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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.
Sir Clive Sinclair: Computing pioneer dies aged 81
8dThe inventor, entrepreneur and ZX Spectrum creator died at his London home following a long illness.
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)
They Shunned Covid Vaccines but Embraced Antibody Treatment
7dChampioned by doctors and conservative radio hosts alike, monoclonal antibodies for Covid are in high demand — even from those who don’t want a vaccine.
Hundreds Of Dead Migratory Birds In New York City Prompt Calls For Dimming Lights
8dAfter a volunteer collected more than 200 dead migratory birds from the sidewalks around the World Trade Center, bird groups in the city called on the complex to dim unnecessary lights at night. (Image credit: Melissa Breyer/AP)
NASA Is Launching A New Telescope That Could Offer Some Cosmic Eye Candy
9dHubble's iconic images captured the public's imagination. Will NASA's next big space telescope, which sees infrared light, produce astronomy scenes that pack a similar punch? (Image credit: NASA, ESA/Hubble and the Hubble Heritage Team)
Anonymous Leaked a Bunch of Data From a Right-Wing Web Host
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8dAnonymous Epik Right
The hacktivist collective targeted the domain registrar Epik for providing services to clients including the Texas GOP, Parler, and 8chan.
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)
Stop Calling It a ‘Pandemic of the Unvaccinated’
9d“Your refusal has cost all of us,” President Joe Biden said to unvaccinated people last week, as he announced a new COVID-vaccine mandate for all workers at private companies with more than 100 employees. The vaccinated, he said, are angry and frustrated with the nearly 80 million people who still haven’t received a vaccine, and their patience “is wearing thin.” He’s not wrong about that. For peo
Masks Protect Schoolkids from COVID despite What Antiscience Politicians Claim
9dFlorida governor Ron DeSantis and politicians in Texas say research does not support mask mandates. Many studies show they are wrong — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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
Bone Discovery Suggests Humans Were Already Manufacturing Clothes 120,000 Years Ago
8dWhen did humans start making clothes?
Trump Put Milley in an Impossible Position
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8dMilley Trump China
Did the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Mark Milley, violate the Constitution? The answer, at least on the current available evidence, is no. In a new book, Bob Woodward and Robert Costa write that Milley contacted his opposite number in China just before and just after the 2020 election. Milley, according to Woodward and Costa, was reaching out to General Li Zuocheng to calm jangled nerves
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.
Scientists find evidence of humans making clothes 120,000 years ago
9dTools and bones in Moroccan cave could be some of earliest evidence of the hallmark human behaviour From the medieval fashion for pointy shoes to Victorian waist-squeezing corsets and modern furry onesies, what we wear is a window to our past. Now researchers say they have found some of the earliest evidence of humans using clothing in a cave in Morocco, with the discovery of bone tools and bones
Sir Walter Raleigh's Colony Vanished Over 400 Years Ago. Scientists Are Still Looking
9dArchaeologists hope a new search will unearth clues about what happened to 117 men, women and children who vanished from a North Carolina settlement. (Image credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
A Shimmering Rainbow Fly Has Been Named In Honor Of RuPaul
10dThe colorful, iridescent soldier fly in question has "legs for days," Australian researcher Bryan Lessard said. He hopes that pop culture names will help attract attention for vulnerable species. (Image credit: CSIRO Australia)
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.
Joe Biden’s New World Order
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9dBiden Australia China
A new world is beginning to take shape, even if it remains disguised in the clothes of the old. The United States, Britain, and Australia have announced what is in effect a new “Anglo” military alliance. The basics are these: In 2016, Australia struck a deal with France to buy a fleet of diesel-powered submarines, rejecting an Anglo-American alternative for nuclear-powered vessels. In March this
Ancient Hand Prints of Children Said to Be The Earliest Prehistoric Art in The World
11dHello from forever ago.
A New Nurse Struggles to Save Patients in a New COVID Surge
9dCases peaked, then fell, then rose again. “It is so much worse this time” — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
9d
Sian Proctor Is the First Black Woman to Pilot a Spacecraft
8dThe community college professor has long pursued her dream of being an astronaut.
Scientists Uncover Dozens of Ancient Baby Elephant Tracks, But They Didn't Walk Alone
9dAn incredible discovery.
A Landmark Autism Intervention Study Has Shown Dramatically Reduced Diagnosis Rates
4dThis could be so powerful.
9d
Norm Macdonald Wanted Laughter, Not Applause
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10dNorm Macdonald Late-Night
Norm Macdonald, the brilliant and lacerating stand-up comedian who died yesterday of cancer, once told one of the best jokes about the disease that I’ve ever heard. “In the old days, they’d go, ‘Hey, that old man died.’ Now they go, ‘Hey, he lost his battle.’ That’s no way to end your life!” he said. “I’m pretty sure if you die, the cancer also dies at exactly the same time. So that, to me, is no
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.
Covid Trash Isn't Always Dangerous. Not Everyone Got the Memo.
7dOverblown fears that the coronavirus could be transmitted through surfaces have created a stigma around handling nonhazardous trash, experts say. Some recyclable waste has been junked or burned.
Say Goodbye to Your Manager
8dLars Tunbjörk / Agence VU / Redux A merica has too many managers. In a 2016 Harvard Business Review analysis , two writers calculated the annual cost of excess corporate bureaucracy as about $3 trillion, with an average of one manager per every 4.7 workers. Their story mentioned several case studies—a successful GE plant with 300 technicians and a single supervisor, a Swedish bank with 12,000 wor
Woman Resurrected After Being Clinically Dead for 45 Minutes
9dKathy Patten, a grandmother from Baltimore, suffered a heart attack and spent 45 long minutes clinically dead. But some intense CPR actually managed to bring her back to life, giving her a second chance that local news stations are calling a “medical miracle.” Patten has reportedly made an almost full recovery, something that is exceedingly rare . While TV dramas give the impression that CPR is o
Warp Drive Scientist Took All His Equipment With Him When He Left NASA
10dWarp Drive Inc Traveling at faster than the speed of light has been the subject of countless works of science fiction. Most notably, the “warp drive” in “Star Trek” allowed cosmic travelers to break the lightspeed barrier to traverse vast galactic distances. In the real world, research into potential warp drive technologies has been slow, but significant enough to attract the interest of NASA and
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.
F.D.A. Panel Recommends Pfizer Boosters for Over 65 or at High Risk of Severe Covid
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8dFDA Pfizer COVID Booster
The same advisers overwhelmingly recommended against authorizing boosters for people under 65, complicating the Biden administration’s hopes to offer them more broadly.
California fires: General Sherman and other sequoias given blankets
8dFire-resistant blankets protect General Sherman and other sequoias as a California blaze closes in.
Troll farms reached 140 million Americans a month on Facebook before 2020 election, internal report shows
8dIn the run-up to the 2020 election, the most highly contested in US history, Facebook’s most popular pages for Christian and Black American content were being run by Eastern European troll farms. These pages were part of a larger network that collectively reached nearly half of all Americans, according to an internal company report, and achieved that reach not through user choice but primarily as
Long Weekend Becomes 9 Week Lockdown For AP Vietnam Reporter
10dA reporter went to a seaside resort for a long weekend. He's still there 9 weeks later, trapped by a delta driven wave of the coronavirus pandemic, worried about his parents and his plants back home. (Image credit: Hau Dinh/AP)
Startup Says Its Tech Can Kill Hurricanes Before They Get Strong
10dHurricane Killer A Norwegian company called OceanTherm says it has a novel solution to stopping a hurricane in its tracks: bubbles. More specifically, it wants to use bubbles to cool down sea temperatures in order to cut off a hurricane’s supply of warm water, according to WFTX . Since hurricanes typically “feed” off waters 80 degrees fahrenheit or higher — allowing them to intensify and grow mor
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.
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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
Pfizer Vaccine Protection Wanes, C.D.C. Study Shows
8dThe study found that the shots’ effectiveness in preventing hospitalization fell to 77 percent from 91 percent four months after full vaccination.
NASA confirms thousands of massive, ancient volcanic eruptions on Mars
10dSome volcanoes can produce eruptions so powerful they release oceans of dust and toxic gases into the air, blocking out sunlight and changing a planet's climate for decades. By studying the topography and mineral composition of a portion of the Arabia Terra region in northern Mars, scientists recently found evidence for thousands of such eruptions, or "super eruptions," which are the most violent
SpaceX's Inspiration4 Mission Launches Today. Here's How to Watch
10dThe three-day orbital voyage of the all-civilian crew will be a historic milestone for human spaceflight — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Australian bandicoot brought back from brink of extinction
10dThe small furry Eastern Barred Bandicoot is bumped off an Australian "extinct in the wild" list.
Grimes Brings Sword Made Out of an AR-15 to Met Gala
11dThe Cutting Edge Pop star and noted AI communist Claire “Grimes” Boucher showed up at the Met Gala dressed to kill — and we mean that literally, as she brought a sword made out of an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle to the swanky event Monday night. This year, the event was themed after its new exhibit “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,” according to Vogue . Celebrities typically enjoy stretching the l
Is Seltzer Water Just as Healthy as Flat Water?
11dUnsweetened carbonated water is a better choice than soda or fruit juice. But don’t overdo it, experts say.
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.
This Solar-Powered RV Looks Absolutely Awesome
8dSolar RV A team of students from the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands have created an awesome-looking RV that depends entirely on massive solar panels mounted to its roof for power. The students claim their solar RV, dubbed Stella Vita, can cover 454 miles in one (sunny) day using solar energy, an impressive feat for a vehicle that can double as a home away from home. Off the
Coronavirus: plans to end free rapid tests in England ‘reckless’
8dMayors, teaching unions and health chiefs say decision will speed up spread of virus and deepen health inequalities Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage England’s coronavirus testing strategy has been been criticised as “reckless” amid plans to end the free provision of rapid tests and relax the monitoring of cases from abroad. Families and businesses will have to pay for
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A 10 billion-year-old supernova will soon replay before our eyes, new dark matter study predicts
9dScientists predict that an ancient supernova will reappear in the sky for a 4th time in the year 2037, thanks to the meddling influence of dark matter.
Mysterious Stone Spheres Discovered in Ancient Tomb, But What Were They For?
10dIt's not the first time we've seen this.
Pfizer and Moderna say Covid-19 vaccine protection wanes over time
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10dPfizer FDA Friday Moderna
Data comes as US regulator weighs approval for booster shot to bolster immunity
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:
Parents Are Lying to Get Their Little Kids Vaccinated
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8dFDA Pfizer Covid 12
These days, the distance between ages 11 and 12 is more than a year. It is a chasm between danger and safety. Vaccines promise people 12 and older protection from COVID-19, but aren’t yet approved in the U.S. for younger children, and it isn’t clear exactly when they will be. Frustrated by the wait and desperate to protect their children, some parents are sneaking their 10- and 11-year-old kids a
New gravitational wave detector picks up possible signal from the beginning of time
8dPhysicists turned on a new type of gravitational-wave sensor and saw two intriguing results, but they aren't yet ready to claim a discovery.
Are we eating ourselves to extinction?
8dIt’s not just animals that are at risk of dying out, the world’s crops are in rapid decline. Here’s why it matters what is on your plate In eastern Turkey, in a golden field overshadowed by grey mountains, I reached out and touched an endangered species. Its ancestors had evolved over millions of years and migrated here long ago. It had been indispensable to life in the villages across this plate
Sir Clive Sinclair: Tireless inventor ahead of his time
8dThe prolific innovator invented the pocket calculator and the ill-fated Sinclair C5 electric car.
Sorry, a Coronavirus Infection Might Not Be Enough to Protect You
9dImmune cells can learn the vagaries of a particular infectious disease in two main ways. The first is bona fide infection, and it’s a lot like being schooled in a war zone, where any lesson in protection might come at a terrible cost. Vaccines, by contrast, safely introduce immune cells to only the harmless mimic of a microbe, the immunological equivalent of training guards to recognize invaders
There Are More People in Orbit Right Now Than at Any Other Point in Human History
9dCrowded Orbit There are a total of 14 humans in space right now, circling the Earth on board three different spacecraft. It’s a new (off) world record, breaking the previous record by one additional astronaut, according to Space.com . Let’s tally them up. There are currently four space tourists traveling on board SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft. The International Space Station is hosting seven as
Evidence of Fur and Leather Clothing, Among World's Oldest, Found in Moroccan Cave
9dHumans likely sported clothes made of jackal, fox and wildcat skins some 120,000 years ago
Blåbärsriset försvinner från svenska skogar
9dForskare ser nu en dramatisk minskning av blåbärs- och lingonris i södra Sverige. Det får konsekvenser för skogens djur som får mindre mat.
Incredible Ice Age Visualization Uncannily Resembles 'The Wall' From Game of Thrones
10dThis is no fantasy.
Israel Shows Off Massive Military Robot With a Huge Machine Gun
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10dIsraeli Armed Robot
Death Robots The Israeli military has unveiled a brutal-looking, remote-controlled — but, ominously, also somewhat autonomous — robot that can be outfitted with two large machine guns, CBS News reports . The semi-autonomous killing machine, developed by the state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries, is designed to protect soldiers while patrolling battle zones — but critics who oppose the use of su
Study of Covid Booster Shot Benefits Fans Debate Over Extra Doses
10dIndependent experts, including government scientists, were skeptical of the research from Israel, which included limited data over a short period.
Study of Booster Shot Benefits Fans Debate Over Extra Doses
10dIndependent experts, including government scientists, were skeptical of the research from Israel, which included limited data over a short period.
SpaceX Live Updates: The Inspiration4 Mission’s Rocket Is Fueling Up Ahead of Launch
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10dSpaceX Four Civilian Earth
Four amateur astronauts who have never been to space before are hours away from heading to orbit. Here’s what you need to know.
Have we detected dark energy? Scientists say it's a possibility
10dA new study, led by researchers at the University of Cambridge and reported in the journal Physical Review D, suggests that some unexplained results from the XENON1T experiment in Italy may have been caused by dark energy, and not the dark matter the experiment was designed to detect.
Another Unpretentious, Melancholy Farewell From Clint Eastwood
10dClint Eastwood’s first Hollywood swan song was 1992’s Unforgiven , a dark, bitter Western that bade goodbye to the genre that had made him famous. He was 62 at the time, and after some 30-plus years of riding horses on-screen, the actor-director seemed ready to retire from the fictional range. Since Unforgiven , Eastwood has made 23 more films, starring in 10 of them, and many of those projects c
How to Watch Today's SpaceX Launch
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11dSpacex Inspiration4
Here’s what you need to know about the three-day orbital journey of four Americans, none of them professional astronauts.
A Hinge Point for Voting Rights
11dA my Klobuchar, Joe Manchin , and several of their Democratic colleagues in the Senate have produced the Freedom to Vote Act , a stellar election-protection compromise bill that safeguards both the right to vote and the integrity of future federal elections. Before skeptics start questioning whether the bill will attract the 10 Republican votes necessary to overcome a filibuster, let’s acknowledg
The Real Game Changer at the Met Gala
11dTo celebrities, the red carpet of the Met Gala is like an average person’s front lawn: a place for making bold statements. The event, an annual fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, is made for flaunting ostentatious couture. The dress code is determined by a theme—this year’s was “American Independence,” in honor of a forthcoming exhibition —that can be interpreted h
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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.
Moral Perfection Can Wait
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7dTrudeau O’Toole Canada
Let’s start with what’s undeniable: Justin Trudeau has achieved a progressive’s wish list of policy accomplishments. Since becoming Canada’s prime minister in 2015, he has raised taxes on the rich, legalized marijuana, put a rising price on carbon, renegotiated NAFTA, centered women’s rights in the country’s foreign policy, reduced child poverty to its lowest level in decades, and resettled tens
Här går kossorna på pottan för att minska utsläpp
7dBajs och kiss från kor bildar ammoniak – en indirekt växthusgas. Nu har forskare kommit med en idé för att lösa problemet. Spela videon för att se när kalvar pottränas.
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SpaceX Tourists Reportedly Refusing to Release Photos Inside Spaceship
8dAside from gathering some scientific data , the Inspiration4 all-space-tourist crew currently circling the Earth inside a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft is kicking off a new era in spaceflight: some honest-to-God tourism . Think less scientific rigor and more sightseeing and Las Vegas gambling (to the degree that one scientist involved with the launch even told Futurism that “the data might not ev
Climate change: UN warning over nations' climate plans
8dClimate plans of more than 100 countries show we're heading in the wrong direction, the UN says.
Effect of electrons with negative mass in novel semiconductor nanostructures
8dA large international research collaboration led by Dr. Kai-Qiang Lin and Professor John Lupton from the Institute of Experimental and Applied Physics at the University of Regensburg has been able to measure the effect of electrons with negative mass in novel semiconductor nanostructures. The international team includes scientists from Berkeley and Yale (U.S.), Cambridge (England) and Tsukuba (Jap
Animals died in 'toxic soup' during Earth's worst mass extinction: A warning for today
8dThe end-Permian mass extinction event of roughly 252 million years ago—the worst such event in earth's history—has been linked to vast volcanic emissions of greenhouse gases, a major temperature increase, and the loss of almost every species in the oceans and on land.
FDA panel to weigh boosters for Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine
8dAdvisory committee will debate controversial proposal after data showing protection from mRNA shots can wane
NASA Awards $26.5 Million to Company That Sued It
9dConsolation Prize NASA has announced that it will award contracts to five US companies to help support the Artemis Moon program — including one company that’s currently suing the space agency. Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin is receiving $25.6 million as part of the agency’s Artemis program to send astronauts back to the Moon by 2024, according to a NASA press release . That’s less than one percent of th
Rules on GM farming and cars to be top of UK bonfire of EU laws
9dMinister reveals plans to change laws inherited from EU, with rules on medical devices also in crosshairs Rules on genetically modified farming, medical devices and vehicle standards will be top of a bonfire of laws inherited from the EU as the government seeks to change legislation automatically transferred to the UK after Brexit. Thousands of laws and regulations are to be reviewed, modified or
Burning space mystery solved as researchers confirm origins of 'empty sky' gamma-rays
9dStar-forming galaxies are responsible for creating gamma-rays that until now had not been associated with a known origin, researchers from The Australian National University (ANU) have confirmed.
Your gas stove is polluting your own home. Go electric | Brady Seals
9dGas stoves can produce air pollution levels indoors that would be illegal outside I traveled around the developing world for more than a decade seeing and studying first-hand the damage that wood and charcoal do to the lungs of people – mostly women and children – who use it for cooking. Nearly half the world’s population cooks with solid fuels, and I was proud of my work to bring cleaner options
SpaceX Launches Astronaut Crew Like No Other on Orbital Adventure
10dThe Inspiration4 mission successfully lifted off from Florida, carrying with it an ambition of making spaceflight more accessible to the broader public.
SpaceX’s Inspiration4 Already Blasted Past Jeff Bezos’ Highest Point
10dBlast Off On Wednesday evening, SpaceX blasted off the Inspiration4 crew, the first all-private team to venture into orbit, on board its Crew Dragon spacecraft. After the Falcon 9 rocket took off at around 8 pm EDT from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, it took just three minutes to blast past the Kármán line, the internationally agreed upon edge of space — and, in doing so, it literally blasted past
SpaceX Successfully Launches First All-Civilian Space Mission
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10dSpaceX Civilian Four
SpaceX has successfully launched the its first all-civilian crew into orbit on board its Crew Dragon spacecraft. The Falcon 9 rocket took off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 8:02 pm EDT. It’s a major milestone in the history of private spaceflight. None of the four passengers went through NASA’s rigorous astronaut training, and now they’ll spend the next three days watching the Ear
‘Larger than usual’: this year’s ozone layer hole bigger than Antarctica
10dScientists say ozone hole is unusually large for this stage in season and growing quickly The hole in the ozone layer that develops annually is “rather larger than usual” and is currently bigger than Antartica, say the scientists responsible for monitoring it. Researchers from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service say that this year’s hole is growing quickly and is larger than 75% of ozone
Four Patients Die After Experimental Gene Therapy
10dA fourth patient in a clinical trial for an experimental gene therapy died last week — highlighting that alongside the immense promise of the nascent field, there also come grisly risks. The patient was a young boy who developed liver abnormalities after being treated in a drug trial called ASPIRO from Astellas Pharma, according to BioPharma Dive . Tragically, t hat makes him the fourth to die ov
Something Big Appears to Have Just Smashed Into Jupiter
10dBright Flash Astronomers watching Jupiter got a surprise on Monday when a large unknown object appeared to smash into the gas giant. At the time, many amateur astronomers were watching an ongoing transit of the shadow of Io, one of Jupiter’s moons, according to SpaceWeather.com . Suddenly a “bright flash of light” appeared, German astrophotographer Harald Paleske told the site. “It could only be
The trans story includes you | Nicole Maines
10dAs actress Nicole Maines points out, we all unwittingly play supporting roles in each others' life stories — for better or worse. With charm and aplomb, she shares her experience growing up as a trans youth, emphasizing the big and small ways community acceptance can affect the course of a deeply personal journey.
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.
Scientists Find a Blood-to-Brain Pathway in Mice That Could Be Behind Alzheimer's
7dThe plaques may not start in the brain.
Companies Are Ditching Drug Tests Because They’re Blocking Good Candidates
8dJust Say No More and more companies around the world are getting rid of drug screening policies in an attempt to attract employees. A new poll conducted by staffing company ManpowerGroup showed that roughly nine percent of employers are doing away with drug testing during the application process in order to “attract and retain in-demand talent.” The company surveyed 45,000 employers across 43 cou
You Might Want to Wait to Get a Booster Shot
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8dCOVID 19 Booster
After a long and tense meeting today, an FDA committee unanimously recommended that the agency authorize third shots of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for Americans who are over 65 or at high risk of severe COVID. The vote came after the panel voted overwhelmingly against the original question up for its consideration: authorizing boosters for everyone over 16. If the FDA follows the committee’s rec
Rolls-Royce Tests Sci-Fi-Looking All-Electric Aircraft
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8dRolls-Royce Royce Electric
Spirit of Innovation An all-electric aircraft called Spirit of Innovation, built by British manufacturer Rolls-Royce, took to the skies for the very first time this week — and it looks hella cool. The sleek single-seater prop plane, a design reminiscent of racing planes from the 1930s , took off at the UK Ministry of Defense’s Boscombe Down site on Wednesday. It spent 15 minutes in the air, a mil
United Nations Warns of ‘Catastrophic Pathway’ With Current Climate Pledges
8dAn accounting of promises made by countries in the years since the Paris accord found that they are not enough to avoid drastic impacts from climate change.
Ancient DNA rewrites early Japanese history—modern day populations have tripartite genetic origin
8dAncient DNA extracted from human bones has rewritten 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.
China Analyzing Moon Rocks as Potential Fusion Power Source
8dMoon Fusion Chinese scientists are studying lunar rock samples to assess whether or not they’re a good fuel source for nuclear fusion. Researchers at the Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology are analyzing a 50-milligram rock sample, according to Space.com , obtained during the country’s Chang’e-5 lunar return mission . The scientists are analyzing the rocks for an isotope called helium-3
When Nicki Minaj’s Cousin’s Friend’s Balls Dominated Twitter
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8dTrinidad Nicki Minaj COVID
The Covid-19 conversation has truly hit a nadir.
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One Mozart Song Calms The Brains of People With Epilepsy, And We May Finally Know Why
8dThere's something special about this specific melody.
Long Covid in children and adolescents is less common than previously feared
9dReview of 14 international studies suggests long Covid symptoms in children rarely last longer than 12 weeks Follow our Covid live blog for the latest updates Get our free news app ; get our morning email briefing Children and adolescents who are infected with Covid-19 rarely have symptoms that last for longer than 12 weeks, according to a review of international research. The review, published i
Plants evolved complexity in two bursts—with a 250-million-year hiatus
9dA Stanford-led study reveals that rather than evolving gradually over hundreds of millions of years, land plants underwent major diversification in two dramatic bursts, 250 million years apart. The first occurred early in plant history, giving rise to the development of seeds, and the second took place during the diversification of flowering plants.
Biologists Rethink the Logic Behind Cells’ Molecular Signals
9dBack in 2000, when Michael Elowitz of the California Institute of Technology was still a grad student at Princeton University, he accomplished a remarkable feat in the young field of synthetic biology: He became one of the first to design and demonstrate a kind of functioning “circuit” in living cells. He and his mentor, Stanislas Leibler, inserted a suite of genes into Escherichia coli bacteria.
An NFL quarterback on overcoming setbacks and self-doubt | Alex Smith
9dFormer NFL quarterback Alex Smith almost died after a particularly rough tackle snapped his leg in 2018 — yet he was back on the field just two years later. In this inspiring talk, he shares his hard-won insights on overcoming fear, self-doubt and anxiety that could help anyone endure life's challenges. (This talk contains graphic images.)
Exxon, Chevron, BP and Others Called to Testify on Climate Disinformation
9dExecutives from Exxon, Shell, BP and others are being called to testify in Congress next month after a secret recording this year exposed an Exxon official boasting of such efforts.
Fossilised long-legged giant penguin identified as new species
9dSkeleton found by children in New Zealand helps fill in gaps in natural history In January 2006 a group of children in summer camp in Waikato, New Zealand, went on a fossil-hunting field trip with a seasoned archaeologist. They kayaked to the upper Kawhia harbour, a hotspot for this sort of activity, and they expected to find fossils of shellfish and the like, as they regularly did on these Hamil
Gold Teeth Are Beautiful on Their Own Terms
9dPhotographs and Video by Akilah Townsend There’s a poem most Black people know, and even if you don’t know it, at one time or another you’ve lived it or seen someone you love live it. It’s a poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar called “We Wear the Mask,” his seminal ode to how Black folks must show one face to the world and another to ourselves. The verse begins, “We wear the mask that grins and lies” an
Is Becky Chambers the Ultimate Hope for Science Fiction?
9dHer gentle, heartwarming stories seek to soothe our troubled souls. They also aim to blow up the entire genre.
Gigantic Plankton Bloom Larger Than Australia Spawned by Intense Bushfire Blazes
10dEverything is connected.
Scientists pretend to be Neanderthals to explore how they caught birds in caves for food
10dNeanderthals, our closest relatives, became extinct between 40,000 to 35,000 years ago. Since the discovery of the first Neanderthal fossil 165 years ago, scientists have learned more about Neanderthals—including their culture, sociality, ecology, diet, control of fire, production and use of tools, physiology, and even their genomic code—than about any other non-human hominin. Here, Spanish resear
Elon Musk: Tesla Self-Driving Will Be Able to Dodge UFOs That Crash Into Roadway
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10dTesla Full Self-Driving
Swerve! Tesla recently released the 10th version of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software feature , an optional $10,000 add-on that allows its vehicles to take care of a good deal of driving — but not all of it, as the name deceptively suggests. And the feature may have yet another quirky ability hidden up its sleeve, as Tesla CEO Elon Musk suggested on Twitter this week. “FSD 10 predicts height f
Parents of America, Unite!
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10dCOVID Under 12 FDA
Tens of millions of children are awaiting the approval of a vaccine to protect them from COVID-19. Their impatient parents should know that they don't just have to sit around and wait. Consider, for example, what happened during the AIDS epidemic, when the advocacy group ACT UP, but a scant year old at the time, figured out where the holdup in dealing with the AIDS crisis was: a featureless build
Ancient spider mom preserved in amber found to be protecting her young
10dA trio of researchers with Capital Normal University in China has found evidence of a mother spider protecting her young in an amber sample dated back to 99 million years ago. In their paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Xiangbo Guo, Paul Selden and Dong Rend describe where the sample was found and what they learned about the spider it contains.
Martin Luther King Knew That Fighting Racism Meant Fighting Police Brutality
10dIn a lesser-known part of his March on Washington speech, Martin Luther King Jr. proclaimed , “We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality.” Many people, upon hearing this, might assume that King was simply referring to the violence wreaked by the police department in Birmingham, Alabama, and its commissioner, Bull Connor, during the
People's Heartbeats Synchronize When They're Captivated by The Same Story
10dTwo hearts beat as one, even when you're miles apart.
Physicists Create Swirling Tornado of Helium With First-Ever Atomic Vortex Beam
11dWhat did you do at work today?
How to understand Einstein's equation for general relativity
11dThe Einstein field equations appear very simple, but they encode a tremendous amount of complexity. What looks like one compact equation is actually 16 complicated ones, relating the curvature of spacetime to the matter and energy in the universe. It showcases how gravity is fundamentally different from all the other forces, and yet in many ways, it is the only one we can wrap our heads around. A
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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
Texas Democrats Have an Opportunity
7dTexas Governor Greg Abbott has leaned into the culture war, signing laws effectively banning abortion and critical race theory, loosening gun restrictions , and approving an almost certainly unconstitutional law barring social-media companies from moderating content . He has thwarted coronavirus restrictions in a state that has seen hospitals become overwhelmed with patients and more than 6,000 d
Apple-stifter vil forhindre, at verdensrummet drukner i skrot
7dFor meget rumskrot kan skabe store problemer for internet og telefoni.
People with chronic conditions among most at risk from Covid even after jabs
7dResearch finds those with Down’s syndrome, Parkinson’s and other conditions may benefit from booster dose Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage People living with chronic conditions such as Down’s syndrome and dementia remain among the most vulnerable to Covid-19 even after vaccination, research has found. The study, based on data from more than 6.9 million vaccinated adul
Coronasituationen i Afrika og Asien kan true Danmarks farvel til restriktioner og nedlukning
7dPå hele det afrikanske kontinent er kun 3,9 procent af befolkningen vaccineret.
Apple and Google Go Further Than Ever to Appease Russia
7dThe tech giants have set a troubling new precedent.
Countries Promised To Cut Greenhouse Emissions, The UN Says They Are Failing
8dMost countries are failing to follow through on promises to meaningfully cut greenhouse gas emissions. A UN analysis shows that actions so far will allow emissions to keep increasing (Image credit: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
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Chris Hemsworth Used a Grotesque Hack to Get Swole Enough to Play Thor
8dYou might wish you had the body of a Marvel superhero like Thor — but the workouts to actually get there might convince you otherwise. Actor Chris Hemsworth recently posted a video of once such workout to Instagram. In it, he claimed that a monstrous-sounding blood-flow restriction technique he used during his workouts was the key to his massive arms. “By restricting blood-flow and oxygen the mus
EU-Parlamentet presser på for at afskaffe dyreforsøg i forskning
8dDer er forskningsområder, hvor vi kan undgå at bruge dyr til forsøg, siger ekspert.
First-of-its-kind quantitative assessment for sustainable agriculture
8dFor the first time, scientists have assembled a quantitative assessment for agriculture sustainability for countries around the world based not only on environmental impacts, but economic and social impacts, as well. The Sustainable Agriculture Matrix, or SAM, provides independent and transparent measurements of agricultural sustainability at a national level that can help governments and organiza
The microbial molecule that turns plants into zombies
8dA newly discovered manipulation mechanism used by parasitic bacteria to slow down plant aging, may offer new ways to protect disease-threatened food crops.
The untapped energy source that could power the planet | Jamie C. Beard
8dDeep beneath your feet is a molten ball of energy the same temperature as the surface of the sun — an immense clean energy source that could power the world thousands of times over, says technologist and climate activist Jamie C. Beard. How do we tap it? She lays out a surprising solution, and an unlikely alliance, to harvest geothermal energy from the Earth's core and get it to anywhere in the w
We Know Students Are Struggling With Their Mental Health. Here's How You Can Help
8dExperts say taking care of your own wellbeing first will allow you to help your kids and students. You should also listen to their concerns and teach them tools to manage their anxieties. (Image credit: Annie Otzen/Getty Images)
Bizarre tail on little dinosaur-age bird was literally a drag
8dAn extraordinary 120-million-year-old fossil bird from China reveals that the animal had a sexy but vaguely impractical tail.
The Culture War Over ‘Pregnant People’
8dLast year, a brand-new labor-and-delivery hospital opened on the well-to-do Upper East Side of New York City. Its name, the Alexandra Cohen Hospital for Women and Newborns, might strike most people as innocuous or straightforward. But to some people, the suggestion that a hospital where babies are born is for women is offensive, because transgender and nonbinary people who do not identify as wome
Social Media Is Attention Alcohol
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8dInstagram Facebook
L ast year, researchers at Instagram published disturbing findings from an internal study on the app’s effect on young women. “Thirty-two percent of teen girls said that when they felt bad about their bodies, Instagram made them feel worse,” the authors wrote in a presentation obtained by The Wall Street Journal . “They often feel ‘addicted’ and know that what they’re seeing is bad for their ment
UK scientist warns over relaxation of Covid travel rules
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8dUK Two PCR Covid Travel
Prof Alan McNally says genome surveillance remains vital, as ministers prepare to overhaul travel rules Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage One of the scientists behind the UK’s testing network for quickly identifying Covid variants of concern has urged the government to continue surveillance of coronavirus cases brought in to the UK from abroad. Alan McNally, a professo
Inspiration4: All-amateur space crew enjoy views of Earth
8dThe first pictures have been released showing the Inspiration4 crew looking down on the planet.
Astronauts return to Earth after China's longest space mission
8dThe three astronauts spent 90 days at China's space station, some 380km above Earth.
Researchers in Germany discover a new species of otter
8dResearchers from the Universities of Tübingen and Zaragoza have discovered a previously unknown species of otter from 11.4-million-year-old strata at the Hammerschmiede fossil site.
Jeff Bezos Grits Teeth to Congratulate Elon Musk, Who Makes Fun of Him Constantly
9dGritted Teeth Blue Origin CEO Jeff Bezos congratulated his rival and occasional cyberbully Elon Musk for the successful launch of Inspiration4 on Thursday — which may have been difficult for the billionaire to do, considering reports of his personal jealousy toward Musk. “Congratulations to @ElonMusk and the @SpaceX team on their successful Inspiration4 launch last night,” Bezos tweeted . “Anothe
SpaceX Launch Spits Out Epic, Firey Jellyfish in Night Sky
9dFireworks SpaceX launched the first-ever all-tourist mission into orbit Wednesday evening. When the Falcon 9 rocket took off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at around 8 pm Eastern time, about half an hour after sunset, onlookers were treated to an incredible sight: a hazy, jellyfish-like “nebula” caused by the rocket burning its propellant during its ascent into space. One image share
Climate Scientists Forecast High Temperatures Into the Fall
9dThe Western drought will likely expand eastward, spreading to nearly all of Texas, Oklahoma and Nebraska.
Scientists take a closer look inside the perfect fluid
9dScientists have reported new clues to solving a cosmic conundrum: How the quark-gluon plasma—nature's perfect fluid—evolved into matter.
Kids discover giant penguin’s fossil skeleton in New Zealand
9dA newly described extinct giant penguin from New Zealand has unusually long legs and a long, slender beak, and it dates to a time when much of the region was underwater.
The Cult of Virginity Just Won’t Let Go
9dAdam Maida / The Atlantic In the Middle Ages, a royal bride would be inspected before her wedding night to make sure she was a virgo intacta —a virgin with an intact hymen covering the entrance to her vagina. “The Hymen is a membrane not altogether without blood,” wrote the 17th-century court obstetrician Louise Bourgeois. “In the middle it hath a little hole, through which the menses are voided.
Go for a Walk
9d“ How to Build a Life ” is a weekly column by Arthur Brooks, tackling questions of meaning and happiness. L ast month, a survey by the travel industry found that a majority of Americans changed their vacation plans this summer because of the continuing coronavirus pandemic. But not everyone canceled their vacations entirely; travel spending has been almost as high this summer as it was in the sum
Kew Gardens: Royal Botanic Gardens breaks record for largest plant collection
9dEstablished in 1759, the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew has 16,900 unique plant species.
Mangrove forests: Photography winners show beauty of ecosystems
10dThe Mangrove Photography Award winners show unique ecosystems above and below the waterline.
The California Recall’s Warning for Democracy
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10dCalifornia Newsom Trump
Governor Gavin Newsom of California defeated yesterday’s recall election by a large enough margin to squash earlier Republican threats to challenge the results no matter the outcome. But the proliferation of those allegations of voter fraud before the election, including ungrounded claims from former President Donald Trump that the contest was “rigged,” points toward an ominous future in which mo
Scientists develop a statistical fix for archaeology's dating problem
10dArcheologists have long had a dating problem. The radiocarbon analysis typically used to reconstruct past human demographic changes relies on a method easily skewed by radiocarbon calibration curves and measurement uncertainty. And there's never been a statistical fix that works—until now.
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Scientists Trained Cows Where To Pee. It Could Help The Environment
10dTurns out cows can be potty trained as easily as toddlers. Researchers in Germany put the task to the test and 11 out of 16 cows learned to use the "MooLoo" when they had to go. (Image credit: Thomas Häntzschel/FBN via AP)
Governments falling woefully short of Paris climate pledges, study finds
10dAs Cop26 meeting approaches, analysis shows world is on track for 3C temperature increase if present trends continue Every one of the world’s leading economies, including all the countries that make up the G20, is failing to meet commitments made in the landmark Paris agreement in order to stave off climate catastrophe, a damning new analysis has found. Less than two months before crucial United
Chinese Scientists Working on Mars Drone That Flies Faster Than Sound
10dDrone Zone Scientists in China have created a proposal for a hypersonic aircraft to travel between future Mars colonies. The team has developed a concept for a drone that weighs 1,100 pounds and could travel at five times the speed of sound, according to the South China Morning Post , with a cruising altitude of 5,000 meters. This is all still in its very early stages, though, and is expected to
A Massive Subterranean ‘Tree’ Is Moving Magma to Earth’s Surface
10dRéunion, a French island in the western Indian Ocean, is like a marshmallow hovering above the business end of a blowtorch. It sits above one of Earth’s mantle plumes — a tower of superheated rock that ascends from the deep mantle and flambés the bases of tectonic plates, the jigsaw pieces that make up the ever-changing face of the world. The plume’s effects are hard to miss: One of the island’s.
A new window to the early universe (and aliens?)
10dAstrophysicists anxiously await the upcoming launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, slated for December 18. Things can go wrong. This spectacular giant will be the most powerful space telescope ever built, opening new windows to nascent galaxies and stars from billions of years ago, as well as to planets circling other stars in our cosmic neighborhood. It will help us refine our own story — a
This Supernova Will Make a Ghostly Reappearance in 2037
10dA chance celestial alignment is allowing astronomers to witness a distant star’s explosive death, again and again — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
New coating technology uses 'nanoworms' to kill COVID-19
10dAn antiviral surface coating technology sprayed on face masks could provide an extra layer of protection against COVID-19 and the flu.
AbleGamers Just Got a Win for the Disabled Gaming Community
10dThe nonprofit raised over $1 million. Donations came from big companies like Twitch, but most were smaller contributions from individual gamers.
Missouri Is the Next Front in the COVID Culture War
10dT here’s a particular spot in Jefferson City, Missouri, the state capital, where you can walk a few yards and pass through three different sets of masking rules. Struggling against the heavy wooden doors of the state-supreme-court building and stepping through, you leave the zone of the city and county recommendations—mask when you can’t keep distance—and enter a space where masks are required by
Primate mothers may carry infants after death as a way of grieving, study finds
10dSome primate species may express grief over the death of their infant by carrying the corpse with them, sometimes for months, according to a new UCL-led study—with implications for our understanding of how non-human animals experience emotion.
Scientists Just Identified Another Mysterious Surge in The Atmosphere Due to Humans
11dIt wasn't always like this.
SpaceX's Latest Mission Will Launch Four People Into Orbit
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11dSpaceX Four Civilian Earth
The Inspiration4 mission shows private spaceflight’s promise, but also how far it has to go before just about anyone can travel to orbit.
If You're Brave Enough — An Injection Of Pufferfish Toxin Could Treat 'Lazy Eye'
11dThe visual impairment known as "lazy eye" can be treated in kids by covering their other eye with a patch. Scientists may have found a way to treat adults with the condition using a pufferfish toxin.
NASA Testing Spacesuits by Shooting Them With a Giant Gun
11dSpace Shoots NASA is putting its lunar spacesuit through its paces. As part of testing, engineers at NASA’s Glenn Research Center’s Ballistic Impact Lab are shooting prototype spacesuits with a 40-foot air gun that fires steel ball bearings at 3,000 feet per second, roughly two and a half times the speed of sound, in order to simulate extraterrestrial hazards like micrometeorite strikes. “If the
Potty Party: Researchers Show Young Cows Can Be Toilet-Trained
11dEthologist Jan Langbein and his team trained the cattle as a way to keep solid and liquid cattle waste separate–with the goal of reducing ammonia emissions coming from livestock.
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
Spectacular Fossil Shows a 120-Million-Year-Old Bird With a Highly Impractical Tail
7dTalk about a booty call.
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Serious Infections Linked to Autism: Study
8dIn both a mouse model and the hospital records of more than 3 million children, researchers found a connection between strong immune activation in males and later symptoms of autism spectrum disorder.
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SpaceX Launched Tourists With Zip Ties, Sedatives In Case Someone Gets Dangerous
9dLiberate Ex Inferis You’re probably familiar with the trope of space travelers losing their grip on reality in movies like “Event Horizon” and “Solaris.” But the idea, it turns out, is actually enough of a concern that both NASA and SpaceX have taken steps to ensure that their astronauts are prepared to restrain anyone who becomes a danger during a space mission. Take SpaceX’s Inspiration4 missio
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Slaughter of more than 1,400 dolphins in the Faroe Islands sparks condemnation worldwide
9dHunters in the Faroe Islands ambushed and slaughtered a super-pod of more than 1,400 white-sided dolphins on Sunday (Sept. 12), leading to worldwide outcry.
Rare Bronze Age coffin uncovered on UK golf course
9dA Bronze Age burial was accidentally discovered in an English golf club.
SpaceX launches world’s first ‘amateur astronaut’ crew to orbit Earth
10dLaunch marks biggest advancement so far in space tourism as Elon Musk’s company conducts first chartered passenger flight SpaceX has launched the world’s first crew of “amateur astronauts” on a private flight to circle Earth for three days. Wednesday night’s successful launch marked the most ambitious leap yet in space tourism. It’s the first chartered passenger flight for Elon Musk’s space compa
Fauci: “No Evidence” That COVID Vaccine Injured Nicki Minaj’s Cousin’s Friend’s Testicles
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10dNicki Minaj Twitter
Rapper Nicki Minaj claimed on Twitter this week that her cousin in Trinidad “won’t get the vaccine cuz his friend got it [and] became impotent.” “His testicles became swollen,” she added, evocatively. “His friend was weeks away from getting married, now the girl called off the wedding.” All told, it’s a bit of a COVID-19 misinformation disaster. Nicki Minaj has a massive following, with 22.6 mill
More Than Half of Young Adults Think “Humanity Is Doomed,” According to New Poll
10dHumanity is Doomed In news that shouldn’t surprise anyone who’s met a young person in 2021, a new study shows that more than half of young adults believe that “humanity is doomed” and “the future is frightening.” The poll makes a strong connection between environmental concerns with government inaction, resulting in a heightened sense of fear and anxiety amongst teens and young adults. “This stud
New findings on ambient UVB radiation, vitamin D, and protection against severe COVID-19
10dNew research has examined the association between vitamin D and COVID-19, and found that ambient ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation (which is key for vitamin D production in the skin) at an individual's place of residence in the weeks before COVID-19 infection, was strongly protective against severe disease and death.
Seabirds starve in stormy 'washing machine' waves: study
10dThousands of seabirds that wash up on Atlantic coasts every year could have been starved to death by cyclones that whip up "washing machine" waves, a new study says, with experts warning the phenomenon could worsen with climate change.
Unmanned submarine earmarked for Irish Sea freight crossings
10dA start-up company has been given £380,000 to develop the hydrogen-powered concept.
Bandicoot species 'back from the brink' on Australian mainland
10dA small nocturnal marsupial that once roamed the Australian mainland has been brought back from the brink of extinction after a decades-long conservation effort, authorities said Wednesday.
Startup Says Anyone New Jetpack Is So Simple That Anyone Can Fly It
11dJust Add Jets Engineers in England say they’ve developed a jetpack so simple that anyone can safely fly it with minimal training. Maverick Aviation says the jetpack can travel up to 30mph, according to a statement obtained by Construction Global . It’s designed come with an easy learning curve, and even has an auto-pilot system installed. “What is unique about what we’re doing is the computer-con
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?
In 1181 a Rare Explosion Lit Up The Sky, And We May Have Finally Found What It Left Behind
7dA 900-year-old mystery.
Australia Covid live news update: NSW reports 1,331 cases and six deaths; Victoria records 535 cases and one death as police move to block protests; ACT has 15 new cases
7dOne new case in Queensland as Melbourne CBD turned into no-go zone and police prepare to disrupt protest planned in Sydney New Doherty modelling advises ‘medium’ Covid restrictions until 80% vaccination target reached Youth corrections officer dies from Covid Covid vaccine rollout and rates tracker ; Cases, trends and data tracker Get our free news app ; get our morning email briefing 2.58am BST
Firefighters race to save the world’s largest tree as wildfires rage
8dCalifornia firefighters have wrapped the bases of the world's largest trees in fire-resistant aluminum blankets to protect them from a wildfire that is raging nearby.
Lil Nas X Isn’t a Fad. He’s the Future of Pop.
8dCharlotte Rutherford / Sony One of the great mysteries of our lifetime is how the banjo loop and fake drawl of Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” blew up into one of the biggest hits ever. The common explanations for its popularity just don’t suffice. Yes, Montero Lamar Hill is a marketing genius and meme master, but jokes alone don’t get auditoriums of children to sing your song. Yes, he linked up coun
Nearly 900 years ago, astronomers spotted a strange, bright light in the sky. We finally know what caused it.
8dIn the 12th century, Chinese and Japanese astronomers spotted a supernova in the sky shining as brightly as Saturn.
Antarctic: Exhibition recalls Ernest Shackleton's final quest
8dIt's 100 years since the great Antarctic explorer set out on his last voyage to the White Continent.
Ocean Photographer of the Year 2021
8dAn image of a green sea turtle surrounded by glass fish wins photo award.
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The kids are not all right: Australia’s mental health system is struggling and so are our young | Omar Khorshid
8dAmid Covid, young people are facing challenges unthinkable for their parents at the same age. Only a long-term commitment to fix the system can help them Follow our Covid live blog for the latest updates NSW Covid vaccination rate by postcode – check your suburb NSW restrictions ; border restrictions Covid vaccine rollout and rates tracker ; cases, trends and data tracker Get our free news app ;
COVID-19 virus is evolving to get better at becoming airborne, new study shows
8dA new study finds that SARS-CoV-2 is evolving toward more efficient aerosol generation, and loose-fitting masks provide significant but only modest source control. Until vaccination rates are very high, continued layered controls, including improved ventilation, increased filtration, UV air sanitation, and tight-fitting masks are critical to protect people in public-facing jobs and indoor spaces,
Startup’s Mushroom Leather Ready for Commercial Production
9dA new biotech materials startup called Bolt Threads has created a leather-like material it calls Mylo that could revolutionize the fake leather market — and it’s ready to go mainstream, Fast Company is now reporting . Bolt Threads says it’s ready to produce the material on a commercial scale, according to the report, producing as much as a million square feet a year. Adidas and Lululemon are alre
Study suggests earliest use of bone tools to produce clothing in Morocco 120,000 years ago
9dA new study led by Arizona State University paleoanthropologist Curtis Marean and ASU doctoral graduate Emily Hallett details more than 60 tools made of bone and one tool made from the tooth of a cetacean, which includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises. These finds, first unearthed from Contrebandiers Cave, Morocco in 2011, are highly suggestive proxy evidence for the earliest clothing in the arch
Part of the universe's missing matter found
9dGalaxies can receive and exchange matter with their external environment thanks to the galactic winds created by stellar explosions. Via the MUSE instrument from the Very Large Telescope at the ESO, an international research team, led on the French side by the CNRS and l'Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, has mapped a galactic wind for the first time. This unique observation, which is detailed in a
The Dark Underside of Representations of Slavery
9dArtwork by Alanna Fields T he photographs are about the size of a small hand. They’re wrapped in a leatherette case and framed in gold. From the background of one, the image of a Black woman’s body emerges. Her hair is plaited close to her head, and she is naked from the waist up. Her stare seems to penetrate the glass of the frame, peering into the eyes of the viewer. The paper label that accomp
Interstellar Visitors Could Vanish in Space Before We Ever See Them. Here's Why
9dIt's a cruel galaxy out there.
Outer Space Gets Crowded With Inspiration4 Crew Helping Set Record
10dThe four-person team raised the number of people in space to 14 for about a day, passing a record set in 2009.
How to Watch SpaceX’s Historic All-Civilian Space Launch Tonight
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10dSpaceX Inspiration4 Launch
Going Live SpaceX is about to launch four average Joes on a trip to space, marking the first time an all-civilian crew has ever done so — and we get to watch it live from the comfort of our own homes. SpaceX’s five-hour launch window opens at 5:02 pm tonight. The Falcon 9 rocket boosting the space company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft is already on the launchpad at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Flori
Why Kids Beat Back COVID Better Than Adults
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10dDelta US UK Covid 12
Innate immunity might be the key to why children have fared better with the virus. But the Delta variant poses fresh unknowns — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Putting a face to Krijn, the Netherland's oldest Neanderthal man
10dA group of paleo-anthropological artists at Kennis & Kennis Reconstructions have put their skills to good use—reconstructing the face of Krijn, the earliest known Neanderthal living in what was once Doggerland. The results have been included in Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, a Dutch national museum dedicated to exhibiting material from the antiquities.
Captured water, carbon dioxide from car exhaust could help grow food
10dWhat if both the water and carbon dioxide (CO2) produced from a vehicle's exhaust system could be captured and used for growing food? Repurposing these two wasted products would be a game changer for reducing the carbon footprint of roadway traffic and helping the agricultural industry feed a growing human population.
SpaceX’s All-Civilian Inspiration4 Crew Readies for Launch
10dFour civilians—none of them NASA astronauts—are expected to blast into space aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket.
Boris Johnson says he will not rule out ‘plan B’ of vaccine passports, masks and homeworking – as it happened
10dPrime minister sets out more details of government winter plans after announcement of ‘plan A’ booster jabs Bring in measures soon or risk 7,000 daily hospitalisations, Sage warns Vallance advises PM to ‘go early’ if new Covid restrictions needed Summary of Boris Johnson’s press conference Mandatory masks could return this winter, says Sajid Javid Nightclubs urged to make contingency plans for us
2021 Ig Nobel Prizes Honor Decongestant Orgasms, Rhino Transport
11dA full beard can absorb nearly 40 percent of the shock from a punch to the face, according to one winning study.
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
Climate change: Should green campaigners put more pressure on China to slash emissions?
7dUK activists have protested on the M25, but should they instead be picketing China's embassy?
The Galaxy S21 Ultra Is the Cheapest We’ve Ever Seen It
7dIt’s still pricey even with this deal, but this Samsung has almost everything you could want in an Android phone right now.
FN-rapport: Verden er langt fra at nå klimamålene – udledningerne vil stige 16 procent i 2030
8dDer er stadig håb for at nå klimamålene, og der er sket meget godt for klimaet det sidste år, siger klimaminister Dan Jørgensen efter dyster rapport.
The Morning Show Has Become a Camp Masterpiece
8dAbout four episodes into the new season of Apple TV+’s The Morning Show , I stopped expecting it to have the qualities of a prestige television series—narrative complexity, emotional resonance, logic—and began simply appreciating it for what it is: one of the most batshit-expensive soap operas ever made. And that’s perfect. Ink-dark dramas in which Oscar winners suck wearily on vape pens or try t
Giraffes Prefer a Fair Fight
8dResearchers found that the long-necked mammals spar with partners of similar stature.
This is what it looks like when a black hole snacks on a star
8dWhile black holes and toddlers don't seem to have much in common, they are remarkably similar in one aspect: Both are messy eaters, generating ample evidence that a meal has taken place.
Broken Sestina Reaching for Black Joy
8dPhotographs by Donavon Smallwood Yesterday I was smashed with the rush of fresh honeysuckle from the greenway near my house where I walk every day. I’ve been trying to write a poem about buried Black bodies but all I want to write about is Black joy and my pleasure and Black love and Black lives that don’t end with viral death, so I’ve stopped consuming the news. I’ve logged off of social media f
Book Review: An Emergency Room Doctor’s View of the Covid Crisis
8dER doctor Robert Meyer and journalist Dan Koeppel’s “Every Minute is a Day” documents the gruesome early days of the Covid-19 pandemic in New York City. In a diary of sorts, the story is told through the lens of Koeppel and Meyer’s frequent text messages as Meyer witnessed the breakdown of the medical system.
SpaceX's tourist crew 'healthy, happy and resting'
9dSpaceX's all-civilian Inspiration4 crew are "healthy, happy and resting comfortably," the company said Thursday in its first update since the pioneering mission blasted off from Cape Canaveral the night before.
NIH Grants $470 Million for Study of Long COVID
9dThe study aims to recruit 40,000 adults and children to get a better sense of the condition that can last weeks or months after infection.
Den første private rumrejse er skudt afsted: Her er fem bud på, hvordan vi rejser i rummet i fremtiden
9dEt rumskib kun med private personer ombord er blevet sendt afsted. Og døren til en ferie i rummet står nu på klem.
Changing diets to tackle climate change 'unattainable' for minority groups
9dMaking food more affordable for ethnic minority groups is crucial to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from our diets, scientists have suggested.
The Battle for Digital Privacy Is Reshaping the Internet
9dAs Apple and Google enact privacy changes, businesses are grappling with the fallout, Madison Avenue is fighting back and Facebook has cried foul.
Human remains found inside 500-pound alligator. How common are alligator attacks?
9dAn enormous alligator is suspected of killing a man in Louisiana, according to news reports.
Cosmic rays erode away all but the largest interstellar objects
9dSo far, we know of only two interstellar objects (ISO) to visit our solar system. They are 'Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov. There's a third possible ISO named CNEOS 2014-01-08, and research suggests there should be many more.
How Biology is Getting a Technological Makeover
9dThe story of Ginkgo Bioworks shows the challenges and progress in the emerging field of synthetic biology.
Biology Starts to Get a Technological Makeover
9dThe story of Ginkgo Bioworks shows the challenges and progress in the emerging field of synthetic biology.
Canada election: Lytton fire puts village at centre of debate
10dA village in western Canada recorded the country's highest-ever temperature. The next day it was gone.
Jaws made us scared of sharks but is a lack of sharks scarier? – podcast
10dLast week, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) world conservation congress took place in Marseille. Guardian biodiversity reporter Phoebe Weston was there and heard about the latest updated ‘red list’ of threatened species, which included a warning that over a third of all shark and ray species now face extinction. To find out more, Anand Jagatia spoke to Phoebe about th
SpaceX’s Private Passengers Are Flying Higher Than the Space Station
10dCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—Before liftoff, the moon was the brightest object in the sky, followed by the tiny, shining pinpricks of Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn. Then the rocket rose with a roar, a white-hot needle casting the dark evening in a soft gold. A crew of four sat atop it, strapped inside a small capsule. And none of them—not one—were professional astronauts. The passengers who launched today a
This US company sold iPhone hacking tools to UAE spies
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10dUS iPhone UAE 2016
When the United Arab Emirates paid over $1.3 million for a powerful and stealthy iPhone hacking tool in 2016, the monarchy’s spies—and the American mercenary hackers they hired—put it to immediate use. The tool exploited a flaw in Apple’s iMessage app to enable hackers to completely take over a victim’s iPhone. It was used against hundreds of targets in a vast campaign of surveillance and espiona
How to Watch the SpaceX Inspiration4 Launch
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10dSpaceX Inspiration4
The first all-civilian, all-private mission to orbit prepares to blast off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
Scenes From Greenland
10dHannibal Hanschke, a photographer with Reuters, has spent the past week and a half traveling around the west coast of Greenland, capturing images of the landscape, its glaciers, the residents, and their homes. I’m happy to be able to share some of these photos here, snapshots from the largest island in the world (that isn’t a continent ) .
Scientists Plan to Resurrect the Woolly Mammoth This Decade
10dGraphic: Mark Garlick/Getty Images Graphic: Mark Garlick/Getty Images Thousands of years ago, herds of woolly mammoths roamed the tundra of Asia, Europe, and North America. Then, they vanished along with most other megafauna. That was right around the time humans began spreading across the globe. Weird, right? Whether or not our ancestors were directly responsible for the extinction of the woolly
Parade of life-size camel carvings in northern Arabia date to the Stone Age
10dA parade of life-size stone camel carvings in northern Arabia dates back to the Stone Age, new research finds.
How to Help Your Dog Adapt to a Postpandemic World
10dAs owners head back to offices, pets’ anxiety and frustration may rise — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Inspiration4: Why SpaceX’s first all-private mission is a big deal
10dWhen 2001: A Space Odyssey was released in 1968, it didn’t feel like a stretch to dream of lounging in a space hotel, sipping a martini while watching Earth drift by. This vision got a boost in the early 1980s, when the space shuttle program heralded a future of frequent and routine trips to orbit. And when the first paying space tourists rocketed into space in the 2000s, many began wondering whe
Pakistan: How to cool Karachi as temperatures rise
11dIn Karachi, Pakistan, one entrepreneur is on a mission to plant urban forests to cope with rising temperatures.
We May Have Detected Another Hint of Gravitational Waves in Pulsing Stars
11dThe background 'hum' of the Universe.
99 million-year-old spider mummies reveal moms cared for teeny spiderlings
11dFour chunks of amber containing Cretaceous-age spiders reveal that mothers cared for spiderlings.
This CGI Influencer Is Shilling For More Than 100 Brands
11dCGI Influencer A Korean startup has developed a virtual influencer who — it? — advertises for more than 100 companies. Dubbed “Rozy,” the CGI influencer was created by Korean media company Sidus Studio X, according to Korea.net . Sidus debuted Rozy last August and has since been able to sign her to a wide variety of advertising contracts, it says, anticipating nearly a million dollars in marketin
Delta-8 marijuana products can be dangerous, health officials warn
11dProducts with delta-8 THC are sometimes labeled in misleading ways, officials said.
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.