able to determine the chemical composition of the exoplanet's atmosphere, but they even managed to study its clouds at an unprecedented level of detail, according to research presented at
Scientists Build World's Tiniest Flying Machines, Smaller Than a Grain of Sand
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2dMicrochip Smallest Flying
A team of engineers at Northwestern University have built tiny microchips with wings that glide like a maple tree's winged seeds — and they're only about the size of a grain of sand, making them the "smallest-ever human-made flying structures," according to a statement by the university. The tiny "microfliers" could serve an important purpose by monitoring pollution, airborne diseases, and other
Brain Protein Named After Sonic the Hedgehog May Be Key to Treating Parkinson's
3dA team of scientists say they've identified a possible new way to treat Parkinson's disease and improve the quality of life for patients — thanks, in a strange twist, to a protein named after the video game character Sonic the Hedgehog. In patients with Parkinson's, the brain loses the neurons that produce the brain molecule dopamine. Treatments exist to replace dopamine with a molecule called L-
Mountain goat kills grizzly bear by stabbing it with razor-sharp horns
3dParks Canada officials have confirmed that a female grizzly bear found dead in Yoho National Park was killed in self-defense by a mountain goat, that managed to stab the predator with its razor-sharp horns.
Hidden Traces of a Massive Ancient City Are Still in Mexico's Landscape Today
3dPeople even built fences in the same locations!
President Biden urges unity in first UN speech amid tensions with allies
4dJoe Biden called for cooperation in his first speech as US president to the UN General Assembly.
Thrusters on New NASA Spacecraft Are Solar Powered
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4dNASA Psyche Spacecraft
Psyche Hall Problem NASA is building a spacecraft designed to travel about 1.5 billion miles through our solar system — using propulsion that's almost entirely solar electric . The small probe, called Psyche, was named after a 140-miles-across space rock in the asteroid belt believed to be the building block of an early rocky planet. NASA scientists are hoping to learn about the formation of othe
'Post-Vax COVID' Is a New Disease
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4dCOVID 19 Vaccine Infection
Boghuma Kabisen Titanji was just 8 years old when the hyper-contagious virus swept through her classroom. Days later, she started to feel feverish, and developed a sparse, rosy rash. Three years after being fully dosed with the measles vaccine, one of the most durably effective immunizations in our roster, Titanji fell ill with the very pathogen her shots were designed to prevent. Her parents rus
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Taking the 'Shame Part' Out of Female Anatomy
4dAnatomists have bid farewell to "pudendum," but other questionable terms remain.
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63 Endangered Penguins Die After Being Attacked by Enraged Bees
5dBirds vs. Bees Last week, enraged Cape Honey bees killed 63 highly endangered South African penguins during an attack at the penguins' colony in Simon's Town, South Africa. While conservationists say that the freak incident is unlikely to bring about the species' extinction, Reuters reports that the sudden, dramatic loss of dozens of healthy adults puts the birds in a dire position. Fair warning:
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2021 Lasker Awards Honor Work in mRNA Vaccines, Neuroscience and More
1dThe prizes are given annually, and many winners often go on to be awarded the Nobel Prize.
Covid Vaccine Pioneers and Others Win 2021 Lasker Awards in Medicine
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1dWeissman 2021 Lasker
The prizes are given annually, and many winners often go on to be awarded the Nobel Prize.
Elon Musk and Grimes Just Broke Up After Dating Three Years
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1dElon Musk Grimes Years
Big Breakup According to an exclusive by celebrity gossip magazine Page Six , SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and acclaimed musician Claire "Grimes" Boucher, who had been dating for three years, have broken up. "We are semi-separated but still love each other, see each other frequently and are on great terms," Musk told the publication. "It's mostly that my work at SpaceX and Tesla requires me to be primari
NY Hospitals Worry About Staff Shortages As Monday Vaccine Deadline Approaches
1dThe statewide COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health care workers takes effect Monday and hospitals and nursing homes fear it could lead to staff shortages. (Image credit: John Minchillo/AP)
Ice Melt at The Poles Is Now Causing Hidden Changes to Earth's Crust on a Huge Scale
1dIt's not just sea levels.
Doctor's 'brilliant' new first aid technique can stem blood loss after shark attack
2dDescribed by another expert as a 'fantastic life-saving idea', the simple procedure could save lives by stopping catastrophic blood loss from shark bites Get our free news app ; get our morning email briefing An emergency department doctor says he has developed a simple new way to help save the lives of shark attack victims in the crucial moments after a bite. The technique is described in a pape
Dinosaur fossil with 'totally weird' spikes in skeleton stuns experts
2dExtraordinary ankylosaur remains dating back 168m years a first for Africa Fossil hunters have unearthed remnants of the oldest – and probably weirdest – ankylosaur known so far from a site in the Middle Atlas mountains in Morocco. The remains of the heavily armoured animal are extraordinary in being the first to have defensive spikes that are fused to the skeleton, a feature researchers say is u
Strange mathematical term changes our entire view of black holes
2dThe behemoths exert a pressure on their surroundings, new research has found.
Covid-19: how effective are face masks, really? – podcast
2dSince the start of the pandemic, face coverings and their ability to prevent the transmission of Covid-19 have been under constant scrutiny by scientists, politicians and the public. More than a year and a half in, what do – and don't – we know? Madeleine Finlay speaks to Prof Cath Noakes about how effective different face coverings are, how best to use them, and when we should be masking-up Cont
Genetics reveal how humans island-hopped to settle remote Pacific
3dStudy using DNA analysis reveals not only are statues on these distant islands connected, but inhabitants too Easter Island's famous megaliths have relatives on islands thousands of miles to the north and west, and so did the people who created them, a study has found. Over a 250-year period separate groups of people set out from tiny islands east of Tahiti to settle Easter Island, the Marquesas
Scientists Alarmed by Telltale Sign of Global Mass Extinction
3dMass Extinction About 251 million years ago, roughly 90 percent of the species on Earth went extinct in what's called the "Great Dying" at the end of the Permian era. Now, researchers say that human activity has brought back one of the top warning signs that preceded it. Toxic algal and bacterial blooms — in which algae and other microbes rapidly blanket freshwater systems and essentially choke o
The Autumnal Equinox Is This Afternoon. Fall Is Here
3dAccording to the National Weather Service, at 3:20 p.m. EDT today, the Autumnal Equinox (the moment when the length of daylight and darkness are almost perfectly equal) occurs. (Image credit: DAVID GANNON/AFP via Getty Images)
Methamphetamine Deaths Soar, Hitting Black And Native Americans Especially Hard
3dNewly published U.S. data finds overdose deaths from methamphetamine use more than doubled in recent years. Use of the stimulant among Black Americans surged nearly tenfold. (Image credit: Tulare County Sheriff's Office via AP)
A Giant Volcano Didn't Stop Ancient Maya From Taking The Ashes And Building a Pyramid
3dGood use of volcanic rock.
Video Shows SpaceX Tourists Opening Spacecraft's Glass Dome For the First Time
3dPod Bay Doors After much waiting , we're finally getting to some of the footage recorded during last week's historic all-civilian flight into orbit. SpaceX tourist and science communications specialist Sian Proctor shared a video of a truly precious moment: the first time the Inpsiration4 crew got to open the hatch to the Crew Dragon's massive glass dome — a "true highlight of the Inspiration4 mi
Insects are vanishing from our planet at an alarming rate. But there are ways to help them | Dave Goulson
4dIn Germany, flying insects have declined by 76% in 26 years. In the UK, common butterfly populations have fallen by 46% since 1976. We should be alarmed by this insect apocalypse Insects have been around for more than 400m years, their ancestors crawling from the oceans to colonise the land long before dinosaurs appeared. They have been enormously successful, evolving into a staggering diversity
The Best Time For Rehabilitation After A Stroke Might Actually Be 2 To 3 Months Later
4dIntensive rehabilitative therapy that starts two to three months after a stroke may be key to helping the injured brain rewire, a new study suggests. That's later than covered by many insurance plans. (Image credit: PeopleImages/Getty Images)
Rich nations must increase climate support funds, says Boris Johnson
5dThe UK prime minister says he is "increasingly frustrated" at support offered to poorer countries.
COVID-19 Vaccines Seem to Affect Periods, And That's Finally Being Investigated
5dMore than 30,000 people have reported changes.
Elon Musk welcomes SpaceX crew home with $50m donation to charity
6dFour-person crew asked for the public's help in reaching fundraising target of $200m for the children's charity St Jude Elon Musk surprised his first all-private crew of space tourists with a welcome home gift after their trailblazing trip to orbit ended on Saturday night: a $50m donation to the children's charity St Jude. Related: 'The point is ambition': are we ready to follow Netflix into spac
Why Biden Bet It All on Mandates
6dWhen President Joe Biden rolled out his plan requiring vaccinations on a mass scale, he sounded a bit like a gambler at a point of desperation. Biden's presidency, and much of his legacy, hinges on defeating the prolonged pandemic. During a dismal summer of rising infections and deaths due to vaccine holdouts and the Delta variant, the pandemic seemed to have defeated him . Under the new rules, B
To mask or not to mask? Opinion split on London underground
6dCommuters explain their reasons for not covering up Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The "do as I say, not as I do" approach to political messaging was again displayed last week when Boris Johnson urged people to wear masks in enclosed spaces, shortly after leading a cabinet meeting of 27 maskless ministers and eight similarly uncovered observers. Studies suggest mask
Boris Johnson to call for climate action during US visit
6dBoris Johnson will also visit the White House for the first time since Joe Biden became US president.
SpaceX: Inspiration4 amateur astronauts return to Earth after three days
6dThe four amateur astronauts landed safely in the Atlantic Ocean after three days orbiting Earth.
Inspiration4 Crew Returns To Earth, Splashing Down In The Atlantic Off Florida Coast
6dThe Inspiration4 crew safely returned to Earth Saturday evening after three days of orbiting the planet. It is the first all-civilian mission to orbit. (Image credit: AP)
Hardly Anyone Showed Up at the 'Justice for J6' Rally
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6dTrump Jan. 6 Capitol
No one overran the U.S. Capitol this time or tried to subvert American democracy. What the people who came to the rally on a stretch of grass near the Capitol Reflecting Pool on Saturday afternoon really wanted to do was talk. Talk and argue. And then talk and argue some more. The "Justice for J6" rally was supposed to highlight the plight of those charged with nonviolent crimes in the January 6
SpaceX Inspiration4 Live Updates: The Astronauts Have Returned to Earth.
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7dSpaceX Civilian Crew
The crew has completed a water landing near Florida after a three-day trip to orbit.
The Experts Somehow Overlooked Authoritarians on the Left
11hD onald Trump's rise to power generated a flood of media coverage and academic research on authoritarianism—or at least the kind of authoritarianism that exists on the political right. Over the past several years, some researchers have theorized that Trump couldn't have won in 2016 without support from Americans who deplore political compromise and want leaders to rule with a strong hand. Althoug
The Lab-Leak Debate Just Got Even Messier
18hAs the pandemic drags on into a bleak and indeterminate future, so does the question of its origins. The consensus view from 2020, that SARS-CoV-2 emerged naturally , through a jump from bats to humans (maybe with another animal between), persists unchanged. But suspicions that the outbreak started from a laboratory accident remain, shall we say, endemic. For months now, a steady drip of revelati
The Redemption of a Televangelist
1dA memorable scene in the new film The Eyes of Tammy Faye encapsulates the biopic's modern perspective on its much-maligned subject. A dashing and boyish TV preacher named Pat Robertson (played by Gabriel Olds) has thrown a swanky poolside soiree at his palatial Virginia mansion. The era is the early 1970s, and fundamentalist Christians are alarmed that progressive cultural movements—for civil rig
Fully Vaccinated Is Suddenly a Much Less Useful Phrase
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1dBiden CDC Pfizer Americans
The definition of full vaccination against COVID-19 has, since the winter, been somewhat difficult to nail down. It takes one dose of Johnson & Johnson, but two doses of an mRNA vaccine. The CDC counts you as fully vaccinated as soon as you get your last shot, but tells you that you won't be fully vaccinated until two weeks after that. People have a hard time knowing exactly when it might be safe
Could the Moon Actually Crash Toward Earth?
1dThe trailer for the film Moonfall shows our satellite getting too close for comfort. Here are the physics of what it would take to push the moon out of orbit
Many Parents Won't Vaccinate Their Kids. Here's Why.
1dThe announcement that the Pfizer vaccine appears to work in children ages 5 to 11 is welcome news for many families across the United States. Parents who expect their children's classrooms to soon be full of vaccinated students shouldn't be overly optimistic, though. Many moms and dads will wait to get their kids immunized, if they do at all—and that includes those who are vaccinated themselves.
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Federal Panel Recommends Booster Shots, Opening New Campaign Against the Virus
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1dBiden CDC Pfizer Americans
Scientific advisers to the C.D.C. endorsed additional doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for older Americans but not for health care workers, in a possible rift with regulators.
Climate change: Construction companies told to stop knocking down buildings
1dBritain's top engineers are urging the government to stop buildings being demolished.
Boosters for Moderna and J.&J. Recipients Not Up for Debate at C.D.C. Panel
1dThe panel was not asked to judge whether people who received the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines should receive Pfizer-BioNTech boosters.
NASA's Got A New, Big Telescope. It Could Find Hints Of Life On Far-Flung Planets
2dThe James Webb Space Telescope will let scientists study small, rocky planets around distant stars in more detail than ever before. After decades of work, it could head into orbit later this year. (Image credit: NASA GSFC/CIL/Adriana Manrique Gutierrez)
Scientists Use AR to Make Arachnophobes See Huge Spiders
2dA new app takes a gamified approach to exposure therapy, using augmented reality to make it look like an arachnophobic user is surrounded or even covered by huge, realistic-looking spiders. Scientists at the University of Basel recently developed and tested an app called Phobys in order to make it easier for people to face and hopefully overcome their fears, according to a university announcement
Astrophotographers capture stunning views of the night sky (Photos)
2dHere's a look at stunning astronomy images from the Royal Observatory Greenwich's Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition.
US to return 'priceless' 3,500-year-old Epic of Gilgamesh tablet to Iraq 30 years after it was stolen
2dDiscovered in 1853, the Epic of Gilgamesh caused a sensation through its telling of an ark that survived a great flood.
The Most Important Vaccine I'll Get This Fall
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2dFlu Shot COVID Vaccine
On Saturday morning, I finally rolled up my sleeve for the vaccine I'd been waiting for all summer: my annual flu shot , a technological marvel that I opt to receive every fall. During non-pandemic times, the flu vaccine is a hot autumn commodity that holds a coveted place in the public-health spotlight. As of late, though, the shot's been eclipsed by the prominence of its COVID-blocking cousins,
EPA Moves To Sharply Limit Potent Gases Used In Refrigerators And Air Conditioners
2dThe new rule is intended to decrease the use of greenhouse gases known as hydrofluorocarbons by 85% over the next 15 years. The gases that are thousands of times more powerful than carbon dioxide. (Image credit: Jenny Kane/AP)
The Lost Tale of an 18th-Century Tsunami, as Told by Trees
2dLocal evidence of the cataclysm has literally washed away over the years. But Oregon's Douglas firs may have recorded clues deep in their tree rings.
American Gentry
2dAmerican wealth and power usually have a certain look: glass-walled penthouse apartments in glittering urban skyscrapers, sprawling country mansions, ivy-covered prep schools, vacation homes in the Hamptons. These are the outward symbols of an entrenched oligarchy, the political-economic ruling class portrayed by the media that entertains us and the conspiracy theories that animate the darker cor
Wall Street Glitch Showed Bitcoin Crashing to $5,400
3dBubble Burst On Monday, some crypto investors may have noticed that the price for Bitcoin plummeted down to about $5,400. That would be catastrophic, coming down from around $50,000 earlier this month. But the price never actually dropped — at least not that much. The precipitous devaluation was a glitch on Pyth, a crypto data platform that's contributed to by several finance giants on Wall Stree
Fearsome Dinosaurs Like T. Rex Likely Waggled Their Tails While Running
3dOkay, that's a bit of a different mental picture…
More microplastics in babies' faeces than in adults' – study
3dResearchers say children's mouthing behaviour and products such as bottles may be to blame Infants have more microplastics in their faeces than adults, a study has found. Microplastics are plastic particles smaller than 5mm in size that have been released into the environment from the breakage of bigger plastic objects. They are a threat to the environment because they do not easily biodegrade, a
Genetic Study Maps When and How Polynesians Settled the Pacific Islands
3dMysterious stone figures on far-flung islands may have been erected by descendants of seafaring explorers from the same archipelago
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Mars Had Liquid Water On Its Surface. Here's Why Scientists Think It Vanished
3dA new study indicates that the relatively low mass of Mars allowed most of its water to be lost to space billions of years ago, rather than retained on its surface. (Image credit: NASA/WireImage)
Baby Poop Is Loaded With Microplastics
3dAn alarming new study finds that infant feces contain 10 times more polyethylene terephthalate (aka polyester) than an adult's.
Not Getting Vaccinated to Own Your Fellow Libs
3dConspiracy theorists who discount the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines and other public-health mandates are often portrayed in the media as right-wing. That's for good reason: a not-insignificant number of the most vocal conspiracists tie their ideology firmly to President Donald Trump and the right-wing MAGA movement he inspired. Videos of angry red-state demonstrators pushing back again
The Emerging Artistry of Hunter Biden
3dA t some point in the coming weeks, hundreds of thousands of dollars will be funneled to the son of the sitting American president—and none of us will know anything about who sent the money, or where it originally came from, or why anyone chose to send it in the first place. The transactions will nominally center on artwork created by Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden's son. After spending years
The FDA Has Been Without A Permanent Leader For 8 Months As COVID Cases Climb
3dDr. Janet Woodcock, an administrative veteran of the Food and Drug Administration since the 1980s, has been acting director of the agency since January. Why is the permanent job so hard to fill? (Image credit: Stefani Reynolds/Pool/The New York Times via AP)
Pressure Grows on U.S. Companies to Share Covid Vaccine Technology
3dModerna accepted $2.5 billion in taxpayer money to develop its Covid-19 vaccine. But officials in the U.S. and overseas are having trouble persuading the company to license its technology.
M25 protests: Protesters 'may cause serious injury or death'
3dInsulate Britain protesters blocked traffic on both carriageways of the motorway in Surrey.
Mathematicians discover music really can be infectious – like a virus
3dNew music download patterns appear to closely resemble epidemic curves for infectious disease, study finds Pop music is often described as catchy, but it seems you really can infect friends with your music taste. The pattern of music downloads after their release appears to closely resemble epidemic curves for infectious disease – and electronica appears to be the most infectious genre of all. Do
China pledges to stop building new coal energy plants abroad
3dThe announcement is the country's latest climate pledge and a major step forward to address emissions.
Doctors Intrigued by Man Who Jizzed Out of Butthole
4dScientists were puzzled by a bizarre case stdy: a 33-year-old male with a history of illicit drug use who'd been experiencing "a substantial amount of sperm passage from his rectum with ejaculation for the past two years," according to study titled " A Curious Case of Rectal Ejaculation ," published last month in the Cureus Journal of Medical Science . In crude terms, the unfortunate patient was
Volcano Flings Lava Nearly a Mile High, Swallows Houses Whole
4dKaboom! On Sunday, a powerful volcanic eruption rocked the small island of La Palma, sending lava flying 5,000 feet into the air — reaching heights twice that of the world's tallest skyscraper. After 50 years of dormancy — aside from the occasional rumbling — the Cumbre Vieja volcano burst open at several different points at once, National Geographic reports . Dramatic footage of the eruption sho
The link between inequality and anxiety | Richard Wilkinson
4dWhy are global levels of anxiety and depression so high? Social epidemiologist Richard Wilkinson presents compelling data on the impact of inequality on mental health and social relationships in countries around the world. "Inequality," he says, "is the enemy between us."
Mathematician Answers Chess Problem About Attacking Queens
4dIf you have a few chess sets at home, try the following exercise: Arrange eight queens on a board so that none of them are attacking each other. If you succeed once, can you find a second arrangement? A third? How many are there? This challenge is over 150 years old. It is the earliest version of a mathematical question called the n-queens problem whose solution Michael Simkin… Source
Texas Is Alienating Abortion Moderates
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4dJoe Biden Texas Abortion
Since September 1, about 6 million Texans of childbearing age have been living under one of the strictest abortion laws in the developed world. Texas Republicans wrote the law in part to score points with the state's staunch opponents of abortion rights. But this time, they might have gone too far: Even some people who support certain abortion restrictions, or would not themselves get an abortion
Why Does Asthma Get Worse at Night?
4dThe question has plagued scientists for centuries. A new study offers some answers.
Get Your Flu Shot!
4dCOVID-19 vaccines are important, but so are flu shots. They are safe, effective, and protect others (the elderly, the immunocompromised, and those too young to get the vaccine). The post first appeared on Science-Based Medicine .
Pfizer's COVID Vaccine Is Safe For Younger Children, New Results Show
4dThe news millions of parents have been waiting for.
In Response to Dip, El Salvador Buys a Bunch More Bitcoin
5dBuying the Dip El Salvador recently became the first country to accept Bitcoin as legal tender — and thanks to a recent dip in the value of the digital currency, president Nayib Bukele is looking to cash in. Bukele announced he bought 150 bitcoins over the weekend, equivalent to around $6.7 million. "We just bought the dip," he wrote in a tweet early Monday morning. "150 new coins! El Salvador no
SpaceX Says It May Build Starships Exclusively for Space Tourism
5dSoaring Demand SpaceX successfully sent four space tourists on a three day joyride around the Earth inside its Crew Dragon spacecraft last week — and the mission has sent demand soaring, according to the company. "The amount of people who are approaching us through our sales and marketing portals has actually increased significantly," the company's senior director of human spaceflight programs Be
Billionaire Space Tourist Tries to Explain Lack of Footage From Inside Spaceship
5dThe four space tourists on board SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft had very little footage to share while on their three day journey circling the Earth last week. Apart from a brief, scheduled broadcast on Friday evening , we heard almost nothing from any of the four civilians — leaving us with plenty of questions , especially in the era of ubiquitous social media. The unusual silence from the crew
Is There a Thing, or a Relationship between Things, at the Bottom of Things?
5dQuantum mechanics inspires us to speculate that interactions between entities, not entities in themselves, are fundamental to reality — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
F.D.A. Decision on Covid Booster Shots Is Expected In Days
5dThe agency's ruling on who should be eligible for a third Pfizer-BioNTech dose is one of a series of vaccine decisions expected in the coming weeks.
Starwatch: the arrival of autumn brings the lovely harvest moon
5dThis is the full moon closest to the autumn equinox, the day when the lengths of day and night are equal This week watch for the beautiful harvest moon to rise above the horizon on Tuesday. The harvest moon is defined as the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox. This year, the equinox falls on the 22 September, and the moment of full moon takes place on 21 September at 00.54 BST. The moon wi
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'Highly effective' ovarian cancer treatment could help thousands of women
6dNew drug combination shrunk tumours significantly in 46% of patients with treatment-resistant form of disease Thousands of women with ovarian cancer could benefit from a revolutionary drug combination after it was shown to shrink tumours in half of patients with an advanced form of the disease. The pair of drugs – which work together to block the signals cancer cells need to grow – could offer a
A Mathematician's Guided Tour Through Higher Dimensions
6dThe concept of a dimension seems simple enough, but mathematicians struggled for centuries to precisely define and understand it.
'I felt this huge relief': how antibody injections could free the immunosuppressed under Covid
6dFDA expected to issue full emergency authorization for periodic antibody injections, or PrEP, to complement vaccinations A proud sports mom, Shantay Brown longs to pack into a crowded stadium for her son's Ohio State football games and scream her face off over the action on the field. Related: Doctors treating unvaccinated Covid patients are succumbing to compassion fatigue Continue reading…
SpaceX's Inspiration4 Returns After 3 Days in Orbit
6dThe first all-civilian, all-private spaceflight splashed down off the coast of Florida.
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The ozone hole over the South Pole is now bigger than Antarctica
7dEach year between August and October, the ozone over the South Pole is depleted – this year the hole is larger than 75 per cent of the holes that had formed by this point in the season since 1979
Cows have been potty-trained to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
7dSixteen young cows learned quickly how to urinate in a latrine, allowing their urine to be processed without producing greenhouse gases emissions
FN-chefen varnar: Världen närmar sig en katastrof
7dVärlden är på väg mot en global uppvärmning på 2,7 grader. "En katastrofal väg", varnar FN:s generalsekreterare Antonio Guterres.
How Across America, Schools Cram for Their Covid-19 Tests
6hSome districts have established robust virus testing programs, but many others are struggling.
In a First, Scientists Track 1 Million Neurons Near-Simultaneously in a Mouse Brain
9hUnprecedented insight into brain activity.
In France's Perfume Capital Of The World, There's A World Of Beautiful Fragrance
10hIts jasmine and roses are prized by perfumers and those eager to learn the trade. But the French Riviera town of Grasse didn't always smell sweet. Centuries ago, it was known for leather tanneries. (Image credit: Bénédicte Desrus for NPR)
William Shatner Is Reportedly Taking a Ride on Jeff Bezos' Rocket
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1dShatner Jeff Bezos
Kirk in Space Beam me up, Scotty! Acting legend William Shatner, who famously played the role of Captain Kirk on the original run of "Star Trek," will reportedly go to space during an upcoming Blue Origin launch slated for later this year, according to TMZ . The 90-year-old Canadian actor will be part of the second crew to fly to the edge of space on board the Jeff Bezos-led company's New Shepard
Scientists Say New Technique Could Turn Martian Air Into Rocket Fuel
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1dReactor Mars Martian Fuel
Fueling Up Scientists say they've developed a trick that can turn Martian air into rocket fuel — and that it's so efficient that a spacecraft wouldn't need to bother carrying any extra fuel for its return mission. A reactor using new chemical catalysts can efficiently convert carbon dioxide into methane and ethylene, essentially turning the greenhouse gas into a useful building block for fuels, e
Prosecutors in Mexico seeking arrest warrants for more than 30 scientists
1dScientific community is outraged, saying charges of organised crime are an attempt by Mexico's president to silence them Mexico's scientific community has reacted with outrage after the country's chief prosecutor requested arrest warrants for 31 scientists, researchers and academics on accusations of organised crime, money laundering and embezzlement – charges that could land them alongside drug
A 3D-Printed Chicken Breast Was Cooked With Frickin' Lasers
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1d3D Printed Chicken
Engineers at Columbia University developed a system that can simultaneously produce and heat food with precision.
Why Can't Democrats Pass Gun Control?
1dP resident Joe Biden was dealt a significant setback this month when he was forced to abandon David Chipman, his nominee to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The nomination was only the second he was forced to withdraw, and it was a blow to the gun-control groups who had backed Biden's pick. What went wrong? One explanation gun-control advocates often lean on when the
It's Not 'Weakness' to Change Your Mind About Something Like Vaccines. Here's Why
1dIt's okay to be skeptical.
Return of the common cold: infections surge in UK as autumn arrives
1dAfter 18 months of social distancing, scientists believe people's immune defences have weakened The return of schools and the arrival of autumn means common colds and other respiratory infections are firmly on the rise, spreading coughs and sneezes, more severe illnesses, and prompting some to report their worst colds ever . According to Public Health England, there is no particularly nasty new v
Several People in ICU After Attending "COVID Party"
2dA number of misguided residents in Edson, Alberta, a small Canadian town two hours west of the city of Edmonton, organized a "COVID party" intended to infect as many guests as possible with the coronavirus to "build up natural immunity," local news station CityNews reports . Unsurprisingly, several partygoers ended up in the ICU. After all, COVID-19 isn't the common flu — nor is it chicken pox. L
Astronaut Who Helped Build Space Station Says Damage Is "Serious"
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2dNASA Space Station tISS
Warning Signs Bill Shepherd, the retired NASA astronaut who served as captain of the first crew to work on the International Space Station, just issued a serious warning to Congress. The space station has been showing its age, with new damage and other signs of wear being found in various modules. Most recently, Russian cosmonauts spotted about half a dozen new cracks in their Zarya module . And
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What's A 'Race-Free' Approach to Diagnosing Kidney Disease?
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2dGFR Race Kidney American
The most common method of assessing the condition may make Black patients seem less ill than they really are, some experts say. A new report calls for scrapping the formula.
Quantum supremacy has been achieved by a more complex quantum computer
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2dTwo Https //T Quantum
A quantum computer made by researchers in China has outperformed classical computers, achieving what is known as quantum supremacy with a more complex quantum processor than ever before
Come on in, the water is superionic
2dThe interiors of Uranus and Neptune each contain about 50 000 times the amount of water in Earth's oceans, and a form of water known as superionic water is believed to be stable at depths greater than about one-third of the radius of these ice giants.
Solar eclipse looks otherworldly in 'Golden Ring' astrophotography shot
2dThe winning photographs for the 13th annual Astronomy Photographer of the Year awards have been announced, and the sun is the star of the show.
The Simple Math Behind the Mighty Roots of Unity
2dIf you've ever taken an algebra or physics class, then you've met a parabola, the simple curve that can model how a ball flies through the air. The most important part of a parabola is the vertex — its highest or lowest point — and there are many mathematical techniques for finding it. You can try vertex form, or the axis of symmetry, or even calculus. But last week one of my students located the
Boris Johnson Urges World Leaders To Act With Renewed Urgency On Climate Change
2dSpeaking at the U.N. General Assembly, the British prime minister said the global community needs to "listen to the warnings of the scientists." (Image credit: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The Taliban may be hunting for Afghanistan's most famous treasure
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2dAfghanistan Taliban
With the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the country's archaeological remains face a grim future even if the extremist Islamic group decides not to loot or intentionally destroy them.
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Covid cases among England's schoolchildren hit record peak
3dSteep jump in infections raises spectre of further educational disruption
Air pollution: Even worse than we thought – WHO
3dThe WHO is slashing recommended maximum limits of key pollutants as evidence of danger mounts.
The Bunks in the Chinese Space Station Are Absolutely Enormous
3dA new image shared by Chinese state-owned news agency CGTN shows astronaut Tang Hongbo relaxing on board the country's brand new space station — and the amenities are surprisingly luxurious. The photo shows Hongbo's sleeping quarters, a large section of the side of the Tianhe core module of China's brand new Tiangong space station. The astronaut appears to have stuck manuals, headphones, and phot
Single Cells Evolve Large Multicellular Forms in Just Two Years
3dTo human eyes, the dominant form of life on Earth is multicellular. These cathedrals of flesh, cellulose or chitin usually take shape by following a sophisticated, endlessly iterated program of development: A single microscopic cell divides, then divides again, and again and again, with each cell taking its place in the emerging tissues, until there is an elephant or a redwood where there was non
A new therapy for children who may have autism risks carrying a hidden cost | James Cusack
3dSupport that boosts toddlers' social development can lead to them missing out on a diagnosis that secures ongoing help James Cusack is chief executive of Autistica, a British autism research charity Being autistic, for me and the 700,000 other autistic people in the UK, often means spending a lot of time inhabiting a world that doesn't work well for you. This is why it's vital that the needs and
Mouth bacteria may explain why some kids hate broccoli
3dBacteria-made enzymes in spit may make cruciferous veggies taste worse to some children.
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Arctic Horror Is Having a Comeback
3dThis article contains spoilers for The Terror and The North Water . Of all the horrors of a 19th-century European voyage to the Arctic—noses and cheeks turned necrotic by frostbite, snow blindness, sea madness, broken bones badly knit—perhaps most ghastly was scurvy . The disease often starts with stiff limbs and ulcerating skin. Gums bleed and blacken, then engorge and protrude over the teeth or
Giant pyramid built by the Maya was made from rock spewed by a volcano
3dMaya people who had fled their cities after a volcano erupted returned and built an enormous pyramid from the volcanic debris.
The State of Texas v. Jesus Christ
3dCharles Ommanney / Getty Devotees to the cause of religious liberty may be startled to discover during the Supreme Court's upcoming term that the latest legal-theological dispute finds the state of Texas locked in conflict with traditional Christian practice, where rites for the sick, condemned, and dying disrupt the preferences of executioners. A recent stay in Ramirez v. Collier has again put T
Børn finder 30 millioner år gammel kæmpe-pingvin med lange ben
3dPingvinen, som blev fundet i New Zealand, var knap halvanden meter høj.
Having 'Good' Gut Bacteria Could Really Help if You're Trying to Lose Weight
3dHere's what scientists know so far.
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China Pledges to Stop Building Coal-Burning Power Plants Abroad
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3dChina Xi Zimbabwe US
It marks a major shift for one of the biggest backers of coal-fired plants globally. Still, China remains heavily reliant on new coal plants at home, and is the world's top emitter of greenhouse gases.
Asteroid three times the size of the Statue of Liberty will zoom past Earth on fall equinox
4dAn asteroid measuring about three times the size of the Statue of Liberty will sail harmlessly by Earth on Sept. 22, the 2021 fall equinox.
Treasure hunter finds gold hoard buried by Iron Age chieftain
4dA Danish man with a metal detector found a sixth-century hoard buried by a chieftain.
Cyberattack on Farming Group Could Lead to Food Shortages
4dHunger Strike A new ransomware attack on a major agricultural services provider could lead to food shortages down the road if the hackers and target don't come to an agreement. The hacking group BlackMatter forced the agricultural company NEW Cooperative to bring its systems offline and is holding them hostage for $5.9 million, Ars Technica reports . NEW Cooperative, which says it provides softwa
Americans Have No Idea What the Supply Chain Really Is
4dAt this point, the maddeningly unpredictable Delta variant has changed the expected course of the coronavirus pandemic so much that it can be hard to know exactly what you're waiting for, or if you should continue waiting at all. Is something like before-times normalcy still coming, or will Americans have to negotiate a permanently changed reality? Will we recognize that new normal when it gets h
Nuclear waste interaction in the environment may be more complicated than once thought
4dLawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists and collaborators proposed a new mechanism by which nuclear waste could spread in the environment.
Elon Musk Confirms "Challenges" With Toilet on Tourist Spacecraft
4dWhat's That Smell? As if going to the bathroom in microgravity wasn't complicated enough . It sounds as though the four space tourists on SpaceX's historic Inspiration4 flight last week had a bit of a smelly mishap. The Waste Management System experienced an "anomaly" — that's code of "uh oh" in space jargon — with its suction fan causing the crew to struggle with doing their business while float
The Democrats' Greatest Delusion
4dDemocrats in Congress are divided on a slew of important issues right now, leaving President Joe Biden's signature $3.5 trillion spending plan in jeopardy. What unites them is the illusion that the way they handle the plan will make or break the party's fortunes in next year's midterms. If only things worked that way. The election is almost certainly a lost cause for Democrats, and, if it's not,
COVID-19 has now killed as many people in the U.S. as the 1918 Spanish flu
4dThe 1918-1919 flu pandemic led to approximately 675,000 deaths in the U.S.
When a Hit Musical Becomes a Bad Movie
4dWhen Dear Evan Hansen premiered on Broadway in 2016, it drew near-universal praise from New York's theater critics. Ben Platt, playing an anxious teenager who becomes an internet celebrity after misrepresenting his role in a local tragedy, was showered with plaudits, and the show ended up winning six Tony Awards—the most of the season—including Best Musical and a leading-actor trophy for Platt. A
Space rock that destroyed ancient city may have inspired biblical story of Sodom
4dArchaeologists have evidence of a space rock that obliterated Jericho some 3,600 years ago may have inspired the biblical story of Sodom.
The World Won't Miss Angela Merkel
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4dMerkel Germany Europe
D uring the darkest days of Donald Trump's presidency, Angela Merkel looked like the last adult on the world stage. With the United States led by an extremist, the United Kingdom in chaos, India barreling toward autocracy, and Russia and China ever more repressive, the German chancellor was widely hailed as the "leader of the free world." Now that Merkel is about to step down from the post she ha
Where Is the Reckoning Over Disability Rights?
4dPhotographs by Dannielle Bowman W hen Angel Love Miles arrived at Penn State in 1998, she realized she was going to have to fight to finish school. To begin with, Miles was a low-income Black student, and Penn State was mostly white. In addition, she has spina bifida, a condition that affects spinal development in utero. In Miles's case, this means she uses crutches or a wheelchair. As a child, s
Scientists develop the next generation of reservoir computing
4dA relatively new type of computing that mimics the way the human brain works was already transforming how scientists could tackle some of the most difficult information processing problems.
Fox hunting: Top huntsman 'gave advice' on illegal events, court told
4dMark Hankinson denies encouraging others to break the law during private webinars which were leaked online.
The bias that blinds: why some people get dangerously different medical care
4dMedical research and practice have long assumed a narrow definition of the 'default' human, badly compromising the care of anyone outside that category. How can this be fixed? I met Chris in my first month at a small, hard-partying Catholic high school in north-eastern Wisconsin, where kids jammed cigarettes between the fingers of the school's lifesize Jesus statue and skipped mass to eat fries a
Human whistled languages may offer model for how to study dolphin communication
4dWhistling while you work isn't just a distraction for some people. More than 80 cultures employ a whistled form of their native language to communicate over long distances. A multidisciplinary team of scientists believe that some of these whistled languages can serve as a model for elucidating how information may be encoded in dolphin whistle communication. They made their case in a new paper publ
Climate reporting reaches melting point
4dA trip to a melting glacier will shape how the BBC's new climate editor reports on climate change.
Nasa selects landing site for Moon rover mission
4dThe space agency will send a rover to look for water-ice near a crater at the Moon's South Pole.
Biden Administration to Draft Rules on Workplace Heat Dangers
5dThe move, aimed at protecting workers in sectors like agriculture and construction, reflects a growing recognition of the health threats posed by global warming.
La Palma volcano spews lava hundreds of feet in the air, but don't expect a 'mega-tsunami'
5dThousands of tremors shook the island in the week before the eruption occurred.
Varannan medelålders man har ökad risk för hjärtinfarkt
5dOmkring 55 procent av männen i åldrarna 50-64 år löper en ökad risk att drabbas av hjärtinfarkt. Det visar en ny stor svensk studie där forskare undersökt kranskärlen på 25 000 friska individer.
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Brain Implant Entrepreneur Says His Inbox Is Filled With Furries
5dFursona Non Grata Max Hodak, who cofounded Neuralink with Elon Musk and served as president until he left the neural implant company this May, tweeted out an unusual request this weekend. "To all the furries in my inbox," Hodak tweeted on Sunday, "patience please. Hopefully technology will enable everyone to be their best selves." Hodak didn't specify what, exactly, the furries were asking of him
Elon Musk Mocks Joe Biden for Not Congratulating SpaceX Fast Enough
5dNotice Me Last week, SpaceX successfully completed the first all-civilian spaceflight with the successful splashdown of its Inspiration4 mission. Shortly thereafter, the company and CEO Elon Musk racked up praise and congratulations from government officials including NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and spaceflight industry competitors including Blue Origin CEO Jeff Bezos . But apparently that was
Defying Congress, Elon Musk Calls for Cooperation Between NASA and China
5dSpaceX CEO Elon Musk is calling for at least "some amount of cooperation" between NASA and China — despite legislation that restricts NASA from using any federal funds to engage with the Chinese government. The Wolf Amendment, passed by Congress in 2011, severely restricts any bilateral cooperation with the Chinese government — an effort to put a stop to espionage, effectively painting China as a
Mathematical Analysis of Fruit Fly Wings Hints at Evolution's Limits
5dTwo years ago, to prepare for an unusual photo shoot, a team of scientists plucked the wings from thousands of fruit flies and pressed each flake of iridescent tissue between glass plates. As often as not, the wing tore or folded, or an air pocket or errant piece of dust got trapped along with it, ruining the sample. Fly wings are "not like Saran wrap," said Madhav Mani… Source
A World Without Children
5dMiley Cyrus vowed not to have a baby on a "piece-of-shit planet." Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez mused in an Instagram video about whether it's still okay to have children. Polls suggest that a third or more of Americans younger than 45 either don't have children or expect to have fewer than they might otherwise because they are worried about climate change. Millennials and Gen Z are not
America's China Strategy Is Working
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5dChina US American
Executives at the fashion brand Eileen Fisher are no strangers to China—or to its enormous benefits and dangerous pitfalls: The American outfitter began manufacturing its clothing there about a quarter century ago, but last year, it realized that working in China could no longer be business as usual. The catalyst was Beijing's repression of China's Uyghurs in the far-west province of Xinjiang. A
Climate pledges tough to secure before COP26 summit, PM warns
5dBoris Johnson says he has a "six out of 10" chance of securing pledges before the COP26 conference.
SpaceX Just Marked Another Huge Milestone in The History of Crewed Spaceflight
5d"That was a heck of a ride for us."
Why do the planets in the solar system orbit on the same plane?
6dAbout 4.5 billion years ago, the solar system was just a giant, spinning cloud of gas and dust. Today, it's flat. Here's how that happened.
Naturskogarna allt färre – uppemot 15 procent kvar
6dSveriges naturskogar minskar snabbt. Skälet är den växande efterfrågan på skogsprodukter som leder till att skogsindustrin fortsätter att avverka även i naturskogar. Idag är bara 10-15 procent av all skog i landet naturskog.
The Sad Reason Some Primate Moms May Carry Around Their Dead Infants
6dWe may finally have explained this behavior.
'Heck of a ride': SpaceX's historic amateur astronauts splashdown safely in Atlantic
6dThe four-person crew thanked mission control as they splashed down in the Atlantic Four space tourists ended their trailblazing trip to orbit on Saturday with a splashdown in the Atlantic off the Florida coast. Their SpaceX capsule parachuted into the ocean just before sunset, not far from where their chartered flight began three days earlier. Continue reading…
Elon Musk Must Be Pretty Relieved
6dThe space tourists are back. On Saturday night, the private astronauts braced themselves as their spacecraft streaked through Earth's atmosphere, deployed parachutes, and then drifted down off the coast of Florida. When the capsule touched the waves, they might have heard a voice from mission control radio in: " Thanks for flying SpaceX ." As if the passengers had just touched down on a runway at
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UN says global carbon emissions set to rise 16 per cent by 2030
7dA UN analysis of countries' latest plans to cut carbon emissions shows they will actually rise 16 per cent on 2010 levels by 2030, leaving only a small window to limit global warming to 1.5°C
Cats refuse to snuggle with objects that smell like their owners
7dCats form strong bonds with their owners, but the scent of their human companions doesn't comfort them when they're left alone – and it could even make them howl more
Cheap covid-19 antibody test shows if you have immunity in 5 minutes
7dA cheap and accurate test that can tell if people have covid-19 antibodies could be used to monitor population immunity from past infections as well as vaccines
Why are orcas 'attacking' fishing boats off the coast of Gibraltar?
7dOrcas, also known as killer whales, have been involved in a number of recent incidents with boats around Gibraltar, leaving researchers, sailors and local authorities scrambling to understand why
Ministers told to bar EU from UK trial data in vaccines row
7dEngland's deputy medical chief asked for data to be withheld unless British vaccine guinea pigs allowed to travel abroad • Coronavirus – latest updates • See all our coronavirus coverage England's deputy chief medical officer asked ministers to withhold all UK clinical trial data from the EU if European countries continued to deny entry to British vaccine trial volunteers, the Observer can reveal
Boston Dynamics Deploys Robot Guard Dog at Factory
7dSee Spot Guard Robotics company Boston Dynamics has announced that it's started a pilot program for a robot guard dog on Friday. The guard dog is known as Spot and is technically known as a "Factory Safety Service Robot," according to a press release from Hyundai , which acquired Boston Dynamics in June 2021. The carmaker says that the robot has begun operations at a Kia plant in South Korea. "Th
UK teachers targeted by Covid anti-vaxxers as schools prepare to vaccinate pupils
7dOne headteacher threatened with legal action by own governor over student jabs Secondary schools in the UK have been plunged into the centre of the row over Covid vaccines for 12- to 15-year-olds , with anti-vaxxers at school gates and a headteacher threatened with legal action by one of his own governors. Letters circulated by campaign groups and parents are accusing schools of sanctioning "medi
How Music Can Literally Heal the Heart
7dIts structural attributes and physiological effects make it an ideal tool for learning cardiology, studying heart-brain interactions and dispensing neurocardiac therapy — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Arizona's Audit Continues to Be a Chaotic Mess
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7dArizona Senate C. Ninjas
If you've forgotten about the Arizona "audit" of Maricopa County's votes in the 2020 election, you can be forgiven. At times, it seems like the audits' backers have forgotten about it too. Arizona state-Senate Republicans launched the process this spring as a response to false claims of election fraud spread by several of themselves, as well as former President Donald Trump. The Senate hired Cybe
The Evidence Is in – One Mask Type Stands Out as The Best Protection Against COVID-19
10hSimple and effective.
All Is Not Well That Ends Well in Arizona
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1dArizona Trump Biden
The so-called audit of votes in Maricopa County, Arizona, will confirm that President Joe Biden won the 2020 election there, and all it took was five months, millions of taxpayer dollars to replace voting machines tainted by the audit, and a full-frontal assault on faith in elections, the foundation of American democracy. The review didn't merely confirm that Biden won Maricopa County—it reported
Driver Claims Tesla Locked Up in Middle of Six-Lane Highway
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1dTesla Middle Highway
Close Call A bizarre failure brought a Tesla to a complete stop in the middle of traffic, according to the driver's account of the incident. Alan "Pooch" Puccinelli, owner of 3D printing supply company called R3PKORD, tweeted the harrowing saga of how his Tesla Model S locked up in the middle of a six-lane highway in North Auburn, California on Wednesday night. Thankfully, Puccinelli managed to a
NASA satellites show how clouds respond to Arctic sea ice change
2dClouds are one of the biggest wildcards in predictions of how much and how fast the Arctic will continue to warm in the future. Depending on the time of the year and the changing environment in which they form and exist, clouds can both act to warm and cool the surface below them.
Fossilized footprints in New Mexico are earliest 'unequivocal evidence' of people in the Americas
2dFossilized human footprints found in New Mexico reveal that people dwelled in the Americas during the last ice age's peak — conclusive proof of early migration to the New World.
Murders Are Spiking in America
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2dFBI US Murder 2020 30%
If 2020 was a year of death, COVID-19 was not the only culprit. Last year saw the largest increase in murders on record, according to new federal-government data. There were some 21,500 murders in 2020—nearly 5,000 more than in 2019. That's a 29 percent spike, far outpacing the previous record increase, 12.7 percent, set in 1968. Those numbers come from the FBI's Uniform Crime Report, an annual r
Study unveils the minimum temperature for droplets levitating from smooth surfaces
2dThe Leidenfrost effect is a well-known physical phenomenon first discovered in 1756. It occurs when a liquid is in the proximity of a surface that is significantly warmer than its boiling point. This produces an insulating vapor layer that prevents the liquid from quickly boiling. Due to this effect, a droplet would hover over the surface instead of physically touching it.
The Difference Between Hope and Optimism
2d" How to Build a Life " is a weekly column by Arthur Brooks, tackling questions of meaning and happiness. D uring the Vietnam War, a U.S. Navy vice admiral who was held for more than seven years in a North Vietnamese prison noticed a surprising trend among his fellow inmates. Some of them survived the appalling conditions; others didn't. Those who didn't tended to be the most optimistic of the gr
'Ultra-potent' antibody against COVID-19 variants
2dA technology developed at Vanderbilt University Medical Center has led to the discovery of an "ultra-potent" monoclonal antibody against multiple variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, including the delta variant.
Efter bundkarakter til dansk natur: Her er tre områder, der faktisk går frem
2dDanmarks nationalparker bør lade sig inspirere af de gode eksempler, siger ekspert.
2021 has broken the record for zero-day hacking attacks
2dA zero-day exploit—a way to launch a cyberattack via a previously unknown vulnerability—is just about the most valuable thing a hacker can possess. These exploits can carry price tags north of $1 million on the open market. And this year, cybersecurity defenders have caught the highest number ever, according to multiple databases, researchers, and cybersecurity companies who spoke to MIT Technolo
Hospital Reports a Scary Effect of Severe COVID-19 Is Far More Common Than Thought
2dIt's "unusually persistent".
Music download patterns found to resemble infectious disease epidemic curves
3dA team of mathematicians at the McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind in Canada, has found that music download patterns resemble the patterns found in disease epidemics. In their paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society A, the group describes applying a standard model used to describe the spread of disease to a large database of downloadable music.
New quantum transmission protocol has higher data transmission rate, robustness against interference
3dQuantum cryptography is one of the most promising quantum technologies of our time: Exactly the same information is generated at two different locations, and the laws of quantum physics guarantee that no third party can intercept this information. This creates a code with which information can be perfectly encrypted.
Blast More Powerful Than Tunguska May Have Devastated Ancient City
3d(Image: Ted E. Bunch et al/Nature) People have been in the valley of the Jordan River for a long, long time. Long enough, in fact, that we're aware of a strange gap in the physical record of human history there, beginning with the mass abandonment of almost every city, village, and settlement in the area, around 3,600 years ago. When the entire population of a twenty-mile-wide metropolitan center
Infants have more microplastics in their feces than adults, study finds
3dMicroplastics—tiny plastic pieces less than 5 mm in size—are everywhere, from indoor dust to food to bottled water. So it's not surprising that scientists have detected these particles in the feces of people and pets. Now, in a small pilot study, researchers reporting in ACS' Environmental Science & Technology Letters discovered that infants have higher amounts of one type of microplastic in their
Scores of internet-providing satellites will soon streak across Canada's skies, but at what cost?
4dThe night sky is going to get much busier thanks to thousands of new internet satellites set to launch over the next few years—and researchers say it's going to affect Canada more than most places on Earth.
Democrats May Be on the Verge of Climate Disaster
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4dClimate Charter Democrats
This is an excerpt from The Atlantic 's climate newsletter, The Weekly Planet. Subscribe today . Updated at 11:26 a.m. on September 23, 2021 I'm starting to become concerned about President Joe Biden's ability to pass a climate bill . They're speaking sotto voce, but still: In the past few days, Democrats on the party's left and right flanks have started to hint that, well, in some circumstances,
Einstein's handwritten calculations for theory of relativity to be auctioned for €3m
4dThe rare document, which records attempts to explain an anomaly in the orbit of Mercury, is 'a fascinating dive into the mind of the greatest scientist of the 20th century' A crucial series of Albert Einstein's calculations, scrawled down as the physicist struggled to account for an anomaly in the orbit of Mercury while developing his theory of general relativity, is set to be auctioned for an ey
Darwin's short-beak enigma solved: Mutation in the ROR2 gene is linked to beak length in domestic pigeons
4dCharles Darwin was obsessed with domestic pigeons. He thought they held the secrets of selection in their beaks. Free from the bonds of natural selection, the 350-plus breeds of domestic pigeons have beaks of all shapes and sizes within a single species (Columba livia). The most striking are beaks so short that they sometimes prevent parents from feeding their own young. Centuries of interbreeding
Trials begin on Covid booster jab hoped to protect against new variants
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4dCOVID Manchester Gritstone
Self-amplifying mRNA jab aims to trigger immune response towards virus's spike and non-spike proteins Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The first trials have begun of a Covid booster jab that it is hoped will offer good protection against a wide range of variants, researchers have revealed. Covid jabs currently used in the UK trigger an immune response towards the coro
Hard Work Isn't the Point of the Office
4dAs the Age of Delta scrambles back-to-office timelines, I find myself wondering what offices are good for in the first place. I am pro-office. I miss a good eavesdropping, the promise of midday gossip, the "quick random question" that blooms into a half-hour conversation, and, theoretically, the magical combustion of creativity forged by these connections. These things aren't what I'm directly pa
Planet City — a sci-fi vision of an astonishing regenerative future | Liam Young
5dGet transported on a stunningly rendered, sci-fi safari through Planet City: an imaginary metropolis of 10 billion people, from the brain of director and architect Liam Young. Explore the potential outcomes of an urban space designed to house the entire population of the earth — and imagine answers to what is possible, and what is sustainable, for the planet.
Palomar 6 globular cluster investigated in detail
5dAn international team of astronomers has conducted a detailed study of a globular cluster known as Palomar 6 (or Pal 6 for short). Results of the research could help us better understand the nature of this cluster. The study was detailed in a paper published September 9 on arXiv.org.
Hubble takes 31st anniversary image: Two new views showcase the dual nature of the star AG Carinae
5dComparing two images shows puffing dust bubbles and an erupting gas shell—the final acts of a monster star's life.
Engineered Bacteria Produce a Rainbow of Colors
5dBy inserting some genes and knocking down others, scientists solved a core problem in synthetic biology — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Is It Time to Rethink Hyper-Minority Districts?
5dM ost members of Congress crave political security, and Terri Sewell has it. For more than a decade, she's represented Alabama's Seventh District, a 61 percent Black hodgepodge that awkwardly links the bustling cities of Birmingham and Montgomery via the sprawling, agriculturally rich Black Belt (named for the region's dark topsoil), where more than a quarter of residents still live below the fed
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Most CO2 from Australia's megafires has been offset by algal blooms
7dAbout 80 per cent of the carbon dioxide released by Australia's huge wildfires of 2019-2020 was captured by ocean algal blooms that grew due to the iron-rich ash
Seven simple steps to sounder sleep
7dHow I overcome my chronic insomnia with science Everything about our day impacts our sleep. How many minutes we spend outside, what and when we eat, what's happening with our hormones, our habits, emotions, stress and thoughts – all this feeds into the sleep we end up with at night. All of which I was completely oblivious to when battling chronic insomnia for years on end. Sleep anxiety can creat
In Newly Released Text, Elizabeth Holmes Called Herself "Best Business Person of the Year"
1dNew private text messages have surfaced between Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes and her then-boyfriend Sunny Balwani. The nearly 600 pages of private text and Skype messages, sent between June 2011 and July 2016, were obtained by CNBC earlier this week. The texts demonstrate how Holmes professed full confidence in her blood-testing company — despite the venture imploding spectacularly in 2015.
Cavers discover snakes and waterfalls inside Yemen's infamous 'Well of Hell' in world-first descent
1dCave explorers from Oman have become the first people to fully explore the infamous 'Well of Hell' sinkhole in Yemen.
Decoding human history with ancient DNA
1dThis year is the 20th anniversary of sequencing the human genome. In honor of this event, a research team led by Prof. FU Qiaomei from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences reviewed the most recent progress in the field of ancient DNA (aDNA), i.e., DNA obtained from the remains of past organisms.
White dwarfs become magnetic as they get older
1dAt least one out of four white dwarfs (WDs) will end its life as a magnetic star, and therefore magnetic fields are an essential component of WD physics. New insights into the magnetism of degenerate stars from a recent analysis of a volume-limited sample of WDs have provided the best evidence obtained so far of how the frequency of magnetism in WDs correlates with age. This could help to explain
'We haven't finished the job': JVT reflects on 18 months of Covid
1dExclusive: Listen to the experts, says deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam, not the celebrities They didn't ask for the spotlight, and sometimes they didn't always seem comfortable under the media glare. But the scientists who came into our lives at the start of the coronavirus pandemic became household names. None more so than Prof Jonathan Van-Tam. Continue reading…
Bitcoin.org, Which Taught Users Not to Get Scammed, Gets Hacked and Replaced With Scam
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2dBitcoin Org Double Scam
Giveaway Scam Bitcoin scams are getting more brazen than ever. Bitcoin.org, which is the first Google search result for "bitcoin," got hacked and led visitors to an apparent giveaway scam, CoinDesk reports . The website was originally owned and operated by the pseudonymous bitcoin developers Satoshi Nakamoto, alongside others. Ironically, the website aims to "inform users to protect them from com
An old lake bed reveals evidence of America's first inhabitants
2dThey walked there at least 23,000 years ago
Astronomers discover enormous 'cavity' in the Milky Way being masked by a cosmic illusion
2dAstronomers discover that two large clouds of gas in the Taurus and Perseus constellations are separated by a 500 light-year-long 'cavity', thanks to an ancient supernova.
Bat guts become less healthy through diet of 'fast food' from banana plantations
2dNectar-feeding bats foraging in intensively managed banana plantations in Costa Rica have a less diverse set of gut microbes in comparison to bats feeding in their natural forest habitat or organic plantations, reveals new research published today in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. This the first study to show an association between habitat alteration, sustainable agriculture and the gut micro
Dr. Joseph Ladapo of "America's Frontline Doctors" is now in charge of public health in Florida
2dDr. Joseph Ladapo, a member of the fringe medical group "American's Frontline Doctors" and signer of the widely criticized Great Barrington Declaration, is Florida's new Surgeon General, appointed because he agrees with the dubious COVID-19 policies of Gov. DeSantis and, like the Governor, allows ideology to trump science. The post Dr. Joseph Ladapo of "America's Frontline Doctors" is now in char
We Can Save Millions of Lives Each Year by Implementing These New WHO Guidelines
2dUrgent action is needed on air pollution.
Those Cracks Found on The ISS Are Likely 'Serious', Says Former NASA Astronaut
2dThere's probably more to be found.
Scientists use AI to create drug regime for rare form of brain cancer in children
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2dAI DIPG Brain Cancer
Hopes that breakthrough marks new era where artificial intelligence can develop treatments for all types of cancer Scientists have successfully used artificial intelligence to create a new drug regime for children with a deadly form of brain cancer that has not seen survival rates improve for more than half a century. The breakthrough, revealed in the journal Cancer Discovery, is set to usher in
Member Nations Alarmed by Bleak Future During "Dire" UN Meeting
3dThe tone at the first in-person United Nations meeting since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, which kicked off on Tuesday at the General Assembly in New York, was "dire," the Associated Press reports . The topics of conversation were familiar. Climate change is rearing its ugly head , while the availability of COVID-19 vaccines is driving wealthy and poor nations even further apart. The co
Tesla Driver Caught at Charging Station After Intentionally Running Over Pedestrian
3dHit and Run The Moses Lake Police Department in Washington were practically handed a hit and run suspect this week. A red Tesla intentionally hit a male pedestrian on Sunday afternoon after a verbal altercation, the cops say, and tried to flee the scene afterward. But officers caught up with him while illegally parked at a nearby charging station — a hilariously convenient and somehow obvious pla
NASA's InSight finds three big marsquakes, thanks to solar-panel dusting
3dOn Sept. 18, NASA's InSight lander celebrated its 1,000th Martian day, or sol, by measuring one of the biggest, longest-lasting marsquakes the mission has ever detected. The temblor is estimated to be about a magnitude 4.2 and shook for nearly an hour-and-a-half.
The genetic rescue of Earth's endangered species | Ryan Phelan
3dFrom a special black-footed ferret to coral that can withstand warming waters, genetic rescue efforts that use genomics and synthetic biology are helping nature thrive. But despite the huge successes of this kind of intervention, conservation innovator Ryan Phelan points out that fear of unintended consequences often stifles innovation — risking further extinction. She makes the case for embracin
Alphabet's Project Taara Is Using Lasers to Beam Internet Across the World's Deepest River
3dA little over a year ago, Google's Project Loon launched in Kenya, 35 giant balloons with solar-powered electronics inside beaming a 4G signal to the central and western parts of the country. The project was ambitious; each balloon, when fully extended, was the size of a tennis court, and the plan was for them to hover in the stratosphere (20 kilometers above Earth), forming a mesh network to pro
PPE hospital masks find new life stopping plastic waste
3dAll schools and colleges in Cornwall will be given litter pickers made from old hospital masks.
Industrin backar kring biobränsle från skogen
3dSvensk industri har i en ny kalkyl kraftigt minskat hur mycket biobränsle de räknar med att kunna plocka ur skogen för att nå klimatmålen år 2045. Det visar en ny rapport från Fossilfritt Sverige som lämnas till regeringen idag.
We May Finally Know What Caused That Huge Ozone Hole in The Arctic Last Year
3dIt probably won't be the last time…
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John Nkengasong, of the Africa C.D.C., Will Lead PEPFAR
3dDr. Nkengasong will be the first person of African origin to oversee the U.S. government program combating H.I.V., which has ravaged the continent.
California's Wildfires Had an Invisible Impact: High Carbon Dioxide Emissions
4dFrom June to August, the blazes emitted far more planet-warming carbon dioxide than in any other summer in nearly two decades, satellite data shows.
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Vampire fish could be hitching rides from larger hosts
4dA team of researchers with Universidade Federal do Amazonas, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande and Washington and Lee University has found evidence of candiru (aka vampire fish) attaching themselves to hosts but not feeding off of them. The team has published findings in Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria.
Specialty Pharmacies Cater to the Blind and Those With Impaired Vision
4dThe pandemic has exposed flaws in services for people who can't easily access a drive-through window for Covid shots or testing or can't read prescription labels.
RNA-targeting enzyme expands the CRISPR toolkit
5dResearchers at MIT's McGovern Institute for Brain Research have discovered a bacterial enzyme that they say could expand scientists' CRISPR toolkit, making it easy to cut and edit RNA with the kind of precision that, until now, has only been available for DNA editing. The enzyme, called Cas7-11, modifies RNA targets without harming cells, suggesting that in addition to being a valuable research to
Photos: A Destructive Eruption on the Canary Islands
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5dCanary Islands La Palma
A recent burst of seismic activity on the volcanic island of La Palma, part of Spain's Canary Islands, prompted authorities to evacuate about 5,000 residents. On Sunday, the Cumbre Vieja volcano erupted near the town of El Paso, spewing ash and jets of lava into the air and triggering lava flows that have destroyed more than 100 homes so far. Lava continued to flow slowly on Monday, with no injur
Empty Liquor Bottles Found Inside In-Development Air Force One
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6dBoeing Air Force One
Getting Sauced It's not unusual to head to happy hour after work to kick back with a few drinks — but your boss probably wouldn't like it if you were kicking back during work hours. Your boss especially wouldn't like it if your work involved building one of the most highly-classified jets in the world. That's the situation Boeing has found itself in after two empty miniature bottles of tequila we
Use of 10p statins in organ donation 'could save thousands of lives'
6dExclusive: NHS launching large trial of approach that could boost number of transplants and their success rate Thousands of lives could be saved globally by giving patients a 10p statin before transplants, doctors have said, as the NHS launches the world's largest clinical trial in organ donors. The medical breakthrough is predicted to dramatically increase the supply of organs for transplant. Cu
Ancient Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets could be decoded by an AI
7dThe 4500-year-old written tablets that shine a light on life in ancient Mesopotamia are often damaged, but a predictive AI trained on 104 languages can help fill in the gaps
We should isolate when we have flu, not just covid-19
7dThe new social norm of isolating when ill with covid-19 should apply to other infectious diseases such as flu, says Jonathan Goodman
Call for English households with bulging waste bins to pay extra
7dStalled recycling rates in England could be lifted through a bin tax, giving people a financial incentive to send less waste to landfill and reducing collections of waste, says an expert group appointed by the UK government
Ancient spiders locked in amber died looking after their offspring
7dModern spiders are known to be devoted parents, and ancient spiders trapped in 99-million-year-old amber seem to have cared for their young too
Astronauts could use their blood and urine to make Martian concrete
7dMixing materials extracted from their own blood and urine with native Martian soil could let astronauts produce a type of concrete for building a colony
Shifting jet stream due to warming could threaten Europe from 2060
7dChanges in the position of the polar jet stream around the Arctic may have caused past famines in Europe, and global warming could lead to even bigger changes from around the 2060s
Iceland's volcanic eruption the longest in half a century
7dIt will be six months on Sunday that the volcanic eruption currently mesmerising spectators near Reykjavik first began, making it the longest Iceland has witnessed in more than 50 years.
Former US Intelligence Operatives Admit They Hacked for UAE
7dPlus: Remote learning spyware, an AT&T bribery scandal, and more of the week's top security news.
Urchin Slayers Are Trying to Save the Underwater Rainforest
7d'Zombie' purple urchins have obliterated West Coast kelp forests with their insatiable appetites. Can they be stopped?
Okay, These Jokes About Elon Musk and Grimes Breaking Up Are Pretty Funny
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1hElon Musk Grimes Years
When news of Elon Musk and Claire "Grimes" Boucher's split broke, the Internet responded with an outpouring of sadness at the deterioration of a once beautiful, promising relationship, causing many to ruminate on the nature of love and its ultimate brevity in the grand scheme of human existence. Just kidding. People responded with jokes and memes, of course. A lot of folks on Twitter in particula
Math Is Personal
7hThe mathematician Federico Ardila-Mantilla grew up in Colombia, an indifferent student but gifted in math. He was failing most of his classes at his high school in Bogotá when someone suggested he apply to MIT. He had not heard of the school. To his surprise, he got in, and he went on scholarship. Mathematically, he did well. One of his professors—an acid-tongued theoretician known to compare hi
Even the CIA and NSA Use Ad Blockers to Stay Safe Online
8hPlus: The ransomware scourge continues, a massive botnet gets wounded, and more of the week's top security news.
Se de 23000-år gamla mänskliga fotspåren i Nordamerika
17hFotspår ingjutna i naturligt gips avslöjar att det fanns människor i Nordamerika redan för 23 000 år sedan. Människan kom invandrande över det som idag är Berings sund mellan Ryssland och Alaska, och fortsatte sedan söderut. Spela videon för att se fotspår av barn och ungdomar som levde för 23 000 år sedan.
Meta-Reviews Are Amplifying Bad And Even Fake Ivermectin Data, Researchers Warn
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19hIvermectin Bayesian
We need better standards.
Climate change: Whisper it cautiously… there's been progress in run up to COP26
21hPledges made at the UN have lifted hopes for the Glasgow summit, but some major questions remain.
Quasi-particles with tunable interactions
1dThe laws of quantum mechanics allow for the existence of 'quasi-particles': excitations in materials that behave exactly like ordinary particles. A major advantage of quasi-particles over ordinary particles is that their properties can be engineered. In a Nature Materials News & Views article this week, IoP physicist Erik van Heumen describes recent experiments where even the interactions between
Sci-Fi Can Help Teach Us About Political Theory
1dBooks by writers like Aldous Huxley and Ursula K. Le Guin can help readers understand scenarios they may not consider otherwise.
Guiding microbes along their path
1dThe interdisciplinary field of active matter physics investigates the principles behind the behavior and self-organization of living organisms. The goal is to reveal general principles that allow to describe and predict the performance of living matter and thereby support the development of novel technologies. Recently, the groups of Oliver Bäumchen and Marco Mazza from the MPIDS, the University o
Please, No More Tiger King
1dNetflix just announced the docuseries is getting a second season. But … why?
Ritualistic artifacts found at 'Temple of the Pharaohs' in Egypt
1dArchaeologists excavating a temple at the ancient city of Buto, about 59 miles (95 kilometers) east of Alexandria, in Egypt, have found 2,700-year-old tools and sculptures that were used in rituals for Hathor, the goddess of the sky.
Where's the Cheap Beef?
1dGrocery prices are rising. Meat prices are rising more than most other grocery prices. Beef prices are rising more than most other meat prices. But on the ranch, these are not prosperous times. Even as ground chuck costs more than $5 a pound at Walmart , ranchers complain that they are receiving less for their animals than it costs to feed them. Rising food prices are likely depressing President
A Common Pain Relief Med Used in Pregnancy Should Be Taken With Caution, Experts Warn
1dDon't overdo it.
Lions Led by Donkeys, 1917
1dThose who sent unprotected children into classrooms filled with COVID-19 must be remembered for more than their unparalleled capacity for self-pity, inglorious oppression fantasies, and juvenile trolling of public officials. The post first appeared on Science-Based Medicine .
A New Formula May Help Black Patients' Access to Kidney Care
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2dRace GFR Black Kidney
The prior algorithm adjusted calculations for Black patients—making it harder for them to qualify for transplants and other treatments.
New cereal box-sized satellite to explore alien planets
2dA new miniature satellite designed and built at CU Boulder's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) is providing proof that "cute" things can take on big scientific challenges.
Vampire Bats Call Out to Friends to Share Blood Meals
2dAfter they prep bite sites to lap the blood out of live cows, females invite their roostmates to join them
Melbourne rocked by Victoria's biggest earthquake on record
2dA record magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck in a remote part of Victoria, Australia, on 22 September, damaging buildings in Melbourne but not causing any fatalities
Blame fossil fuels, not renewables, for the UK's winter energy crisis
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2dEurope UK Energy Winter
Rising gas prices mean the UK is facing a difficult winter and some people are keen to point the blame at the shift to renewables – but relying on fossil fuels will always lead to cyclical crises
What It Was Like for Me to Watch Christine Blasey Ford's Testimony
2dC hristine Blasey Ford's testimony during Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation hearings was the first thing on my mind when I woke up on September 27, 2018. From my own experience in 1991, I knew that from the minute Ford began her testimony, her life would never be the same. Some parts of my heart, stomach, and head were with Ford as she testified in the Hart Senate Office Building, thou
Study Discovers Startling Amounts of Microplastics in The Feces of Babies
2dEver find toothmarks in a LEGO brick…?
The Epic Span of Early Polynesian Sea Voyages Has Been Mapped in New Genetic Study
2dA story of 17 generations.
NASA's NIAC Program Gives a Sneak Peek at the Future of Space Travel
3dAs the agency develops plans for exploring the moon and Mars, it's seeking cutting-edge research that could turn science fiction into reality.
Two-legged dinosaurs may have swung tails to run faster, say scientists
3dA computer simulation could help us better understand the evolution of movement in animals Two-legged dinosaurs may have swung their tails as they crashed through the undergrowth – just like humans swing their arms – according to scientists who have modelled their movements in 3D at Harvard University. Until now, it was widely believed that bipedal (two-legged) dinosaurs grew long tails to counte
Island-hopping: Genetics reveal how humans settled remote Pacific
3dEaster Island's famous megaliths have relatives on islands thousands of miles to the north and west—and so did the people who created them, a study said Wednesday.
A Question Only Elon Musk Can Answer
3dUpdated at 11:51 a.m. ET on September 22, 2021. On the day that SpaceX's first space tourists launched, Elon Musk was there at Kennedy Space Center, in Florida, to see them off, cheering as the private astronauts walked to the Teslas that would take them to suit up. And after they landed safely, having orbited Earth about 45 times, Musk was there again to congratulate them in person. The Inspirat
AI Is Penalizing Amazon Delivery Drivers for Errors They Aren't Making
3dConcerns about artificial intelligence and its impact on work are not new, but as more companies deploy these solutions we're seeing decided snags in the process. One point many of these conversations take for granted is that AI-powered tools work. What happens if they don't? The pandemic has fueled an explosion in semiconductor sales and a significant rise in the number of employees who are kept
Chipping Away at Vaccine Hesitancy
3dHow to persuade the remaining unvaccinated. The post first appeared on Science-Based Medicine .
The Nail-Biting Journey of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Is About to Begin
3dBefore it can study the first stars and galaxies, the observatory must endure a sea voyage, a rocket launch and an all-or-nothing deployment sequence in deep space — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Life at 50C: Heat hitting home in Australia
3dCities like Sydney are already experiencing extremely hot days because of climate change.
Viral Songs And Infectious Disease Have More in Common Than You'd Think, Study Finds
3dEarworms are real.
COP 26: How much is the developing world getting to fight climate change?
3dAre rich countries living up to their climate promises to the developing world?
New York Times Compares Astronauts to Dung-Eating Fungus
4dSeems Rude! Last week, the first-ever space mission made up of an entirely-civilian crew launched, spent some time in orbit, and successfully splashed back down to Earth. It's a remarkable achievement for the growing private spaceflight industry and, if you're feeling optimistic, a significant moment in human history that's prompted praise and congratulations from all sorts of prominent figures i
A Sea of Flags: Commemorating More Than 675,000 Americans Lost to COVID-19
4dThe number of deaths in the United States due to COVID-19 has now passed 675,000—more than the number of Americans who died during the 1918 influenza pandemic. In Washington, D.C., a new temporary art installation named "In America: Remember," commemorates the many Americans who have died of COVID-19 over the past year and a half. Hundreds of thousands of small white flags were planted on 20 acre
NASA Is Trying to Rent a Private Space Station
4dTime to Downsize When it finally comes time for the International Space Station to be retired, at which point it will most likely be incinerated into nothingness by the Earth's atmosphere, NASA has no intention of replacing it. Instead, the space agency says it wants to save money by leaving space station — and orbital destination — development to private companies, CNBC reports , and it's offeri
Dozens of endangered penguins killed after being stung in the eyes by swarming honeybees
4dConservationists have confirmed that 64 African penguins were killed in South Africa after being stung in and around the eyes by honeybees.
'Black widow' pulsar detected in globular cluster NGC 6712
4dUsing the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST), astronomers have discovered a new pulsar in the globular cluster NGC 6712. The newly found object is a so-called "black widow," and the first radio pulsar identified so far in this cluster. The finding is detailed in a paper published September 14 on arXiv.org.
Not Every Question Has a Scientific Answer
4dWhen President Joe Biden announced last month that the U.S. would offer a third vaccine dose to Americans who had already received two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, he exposed a divide between an administration that has pledged to "follow the science" and many prominent health experts who disagreed with the decision. I am a physician and public-health professional specializing in infec
4d
Meet the Voice Actress Behind Kena: Bridge of Spirits
4dAyu Larassanti, the voice of Kena, talks about her Balinese background, how it influenced the game's hero, and the importance of authentic casting.
Where Did It All Go So Wrong for Juul?
5dA new documentary by The New York Times traces the e-cigarette maker on its path from fledgling start-up to Silicon Valley juggernaut and, eventually, public health villain.
Are left-handed people smarter?
5dHere's a look at the research about whether left-handed people are smarter than righties.
Floods Have Swamped the US. The Next Health Problem: Mold
5dThe goo that grows in soaked buildings can cause infections and allergies—an issue that's understudied even as climate change leads to more frequent deluges.
Another Truth About Remote Work
5dAbout six months ago, a colleague asked me to guess what percentage of Americans were still working from home. I was still spending eight hours a day making calls just a few feet from my fridge. So were most of my friends. Maybe 40 percent? I guessed. I was off by half. Twenty-one percent of Americans were still teleworking as of March 2021; the other 79 percent were leaving their home like the o
The Placebo Effect Is an Amazing Illusion, But That Doesn't Mean It's Medicine
5dNot as helpful as you'd think.
Faroe Islands mass dolphin slaughter casts shadow over tradition
5dEvery summer in the Faroe Islands hundreds of pilot whales and dolphins are slaughtered in drive hunts known as the "grind" that residents defend as a long-held tradition.
The Deep Seas Near New Zealand Have Yielded 6 New Species of Bizarre Sponges
5dFunny what you find when you look…
6d
The Liberal Attack on Government
6d"Let the public service be a proud and lively career," President John F. Kennedy proclaimed in his January 1961 message to Congress. "Let every man and woman who works in any area of our national government," he continued, "say with pride and with honor in future years: 'I served the United States government in that hour of our nation's need.'" Kennedy's message succeeded: Young Democrats, heedin
SpaceX's Inspiration4 Civilian Crew Completes 3-Day Mission
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6dSpaceX Four Earth E. Musk
The mission hinted at what space travel could look like in a more accessible future, while remaining in reach now to only the richest of the rich.
SpaceX Inspiration4 astronauts return to Earth with historic splashdown off Florida coast
6dAfter three days in space, SpaceX's first all-civilian crew returned to Earth tonight, splashing down off the Florida coast to end a historic mission.
Dagens skogsbruk hotar fåglar
6dMindre hackspett, lappmes och talltita trivs inte i den moderna skogen. Nu visar Svensk fågeltaxering att de minskar i antal.
When Will the SpaceX Inspiration4 Crew Splashdown?
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7dSpaceX Civilian Crew
Barring issues with the weather, the crew will splash down near sun down.
Watch cuttlefish migrate together in a defensive line with a lookout
7dCuttlefish are usually solitary creatures, but videos show them forming defensive groups to migrate together, suggesting they are more social than we thought
UK night skies will be among worst hit by satellite megaconstellations
7dFrom anywhere on Earth there may soon by hundreds of satellites visible in the night sky at any time of year because of satellite constellation projects such as SpaceX's Starlink
Rare genetic variants play important role in people who live to be 100
7dAn analysis of DNA from 515 centenarians has identified rare genetic variants that might help explain how they reached their hundredth birthday
Nike and Amazon among brands advertising on Covid conspiracy sites
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7dNike Amazon Baker Covid
Household names may have unwittingly helped spread fake news, investigation reveals Dozens of the world's biggest brands, including Nike, Amazon, Ted Baker and Asos, have been advertising on websites that spread Covid-19 misinformation and conspiracy theories, it has emerged. The companies, as well as an NHS service, are among a string of household names whose ads appear to have helped fund websi
How My Job Search Forced Me to Catch Up With Technology
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7dJob 4
After being in one career for decades, I had to relearn how to apply for jobs—and how to stand out. Here are a few tips.
Evacuations Are Admissions of Failure
7dBecause the United States has no real plan to handle climate change, average citizens end up in situations like this: At 6 a.m. the day before Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana late last month, my wife and I joined half of New Orleans's population in evacuating. The drive to our daughter's home in Houston, usually a six-hour trip, took 18 grueling hours. Stuck in stop-and-go traffic, we inched along at
3h
LuLaRich Reveals a Hole in the American Economy
6hPeople who have heard of LuLaRoe have usually come across it for one of two reasons. Either someone they know has tried to sell them the company's stretchy leggings and fit-and-flare dresses over Facebook, or they've seen some of the gleeful coverage of LuLaRoe's very public disintegration as a brand: the lawsuits , the bankruptcies filed by its sellers, the boxes of apparently moldy clothing shi
William Shatner will boldly go into space with Bezos's Blue Origin – report
6hNeither actor nor Blue Origin has commented on mission as some point out report appears same day as promotion for his new album He was once Starfleet's youngest captain, a fearless explorer leading the USS Enterprise on an intergalactic odyssey. Now the actor who famously portrayed Captain James Tiberius Kirk on Star Trek for four decades is reportedly set to boldly go on a real-life space advent
Tucker Carlson Makes a Play for the Barbz
9hNicki Minaj appears to be taking a break from Twitter. The rapper, who has more than 22 million followers on the platform and is known for spending nearly every day joking and bickering with them, has been uncharacteristically silent for the past week. The last entry in her feed is from September 15— a retweet of a fan 's post reading, in part, "When will people learn NICKI MINAJ is NOT going to
Valley Fever Is Spreading Through a Hotter, Drier Western US
9hResearchers haven't pinned down exactly what's behind the rise of the deadly fungal disease. But one thing is nearly certain: Climate change plays a role.
Drought in the US Southwest is worst in recorded history
10hThe Southwestern United States is experiencing the worst drought in the region's history, a new NOAA report finds.
Lägenheter från fabrik minskar hyran
17hAtt bygga lägenheter på fabrik och sen montera ihop dem till ett höghus på ett bygge sparar både pengar och tid jämfört med att bygga allt från grunden visar ny forskning.
Can green energy power Africa's future?
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21hAfrica Energy Future
Energy access is a big issue for businesses in Africa, but can the continent go green as well?
New Tech Cooks and 3D Prints Chicken Simultaneously
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1d3D Printed Chicken
Prototype Replicator A team of Columbia University scientists built a sort of robot "chef" that 3D prints chicken breast cutlets — and cooks them with powerful lasers at the same time. The lasers allowed for incredible cooking and heating precision, according to research published in the journal npj Science of Food earlier this month. The researchers behind the system told Ars Technica that they
Unvaccinated Workers Say They'd Rather Quit Than Get a Shot, but Data Suggest Otherwise
1dThe actual number who resign rather than get the vaccine is much smaller than the survey data suggest — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Earth and Venus grew up as rambunctious planets
1dWhat doesn't stick comes around: Using machine learning and simulations of giant impacts, researchers at the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory found that the planets residing in the inner solar systems were likely born from repeated hit-and-run collisions, challenging conventional models of planet formation.
Micro-betting Could Destroy Sports
1dUpdated at 8:45 a.m. on September 24, 2021. In every Major League Baseball clubhouse, a sign with Major League Rule 21(d) is prominently posted. The rule deals with gambling. It says that any player, umpire, or employee of a team or the league who bets on a game they're not involved in will be banned from MLB for a year; if they are involved in the game, the ban is for life. Elsewhere in these ba
Portrait of Spot the Robot Descending a Staircase
1dA new exhibit by classical portrait painter Agnieska Pilat seeks to bring out the "essence" of her most recent sitters: Boston Dynamics' Spot and Atlas.
Social Security Numbers Aren't Secure: What Should We Use Instead?
1dThe answer is not as simple as replacing each nine-digit number with a longer one — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
It May Soon Be Time to Leave Britney Spears Alone Again
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1dBritney Spears Jamie
A legal arrangement called a conservatorship has isolated Britney Spears from the world and constricted her decisions for 13 years. But it hasn't, apparently, shielded her from what people say about her. On her legendary Instagram feed, selfies and ice-cream pics have sometimes come with captions aimed at rude commenters. One time, she shared a rebuke — KISS MY ASS EAT SHIT AND STEP ON LEGOS —for
Why Britain and France Hate Each Other
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1dEuropean France French
W atching the fallout from the great Anglo-American heist of France's submarine contract with Australia, you could be forgiven for concluding that London and Paris are polar opposites in every way: whether in their leaders' personalities, grand strategies, economic models, or social mores. The irony is that the row over the new Australia-U.K.-U.S. defense pact, or AUKUS, reveals how fundamentally
A Hunter-Gatherer's Guide to the 21st Century review – self-help laced with pseudoscience
1dHeather Heying and Bret Weinstein attempt to show how human nature is at odds with modern society, but their science, and style, grates Imagine discovering a fence in the middle of a desert. Not immediately seeing its purpose, you might think: "Let's get rid of this useless fence!" But are you sure about that? Maybe you're at the edge of a field of angry wildebeest, and by removing the fence you'
Photos of the Week: Merkel Diamond, Windy Fire, Pedal Cars
1dContainer ships anchored off the Port of Los Angeles, gunfire on the front line in Ukraine, citizen astronauts' splashdown near Florida, a slackliner's walk from the Eiffel Tower, giant stone heads in Turkey, a nudist grape harvest in Portugal, lava flows on the Canary Islands, the Earth in an English forest, and much more
As Spacecraft Toilet Rumors Swirl, Bidet Company Pitches Elon Musk
2dSpaceX CEO Elon Musk admitted this week that the space tourists on board the Inspiration4 mission had a bit of trouble with the toilet. "Definitely upgraded toilets," Musk promised to another Twitter account suggesting heated toilet seats for the next mission. "We had some challenges with it this flight." The news clearly has not gone unnoticed by Tushy, a popular bidet attachment company. "Elon
Biden Administration Makes First Major Move to Regulate Greenhouse Gases
2dThe Environmental Protection Agency issued a regulation on Thursday to sharply reduce the use of hydrofluorocarbons, which are widely used in air-conditioning and refrigeration.
A 15-user quantum secure direct communication network
2dQuantum secure direct communication (QSDC) based on entanglement can directly transmit confidential information. Scientist in China explored a QSDC network based on time-energy entanglement and sum-frequency generation. The results show that when any two users are performing QSDC over 40 kilometers of optical fiber, and the rate of information transmission can be maintained at 1Kbp/s. Our result l
WHO calls for lower limits on air pollution to save millions of lives
2dThe World Health Organization has released guidelines for strict limits on air pollution from cars, power stations and other sources. If countries adopt them, millions of deaths could be avoided
SpaceX's Inspiration4 marks a shift towards privacy for space tourists
2dThe Inspiration4 mission was the first orbital space flight to carry only private passengers and was mostly not broadcast publicly, a surprising change from the space agency transparency
Stroke rehab should be offered for months longer than it currently is
2dPeople who have had a stroke are generally given physiotherapy for around a month, but those who received extra treatment saw improved physical ability, against the received wisdom that only early intervention helps
Maps of planetary nurseries will help the complex hunt for alien life
2dFive planetary nurseries have been chemically mapped in the most detail ever, showing hints of unexpected variety and high concentrations of the chemicals required for life
The BepiColombo spacecraft is about to make its first Mercury fly-by
2dThe BepiColombo mission will pass within about 200 kilometres of the surface of Mercury in October, where it will measure the planet's magnetic field and exosphere
Bringing Fisheries Back from the Brink
2dMarine biologist Daniel Pauly did a turnabout from helping fishing trawlers to fighting them. Can struggling fisheries now turn around? — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
The Al Capone Approach to Anti-vaxxers
2dAt the end of August, Reddit users told the company's leadership they had blood on their hands. As part of an organized protest, the moderators of dozens of large subreddits, or forums on the site, shared a letter condemning Reddit for failing to act on the "rampant" spread of COVID-19 misinformation and allowing conspiracy-minded anti-vaccine subreddits to proliferate. The letter emphasized that
A Ferocious Asteroid Strike Demolished an Ancient Middle Eastern City 3,600 Years Ago
2dAs the inhabitants of an ancient Middle Eastern city now called Tall el-Hammam went about their daily business one day about 3,600 years ago, they had no idea an unseen icy space rock was speeding toward them at about 38,000 mph (61,000 kph). Flashing through the atmosphere, the rock exploded in a massive fireball about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) above the ground. The blast was around 1,000 times m
In This Monopoly-Style Game, Race and Privilege Are Currency
2dThe creators of Blacks & Whites want to make talking about inequality easier—and might teach your racist uncle a thing or two.
We Need a New Economic Category
2dCare work has long been indispensable and invaluable. Indispensable: It is the work that makes all other work possible. Invaluable, quite literally: Our society is incapable of valuing it properly. The sector of the American economy devoted to care—of children and the elderly and people with disabilities— is valued at $648 billion. That's larger than the U.S. pharmaceutical industry. And yet most
He Escaped the Dark Web's Biggest Bust. Now He's Back
2dDeSnake apparently eluded the DOJ's takedown of AlphaBay. The admin talked to WIRED about his return—and the resurrection of the notorious underground marketplace.
New HHMI Investigator Cohort Announced
2dThe Howard Hughes Medical Institute appoints 33 new researchers, each of whom will receive roughly $9 million over seven years.
As Climate Envoy, John Kerry Faces Tough Path
2dAs the first presidential envoy for climate, he wants to persuade world leaders to "do what the science tells us." With global climate talks less than two months away, he faces a tough path.
Metals supercharge a promising method to bury harmful carbon dioxide under the sea
3dThere's a global race to reduce the amount of harmful gases in our atmosphere to slow down the pace of climate change, and one way to do that is through carbon capture and sequestration—sucking carbon out of the air and burying it. At this point, however, we're capturing only a fraction of the carbon needed to make any kind of dent in climate change.
World's oldest identical twins are 107 years (and 300 days) old
3dGuinness World Records certified the title this month.
Recording Roman resource exploitation and urban collapse
3dFor hundreds of years, Carthage—the Phoenician city-state in North Africa—flourished, establishing itself as a robust trade empire with widespread colonies. As the Carthaginian and Roman empires expanded their reach across Mediterranean Europe and North Africa, escalating tensions over political dominance and trade culminated in the Three Punic Wars.
A new way to control qubits
3dA research team that includes two UO physicists have outlined new techniques for controlling the building blocks of quantum computing, a potentially significant step toward making such computers more accurate and useful.
Religious belief really does seem to draw the sting of poverty
3dWhether the cause is spiritual or social remains to be determined
Everything Microsoft Announced, Including a Wacky Laptop
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3dMicrosoft Surface 8
The new hardware includes an updated Surface Duo 2, which you can finally call a phone, and a cute eco-friendly mouse.
Uncovering the mystery of early massive galaxies running on empty
3dEarly massive galaxies—those that formed in the 3 billion years following the Big Bang—should have contained large amounts of cold hydrogen gas, the fuel required to make stars. But scientists observing the early universe with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and the Hubble Space Telescope have spotted something strange: a half-dozen early massive galaxies that ran out of fu
Researchers 'watch' molten salts carve tiny nooks and tunnels into metal alloys in 3D
3dA multidisciplinary team of scientists has used the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II), a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science User facility located at the DOE's Brookhaven National Laboratory, to investigate how high-temperature molten salts corrode metal alloys. The group found a novel approach for using molten salts to create porous metallic materials with microscopic n
Astronomers detect a chromospherically active eclipsing binary system
3dAstronomers from the Ohio State University (OSU) and elsewhere report the discovery of a new peculiar binary as part of the All-Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae (ASAS-SN). The newfound system, which received designation ASASSN-V J192114.84+624950.8, turns out to be a chromospherically active eclipsing binary system with a highly eccentric orbit. The finding is detailed in a paper published Sept
Children's dislike of cauliflower, broccoli could be written in their microbiome
3dMany children, as well as adults, dislike Brassica vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts. In the mouth, enzymes from these vegetables and from bacteria in saliva can produce unpleasant, sulfurous odors. Now, researchers reporting in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry have found that levels of these volatile compounds are similar in parent-child pairs,
Why America Scrapped Its Pandemic Travel Bans
3dWhen the United States announced this week that it would relax its ban on travelers from Europe and other countries after 18 long months, the goal was not to aid the suffering travel sector, nor was it to appease frustrated European travelers who spent much of the summer watching Americans travel freely to their respective countries while being unable to make the same trip in reverse. It didn't e
What the Rest of America Can Learn From Colorado
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3dBrown Chicago Racine
On the afternoon of July 23, an Army veteran named Kyle Vinson is sitting on a curb in Aurora, Colorado, when two police officers confront him. "Stay down! Roll over on your face," one of the officers yells. He has his gun drawn. The officer shoves Vinson to the ground and holds him there. "Whoa. What the hell did I do, dude?" Vinson asks. He puts his hands up. The police are responding to a tres
How green is your food? Eco-labels can change the way we eat, study shows
3dWhile food labels are nothing new, a different type that calculates the environmental cost has had a surprising effect on consumers It's lunchtime at a workplace cafeteria in Birmingham, and employees returning to work after months away during the coronavirus pandemic are noticing something has changed. Next to the sandwiches and hot and cold dishes is a small globe symbol, coloured green, orange
Engineering researchers develop new explanation for formation of vortices in 2D superfluid
4dResearchers at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory have new insight about the formation of vortices in a type of quantum fluid, work that could help our comprehension of the physics mystery of how vortex clusters form and provide valuable understanding into the atmospheric swirling motion on planets such as Earth and Jupiter.
My sci-fi novel about recreating an extinct species is becoming a reality – but even if we can, should we? | James Bradley
4dThe idea of reintroducing mammoths to the Arctic to slow climate change isn't entirely fanciful, but it does raise deeper ethical concerns Last week I woke up to a string of notifications alerting me to the news a biotech company had secured US$15m (A$20.6m) to underwrite a scheme to recreate mammoths with a view to reintroducing them onto the Arctic tundra. The reason for the flurry of emails an
The iOS 15 Privacy Settings You Should Change Right Now
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4diPhone Apple iOS 15
Apple's latest software update has a bunch of new security features. Here's how to put them to use.
A new understanding of galaxy evolution with NASA's Roman Space Telescope
4dWhen NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launches in the mid-2020s, it will revolutionize astronomy by providing a panoramic field of view at least 100 times greater than Hubble's at similar image sharpness, or resolution. The Roman Space Telescope will survey the sky up to thousands of times faster than can be done with Hubble. This combination of wide field, high resolution, and an efficien
How these US schools reopened without sparking a covid outbreak
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4dHouston COVID Testing
A version of this story was originally published at the COVID-19 Data Dispatch . It's impossible to overstate how controversial school reopening has become in the US this past year. After a spring of universal Zoom school, opinions diverged: some administrators, parents, and scientists pushed to get kids back in classrooms, while others lobbied for covid safety above all else. Images of maskless
iPhone 13 and 13 Mini Review: Time to Upgrade
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4dApple iPhone 13 Pro
Looking to replace an old model? Apple's newest non-Pro handsets are more than enough phone for most everyone.
Moon's Tycho crater revealed in intricate detail
4dThe National Science Foundation's Green Bank Observatory (GBO) and National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), and Raytheon Intelligence & Space (RI&S) have released a new high-resolution image of the moon, the highest-ever taken from the ground using new radar technology on the Green Bank Telescope (GBT).
Endangered African Penguins, With Multiple Bee Stings, Are Found Dead
4dDead bees were found near where the birds died at a park in South Africa, said officials, who suggested the bees may have become aggressive after their nest was disturbed.
Amateur Astronomers Detect Massive Impact Flash on Jupiter
4dAn image from Juno showing the clouds of Jupiter in astounding detail. On the evening of Sept. 13, something hit Jupiter, producing an explosion and a flash of light visible even to amateur astronomers with off-the-shelf telescopes. Now, the hunt is on to figure out what the impactor could have been. The collision was first reported by Brazilian amateur astronomer José Luis Pereira, and confirmed
Underwater views of Antarctic jellies are 'a magic portal to another world'
4dThe short film "Life Beneath the Ice" features delicate, illuminated marine creatures living under the sea ice in Antarctica.
In a Tiny Arctic Town, Food Is Getting Harder to Come By
4dFor her new book, Devi Lockwood traveled around the world gathering stories of how people are being directly affected by a warming planet.
Future pandemic modelling in Australia to factor in increased severity of Covid Delta variant
4dCurrent modelling informing national reopening plan was conducted before all aspects of deadlier variant were known Roadmaps out of lockdown: why NSW and Victoria are taking different paths to Covid normal NSW and Vic restrictions ; Vic hotspots Vaccine rollout and rates tracker ; Cases and data tracker 5km and 10km from home map: check your travel radius Get our free news app ; get our morning e
What a Fungus Reveals About the Space Program
4dOne thing's for sure: Escaping the dung heap doesn't come cheap.
What a New Defense Pact Reveals About America
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4dUS Australia China
After the fall of Kabul last month, many observers of U.S. foreign policy concluded that America had lost interest in its allies, and that its allies had lost faith in America. An important development in Asia, however, serves as a powerful rebuttal of both arguments. The conventional wisdom in August was that Washington was no longer a reliable partner and that allies' trust had been destroyed b
Bioterror: the dangers of garage scientists manipulating DNA
4dThe availability of gene-editing tools such as Crispr has led to an explosion of unchecked DIY experiments in self-built labs
The Moon Crater Where NASA Will Send Its Viper Rover
4dThe agency picked the Nobile crater near the lunar south pole to seek frozen water that will be essential to future astronaut missions.
Jupiter just got smacked by a space rock and an amateur astronomer caught it on camera
5dBrazilian observer José Luis Pereira captured a bright flash on the solar system's largest planet on Sept. 13, memorializing the fiery death of a space rock high in the Jovian atmosphere.
The Complex And Surprising History Of Humanity And Water
5dNPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with author Giulio Boccaletti about his new book Water: A Biography , which takes readers through the complex and surprising history of humanity and water.
Wyoming woman catches rare pneumonic plague from cats
5dCats are highly susceptible to plague and are a known source of infections in people.
Early long-distance trade links shaped Siberian dogs, study finds
5dArcheological finds show that people in the Arctic regions of Northwestern Siberia had already established long-range trading links with Eurasian populations some 2000 years ago. The initiation of trading relationships was one of a series of significant social changes that took place during this period. Moreover, these changes even had an impact on the genomes of Siberian dogs, as an international
Russia Vaccinates Indigenous Yamal Herders Against COVID-19
5dCovid has reached even the Yamal Peninsula in the Arctic. So vaccination teams are following, and finding ways to inoculate nomadic herders.
How to Vaccinate a Siberian Reindeer Herder
5dCovid has reached even the Yamal Peninsula in the Arctic. So vaccination teams are following, and finding ways to inoculate nomadic herders.
Y: The Last Man Isn't About Politics—It's About Survival
5dThe comic-book adaptation is an insightful examination of gender politics. It's also a glimpse at what values people hold onto amidst tragedy.
Did you solve it? Russia's Prime Minister sets a geometry puzzle
5dThe answer to today's teaser Earlier today I set you the following puzzle, which was a challenge Russia's Prime Minister, Mikhail Mishustin, gave to a class of Russian sixth formers earlier this month. Construct a perpendicular from the (red) point on the circle to the diameter, without using any measuring devices. Continue reading…
Too much of a good home is bad for panda mating, say scientists
5dSuccess of species tails off if more than 80% of an area is ideal habitat, in line with Goldilocks principle When it comes to creating the ideal habitat for giant pandas to settle down, it seems experts could do worse than heed the tale of the three bears. Researchers have found there is a sweet spot when it comes to aiding gene flow of the animals: it is greatest when 80% of an area is considere
The Race for Fusion Power Heats Up as Multiple Projects Hit New Milestones
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5dSafar Partners Fusion CFS
Fusion power could be a silver bullet for the world's energy and environmental woes, but it's famously always 30 years away. A recent flurry of announcements is raising hopes that maybe the timeline has started to tighten. The technology has huge potential because it promises to generate enormous amounts of energy from abundant fuel that can be cheaply extracted from seawater. On top of that, the
Pfizer says its COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective for younger kids
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5dPfizer COVID Vaccine 5 11
A lower dose of the vaccine showed to be safe, well-tolerated and effective in spurring antibodies in kids between 5 to 11 years of age, the company announced.
This AI could predict 10 years of scientific priorities—if we let it
5dEvery 10 years, US astronomers have to make some tough decisions. Outlined in a plan called the Decadal Survey on Astronomy and Astrophysics , a set of studies produced by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, these decisions determine the next decade's scientific priorities for the field. The Decadal Survey has set the stage for big leaps in space exploration since the e
Missing wind variability means future impacts of climate change may be underestimated in Europe and North America
5dExtratropical winds have a strong influence on climate in extratropical regions, and are known to vary from decade to decade. However, their variability is currently not factored into climate models making predictions for future climates in these regions. Researchers inserted these into predictions for how extratropical climates will change by the middle of the century, and found uncertainty incre
Climate change: Biden urges world leaders to cut methane gas emissions
5dThe president asks leaders to commit to cutting emissions by at least 30% below 2020 levels by 2030.
There's a Serious Problem With How Heart Symptoms Are Treated in Women, Study Reveals
5dWe need to do better.
Can you solve it? Russia's Prime Minister sets a geometry puzzle
5dThe ruler with a ruler Update: The solution can now be read here Earlier this month, Russia's Prime Minister, Mikhail Mishustin, marked the first day of the school year by visiting a sixth form maths class at one of his country's top science-oriented schools. The class was studying a problem about business. "Why do you guys need to do business projects in [school]?" he asked. "Fundamental knowled
The Danger of Treating Everything as an Emergency
6dCOVID-19, one of the most formidable viral foes that the world has faced in a century, has caused more than 4.5 million deaths. The United States and nearly every other country besides were correct to declare it a public-health emergency. But now federal, state, and local officials are grappling with when to end the temporary emergencies declared in early 2020, in many cases with the expectation
How to Set Up a NAS to Securely Share Files
6dFrom file backups to movie streaming, network attached storage drives offer plenty of functions and features.
Små sten gemmer på Mars' hemmeligheder: Derfor henter vi dem hjem til Jorden
6dForskere prøver at forstå den røde planet gennem stenprøver.
Intubations and Accusations: Doctors were "just going crazy, and intubating people who did not have to be intubated"
6dIt's problematic when a paragon of evidence-based medicine claims vaccines spread disease and amplifies internet rumors that doctors killed COVID-19 patients through premature intubations. The post first appeared on Science-Based Medicine .
Woman who first gained sense of smell at age 24 finds it disturbing
7dA woman born without the brain regions needed to smell has puzzled doctors by gaining the ability to detect some smells in her twenties – an experience that has caused her anxiety
Mystery microbes have been lurking unsuspected in most coral species
7dCorals are full of symbiotic organisms but biologists have found a new form of microbe that doesn't seem to benefit its hosts
NASA's Perseverance rover has been hit by 100 'dust devils' on Mars
7dThe Perseverance rover on Mars was hit by 100 dust devils in its first 90 days – the Curiosity rover elsewhere on Mars is hit by the weather phenomena 5 to 10 times less often
Astronomers may have found a moon orbiting a rogue planet with no star
7dExomoons are notoriously hard to spot, but it may be easier around free-floating planets that don't orbit stars – and a team of astronomers may have already found one
Global demand for fish expected to almost double by 2050
7dBrazil, Ghana, India and Nigeria are all predicted to more than double the weight of fish they consume by 2050, with aquaculture feeding demand
New climate plans fall far short of limiting global warming to 1.5°C
7dThe gap between the emissions reductions needed for 1.5°C and countries' pledges has closed by up to 15 per cent – but Climate Action Tracker finds cuts are still far short of what is needed
Jaguars face major threat from Amazon deforestation and fires
7dProspects for South America's biggest wild cat are likely to get worse in the short term unless the Brazilian government strengthens protections against deforestation for timber and cattle farming
Who were the Knights Templar?
7dThe Knights Templar was a Christian military order created to defend the conquered Holy Land.
Myocarditis and how to think about it… like a cardiologist
7dIn response to the dumpster-diving VAERS study published earlier this month, pediatric cardiologist and guest blogger Dr. Frank Han adds context by explaining how cardiologists think about and diagnose myocarditis. The post first appeared on Science-Based Medicine .
Why don't we breathe equally out of both nostrils?
7dYou have two nostrils, but usually one is dominant.
Researchers develop algorithm to map words to colors across languages
2dNo language has words for all the blues of a wind-churned sea or the greens and golds of a wildflower meadow in late summer. Globally, different languages have divvied up the world of color using their own set of labels, from just a few to dozens.
Arctic Sea Ice Hits Annual Low, but It's Not as Low as Recent Years
3dCool conditions north of Alaska in August reduced melting, scientists say, but the overall trend is still downward.
Here are the Astronomy Photographer of the Year winners
7dThese images of the sun, the moon and the planets of the solar system took some of the top prizes in this year's Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition
Poisonings rise as Americans treat Covid with anti-parasitic drug
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11hIvermectin HCQ Covid
Ivermectin has been touted by conservative commentators despite not being approved for use against virus
The Nokia XR20 Is Today's Sturdy Android Brick Phone
6dHave you ever wanted a phone you could toss off a staircase? For $550, this durable smartphone is one tough mudder.
Could whistling shed light on the origins of speech?
5hWhistled languages exist on every inhabited continent – now some scientists think similar dialects could have preceded the spoken word For centuries, shepherds from the small village of Aas in the French Pyrenees led their sheep and cattle up to mountain pastures for the summer months. To ease the solitude, they would communicate with each other or with the village below in a whistled form of the
Wind energy can help Earth blow back climate calamity
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3dWind Energy Climate
The answer to climate change—or at least part of it—is blowing in the wind, according to research published Aug. 28 in the journal Climate.
The dumpster diving VAERS preprint debacle: How did we get here?
5dLast week, SBM devoted a lot of digital ink to a poorly done study analyzing the VAERS database for myocarditis after COVID-19 vaccination that was widely publicized to imply that the vaccine is more dangerous than the disease. Three out of the four authors should have known better, leading me to ask: How did we get here? The post first appeared on Science-Based Medicine .
Food production emissions make up more than a third of global total
7dGlobal greenhouse gas emissions from food production are 37 per cent of the total, and animal-based food production emits twice as much as plant-based food production
Researchers simulate compact fusion power plant concept
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2dSafar Partners Fusion CFS
Fusion power plants use magnetic fields to hold a ball of current-carrying gas (called a plasma). This creates a miniature sun that generates energy through nuclear fusion. The Compact Advanced Tokamak (CAT) concept uses state-of-the-art physics models to potentially improve fusion energy production. The models show that by carefully shaping the plasma and the distribution of current in the plasma
Having HPV while pregnant linked to increased risk of premature birth
7dA study of 900 pregnant women has found that those infected with human papillomavirus were almost four times more likely to give birth prematurely
Even mild COVID-19 can shrink the brain, preliminary research finds
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1dPreliminary Covid 19 Brain
Reduced brain volume in people who have experienced COVID-19 resembles brain changes typically seen in older adults. The implications of these findings are not yet clear.
Amazon Just Introduced Three New Kindle Paperwhites
4dThe waterproof e-reader now comes in three different options, with bigger, brighter screens and faster response times.
Planet-eating stars can be identified by their telltale chemistry
7dStars that have eaten their planets aren't promising places to look for alien life, and now there is a technique that can help quickly identify such stars from their chemistry
We can now bioengineer catnip instead of extracting it from plants
2dCatnip contains a chemical that makes a highly effective insect repellent, but extracting it from plants is expensive. Now it can be produced using genetically engineered yeast
New optical 'transistor' speeds up computation up to 1,000 times, at lowest switching energy possible
3dAn international research team led by Skoltech and IBM has created an extremely energy-efficient optical switch that could replace electronic transistors in a new generation of computers manipulating photons rather than electrons. In addition to direct power saving, the switch requires no cooling and is really fast: At 1 trillion operations per second, it is between 100 and 1,000 times faster than
Molecule-mediated surface reconstruction enables giant upconversion luminescence enhancement
5dNational University of Singapore researchers have developed a synthetic method to enhance upconversion luminescence in protein-sized lanthanide-doped nanocrystals by surface reconstruction through molecule coordination. This innovation prevents surface-associated energy loss and marks a significant breakthrough in the field of lanthanide luminescence.
German Researchers Converted a Tesla Model Y Into a Hydrogen Car
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1dOBRIST Germany the Tesla
Hesla Motors On Wednesday, German Federal Research Minister Anja Karliczek revealed an automotive Frankenstein creation: A Tesla Model Y that had been converted into a hydrogen vehicle that she called a "hyper hybrid." The goal was to demonstrate the future of clean transportation. But as Teslarati notes , the decision to modify a Tesla — perhaps the most well-known electric vehicle out there — r
Country diary: fungi like ripe peach flesh magnifies the veteran oaks
4dMoccas Park, Herefordshire: One of Britain's finest woods illustrates that nature cannot be easily measured by net gain I'm wary of the way that the new government formula of net gain is being bandied to justify all manner of pet projects. It's intended to ensure developers leave more nature than they subtract, but the value of landscape isn't easily measured in simple metrics. Oliver Rackham bes
Sherwood Boehlert, a G.O.P Moderate in the House, Dies at 84
1dA champion of environmentalism who chided climate-change skeptics, he was among the last of the relatively progressive Rockefeller Republicans.
Ageing the unageable: Researchers develop new way to age lobsters
1dScientists at the University of East Anglia (UEA) have identified a way of determining the age of a lobster based on its DNA.
La Palma volcano eruption: Warning signs may have been there for years
2dOver the past decade, minuscule land movements and strange chemical signals may have been clues that the Cumbre Vieja volcano on La Palma island was going to erupt
South American musical instruments reflect population relationships
5dMusic is an intrinsic expression of cultural diversity and a fundamental element of identity, ritual symbolism, and daily social interaction. The study of material culture, and musical instruments in particular, represents a relevant and innovative tool to characterize societies and reconstruct their historical trajectories and relationships in time and space.
Why covid-19 hospitalisations may soar in England despite vaccination
2dModelling suggests covid-19 hospitalisations in England could soon be as high as 7000 a day, but that is only one of several different possible scenarios
When a Happy Marriage Is Just an Act
5dApologies to Morticia and Gomez Addams , but a kiss to the upper arm wasn't sexy until Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac did it on the red carpet at the Venice Film Festival. A slow-motion clip of the moment , amplified by Isaac's singular smolder, went viral earlier this month. More than 11 million Twitter users basked in the pair's, let's face it, pure hotness—and then presumably had to fan them
What Germany Says About Far-Right Politics
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2dGermany Right AfD Afghans
When Germany heads to the polls this weekend, the far-right Alternative for Germany will again be on the ballot, once a fringe presence that has become the largest—and most loathed—opposition party in the Bundestag. It has stood at the center of scandal after scandal , yet unlike other far-right parties across Europe, its experience in mainstream politics hasn't had a moderating effect on its out
What does exercise do to your brain?
2dExercise can tone and improve most parts of your body, but what does exercise do to your brain? And does it help your mental capabilities?
NASA selects Moon site for ice-hunting rover
4dNASA on Monday announced it would land an ice-seeking rover on a region of the Moon's south pole called the Nobile Crater in 2023.
Rapid test to distinguish bacterial and viral infections wins US approval
5dIsraeli start-up MeMed aims to cut unnecessary prescribing of antibiotics with 15-minute procedure
Soggy rodents tangle their tails in one big knot in horrifying 'rat king' video
5dA farmer in Russia's Stavropol region found the waterlogged "king." Specimens of rat kings are preserved in the collections of some natural history museums.
Male rodents with less time to breed grow bigger testes
7dMale rodents in species with shorter breeding seasons tend to have larger testes, probably because the time pressure increases sperm competition between males
Mapping of magnetic stripes to discover how fast ocean crust is created
2dTwo University of Wyoming researchers are part of the first-ever mapping of magnetic stripes—one of the foundations of plate tectonics—within the lower gabbroic section of fast-spreading oceanic crust.
The real urban jungle: how ancient societies reimagined what cities could be – podcast
5dThey may be vine-smothered ruins today, but the lost cities of the ancient tropics still have a lot to teach us about how to live alongside nature. By Patrick Roberts Continue reading…
Prehistoric elephant nursery probably made easy prey for Neanderthals
7dFossil footprints reveal that the extinct straight-tusked elephant raised its young with groups of adult females and no adult males, just as modern elephants do – and that they were probably hunted by Neanderthals
Securing the energy revolution and IoT future
4dIn early 2021, Americans living on the East Coast got a sharp lesson on the growing importance of cybersecurity in the energy industry. A ransomware attack hit the company that operates the Colonial Pipeline—the major infrastructure artery that carries almost half of all liquid fuels from the Gulf Coast to the eastern United States. Knowing that at least some of their computer systems had been co
SpaceX Inspiration4 Crew: Who Was Aboard the Civilian Flight?
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6dSpaceX Civilian Crew
A crew of everypersons showed what space tourism could become in the future.
First-Gen College Grads Face More Hurdles in the Job Market
1dStudents whose parents didn't go to college often work instead of joining extracurricular activities, and can lag peers on skills like résumé writing.
Alok Sharma: COP26 is for ordinary people, not just climate warriors
2dAlok Sharma, president of the Glasgow COP26 climate summit due to start in November, says "ordinary people" now understand the need to tackle global warming, not just environmentalists
All-nitride superconducting qubit made on a silicon substrate
5dResearchers at the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT, President: Tokuda Hideyuki, Ph.D.), in collaboration with researchers at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST, President: Dr. Ishimura Kazuhiko) and the Tokai National Higher Education and Research System Nagoya University (President: Dr. Matsuo Seiichi) have succeeded in
Readers reply: why do humans cry when they are sad?
6dThe long-running series in which readers answer other readers' questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts I understand that tears flush away foreign objects from the eye. But what advantage does crying have when one is feeling sad (or happy)? Perhaps it is to signal an extreme of emotion, but then why would a solitary sad person c
Skogsekolog: Det är pajkastning idag
1d–Vi måste ha ett nyanserat samtal om skogen men jag kan med sorg konstatera att det är en sorts pajkastning idag, säger skogsekologen Ola Engelmark. Spela videon ovan och se Victoria Dyring ta en skogspromenad med forskaren som både vill läka skogen och få ett bättre diskussionsklimat.
Something big just hit Jupiter
5dIn 1994, the Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 (SL9) impacted Jupiter, which had captured the comet shortly before (and broken apart by its gravity). The event became a media circus as it was the first direct observation of an extraterrestrial collision of Solar System objects. The impact was so powerful that it left scars that endured for months and were more discernible than Jupiter's Great Red Spot.
Simulations show bipedal dinosaurs swung their tails as they ran to help with balance
2dAn international team of researchers has found it likely that bipedal dinosaurs swung their tails as they walked and ran to maintain their balance. In their paper published in the journal Science Advances, the group describes computer simulations visualizing how the dinosaur Coelophysis bauri likely used its tail during locomotion.
The link between climate change, seaweed and ice cream
5dSeaweed production has been affected by warming seas – this is how farmers are adapting.
Australia Covid live news update: Victoria records 507 new cases and one death ahead of reopening roadmap release; pools to open across Sydney
6dPremier Dan Andrews is to release Victoria's roadmap out of lockdown a day after protests in Melbourne, Sydney, Byron Bay and Brisbane. Follow updates live Covid vaccine rollout and rates tracker ; Cases, trends and data tracker Get our free news app ; Get our morning email briefing 12.33am BST On Insiders, the finance minister Simon Birmingham is being asked about the new submarine deal. Host Da
Dinosaurs Lived–and Made Little Dinos–in the Arctic
4dNew research shows that the prehistoric giants were even cooler than we thought
Quantum computer helps to design a better quantum computer
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5dTwo Https //T Quantum
Quantum computers can simulate quantum circuits, which helps to speed up the design of new quantum processors
Twilight and the myths of the equinox and 6-month polar night
3dWednesday (Sept. 22) marks the equinox, which, thanks to its Latin name meaning "equal night," is often thought of as the day when dark and light each claim 12 hours.
Gaia review – attack of the killer mushrooms
5dA terrifying contagion spreads in this chilling South African eco-horror that takes the fun out of fungi The mushroom is having a moment. Its magical qualities and deep connection with the Earth have been explored in numerous recent releases, including Louie Schwarzberg's Fantastic Fungi . Also journeying into the curious kingdom of the fungus, this psychedelic eco-horror directed by Jaco Bouwer
This Magnetic Desk Is a Neat Freak's Dream
6dSecretlab's metal Magnus desk is expensive and heavy, but it makes cable management a breeze.
'The Internet Remains Undefeated' Must Be Defeated
1dThe classic comment and caption has become a meme in its own right. Harmless as it may seem, a close study reveals dark undertones.
Female skinks store sperm for dry spells
2dFemale tree skinks can reproduce even when they have not encountered a male for more than a year, by storing sperm from previous mates, according to new research.
Therapy Voyeurism Really Might Be Doing Some Good
3dI watched the entirety of Couples Therapy from my childhood bedroom while visiting my parents in July. It was as apt a time and place as any for entertaining some heavy psychoanalytic ideas that would, no doubt, cause me to reflect on my life. The Showtime docuseries follows Orna Guralnik, a real-life psychologist in New York, as she works with couples over the course of several months. Deep into
Are exercise bikes good for weight loss?
3dThey're a popular feature of many gyms, and can help with overall fitness, but are exercise bikes good for losing weight?
Limiting the impacts of technology materials for the low carbon transition
4dA team of researchers from the University of Exeter, Minviro, the British Geological Survey, and the Circular Economy Solutions Unit has shown the benefits of utilizing a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in the quest to enhance 'green' mining techniques.
Sharon Peacock interview: How we track down new coronavirus variants
7dSharon Peacock leads a group of researchers who started sequencing the genome of the coronavirus in March 2020 and identified the rise of the delta variant in the UK
Resimercial: The Terrible Word for Today's Trendy Office Aesthetic
4dLook at the style of an office in any given era and you'll get a glimpse of the defining themes in white-collar workers' lives at the time. In booming postwar America, for example, the profusion of GI Bill–educated office workers wore suits, and many workplaces were sleek, serious, and formal. The goal was to signal prestige, according to Louise Mozingo, a professor of landscape architecture and
Worn Down by Covid Anxiety? Keep a Handheld Game With You
3dIt's important to take a breather when you're exhausted by the world.
Fighting a Pandemic, While Launching Africa's Health Revolution
6dPublic health in Africa has been a story of neglect and dependency, says John Nkengasong, the first director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control. But he's on a mission to turn things around.
Studie: Längre skydd av Modernas vaccin än av Pfizers
7dSkyddet mot svår covid räcker längre med Modernas vaccin än med Pfizers. Det visar en studie gjord av smittskyddsmyndigheten i USA.
Ahead Of Climate Talks, China Vows To Stop Building Coal Power Plants Abroad
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3dChina Xi Coal US Abroad
The announcement provides needed momentum for global climate change negotiations in November, but coal power is expected to keep growing within China itself. (Image credit: GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty Images)
Scientists finally have an explanation for the most energetic explosions in the universe
4dMysterious 'empty sky' gamma-ray bursts could be the work of distant supernova explosions, a new model suggests.
Apple's iPhone 13 Pro Is Oddly Light on Pro Features
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4dApple iPhone 13 Pro
The two top-tier iPhones are better than ever, but they're not as tantalizing as the standard iPhone 13.
Alu Leap May Explain Why Apes Don't Have Tails
2dA transposable element that jumped into the TBXT gene, which is linked to tail morphology, appears to be to blame for our missing appendage.
Dashcam detective work leads to recovery of space rocks from fireball over Slovenia
4dOn 28 February 2020, at 10:30 CET, hundreds of people across Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, Austria and Hungary observed a bright ball of light hurtling across the morning sky. This delivery of rocks from a distant asteroid to the fields and villages of southern Slovenia was captured by cars' dashcams, security cameras, and even a cyclist's helmet. It is one of only around 40 fallen space rocks that ha
Army ants use temporary bases to store food when raiding insect nests
7dArmy ants steal more food during raids on other insect nests by temporarily storing their plunder nearby, a computer simulation and fieldwork in the Amazon suggest
Companies hoping to grow carbon-sucking kelp may be rushing ahead of the science
6dIn late January, Elon Musk tweeted that he planned to give $100 million to promising carbon removal technologies, stirring the hopes of researchers and entrepreneurs. A few weeks later, Arin Crumley, a filmmaker who went on to develop electric skateboards, announced that a team was forming on Clubhouse, the audio app popular in Silicon Valley, to compete for a share of the Musk-funded XPrize . A
Dinosaurs may have waggled their tails to help walk more efficiently
2dA computer reconstruction of a small two-legged dinosaur suggests it ran more efficiently if it waggled its tail from side to side with every step
Discrimination Persists in Society–but Who Discriminates?
4dIs discriminatory behavior widely dispersed or highly concentrated in a small number of people? — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Who was Herodotus?
6dHerodotus was the first true historian and has been called the "father of history," but his reliability has often been questioned.
SpaceX is about to send the first ever all-amateur mission into orbit
7dSpaceX's Inspiration4 launch, planned for 15 September, will mark the first time a flight into orbit has been crewed exclusively by people who are not professional astronauts
Geological cold case may reveal critical minerals
1dResearchers on the hunt for why cold eclogites mysteriously disappeared from geological records during the early stages of the Earth's development may have found the answer, and with it clues that could help locate critical minerals today.
Study comparing hydroxychloroquine and antiviral drug for COVID-19 retracted
3dThe authors of a study comparing hydroxychloroquine and the antiviral agent favipiravir as treatments for COVID-19 have lost the paper after post-publication peer review determined that the data did not support the conclusions. "Safety and efficacy of favipiravir versus hydroxychloroquine in management of COVID-19: A randomised controlled trial" appeared in March in Scientific Reports, a … Continu
Antlions use sand-throwing to help capture prey
3dA team of researchers from Kiel and Aarhus universities has found that there is more to the sand-throwing done by antlions than previously thought. In their paper published in Journal of the Royal Society Interface, the group describes their study of netwing larvae and what they learned about its behavior.
Predicting a riot: Social inequality leads to vandalism in experiments
3dSocial inequality can incite collective violence in an experimental setting, finds a new study by UCL researchers.
Earthly lava tubes may offer insights into extraterrestrial life
4dSince 1997, NASA has successfully landed five rovers on Mars. The rovers have beamed back data that indicate life cannot survive on the Martian surface; we do not know whether life persists below the ground, however. For subterranean life to endure on Mars or elsewhere, microbes would have to convert—or fix—elements from their inorganic form to a usable, organic form. This skill, known as lithoaut
Viruses found in Laos bats are closest known relatives to SARS-CoV-2
3hResearchers have discovered coronaviruses lurking in Laotian bats that appear to be the closest known relatives to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, found to date, according to news reports.
Low vaccination rates blamed for 'diverging' south-east Asia growth
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3dSensex Nifty Thursday
Asian Development Bank says economic recovery in some countries is being held back by Covid outbreaks
After the flood disaster in Western Germany: Science searches for answers
5dOn 14 July 2021, between 60 and 180 mm of rain fell in the Eifel region in just 22 hours—an amount that would otherwise have fallen in several months and which led to catastrophic flooding. The events were far more destructive than existing models had predicted. Researchers at the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam—GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences point at a number of effects that have occurred on
Sea fireflies adapted their threatening glow to attract mates
7dTiny bean-shaped crustaceans called ostracods, known as sea fireflies, release glowing blue mucus to threaten predators, but some males evolved to use this to attract females
Bizarre armoured spikes belong to oldest ankylosaur ever discovered
1dAn unusual fossil showing a series of spikes fused to a rib has been revealed to be the remains of the oldest ankylosaur ever found and the first from the African continent.
Advocates Struggle to Control Police Use of Surveillance Tech
1dA key backer of a 2018 Oakland law to rein in tools like automated license plate readers says the city is not following the rules.
4D-printed robot self-assembles into a tube and rolls up hills
2dA 3D-printed material rolls itself up into a tube, becoming a "4D-printed" robot that travels up hills when exposed to heat
Ransomware Isn't Back. It Never Left
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2dRansomware Attacks 2021
A recent wave of attacks belies an apparent lull toward the end of the summer.
How Facebook Hinders Misinformation Research
3dThe platform strictly limits and controls data access, which stymies scientists — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
These vegetarian ants have steak knives for teeth, new study finds
3dZinc and manganese atoms keep tiny arthropods' natural tools sharper for longer.
The US is unfairly targeting Chinese scientists over industrial spying, says report
4dFor years, civil rights groups have accused the US Department of Justice of racial profiling against scientists of Chinese descent. Today, a new report provides data that may quantify some of their claims. The study , published by the Committee of 100, an association of prominent Chinese-American civic leaders, found that individuals of Chinese heritage were more likely than others to be charged
Piles of animal dung reveal the location of an ancient Arabian oasis
7dAnalysis of fossilised faeces from rock hyraxes shows that the extremely dry area of Wadi Sana in Yemen was once a lush oasis
Biden urges Americans to 'wait their turn' for booster jabs
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2dUS FDA CDC Pfizer Risk
Elderly and at-risk to be offered third dose of BioNTech/Pfizer Covid-19 jab under scaled-back plan
Story of epic human voyages across Polynesia revealed by genetics
2dBy studying DNA from people living in Polynesia, geneticists have worked out the order in which the islands – some thousands of kilometres apart– were populated
How Amazon Ring uses domestic violence to market doorbell cameras
5dThis article was produced in partnership with Type Investigations , where Eileen Guo is an Ida B. Wells Fellow, and is being co-published by MIT Technology Review and Consumer Reports . A few hours before dawn in early May of last year , four police officers were dispatched to an address that they had come to know: the home of Gemma Smith in Cape Coral, Florida. (Her name has been changed because
A friend leans in for a hug. Do I dive for cover, muttering 'Covid', or hug back? | Hephzibah Anderson
6dAs we engage again in social situations, the new etiquette rules are bewildering The other day, flogging tickets to the school summer fair – now the autumn fair due to last term's endless self-isolation – another parent leaned across the trestle table and squeezed my arm. The sheer unexpectedness of it threw me. It felt as surprising as a slap. When did I last make physical contact with someone ou
Breville's Dual Boiler Is Nearly Perfect for Coffee Tinkerers
7dIt's expensive, but this espresso machine is a shrine to the pleasures of fine coffee.
How standup comedy helped me conquer anxiety, depression – and fear of public speaking
6hFinding a humorous angle to some of my darkest episodes – and sharing them with strangers – was strangely cathartic "Have you gone mad?" asked one friend. "You're so brave. I could never do that. Wouldn't meditation be wiser?" said another. For someone with a long history of depression and anxiety, plus a morbid fear of public speaking, taking up standup comedy might seem like a masochistic decisi
These Deepfake Voices Can Help Trans Gamers
4dPlayers of online games can be harassed when their voices don't match their gender identity. New AI-fueled software may help.
Why Flight Is So Controversial in Online Games
5dFlight made video games like World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XIV easier to play, but some say that convenience came at a cost.
The US is about to kick-start its controversial covid booster campaign
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1dBiden Americans Pfizer
The news: The White House is set to kick off its booster shot campaign today, after Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Rochelle Walensky overruled her own agency's advisors in favor of recommending third doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for frontline workers. Who gets it: There are three groups of Americans now eligible for a booster shot: those 65 and older, some adults with
To Boost Black Men in Medicine, Advocates Turn to Sports
4dHigh-performing athletes possess many of the skills and attributes that physicians need, supporters of the strategy say
Are UK energy supplies in trouble after fire at French power link?
7dA fire at a facility that connects the electricity grids of the UK and mainland Europe has led to talk of a potential winter energy crisis, but supplies should stabilise in the coming months
Carbon dioxide reactor makes 'Martian fuel'
2dEngineers are developing new ways to convert greenhouse gases to fuel to address climate change and get astronauts home from Mars.
FDA authorises Covid-19 booster shots for over 65s
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2dFDA CDC Pfizer Covid
Agency decision to restrict third jabs to vulnerable Americans deals blow to Biden's strategy
Low-cost, energy-efficient approach to treating water contaminated with heavy metals
3dEngineers at MIT have developed a new approach to removing lead or other heavy-metal contaminants from water, in a process that they say is far more energy-efficient than any other currently used system, though there are others under development that come close. Ultimately, it might be used to treat lead-contaminated water supplies at the home level, or to treat contaminated water from some chemic
Conservation study: Fostering wanderlust benefits pandas
5dIn the ongoing quest to understand what makes a good wildlife habitat, surprising new research shows there may be too much of a good thing when it comes to pinpointing optimal conditions. Embracing somewhat reduced standards can be good news to conservation managers.
Higher levels of organic pollutants found in homes located near natural gas wells, study finds
2dA University of Toronto study has found that those living close to natural gas wells are exposed to higher levels of certain organic pollutants in their homes.
Mimicking how water and wind create complex shapes in nature
3dIntricate natural formations like star-shaped sand dunes or arc-shaped rocks can appear so purposeful in form that it's easy to wonder whether someone has designed them. Scientists have long recognized that a particular combination of random and chaotic energy fields can, over a long period of time, give rise to these kinds of unique formations that dot our globe. Few, however, have succeeded in r
Those earrings are so last year—but the reason you're wearing them is ancient
3dThe necklace, nametag, earrings or uniform you chose to put on this morning might say more than you realize about your social status, job or some other aspect of your identity.
Ancient DNA rewrites early Japanese history — modern day populations have tripartite genetic origin
7dResearchers have extracted Ancient DNA from human bones to re-write early Japanese history by underlining that modern day populations in Japan have a tripartite genetic origin — a finding that refines previously accepted views of a dual genomic ancestry.
Can we talk to aliens? And should we colonise space? We ask the expert
10hAstrophysicist Jacco van Loon on the hunt for alien life, why logic can solve the climate crisis and what happens when the sun becomes a red giant For years, astrophysicists have been saying that alien life must exist, but finding out where and in what form has proved elusive. We may be edging closer: a team from the University of Cambridge has discovered a new class of habitable planets they cla
'Grandma' killer whale missing from pod, feared dead
1dOne of the Southern Resident orcas, a 47-year-old female known as L47, hasn't been seen by census takers since February.
Book Review: A Scientist's Life in the Treetops
1dIn "The Arbornaut," field biologist Meg Lowman documents her pioneering research atop the forests of the world and her invention of forest canopy walkways. Now in her 60s, "Canopy Meg" promotes such studies worldwide, including helping to get scientists who use wheelchairs into the canopy.
Microsoft's Surface Duo 2 Is a Lovable Weirdo
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3dMicrosoft Surface 2
The second time around, Microsoft's foldable mobile comes closer to what it actually is: a phone.
Scientists use seasons to find water for future Mars astronauts
1dAn international team of researchers has used seasonal variations to identify likely sub-surface deposits of water ice in the temperate regions of Mars where it would be easiest for future human explorers to survive. The results are being presented this week by Dr. Germán Martínez at the European Planetary Science Conference (EPSC) 2021.
Environmental Law Is Getting in the Way of Climate Action
3dThe path forward requires a new understanding of our burning world.
First complete national assessment of Australia's sharks and rays
4dThe first complete assessment of extinction risk for all Australian sharks, rays and ghost sharks reveals Australia is home to more than a quarter of shark species on the planet, but 12 percent of those are at risk of extinction.
The Atlantic Daily: What to Make of the Latest Booster-Shot Recommendation
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7dBiden FDA Covid Booster
Every weekday evening, our editors guide you through the biggest stories of the day, help you discover new ideas, and surprise you with moments of delight. Subscribe to get this delivered to your inbox. Boosters-for-all is looking more like boosters-for-some, for now. Per the plan set out by the White House last month, next week was supposed to mark the rollout of booster shots for all Americans
Diabetes medications linked to glaucoma prevention
5dRetrospective data from more than 5,000 patients shows that GLP-1R agonists may be protective against the disease.
SpaceX: Are Water Landings From Space Safe?
6dSpaceX has completed two successful earlier water landings, one at night.
The definitive CO2/CH4 comparison post
5dThere is a new push to reduce CH 4 emissions as a possible quick 'win-win' for climate and air quality. To be clear this is an eminently sensible idea – as it has been for decades (remember the ' Methane-to-markets' initiative from the early 2000s?), but it inevitably brings forth a mish-mash of half-remembered, inappropriate or out-of-date comparisons between the impacts of carbon dioxide and me
Telescope in Chile captures a doomed galaxy falling into the heart of the Fornax Cluster
2dThe Fornax Cluster—which, as the name suggests, lies primarily in the constellation Fornax (the Furnace)—is a relatively nearby galaxy cluster, only about 60 million light-years from Earth. This means that it looms large in the night sky, stretching across an area more than 100 times larger than the full moon. With over 600 member galaxies, the Fornax Cluster is the second "richest" (most populous
Early Data Revives Attention to Covid Shots for Small Kids
1dSix months after Pfizer and BioNTech began large trials of their Covid-19 vaccine in kids aged 5 to 11, the companies announced that the shot had a "favorable safety profile" and provoked a strong immune response. Experts are still debating whether the shots are necessary for young kids.
Records from Lake Magadi, Kenya, suggest environmental variability driven by changes in Earth's orbit
4dRift Valley lakes within eastern Africa range from freshwater to highly alkaline systems and are homes to diverse ecosystems. These Rift Valley lakes are also sedimentary repositories, yielding a high-resolution environmental record that can be targeted to better understand the environmental and climatic context of human evolution over the past few million years in eastern Africa.
Volcano erupts on Spain's Canary Islands
6dThe Cumbre Vieja volcano erupted on Spain's Canary Islands on Sunday spewing out lava, ash and a huge column of smoke after days of increased seismic activity, sparking the evacuation of around 1,300 people living nearby, authorities said.
After Egress, SpaceX Inspiration4 Astronauts to Get Health Check
6dWhile the Inspiration4 crew was only in orbit for three days, doctors will performing screenings to make sure they are well.
Covid-19 news: How common is long covid in people who get infected?
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7dWinter Covid 19 4 WHO
The latest coronavirus news updated every day including coronavirus cases, the latest news, features and interviews from New Scientist and essential information about the covid-19 pandemic
Smallest Flying Structure Ever Made Inspired By Storybooks and Seeds
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2dMicrochip Smallest Flying
Sometimes, in the pursuit of efficiency, we can make big gains by taking cues from nature. Wing design is one place where nature excels, and we've been cribbing its notes for everything from wind turbines to boat propellers to control surfaces on planes. Now a team of scientists, led by John A. Rogers from Northwestern, have put biomimetic wings on a microchip, creating the smallest flying struct
A glimpse into the ocean's biological carbon pump
2dOceans play a key role in the global carbon dioxide balance. This is because billions of tiny algae live there, absorbing carbon dioxide through photosynthesis and incorporating it into their biomass. When these algae die, they trickle down—along with the excretions of microscopic creatures that feed on them—as "marine snow" into deeper zones. About one percent of their carbon dioxide then lies bu
Children learn science in nature play long before they get to school classrooms and labs
2dThe number of preschools pursuing learning through nature play is growing fast worldwide. However, the effectiveness and impacts of this approach is largely untested, and we recently completed the first large-scale study in the world to explicitly research nature play in early childhood education.
Winged Microchips Glide like Tree Seeds
3dThe tiny sensors could gather and transmit environmental data as they drift through the air — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
'You'll See Other Quests in the Game That Are a Bit Silly'
3dShedworks creative director Gregorios Kythreotis explains the highs and lows of exploration in Sable, a chilled-out comedic sci-fi masterpiece.
Maya rulers put their personal stamp on monumental complexes
4dEarly Maya cities featured monumental complexes, which centered on a shared form of religion but these complexes transformed radically once kingship emerged in 400 B.C. To solidify their power, rulers throughout the Maya lowlands would change these complexes, installing their mark on the landscape and reshaping how people remember it, according to a Dartmouth study published in Ancient Mesoamerica
Radiation therapy reprograms heart muscle cells to younger state
1dNew research suggests that radiation therapy can reprogram heart muscle cells to what appears to be a younger state, fixing electrical problems that cause a life-threatening arrhythmia without the need for a long-used, invasive procedure.
"[T]hese shit comments": Author of a nonsense paper responds on PubPeer
3dA conference proceedings for the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) has retracted a 2021 paper which appears to have been produced in part by the fake article generator SCIGen — an allegation the corresponding author denies. "Estimate The Efficiency Of Multiprocessor's Cash Memory Work Algorithms" appeared earlier this year in the 2021 IEEE … Continue reading
Number of Environmental Advocates Killed in 2020 Hits New Record
3dA new report by Global Witness found that the documented killings of 227 environmental activists in 2020 was a record high. Most were Indigenous people or small-scale farmers, who were defending forests against extractive industries, with numbers especially high throughout Latin American and the Amazon.
Scientists behind tech in mRNA vaccines snag 2nd prestigious prize — is a Nobel next?
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1dWeissman 2021 Lasker
The scientists recently won one of this year's $3 million Breakthrough Prizes, as well.