GENERAL INTEREST
How to Debate a Flat-Earther
Universe Today, January 13, 2025
The problem with debating a flat-Earther is that they didn’t arrive at their conclusions from the weight evidence, so using the evidence isn’t going to work to change their minds.
Who Built Europe’s First Cities? Clues About the Urban Revolution Emerge
Nature, January 07, 2025
Around 6,000 years ago, a group known as the Cucuteni–Trypillia culture developed egalitarian settlements north of the Black Sea and created the region’s earliest urban centres. Then, after two millennia, they vanished.
The Math Mystery That Connects Sudoku, Flight Schedules and Protein Folding
Scientific American, January 06, 2025
Thousands of notoriously difficult problems in computer science are actually the same problem in disguise.
Despite Biotech Efforts to Revive Species, Extinction Is Still Forever
Yale Environment 360, January 09, 2025
In the last decade, laboratory initiatives to recreate long-extinct species have stirred controversy. Now, scientists increasingly agree “de-extinction” is not possible, but breeding living animals with genes similar to those lost species can be a useful conservation tool.
How Misinformation on Social Media Has Changed News
U.S.PIRG Education Fund, August 14, 2023
Misinformation that seems real - but isn’t - rapidly circulates through social media. The problem is only getting worse.
COSMOS
NASA Punts Mars Sample Return Decision to the Next Administration
Phys.org, January 08, 2025
The agency has settled on two potential strategies for the first effort to bring rock and soil from another planet back to Earth for study, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said Tuesday: It can either leverage existing technology into a simpler, cheaper craft or turn to a commercial partner for a new design.
Not Just Heat Death: Here Are Five Ways the Universe Could End
Universe Today, January 14, 2025
Need a pick-me-up? Consider these cheery possibilities.
James Webb Telescope Spies Record-Breaking Hoard of Stars Hiding in a Warped 'Dragon' Galaxy
Live Science, January 07, 2025
Photos from the James Webb Space Telescope have revealed more than 40 stars within the gravitationally lensed "Dragon Arc" galaxy, 6.5 billion light-years from Earth. It is the largest group of individually imaged stars ever seen at such a distance.
Inside the ISS: NASA Crew’s Thrilling Week of Spacewalks and Scientific Breakthroughs
Sci-Tech Daily, January 14, 2025
Two NASA astronauts are preparing for the first spacewalk of the year aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The Expedition 72 crew has also kicked off the week by conducting research in botany, combustion, and human physiology, as well as practicing departure procedures from the orbital outpost.
'Far Out' Blazar Discovery Suggests Early Universe Had More Supermassive Black Holes Than Previously Thought
NSF, January 10, 2025
The most distant astronomical object of its kind seen yet, this active galactic nucleus may help explain the nature of the early universe.
INNOVATION
We Need to Talk About Human Genome Editing
Nature, January 08, 2025
In a few decades, gene-editing technologies could reduce the likelihood of common human diseases. Societies must use this time to prepare for their arrival.
U.S. Support and New Investments Buoy Hopes for Marine Energy
Yale Environment 360, January 06, 2025
Producing energy from waves and tides has a stop-and-start history. But with a new U.S. testing site opening in 2026, recent federal investment, and accelerating efforts to reach net zero emissions, developers aiming to harness the vast power of the sea are feeling optimistic.
Is Smoke in Your Home? Here's How to Make an Air Purifier from a Box Fan
NPR, January 10, 2025
Interest in air filters and purifiers is spiking in Southern California, including questions about how to build a homemade air purifier. Getting clean air is the latest challenge for residents who evacuated to safe areas, only to be forced to endure unhealthy smoky air.
Zero Foodprint Bold Plan: Turning the U.S. Food System into a Climate Solution
Food Tank, January 2025
Zero Foodprint, a nonprofit dedicated to mobilizing resources for regenerative agriculture, is calling for a transformative shift in how the United States food system funds sustainable practices. In a recent paper, they argue for a new economic model of collective action to directly support regenerative farming and combat the climate crisis.
AI vs. Supercomputers: New AI-Based Method Solves Complex Equations Faster and Uses Less Computing Power
NSF, January 10, 2025
The new method could reduce bottlenecks in many industries that use differential equations to model complex processes, including healthcare, aerospace and more.
HEALTH
A Good Night’s Sleep Really Does Clear the Mind; Here’s How
Cosmos, January 10, 2025
The glymphatic system circulates cerebrospinal fluid in the brain and spinal cord to help remove protein waste, such as amyloid and tau which form plaques linked to neurological disorders. It also plays an important role in maintaining water balance in the brain, immune cell transport, and the delivery of glucose.
Why Is the American Diet So Deadly?
New Yorker, January 06, 2025
A scientist tried to discredit the theory that ultra-processed foods are killing us. Instead, he overturned his own understanding of obesity.
Can You Get Bird Flu from Eggs? Your Egg Safety Questions Answered
Scientific American, January 10, 2025
Eggs can carry nasty viruses and bacteria. Here’s how to store and eat them safely.
Polyphenols: the Natural Chemicals That Could Give You a Small Waist, Healthy Heart and Low Blood Pressure
The Guardian, January 04, 2025
There’s a new buzzword in town when it comes to health: polyphenols. While scientists have been investigating the plant compounds for years, the term has now caught the public imagination – and for good reason.
Healthy Lifestyle Benefits: 5 Tips for Living Your Strongest, Healthiest Life Yet
Healthline, January 02, 2025
Starting a healthy lifestyle can involve eating nutritious foods, engaging in regular physical activity, and prioritizing your mental health.
NATURE
What Are the Santa Ana Winds?
Mental Floss, January 13, 2025
The Santa Ana winds fuel devastating wildfires in Southern California. Here’s why they’re so destructive.
What Singing Lemurs Can Tell Us About the Origin of Music
Mongabay, January 08, 2025
It turns out that the Indri Indri lemurs of Madagascar can carry a tune. Researchers have found that these furry, tree-dwelling creatures use music to communicate with one another, likely for generations.
How Different Are We After All?
Anthropocene, June 2019 (Scroll down)
The traits proposed to define us—tool use, language, empathy, and so on—assume that humanity’s essence resides in what sets us apart from other beings. Yet, a seismic readjustment to that canon is well under way.
A Quarter of Freshwater Animals At Risk of Extinction
Cosmos, January 09, 2025 (scroll down)
More than 10% of all known species live in freshwater habitats. These ecosystems are critical for nutrient cycling, flood control and climate change mitigation.
Dormancy: Life's First Survival Strategy?
Phys.org, January 08, 2025
Scientists still aren't sure how life first arose and persisted, but new research published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences suggests that chemical precursors to life coped with such harsh conditions via reversible changes in activity and protection, a phenomenon known as dormancy.
ENVIRONMENT
Big Oil and Big Ag Are Teaming Up to Turn Cow Poop Into Energy — And Profits. The Math Doesn’t Add Up.
Vox, January 14, 2025
US climate policy has led to a surge in manure-based “biogas.” Critics say it’s propping up factory farming.
Age of the Panzootic: Scientists Warn of More Devastating Diseases Between Species
The Guardian, January 15, 2025
Experts believe H5N1 bird flu belongs in a growing category of infectious diseases that can cause pandemics across many species. But there are ways to reduce the risks.
Misinformation Spreads Like Wildfire Online While LA Neighborhoods Burn
Inside Climate News, January 09, 2025
Misleading claims and falsehoods about water and firefighting resources distracted from the unprecedented conditions that left Los Angeles primed for the most destructive fire in its history.
Study Finds Microplastics Are Widespread in Popular Seafoods
Science Alert, January 09, 2025
In the Pacific Northwest – a region of North America renowned for its seafood – researchers have found particles from our waste and pollution swimming in the edible tissue of just about every fish and shellfish they collected.
People Are Flocking to Florida. Will There Be Enough Water for Them?
Grist, January 08, 2025
Climate change, a development boom, and over-exploitation of groundwater are draining the Sunshine State.
CLIMATE
Earth Breaches 1.5 °C Climate Limit for the First Time: What Does It Mean?
Nature, January 10, 2025
The threshold has been exceeded for only one year so far, but humanity is nearing the end of what many thought was a ‘safe zone’ as climate change worsens.
2024’s Extreme Ocean Heat Breaks Records Again, Leaving 2 Mysteries to Solve
The Conversation, January 09, 2025
A warmer ocean means increased evaporation, which in turn results in heavier rains in some areas and droughts in others. It can power hurricanes and downpours. It can also harm the health of coastal marine areas and sea life – coral reefs suffered their most extensive bleaching event on record in 2024, with damage in many parts of the world.
US Emissions ‘Unchanged’ in 2024 Despite Coal Power at Lowest Level Since 1967
Carbon Brief, January 09, 2025
Despite coal-power output in the US falling to its lowest level in nearly 60 years, the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions fell by just 0.2% in 2024, according to new research from the Rhodium Group.
Scientists Prize Neutrality – That Doesn’t Cut It Anymore. In 2025, They Must Fully Back the Climate Movement
The Guardian, January 09, 2025
In years to come, we will look back at this time and ask the same question that future generations will ask: why didn’t we stop this catastrophe?
As Los Angeles Fires Rage, States Battle Over Effort to Make Oil and Gas Industry Accountable for Climate Change Harms
The New Lede, January 10, 2025
Vermont fired the first shot against the industry last year when it enacted a novel “climate superfund” law aimed at recovering state costs associated with greenhouse gas emissions that drive harmful climate change. New York passed similar legislation last month.
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