Category Archives: Science and Technology

Trump, health, science, and the next 4 years

The Lancet (thanks to Ed M.) Donald Trump’s decisive re-election as US President on Nov 5 puts many aspects of health and science in a deeply concerning position. Although there is broader alarm about his openly authoritarian intentions, his imminent … Continue reading

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If You Think You Can Hold a Grudge, Consider the Crow

Ed note: Did you know s group of crows is called a “murder” – this is likely due to old superstitions associating crows with death and scavenging. Sure you may know a group of deer is called a herd, or a group … Continue reading

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After a Decade, Scientists Unveil Fly Brain in Stunning Detail

Scientists have mapped out how 140,000 neurons are wired in the brain of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. By Carl Zimmer Oct. 2, 2024 A fruit fly’s brain is smaller than a poppy seed, but it packs tremendous complexity into that … Continue reading

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Celebrating science that’s off the beaten track – the Ig Noble awards

Thanks to MaryLou P. It was the quirky aspects of science that researchers celebrated at this year’s Ig Nobel award ceremony at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass. Actual Nobel laureates gave out the ten prizes. “This is the first … Continue reading

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A Beginner’s Guide to Looking at the Universe

Thanks to Marilyn W. Dim the lights, use a full screen and click on this link to see amazing pictures of the universe captured by the Webb telescope–challenging old views and providing new questions

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As you get your COVID vaccine, thank these two scientists

Thanks to Ed M. Yesterday, the 2023 Nobel Prize Winners for Physiology or Medicine went to Drew Weissman and Katalin Karikó for their discoveries in the biotechnology behind our Covid-19 mRNA vaccines.  Behind the amazing story of perseverance and collaborative … Continue reading

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Octopuses used in research could receive same protections as monkeys

Thanks to Mike C. A giant Pacific octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) is weighed and tagged by a biologist.Credit: Fred Bavendam/Minden Pictures/Alamy Cephalopods such as octopuses and squid could soon receive the same legal protection as mice and monkeys do when they … Continue reading

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Here’s Why AI May Be Extremely Dangerous—Whether It’s Conscious or Not

Here’s Why AI May Be Extremely Dangerous—Whether It’s Conscious or Not By Tamlyn Hunt in the Scientific American (thanks to Ed M.) “The idea that this stuff could actually get smarter than people…. I thought it was way off…. Obviously, I no … Continue reading

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Converging atmospheric rivers (look north)

Here we see the Puget Sound Convergence Zone, ordinarily found up north of the King County line. Moisture-laden westerly winds off the Pacific run into the Olympic Mountain range and split into a south-around branch (via southern Puget Sound) and … Continue reading

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ChatGPT4 wrote this sonnet for me

Ed note: Just for fun I asked the AI program to write a Shakespearean style sonnet about an iPhone. Here’s the result. Yikes! O iPhone, thou art a wondrous device, A marvel crafted with artistry rare, Thy sleek design doth … Continue reading

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A Year of Cosmic Wonder With the James Webb Space Telescope

A new image from the James Webb Space Telescope shows the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex, the closest star-forming region to Earth. By Katrina Miller in the NYT By now, perhaps, we should be getting used to unreal images of the cosmos made … Continue reading

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EV batteries remain major challenge for insurers, Thatcham Research says

By Nick Carey (thanks to Kate B.) An electric car is charged at a roadside EV charge point, London, October 19, 2021. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo LONDON, July 5 (Reuters) – A lack of data on electric vehicle (EV) batteries continues to … Continue reading

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Suddenly, It Looks Like We’re in a Golden Age for Medicine

By David Wallace-Wells in the NYT Thanks to Ed M. Hype springs eternal in medicine, but lately the horizon of new possibility seems almost blindingly bright. “I’ve been running my research lab for almost 30 years,” says Jennifer Doudna, a biochemist … Continue reading

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Meditation and resilience – The Hidden Brain

Hidden Brain Media is an independent production company that aims to help curious people understand the world, and themselves. Our host and Executive Editor Shankar Vedantam has been reporting on human behavior and social science research for more than 25 … Continue reading

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Did My 1967 Experiment Inspire China’s Spy Balloon?

From the WSJ by Richard A. Muller

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Tech support available at the nearby Memory Hub

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When scientists tagged a curious seal, he led them to signs of a potential climate disaster

from the Washington Post (thanks to Pam P.) This is a story about a curious seal, a wayward robot and a gigantic climate change disaster that may be waiting to happen. Scientists tagged a southern elephant seal on the island … Continue reading

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) sites like ChatGPT raise many ethical issues

Thanks to Mike C. Ed note: For your information and entertainment do a search for chatgpt and sign on. Then ask it to write essays for you. The results may astound you.

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JWST’s best images: spectacular stars and spiraling galaxies

Click the following for: Nature’s pick of the sharpest science shots this month is dedicated to the James Webb Space Telescope, which began peering into the Universe earlier this year. Thanks to Mike C.

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Drop, Cover and Hold?

Thanks to Gordon G.

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France to require all large parking lots to be covered by solar panels

Thanks to Pam P. In France, solar just got a huge boost from new legislation approved through the Senate this week that will require all parking lots with spaces for at least 80 vehicles – both existing and new – to be … Continue reading

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Hidden in the heavens

The pictures from the new Webb satellite telescope show the heavens in the infrared wavelengths, something we cannot see from the ground.

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Dubai builds world’s largest vertical farm

Thanks to Pam P. The city known for importing almost all of its produce will now grow 2 million pounds of leafy greens each year inside the world’s largest vertical farm. As the world begins to turn its back on … Continue reading

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The Taskar Center for Accessible Technology

Thanks so Mary M. Please click here to go to their web site at the UW. It’s heart warming to see this level of interest in people with motility and speech limitations. Mission Statement The Taskar Center for Accessible Technology … Continue reading

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Different Masking Rules for retirement communities?

It seems our age group was less vulnerable to the delta variant last summer but is 2x more vulnerable to winter’s omicron variant. Variants will keep coming, as long as so many people resist vaccination and keep socially mixing. The … Continue reading

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