Science & Technology

2020-06-30

Betelgeuse: Nearby ‘supernova’ star’s dimming explained

David McNamara International, Science & Technology 0

Article Link: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53218658

Discussion posted by: David McNamara

Astronomers say big cool patches on a “supergiant” star close to Earth were behind its surprise dimming last year. Red giant stars like Betelgeuse frequently undergo changes in brightness, but the drop to 40% of its normal value between October 2019 and April 2020 surprised astronomers. Researchers now say this was caused by gigantic cool areas similar to the sunspots seen on our own parent star. There had been speculation that Betelgeuse was about to go supernova. But the star instead began to recover and by May 2020 it was back at its original brightness.

2020-06-29

Scientific paper “proves” clouds control the climate, not man

Arye ben-Shaoul International, Nature & Environment, Science & Technology 0

Article Link: https://electroverse.net/new-scientific-paper-proves-clouds-control-the-climate-not-man/

Discussion posted by: Arye ben-Shaoul

A June, 2019 research paper concludes that human activity can account for no more than a 0.01C rise in global temperatures, and goes so far as to “prove” low-level clouds “practically control the global temperature”. The paper, entitled “No Experimental Evidence for the Significant Anthropogenic Climate Change“ and published in Nature, is the work of a group Finnish scientists. It explains how the IPCC’s analysis of global temperatures suffers from at least one glaring error — namely, the failure to account for “influences of low cloud cover” on global temperatures.

2020-06-29

A Huge, Super Bright Jupiter Reaches Opposition This Month

David McNamara International, Joy & Wonder, Nature & Environment, Science & Technology 0

Article Link: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/625986/extra-bright-jupiter-reaches-opposition

Discussion posted by: David McNamara

Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system, and the largest one that’s visible from Earth with the naked eye. The gas giant will be even easier to spot on July 13 and 14—that’s when Jupiter reaches opposition, making it appear extra bright in the night sky. Once a year, the Earth comes between Jupiter and the sun. During this time, Jupiter is at opposition to the sun, which means that from our planet, Jupiter appears to rise in the east as the sun sets in the west. On the night of July 13 and early morning of July 14, 2020, the sun will be in the perfect position to fully illuminate Jupiter’s gaseous surface.

2020-06-25

The Pentagon has plans to destroy hypersonic weapons attacks

IRWeasel International, Politics, Science & Technology, War & Terrorism 0

Article Link: https://www.foxnews.com/tech/pentagon-plans-destroy-hypersonic-weapons-attacks

Discussion posted by: IRWeasel

The Pentagon is looking to Space War as an emerging method to counter seemingly unstoppable hypersonic weapons attacks, with early prototyping of satellite sensors and other tracking technology to more quickly find and “take out” weapons traveling more than five times the speed of sound. “We have to work on sensor architecture, because they do maneuver and they are global, you have to be able to track them worldwide and globally. It does drive you towards a space architecture, which is where we’re going,” Navy Vice Admiral Jon Hill, director of the Missile Defense Agency, said in a Pentagon report.

2020-06-24

Obama admin VA hospitals used term ‘Kung Flu’ in official online, marketing materials

IRWeasel Health & Living, International, Politics, Science & Technology 0

Article Link: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/va-hospitals-kung-flu-term-marketing-materials-obama-administration

Discussion posted by: IRWeasel

EXCLUSIVE: Two federally-run Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals during the Obama administration used the term “Kung Flu” in official materials, along with imagery of a monkey in a karate suit and a ninja wearing a flu mask, Fox News has learned. President Trump’s use of the term “Kung Flu” to refer to the coronavirus has drawn accusations of racism and insensitivity, but the use of the term under the Obama administration has gone unreported.

2020-06-23

Apple Mac computers make jump to its own chips

David McNamara Business & Economics, International, Science & Technology 0

Article Link: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-53142989

Discussion posted by: David McNamara

Apple has confirmed it will transition its Mac laptop and desktop computers to its own ARM-based processors. The move means that Macs will run on the same type of chips as the firm’s iPhones and iPads, rather than Intel’s. Intel had faced problems manufacturing its own designs, leading it to issue a public apology to computer-makers. Apple’s challenge will be to carry off the transition smoothly and convince third-party developers to update their apps accordingly. “We expect to ship our first Mac with Apple silicon by the end of the year,” said chief executive Tim Cook, adding that it would likely be two years before its full product line had made the jump.

2020-06-22

Driving Tip: Siri will record your police interaction if you get pulled over

David McNamara International, Law & Crime, Science & Technology 0

Article Link: https://driving.ca/auto-news/news/driving-tip-siri-will-record-your-police-interaction-if-you-get-pulled-over

Discussion posted by: David McNamara

If you have an iPhone and don’t use Siri, you’re missing out. She’ll send text messages that you dictate to her, find out the population of Hong Kong or other random facts, and can even tell a mean dad joke. But this week, Apple’s virtual assistant is making headlines for another feature: recording police interactions if you’re being pulled over. The “Hey Siri, I’m being pulled over,” feature is a custom-built shortcut that you need to download and install on your iPhone, but it’s free to use once it’s there. The shortcut has actually been around since 2018, but in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the increased awareness and conversations around police brutality, it’s being recognized as a tool that could help save lives.

2020-06-22

Color-Changing Inks Can Be Printed onto Clothing to Warn the Wearer About Potential Health Issues

David McNamara Business & Economics, Health & Living, International, Science & Technology 0

Article Link: https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/color-changing-inks-from-tufts-can-be-printed-onto-clothing/

Discussion posted by: David McNamara

Thanks to a recent development from Tufts University’s School of Engineering, we may soon be able to wear clothing that can change color in response to chemicals released from our bodies or detected in the air. The biomaterial-based inks can be screen-printed onto textiles such as clothes, shoes, or even face masks in complex patterns and at high resolution, providing a detailed map of human response or exposure. The advance in wearable sensing, reported in Advanced Materials, could simultaneously detect and quantify a wide range of biological conditions, molecules and, possibly, pathogens over the surface of the body using conventional garments and uniforms.

2020-06-21

The left only loves science when it suits their cause

David McNamara Health & Living, International, Science & Technology 0

Article Link: https://thepostmillennial.com/the-left-only-loves-science-when-it-suits-their-cause

Discussion posted by: David McNamara

Where social media was once the space for artists to expose their talents and for political acts to be exposed, today it has become a minefield of wokerati. In the run-up to a global pandemic, we witnessed how social media has pushed for authoritarianism in demanding curbs to freedom of dissent concerning matters of science where gender identity has been medicalized. Then during the pandemic, we saw this same left suddenly shift only to insist that medical science, even in its early days researching COVID-19, be hailed and rigidly supported. Raise your hand if you got whiplash watching this bait and switch.

2020-06-19

Coronavirus: What does blood type have to do with COVID-19?

Arye ben-Shaoul Health & Living, International, Science & Technology 0

Article Link: https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-what-does-blood-type-have-to-do-with-covid-19/a-53869161

Discussion posted by: Arye ben-Shaoul

COVID-19 can take mild to severe courses: Sometimes there are no symptoms, and sometimes people die. New research suggests that blood types could play a rather important role by affecting the immune response.

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