Number 276
Consumer Reports Finds ‘Widespread’ Presence of Plastics In Food
CR tested popular fast foods and supermarket staples for bisphenols and phthalates, which can be harmful to your health.
Here’s how a Canada-wide plastics registry could save you money
Government consulting on federal plastics registry until February.
== yjc
The tiny firm that alerts millions about disasters
When a 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit Japan’s remote Noto peninsula on New Year’s Day, millions of people were alerted by a small company that has been punching above its weight for years now.
Flowers Are Evolving To Have Less Sex
Field pansies (Viola arvensis) growing near Paris produced 20% less nectar than those growing there 20 to 30 years ago.
Deep Beneath Earth’s Surface, Clues to Life’s Origins
Last spring, scientists retrieved a trove of mantle rocks from underneath the Atlantic seafloor — a bounty that could help write the first chapter of life’s story on Earth.
How crowded are the oceans? New maps show what flew under the radar until now.
Advances in AI and satellite imagery allowed researchers to create the clearest picture yet of human activity at sea, revealing clandestine fishing activity and a boom in offshore energy development.
New Images of Jupiter’s Moon Io Capture Infernal Volcanic Landscape
NASA’s Juno spacecraft made its closest flyby yet of Io, one of Jupiter’s largest moons, sending back images of sharp cliffs, edgy mountain peaks, lakes of pooled lava and even a volcanic plume.
== I certainly hope the frog and dragonfly win
How the tiny western chorus frog could stop Doug Ford’s Highway 413
Ontario has launched court challenge over federal government’s plan to conduct environmental assessment.
== this is not good news, for the Arctic but especially for polar bears
Avian flu detected in polar bear in Alaska
Case highlights growing concerns about risk of H5N1 spread among mammals.
== yjc, some incredible photos
Winners of the 2023 International Landscape Photographer of the Year Contest
There were over 4,000 entries to the contest, which is now in its 10th year.
Machine Learning Helps Fuzzing Find Hardware Bugs
Age-old software testing technique automated to boost chip supply throughput.
Scientists Solve the Mystery of How Jellyfish Can Regenerate a Tentacle In Days
The jellyfish species Cladonema can regenerate an amputated tentacle in two to three days — but how?
There’s a Big Difference In How Your Brain Processes the Numbers 4 and 5
While we can easily subitize quantities up to four, however, the ability disappears when we’re looking at five or more things.
Japan To Test Datacenter Powered By Reused Hydrogen Fuel Cells
The source? Repurposed parts from electric vehicles.
Scientists hail new antibiotic that can kill drug-resistant bacteria
Zosurabalpin has defeated strains of pneumonia and sepsis in mice, raising hopes for human trials
What’s in a Name? The Battle of Baby T. Rex and Nanotyrannus.
A dinosaur fossil listed for sale in London for $20 million embodies one of the most heated debates in paleontology.
== yjc
The GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker brings BBQ inside for $1,000
Wood-smoked flavor from the comforts of your kitchen.
Cold plunges are all the rage. But what does the science say?
Experts weigh in on the purported benefits of jumping into cold water.
How artificial intelligence can help beavers fight floods, droughts and wildfires
EEAGER, a new machine learning algorithm, identities beaver dams from satellite and aerial images.
== yjc
Mysterious medieval cemetery unearthed in Wales
A rare, early medieval cemetery has been unearthed in Wales and it has left archaeologists scratching their heads.
== paywall ??
2023: A Review of the Year in Neuroscience
Dopamine is not the only fruit.
In Developing Nations, ‘Green Roads’ Buffer Drought and Floods
A movement to retrofit existing roads with low-tech embankments, channels, and dikes is gathering steam.
US Supreme Court’s Roberts Urges ‘Caution’ as AI Reshapes Legal Field
Urging “caution and humility” as the evolving technology transforms how judges and lawyers go about their work.
Neurofeedback treatment has been studied for several decades but remains controversial among scholars
== opinion piece
Will AI Just Waste Everyone’s Time?
The events of 2023 showed that A.I. doesn’t need to be that good in order to do damage.
== yjc
Loss of cooking skills has hurt our ability to adapt to rising food prices, experts say
While not a solution to food insecurity, cooking skills can help mitigate the impact of rising costs.
== yjc
Cerne Abbas Giant: Has the mystery of the chalk hill figure been solved?
A centuries-old mystery surrounding the origins of a chalk giant hill figure has been unravelled by academics from Oxford University.
How ‘Digital Twin’ Technology Is Revolutionizing the Auto Industry
Virtual copies of our cars are leading to better, safer, and more efficient transportation.
How a Cray-1 Supercomputer Compares to a Raspberry Pi
This report is mainly based on the comprehensive benchmark used to verify performance of the first Cray 1.
Why reintroducing bison is revitalizing the Prairies and Indigenous culture, identity
‘We need to think about ways of making room for bison to return and to do their magic,’ ecologist says.
2023 and ’the Eternal Struggle Between Proprietary and Open Source Software’
2023 showcased the power and perils of open source.
Is ‘Work From Home’ Here to Stay After 2023?
Remote-work numbers have dwindled over the past few years as employers issue return-to-office mandates.
Is It Possible to Beam Solar Power From Outer Space?
For years it was written off, the economics were just way out there.
There are paintings out there that are $100m or more, but if you think about it, it's really just canvas with paint.
- Paris Hilton tells The Guardian she thinks NFTs can replace much of the world of art.