MUTTS
Mutts Cartoon
News
Small climate changes can have devastating local consequences – it happened in the Little Ice Age
The Little Ice Age brought some bitter extremes. Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1565 – By Dagomar Degroot, Associate Professor of Environmental History, Georgetown University 2021 Jul 27 – In recent weeks, catastrophic floods overwhelmed towns in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, inundated subway …
To boost or not to boost? The big COVID-19 vaccine question
As Pfizer and BioNTech make a push for third booster vaccine shots, some researchers are questioning whether boosters are needed right now. Ezumeimages/Depositphotos – By Rich Haridy 2021 Jul 13 – When will COVID-19 vaccine booster shots be necessary? Pfizer has recently claimed a …
Interview: Rocket-bike pilot Eddie Braun on his new Stuntman film
Eddie Braun launches toward immortality in his 10,000 horsepower steam rocket, the Evel Spirit. Loz Blain/New Atlas View 29 Images – By Loz Blain 2021 Jul 25 – Nearly five years ago, in a vastly different world, Eddie Braun completed the stunt that famously …
The lie of “expired” food and the disastrous truth of America’s food waste problem
Stop throwing your food away. A scene like this greets most supermarket shoppers in the US. But much of what we think we know about food shopping needs an overhaul. Steve Pfost/Newsday/Getty Images – By Alissa Wilkinson@alissamariealissa@vox.com 2021 Jul 08 – Maybe you …
Emmy Noether faced sexism and Nazism – 100 years later her contributions to ring theory still influence modern math
Emmy Noether made significant contributions to theoretical mathematics. Konrad Jacobs, Erlangen/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA – By Tamar Lichter Blanks, PhD Candidate in Mathematics, Rutgers University 2021 Jul 15 – When Albert Einstein wrote an obituary for Emmy Noether in 1935, he described her …
Protein in deadly spider venom blocks “death signal” after heart attack
The venom of Australian funnel web spiders could have life-saving potential. pelooyen/Depositphotos – By Nick Lavars 2021 Jul 15 – As unlikely as it may seem, the venom of the deadly funnel web spider could prove a valuable source of a number of life-saving …
As the Taliban surges across Afghanistan, al-Qaeda is poised for a swift return
Afghan men bury a victim of deadly bombings near a girls’ school in May. Mariam Zuhaib/AP – By Greg Barton, Chair in Global Islamic Politics, Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University 2021 Jul 13 – The imminent fall of Afghanistan …
Found: A Massive Medieval Cathedral From a ‘Forgotten’ Nubian Kingdom
The discovery adds to our knowledge of Makuria, which ruled a vast region of Africa for six centuries. The excavation site, on the eastern bank of the Nile. Courtesy Artur Obłuski, Polish Center of Mediterranean Archaeology, University of Warsaw. – by Matthew Taub …
From Macy’s to Ace Hardware, facial recognition is already everywhere
Facial recognition is popping up at our favorite stores, but customers are largely unaware. Rite Aid had deployed facial recognition in at least 200 stores over eight years, before ditching the technology last year. Noam Galai/Getty Images – By Rebecca Heilweil 2021 Jul …
Trees are dying of thirst in the Western drought – here’s what’s going on inside their veins
Juniper trees, common in Arizona’s Prescott National Forest, have been dying with the drought. Benjamin Roe/USDA Forest Service via AP – By Daniel Johnson, Assistant Professor of Tree Physiology and Forest Ecology, University of Georgia and Raquel Partelli Feltrin, Postdoctoral Scholar in Botany, …
What’s in wildfire smoke? A toxicologist warns there are lots of dangerous components
Wildfires filled Seattle with smoke in September 2020. Lindsey Wasson/Getty Images – By Luke Montrose, Assistant Professor of Community and Environmental Health, Boise State University 2021 Jul 15 – Something unusual happened this year in Idaho. Fire and health officials began issuing warnings …
Snake venom-based surgical “super glue” plugs bleeding in seconds
A new “super glue” uses enzymes from the venom of the lancehead snake to stop bleeding. ammmit/Depositphotos – By Michael Irving 2021 Jul 15 – During surgery or traumatic injury, quickly stopping bleeding can save lives. Now, scientists have recruited an unlikely ally to …
Kremlin papers appear to show Putin’s plot to put Trump in White House
Exclusive: Documents suggest Russia launched secret multi-agency effort to interfere in US democracy Support independent Guardian journalism Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. The documents appear to confirm the Kremlin possesses compromising material on Trump. Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP – Luke Harding, Julian Borger and …
From flying boats to secret Soviet weapons to alien visitors – a brief cultural history of UFOs
The worldwide fascination with UFOs started in the late 1940s after a few incidents made the news in the U.S. David Zaitz/The Image Bank via Getty Images – By Greg Eghigian, Professor of History, Penn State 2021 Jul 08 – On 2021 Jun …
When snow fell in the hottest place on Earth
A person looks from a viewpoint, Sunday, 2021 Jul 11, in Death Valley National Park, Calif. Death Valley in southeastern California’s Mojave Desert reached 128 degrees Fahrenheit (53 Celsius) on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service’s reading at Furnace Creek. The shockingly …
When Did Americans Lose Their British Accents?
The absence of audio recording technology makes “when” a tough question to answer. But there are some theories as to “why.” Photo from Getty Images. – By Matt Soniak of Mental Floss – There are many, many evolving regional British and American accents, so …
The ocean is full of tiny plastic particles – we found a way to track them with satellites
Plastic fragments washed onto Schiavonea beach in Calabria, Italy, in a 2019 storm. Alfonso Di Vincenzo/KONTROLAB /LightRocket via Getty Images – By Christopher Ruf, Professor of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan 2021 Jul 09 – Plastic is the most …
Why does outer space look black?
A lack of light has little to do with it. The dark night sky, as seen from Arches National Park in Utah (Image credit: Pascal Fraboul / EyeEm via Getty Images) – By Tiffany Means 10 days ago – Look up at the …
Armed Afghan women take to streets in show of defiance against Taliban
Women in north and central regions of country stage demonstrations as militants make sweeping gains nationwide. One of the biggest demonstrations was in central Ghor province, where hundreds of women turned out over the weekend. Photograph: Facebook – by Emma Graham-Harrison in Kabul …
‘Monstrously Big Ant’ Fossil Found in Wyoming
A two-inch-long ant that once roamed Wyoming rivals today’s hummingbirds in size. (Image credit: Bruce Archibald) – By Stephanie Pappas – Almost 50 million years ago, ants the size of hummingbirds roamed what is now Wyoming, a new fossil discovery reveals. These giant …
Dinosaurs were already in decline before the asteroid wiped them out – new research
Life was already getting harder for dinosaurs before an asteroid wiped them out. metha1819/Shutterstock – Fabien Condamine, Chercheur au CNRS en Phylogénie et Evolution Moléculaire, Université de Montpellier 2021 Jun 30 – Some 66 million years ago, on the Yucatán peninsula in México, a …
Edward S. Curtis’ ‘The North American Indian’ fetches $950,000
The record price for a complete 40-volume set was established by Christie’s in New York in April 2012 when a complete subscriber’s set of Curtis’s monumental work fetched $2,882,500 to become one of the most valuable scientific artifacts ever sold at auction. The …
Dragon Man skull dumbfounds, digs up doubts about human evolution
The story of our species may run through a war-time construction project back to the wild and woolly steppes of Asia where Dragon people once roamed. An illustration of Dragon Man at home. Chuang Zhao – By Eric Mack 2021 Jun 30 – …
The Declaration of Independence wasn’t really complaining about King George, and 5 other surprising facts for July Fourth
Fireworks shows commonly celebrate the nation’s birthday. Pete Saloutos via Getty Images – By Woody Holton, Professor of History, University of South Carolina 2021 Jun 29 – Editor’s note: Americans may think they know a lot about the Declaration of Independence, but many …
‘Well of Hell,’ gaping desert hole, is shrouded in mystery
Photo credit: AFP – By Monica Danielle, AccuWeather senior producer Updated 2021 Jun 24 – Nobody has ever been to the bottom of Yemen’s Well of Barhout. The mysterious natural wonder has stirred stories of demons and djinns for centuries. – Far out …
Same county tops healthiest US community ranking for the second year in a row
A biker travels through the hills of Los Alamos County, New Mexico. – By Kristen Rogers, CNN Updated 2021 Jun 29 – As the country reopens in an ongoing pandemic, Los Alamos County, New Mexico, has been ranked the healthiest US community for …
Genome study discovers ancient coronavirus epidemic 20,000 years ago
Researchers have found evidence suggesting a coronavirus epidemic struck East Asia around 20,000 years ago. Photocreo/Depositphotos – By Rich Haridy 2021 Jun 24 – An incredible new study, published in the journal Current Biology, is presenting evidence to suggest a major coronavirus outbreak struck …
What are tax havens? The answer explains why the G-7 effort to end them is unlikely to succeed
Not all tax havens come with fancy resorts and sun-drenched beaches. Westend61/Getty Image – By Beverly Moran, Professor Emerita of Law, Vanderbilt University 2021 Jun 25 – Close your eyes and imagine a tax haven. Does a Caribbean island come to mind? Sand, …
I have ‘pandemic brain’. Will I ever be able to concentrate again?
When lockdown hit, I became distracted, unfocused – and overwhelmed. But there are ways to recover. ‘In the weeks and months after initial lockdown, people began to notice a sudden inability to focus, remember things, and follow through on tasks.’ Illustration: Sonny Ross/The …
Virgin Galactic receives FAA approval to carry passengers into space
FAA certification clears the way for Virgin Galactic to fly paying passengers to space. Virgin Galactic – By David Szondy 2021 Jun 26 – Virgin Galactic has made history, becoming the first spaceliner to be certified by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to …
The amount of heat the Earth traps has doubled in just 15 years, study shows
Earth is trapping double the amount of heat now as it did in 2005, researchers say, leading to further increase in global temperature, more snow and sea ice melting and higher sea levels. – By Rachel Ramírez Updated 2021 Jun 17 – (CNN) …
This tiny minority of Iraqis follows an ancient Gnostic religion – and there’s a chance they could be your neighbors too
Like their ancient ancestors, contemporary Mandaeans revere John the Baptist and consider baptism the most important of their religious rituals. Hadi Mizban/AP – By James F. McGrath, Professor of New Testament Language and Literature, Butler University 2021 Jun 21 – In March 2021 …
Extremely eccentric minor planet to visit inner solar system this decade
A diagram of the orbit path of 2014 UN271, which will make its closest pass in 2031. JPL Solar System Dynamics – By Michael Irving 2021 Jun 20 – The outskirts of our solar system is teeming with mysterious objects – and now one …
Tons of Delicious Fruit in Los Angeles Is Going Uneaten
A story of immigrant populations, gentrification, and the free loquat bonanza. Now that’s a city harvest. Anne Ewbank for Gastro Obscura – By Dan Nosowitz 2021 May 26 – In This Story Destination Guide Los Angeles – Update: The original headline of this …
Jurassic relic reeled out of the ocean is a “totally unique” animal
A close-up micro-CT scan of Ophiojura‘s eight sets of toothy jaws. J. Black/University of Melbourne – By Michael Irving 2021 Jun 18 – While scientists hunt for signs of life on other planets, there are still plenty of utterly alien creatures left to find …
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 …
Small climate changes can have devastating local consequences – it happened in the Little Ice Age
The Little Ice Age brought some bitter extremes. Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1565 – By Dagomar Degroot, Associate Professor of Environmental History, Georgetown University 2021 Jul 27 – In recent weeks, catastrophic floods overwhelmed towns in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, inundated subway …
To boost or not to boost? The big COVID-19 vaccine question
As Pfizer and BioNTech make a push for third booster vaccine shots, some researchers are questioning whether boosters are needed right now. Ezumeimages/Depositphotos – By Rich Haridy 2021 Jul 13 – When will COVID-19 vaccine booster shots be necessary? Pfizer has recently claimed a …
Interview: Rocket-bike pilot Eddie Braun on his new Stuntman film
Eddie Braun launches toward immortality in his 10,000 horsepower steam rocket, the Evel Spirit. Loz Blain/New Atlas View 29 Images – By Loz Blain 2021 Jul 25 – Nearly five years ago, in a vastly different world, Eddie Braun completed the stunt that famously …
The lie of “expired” food and the disastrous truth of America’s food waste problem
Stop throwing your food away. A scene like this greets most supermarket shoppers in the US. But much of what we think we know about food shopping needs an overhaul. Steve Pfost/Newsday/Getty Images – By Alissa Wilkinson@alissamariealissa@vox.com 2021 Jul 08 – Maybe you …
Emmy Noether faced sexism and Nazism – 100 years later her contributions to ring theory still influence modern math
Emmy Noether made significant contributions to theoretical mathematics. Konrad Jacobs, Erlangen/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA – By Tamar Lichter Blanks, PhD Candidate in Mathematics, Rutgers University 2021 Jul 15 – When Albert Einstein wrote an obituary for Emmy Noether in 1935, he described her …
Protein in deadly spider venom blocks “death signal” after heart attack
The venom of Australian funnel web spiders could have life-saving potential. pelooyen/Depositphotos – By Nick Lavars 2021 Jul 15 – As unlikely as it may seem, the venom of the deadly funnel web spider could prove a valuable source of a number of life-saving …
As the Taliban surges across Afghanistan, al-Qaeda is poised for a swift return
Afghan men bury a victim of deadly bombings near a girls’ school in May. Mariam Zuhaib/AP – By Greg Barton, Chair in Global Islamic Politics, Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University 2021 Jul 13 – The imminent fall of Afghanistan …
Found: A Massive Medieval Cathedral From a ‘Forgotten’ Nubian Kingdom
The discovery adds to our knowledge of Makuria, which ruled a vast region of Africa for six centuries. The excavation site, on the eastern bank of the Nile. Courtesy Artur Obłuski, Polish Center of Mediterranean Archaeology, University of Warsaw. – by Matthew Taub …
From Macy’s to Ace Hardware, facial recognition is already everywhere
Facial recognition is popping up at our favorite stores, but customers are largely unaware. Rite Aid had deployed facial recognition in at least 200 stores over eight years, before ditching the technology last year. Noam Galai/Getty Images – By Rebecca Heilweil 2021 Jul …
Trees are dying of thirst in the Western drought – here’s what’s going on inside their veins
Juniper trees, common in Arizona’s Prescott National Forest, have been dying with the drought. Benjamin Roe/USDA Forest Service via AP – By Daniel Johnson, Assistant Professor of Tree Physiology and Forest Ecology, University of Georgia and Raquel Partelli Feltrin, Postdoctoral Scholar in Botany, …