Sunspots 664

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

Computing: Gizmo's freeware recommends a Facebook tweaker, which can hide lots of things that you don't really want to see.

Gizmodo reports on another scheme by Facebook to gather data on users. Sigh.

Food: Gizmodo reports that the Trump administration wants to deliver food in boxes, instead of using food stamps.

Health: (of dogs) Gizmodo discusses built-in health problems of purebred dogs.

History: Relevant reports on six black women of significance that you've probably never heard of.

Politics: FiveThirtyEight examines the hard line on crime and punishment taken by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. And here's a different report, on the same subject.

National Public Radio reports on Russian cyberinterference with the 2018 elections.

FiveThirtyEight on why the attitudes of both Republicans and Democrats on the  FBI are dangerous, and not consistent with the usual history of party attitudes.

Science: Scientific American reports on techniques to make wood much stronger (so it can stop a bullet) and making it transparent.

ListVerse debunks 10 "facts" about the human body, such as that we lose most of our heat through our heads.

A new species of crayfish is reproducing by cloning, according to the New York Times, and other sources.

Thanks for looking!

Image source (public domain)

Sunspots 539

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:


Christianity: An orthodox Christian pastor says that many "conservative" Christians are not truly conservative enough.

Christianity Today reports that demographics, and male attitudes, prevent many single women from being able to find a suitable husband.

Education: Here's the difference between "whoever" and "whomever."

Health: National Public Radio says that research on fruit flies may help us treat insomnia.

NPR also reports that people on food stamps don't eat as healthily as other poor people, or the rest of us.

Politics: Two different essays, both brief, both good, and mostly different, giving 5 things Christians should remember during this election season.  Benjamin L. Corey wrote one, and here is Relevant Magazine's article.

Relevant also has a essay on reasons that Christians should welcome Muslim refugees.

Science: National Public Radio reports that an artificial sternum (breast bone) and parts of ribs, made of Titanium, have been produced by a 3-D printer (a very expensive one), and used in treatment.

The New York Times summarizes the evidence that autism is NOT caused by vaccination.

The New York Times reports on carnivorous plants -- the article includes a short video of a snail being caught by a Venus' Flytrap. One kind of pitcher plant has developed a mutually beneficial arrangement with a small bat.

The Times also reports that mothers retain fetal cells after giving birth, and that sometimes, maybe often, these cells remain throughout the mother's life. It is possible that they may influence her behavior.

Inside Climate News reports, here and here, that Exxon was well aware of climate change due to increased Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere as early as 1977.

Wired tells us that giraffes do make sounds, contrary to what we have believed.

Relevant reports that an invisibility cloak may be possible.

 

Image source (public domain)