SFTP Banner logo

www.scienceforthepublic.org

Sci-News Roundup September 28 - October 04, 2024

General Interest  Cosmos   Innovation   Health  Nature  Environment  Climate


SftPublic programs are recorded, broadcast & distributed by Belmont Media Center TV & are uploaded to SftPublic website event pages and YouTube channel

SftPublic webinars are produced through the WGBH Forum Network & uploaded to Forum Network YouTube channel.


Upcoming Events

Sept 03 The Global Green New Deal (video available)

Sept 17 The Mystery of Animal Migration (video available)

Sept 24 Solar Geoengineering: What You Need to Know (video available)

Oct 23 Elusive Dark Matter and the Earliest Galaxies

Oct 29 Let's Get Serious: Fossil Fuel Pollution's Impact on Health & Mortality Rate




GENERAL INTEREST


10 Nobel Laureates Whose Work Changed the World

How Stuff Works

Nobel Prizes aren't your run-of-the-mill, sticky-backed, gold-star award. Established in 1895 by the will of Swedish inventor and philanthropist Alfred Nobel, the prizes recognize advances in scientific and cultural fields -- literature, peace, economics, chemistry, physics and medicine.


What Really Happened at the Pentagon’s Once-Hidden UFO Office?

Scientific American, September 26, 2024

An office in the Pentagon investigated UFOs—and the paranormal—over a decade ago, segueing into a long saga leading to Congressional hearings and breathless news stories today. But the real story looks more like former defense officials pushing their personal mythology, rather than any cover-up of aliens.


Science Made Simple: What Are Bosons and Fermions?

Sci-Tech Daily, October 01, 2024

All the fundamental particles in nature can be divided into two categories—bosons and fermions—depending on how they “spin” in quantum mechanical terms.


Not Remotely Cool: The Science of “Zoom Fatigue”

Big Think, October 01, 2024

Why “audio gaps” in video meetings wear us out — and why we need the meaningful relationships forged in communal workspaces.


Nuclear Power for AI: What It Will Take to Reopen Three Mile Island Safely

Nature, September 30, 2024

As Microsoft strikes a deal to restart a reactor at the notorious power station, Nature talks to nuclear specialists about the unprecedented process.



COSMOS


Stuck NASA Astronauts Welcome SpaceX Capsule That'll Bring Them Home Next Year

Phys.org., September 30, 2024 

NASA switched Wilmore and Williams to SpaceX following concerns over the safety of their Boeing Starliner capsule. It was the first Starliner test flight with a crew, and NASA decided the thruster failures and helium leaks that cropped up after liftoff were too serious and poorly understood to risk the test pilots' return.


Scientists Just Discovered Why Earth’s Atmosphere Is Leaking

Washington Post, September 29, 2024

This newly discovered aspect of our planet provides clues about the evolution of our atmosphere, perhaps explaining why Earth is habitable.


Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS: The Comet of the Year Is Here

Astronomy, September 30, 2024

2024's best comet is nearing Earth and getting brighter. Here's how to see it.


Most Detailed Infrared Map of the Milky Way Galaxy

Cosmos, September 27, 2024

A map of our galactic home – the Milky Way – has been produced containing more than 1.5 billion objects. This means it is 10 times more detailed than the previous most comprehensive Milky Way map.


How Particle Detectors Capture Matter’s Hidden, Beautiful Reality

Science News, August 25, 2021

To truly fathom matter at its most fundamental level, people must be able to visualize this hidden world. That’s where particle detectors come in.  



INNOVATION


You Basically Have Free Hot Water’: How Cyprus Became a World Leader in Solar Heating

Grist, September 28, 2024

The country, which has more 300 days of sunshine a year, has embraced rooftop systems that harness the sun’s energy.


CubeSats, the Tiniest of Satellites, Are Changing the Way We Explore the Solar System

The Conversation, September 27, 2024

Rather than carry many instruments with a vast array of purposes, these Lilliputian-size satellites typically focus on a single, specific scientific goal – whether discovering exoplanets or measuring the size of an asteroid.


Science Fiction Health Technology a Step Closer

Cosmos, October 02, 2024

It’s not the famous Star Trek tricorder but it’s close: researchers have developed a hand-held scanner that can generate highly detailed 3D images of body parts in almost real time.


Humanity Faces a 'Catastrophic' Future if We Don’t Regulate AI, 'Godfather of AI' Yoshua Bengio Says

Live Science, October 01, 2024

Yoshua Bengio played a crucial role in the development of the machine-learning systems we see today. Now, he says that they could pose an existential risk to humanity.


Stem Cells Reverse Woman’s Diabetes — a World First

Nature, September 26, 2024

A 25-year-old woman with type 1 diabetes started producing her own insulin less than three months after receiving a transplant of reprogrammed stem cells1. She is the first person with the disease to be treated using cells that were extracted from her own body.



HEALTH 


The Heart-Healthy Diet Hardly Anyone Is Talking About

New York Times, September 28, 2024

The DASH diet was shown to lower blood pressure decades ago, yet few people follow it. Here’s how to give it a try.


‘Weekend Warrior’ Physical Activity May Help Prevent Diabetes and 200+ Diseases

Medical News Today, September 28, 2024

A new study concludes that individuals who only exercise at the weekend get the same health benefits as people who stay active throughout the week.


The Electrolytes Boom: a Wonder Supplement – or an Unnecessary Expense?

The Guardian, September 30, 2024

Everyone from triathletes to YouTubers is singing the praises of the super-hydrating mineral additives. Here are the benefits and disadvantages.


Can You Whiten Your Teeth Too Much?

Futurity, September 30, 2024

Frequent whitening treatments don’t necessarily result in whiter teeth, and some DIY tooth-whitening methods can jeopardize your oral health.


We’re All Exhausted—How Is It Changing Us?

Well & Good

Over eight million people work multiple jobs1, more than 40 percent don’t take all their vacation time, and ever since the pandemic, the once-blurred line between work and home has been all but erased. For so many of us, a day—or even an hour—of downtime feels like a fantasy.


NATURE


What Is Making Mount Everest Grow Taller?

Earth, September 30, 2024

Mount Everest is between 15 to 50 meters taller than it would be without the uplift caused by a nearby eroding river gorge, and it continues to grow as a result.


Think Crow Funerals Are Strange? Wait Until You See the Wake

Audubon, July 23, 2018

Crows are clever, thoughtful birds that have shown themselves capable of solving complex problems, remembering human faces, and even holding a grudge. They also flock to members of their own species after death in a behavior that looks like mourning, but which scientists suspect is closer to reconnaissance.


The Hidden World of Electrostatic Ecology

Quanta, September 30, 2024

Invisibly to us, insects and other tiny creatures use static electricity to travel, avoid predators, collect pollen and more. New experiments explore how evolution may have influenced this phenomenon.


Why Vultures, Bats, Hyenas, and Other Such Species Matter

Impakter, September 19, 2024

Protecting those animals in danger of extinction is essential, but so are those that play crucial roles in our ecosystem.


Sedimentary Basins Tell Zealandia Ancient Story

EOS, June 24, 2024

Seven years ago, Zealandia was confirmed as Earth’s eighth continent—a slab of continental crust stretching from New Zealand to New Caledonia, 95% of it underwater. In 2023, it was fully mapped for the first time.



ENVIRONMENT


Revealed: the US Government-Funded ‘Private Social Network’ Attacking Pesticide Critics

The Guardian, September 27, 2024

The profiling is part of an effort – that was financed, in part, by US taxpayer dollars – to downplay pesticide dangers, discredit opponents and undermine international policy-making, according to court records, emails and other documents obtained by the non-profit newsroom Lighthouse.Reports.


Bottled Water Is Taking an Increasing Toll on Planetary and Human Health, Experts Warn

EcoWatch, September 25, 2024

The authors explained that bottled water is often not subjected to the same stringent safety and quality standards as tap water. It can also carry the risk of toxic chemicals that leach from the plastic, particularly if the bottles are kept in storage for a long period of time or exposed to high temperatures and sunlight.


The Australian Oyster Reef Revival

Hakai, September 26, 2024

A successful restoration project on the Adelaide coast is raising hopes for the future of a long-lost ecosystem.


We’re Only Beginning to Understand the Historic Nature of Helene’s Flooding

Ars Technica, September 30, 2024

How does a region that is nearly 500 miles from the Gulf become devastated by flooding?


Focus on the ‘Forgotten Greenhouse Gas’ Intensifies as All Eyes Are on the U.S. and China to Curb Pollution

Inside Climate News, September 26, 2027

Emissions of the long-overlooked nitrous oxide gas are rising quickly. But proven, low-cost efforts to reduce emissions offer hope.



CLIMATE


An Oil C.E.O. Answers New York Times Questions

New York Times, September 26, 2024

This annual NYT Climate Forward event included a conversation between NYT writers and Vicki Hollub, the chief executive of Occidental Petroleum.

“I care about our planet,” she said. “And I care about the people that are impacted by climate change.” At the same time, she said she believed that the world should continue producing and burning oil and gas until every last molecule had been extracted from below the ground. When asked when the world should stop using oil and gas, she replied: “The day that should happen is the day when we run out of oil and gas.”


Reuters & New York Times Top List of Fossil Fuel Industry’s Media Enablers

DeSmog, December 05, 2023

New report by DeSmog and Drilled reveals extent of commercial partnerships between trusted outlets and Big Oil.


Private Equity Firms Ploughing Billions into Fossil Fuels, Analysis Reveals

The Guardian, October 01, 2024

US public sector workers’ retirement savings invested in projects that pump out a billion tons of emissions a year.


Fossil Fuel Planned Expansions Could Thwart Efforts to Slow Climate Change, Report Finds

The New Lede, September 24, 2024

Plans for an expanded footprint of US fossil fuel-derived chemical production facilities would unleash millions of tons of heat-trapping emissions that could undermine efforts to confront the climate crisis, according to a report issued 09/24/24. 


Scientists, Experts Demand 'Immediate End' to EU Fossil Fuel Subsidies

Common Dreams, October 02, 2024

"E.U. leaders must make a choice: Stand with the people and the planet, or continue propping up an economy that's driving us towards climate catastrophe," said one advocate.







Science for the Public is a volunteer organization, whose mission is to provide accurate information about science concepts, innovations and issues from outstanding scientists. 

We produce public lectures, an interview program (Contemporary Science Issues and Innovations), and a mini-documentary series (Working Science). All of our productions are videotaped and are available on our website and our online channels, as well as on WGBH Forum Network and Belmont Media Center Community TV. 


Visit our website at www.scienceforthepublic.org and sign up for our newsletter. 

Contact us at yvonne@scienceforrthepublic.org



Facebook  Twitter  Linkedin