Just Plain WEIRD #2
Prepare to be stunned by a technology that nature perfected. maradek/iStock via Getty Images – By Timothy J. Jorgensen, Director of the Health Physics and Radiation Protection Graduate Program and Professor of Radiation Medicine, Georgetown University Published: 2022 May 09 – As the …
Researchers at the University of Florida planted thale cress in harsh lunar dirt returned by Apollo 11 astronauts. Researchers at the University of Florida have grown plants in soil from the moon for the first time. Photograph: Tyler Jones/AP – Associated Press Last …
Synchronized pairs of laser pulses drive the fastest logic gates ever made, which could eventually give computers a million-fold speed boost. University of Rochester illustration / Michael Osadciw – By Michael Irving 2022 May 11 – Logic gates are the fundamental building blocks of …
Various versions of the adhesive were used to create samples of plywood, made up of three laminated poplar veneers. Adapted from ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 2022, DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c02859 – By Ben Coxworth 2022 May 11 – While we may think of wood as …
A new study has found that fertilizer made from sewage sludge and used widely in agriculture operations is introducing vast amounts of microplastics into Europe’s soils. Depositphotos – By Nick Lavars 2022 May 08 – The sludge that is created through sewage treatment processes …
The CDC predicts an Omicron subvariant dubbed BA.2.12.1 will become the predominant strain of SARS-CoV-2 in the United States within weeks. Depositphotos – By Rich Haridy 2022 May 05 – COVID-19 variant-tracking estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate a …
Don’t dismiss soil: its unknowable wonders could ensure the survival of our species. When a plant root pushes into soil, it triggers an explosion of activity in billions of bacteria. Photograph: Liz McBurney/The Guardian – By George Monbiot Published: 2022 May 07 – …
The Moon as seen by the Galileo deep-space probe in 1992. NASA/JPL/USGS – By Michael Irving 2022 May 04 – The Moon may look like a big dry ball, but there’s more water up there than you might expect. In a new study, scientists have …
Most of the claims about ‘Hitler’s Jewish blood,’ repeated Sunday by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, arise from the fact that the identity of his paternal grandfather is unknown. The answer to that question seems to have been buried with his grandmother. German …
The articulated legs of the Elevate allow it to stand up and walk over obstacles that would chew regular off-road vehicles to pieces. – By Loz Blain 2022 May 05 – We see a lot of wacky concept vehicles, but few as nutty …