Last week, Unistellar, an innovative company in optical devices and a partner of the SETI Institute since the release of their user-friendly smart telescope in 2017, announced the launch of a groundbreaking new product: the ENVISION Smart Binoculars. This new device will captivate stargazers and outdoor enthusiasts, serving as an excellent instrument for outreach and scientific expeditions.
How much does misinformation affect the people who consume it? Researchers at MIT and Penn set out to analyze the impact of 13,000 headlines on vaccination intentions among roughly 233 million U.S.-based Facebook users. Read more from Science Alert, including what type of content had the biggest influence over vaccine hesitancy. https://flip.it/jbP52i #Science#Health#SocialMedia#Misinformation
Today, the Greenland ice sheet is melting rapidly, and some scientists worry that the Atlantic current system may be headed for a climate tipping point this century.
New research, published in the journal Science, suggests that the risk is not as imminent as some people fear, because of data gleaned from historic iceberg records.
AI chatbots and large language models struggle to convey genuine empathy, a new study found, but that’s not the worst of it. Research led by a Stanford computer scientist shows that these conversation agents can also encourage toxic belief systems like Nazism, racism, and sexism. Live Science reports: https://flip.it/Q3T4Uu #Science#AI#ArtificialIntelligence#Chatbots#Empathy
Next #SETILive: TODAY, 2:30 pm PDT
James Webb Telescope Unveils Wild Weather on WASP-43 b
Join communications specialist Beth Johnson in an exciting chat with lead author and researcher Taylor Bell from the Bay Area Environmental Research Institute as they discuss these amazing findings and what they mean in the search for habitable worlds.
Astronomers using JWST have just identified the earliest, most distant galaxy known. This image shows JADES-GS-z14-0 as it was when the universe was 2.2% its current age.
On the lunar surface, a single Earth day would be 56 microseconds shorter — a tiny number that can lead to significant inconsistencies over time. That’s why scientists aren’t just looking to create a new “time zone” for the Moon, but an entirely new “time scale” that accounts for the faster speed at which seconds tick by up there. CNN explains: https://flip.it/V_LgSS #Science#Space#Moon#Time#NASA
#PPOD: The shadow is not that of Europa but a second moon (Io), which is not in this frame. Europa is slightly smaller than Earth's Moon and is tidally locked. Jupiter's Great Red Spot (GRS) is a vast cyclonic storm system about three times the size of Earth when Voyager flew by. Since 1979, the GRS has continuously shrunk, slowly changing its shape from an oval to a circle. It is now a little over the size of the Earth only. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / Kevin M. Gill
Yesterday, Unistellar co-founder and CSO Franck Marchis presented the Cosmic Cataclysm program at Explore Scientific's 150th Global Star Party. He highlighted the incredible efforts of his colleagues at the SETI Institute in monitoring, observing, and analyzing data from novas and supernovas. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bB8HBI-swO8&t=5288s
A beluga can change the shape of its "melon" (the bulbous mass on its head) at will. Could this be used as a form of communication? A new study indicates that it might. Here's a story from @hakaimagazine with a six-panel comic illustrating the five different melon shapes and in what contexts some are used.
Conditions improved in south-central and northern areas of Kansas this week, while both extreme and severe drought expanded slightly in parts of western Kansas.
The state’s vacillating drought conditions over the past few weeks have affected some winter wheat crops. This week’s USDA Crop Progress report rated Kansas’ winter wheat condition at 11% very poor, 21% poor, 36% fair, 29% good and 3% excellent.
Unweaving the Rainbow: Science, Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder by Richard Dawkins, 2020
With the wit, insight, and spellbinding prose that have made him a bestselling author, Dawkins takes up the most important and compelling topics in modern science, from astronomy and genetics to language and virtual reality, combining them in a landmark statement of the human appetite for wonder.
Mexico has had a long history of resilient agricultural systems and food cultures that reflect the country’s agrobiodiversity. With GEF funding, FAO and CONABIO are reviving traditional practices to support the resilience of farmers’ livelihoods and meet the population’s nutritional needs
After crisis in interstellar space, stream of Voyager 1 data resumes. Before its computer crashed, the venerable NASA probe may have entered mysterious new region beyond the Solar System.
A 23-year study found that barley grown under organic farming conditions developed unique genetic adaptations, enhancing resilience to nutrient and water deficiencies.
Unlike conventionally farmed barley, which became genetically uniform, organic barley maintained genetic diversity, aiding adaptation to environmental changes.
Abandoned farmlands could play a role in fighting climate change. A new study shows exactly where they are.
Farmland could be used to grow crops like switchgrass or sorghum, which can trap carbon in the soil and serve as feedstocks for biofuels and replacements for petrochemicals. #ClimateChange#Research#Science
In other words, the "good old days"™ are a figment of our imagination, sourced at a time when you didn't have to worry about bills.
I take life with the belief that the world has always been shitty, the world is shitty, and the world will be shitty in the future, with many bright spots to cherish along the way.
Also: 60s, 70s, 80s, and some 90s are the best music that's just #Science LOL
A List - 12 Ancient Scientific Instruments You Can Still See Today - These incredible tools were used to understand the world thousands of years ago. (Atlas Obscura)
"...These mechanisms, some of which date back as far as 5,000 years ago, were developed on different continents by a wide range of cultures, from advanced metallurgy in India to the influential astronomical calendars of the ancient Maya. Amazingly, some of these ancient scientific instruments have been preserved through the millennia, and can be visited today. Each provides a window into how our ancestors made sense of the world around them..."
Traditional agrifood systems conserve biodiversity and support nutrition in Mexico (www.fao.org)
Mexico has had a long history of resilient agricultural systems and food cultures that reflect the country’s agrobiodiversity. With GEF funding, FAO and CONABIO are reviving traditional practices to support the resilience of farmers’ livelihoods and meet the population’s nutritional needs