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The first mobile phone call was 75 years ago – what it takes for technologies to go from breakthrough to big time.
An engineer demonstrates a car phone five months before the historic first call on a competing company’s commercial mobile telephone service in 1946. Bettmann via Getty Images – By Daniel Bliss, Professor of Electrical Engineering, Arizona State University 2021 Jun 16 – I …
Study shows AI-generated fake reports fool experts
It doesn’t take a human mind to produce misinformation convincing enough to fool experts in such critical fields as cybersecurity. iLexx/iStock via Getty Images – 2021 Jun 07 Authors: Priyanka Ranade PhD Student in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, University of Maryland, Baltimore …
Microspheres coated in stem cells could help mend broken hearts
Porous, biodegradable microspheres could support stem cells while they patch up damaged hearts. British Heart Foundation – By Michael Irving 2021 Jun 13 – It’s a cruel reality that the heart has such a limited capacity to heal itself, meaning that people who survive …
Why are women more prone to long Covid?
While men over 50 tend to suffer the most acute symptoms of coronavirus, women who get long Covid outnumber men by as much as four to one. A pedestrian in Russia – one of the countries to monitor the disproportionate number of women …
The Deep Roots of the Vegetable That ‘Took Over the World’
A study digs up the origin of the single species that gives us turnips, bok choy, broccoli rabe, and more. A field of northwestern Spain’s beloved grelos is just one of the many permutations of Brassica rapa. el Buho nº30, CC BY-SA 2.0/flickr …
The Importance of Teaching Dred Scott
Dred Scott and Roger B. Taney – From The New Yorker – In January, 2011, the House of Representatives undertook a recitation of the United States Constitution on the House floor. Lawmakers started with “We the People” and took turns reading the text …
The Italian Village Where the Houses Have Eyes
An architect has worked to save Aliano’s unusual facial features, thought to ward off the “evil eye.” This anthropomorphic house in Aliano was rebuilt, following the direction of architect Lodovico Alessandri. It now hosts a pizzeria and rooms for tourists. Federico Formica – …
Particle seen switching between matter and antimatter at CERN
Two particles ready to collide into one another – artistic image. FlashMovie/Depositphotos – By Michael Irving 2021 Jun 09 – A subatomic particle has been found to switch between matter and antimatter, according to Oxford physicists analyzing data from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). …
Employees are feeling burned over broken work-from-home promises and corporate culture ‘BS’ as employers try to bring them back to the office
Some workers aren’t that excited about a return to the office. Antonio Sánchez Albacete/EyeEm via Getty Images – By Kimberly Merriman, Professor of Management, Manning School of Business, University of Massachusetts Lowell and David Greenway, Doctoral Candidate in Leadership/Organization Studies, University of Massachusetts …
Energy secretary says adversaries have capability of shutting down US power grid
Energy secretary: US adversaries have the capability to shut down our power grid – By Chandelis Duster, CNN Updated 2021 Jun 06 – Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on Sunday warned in stark terms that the US power grid is vulnerable to attacks. – …
Hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, floods – whatever your local risk, here’s how to be more weather-ready
Mark Poindexter puts a tarp on the damaged roof of his home in Gulf Breeze, Louisiana, on 2020 Aug 29, in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura. AP Photo/Gerald Herbert – By Erik Salna, Associate Director of Education and Outreach, Extreme Events Institute, Florida …
Supreme Court affirms tribal police authority over non-Indians
The actions of a Crow Nation police officer were in question at the Supreme Court. Crow Nation – Kirsten Carlson, Associate Professor of Law and Adjunct Associate Professor of Political Science, Wayne State University 2021 Jun 03 – The Supreme Court unanimously affirmed …
Native American tribe in Maine buys back island taken 160 years ago
The Passamaquoddy’s purchase of Pine Island for $355,000 is the latest in a series of successful ‘land back’ campaigns for indigenous people in the US. Pine Island. Photograph: The Guardian – By Alice Hutton Last modified on 2021 Jun 04 – The advert …
Monarch butterflies are nearly extinct. California has a plan to save them
A conservation effort is planting a poisonous flower along the state’s central coast in hopes of lifting butterfly population. Western monarch butterfly populations have sharply declined in recent years. Photograph: Courtesy River Partners – By Erin McCormick in Berkeley Last modified on 2021 …
Scientists discover new ‘chocolate frog’ in swamp
Researchers think the frog could be widespread across New Guinea. – By Amy Woodyatt, CNN Updated 2021 May 29 – A team of Australian scientists has discovered a curious “chocolate” tree frog in the lowland rainforests of New Guinea. – Tree frogs are …
Overcrowded US national parks need a reservation system
Traffic at the south entrance to Yellowstone National Park on 2015 Aug 20. Neal Herbert, NPS/Flickr – Michael Childers, Assistant Professor of History, Colorado State University 2021 Jun 01 – If you’re headed out into the wild this summer, you may need to …
Dark energy – The eerie force accelerating the expansion of the universe
An artist’s illustration of the expansion of the universe. Andreus/Depositphotos View 8 Images – By Michael Irving 2021 May 29 – The universe is expanding, and that expansion is accelerating. But what is causing that to happen? The leading hypothesis is a repellent …
Terra identifies backyard bird visitors by analyzing their songs
The Terra device (at right, behind bird) is currently on Kickstarter. Terra Project – By Ben Coxworth May 28, 2021May 28 – Although many people enjoy tracking which types of birds come through their backyards, they can’t be watching their yards all the time. …
How a ranger stumbled upon one of the largest fossil finds in California history
While on a routine patrol, Greg Francek came across bone fragments from prehistoric animals that existed millions of years before humans. Ranger Greg Francek uncovers a gomphothere fossil. Photograph: East Bay Municipal Utility District – By Erin McCormick 2021 May 26 – Imagine …
Ending food insecurity in Native communities means restoring land rights, handing back control
Handouts from food banks are no substitute for self-sufficiency. Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images – By Valarie Blue Bird Jernigan, Professor of Rural Health, Oklahoma State University 2021 May 27 – For Indigenous people in the U.S., food is considered a sacred gift. …
The world’s most valuable motorcycle heads for auction
The most recognizable motorcycle in the world has two claimants, and both were built and certified as being “the original” by Dan Haggerty, aka Grizzly Adams. The bike going to auction next week appears to have a more credible claim. Columbia Pictures View …
The obscure, unelected Senate official whose rulings can help – or kill – a bill’s chance to pass
Bills have a long journey that includes going through the parliamentarian’s office in the Senate. Here, a corridor in the Senate. dkfielding/iStock/Getty Images Plus – By Charles Tiefer, Professor of Law, University of Baltimore 2021 May 24 – Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough raised …
Turkey struck by ‘sea snot’ because of global heating
Increasing blanket of mucus-like substance in water threatens coral and fishing industry. An aerial view of sea snot in Istanbul. Photograph: Anadolu agency/Getty Images – About this content By Selin Uğurtaş in Istanbul Last modified on 2021 May 25 – When seen from …
Zero-trust security: Assume that everyone and everything on the internet is out to get you – and maybe already has
For cybersecurity, your best bet is to assume that the enemy has already slipped inside. clu/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images – By Scott Shackelford, Associate Professor of Business Law and Ethics; Executive Director, Ostrom Workshop; Cybersecurity Program Chair, IU-Bloomington, Indiana University 2021 May …
“Micro-tree” hybrid harvester purifies water and wrings it out of air
A microscope image of the cacti-inspired spines that line the new membrane and collect water from thin air. Caltech – By Michael Irving 2021 May 20 – Water scarcity is one of humanity’s most pressing problems. Now engineers at Caltech have developed a new …
Drinking any amount of alcohol causes damage to the brain, study finds
– By Amy Woodyatt, CNN Updated 2021 May 20 – London There is no such thing as a “safe” level of drinking, with increased consumption of alcohol associated with poorer brain health, according to a new study. In an observational study, which has …
Transparent wood uses orange peel extract to go entirely sustainable
Scientists have used a monomer made from a component in citrus fruit peels called limonene to produce entirely sustainable transparent wood. Céline Montanari – By Nick Lavars 2021 May 04 – For tens of thousands of years, humans have been drawn to wood as …
The largest iceberg in the world just broke off from Antarctica
Newly-calved iceberg A-76 is now the largest iceberg in the world. – By Sophie Lewis CBS News / 2021 May 20 – A massive slab of ice, roughly the shape of Manhattan but more than 70 times larger, has sheared off from Antarctica …
Who moved my cheese? The silent battle between vegetarians and vegans
When there’s only space for one meat-free option on the menu, chefs often now ditch dairy for vegan alternatives. Is this the end of veggie dining? Plant-tastic … the new dairy-free landscape. Photograph: Sam Barnes/Getty Images – By Tony Naylor Last modified on …
America’s First Banned Book Really Ticked Off the Plymouth Puritans
The author, known as the “Lord of Misrule,” had the audacity to erect a maypole in Massachusetts. Circa 1620, American colonist and leader of the Plymouth Colony Myles Standish (1584 – 1656) and a colony of English settlers follow a Native American scout. …
Twenty firms produce 55% of world’s plastic waste, report reveals
Plastic Waste Makers index identifies those driving climate crisis with virgin polymer production. A woman collects recyclable plastics washed up on the beach in Bali, Indonesia. Photograph: Agung Parameswara/Getty Images – By Sandra Laville Last modified on 2021 May 18 – Twenty companies …
What happened to Confederate money after the Civil War?
Confederate currency had images of enslaved people, historical figures and mythical deities. elycefeliz/Flickr, CC BY-ND – By Robert Gudmestad, Professor and Chair of History Department, Colorado State University 2021 May 03 – Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If …
Chainsaw massacre: tree poaching hits Canada amid lumber shortage
Officials on Vancouver Island say at least 100 trees have been illegally cut down, leaving one stump with a face carved into it. A menacing face chainsawed into the stump of a poached Douglas fir not far from the Mount Prevost Main Line …
How the English Failed to Stamp Out the Scots Language
Against all odds, 28 percent of Scottish people still use it. How the English Failed to Stamp Out the Scots Language – by Dan Nosowitz 2018 Sep 28 – Over the past few decades, as efforts to save endangered languages have become governmental …
The Bloody History of Anti-Asian Violence in the West
An illustration from the November 20, 1880, issue of Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper depicts an anti-Chinese riot in Denver, Colorado. Violence against Chinese immigrants was widespread in the American West. Courtesy of the Chinese American Museum/Dylan and Phoenix Wong – SOURCE: National Geographic …
Solar pushback – How US power firms try to make people pay for going green
In states like Kansas, energy companies want to impose charges on people who produce their own power with rooftop arrays. An aerial photo taken with a drone shows solar panels installed on a private home in Round Lake Heights, Illinois. Photograph: Tannen Maury/EPA …
Here’s how much your personal information is worth to cybercriminals – and what they do with it
The black market for stolen personal information motivates most data breaches. aleksey-martynyuk/iStock via Getty Images – By Ravi Sen, Associate Professor of Information and Operations Management, Texas A&M University 2021 May 13 – Data breaches have become common, and billions of records are …
Messerschmitt revives classic 3-wheel microcars, in gas and electric
Messerschmitt KR-202 Sport. Messerschmitt Werke – By C.C. Weiss 2021 May 03 – A few years back, a German team resurrected the adorable Messerschmitt microcar as an electric-assist two-man Velomobile. At the time, some people wondered why it didn’t just skip the pedals, drop …
Billion-year old fossil may be first multicellular animal
The billion-year-old multicellular microfossil was found at Loch Torridon in the Scottish Highlands. grafxart/Depositphotos – By Michael Irving 2021 May 02 – Scientists have discovered the fossil of what may be the earliest multicellular animal ever found. Dating back a billion years, the microscopic …
US invokes emergency powers after cyberattack shuts crucial fuel pipeline
Biden administration scrambles to avoid shortages after Colonial Pipeline targeted in worst-ever attack on US infrastructure. Holding tanks at a Colonial Pipeline facility in New Jersey. Photograph: Colonial Pipeline/Reuters – Associated Press Last modified on Monday, 2021 May 10 – The Biden administration …
The first mobile phone call was 75 years ago – what it takes for technologies to go from breakthrough to big time.
An engineer demonstrates a car phone five months before the historic first call on a competing company’s commercial mobile telephone service in 1946. Bettmann via Getty Images – By Daniel Bliss, Professor of Electrical Engineering, Arizona State University 2021 Jun 16 – I …
Study shows AI-generated fake reports fool experts
It doesn’t take a human mind to produce misinformation convincing enough to fool experts in such critical fields as cybersecurity. iLexx/iStock via Getty Images – 2021 Jun 07 Authors: Priyanka Ranade PhD Student in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, University of Maryland, Baltimore …
Microspheres coated in stem cells could help mend broken hearts
Porous, biodegradable microspheres could support stem cells while they patch up damaged hearts. British Heart Foundation – By Michael Irving 2021 Jun 13 – It’s a cruel reality that the heart has such a limited capacity to heal itself, meaning that people who survive …
Why are women more prone to long Covid?
While men over 50 tend to suffer the most acute symptoms of coronavirus, women who get long Covid outnumber men by as much as four to one. A pedestrian in Russia – one of the countries to monitor the disproportionate number of women …
The Deep Roots of the Vegetable That ‘Took Over the World’
A study digs up the origin of the single species that gives us turnips, bok choy, broccoli rabe, and more. A field of northwestern Spain’s beloved grelos is just one of the many permutations of Brassica rapa. el Buho nº30, CC BY-SA 2.0/flickr …
The Importance of Teaching Dred Scott
Dred Scott and Roger B. Taney – From The New Yorker – In January, 2011, the House of Representatives undertook a recitation of the United States Constitution on the House floor. Lawmakers started with “We the People” and took turns reading the text …
The Italian Village Where the Houses Have Eyes
An architect has worked to save Aliano’s unusual facial features, thought to ward off the “evil eye.” This anthropomorphic house in Aliano was rebuilt, following the direction of architect Lodovico Alessandri. It now hosts a pizzeria and rooms for tourists. Federico Formica – …
Particle seen switching between matter and antimatter at CERN
Two particles ready to collide into one another – artistic image. FlashMovie/Depositphotos – By Michael Irving 2021 Jun 09 – A subatomic particle has been found to switch between matter and antimatter, according to Oxford physicists analyzing data from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). …
Employees are feeling burned over broken work-from-home promises and corporate culture ‘BS’ as employers try to bring them back to the office
Some workers aren’t that excited about a return to the office. Antonio Sánchez Albacete/EyeEm via Getty Images – By Kimberly Merriman, Professor of Management, Manning School of Business, University of Massachusetts Lowell and David Greenway, Doctoral Candidate in Leadership/Organization Studies, University of Massachusetts …
Energy secretary says adversaries have capability of shutting down US power grid
Energy secretary: US adversaries have the capability to shut down our power grid – By Chandelis Duster, CNN Updated 2021 Jun 06 – Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on Sunday warned in stark terms that the US power grid is vulnerable to attacks. – …