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GENERAL INTEREST
Why Do Olympic Swimmers Slap Themselves?
Mental Floss, July 30.2024
Viewers of this summer's Olympic Games will notice swimmers slapping their bodies as they wait to enter the pool. While they may be trying to get a physiological edge over their competitors, there's a psychological component at play as well.
Hidden Figures: Giving History’s Most Overlooked Mathematicians Their Due
The Guardian, July 29, 2024
A new book, The Secret Lives of Numbers, by Kate Kitagawa and Timothy Revell, shines a light on overlooked contributions to math by women and men in China, India, the Arabian peninsula and other parts of the world.
The Picture of Early-Human Origins in Africa Grows More Complex
Washington Post, July 28, 2024
Researchers say multiple groups of early modern humans intermingled and spread across Africa, not just in small areas in the east and south, before moving to Europe and Asia.
Cheese-making Is a Complex Science – a Food Chemist Explains the Process from Milk to Mozzarella
The Conversation, July 24, 2024
Lots of complex chemistry goes into the cheese-making process, which can determine whether the cheese turns out soft and gooey like mozzarella or hard and fragrant like Parmesan.
Rock Art and Archaeological Record Reveal Man's Complex Relationship with Amazonian Animals
Phys.org, July 25, 2024
Spectacular ocher paintings of a wide variety of animal species, including depictions of animals and humans transforming into one another, indicate the rich mythology that guided generations of indigenous Amazonians.
COSMOS
Modern Astrophysics Answers Isaac Newton’s Oldest Question
Big Think, July 30, 3034
Straddling the bounds of science and religion, Newton wondered who set the planets in motion. Astrophysics reveals the answer.
Nope —It’s Never Aliens
Scientific American, July 22, 2024
Claims of alien starships visiting Earth always fall short, but people still fall for them.
New Feature Spotted in Brightest Gamma-Ray Burst of All Time
Cosmos, July 28, 2024
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) usually last less than a second. They originate from the dense remains of a dead giant star’s core, called a neutron star. But what causes neutron stars to release huge amounts of energy in the form of gamma radiation is still a mystery.
No Return Date for NASA Astronauts Amid Problems with Boeing Starliner Capsule
The Guardian, July 25, 2024
NASA says the pair are not stranded but will stay at International Space Station until technical issues have been resolved.
The Extremely Large Telescope: Facts About the World's Largest Telescope
Space, July 29, 2024
The world's largest telescope is being built on a mountaintop in Chile. It will be able to directly image rocky exoplanets.
INNOVATION
Blood Tests for Alzheimer’s May Be Coming to Your Doctor’s Office. Here Are 4 Things to Know
PBS News, July 28, 2024
New blood tests could help doctors diagnose Alzheimer’s disease faster and more accurately, researchers reported Sunday — but some appear to work far better than others.
A Nature-Inspired Membrane Driven by Humidity Grabs CO2 Out of Air Without Electricity
Anthropocene, July 25, 2024
The new invention is part of a larger effort to solve two key shortcomings of direct air capture: Slow reaction speeds and high energy use.
Scientists 'Mind Controlled' Mice Remotely in Extraordinary World First
Science Alert, July 30, 3034
At the mere flick of a magnetic field, mice engineered with nanoparticle-activated 'switches' inside their brains were driven to feed, socialize, and act like clucky new mothers in an experiment designed to test an innovative research tool.
Three Ways AI Is Changing the 2024 Olympics for Athletes and Fans
Nature, July 25, 2024
From training to broadcasting, artificial intelligence will have an imprint on this year’s event for the first time.
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Revolutionizing Data Storage: How 3D Meta-materials and Tiny Magnetic Bubbles Could Change Everything
Sci-Tech Daily, July 30, 2024
For the first time, researchers have demonstrated that not just individual bits, but entire bit sequences can be stored in cylindrical domains: tiny, cylindrical areas measuring just around 100 nanometers.
HEALTH
How Much Protein Do I Need?
EveryDay Health, July 02, 2024
Given protein’s many functions in the body — including creating hormones, bolstering the immune system, and building muscle — it’s critical to get enough.
Standing Desks May Cut Pain and Boost Productivity
Futurity, July 29, 2024
Workers looking to reduce discomfort and boost productivity may want to switch to a standing desk, according to new research.
Get Fit in Two Minutes! 17 Micro-Workouts That Will Change Your Life – Even If You’re Stuck in the Office
The Guardian, July 28, 2024
No time for a run or a trip to the gym? Exercise ‘snacks’ are the answer. All you need is some stairs, a wall and 120 seconds away from your desk or sofa.
An 8-Week Short-Term Vegan Diet May Help Reduce Biological Age
Medical News Today, July 29, 2024
Vegan, plant-based diets are rich in fiber, antioxidants, and plant compounds that support gut health, reduce inflammation, and promote healthy metabolic processes.
How Do Painkillers Work? And Why Are Some More Addictive?
Cosmos, July 30, 2024
The effectiveness and potential for addiction vary significantly among different types of painkillers, which can be broadly categorized into non-opioid and opioid painkillers.
NATURE
Massive Sinkholes in China Hold 'Heavenly' Forests with Plants Adapted for Harsh Life Underground
Live Science, July 30, 2024
Plants growing at the bottom of sinkholes in China's Dashiwei Tiankeng Group don't take up as much carbon as surface plants do, but they have much higher levels of nutrients in their tissues.
The Chimps Who Learned to Say ‘Mama’
New York Times, July 25, 2024
Old recordings show captive chimps uttering the word, which some scientists believe may offer clues to the origins of human speech.
Scientists Untangle Interactions Between the Earth's Early Life Forms and the Environment Over 500 Million Years
Science Daily, July 29, 2024
The atmosphere, the ocean and life on Earth interacted over the past 500-plus million years in ways that improved conditions for early organisms to thrive. Now, an interdisciplinary team of scientists has produced a perspective article of this co-evolutionary history.
Virus That Causes COVID-19 Is Widespread in Wildlife, Virginia Tech Scientists Find
EurekAlert!, July 29 2024
Six out of 23 common wildlife species showed signs of SARS-CoV-2 infections in an examination of animals in Virginia, as revealed by tracking the virus’s genetic code
Genetics Explains Bizarre Echidna and Platypus Stomachs
Cosmos, July 24 2024
Monotremes [like the platypus] are weird animals. They’re famously the only mammals to lay eggs instead of live young.
But did you know that they also have bizarre stomachs more akin to some fish than other mammals?
ENVIRONMENT
Inside the Battle for Top Job That Will Decide the Future of Deep-Sea Mining
The Guardian, July 29, 2024
The battle for leadership might sound to the average person like a remote, technical concern. But the election of the authority’s secretary general comes at a pivotal moment for deep-sea mining and therefore for the future of the world’s oceans.
Fresh Quakes Damage West Texas Area with Long History of Tremors Caused by Oil and Gas Industry
AP, July 29, 2024
Damaging earthquakes that rocked West Texas in recent days were likely caused by oil and gas activity in an area that has weathered tremors for decades, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
As US Bets Big on Hydrogen for Clean Energy, Local Communities Worry About Secrecy and Public Health
Grist, July 29, 2024
The Biden administration has set aside billions of dollars for new hydrogen energy. But does the industry need better safeguards?
Erin Brockovich: What’s at Stake in November
New York Times, July 30, 2024
The recent Supreme Court decision overturning the 40-year-old Chevron precedent, which allowed federal agencies to interpret the laws they oversee, should wake us up to how truly alone we are when it comes to environmental health protections.
Seagrass and Plastic Are Not Friends
Hakai, July 17, 2024
The year 2021’s hopeful optimism is 2024’s unfortunate reality.
CLIMATE
UN Chief Appeals for Global Action to Tackle Deadly Extreme Heat
Climate Change News, July 25, 2024
António Guterres calls extreme heat “the new abnormal” as he urges countries to step up protection of vulnerable populations
Should Companies Get Paid When Governments Phase Out Fossil Fuels? They Already Are
Inside Climate News, July 28, 2024
A common part of free trade agreements helps fossil fuel companies force big payouts from governments phasing out oil and gas projects. The United States narrowly avoided a $15 billion claim over the shuttered Keystone XL pipeline.
How Soon Might the Atlantic Ocean Break? Two Sibling Scientists Found an Answer—and Shook the World
Wired, July 30, 2024
A gigantic, weather-defining current system could be headed to collapse. Peter and Susanne Ditlevsen had a simple yet controversial question: How much time might we have left to save it?
Global Methane Emissions Rising at Fastest Rate in Decades, Scientists Warn
The Guardian, July 30, 2024
Researchers call for immediate action to reduce methane emissions and avert dangerous escalation in climate crisis
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.
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