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GENERAL INTEREST
Phaistos Disk: 3,000-Year-Old Inscriptions from Crete That Have Never Been Deciphered
Live Science, October 14, 2024
The disk was found in the ruins of a Minoan palace at Phaistos, an archaeological site the south coast of Crete. Measuring roughly 6 inches (15 centimeters) in diameter, it is inscribed with two spirals of symbols, one on each side, which most experts think is a script. But what the symbols say has never been determined, although there have been many attempts.
A Brief History of the Crystal Ball
Mental Floss, October 03, 2024
Crystal balls aren’t just a prop in your Halloween décor -they represent our ancient desire for otherworldly knowledge.
A Century-Old Question Is Still Revealing Answers in Fundamental Math
Scientific American, October 09, 2024
Mathematicians have made lots of recent progress on a question called the Mordell conjecture, which was posed a century ago
A First-Person View of Physics History
Symmetry, October 15, 2024
The physicist and historian of physics, Michael Riordan, has been awarded the 2025 Abraham Pais Prize for the History of Physics. The award comes in recognition of Riordan’s "important contributions to the history of post-World II physics, including the discovery of quarks, the invention and development of the transistor, and the search for the Higgs boson; and for making these stories interesting and accessible to both non-academic and academic readers."
Ancient Humans Were So Good at Surviving the Last Ice Age They Didn’t Have to Migrate Like Other Species – New Study
The Conversation, October 11, 2024
Humans seem to have been adapted to the last ice age in similar ways to wolves and bears, according to this recent study, challenging longstanding theories about how and where our ancestors lived during this glacial period.
COSMOS
Aurora Myths, Legends and Misconceptions
Space, June 20, 2023
Throughout the world, auroras have sparked numerous interpretations ranging from an omen of impending death to the presence of departed spirits.
10 Thoughtful Insights about the Great Cosmic Unknowns
Big Think, October 15, 2024
An in-depth interview with astronomer Kelsey Johnson, whose new book, Into the Unknown, explores what remains unknown about the Universe.
The ‘Beautiful Confusion’ of the First Billion Years Comes Into View
Quanta, October 09, 2024
Astronomers are reveling in the James Webb Space Telescope’s discoveries about the formative epoch of cosmic history.
Is There Life on Jupiter’s Moon Europa? NASA Launches Mission to Find Hints
Nature, October 14, 2024
A SpaceX rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida today, carrying with it NASA’s US$5-billion dream of finding hints of life on a distant moon. The mission — the most ambitious hunt for life beyond Earth since NASA began exploring Mars decades ago — will now voyage towards Jupiter to investigate a vast ocean buried under the icy crust of its moon Europa.
‘Inside-Out’ Galaxy Growth Observed in the Early Universe
EurekAlert, October 11, 2024
This galaxy is one hundred times smaller than the Milky Way, but is surprisingly mature for so early in the universe. Most of the star formation is happening further away from the core, with a star-forming ‘clump’ even farther out.
INNOVATION
SpaceX Catches Returning Rocket in Mid-Air, Turning a Fanciful Idea into Reality
Ars Technica, October 13, 2024
SpaceX accomplished a groundbreaking engineering feat Sunday when it launched the fifth test flight of its gigantic Starship rocket and then caught the booster back at the launch pad in Texas with mechanical arms seven minutes later.
Why the Godfather of A.I. Fears What He’s Built
New Yorker, October 13, 2023
Geoffrey Hinton [recently awarded the Nobel prize for physics] worries that artificial brains are better than ours. There are many reasons to be concerned about the advent of artificial intelligence. It’s common sense to worry about human workers being replaced by computers, for example. But Hinton has joined many prominent technologists, including Sam Altman, the C.E.O. of OpenAI, in warning that A.I. systems may start to think for themselves, and even seek to take over or eliminate human civilization.
New Nanotherapy Targets Arterial Plaques to Prevent Heart Attacks
The Science Times, October 14, 2024
The new nanotherapy works by focusing on areas of inflammation within the arteries. When the treatment is infused, it stimulates the immune system to help break down and eliminate the plaque, according to Nature Communications.
Owner of Eco-Friendly Home Made Out Of Tires Shares Lessons Learned
Yale Climate Connections, October 15, 2024
It’s a so-called “earthship,” a type of home designed to have minimal environmental impact. Its walls are made of old tires filled with compacted earth, stacked like bricks.
Extremely Cool Clothes: Passive Cooling Textiles
Cosmos, October 15, 2024
High-tech textiles might be a smart way to reduce the toll on humans in heating cities. Some, based on lotus leaves, might even repel rain.
HEALTH
The 7-Minute Stress Workout
New York Times, October 09, 2024
Unlike conventional workouts, the goal [of these exercises] isn’t usually to get your heart rate up, but down, allowing you to emerge feeling emotionally stronger and more resilient, regardless of your fitness level.
15 Staple Foods to Make Healthy Eating Easy All Week Long
Healthline, December 22, 2022
If you’d like to eat well (but just haven’t yet mastered the art of meal planning with color-coded tabs and itemized Pinterest lists), simply stocking a healthy pantry can be a big step in the right direction.
Your Brain Literally Changes Based on Daily Activities and Lifestyle
Earth, October 14 2024
If you’ve ever groaned at the notion of getting out of bed for an early morning workout, or grumbled at the thought of losing a night’s sleep due to a late-night Netflix binge, your brain is echoing your sentiments to the activities.
Scientists Discover 'Skinny Genes' That Make It Easier to Lose Weight
Science Alert, October 15, 2024
Scientists have recently discovered 14 'skinny' genes that could influence how individuals lost weight in response to exercise.
The Secret Protein Sabotaging Bone Health and What It Means for Osteoporosis
Sci-Tech Daily, October 14, 2024
Researchers have identified that the protein CLEC14A disrupts the maturation of bone cells, delaying bone formation. The absence of this protein in mice leads to quicker cell maturation and increased bone tissue, offering potential treatment pathways for osteoporosis and other bone-related conditions.
NATURE
7 of the World’s Strangest Plants
Nautilus, October 09, 2024
Over millions of years, our flora and fauna have developed a wide variety of stunning and puzzling ways to survive and reproduce—in many cases, we are still trying to understand why they behave the way they do.
Each Glacier Has a Unique Organic Matter Composition
EOS, October 15, 2024
Like snowflakes, no two glaciers are alike: Carbon-containing compounds released from glaciers vary from place to place, meaning climate and ecosystem effects of melting could vary as well.
Hummingbirds Thrive on an Extreme Lifestyle. Here’s How.
Knowable, September 25, 2024
Soldiering through nightly suspended animation, a (nearly) all-sugar diet, backwards flight and long migrations, the birds’ tiny physiques prove mighty.
How an Elephant’s Wrinkles Reveal Whether It Is Right- or Left-Trunked
Smithsonian, October 11, 12024
A new study sheds light on the muscular, dexterous appendage, suggesting trunk wrinkles are more important than many people realize.
Lifeform of the Week: Snails Are Full of Surprises
EarthSky, October 14, 2024
Snails are hermaphrodites, which means they are both male and female at the same time. Furthermore, land snails are able to move on the blade of a knife without cutting themselves. And they have thousands of teeth.
ENVIRONMENT
Trees and Land Absorbed Almost No CO2 Last Year. Is Nature’s Carbon Sink Failing?
The Guardian, October 14, 2024
In 2023, the hottest year ever recorded, preliminary findings by an international team of researchers show the amount of carbon absorbed by land has temporarily collapsed. The final result was that forest, plants and soil – as a net category – absorbed almost no carbon. There are warning signs at sea, too.
The USDA and Corrupt Organic Certifiers Are Betraying Farmers and Consumers
Common Dreams, October 13, 2024
Corporate agribusinesses are playing fast and loose with the rules by choosing friendly compliant certifiers—and when they are caught in the act, the USDA often fails to take action.
Wildlife Numbers Fall by 73% in 50 Years, Global Stocktake Finds
BBC, October 09, 2024
The loss of wild spaces was "putting many ecosystems on the brink", WWF UK head Tanya Steele said, and many habitats, from the Amazon to coral reefs, were "on the edge of very dangerous tipping points".
COP16: More than 85% of Countries Miss UN Deadline to Submit Nature Pledges
Carbon Brief, October 15, 2024
Only five of the 17 “mega-diverse countries” – which together provide a home to 70% of the world’s biodiversity – have produced new pledges for tackling nature loss, according to the Carbon Brief and Guardian analysis.
‘Legacy’ Forests. ‘Restoration’ Logging. The New Jargon of Conservation Is Awash in Ambiguity. And Politics
Inside Climate News, October 14, 2025
Among environmentalists, government agencies and logging interests, a war of words is raging over the future of our forests.
CLIMATE
Don’t Overshoot: Why Carbon Dioxide Removal Will Achieve Too Little, Too Late
Nature, October 09, 2024
Many climate scenarios bake in a temperature overshoot before technologies are used to scrub the atmosphere clean of emissions. Emerging science says that is probably a fool’s errand.
Foreign Aid for Fossil Fuel Projects Quadrupled in a Single Year
The Guardian, October 14, 2024
With clean air projects receiving just 1% of aid, activists say nations ‘cannot continue polluting practices at expense of climate stability’
'Laggards': Top 6 Wall Street Banks Failing on Net-Zero Climate Pledges
Common Dreams, October 09, 2024
"Wall Street banks need to walk the walk, and their regulators, clients, and shareholders need to do more to hold them accountable."
How Big Oil is Astroturfing Opposition to Wind and Solar, and Helping Destroy the Earth
Informed Comment, October 09, 2024
A NIMBY approach, in fact, is often the last option for communities facing the full force of powerful energy lobbies, the slingshot that little Davids deploy against a humongous Goliath.
Europe’s Blue Hydrogen Plans Risk Generating Annual Emissions on par With Denmark
DeSmog, October 12, 2024
DeSmog estimates raise questions over climate benefits as EU officials consider whether the technology should qualify for billions of euros in subsidies.
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