Category Archives: General Science
Ancient Humans
Looks Like Fun!
I’m in.
Coronavirus News
First the good news…
Cocktail of flu, HIV drugs appears to help fight coronavirus: Thai doctors
Now the bad…
A ‘highly pathogenic strain’ of H5N1 bird flu has been reported in China’s Hunan province
Bird Flu is not as contagious as coronavirus, but much more lethal.
BTW, you may have noticed I post links to Yahoo news a lot. It’s still one of my first stops when browsing the news. Mostly because it links to so many reputable news sources. (Although, a few not so reputable ones as well. Just not as many as other sites.)
Another Vaping Warning
I’ve mentioned that e cigarettes have really never been properly tested on humans. Just sayin’
Teen’s graphic images of vaping damage go viral: ‘My lung tissue was just completely destroyed‘
Infectious Diseases on the Rise
Takeaway quote…
“There were nearly 1,300 cases of measles in the U.S. through November, That’s the largest number in 27 years. There were no deaths but about 120 people ended up in the hospital.
This from a disease that vaccines had essentially purged from the country for a decade.
“How can we have gone from eliminating the disease to reviving a disease? It’s mind-shattering that we would go in that direction,” said U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., who heads a congressional subcommittee that oversees public health spending.
‘Tough year’ for measles and other infectious diseases in US
Octopus Dreaming
Does a sleeping octopus dream?
Just Don’t
More vaping results…
Our Oldest Ancestor or a Distant Relative?
The Greatest Accomplishment in Human History
Happened 50 years ago Today.
Think about it. When a team of historians and scholars were recently asked “What is the greatest accomplishment in human history?” The overwhelming answer was the time when humans walked on the moon.
The last human to set foot on the moon was 47 years ago.
Why so long?
Ohio Now Has the Measles
Thanks to stupidity. A disease that was almost wiped out in this country has now been brought back by ignorance and arrogance.
Ohio reports first case of measles in two years amid national outbreak
We May Have a Picture of a Black Hole by Friday
Whoa.
The Scientific Benefits of Boredom
Another great video from Veritasium.
Interesting Classic TV
Circa 1980’s I’m guessing. From the Australian Kids TV Show “The Curiosity Show”.
R.I.P. Stephen Hawking
His contributions to Physics and his ability to popularize science have secured his place in history, his triumph over motor neuron disease have made him a legend. It is rare that a real human is far more compelling a character than anything fiction could dream up.
Iceland Is Growing New Forests for the First Time in 1,000 Years
Wow, so cool.
Quantum Wierdness
Every year students ask me questions about quantum mechanics. And I have to say “It’s weird.” and leave it largely at that. Here’s a good reason why…
The Drinking Bird
I have one of these somewhere. They are amazing to watch. The laws of thermodynamics at work.
Wow, That’s a Big Ancient City
How did people live in such density before sanitation?
Ancient city’s LiDAR scans reveal as many buildings as Manhattan
Interesting Side Effect
Malaria kills over one million people per year. This could be big, regardless of strange side effects.
Interesting
This accounts for a great deal of bad policy decisions I think.
California’s Wildfires
Bad stuff here. NASA image of the wildfires from space.
On Sharks
Okay so one of my fun facts this week was that humans kill a million sharks each year, but sharks only kill about six humans per year. Well, I was wrong. Humans kill 100 MILLION sharks each year.
HUMANS KILL 100 MILLION SHARKS EVERY YEAR, BUT THAT’S ABOUT TO CHANGE
And speaking of sharks…
PREHISTORIC, DINOSAUR-ERA SHARK WITH INSANE TEETH FOUND SWIMMING OFF COAST OF PORTUGAL
An Archaeological Controversy
Could early hominids have been walking around in Germany 9.7 million years ago? I doesn’t seem likely, and it’s a bit much to derive from two teeth.
Here is the slightly “fringe” article (warning: ad clogged website)…
And here is a response from National Geographic…
Ancient Teeth Found in Europe Belonged to Mystery Primate
Thanks Mark!
Nuclear Research and Safety
Two terms that should go together, but don’t seem to. This article is pretty scary.
These workers’ lives are endangered while contractors running nuclear weapons plants make millions