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GENERAL INTEREST
Coffee's Epic Journey
Archeology, Sept-Oct, 2024 issue
“About 600,000 years ago, there was a hybrid event when pollen from C. canephora came into contact with C. eugenioides, and a new, viable plant was born,” says plant genomics researcher Jarkko Salojärvi of Nanyang Technological University. “This is how C. arabica came to be.” From then on, coffee’s story is one of survival against great odds.
Mathematicians Prove Hawking Wrong About the Most Extreme Black Holes
Quanta, August 21, 2024
For decades, extremal black holes were considered mathematically impossible. A new proof reveals otherwise.
Ancient Tablets Foretold Doom Awaiting Babylonian Kings
New York Times, August 24, 2024
The people of Mesopotamia in the second millennium B.C. attached a prophetic significance to celestial events. Eclipses were generally understood to be angry messages from the gods.
Origami-Inspired Robot Folds Into More Than 1000 Shapes
Physics Today, August 22, 2024
Robots that imitate life may capture the imagination, yet even simplistic-seeming robots can perform complex tasks.
US Leads Wealthy Countries Spending Billions of Public Money on Unproven ‘Climate Solutions’
The Guardian, August 29, 2024
The US has spent the most taxpayer money, some $12bn in direct subsidies, according to OCI, with fossil fuel giants like Exxon hoping to secure billions more in future years.
COSMOS
What Was the Halley Comet Panic of 1910?
The Collector, August 23, 2024
As of 2024, Halley’s comet will pass Earth July 28, 2061. While it is seen today as a novelty that reminds us of the beauty of the universe, in 1910, the comet caused sensationalized news and widespread panic.
Something Is Wrong with Dark Energy, Physicists Say
Scientific American, August 19, 2024
Cosmic surveys suggest the force pulling the universe apart might not be constant after all
Why We Aren’t Alone in the Universe — But Might as Well Be
Astronomy, August 26, 2024
A new solution to the Fermi paradox argues that intelligent civilizations are common but learn to limit themselves.
Citizen Science Project Identifies 20 New Astronomical Discoveries
Phys.org, August 23, 2024
More than 2,000 volunteers across 105 different countries have worked on 600,000 classifications over a six-month period.
Early Galaxies Were Not Too Big for Their Britches After All
Science Daily, August 26, 2024
According to a new study, some of the earliest galaxies observed with the James Webb Space Telescope are in fact much less massive than they first appeared. Black holes in some of these galaxies make them appear much brighter and bigger than they really are. This helps resolve the debate over whether the size of early galaxies requires a revision of the standard model of cosmology.
INNOVATION
Diabetes Took Over Her Life, Until a Stem Cell Therapy Freed Her
Washington Post, August 26, 2024
On Valentine’s Day 2023, doctors transplanted replacement islet cells, grown in a lab from embryonic stem cells, into a blood vessel that feeds Smith’s liver. By August, she no longer needed insulin. Her new cells were churning it out.
Changing How the Rich Eat Would Free Up 2X the Emissions Required for the Diets of the Poor to Grow
Anthropocene, August 23, 2024
Buying power is a powerful lever to bring down global greenhouse gas emissions linked to diet.
Extreme Heat Is a Huge Killer — These Local Approaches Can Keep People Safe
Nature, August 22, 2024
As the threat of deadly heatwaves rises, scientists are working with cities to introduce low-tech cooling features to protect citizens.
Have Swiss Scientists Made a Chocolate Breakthrough?
BBC, August 26, 2024
The process has already attracted the attention of sustainable food companies. They say traditional chocolate production, using only the beans, involves leaving the rest of the cocoa fruit – the size of a pumpkin and full of nutritious value - to rot in the fields.
3D-Printed Living Cells Pave Way for Tomorrow's Medicine and Cruelty-Free Animal Products
Horizon EU, August 23, 2024
EU-funded researchers are expanding the possibilities of 3D printing to create miniature human organs and a variety of products made from living tissue, including food.
HEALTH
Mindfulness for Beginners: Simple Practices to Reduce Stress and Anxiety
The Science Times, August 21, 2024
The constant pressure to juggle responsibilities, stay connected, and meet high expectations can leave us feeling overwhelmed and disconnected. However, there's a simple yet transformative practice that can help us navigate these challenges with greater ease: mindfulness.
Try Foods from Around the World for Breakfast
EatRight, May 2 2022
A healthy morning meal doesn't just give kids the fuel they need to power through their busy day. It's also the perfect opportunity to work in foods they don't get enough of! Even better, including breakfast foods inspired by cultures around the globe can help kids eat more vegetables and try new flavors, too.
10 Ways to Control High Blood Pressure Without Medication
Mayo Clinic, July 23, 2024
If you have high blood pressure, you may wonder if you need to take medicine to treat it. But lifestyle changes play a vital role in treating high blood pressure. Controlling blood pressure with a healthy lifestyle might prevent, delay or lessen the need for medicine.
Healthy Weight Control
News in Health, December, 2022
A healthy weight lowers your risk for chronic diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers. It can also help you stay more mobile as you age.
A Massachusetts Town Closes Its Parks to Stop a Mosquito-Borne Disease from Spreading
NPR, August 26, 2024
Infected mosquitoes are usually found in eastern or Gulf coast states. The disease is spread through infected mosquitoes, and is rare, but has a fatality rate of about 30%. There is no treatment or vaccine available for EEE, according to the CDC.
NATURE
The Y Chromosome Is Slowly Vanishing. A New Sex Gene May Be The Future of Men.
Science Alert, August 23, 2024
The sex of human and other mammal babies is decided by a male-determining gene on the Y chromosome. But the human Y chromosome is degenerating and may disappear in a few million years, leading to our extinction unless we evolve a new sex gene. The good news is two branches of rodents have already lost their Y chromosome and have lived to tell the tale.
World’s Second-Largest Diamond Uncovered in Botswana
Mental Floss, August 26, 2024
Canadian diamond mining company recently made history when it discovered the world’s second-largest diamond in Botswana.
Genetics Solves a Thorny Problem: How Plants Have Prickles
Cosmos, August 02, 2024
Thorns – technically termed prickles – are a common feature on many drastically different plants. So how have they evolved? The answer to this question is part of an evolutionary puzzle that has been perplexing biologists for decades.
The Dirt on Biocrusts: Why Scientists Are Working to Save Earth’s Living Skin
Knowable, August 26, 2024
Think twice before stepping on that crunchy top layer of soil. It may be a vital ecosystem — one that you can help protect.
15 Things You May Not Know About Goats
TreeHugger, August 22, 2024
They're resourceful eaters and hate the rain. What else do we know about these doe-eyed creatures? Here are lots of interesting goat facts.
ENVIRONMENT
BBC Accused of Doing PR for Major Polluters
DeSmog, August 22, 2024
The BBC has produced dozens of films and articles for oil and gas companies, agricultural giants, fossil fuel states, and high-emission transport firms in recent years. Experts say the BBC has been “greenwashing” the image of companies and countries contributing to global emissions by trumpeting their dubious climate credentials and promoting their favored solutions to the crisis.
Is Recycled Plastic Safe for Food Use?
Civil Eats, August 27, 2024
Recycled plastic can be more toxic than virgin plastic, yet the federal approval process to use it in food packaging is lax and leaving consumers at risk, researchers say.
Scientists Tied to Chemical Industry Plan to Derail PFAS Rule on Drinking Water
The Guardian, August 27, 2024
Scientists with financial ties to industry and histories of producing controversial research to derail chemical regulations are mobilizing to attack strict new federal drinking water limits for toxic PFAS, or “forever chemicals”, documents reviewed by the Guardian reveal.
EPA Thought Industry-Funded Scientists Could Support Its Conclusion That a Long-Regulated Pesticide Is Not a Cancer Risk
Inside Climate News, August 27, 2024
The consultants, who worked for Dow, the pesticide’s manufacturer, help corporate interests defend their products against environmental and health regulations.
Nearly a Quarter of Europe Has the Potential to Be a Wildlife Haven
Anthropocene, August 21, 202B
Much of the continent could be "rewilded," but a lot of that land isn't protected, scientists find.
CLIMATE
A Crisis Entirely of Humanity’s Making’: UN Chief Issues Climate SOS on Trip to Pacific
The Guardian, August 26, 2024
António Guterres calls for a ‘massive’ increase in finance and support for the countries most vulnerable to rising sea levels.
There’s Only One Issue in the 2024 Election: The Survival of a Habitable Earth
Informed Comment, August 21, 2024
In mid-July, Nature Climate Change published a global survey of over 9,000 scientists. Its findings should be like the sirens for a 5-alarm fire to our ears.
Earth’s Temperature Could Increase by 25 Degrees: Startling New Research Reveals That CO2 Has More Impact Than Previously Thought
Sci-Tech Daily, August 27, 2024
Analysis of Pacific Ocean sediments shows doubling atmospheric CO2 might raise Earth’s temperature by up to 14 degrees, exceeding IPCC predictions, with historical data indicating significant future climate impacts.
Greens Fume Over Fossil Fuel Presence at DNC
E&E News, August 21 2024
Progressive climate activists are livid that oil and gas interests were given a platform at a side event of the Democratic National Convention here — and they’re saying something about it.
What Americans Knew About Climate Change in the 1960s Will Shock You
Grist, August 05, 2024
It wasn't just scientists who were worried, but Congress, the White House, and even Sports Illustrated.
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