General Interest    Cosmos    Innovation    Health    Nature    Environment    Climate

SftPublic July 16 (video)   Mathematical Prediction of Sixth Mass Extinction   

SftPublic Aug 15 (video)   Light from Darkness? Searching for Dark Matter   

 

   

 

  

GENERAL INTEREST  

Scientists Discover New State of Matter
Phys.Org, August 15, 2019
The breakthrough offers promise for increasing storage capabilities in electronic devices and enhancing quantum computing.

Revenge of the Clothes Moths: as Numbers Boom, Can They Be Stopped?
The Guardian, August 19, 2019
They destroy sweaters, carpets and even wall insulation - and their population has tripled in five years. But there are ways to quell these insatiable insects.

New Proof Settles How to Approximate Numbers Like Pi
Quanta, August 14, 2019
The ancient Greeks wondered when "irrational" numbers can be approximated by fractions. By proving the longstanding Duffin-Schaeffer conjecture, two mathematicians have provided a complete answer.

New York Times, August 20, 2019 (great images)
Unique sculptures date from the historical moment when two peoples and two cultures met on the banks of a section of the river, now known as the Iron Gates.
 
AI Validates Evolution's Oldest Mathematical Model
Cosmos, August 15, 2019
Researchers test Müllerian mimicry with a very different ButterflyNet.

Neutron Star Suffers a "Glitch", Gives Astronomers a Glimpse Into How They Work
Universe Today, August 14, 2019
A neutron star is what remains after a massive star goes supernova. It's a tightly-packed, ultra-dense body made of-you guessed it-neutrons. Actually, that's not absolutely true.
    
Dark-Energy Mapper Will Reconstruct 11 Billion Years of Cosmic History
Nature, August 12, 2019
Astronomers are about to embark on their most ambitious galaxy-mapping project ever. Their main aim: to elucidate the nature of dark energy, the enigmatic force that is pushing the universe to accelerate at an ever-faster pace.

A Brief Astronomical History of Saturn's Amazing Rings
The Conversation, August 14, 2019
Have the rings, in some shape or form, existed since the beginnings of the solar system, 4.6 billion years ago, or are they a more recent addition?
    
Alexander von Humboldt Surveying the Entire World in 'Cosmos'
Deutsche Welle, July 29, 2019
For 30 years, he great naturalist-explorer labored over his most ambitious project: to unite everything known about the whole universe in a single work, "Cosmos."
    
How Flat Earthers Nearly Derailed a Space Photo Book
New York Times, August 14, 2019
What a photographer's struggle to raise money for his book of images tells us about Facebook and conspiracy theorists.
    

Chemists Have Created and Imaged a New Form of Carbon
Science News, August 15, 2019
The molecule called cyclocarbon joins other carbon forms, like buckyballs and carbon nanotubes.

How to Build a Climate-Proof Home That Never Floods
The Guardian, August 17, 2019
The Netherlands has found an ingenious way to combat rising water - build housing that does the same

First Human-Monkey Chimeras Developed in China
The Scientist, August 05, 2019
The researchers aim to grow transplantable human organs from primate embryos.

Are Goats the New Weed-Whackers? Plenty of People Want Them to Be.
Washington Post, August 15, 2019
So why is there so much demand for goat grazing? For consumers, there's still a novelty factor and the constant search for ways to be greener.

Physics World, August 19, 2019
So, what is optochemogenetics? It's a combination of two techniques - optogenetics and chemogenetics - that activate transplanted stem cells in the brain, promoting cell differentiation, growth and recovery.

Why Do We Hiccup?
New York Times, August 15, 2019
Anything that upsets or aggravates your digestive or respiratory tracts can induce hiccups. There are almost as many remedies as causes.

'Silent' Strokes Common After Surgery, Linked to Cognitive Decline
Science Daily, August 15, 2019
The study found that 'silent' covert strokes are actually more common than overt strokes in people aged 65 or older who have surgery.

Study Raises Questions About Fluoride and Children's IQ
Washington Post, August 19 2019
Health experts at the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Dental Association cautioned that public policy and drinking water consumption should not change on the basis of this study.

Lyme Disease Is Baffling, Even to Experts
The Atlantic, September 2019 issue
Lyme Disease, discovered in the mid-1970s, is today a major, and growing, health threat, The condition is debilitating --and weird.

Why Stress is Dangerous --and How to Avoid Its Effects
BBC Future, August 14, 2019
In an essay based on her recent book Stress-Proof, Mithu Storoni explains how modern life may have amplified our anxiety, and the best ways to reduce its impact on our bodies and minds.

Left-Handed, Left-Footed, Left-Kissing?
Deutsche Welle, August 13, 2019
Handedness is not the only asymmetry of our bodies. Whether hugging, kissing or listening, we usually prefer one side over the other. And so do animals.

Fluid in Super-Deep Diamonds May Be from Some of Earth's Oldest Unchanged Material
Science News, August 15, 2019
Studying such a pristine piece of early Earth may yield insights about the planet's formation.

Humans Migrated to Mongolia Much Earlier Than Previously Believed
Science Daily,  August 16, 2019
Stone tools uncovered in Mongolia by an international team of archaeologists indicate that modern humans traveled across the Eurasian steppe about 45,000 years ago.

Lost Volcanoes Among Oil and Gas
Cosmos, August 14, 2019
Scientists make unexpected Jurassic discovery under central Australia.

Florida's Panthers Hit With Mysterious Crippling Disorder
New York Times, August 20, 2019 (w/video)
State wildlife officials are sharing video of disabled animals in an effort to identify the ailment and save the beloved, endangered cats.

Lifting the Lid on Primate Brains
Cosmos, August 22, 2019
A fossilized primate skull the size of a chicken egg has yielded insights into how primate brains - including our own - evolved.

Ancient Amazonian Societies Managed the Forest Intensively but Sustainably - Here's What We Can Learn from Them
Ensia, August 15, 2019
The Amazon's trees, soils and mysterious earthworks tell the story of the millions who lived there before European arrival.
 
The Danger of Coal Ash, the Toxic Dust the Fossil Fuel Leaves Behind
PBS News Hour, August 14, 2019 (w/video + transcript)
In communities that have dealt with coal ash spills, the incidents sparked concerns about toxins potentially seeping into water. Utilities have been pushed to adopt tougher safety standards -- but activists say the companies are resisting rules necessary for public health.

Rising Water Stress Could Counteract 'Global Greening'
Carbon Brief, August 14, 2019
Global warming is driving changes to water vapor levels which could, in turn, be affecting the rate of plant photosynthesis - the process underpinning plant growth.

A Diversity of Plants Helps Stabilize Ecosystems
Anthropocene, August 21, 2019
Small-scale studies suggest that a greater variety of plants increases the likelihood that when rising temperatures or rainfall fluctuations harm some species, others may continue to thrive, thus keeping ecosystem productivity on an even keel.

Bees Threatened by Indiscriminate Use of Pesticides
Sci Dev Net, August 16 2019
With an estimated 75 per cent of human food dependent on the action of pollinating insects, bees are vital for global food production. But their very existence is under threat as they face chronic decline around the world.

Science News, August 19, 2019
Beware what you view about climate change on YouTube. Conspiracy theorists have hijacked some climate-related terms to spread misinformation on the online video-sharing website.

Climate Change May Change the Way Ocean Waves Impact 50 Percent of the World's Coastlines
The Conversation, August 19, 2019
The rise in sea levels is not the only way climate change will affect the coasts. A warming planet will also alter ocean waves along more than 50% of the world's coastlines.

The North Atlantic Ocean Current, Which Warms Northern Europe, May Be Slowing
Yale Climate Connections (w/video)
'We are 50 to 100 years ahead of schedule with the slowdown of this ocean circulation pattern,' says climate scientist Michael Mann.

Alpine Climbing Routes Crumble As Climate Crisis Continues
The Guardian, August 16, 2019
High up in the French Alps, the climbers who spend their days on the rocks and glaciers have come to a grim conclusion: the mountains are crumbling around them

New Analysis Finds Parts of the U.S. Have Already Warmed Close to Critical 2-Degree Level
PBS News Hour, August 15, 2019 (w/video + transcript)
For years, scientists have warned that we need to stop the planet from warming an additional two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels to avoid catastrophic problems.