Number 298
‘Planetary Parade’ Will See Six Planets Line Up In the Morning Sky
A line of solar system worlds is getting ready to wow in the pre-dawn sky this month.
Scientists Find the Largest Known Genome Inside a Small Plant
Coming in at more than 100 meters of unraveled DNA.
== British perspective
At-home saliva test may catch deadly prostate cancers
Researchers believe the cheap and simple testing method could help catch the disease earlier and save lives.
Vermont Becomes 1st State To Enact Law Requiring Oil Companies Pay For Damage From Climate Change
The state would use federal data to determine the amount of covered greenhouse gas emissions attributed to a fossil fuel company.
== something to think about
Alzheimer’s Takes a Financial Toll Long Before Diagnosis, Study Finds
New research shows that people who develop dementia often begin falling behind on bills years earlier.
Sudden cut in pollution in 2020 meant less shade from sun and was ‘substantial’ factor in record surface temperatures in 2023, study finds
== have seen this before, but now some real numbers
Cut In Ship Pollution Sparked Global Heating Spurt
Sudden cut in pollution in 2020 meant less shade from sun and was ‘substantial’ factor in record surface temperatures in 2023, study finds.
Meet Bubbles, a rare pink grasshopper now living in a London family’s home
Experts say the insect is rare but not for the reasons you might think.
There’s a climate threat lurking in rivers around the world
Humans may be turning rivers from carbon sinks into carbon sources, scientist says.
How the new version of ChatGPT generates hate and disinformation on command
GPT-4o goaded into producing offensive content, Radio-Canada investigation found.
Human-caused wildfires are on the decline, but experts say improvements needed for tracking wildfire causes.
Dinosaur hunter stumbles across million-dollar find
The first stegosaurus skeleton to go under the hammer is set to fetch millions of dollars in New York.
Thousands of cancer patients to trial personalised vaccines
The vaccines are designed to prime the immune system to recognise and destroy any remaining cancer cells and reduce the risk of the disease recurring.
New York Governor To Launch Bill Banning Smartphones in Schools
Kathy Hochul pushes online child safety, telling social media companies: ‘You’re not going to profit off the mental health of children.’
== yjc, was a pretty friendly goat on my uncle’s farm when I was a kid
‘We go everywhere together,’ says man who took baby goat on a cross-Canada road trip
Jimmy the goat was rejected by his mother, so Hector Aubertin stepped up and became his best friend
US Slows Plans To Retire Coal-Fired Plants as Power Demand From AI Surges
Ongoing fossil fuel use means maybe it’s time to revise that idea that AI will kill us with robots.
NASA’S James Webb Space Telescope has found the most distant galaxy ever observed
The “bright, massive and large” star system reportedly formed just 290 million years after the big bang.
The world’s first tooth-regrowing drug has been approved for human trials
If things go as planned, the medicine could be available to consumers by 2030.
Spots, stripes and more: Working out the logic of animal patterns
More than 70 years ago, mathematician Alan Turing proposed a mechanism that explained how patterns could emerge from bland uniformity. Scientists are still using his model — and adding new twists — to gain a deeper understanding of animal markings.
== paywall?
How one weather extreme can make the next one even more dangerous
We’re in an era of compound natural disasters.
== paywall?
US Nears Deal To Fund Moderna mRNA Bird Flu Shot Trial, Report Says
Federal funding worth “several tens of millions of dollars” will come from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) likely sometime next month.
Very Few People Are Using ‘Much Hyped’ AI Products Like ChatGPT, Survey Finds
But the study says young people are bucking the trend, with 18 to 24-year-olds the most eager adopters of the tech.
Wind and Solar Saved the US $250 Billion Over 4 Years, Report Finds
Climate and health benefits of wind and solar dwarf all subsidies.
== never seen one of these
Road Planners Embrace the Diverging Diamond Interchange To Speed Up Traffic
When you first approach this bridge over Interstate 66 in northern Virginia, it may feel like you’re driving on the wrong side of the road.
== opinion piece
Ottawa wants the power to create secret backdoors in our networks to allow for surveillance
A federal cybersecurity bill, slated to advance through Parliament soon, contains secretive, encryption-breaking powers that the government has been loath to talk about.
Blacklisted Chinese Companies Rebrand as American To Dodge Crackdown
Firms tagged as military entities use new names and licensing deals to try to keep their businesses going in the U.S.
Canadian scientists launch early warning system to spot traces of H5N1 bird flu in milk
Pan-Canadian Milk Network hopes to conduct ongoing tests alongside government surveillance
Why am I dreaming I have an exam I didn’t study for?
Our brains are awake even while we are asleep. They are busy cementing things we have learned, building on our memories and processing our emotions.
Took my chances on a big jet plane
Never let 'em tell you that they're all the same
Oh, the sea was red, and the sky was grey
Wondered how tomorrow could ever follow today