Sunspots 969

 Some things I have spotted, that may be of interest to others:

An article in the Wikipedia tells about small satellites that are in orbit around some larger asteroids. 

NPR has fact-checked Donald Trump's recent press conference at Mar-A-Lago. It isn't pretty. They found over 160 lies, or serious distortions of the truth, in less than 90 minutes of the news conference.

Scientific American, and other outlets, report that the central stone of Stonehenge was moved from hundreds of miles away. How? We aren't sure.

ScienceAlert reports that the continent of Antarctica is rising, and discusses the likely consequences.

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Russia has withdrawn support for the nuclear test ban treaty, according to Reuters.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 858

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

Christianity: (or something) Relevant discusses rumors that satanism was somehow behind the Astroworld concert tragedy.

Environment: NPR reports that, although Pope Francis has been outspoken on fighting climate change, the Catholic bishops in the US have done little about it.

Health: Fox News reports on a study that shows that unvaccinated Texans were 20 times more likely to die of COVID than those who were vaccinated.

Humor:  (and food) Gizmodo tells us about 9 new kitchen appliances that you don't really need.

Politics: FiveThirtyEight discusses the proposed political map of North Carolina, which map gives Republicans a few more congressional seats than they deserve. In other words, the map is the result of Gerrymandering.

Relevant discusses work by the Pew Research Center, which suggests that, rather than being just Republican or Democrat, voters in the US fall into nine smaller ideological groups. There's a quiz to let you know where you belong.

Science: (or something) NPR reports that a roadrunner got onto a moving van in Las Vegas, and was discovered in Maine, 4 days later, during the unloading. It's being cared for.

Gizmodo reports that a small asteroid was probably once part of the moon.

Gizmodo also reports on an unusual effect of unusual weather, in Egypt: scorpions!

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

*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 809

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

The Arts: Speculative Faith considers the question of whether a story that doesn't mention God, or the Bible, can glorify Him. Answer: yes.

I know nothing about the music, or the performers, but Gizmodo reports on a production, using 200 drones, that made a giant face in the sky, that lip-synced with some music. Amazing.

Christianity: (And politics, I guess) Christianity Today on the recent Supreme Court ruling on whether state or local governments can regulate attendance at churches. More than one aspect of this is discussed.

Education: Grammarphobia discusses uses of and, as in "try and stop me," rather than "to," as in "try to stop me."

Environment: The Trump administration has rejected a project in Alaska that would have been environmentally dangerous. Good for them.

Politics: (and History) NPR on the length of time between the Presidential election and the inauguration.

Politics (and health) The Atlantic has documented all of President Trump's wrong statements about COVID. There were a lot of them.

Science: In case you didn't know it, the earth occasionally has an asteroid orbiting it, a "minimoon."

Science Alert reports on the discovery of a large swarm of eels in the deep Pacific ocean.

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

Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 780

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

Christianity: BioLogos discusses "Christian" conspiracy theories, about COVID-19.

Education: Grammarphobia tells us why we say "fourteen," instead of "onety-four."

Grammarphobia also gives us the history of the words "butt" and "buttock," and explains their relationship.
Health: CNN asks what things will be like if we don't develop a COVID-19 vaccine, and reminds us that there are some serious infectious diseases without vaccines, and not for lack of trying. (Think AIDS, for one.)

Gizmodo points out that taking temperatures is not a fool-proof way of checking for COVID-19 infection.

You may (or may not) have seen the Plandemic video. Here is a documented story from lifehacker debunking it, and another from  National Public Radio, doing the same. Here is a report from the Snopes web site.

Politics: (or something) FiveThirtyEight says that the recent jobs report, bad as it is, doesn't really cover all the people who are out of work.

Gizmodo reports that there is considerable overlap between COVID-19 misinformation and climate change denial.

Sixty Minutes reports that the Trump administration terminated a virus research grant for no good reason.

FiveThirtyEight has studied voting by mail, and finds considerable variety in how it's used. There's no particular advantage to either party.

Science: NPR reports that a black hole, about 1,000 light-years away, has been found.

The Ryugu asteroid has been photographed from very close, like on the asteroid, and the results are remarkable.

Sports: Gizmodo reports on a basketball backboard and hoop that adjusts its position so that almost all shots go through the hoop.

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

Sunspots 692

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

 Christianity: A Relevant writer discusses the importance of hope.

The family of Mollie Tibbetts, who was murdered, has expressed forgiveness for the probable murderer, according to Relevant.

InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, according to Relevant, plans to establish chapters on all US campuses with more than 1,000 students, over the next few years. They say that "about 53 percent of 2,500 schools currently don’t have any known campus ministry. ..."
 
Computing: (and Food) USA Today reports that IBM has patented drones that can fly around work spaces and dispense coffee.

Education: Grammarphobia tells us whether we should use "in Jesus's name," or "in Jesus' name."

Ethics: (or something) Gizmodo reports on an agency in Brazil, which is trying to protect isolated tribes. According to the report, there may be as many as 11 tribes in the rainforest which have never interacted with "modern" man.

Food: Gizmodo reports that the state legislature of Missouri has tried to define "meat." There are questions about cell/tissue cultured products, which aren't available in grocery stores, but which may be in the future.

Health: Scientific American reports that marijuana-derived substances are found in breast milk for 6 days after the last use.

History: National Public Radio reports that there is a drought in some of Europe. That has exposed "hunger stones" in some rivers -- stones with inscriptions telling of previous droughts. One such inscription is in 1417 AD. See also here, for marked stone exposure in a different part of Europe.

Politics: FiveThirtyEight looks at research on the effect of voter identification laws.

National Public Radio reports that the Department of Homeland Security presented a rosier picture of conditions in countries that actually exists there, in order to justify sending refugees back to them. Sigh.

Science: Analysis of data collected by an Indian spacecraft show that there is water on the moon.

USA Today reports that some farmers in Mexico have been growing corn that is associated with Nitrogen-fixing bacteria. (Usually, Nitrogen-fixing bacteria are associated with members of the pea family, such as soybeans. Plants that have such associations need less (or no) Nitrogen in fertilizer, and the plants are a better source of protein building blocks in people that eat them.)

Space.com reports that an asteroid seems to be about 95% metal, which is very unusual, and could be commercially important, if we can get there to mine it. Here's the Wikipedia article on that asteroid, Psyche.

Lifehacker on how to get a cat to like you (or at least act like it does).

Scientific American on how to tell if a comatose patient is conscious.

Scientific American also reports that we can have only up to about 150 real friends -- people we interact with regularly.

Thanks for looking!

Image source (public domain)

Sunspots 621

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

The Arts: (And Christianity) A Relevant writer argues that marketers effectively isolated Contemporary Christian Music artists from the world at large, when they might have appealed to that world. The writer says that "Christian" film-makers are being steered in the same direction, when they shouldn't be.

Christianity: Christianity Today on the awful consequences of corruption, mostly (but not entirely) in other countries, where, in some, it's "normal."


Computing: Gizmo's Freeware tells us about an on-line audible pronunciation tool, which works in several languages.

Gizmo's also points to a source of music that can be used as background, etc., without violating copyright.


Education: The New York Times considers the question of whether pre-school teachers need college degrees.

History: Listverse reports on 10 ancient businesses. (Mostly from a thousand or more years ago.)

Listverse also reports on 10 islands in the Atlantic Ocean that you've probably never heard of. (I had heard of one of them.)
 
Science: Scientific American has posted a video, under 90 seconds, of a badger burying a dead cow. Really. (It took the badger longer than that.

Wired explains why it is so hard (or impossible) to prevent the production of sarin gas (the kind recently used in Syria).

Scientific American reports on a study about how couples can continue to be attracted to each other.

Scientific American also tells us that an asteroid is going to come pretty close to the earth on April 19.

Listverse describes 10 kinds of rocks that smell bad (or stink).


Image source (public domain)

Sunspots 444

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:
Computing: How to make your browsing experience safer, from Gizmo's Freeware.
Science: Jellyfish are becoming much more common in the oceans, and are hurting tourism (and tourists), among other things, according to CNN.
The BBC says that an Indian spacecraft is doing well. It's supposed to head for Mars.
Science News, and other outlets, report that the danger from meteor strikes may be considerably larger than we had thought.
The L.A. Times reports on a very strange asteroid.
(and politics) Wired thinks that the US government needs to do some radical re-thinking to keep up with the way microbes are mutating, and getting harder, almost impossible to treat.



Image source (public domain)

Sunspots 243

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

Science:
Wired reports on an analysis that indicates that the decline of bee colonies has several causes, rather than a single one.

Wired also reports (with a photograph) on a newly discovered, very large species of spider.

A small asteroid will come pretty close to the earth today, according to Wired.

Christianity:
Henry Neufeld objects to the notion that Christianity is a "deal."



Image source (public domain)

Sunspots 205

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

Science:
Wired reports on an asteroid that was tracked on a collision course with earth, from the neighborhood of Saturn.

Wired also reports on evidence, including a photo, that our ancient ancestors may have cared for a handicapped child for a long time.

Sports:
Frank DeFord, of NPR, rejoices that four highly paid sports bad guys were cut from their teams, in spite of their talent.

Philosophy:
(or something) e! science reports that graduate school students have not had sufficient education as to what constitutes plagiarism. I suspect that the problem is much more fundamental than that.

Image source (public domain)