Sunspots 725

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

Christianity:  A Sojourners writer points out that churches for African Americans in Louisiana, burned recently, were just as sacred as Notre Dame. 

Finance: Catherine Rampell reports that multinational financial institutions have quickly gotten over their outrage at the death of Jamal Khashoggi.

Food: (and politics?) NBC News, and other outlets, report that the government is planning to stop regulating how many cherries are in frozen cherry pies. Seriously.

Health: (or something) Gizmodo reports that some entity poured lots of wet concrete into the London sewer system. Bad idea.

Politics: Catherine Rampell doesn't want a question on citizenship included in the 2020 census.

On the Mueller report: NPR reports that, based on Mueller's work, there were several people, associates of the President, but did not carry out his orders to do questionable things. Good for them!

Science: Gizmodo reports on the discovery of an ancient, and very large predatory mammal.

Scientific American uses an experiment which found some cell function in pig brains, a few hours after the brains had been removed, to ask questions about when, and if, to harvest organs for transplant.

Scientific American also reports that "bubble boy" disease (a non-functioning immune system) can be fixed, by correcting mistakes in the child's own DNA.

Gizmodo reports that the US Department of Agriculture is undercutting the system of peer review of scientific reports, which system has been in place for several decades, and works.
 
The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, I believe, it is public domain. 

Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 705

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

Education: A Scientific American writer argues that STEM education and the other liberal arts are all essential.

Ethics: (and Science) A Chinese scientist, who says he altered genes in two baby girls, while they were embryos, has faced lots of outcry, on ethical grounds, and because what he did was not generally perceived to have been wise. For more on this matter, also from NPR, see here. Gizmodo reports that the Chinese government has shut down these experiments. Scientific American asks some important questions about this episode.

Food: NPR tells us how much protein we need, and whether or not we are likely to be getting it.

Politics: NPR says that the number of unauthorized immigrants is the lowest in a decade.

Relevant reports that more white evangelical Christians believe that climate change is real, than the percentage of Republicans who do.

FiveThirtyEight provides a chart, showing that the Mueller investigation, far from being a fruitless "witch hunt," has resulted in more indictments and pleas over a shorter time than any like investigation since Watergate.

Listverse tells us about 10 important episodes in the career of the late President George H. W. Bush.

Science: Earther on possible ways to protect coral reefs through technological intervention.

Gizmodo reports on a female albatross, in the wild, who is at least 69 years old, and raised a chick last year, and has laid an egg this year.

Gizmodo, and other outlets, report that some spiders feed their young with a milk-like substance.


The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, I believe, it is public domain. 

Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 660

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

The Arts: (or something) Listverse describes, and shows, 10 beautiful natural  wonders.

Christianity: (and Computing) I don't use YouVersion, the free Bible app but lots and lots of other people do. Maybe you should.

He Lives on "Jacob's Genetic Engineering." (Commenting on Genesis 30.)

I have a post on how the Bible wants us to treat aliens, foreigners and strangers.

A Relevant writer tells us that helping the poor may be the least followed command (or commands) in the Bible.


Computing: FiveThirtyEight reports on a new computer chess program, which has used artificial intelligence to train. It seems to  be more aggressive than previous programs, and analyzes fewer possibilities.

Wired tells us what happens to our electronic waste (old phone, TVs, etc.). It's not pretty. Not at all.

Politics: (and computing) Wired reports on Russian trolls that are after Robert Mueller.

Science: FiveThirtyEight reports on personality tests that are better than the famous  (or infamous) Myers-Briggs instrument.

And FiveThirtyEight also reports on the discovery of the largest known prime number.

Scientific American reports on a poll about whether we approve of possible physical enhancement (improving muscles, eyes, and other parts and functions).

Sports: (and Health) FiveThirtyEight debunks Tom Brady's fitness books and products.

Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 659

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

The Arts: (or something) Listverse describes, and shows, 10 beautiful natural  wonders.

Christianity: (and Computing) I don't use YouVersion, the free Bible app, but lots and lots of other people do. Maybe you should.

He Lives on "Jacob's Genetic Engineering." (Commenting on Genesis 30.)


Computing: FiveThirtyEight reports on a new computer chess program, which has used artificial intelligence to train. It seems to  be more aggressive than previous programs, and analyzes fewer possibilities.

Wired tells us what happens to our electronic waste (old phone, TVs, etc.). It's not pretty. Not at all.

Politics: (and computing) Wired reports on Russian trolls that are after Robert Mueller.

Science: FiveThirtyEight reports on personality tests that are better than the famous  (or infamous) Myers-Briggs instrument.

And FiveThirtyEight also reports on the discovery of the largest known prime number.

Sports: (and Health) FiveThirtyEight debunks Tom Brady's fitness books and products.

Thanks for looking!

Image source (public domain)