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From dust bowl to California drought: a climate scientist on the lessons we still haven’t learned
Peter Gleick argues there’s an urgent need to reshape our relationship to water: ‘There is enormous untapped potential for conservation’ – The Enterprise Bridge crosses over a section of Lake Oroville in Oroville, California. Water levels at the lake have dropped to 42% …
The Pilgrims’ attack on a May Day celebration was a dress rehearsal for removing Native Americans
The Puritans saw May Day celebrations as a test from God. Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images – By Peter C. Mancall, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of the Humanities, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences 2021 Apr 29 – …
From tulips and scrips to bitcoin and meme stocks – how the act of speculating became a financial mania
Financial bubbles are frequently depicted as manias. Photo12/Universal Images Group via Getty Images – By Gayle Rogers, Professor and chair of English, University of Pittsburgh 2021 Apr 30 – In the late 1990s, America experienced a dot-com mania. In the 2000s, the housing …
Dare we hope? Here’s my cautious case for climate optimism
The Green New Deal, formerly seen as radical, is now in mainstream debate. And renewable energy becomes more efficient every day. Power-generating windmill turbines at sunset near Larnaca, Cyprus. Photograph: Yiannis Kourtoglou/Reuters – By Rebecca Solnit Last modified on 2021 May 01 – …
Streams and lakes have rights, a US county decided. Now they’re suing Florida
A novel lawsuit is taking advantage of a local ‘rights of nature’ measure passed in November in an effort to protect wetlands. The Florida lawsuit is part of a growing trend around the world of laws protecting rights of nature. Photograph: Jupiterimages/Getty Images …
Warp drives: Physicists give chances of faster-than-light space travel a boost
Faster than light travel is the only way humans could ever get to other stars in a reasonable amount of time. Les Bossinas/NASA/Wikimedia Commons – By Mario Borunda, Associate Professor of Physics, Oklahoma State University 2021 Apr 23 – The closest star to …
Pecos NHP Completes Rehabilitation of Historic Trading Post
The newly rehabilitated Kozlowski’s Trading Post at Pecos NHP. Photo is NPS IMG_2930.JPG – Pecos, NM: Pecos National Historical Park recently completed rehabilitation of the historic Kozlowski’s Trading Post along Highway 63 in Pecos, NM. The $4 million dollar project, which began in …
Stars made of antimatter could be lurking in our galaxy
A map of the Milky Way gathered from Gaia data. ESA/Gaia/DPAC – By Michael Irving 2021 Apr 28 – Antimatter is the strange, evil twin of regular matter, and it’s thought to have been mostly banished from our universe. But could it still be …
Shhhh, they’re listening – inside the coming voice-profiling revolution
Companies could soon tailor what they try to sell you based on the mood conveyed by the sound of your voice. CSA-Printstock via Getty Images – By Joseph Turow, Robert Lewis Shayon Professor of Media Systems & Industries, University of Pennsylvania 2021 Apr …
Bee population steady in Dutch cities thanks to pollinator strategy
Scheme involving ‘ bee hotels’ and ‘bee stops’ reaps rewards as census shows no strong decline in urban population. A ‘bee hotel’ in a city park. The structures have helped urban bee populations to thrive by providing cavities for solitary bees to nest. …
Spend The Night In A Bed And Breakfast That’s Inside An Actual Cave Right Here In New Mexico
KARS929/TripAdvisor – By Courtnie Erickson Posted by Only In New Mexico – At Kokopelli’s Cave Bed and Breakfast just north of in Farmington, New Mexico, you will feel like you’ve stepped into an episode of “The Flintstones.” This bed and breakfast is not …
The strange, amazing stories behind six everyday plants
Tomatoes drawing by Lucille Clerc, from Around the World in 80 Plants. Photograph: Lucille Clerc – Did you know that tomatoes respond to a high C note? Or that the prickly pear made red fabric popular, and yams helped create the contraceptive pill? …
MAD’s spaceship-like library lands on Chinese coast
Cloudscape of Haikou is situated on the coastline in Hainan Province, facing the South China Sea. Archexist View 11 Images – By Adam Williams 2021 Apr 23 – MAD Architects wowed us with its initial concept for the Wormhole Library and happily the finished …
Microbes may inhabit subsurface modern Mars, says geochemical study
Lava tubes in Hawaii, which may be similar to caves on Mars, where new research suggests microbial life could be living today. volgariver/Depositphotos By Michael Irving 2021 Apr 22 – One of the main goals of NASA’s Perseverance rover is to scour the surface …
Human-monkey chimera embryos created in lab for first time
Scientists have created human-monkey chimera embryos for the first time. everett225/Depositphotos – By Michael Irving 2021 Apr 15 – In a breakthrough new study, scientists have created human-monkey chimera embryos for the first time. These chimeras pave the way for more accurate models of …
Interstate water wars are heating up along with the climate
Aerial view of Lake Powell on the Colorado River along the Arizona-Utah border. AP Photo/John Antczak – By Robert Glennon, Regents Professor and Morris K. Udall Professor of Law & Public Policy, University of Arizona 2021 Apr 19 – Interstate water disputes are …
What Octopus Dreams Tell Us About the Evolution of Sleep
Understanding how other animals dream could help us figure out why it’s so important to the human brain, and why it may have been preserved throughout history. Photograph: Alamy – By Sara Harrison 2021 Apr 16 07:00 AM – Fruit flies, octopuses, birds, …
One with the lot: The folding, electric, street-legal, VTOL flying car
The Aska is a four-seat street-legal car concept that auto-folds out into a six-rotor transitioning eVTOL. NFT Aska – By Loz Blain 2021 Apr 18 – Spoiler: it has a hefty price tag. But then, the Aska would be a remarkable vehicle: a spacious, …
45,000-year-old human genomes reveal extent of Neanderthal interbreeding
Archeologists excavate Bacho Kiro Cave in Bulgaria, where three modern human specimens were found to have recent Neanderthal DNA. MPI-EVA/ Nikolay Zaheriev – By Michael Irving 2021 Apr 11 – Two new genetic studies have shed light on just how often our ancestors got …
Are mass shootings an American epidemic?
Police stand near the scene where multiple people were shot at the FedEx Ground facility on 2021 Apr 16, in Indianapolis. AP Photo/Michael Conroy – By Lacey Wallace, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice, Penn State 2021 Mar 29 — Updated 2021 Apr 16 …
Ancient “Monkeydactyl” dinosaur bears the oldest known opposed thumbs
Artist’s impression of Monkeydactyl, or Kunpengopterus antipollicatus. Chuang Zhao – By Nick Lavars 2021 Apr 12 – It’s a common view that opposable thumbs are a key feature that distinguishes us from most other species, but a flying reptile that clambered through the trees …
Prolonged brain dysfunction in COVID-19 survivors: A pandemic in its own right?
COVID-19 survivors face not only physical symptoms. A large study recently showed that their mental health is affected, too. FG Trade/Getty Images – By Chris Robinson, Assistant Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery, University of Florida 2021 Apr 15 – One in three survivors …
What inspired digital nomads to flee America’s big cities may spur legions of remote workers to do the same
The pandemic has spurred many workers to contemplate their futures – and whether they ever want to return to office life. Edward Hopper, ‘Morning Sun’ (1952) via hermien_amsterdam/flickr, CC BY-NC-SA – By Rachael A. Woldoff, Professor of Sociology, West Virginia University and By …
BPA-like chemicals likely causing “alarming” damage to brain cells
Plasticizers like BPA and BPS are used commonly in plastic products, and research is continuing to illustrate the risk they pose to human health. billiondigital/Depositphotos – By Nick Lavars 2021 Apr 13 – Controversy has shrouded the once-common plasticizer BPA since studies started …
How many states and provinces are in the world?
There are so many different states – and provinces, districts, regions and lander! Getty Images – By Vasabjit Banerjee, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Mississippi State University 2021 Apr 12 8.27am EDT – Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. …
Why you should expect more Suez-like supply chain disruptions and shortages at your local grocery store
A Target in Sheridan, Colorado, was very low on paper towels in November 2020. AP Photo/David Zalubowski – By Nada R. Sanders, Distinguished Professor of Supply Chain Management, Northeastern University 2021 Apr 08 – When the Ever Given container ship choked off traffic …
What Happens to Your Eyes When You Stare at Screens All Day
Photo: Tero Vesalainen (Shutterstock) – By Beth Skwarecki 2021 Apr 01 – 1:30PM – We spend a lot of time staring at screens. There’s the small screen in our pocket, the big screen we watch our shows on, and the medium screen that …
Some of Europe’s Oldest-Known Modern Humans Are Distantly Related to Native Americans
Genome sequencing shows some individuals share family ties with surprising populations, and all boast plenty of Neanderthal relatives. Scientists excavate bones in the Bacho Kiro Cave in Bulgaria. Four modern human bones were recovered from this layer along with a rich stone tool …
Segway announces ultra-futuristic Apex H2 hydrogen-powered motorcycle
The outrageous Segway Apex H2 – a hydrogen-hybrid sports motorcycle – By Loz Blain 2021 Apr 08 – Segway-Ninebot has rather sensationally announced that it’s building a hydrogen fuel cell sportsbike – and boy does this thing look like it glitched its way …
Sea level rise is killing trees along the Atlantic coast, creating ‘ghost forests’ that are visible from space
Ghost forest panorama in coastal North Carolina. Emily Ury, CC BY-ND – By Emily Ury, Ph.D. Candidate, Duke University 2021 Apr 06 – Trekking out to my research sites near North Carolina’s Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, I slog through knee-deep water on …
This Insect Has Plant DNA in Its Genome
Whiteflies have a gene only found in plants that appears to allow the tiny insects to withstand plants’ chemical defenses A tiny, aphid-like whitefly sitting on a leaf. (Jixing Xia and Zhaojiang Guo) – By Alex Fox SmithsonianMag.Com 2021 Mar 30 – A …
The US needs a macrogrid to move electricity from areas that make it to areas that need it
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s Pine Tree Wind Farm and Solar Power Plant in Tehachapi, Calif., 115 miles from LA. Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images – By James D. McCalley, Professor of Electrical Engineering, Iowa State University …
Volkswagen Beetle – the game-changing People’s Car
Postwar Beetle built for the British army. Volkswagen – By David Szondy 2021 Apr 02 – The last Volkswagen Beetle rolled off the line in 2003 after more than six decades in production. One of the great game-changing automobiles, the quirky little sedan emerged …
This Wooden Sculpture Is Twice as Old as Stonehenge and the Pyramids
New findings about the 12,500-year-old Shigir Idol have major implications for the study of prehistory. Hunter-gatherers in what is now Russia likely viewed the wooden sculpture as an artwork imbued with ritual significance. (Sverdlovsk Regional Museum) – By Nora McGreevy SmithsonianMag.Com 2021 Mar …
Ancient tools suggest humans spread across Eurasia earlier than previously thought
A selection of tools found at the Mongolian site Tolbor-16. UC Davis – By Michael Irving 2019 Aug 19 – The story of human history is patchy at best, but now another patch may have been filled in. Archaeologists have found ancient tools at …
Thanks to a Genetic Mutation, These French Rabbits Prefer Handstands to Bunny Hops
The unusually acrobatic sauteur d’Alfort rabbits were first discovered in France in 1935. By the time sauteur d’Alfort rabbits are a few months old, they learn how to walk on their front paws to accommodate their uncoordinated back legs. (Carneiro M et al., …
Progeria: New treatment could extend lives of children with ‘premature aging’ syndrome
The new treatment targets the underlying genetic cause of the disease. Progeria causes “premature aging” in children. Credit: Getty Images – By Alex Berezow 2021 Mar 30 – Progeria is an “accelerated aging” disease that causes children to die of “old age” at …
Eye tracking can reveal an unbelievable amount of information about you
The windows of your soul can reveal an extraordinary amount about you, especially when a machine learning algorithm is watching. – hquality/Depositphotos By Loz Blain 2021 Mar 29 – Eye tracking technology is starting to pop up more and more, keeping track of …
Dead bodies keep moving for more than a year after death, new study finds
So much for rest in peace. Image source: live.staticflickr.com – By Mike Colagrossi 2019 Sep 16 – Australian scientists found that bodies kept moving for 17 months after being pronounced dead. Researchers used photography capture technology in 30-minute intervals every day to capture …
The first 3D-printed housing community in the US is being built in the California desert
Developers plan to build 15 3D-printed houses in Rancho Mirage, California. – By David Williams, CNN Updated 7:38 AM ET, Thu – 2021 Mar 18 – Developers in Southern California are building what they say will be the first 3D-printed zero net energy …
From dust bowl to California drought: a climate scientist on the lessons we still haven’t learned
Peter Gleick argues there’s an urgent need to reshape our relationship to water: ‘There is enormous untapped potential for conservation’ – The Enterprise Bridge crosses over a section of Lake Oroville in Oroville, California. Water levels at the lake have dropped to 42% …
The Pilgrims’ attack on a May Day celebration was a dress rehearsal for removing Native Americans
The Puritans saw May Day celebrations as a test from God. Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images – By Peter C. Mancall, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of the Humanities, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences 2021 Apr 29 – …
From tulips and scrips to bitcoin and meme stocks – how the act of speculating became a financial mania
Financial bubbles are frequently depicted as manias. Photo12/Universal Images Group via Getty Images – By Gayle Rogers, Professor and chair of English, University of Pittsburgh 2021 Apr 30 – In the late 1990s, America experienced a dot-com mania. In the 2000s, the housing …
Dare we hope? Here’s my cautious case for climate optimism
The Green New Deal, formerly seen as radical, is now in mainstream debate. And renewable energy becomes more efficient every day. Power-generating windmill turbines at sunset near Larnaca, Cyprus. Photograph: Yiannis Kourtoglou/Reuters – By Rebecca Solnit Last modified on 2021 May 01 – …
Streams and lakes have rights, a US county decided. Now they’re suing Florida
A novel lawsuit is taking advantage of a local ‘rights of nature’ measure passed in November in an effort to protect wetlands. The Florida lawsuit is part of a growing trend around the world of laws protecting rights of nature. Photograph: Jupiterimages/Getty Images …
Warp drives: Physicists give chances of faster-than-light space travel a boost
Faster than light travel is the only way humans could ever get to other stars in a reasonable amount of time. Les Bossinas/NASA/Wikimedia Commons – By Mario Borunda, Associate Professor of Physics, Oklahoma State University 2021 Apr 23 – The closest star to …
Pecos NHP Completes Rehabilitation of Historic Trading Post
The newly rehabilitated Kozlowski’s Trading Post at Pecos NHP. Photo is NPS IMG_2930.JPG – Pecos, NM: Pecos National Historical Park recently completed rehabilitation of the historic Kozlowski’s Trading Post along Highway 63 in Pecos, NM. The $4 million dollar project, which began in …
Stars made of antimatter could be lurking in our galaxy
A map of the Milky Way gathered from Gaia data. ESA/Gaia/DPAC – By Michael Irving 2021 Apr 28 – Antimatter is the strange, evil twin of regular matter, and it’s thought to have been mostly banished from our universe. But could it still be …
Shhhh, they’re listening – inside the coming voice-profiling revolution
Companies could soon tailor what they try to sell you based on the mood conveyed by the sound of your voice. CSA-Printstock via Getty Images – By Joseph Turow, Robert Lewis Shayon Professor of Media Systems & Industries, University of Pennsylvania 2021 Apr …
Bee population steady in Dutch cities thanks to pollinator strategy
Scheme involving ‘ bee hotels’ and ‘bee stops’ reaps rewards as census shows no strong decline in urban population. A ‘bee hotel’ in a city park. The structures have helped urban bee populations to thrive by providing cavities for solitary bees to nest. …