Sunspots 960

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to others*

Environment: NPR discusses the decline in the axolotl population.

Health: (or something:) A Conversation writer discusses bullying.

NPR reports that there are no effective remedies for the common cold.

Politics: NPR reports that reporting on climate change can lead to harassment, even death threats, to government scientists and TV weather personnel.

A Conversation writer tells us about the different ethnic groups among Jews in Israel.

Science: ScienceAlert reports that we have not understood how bees keep warm enough in winter.

Gizmodo reports on research indicating that chinstrap penguins take thousands of very short naps every day, apparently a behavior that helps keep them safer.

*I try not to include items that require a password or fee to view

Thanks for reading.

 

Sunspots 957

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to others*

Health: A Conversation writer tells us why we often get nasal congestion when we're sick, and about the functions of snot.

Politics: (or something) A Conversation writer tells us that young black men are more likely to die in certain small areas of large cities than as if they were engaged in battle as part of the US military.

Russia has withdrawn support for the nuclear test ban treaty, according to Reuters.

A Conversation article tells us that Democrats and Republicans differ widely on whether or not to remove misinformation from social platforms.

Science: Gizmodo reports on how the Yucatán asteroid may have wiped out the dinosaurs.

Gizmodo also reports that scientists have found that an asteroid, less than a kilometer in size, has an even smaller asteroid orbiting it. A later report shows that the smaller asteroid is actually two rocks.

Phys.Org reports that studies of DNA from many species of crabs indicates that crabs took up residence out of the ocean about 17 different times.

A Conversation writer tells us how we come up with the word we want, fast.

*I try not to include items that require a password or fee to view

Thanks for reading.

Sunspots 823

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

The Arts: Gizmodo reports on an on-line exhibit showing reconstructions of the Oval Office from 1909 to the present.

Computing: Gizmodo reports that far-right sources, especially those spreading misinformation, are more likely to be followed on social media than other types of sources.

Environment: Gizmodo discusses how humans influence much of the water cycle.

Gizmodo also reports that building codes are being kept from changing so as to slow global climate change.

Gizmodo reports on the biggest pipeline spill since 1977, and you've probably never heard of it.

Gizmodo also asks a panel to indicate the most climate-safe place to live.

Health: Gizmodo reports that diphtheria infections are on the rise, because of mutated bacteria.

Politics: (or something) Relevant reports on the US birth rate, which has dropped recently, and the probable consequences.

NPR on the pervasiveness of misinformation, aka conspiracy theories.

FiveThirtyEight says that someone like Marjorie Taylor Greene could be elected from other Congressional districts in the future.

Politico reports that Donald Trump has sent cease-and-desist orders to the Republican National Committee and other important fund-raising entities, asking them not to use his name and photo.

Science: Gizmodo reports on an asteroid that is near the earth now, will be again in a few years, and might hit the earth in 2068.

Sports: (and politics) Jezebel has a long article on trans-gender participation in high school athletics.

CBS News reports on CRISPR gene editing, which seems to be the most important scientific development of the 21st century. A woman, Jennifer Doudna, had a major responsibility for the process. She shared a Nobel prize with a woman from France.

The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, it is free to use like this.

Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 822

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

The Arts: Some Gizmodo writers discuss the question of why music moves us emotionally.

Christianity: Relevant has a disturbing article on the pervasiveness of pornography, and its effects (people who watch pornography are more likely to divorce, for one). The pervasiveness seems to be as 

Education: Grammarphobia on the history of the words grid and gridiron.

Finance: (or something) Gizmodo reports on an analysis which says that Texans have paid 28 billion dollars more for power, over the last few years, than they would have if their grid had been regulated like other grids.

Politics: Gizmodo reports on congressional hearings aimed to cut down on misinformation. It's an interesting read, pointing out more than one side's misinformation, but no conclusions were found.

NPR reports that Russian diplomats and their families left North Korea by way of a manually pushed rail handcart.

Science: Gizmodo reports that there are a lot of double stars in our galaxy, meaning that, on many planets, there would often be two sun shadows of the same object, or person.

Gizmodo also reports on studies of fossil dinosaurs. There aren't many fossils of medium-sized dinosaurs, and the reason seems to be that the young of Tyrannosaurus rex and similar forms out-competed them.

Gizmodo also reports on the development of flying drones, the size of a cicada.

The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, it is free to use like this.

Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 782

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

The Arts: CNN, and other outlets, report that Crayola will be releasing a "Colors of the World" crayon pack, which attempts to show all of the human skin colors.

Christianity: Christianity Today tells us why the Ascension of Christ was and is important.

Ravi Zacharias, India-born world-wide Christian apologist, passed away, from cancer, on May 19, 2020.

Environment: Gizmodo says that the temperature  was more than 80 degrees F above the Arctic Circle.

Finance: FiveThirtyEight on giving financial aid to the states.

Food: (sort of) Gizmodo reports on a device designed to be touched by the tongue. The user has the sensations she would have, if she were actually tasting something.

Politics: NPR reports that President Trump is claiming that absentee ballots encourage fraud, and that fraud is against Republicans. A number of Republicans, who are in charge of the elections in their states, disagree with him.

NPR fact checks a letter from President Trump to the World Health Organization, and finds it is almost all based on misinformation.

FiveThirtyEight discusses misinformation about COVID-19, in social media. Much such misinformation is put out by bots - automated accounts, perhaps funded by Russia, in an attempt to sow discord in the US.

FiveThirtyEight also points out that state polls are really more important than national ones, because of the way the electoral college works, and assesses the accuracy of state polls. They're pretty accurate -- not perfect, though.

Relevant reports on Twitter insinuations by President Trump, that an employee of a media person he doesn't like was murdered by that media person. With no evidence.

Science: NPR reports that scientists have discovered balls of moss, roughly the size of a baseball, on ice in Alaska. They move -- slowly, and in groups, and they can last for years.


Gizmodo reports that some of us are going to be hearing cicadas in these days. Over a million in an acre, the article says.


The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, it is free to use like this.

Thanks for looking!