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GENERAL INTEREST

The Universal Law That Aims Time's Arrow
Quanta, August 01, 2019
A new look at a ubiquitous phenomenon has uncovered unexpected fractal behavior that could give us clues about the early universe and the arrow of time.

Who Were the Mysterious Neolithic People That Enabled the Rise of Ancient Egypt?
The Conversation, August 01, 2019
About 9,300-4,000BC it was the lifestyles and cultural innovations of these peoples that provided the very foundation for the advanced civilizations to come.

That Vexing Math Equation? Here's an Addition
New York Times, August 05, 2019
The confusion (likely intentional) boiled down to a discrepancy between the math rules used in grade school and in high school.

* original article   The Math Equation That Tried to Stump the Internet

Breakthrough Prize Awarded to Architects of Supergravity
Symmetry, August 06, 2019
Three theoretical physicists have won the Breakthrough Prize for developing a way to connect general relativity with particle physics.

Coke and Pepsi Abandon the Plastics Lobby
CNN, August 05, 2019
Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, two major sellers of plastic bottles, have made sweeping sustainability commitments. Now they are stepping away from a plastics lobbying group.

Engineers try new approach to combat a ubiquitous pollutant.

Facebook Is Building Tech to Read Your Mind. The Ethical Implications Are Staggering.
Vox, August 05, 2019
Our brains are perhaps the final privacy frontier.

How Scientists Are Harvesting Fog to Secure the World's Water Supply
PBS NewsHour, July 31, 2019 (w/audio/transcript)
In an effort to bolster the diminishing water supply, scientists around the world are leveraging familiar scientific principles with modern technology to capture water from the moisture in fog.

Lasers Are Driving a Revolution in Archaeology
National Geographic, July 29, 2019
LiDAR technology has helped archaeologists find a lost Mayan city along with other ancient sites-transforming how researchers approach unsurveyed land.

China Has Started a Grand Experiment in AI Education. It Could Reshape How the World Learns.
MIT Technology Review, August 02, 2019
In recent years, the country has rushed to pursue "intelligent education." Now its billion-dollar ed-tech companies are planning to export their vision overseas.

Jogging the Best Exercise for Those Genetically Prone to Obesity
Cosmos, August 02, 2019
Taiwanese study assesses exercise impact with five measures of obesity.

Rye Is Healthy, Thanks to an Interplay of Microbes
Science Daily, August 55, 2019
Eating rye comes with a variety of health benefits. A new study now shows that both lactic acid bacteria and gut bacteria contribute to the health benefits of rye. The study used a metabolomics approach to analyze metabolites found in food and the human body.

7 of the Deadliest Superbugs
Deutsche Welle, July 31, 2019
Drug-resistant "superbugs" often spread in a place we think of as sterile - hospitals. They are very difficult to treat and pose a serious threat to global human health. Here are some of the most dangerous.

The Fundamental Link Between Body Weight and the Immune System
The Atlantic, August 02, 2019
Inflammation plays a critical role in determining how we digest food, and it's only now starting to reveal itself.

All of Those Products Are Making Your Skin Worse
New York Times, July 30, 2019
They're breaking down the skin barrier and harming your acid mantle, and this is bad (even if you don't know - yet - what that mantle is).

The Same Genes Work Differently In Men And Women, Study Finds
WBUR, July 18, 2019 (w/audio)
Because those genes are scattered across the entire genome, the discovery may have profound implications for genetic differences between men and women, not only when it comes to height, but also disease and medical research.

Indian Boy, Seven, Found with 526 Teeth Inside His Mouth
The Guardian, August 02, 2019
Hundreds of teeth were found inside a sac that was nestled in the molar region of his lower jaw.

With No Boys Born in Nearly 10 Years, a Polish Village Finds Fame in Its Missing Males
New York Times, August 06, 2019
In the years since the last baby boy was born, there have been 12 births in the village, an agricultural community on the edge of the smallest and least populated province in Poland.

New Evidence Shows Popular Pesticides Could Cause Unintended Harm To Insects
NPR/The Salt, August 06, 2019
This is just the latest evidence that a family of pesticides called neonicotinoids, sometimes just called "neonics," can pose risks to the insect world that are not fully understood.

A Tectonic Plate Is Dying Under Oregon. Here's Why That Matters.
National Geographic, July 29, 2019
A peek into the curious geology of the Pacific Northwest helps tease apart what may happen when the last bits of an oceanic plate get swallowed up.

Climate Change Threatens the World's Food Supply, United Nations Warns
New York Times, August 08, 2019
The report, prepared by more than 100 experts from 52 countries and released in summary form in Geneva August 08, found that the window to address the threat is closing rapidly.

Boar Wars: How Wild Hogs Are Trashing European Cities
The Guardian, July 30, 2019
They have become a menace in European cities. In Barcelona, where wild boar are jostling tourists and raiding rubbish bins, the fightback has begun.

The Amazon Is Approaching an Irreversible Tipping Point
The Economist, August 01, 2019
The results would be disastrous, for Brazil and for the world.

Washington Post, August 06, 2019 (w/maps, graphics)
Pockets in several U.S. states - and across the globe - are draining their limited water supplies.

  How the 5 Riskiest U.S. Cities for Coastal Flooding Are Preparing for Rising Tides
Science News, August 06, 2019

The five U.S. cities most at risk from coastal flooding have begun to make plans for adapting to rising sea levels. Some are further along than others. Here's where their flood resilience efforts stand.

Greenland's Melting: Heat Waves Are Changing the Landscape Before Their Eyes
Inside Climate News, August 01, 2019
The ice sheet is in the midst of one of its most extreme melts on record, with worrying consequences for Greenland's people and the planet.

How the World's Dirtiest Industries Have Learned to Pollute our Politics
The Guardian, August 07, 2019
According to the IMF, every year governments subsidize fossil fuels to the tune of $5tn - many times more than they spend on addressing our existential predicament. The US spends 10 times more on these mad subsidies than on its federal education budget. Last year, the world burned more fossil fuels than ever before.

Here's How the Hottest Month in Recorded History Unfolded Around the World
Washington Post, August 05, 2019
"We have always lived through hot summers. But this is not the summer of our youth. This is not your grandfather's summer," U.N. Secretary General António Guterres told reporters as July gave way to August.

Global Sea Level Rise Began Accelerating '30 Years Earlier' Than Previously Thought
Carbon Brief, August 05, 2019
Global sea level rise began to accelerate in the 1960s, 30 years earlier than suggested by previous assessments, a new study finds.

Greenpeace Releases Scorecard for Democratic Presidential Candidates' Commitment to Climate Change
PRI/Living on Earth, July 01, 2019 (w/audio)
Climate change was barely mentioned during the 2016 presidential election, but this time around many Democratic presidential contenders are pledging climate action.