"string theory lied to us and now science communication is hard" ( www.youtube.com )
Dr. Angela Collier plays the Binding of Isaac: Rebirth and talks at length about what went wrong with string theory, and how that affected science communication.
No regrets: Gender-affirming chest surgery in adults has long-term satisfaction ( arstechnica.com )
People who underwent gender-affirming chest reconstruction surgeries as adults have virtually no regrets years later and overwhelmingly high levels of satisfaction with their decision to have the procedure, according to a study published Wednesday in JAMA Surgery. The results were so clear, in fact, that the study authors were...
Superconductor breakthrough replicated twice on preliminary testing ( www.tomshardware.com )
Definitely Do Not Put Plastic in the Microwave ( www.bonappetit.com )
NASA has reestablished full communications with Voyager 2 ( www.nasa.gov )
Vegan Diets Cut Emissions, Water Pollution and Land Use by 75%, Major Study Finds ( www.ecowatch.com )
study link is here: Scarborough, P., Clark, M., Cobiac, L. et al. Vegans, vegetarians, fish-eaters and meat-eaters in the UK show discrepant environmental impacts. Nat Food 4, 565–574 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-023-00795-w
Study: Air purifier use at daycare centres cut kids' sick days by a third ( yle.fi )
Drugmakers Are Set to Pay 23andMe Millions to Access Consumer DNA ( www.bloomberg.com )
Blue-light filtering glasses probably make no difference to eye strain – study ( www.independent.co.uk )
[xkcd] Physics will make you rich! ( xkcd.com )
Prehistoric bird once thought extinct returns to New Zealand wild ( www.theguardian.com )
In New Zealand, the return of wild takahē populations marks a cautiously celebrated conservation victory, and the return of one of the world’s rarest creatures. The birds had been formally declared extinct in 1898, their already-reduced population devastated by the arrival of European settlers’ animal companions: stoats,...
Pythagorean Theorem Found On Clay Tablet 1,000 Years Older Than Pythagoras ( www.iflscience.com )
A Babylonian tablet from around 1770 BC uses principles of the Pythagorean theorem, suggesting ancient Babylonians discovered it centuries before the famous Greek mathematician Pythagoras for whom it’s named.
Perfectly Preserved Dinosaur Embryo Found Inside Fossilized Egg ( www.iflscience.com )
Brain's Weight Switch Found: May Let Us Eat What We Want, Finally ( neurosciencenews.com )
A new discovery reveals that astrocytes, star-shaped cells in the brain, play a key role in regulating fat metabolism and obesity. These cells act on a cluster of neurons, known as the GABRA5 cluster, effectively acting as a “switch” for weight regulation....
Many people feel they work in pointless, meaningless jobs, research confirms ( phys.org )
Engineers Just Made Concrete 30% Stronger. The Secret Ingredient? Coffee. ( www.popularmechanics.com )
Billions of nanoplastics released when microwaving baby food containers ( www.sciencedaily.com )
Unconditional cash transfers reduce homelessness ( www.pnas.org )
This Week in Science ( media.universeodon.com )
by @ScienceAlert...
Tinnitus Linked to Hidden Undetected Auditory Nerve Damage – A Step Towards a Cure ( scitechdaily.com )
A groundbreaking study by Mass Eye and Ear associates tinnitus with undetected auditory nerve damage, challenging previous beliefs and opening new paths for treatment through auditory nerve regeneration.
Family of Henrietta Lacks, whose HeLa cells uphold medicine, settles with biotech company ( apnews.com )
HeLa cells have changed the field of medicine and have led to multitudes of life saving innovations. Unfortunately, the donor, Henrietta Lacks, did not consent to the harvesting of the cell line, and until now, her and her family have not received compensation from companies that profited from products tested and designed with...
Doctors Remove Woman’s Brain Implant Against Her Will ( futurism.com )
Curiosity finds evidence of wet and dry seasons on ancient Mars ( www.theregister.com )
The evidence came from photographs snapped by the NASA bot of the dry, dusty Martian surface marked by a series of hexagonal shapes that indicate mud covered the surface before drying and cracking....
Scientists Discover Natural Molecule That Eradicates Plaques and Cavities ( scitechdaily.com )
Scientists have discovered that the molecule DIM reduces biofilms causing dental plaque by 90%. Its addition to toothpaste and mouthwash could revolutionize dental hygiene. 3,3′-Diindolylmethane (DIM) decreased the Streptococcus mutans biofilm, a leading contributor to plaque and cavities, by 90%....