Scientists Reveal Never-Before-Seen Map of the Milky Way’s Central Engine

The center of the Milky Way and most of the space between stars is filled with a lot of dust, and this is important for our galaxy’s life cycle.

First Large Offshore US Wind Farm Delivers Power To Local Grid

Danish wind energy developer Ørsted and the utility Eversource built a 12-turbine wind farm called South Fork Wind 35 miles (56 kilometers) east of Montauk Point, New York.

Climate change: The ‘insane’ plan to save the Arctic’s sea-ice

Could a daring experiment help our planet or is it a dangerous distraction?

== opinion piece
Chatbots promise a future that will never arrive

Why would we trust a platform so obscured by smoke, mirrors and hype?

Chimpanzee moms play with their kids — even when they’re hungry and tired

Study shows play is ‘so developmentally important’ for young chimps, it has to be a priority: researcher

== yjc, you know photos
A ball of barnacles wins wildlife photo award

An incredible image of a football covered in goose barnacles is the winner of this year’s British Wildlife Photography Awards

Giant Volcano Discovered On Mars

A giant volcano hiding in plain sight in one of Mars’ most iconic regions.

Caffeine Makes Fuel Cells More Efficient, Cuts Cost of Energy Storage

Boffins show less platinum may be needed for long-lived power source.

What lifting weights does to your body—and your mind

Resistance training like weightlifting improves your metabolism, allowing your body to burn more calories even at rest.

Researchers Turn Electronic Garbage Into Gold

A new technique extracts the precious metal from dissolved motherboardsA new technique extracts the precious metal from dissolved motherboards

Hackers can read private AI-assistant chats even though they’re encrypted

All non-Google chat GPTs affected by side channel that leaks responses sent to users.

Massively Popular Safe Locks Have Secret Backdoor Codes

Senator Ron Wyden has found that the DoD banned the use of such locks for U.S. government systems, but deliberately kept information about the backdoors from the public.

Your Next Pair of Walmart Pants Could Be 3D Woven

San Francisco Bay area startup Unspun is the new face of the movement to cut down on emissions and waste in fashion. Its newest assignment: making work chinos for Walmart on its 3D weaving machines.

Undersea Cable Damage Causes Internet Outages Across Africa

Ivory Coast, Liberia, Benin, Ghana and Burkina Faso among countries experiencing outages.

Craig Wright Is Not Bitcoin Creator Satoshi Nakamoto, Judge Declares

A surprisingly fast ruling at the end of a six-week trial in the UK High Court ends Craig Wright’s campaign to be recognized as the inventor of Bitcoin.

== yjc
Tapeworm eggs in brain linked to undercooked bacon

A man in the US who complained of frequent migraines was found to have tapeworm eggs in his brain, likely linked to eating undercooked bacon.

Elon Musk’s Starship goes ‘farther than ever’

US company SpaceX’s Starship rocket made a huge leap in progress in its third test flight on Thursday, completing many of its objectives.

Playing Thriving Reef Sounds On Underwater Speakers ‘Could Save Damaged Corals’

Coral larvae more likely to settle on degraded reefs bathed in marine soundscapes, Caribbean study shows.

== yjc
America’s Last Top Models

For decades, U.S. inventors sent in models with their patent applications—gizmos that reveal a secret history of unmet needs and relentless innovation.

Why Are So Many Young People Getting Cancer? What the Data Say

Clues to a modern mystery could be lurking in information collected generations ago.

‘Larger Than Everest’ Comet Could Become Visible To Naked Eye This Month

Halley-type comet that orbits once every 71.3 years will be easier to spot as it passes by bright stars, say astronomers.

What we can learn from Canada’s record wildfire season, as a new one approaches

New study examines unprecedented 2023 fires and what to expect in years ahead.

World’s oldest known lipstick traced back 5,000 years

The world’s oldest known lipstick was worn up to 5,000 years ago in what is now southern Iran, says a new study.

MEPs approve world’s first comprehensive AI law

The European Parliament has approved the world’s first comprehensive framework for constraining the risks of artificial intelligence (AI).

Sail-powered cargo ship ‘shows potential of wind’

Retrofitting giant, rigid sails to a cargo ship has effectively cut its fuel use and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, shipping firm data shows.

== who knew?
Giant redwoods: World’s largest trees ’thriving in UK’

Giant redwoods - the world’s largest trees - are flourishing in the UK and now even outnumber those found in their native range in California.

Why firms are bringing their manufacturing back home

But now the West is fighting back, with an increasing trend towards reshoring.

== yjc
The hidden village just metres from North Korea

Gyung-ho and Mi-sun’s is a classic love story.

China Puts Trust in AI To Maintain Largest High-Speed Rail Network on Earth

Vast amounts of real-time data are processed by an artificial intelligence system in Beijing to identify problems before they arise.

‘I did not expect so many games about people’s pets’: why Downpour is a great alternative to doomscrolling

A simple and endearing game creation tool has people creating little shareable interactive games instead of pawing at the news on their phones.

Researchers resurrect long-extinct fossil creature as a robot

Robot designed to mimic enigmatic sea creature can help us understand how it moved.

Diminutive Deep Sea Drone Dives for Wrecks and Reefs

Hydrus is designed to be more like a DJI quadcopter than a submarine.

== paywall??
VR headsets can be hacked with an Inception-style attack

Researchers managed to crack Meta’s Quest VR system, allowing them to steal sensitive information, and manipulate social interactions.

Stratolaunch’s air-launched test vehicle goes supersonic in its first powered flight

The company’s mammoth airplane deployed a winged test vehicle for its first rocket-powered flight.

Conflicting Values For Hubble Constant Not Due To Measurement Error, Study Finds

Something else is influencing the expansion rate of the Universe.

3D Images of Over 13,000 Museum Specimens Now Free To Everyone

The openVertebrate (oVert) project allows free access to images of over 13,000 vertebrates.

Surgeons Perform UK’s First Operation Using Apple’s Vision Pro Headset

Apple’s mixed reality device could revolutionize the industry.

When wind turbine blades get old what’s next?

The cranes moved in last year at Hagshaw Hill, Scotland’s oldest commercial wind farm.

== don’t know if this is true in BC or Canada in general, but potential obviously present
Automakers Are Sharing Consumers’ Driving Behavior With Insurance Companies

Automakers collect driving behavior data and share it with insurance companies.

US Must Move ‘Decisively’ To Avert ‘Extinction-Level’ Threat From AI, Gov’t-Commissioned Report Says

The rise of advanced AI and AGI [artificial general intelligence] has the potential to destabilize global security in ways reminiscent of the introduction of nuclear weapons.

‘Now Fusion Has a Chance’: New MIT Research Claims Fusion Power’s ‘Practicality’ Has Been Proven

Detailed study of magnets built by MIT and Commonwealth Fusion Systems confirms they meet requirements for an economic, compact fusion power plant.

== when were you born and where?
== when I was a kid we also had lead based paints used in homes, on toys, etc.
Lead From Gasoline Blunted the IQ of About Half the U.S. Population, Study Says

Leaded gas was banned in 1996, but exposure to the poison cost people born before then several IQ points on average, researchers estimated.

Montreal doctors develop a virtual reality tool that could save children’s lives

Nearly a million children die each year from injuries sustained in accidents:WHO

‘Monumental’ Experiment Suggests How Life on Earth May Have Started

In a series of test tubes, scientists developed an RNA molecule that was able to make accurate copies, a small but important step in showing how life on Earth could have started with RNA.

PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ To Officially Be Removed from Food Packaging, FDA Says

The FDA said Wednesday that companies are phasing out the use of ‘forever chemicals’ in food packaging.

13-Year-Old Wins Science Fair with ‘Death Ray’ Experiment. Sort of…

Brenden Sener, 13, of London, Ontario, created a miniature version of Archimedes’ death ray for the 2023 Matthews Hall Annual Science Fair.

From luxury bunkers to tactical vehicles, the ultra-rich are preparing for the Big One

Builders of fortified homes say inquiries and applications are up in recent years