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An endangered sperm whale carcass was spotted on the beach recently near Juneau. It’s a rare sighting along the Inside Passage waters. Sperm whales typically feed in the open ocean.
Kate Savage, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, was the lead veterinarian on the job. Normally, she’s decked out in teal scrubs teaching students how to do necropsies on much smaller marine mammals, like frozen sea lions.
But last week, she got to help lead a team to work on a 48-foot-long sperm whale.
“People were just, like, really into learning as much as we could and excited to be working on a species no one had worked on before,” Savage said.
Only two dead sperm whales have washed up on Alaska shores to study since the 1990s: one in Homer and another near Kenai Fjords National Park. So the opportunity to examine the whale was particularly exciting for local scientists.
Living sperm whales have been spotted in the Inside Passage before. But sightings are infrequent. Savage said marine biologists have theorized this young male may have been following a group and feeding on squid, based on the contents of its stomach.
A plane reported it dead last week north of Berners Bay in Lynn Canal.
Upon arrival on the scene, Savage and a team went to work trying to determine the cause of death. Immediately, they noticed long slices around the dorsal fin — injuries consistent with a vessel strike.
Savage said it looked like significant trauma.
“Just jumbled vertebrae and lots of fractures,” Savage said. “Big fractures and small fractures. I could see some of the spinal cord.”
There were other signs that indicated this whale probably wasn’t floating dead in the water before a vessel collided with it. Savage said a tissue sample will ultimately determine the whale’s time of death.
Last year, seven whales in Alaska were killed by vessel strikes.
But her team members weren’t the only ones to marvel at the strange sight. Someone took most of the whale’s lower jaw before researchers went back for their second examination.
NOAA Enforcement is asking whoever took the body part to return it. It’s illegal to possess any piece of an endangered marine mammal. | <urn:uuid:215c8c29-88d8-4321-bb85-775882bd321d> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.alaskapublic.org/2019/04/05/southeast-alaska-researchers-get-rare-opportunity-to-study-a-sperm-whale/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141750841.83/warc/CC-MAIN-20201205211729-20201206001729-00443.warc.gz | en | 0.968551 | 481 | 2.796875 | 3 |
Behind Dunham Massey's quiet English country house exterior lie tales both personal and political: an earl who fought for the monarchy, rebellious housemaids, even an exiled emperor. Discover the complete story of Dunham Massey, a place that was both a grand, aristocratic house and home to 300 years of family drama.
Dunham Massey was built in the 18th century by the 2nd Earl of Warrington on the footprint of a much older building. It played a central role in Cheshire history; its earliest earls becoming embroiled in the politics of the English Civil War and in the downfall of King Charles I. This grand, historic house contains many reminders of its tumultuous past, from a vast collection of Huguenot silver to the portraits of politically minded family members that line the walls.
The house at Dunham Massey was restored in the 20th century by the 9th Earl of Stamford, who carefully refurbished its original architecture and interiors. The result is a perfectly preserved country house.
This engaging new guide tells the story of the owners and servants who lived at Dunham Massey, while offering a lively tour of the property, highlighting its many treasures, including the National Trust's finest silver collection. It also explores Dunham's vast gardens, including Britain's largest winter garden, and its magnificent deer park. Richly illustrated, the book is accompanied by a family tree, floorplans and bird's-eye views of the house and gardens.
Sorry, there are no reviews. | <urn:uuid:536a9dcb-467d-4be6-bb96-54e982bf262d> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://shop.nationaltrust.org.uk/national-trust-dunham-massey-guidebook.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141163411.0/warc/CC-MAIN-20201123153826-20201123183826-00004.warc.gz | en | 0.955755 | 305 | 2.8125 | 3 |
Fermilab outside Chicago will soon begin its Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), and what it hopes to accomplish is as brilliant and confusing as the book of its namesake.
The experiment starts with accelerating protons close to the speed of light. That beam of super-fast particles is measured and then shot out through 800 miles of rock, where it will pop back up in South Dakota to be measured at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, home of the largest neutrino detectors on Earth.
All the data gathered by both facilities will be analyzed by a team of 800 scientists across 150 institutions. Hopefully some conclusions can be reached about not just the elusive nature of neutrinos, but about how stars function and even why matter exists. Regardless, the experiment itself sounds cool as hell. | <urn:uuid:822f56ba-ea54-4dc4-a5c6-4072939f2080> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://gizmodo.com/scientists-at-fermilab-are-about-to-start-shooting-neut-1768242281 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141177607.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20201124224124-20201125014124-00084.warc.gz | en | 0.939541 | 162 | 3.078125 | 3 |
This magnificent and abandoned fortified city of Fatehpur Sikri was built for the Mughal Emperor Akbar. It was the capital of the Mughal empire from 1571 to 1585, and is considered the best example of Mughal architecture in existence. Akbar himself oversaw the construction of the fortress, ensuring that every detail of the city was befitting of an emperor’s grandeur.
Unfortunately, the fortress was abandoned as soon as it was finished.
The grand city was comprised of several palatial courts, a harem building, a mosque, private emperor’s quarters, residential buildings, the tomb of a Sufi saint, a giant outdoor board game, a pool, and utility buildings. These were colored a rosy hue by the local red sand used as construction material.
Fatehpur Sikri is also notable for the fact that it incorporated the many cultures of the Mughal empire—the name as well as the geometric layout drew on ancient Persian influences, whereas the buildings’ decorative embellishments were classically Indian. Akbar was known for his tolerance of multi-religious culture, and the inhabitants of the city followed Islam, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, and Christianity without conflict.
Not long after the fortress was completed, the lake that provided water to the complex dried up, and life at Fatehpur Sikri was unsustainable. Emperor Muhammad Shah lived in the city between 1719 and 1748, and the Marathas warriors occupied the city for a short time after that. Once the British invaded India, their army used the fortress as a barracks, during which time it was badly damaged.
What remains of Fatehpur Sikri is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A town has grown up to the west of the ruins, and still uses the mosque for worship. Archaeological excavation has indicated that the significance of the site dates way earlier than Emperor Akbar and Fatehpur Sikri. Thousand-year-old Jain statues and buildings have been unearthed beneath the city, suggesting that some lost culture existed there prior to the Mughals. | <urn:uuid:da65894a-bdb1-4ee3-9f0c-139f0580668c> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/fatehpur-sikri | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141193221.49/warc/CC-MAIN-20201127131802-20201127161802-00244.warc.gz | en | 0.976937 | 431 | 3.4375 | 3 |
Fission vs fusion
Nuclear fission and fusion reactions harness the strong nuclear force – the phenomenal ‘glue’ which holds atoms together. To produce a fission reaction, a neutron is fired at an atomic nucleus, smashing it apart and leaving radioactive nuclei, neutrons and energy.
In a fusion reaction, meanwhile, two or more nuclei are combined; they merge into one heavy nucleus, freeing neutrons and huge amounts of energy in the process. Coaxing nuclei together requires lots of heat and pressure since their positive charges naturally repel each other.
So how do these reactions generate such epic amounts of energy? An atom’s mass is more than just the sum of its parts. Strangely enough, a significant proportion of a nucleus’s mass is made up by the strong nuclear force – the glue that binds it together.
So although the number of protons and neutrons is the same before and after a fission or fusion reaction has taken place, a minute amount of that subatomic glue – and therefore mass – is liberated.
Both fission and fusion reactions convert this mass into energy, as described by Einstein’s famous E=mc2 equation. The constant c in this formula represents the speed of light, so c2 is a pretty big number! In other words, just a tiny bit of mass can produce an extraordinary amount of energy. | <urn:uuid:6c478d66-2402-49eb-88c7-e0888bfeb422> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.howitworksdaily.com/fission-vs-fusion/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141193221.49/warc/CC-MAIN-20201127131802-20201127161802-00244.warc.gz | en | 0.933022 | 286 | 4.28125 | 4 |
Many texts emphasize generality and abstract principles at the expense of concreteness; this text remedies that common mistake, stressing formal manipulations, intuitive appeal, and ingenuity. A two-volume treatment in a single binding, it supplements standard mathematics courses, employing physical analogies, encouraging problem formulation, and supplying problem-solving methods.
Since it addresses topics of varying complexity—from number-multiplication games and other recreational mathematics to the zeros of the Riemann zeta function and the presumed transcendence of Euler's constant—this volume can be used by readers of every background. Beginners will find it a source of useful techniques and subjects not usually taught in standard courses. They'll also discover connections between seemingly unrelated aspects of mathematics. Experienced mathematicians can rely upon the book as a source of problems and information on branches beyond their specialties. Other professionals—theoretical physicists and chemists, engineers, numerical analysts, and computer scientists—will also consider it a valuable reference.
Reprint of the John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1973 edition.
|Availability||Usually ships in 24 to 48 hours|
|Author/Editor||Z. A. Melzak|
|Dimensions||5 3/8 x 8 1/2| | <urn:uuid:ba4c9fec-7684-420a-af93-06558a90a637> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://store.doverpublications.com/0486457818.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141681209.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20201201170219-20201201200219-00484.warc.gz | en | 0.850735 | 259 | 2.71875 | 3 |
The outlook for tigers, a species that has nearly disappeared from the wild, got a little less dreary today.
New numbers revealed at the start of a tiger conservation conference in India show that the tiger population in the host country is actually on the rise.
Indian officials announced today (Mar. 28) that the country's tiger population has increased by 225 since 2007, the last time a comprehensive population survey was conducted.
Although the number may seem small, it marks a significant increase in India's tiger population, now said to be roughly 1,706 big cats.
The tiger count, conducted by Indian authorities and international conservation organizations, was the largest ever undertaken. Several areas in India were intensively surveyed for the first time, and a number of tigers were discovered living outside of designated tiger reserves and national parks.
"In its detail, this tiger estimation exercise shows the importance India attaches to this prime conservation issue," said Ravi Singh, chief executive of conservation group WWF's India branch. "The results indicate the need to intensify field-based management and intervention to go beyond the present benchmark, bringing more people and partners into the process."
The three-day International Tiger Conservation Conference comes shortly after the launch of the groundbreaking Global Tiger Recovery Program, a worldwide plan to bring the species back from the brink of extinction.
According to some estimates, a mere 3,200 tigers live in the wild in 13 Asian countries. Loss of habitat, poaching and a brisk trade in tiger parts have contributed to a 97 percent decline in tiger populations around the world, down from roughly 100,000 animals at the beginning of the 20th century.
"Recovery requires strong protection of core tiger areas and areas that link them, as well as effective management in the surrounding areas," said Mike Baltzer, head of WWF's Tigers Alive Initiative. "With these two vital conservation ingredients, we can not only halt their decline, but ensure tigers make a strong and lasting comeback."
The Global Tiger Recovery Program was forged in November 2010 at the world's first international tiger conservation meeting, in St. Petersburg, Russia. | <urn:uuid:1df56c75-56fd-43b3-8022-5d87ee0f9bd7> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna42309111 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141737946.86/warc/CC-MAIN-20201204131750-20201204161750-00644.warc.gz | en | 0.950706 | 425 | 3.46875 | 3 |
A peer-reviewed study “Harnessing a decade of data to inform future decisions: Insights into the ongoing hydrocarbon release at Taylor Energy’s Mississippi Canyon 20 site,” was published in Marine Pollution Bulletin on May 11, 2020. The paper was authored by a team of eight scientists who have been studying the MC-20 site for over a decade.
The release of oil and gas at Mississippi Canyon Block 20 into the Gulf of Mexico has vexed response officials since 2004 when a regional seafloor failure toppled the Taylor Energy Company platform. Despite the completion of nine intervention wells, releases continue from the seafloor, mostly captured by a recently installed containment system. Toward informing resolution, this work applies chemical forensic and statistical analyses to surface sheens, sediments, and reservoir oil samples. Our results indicate sheens are chemically heterogeneous, contain remnant synthetic hydrocarbons likely discharged from well interventions prior to 2012, and require mixing of multiple chemically-distinct oil groups to explain observed variability in diagnostic ratios. Given the respite and opportunity afforded by containment we suggest leveraging ongoing collection activities to assess release dynamics, as well as engaging the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, to evaluate potential solutions, associated risks, and to consider policy ramifications. | <urn:uuid:15e88391-2c7e-4b03-977c-2b1cea140a36> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://mc20science.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141164142.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20201123182720-20201123212720-00284.warc.gz | en | 0.941707 | 260 | 2.703125 | 3 |
Published May 04, 2009In 2005, the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology announced that the long-extinct Ivory-Billed Woodpecker had been discovered in the swamps of eastern Arkansas, sparking excitement and hope from bird enthusiasts and researchers alike. Denizens of the nearby community of Brinkley embraced the idea with enthusiasm, driven by the potential rejuvenation of their deteriorating, Wal-Mart-dominated economy from the anticipated influx of tourists. The media joined the cause as well, preaching the miracle of a resurfaced species despite the fact that the only evidence was a blurry video.
Eventually, those removed from the event began to take a closer look at the facts, discovering that in all likelihood, the videotape showed a Pileated Woodpecker, whose colourings are similar to that of the extinct bird. Subsequently, funds utilized for preserving living birds in danger of going extinct were expended on trying to prove the existence of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker, thus reinforcing the human cycle of wilful ignorance, rather than the acceptance of unflattering realities and responsibility.
There is an overwhelming sadness throughout Ghost Bird that echoes the very core human anxieties of annihilation and meaninglessness, along with blind hope as a means of coping with the undeniable but often ignored reality that everything ends. People would much rather believe in an unlikely miracle than acknowledge their place as a destructive species whose fleeting existence ultimately means very little. Sadly, this denial creates only a cyclic pattern of destruction, as blind ignorance may help with pesky feelings of doubt but does little to help humanity progress and learn from its mistakes.
The documentary is smart and insightful, expertly interweaving interviews and archive footage in a way that never stops short of being captivating. Appropriate parallels are drawn between dying species and communities, while everyone involved turn a blind eye, seeking only immediate gratification.
It's sharp criticism, not only of our current environmental crisis but also of a culture so afraid of feeling sad that realities are ignored and progress is stunted. (Small Change) | <urn:uuid:ec15473d-fb0c-4d8e-aaf0-94e783e6d107> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | http://exclaim.ca/film/article/ghost_bird-directed_by_scott_crocker_2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141187753.32/warc/CC-MAIN-20201126084625-20201126114625-00444.warc.gz | en | 0.963276 | 423 | 2.515625 | 3 |
One Nation Under Coyote, Divisible
“It’s certainly not all disgust, as a beautiful piece on coyotes by Lisa Couturier amply demonstrates.”
—Open Letters Arts and Literature Review
Anthologized in Trash Animals: How We Live with Nature’s Filthy, Feral, Invasive, and Unwanted Species, edited by Kelsi Nagy and Phillip David Johnson II
Why are some species admired or beloved while others are despised? An eagle or hawk circling overhead inspires awe while urban pigeons shuffling underfoot are kicked away in revulsion. Fly fishermen consider carp an unwelcome trash fish, even though the trout they hope to catch are often equally non-native. Wolves and coyotes are feared and hunted in numbers wildly disproportionate to the dangers they pose to humans and livestock.
In Trash Animals, a diverse group of environmental writers explores the natural history of wildlife species deemed filthy, unwanted, invasive, or worthless, highlighting the vexed relationship humans have with such creatures. Each essay focuses on a so-called trash species—gulls, coyotes, carp, cockroaches, magpies, prairie dogs, and lubber grasshoppers, among others—examining the biology and behavior of each in contrast to the assumptions widely held about them. Identifying such animals as trash tells us nothing about problematic wildlife but rather reveals more about human expectations of, and frustrations with, the natural world.
By establishing the unique place that maligned species occupy in the contemporary landscape and in our imagination, the contributors challenge us to look closely at these animals, to reimagine our ethics of engagement with such wildlife, and to question the violence with which we treat them. Perhaps our attitudes reveal more about humans than they do about the animals.
Header image: “Kojote2010″ by JoernHauke – Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons – | <urn:uuid:0c0b37ce-20a5-4174-bda4-edb08ae2202c> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | http://www.lisacouturier.com/writing/one-nation-under-coyote-divisible/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141195967.34/warc/CC-MAIN-20201129004335-20201129034335-00604.warc.gz | en | 0.879953 | 437 | 3.109375 | 3 |
On August 24, 1939, the world held its collective breath as Hitler and Stalin signed the now infamous nonaggression pact, signaling an imminent invasion of Poland and daring Western Europe to respond.
In this dramatic account of the final days before the outbreak of World War II, award-winning historian Richard Overy vividly chronicles the unraveling of peace, hour by grim hour, as politicians and ordinary citizens brace themselves for a war that could spell the end of European civilization.
Nothing was entirely predictable or inevitable. The West hoped that Hitler would see sense if they stood firm. Hitler was convinced the West would back down. Moments of uncertainty alternated with those of confrontation; secret intelligence was used by both sides to support their hopes. The one constant feature was the determination of Poland, a country created only in 1919, to protect its newfound independence against a vastly superior enemy.
1939 documents a defining moment in the violent history of the twentieth century. | <urn:uuid:65234e35-a572-481c-ae96-33ce88c39b7d> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781400188673-1939 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141195967.34/warc/CC-MAIN-20201129004335-20201129034335-00604.warc.gz | en | 0.962543 | 191 | 3.078125 | 3 |
Color is one of the most powerful, and complex, tools at the artist's disposal. Bridging the divide between color theory and color practice, this course distills the essentials of color mechanics into workable studies and projects. Students explore color through creative digital exercises using collage and paint to understand color and how to use it effectively. Tutorials and visual presentations explain the role of light, the psychological impact of color, and how such factors as hue, value and intensity affect design. Additional presentations address the historical background of the use of color. Through the process of experiencing the interface of color theory and color application, guidelines toward developing a personal palette are given. Mastery of color is essential in the work of artists, illustrators, craftspeople and designers, making this course an ideal starting point. | <urn:uuid:514128ea-2e02-4685-9f96-9981ed21bda4> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://cereg.risd.edu/search/publicCourseSearchDetails.do?method=load&courseId=1029401 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141181179.12/warc/CC-MAIN-20201125041943-20201125071943-00644.warc.gz | en | 0.900056 | 160 | 3.703125 | 4 |
In the last half of the nineteenth century, yellow fever plagued the American South. It stalked the region's steaming cities, killing its victims with overwhelming hepatitis and hemorrhage. Margaret Humphreys explores the ways in which this tropical disease hampered commerce, frustrated the scientific community, and eventually galvanized local and federal authorities into forming public health boards. She pays particular attention to the various theories for containing the disease and the constant tension between state and federal officials over how public funds should be spent. Her research recovers the specific concerns of the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century South, broadening our understanding of the evolution of preventive medicine in the United States.
Sign up for more information on JHUP Books | <urn:uuid:26e515aa-40ad-4453-bfad-32bc6211e143> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://jhupbooks.press.jhu.edu/title/yellow-fever-and-south | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141188800.15/warc/CC-MAIN-20201126142720-20201126172720-00004.warc.gz | en | 0.916155 | 142 | 3.015625 | 3 |
Goldfish Can Get Depressed, Too
Don’t believe what Pixar is trying to sell you: Fish are not exactly brimming with personality. In aquariums, they tend to swim in circles, sucking up fragments of food and ducking around miniature treasure chests. To a layperson, fish don’t appear to possess concepts of happy, or sad, or anything in between—they just seem to exist.
This, researchers say, is not quite accurate. Speaking with The New York Times, Julian Pittman, a professor at the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences at Troy University, says that fish not only suffer from depression, they can be easily diagnosed. Zebrafish dropped into a new tank who linger at the bottom are probably sad; those who enthusiastically explore the upper half are not.
In Pittman’s studies, fish depression can be induced by getting them “drunk” on ethanol, then cutting off the supply, resulting in withdrawal. These fish mope around the tank floor until they’re given antidepressants, at which point they begin happily swimming near the surface again.
It’s impossible to correlate fish depression with that of a human, but Pittman believes the symptoms in fish—losing interest in exploring and eating—makes them viable candidates for exploring neuroscience and perhaps drawing conclusions that will be beneficial in the land-dwelling population.
In the meantime, you can help ward off fish blues by keeping them busy—having obstacles to swim through and intriguing areas of a tank to explore. Just like humans, staying active and engaged can boost their mental health.
[h/t The New York Times] | <urn:uuid:ab38af6d-3a34-43c5-b815-ee89a977f62d> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/519803/goldfish-can-get-depressed-too | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141216897.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20201130161537-20201130191537-00244.warc.gz | en | 0.948126 | 340 | 2.90625 | 3 |
Native Florida plant: Sweet acacia
Sweet acacia is one of those plants with both a good side and a bad side. The good side is the heavenly perfume that wafts through the air from the yellow pompon flowers. Abundant stamens, which produce and release pollen, cause the flower’s puffy appearance. After being drawn in by the scent, someone beginning to caress the feathery leaves would encounter the bad side: paired spines at the base of each leaf.
Technically, these spines are “stipular spines” because they were modified from stipules, small appendages that may function to protect the leaf bud. Stipules likely evolved to be pointy as a means of defense against ravenous herbivores. In Florida, the potential herbivore may be white-tailed deer, but additional species could be a threat throughout the rest of its range.
Besides Florida, sweet acacia ranges through the Southern U.S. to California and south through tropical America. Across oceans, this tree is also present in Africa, Asia, and Australia. With such prevalence, one may wonder exactly where sweet acacia originated. Many of us associate the spiny, spreading branches with African savannahs, but research points toward Central America as the point of origin.
Then, is sweet acacia truly a Florida native? Many experts consider it so, which would mean sweet acacia reached Florida by natural range expansion. View sweet acacia, and delight in its floral scents this winter, in the created Hardwood Hammock at Naples Botanical Garden.
— Andee Naccarato, Department of Education and Conservation, Naples Botanical Garden | <urn:uuid:b9516950-e93e-4041-94a4-563d4b2e44f9> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.news-press.com/story/news/2013/12/15/native-florida-plant-sweet-acacia/1576794/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141745780.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20201204223450-20201205013450-00484.warc.gz | en | 0.936859 | 348 | 3.375 | 3 |
The passing of architect, I. M. Pei in May of 2019 marked one of the greatest losses in the creative world. This distinguished Chinese-American Architect died at age 102. In the wake of his six-decade career, Pei blessed the world with a legacy of over 80 projects including the Louvre Pyramids, the National Gallery East Building, The John F. Kennedy Library, The Bank of China, the Museum of Islamic Art, and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. His diverse work affected a myriad of countries across the globe including France, China, the USA, Taiwan, Qatar, and Japan.
I. M. Pei’s dazzling design style was characterized as Modernist with significant Cubist themes. Many of his buildings incorporated designs based off of simple geometric patterns and exquisite glass work. His interest in urban renewal programs led Pei to create structures that both reflected their angular, urban environment as well as traditional Chinese motifs of nature and harmony. To quote Pei, “The talk about modernism versus postmodernism is unimportant. It’s a side issue. An individual building, the style in which it is going to be designed and built, is not that important. The important thing, really, is the community. How does it affect life?”
Pei’s most iconic and recognizable contribution was the five Louvre Pyramids. The pyramid at the grand entrance of the Louvre was constructed to accommodate the growing number of museum visitors. It was built in the exact same dimensions as the Pyramids of Giza, reflecting the grandeur of the Egyptian collection housed at the Louvre. Surrounding the main pyramid is three smaller glass pyramids which filter light into the exhibits below. Lastly, Pei constructed an inverted pyramid underground. The suspended structure plays with the viewer’s sense of ground and visually flips the space in which it exists.
Upon its construction in 1989, the glass and steel Pyramid at the entrance of the Louvre created a controversial stark contrast to the surrounding plaza and palatial structures. Initially, like most great French landmarks, the Great Pyramid was hugely unpopular. Today, however, these Pyramids serve as an iconic symbol of French Nationalism on par with the Eiffel Tower. These magnificent feats of architecture illustrate Pei’s philosophy, “To be a good architect there is something about pushing the limit…I would like to think I push myself to the limit.” | <urn:uuid:cbe544e8-7581-42e3-b5a7-2945268a0985> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://jeanmarcfray.com/a-tribute-to-i-m-pei/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141171077.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20201124025131-20201124055131-00124.warc.gz | en | 0.954896 | 505 | 3.203125 | 3 |
In most cases, people in Illinois struggling with mesothelioma developed this rare, often deadly form of cancer due to contact with asbestos on the job. Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that affects the lining of the lungs and other organs. While it is caused by asbestos exposure, mesothelioma may develop 10 to 40 years after the initial exposure. Because the disease can take so long to develop, many people already have advanced mesothelioma by the time the malignancy is discovered. Few treatments have been effective in combatting this form of cancer, although medical research aims to find improved solutions.
Phototherapy offers hope for some mesothelioma sufferers
People with pleural mesothelioma, the form of cancer affecting the lining of the lungs, may benefit from near-infrared phototherapy, according to scientists at Nagoya University in Japan. The study found that this type of phototherapy, which uses a type of light that is not visible to the naked eye but is capable of penetrating the skin, may have benefits for mesothelioma patients. Other studies have previously pointed to the potential of this powerful light therapy for other forms of cancer.
Treatment targets protein found in mesothelioma
In many cases, mesothelioma is diagnosed due to high levels of a protein, podoplanin, often found in cancer cells. The near-infrared treatment targets podoplanin in combination with antibodies that bind to cells containing the protein. These antibodies allow the cells to absorb light energy, leading to ruptures in the tumor cells.
People with mesothelioma may experience a range of painful symptoms, including shortness of breath, swelling of the arms, nausea, weight loss and fatigue. In many cases, this cancer was caused by exposure at a job site, despite companies’ knowledge of the dangers of asbestos. An attorney might help mesothelioma victims and their families to pursue compensation for their suffering. | <urn:uuid:a1d4a8d8-6477-44ab-996f-e2f46441c3b7> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.wcklaw.com/blog/2020/10/light-therapy-could-help-fight-mesothelioma/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141182776.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20201125100409-20201125130409-00204.warc.gz | en | 0.952269 | 410 | 3.1875 | 3 |
How can we maintain a strong national identity without going too far? Having pride in one's country, its history and values, is important, but what happens when that is threatened by new immigrant groups? When a country becomes more diverse, whether it's race, ethnicity, or religious faith, does the nation's identity expand to accommodate those changes or does it become more rigid, setting the stage for an "us" and "them" conflict? Through diverse perspectives from countries around the world, this volume explores facets of national identity. Readers will analyze its purpose, benefits, dangers, and its future in a changing world. | <urn:uuid:08b01ede-3ce5-4bf1-82d5-9b5ec2bf6241> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://greenhavenpublishing.com/title/National-Identity | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141194982.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20201128011115-20201128041115-00364.warc.gz | en | 0.936468 | 124 | 3.078125 | 3 |
Although the exact etymology is a bit murky, the word vandalism is indelibly associated with an East Germanic tribe best known for the sacking of Rome in 455 AD.
The unflattering connotation is also a matter of debate among scholars. The Vandals, not unlike the Celts and other nomadic people in Europe, failed to chronicle most of their records. As a result, Roman scribes typically labeled them “barbarians,” as did later ecclesiastical accounts, providing yet another example of how the winning side often writes history.
Recent archeological discoveries have challenged previously held notions about the Vandals being merely uncivilized brutes. That said, let’s take a look at this much-maligned group who may or may not have torched a few chariots and tossed eggs at Roman soldiers.
This is an encore of one of our previous lists, as presented by our YouTube host Simon Whistler. Read the full list! | <urn:uuid:ae2d7213-539c-476b-8ac8-9f7302b40d2b> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.toptenz.net/fascinating-facts-about-the-vandals.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141197593.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20201129093434-20201129123434-00444.warc.gz | en | 0.967371 | 202 | 3.125 | 3 |
Bala Chandran's research into evaluating particle-suspension reactor designs for Z-scheme solar water splitting via transport and kinetic modeling garners some attention in the January 2018 edition of Energy and Environmental Science where it's featured on the journal's inside front cover.
The research paper delves into the idea that sunlight-driven water splitting to produce hydrogen and oxygen provides a pathway to store available solar energy in the form of stable, energy-dense chemical bonds. It investigates a tandem, particle-suspension reactor design comprising micron-scale photocatalyst particles suspended in an aqueous solution with soluble redox shuttles for Z-scheme solar water splitting. Results from this work provide a quantitative understanding of the device-scale transport and kinetic processes, and its impacts on the solar-to-hydrogen efficiencies for the proposed reactor design.
Click here to read the full paper. | <urn:uuid:27d0cb1a-b3db-4b49-8fd4-9ae0cd91ab6a> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://me.engin.umich.edu/news-events/news/bala-chandrans-paper-published-energy-and-environmental-science | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141486017.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20201130192020-20201130222020-00524.warc.gz | en | 0.9005 | 183 | 2.65625 | 3 |
Historians in England have a rare archaeological mystery on their hands thanks to the discovery of an anomalous ancient coin which has some researchers scratching their heads in wonder. The Chinese coin from the Song Dynasty was found in the Vale Royal area of Cheshire in northern England and appears to be around 900 years old. No other Chinese coins from that era have been found in the United Kingdom, making this one a truly strange case.
There is currently some dispute over just how truly anomalous the discovery of the coin might be. Some historians argue that the coin could simply me an historical artifact which made its way into the hands of a private collector before it was lost or discarded. Britain’s Portable Antiquities Scheme, a website which allows members of the public to catalogue archaeological finds, writes that it is “doubtful that this is a genuine medieval find (i.e. present in the country due to trade and lost accidentally) but more likely a more recent loss from an curated collection.” Still, other historians aren’t so convinced that this coin doesn’t represent an unknown chapter in British history.
However, University of Cambridge archaeologist Caitlin Green writes that the coin may be “evidence for a degree of contact between people from East Asia and Britain in the medieval era,” although without further evidence, it remains impossible to draw any definitive conclusions. On her blog, Green cites a number of other examples of ancient Chinese artifacts turning up in Medieval excavations throughout England, possibly suggesting that Chinese sailors or traders had more contact with the West than is currently thought.
Chinese skeletons have been found in Roman-era graves in London, while other ancient Chinese burials have been found as far west as Peru. Chinese historians have long suggested that ancient Chinese peoples were far more advanced than the rest of the world or what is currently known in history books. Will these archaeological discoveries prove them right? | <urn:uuid:d86b5875-eec7-4341-b685-c1ca83032347> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2018/04/medieval-mystery-as-ancient-chinese-coin-found-in-england/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141486017.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20201130192020-20201130222020-00524.warc.gz | en | 0.967001 | 387 | 3.28125 | 3 |
The concept of global jusitce is premised on the belief that all poeple are entitled to certain fundamental human rights solely by virtue of being memebers of the human community. The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was a seminal step toward this vision; for the first time, states agreed to uphold the fundamental rights and liberties of their citizens. Enforcement of these human rights guarantees, however, has been severly constrained by the nearly impregnable doctrine of state sovereignty. International law, traditionally limited to regularting behavior between states and not between individuals and a state, reinforced this state-centric view of human rights. This article was written by Janet Benshoof for the Encyclopedia of Global Studies in 2012. | <urn:uuid:7062042a-9b82-4515-bc36-6bbda88e0179> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://globaljusticecenter.net/publications/articles/688-global-justice-and-legal-issues | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141692985.63/warc/CC-MAIN-20201202052413-20201202082413-00604.warc.gz | en | 0.954614 | 149 | 2.890625 | 3 |
“Living lightly on the earth”: Building an Ark for Prince Edward Island, 1974–76
by Steven Mannell
Dalhousie Architectural Press,
116 pages, $39.95
A part of the Canadian Modern series from Dalhousie Architectural Press, “Living lightly on the earth” offers a comprehensive chronicle of the rise and fall of the Ark, a self-sustaining “bioshelter” built on Prince Edward Island in the 1970s.
Author Steven Mannell, founder of Dalhousie University’s College of Sustainability and a practising architect, uses numerous primary sources, including interviews with the Ark’s architects, to detail the theory behind and the making of the pioneering project. His book includes an abundance of architectural drawings, diagrams, and photographs that effectively illustrate the structure and its component systems from nearly every angle — inside and out.
The book also succeeds in relating the spirit of the era, capturing the ecological optimism of the New Alchemy team and the federal government’s enthusiasm regarding the project, as exemplified by former prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau.
While the Ark was ultimately a short-lived experiment, much of its technology — such as integrated renewable-energy production, organic agriculture and aquaculture systems, and passive solar heating — is still relevant. This book could serve as both a reference and an inspiration for today’s “green” architects. | <urn:uuid:1e5db23a-cc3c-4d34-a712-82a722887d82> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.canadashistory.ca/explore/books/living-lightly-on-the-earth | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141182794.28/warc/CC-MAIN-20201125125427-20201125155427-00484.warc.gz | en | 0.933214 | 304 | 2.75 | 3 |
Mark My Words (First Peoples: New Directions Indigenous)
Dominant history would have us believe that colonialism belongs to a previous era that has long come to an end. But as Native people become mobile, reservation lands become overcrowded and the state seeks to enforce means of containment, closing its borders to incoming, often indigenous, immigrants.
In Mark My Words, Mishuana Goeman traces settler colonialism as an enduring form of gendered spatial violence, demonstrating how it persists in the contemporary context of neoliberal globalization. The book argues that it is vital to refocus the efforts of Native nations beyond replicating settler models of territory, jurisdiction, and race. Through an examination of twentieth-century Native women’s poetry and prose, Goeman illuminates how these works can serve to remap settler geographies and center Native knowledges. She positions Native women as pivotal to how our nations, both tribal and nontribal, have been imagined and mapped, and how these women play an ongoing role in decolonization.
In a strong and lucid voice, Goeman provides close readings of literary texts, including those of E. Pauline Johnson, Esther Belin, Joy Harjo, Leslie Marmon Silko, and Heid Erdrich. In addition, she places these works in the framework of U.S. and Canadian Indian law and policy. Her charting of women’s struggles to define themselves and their communities reveals the significant power in all of our stories.
We would LOVE it if you could help us and other readers by reviewing the book | <urn:uuid:588a8f8d-10a0-4e49-a9d9-4af99c1fcdb9> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://booksrun.com/textbooks/9780816677917-mark-my-words-first-peoples-new-directions-indigenous-1st-edition | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141188947.19/warc/CC-MAIN-20201126200910-20201126230910-00564.warc.gz | en | 0.940253 | 319 | 2.640625 | 3 |
Spiders are everywhere and Georgia is no exception. Very few species are dangerous and these eight-legged allies are one of the most reliable and cheapest forms of pest control, gobbling up insects that carry diseases, infest homes and damage crops. Learn to recognize many kinds of spiders with this durable laminated twelve-panel guide that folds up conveniently to fit in a pocket or pack.
Perfect for the casual observer, gardener, homeowner or curious naturalist, it serves as both a general introduction and a useful reference. Colorful photographs illustrate 100 spider species, including several of both male and female, in side-by-side comparisons with descriptive text highlighting size, habitat, and web type. Representative webs are also shown, together with information about silk, venom and hunting techniques. A small section features other arachnids, such as the Scorpion, Harvestman and Ticks. | <urn:uuid:899de78f-ce1c-4748-b441-279eee88a9c7> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.quickreferencepublishing.com/spiders-of-georgia/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141188947.19/warc/CC-MAIN-20201126200910-20201126230910-00564.warc.gz | en | 0.927804 | 178 | 2.859375 | 3 |
by Gemma Tate, UNA-SNY YP Social and Humanitarian Affairs Committee
Water is a human right. So why were residents of Flint, Michigan, forced to drink dangerously contaminated water for so long? One word: greed.
In Flint, government officials believed that cutting costs was worth putting the people's health in danger. An unthinkable betrayal of public trust, the emergency has drawn widespread condemnation and sparked nationwide dialogue. In March, a group of women change-makers gathered at the United Nations Foundation to voice their opinions on the matter.
The panel discussion, "Women's Responses to Water Crises in the U.S.," was organized by the United Nations Association Southern New York State Division Young Professionals and the Alpha Kappa Alpha (Tau Omega) Chapter. Speakers offered takeaways on effecting change in communities across the country.
"What is happening in Flint is devastating and criminal," said Melissa Mays, a Flint resident and the founder of the woman-run initiative WaterYouFightingFor. "Our disaster is a shining example of what happens when water is treated like a commodity, and profit is more important than people. At the end of the day, people have died, and this is happening in other cities all across the world. If this practice of greed and apathy is not stopped, you'll see thousands of Flints everywhere with more lives destroyed and lost."
For many Americans, Mays' comments underpin a serious concern: Could a similar tragedy be repeated in your city? Is your drinking water truly safe? What can you do to ensure it is?
Speakers emphasized the importance of education and unity. One person can easily be ignored, but a giant collective cannot. According to Lesha Witmer, chair of the Standing Committee on Sustainable Development & Water, it's crucial for everyone to band together to demand clean water in their daily lives. "Most people still take water for granted," she said. "[I]t is not. We have to be vigilant and active and willing to invest to keep our waters safe.” | <urn:uuid:29630be4-59e8-4a20-81f9-735a35d6dc6d> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.unasny.org/blog/water-is-a-human-right | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141542358.71/warc/CC-MAIN-20201201013119-20201201043119-00084.warc.gz | en | 0.959671 | 420 | 3.140625 | 3 |
Redlining has shaped East Dallas. Over at The Advocate, the talented Will Maddox—who we have since poached to cover healthcare, our apologies!—put together this interesting feature that mapped the neighborhoods that the federal government steered mortgage loans to during the New Deal era. He then compared them to current housing prices, racial makeup, and poverty levels. What emerges is perhaps not terribly surprising. The parts of East Dallas that were deemed “best” or “still desirable” are whiter and the homes are more expensive.
Those designations were packed into federal law after the Great Depression as appraisals for the likelihood that mortgage loans would be paid back. In practice, these color-coded 250 American cities, and essentially muscled out areas that had concentrations of black or brown people. In areas deemed “hazardous,” lenders wouldn’t touch. Those areas were almost all minority communities.
As Will finds, parts of Old East Dallas and the area around Baylor were red-lined. Lakewood, the M Streets, and Wilshire Heights got “best” designations and areas just south got “still desirable.” As you get closer to downtown, the maps dipped into “declining.” You’ll never guess which parts of East Dallas sport higher prices per square foot for homes or which schools have more kids in poverty.
Redlining, combined with segregated public housing and the federally-incentivized white flight to the suburbs, have gutted American cities and created an unequal and unfair distribution of wealth among races. Remember, this was federal policy for nearly 34 years, until the Civil Rights Act of 1968 put a stop to it. Last year, the National Community Reinvestment Coalition released citywide charts that overlaid the redlining demographics with the existing economic conditions of neighborhoods. The map below includes the redlining designations in the various colors—green for “best,” blue for “still desirable,” yellow for “still declining,” and red for “hazardous”—but overlays it with data from the 2010 Census. The gray areas, enclosed in dashes, are majority-minority parts of town. The dots indicate where the median family income was below 80 percent.
As Council member Philip Kingston tells Will, “the future is mixed income. But it requires diligence and not losing political will.” And part of that is understanding how we got here in the first place. | <urn:uuid:6e2249ef-2545-4151-915e-7cece626bc4b> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2018/11/read-this-advocate-report-about-redlining-in-east-dallas/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141708017.73/warc/CC-MAIN-20201202113815-20201202143815-00164.warc.gz | en | 0.965792 | 513 | 2.796875 | 3 |
Native to the Americas, the silky-flycatchers are medium-sized songbirds with soft, silky plumage and long, slender tails. They often have conspicuous bristles around the base of their short, broad bills. Most are dark-colored, and most have crests. They typically inhabit tropical and subtropical environments, and only one species is regularly found north of Mexico. They are fairly social and may nest in loose colonies. Small flocks form in the non-breeding season and wander in search of food. Silky-flycatchers eat many insects, but fruit, especially berries, is their main staple. They are typically monogamous, and both sexes help raise the young. | <urn:uuid:cdf3605d-c21d-4ac9-9f92-41b928f1d41a> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | http://nesting.birdweb.org/birdweb/family/ptilogonatidae | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141732835.81/warc/CC-MAIN-20201203220448-20201204010448-00244.warc.gz | en | 0.965 | 143 | 3.359375 | 3 |
What prevented revolution in Britain during the French revolutionary era? How did George III's monarchy withstand republican challenges? This book examines the British monarchy--and the values, beliefs, and images attached to it--during the contentious decade of the 1790s. Through a wide-ranging exploration of loyalist and reform propaganda, newspapers, political caricatures, sermons, and records of prosecution for sedition and treason, Marilyn Morris arrives at a new perspective on the forces of social stability in Britain that prevented revolution and preserved the Crown.
Morris reassesses the significance of the ideological exchange in Britain during the French revolutionary period, showing that the so-called failure of the reform movement did not result simply from a stubborn disregard for the reality of the situations in France and Britain. She considers the problems created for reformers by the government's exaggeration of the threat to the monarchy, as well as the influence that reformist arguments had on loyalist ideology. The monarchy, though tradition-bound, continually had to reinvent itself, Morris contends, and its modern incarnation emerged in the later years of George's reign with a style stressing personality, empathy, and domesticity, and a legitimacy based on the monarchy's embodiment of the nation's history. Morris's analysis of the monarchy's image and its incorporation into political argument during a time of upheaval provides new insight into the ways different institutions of the state protected and supported one another. Her discussion also places in perspective speculation about the imminent demise of the monarchy in the 1990s. | <urn:uuid:9355259f-bd7b-4913-a9f7-1e9e85569e98> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://bookshop.org/books/the-british-monarchy-and-the-french-revolution/9780300206456 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141747323.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20201205074417-20201205104417-00324.warc.gz | en | 0.936426 | 301 | 3.640625 | 4 |
This article addresses the fascist leagues' policies and philosophies regarding the political role of women, particularly the question of female suffrage. Unlike the parliamentary Right, which did not attempt to mobilize women until 1935, the fascist leagues envisioned women as key political players as early as 1924. Often invoking female work and sacrifice during the war, as well as women's supposedly superior moral aptitude, the leagues presented themselves as the forces that truly respected women's potential and importance in the state. To the leagues the domestic identities and concerns of women were not only compatible with fascist notions of politics, but rendered women potentially better fascists and citizens. Leaders of the organizations expected women to be wives and mothers, producing more children for France, while at the same time the leagues advocated that women engage in national politics and world affairs. | <urn:uuid:cc50e431-2749-4ee3-9670-57b8edbb5d5c> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.berghahnjournals.com/search?access_0=all&f_0=author&pageSize=10&q_0=Daniella+Sarnoff&sort=relevance&t_0=Sociology | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141747323.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20201205074417-20201205104417-00324.warc.gz | en | 0.973502 | 159 | 3 | 3 |
When plants absorb sunlight, they convert carbon dioxide into energy-rich organic compounds. What if humans could do the same thing? What if we could pull CO2 out of the air and use it to build organic molecules? This revolutionary idea is still just that — an idea. But organic chemists at UNC are laying the groundwork for turning it into reality. | <urn:uuid:0031d355-bb9d-4d69-a838-46f2dde5e513> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://endeavors.unc.edu/tag/organic-chemistry/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141184123.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20201125183823-20201125213823-00044.warc.gz | en | 0.937942 | 71 | 2.75 | 3 |
During the month of September, students have been connecting with old friends and making new ones. We kicked off the year with a project that incorporated writing skills, technology, and also gave them a chance to showcase their artistic side. While writing the Bio Poem, students were able to review parts of speech and share information about what makes them unique. Students then typed their poems and created a miniature version of themselves. Look for them in the 4th-grade hallway!
4th Graders Create Bio Poems
Tuesday, September 24, 2019 | <urn:uuid:dab1c56c-4a6b-4d1a-97a2-8508a321eb69> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.mendhamboro.org/article/139553?org=mendham-borough-school-district | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141189038.24/warc/CC-MAIN-20201127015426-20201127045426-00124.warc.gz | en | 0.974145 | 109 | 2.53125 | 3 |
Red blood cells are the key to life. They are constantly traveling through your body, delivering oxygen and removing waste. If they didn’t do their job, you would slowly die.
Red blood cells contain a protein called hemoglobin that gives blood its red hue. Hemoglobin contains iron, which makes it an excellent vehicle for transporting oxygen and carbon dioxide.
As blood passes through the lungs, oxygen molecules attach to the hemoglobin. When the blood passes through the body’s tissue, the hemoglobin releases oxygen to the cells. The empty hemoglobin molecules then bond with the tissue’s carbon dioxide or other waste gasses to transport them away.
Over time, red blood cells get worn out and eventually die. The average life cycle of a red blood cell is only 120 days. But don’t worry! Your bones are continually producing new blood cells. | <urn:uuid:a2b0ba53-ac37-4d50-b8c4-581396473ef0> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.fi.edu/heart/red-blood-cells | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141195417.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20201128095617-20201128125617-00204.warc.gz | en | 0.923746 | 179 | 3.875 | 4 |
Ticks' DNA Data May Someday Help Us Control Them
When ancient military strategist Sun Tzu counseled his readers to “know thy enemy,” he was almost certainly not talking about ticks. But for many Americans, especially those with Lyme disease, ticks are the enemy. And now we know a whole lot more about them, because scientists have sequenced the tick’s genome. The results were published today in the journal Nature Communications.
Like bedbugs, whose DNA also got a closer look recently, deer ticks (Ixodes scapularis) continue to spread across the United States. A recent survey found them in nearly half of U.S. counties—a huge increase from the last tick inventory. But it’s not just the ticks that are spreading. Where they go, disease follows: Lyme disease, yes, but also human granulocytic anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and the deadly Powassan virus.
In other words, understanding the little bloodsuckers has become pretty important to a lot of people. The tick genome project was a massive undertaking, involving 93 scientists from 46 institutions.
"Genomic resources for the tick were desperately needed," lead author Catherine Hill said in a press release. They were also difficult to come by. The tick’s DNA would not give up its secrets easily. The tick’s genome is smaller than those of humans, but just as complex, and peppered with redundant sections that made it harder to parse.
But even these tricks were no match for an army of determined scientists. And once the genome was decoded, it revealed all kinds of useful tidbits. The researchers found proteins in the tick’s salivary glands that help transmit disease-causing bacteria to its host.
They also found hormones that affect tick growth and sexual maturity. Researchers say that manipulating those hormones via a tick “birth-control pill” may be a viable form of tick control in the future.
"The genome provides a foundation for a whole new era in tick research," Hill said in the press release. "Now that we've cracked the tick's code, we can begin to design strategies to control ticks, to understand how they transmit disease, and to interfere with that process." | <urn:uuid:38967713-0b9c-4469-8fd0-945d047eed63> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/75179/ticks-dna-data-may-someday-help-us-control-them | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141195417.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20201128095617-20201128125617-00204.warc.gz | en | 0.966023 | 469 | 3.28125 | 3 |
Last weekend,”Silent Sam,” the Confederate memorial located on McCorkle Place, was spray painted with “KKK,” “Black Lives Matter,” and “Murderer” with an arrow pointing to the Confederate soldier above. The monument was covered before being cleaned a few days later.
The incident highlights Silent Sam’s place in the ongoing discussion of race, campus landmarks and spaces, and university history. It also reflects the renewed push against the display of Confederate symbols since the racially-motivated attack in Charleston, South Carolina on June 17.
However, while the action was timely given these current contexts, it isn’t a first. Most strikingly, in early April 1968, as the country was gripped by grief and unrest following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., Silent Sam was splashed with red paint and its base covered with words and symbols. | <urn:uuid:cddfed80-bc82-43c0-8944-fd0bf7548b33> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://blogs.lib.unc.edu/uarms/2015/07/09/graffiti-on-silent-sam-1968-and-2015/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141711306.69/warc/CC-MAIN-20201202144450-20201202174450-00444.warc.gz | en | 0.972896 | 189 | 2.640625 | 3 |
- Cole Brown
The Dismantling Bias: Antisemitism, White Supremacy, and Inequality Virtual Lecture Series explores the origins of racist ideologies and the construction of bias; examines the evolution and repercussions of antisemitism and white supremacy throughout history; and deconstructs the ways in which stereotypes, misconceptions, and prejudices shape contemporary society and culture.
Led by renowned historians, authors, and activists, the Dismantling Bias Virtual Lecture Series confronts the devastating consequences of racial bias while encouraging viewers to access and challenge their own bias. Through critical conversations and open dialogue, participants will consider their role in the antiracism movement and everyday actions they can take to dismantle inequality.
Raised in the City of Brotherly Love & Sisterly Affection, Cole Brown is a Philly kid at heart.
While spending childhood summers between Ethiopia and the Midwest, Cole matured in Philadelphia’s predominately white private schools and neighborhoods, an experience that delivered an awareness of race and class from a young age.
After graduating high school, Cole moved to Washington D.C. to attend Georgetown University as a finance major. Landmark events such as the death of Michael Brown caused Cole to rethink his original plans. Cole graduated from Georgetown with a major in Justice and Peace Studies and a passion for storytelling.
During his time at Georgetown, Cole was inspired to begin penning his first book, Greyboy: Finding Blackness in a White World.
Greyboy is a collection of introspective essays that follows the journey of Black identity when subsumed in an environment of white privilege.
Thanks to the generosity of H‐E‐B, this event is available at no cost to attendees, but registration is required. | <urn:uuid:dfab38fd-6485-4a50-a205-f48ddf20431d> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://hmh.org/events/a-conversation-with-cole-brown-author-of-greyboy-finding-blackness-2020-11-11-18:00:00/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141711306.69/warc/CC-MAIN-20201202144450-20201202174450-00444.warc.gz | en | 0.924365 | 351 | 2.734375 | 3 |
Author: Marilyn Yalom
“Everyone knows that the queen is the most dominant piece in chess, but few people know that the game existed for five hundred years without her. It wasn’t until chess became a popular pastime for European royals during the Middle Ages that the queen was born and was gradually empowered to become the king’s fierce warrior and protector.
Birth of the Chess Queen examines the five centuries between the chess queen’s timid emergence in the early days of the Holy Roman Empire to her elevation during the reign of Isabel of Castile. Marilyn Yalom, inspired by a handful of surviving medieval chess queens, traces their origin and spread from Spain, Italy, and Germany to France, England, Scandinavia, and Russia. In a lively and engaging historical investigation, Yalom draws parallels between the rise of the chess queen and the ascent of female sovereigns in Europe, presenting a layered, fascinating history of medieval courts and internal struggles for power.” – Publisher | <urn:uuid:2ab7d58e-ada0-4957-a725-eded24e64dd2> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | http://gamestudies101.com/the-birth-of-the-chess-queen/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141747774.97/warc/CC-MAIN-20201205104937-20201205134937-00604.warc.gz | en | 0.947725 | 205 | 2.65625 | 3 |
Going for a routine eye exam is essential to check the health of your eyes, and skipping out on this important examination could have detrimental effects on your health. This is because your eyes aren’t just the windows to your soul—they offer up valuable information about your overall health. More specifically, your eye doctor can tell how your circulation is doing.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University suggest that changes in the eye’s retina could help doctors find people who are at risk for narrowing of large blood vessels in the legs. This condition is known as peripheral artery disease (PAD).
Heart specialist Dr. Samy Selim explained, “PAD is estimated to affect approximately 8.5 million Americans above the age of 40 years and is associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and quality of life impairment…Physician screening for PAD is not satisfactory, to say the least.”
Eye exams can reveal circulation problems
The research team investigated nearly 9,400 adults who were tracked for over 19 years. Over the course of the study, over 300 individuals developed PAD, which required surgery to open up the narrow arteries.
Of the PAD group, 92 percent of patients developed a severe form known as critical limb ischemia, which can create ulcers that require amputation in some cases.
After adjusting for other risk factors that could contribute to PAD, the researchers found that patients with tiny blood vessels of the retina had over double the risk of developing PAD compared to those with normal blood vessels. The link between abnormal blood vessels of the retina and PAD risk was highest among diabetes, according to researchers.
Selim added, “Looking at the back of the eye’s retina can be done in primary care offices as part of a routine clinical exam. Hopefully one day, a look at the eye will hold clues to the future of the legs — which will be an alert to the heart outcome and a signal to start effective prevention and treatment.”
The study reaffirms the importance of going for regular eye exams, as spotting changes to the eye could be the difference between life and death. If PAD is discovered early, treatment can take place and prevent complications. Unfortunately, if PAD is not discovered early on, it can progress and may lead to amputation of the limb. | <urn:uuid:7ec3adc0-66ae-47bd-bcd3-8aad94c1acdc> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.belmarrahealth.com/never-skip-eye-exam/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141747774.97/warc/CC-MAIN-20201205104937-20201205134937-00604.warc.gz | en | 0.952088 | 473 | 3.078125 | 3 |
By Erika, age 13
Have you ever been to a museum and seen a particular display that you like? Perhaps you wanted to know what it was, and looked at the plaque, only to see something unexpected? Maybe you saw a fiery orange coyote-looking creature called Vulpes vulpes, or a big cat called Panthera pardus. If these names confused you, you’re in the right place, because today’s topic is Aristotle, Linnaeus, and binomial nomenclature!
Taxonomy is the science of classifying organisms, and more than 2,000 years ago, Aristotle created his own system. He started by classifying organisms as either in the plant kingdom or in the animal kingdom. He then split up the animals based on where they lived: on land, in the sea, or if they flew. He divided the plants based on their size and structure. Later on, scientists found too many problems with this system. For example, frogs were animals, but they lived in water and on land, and there was no classification for that.
This problem leads us to Carolus Linnaeus, a Swedish naturalist and physician. In 1753, Linnaeus created an improved classification system called binomial nomenclature, where organisms are classified based on body structures and systems, size, shape, color, and methods of getting food. Organisms are divided into Kingdoms, Phylums, Classes, Orders, Families, Genuses, and Species. Binomial nomenclature uses Latin names, and is written using the “formula” Genus species. Scientists prefer to use Linnaeus’s system to avoid confusion with common names. For example, there are three different birds which all have the common name robin, but are all in entirely different Genuses (Turdus migratorius, Erithacus rubecula, and Eopsaltria australis).
Carolus Linnaeus developed and improved taxonomy after Aristotle. We’re still using his system today! If you ever want to study a field of science involving living and nonliving organisms, make sure you have an understanding of taxonomy. | <urn:uuid:14471376-4304-474f-9367-3b0473f1920d> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://kidsneedenrichment.com/2016/06/02/binomial-nomenclature/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141176864.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20201124140942-20201124170942-00244.warc.gz | en | 0.948351 | 451 | 3.8125 | 4 |
GLP-1 agonists drugs are typically used to treat type-2 diabetes, but new findings have uncovered gaps in knowledge surrounding these drugs. The researchers have found incomplete information regarding GLP-1 and their effectiveness for treating type-2 diabetes.
One particular finding found GLP-1 had the potential to activate glucagon, which promotes the release of sugar into the bloodstream. This is an aspect GLP-1 agonists drugs are intended to prevent.
Although the findings are in their preliminary stages, additional research needs to be conducted in order to confirm their initial findings. The researchers do not believe GLP-1 agonist drugs are harmful for patients, but they do feel additional testing and analysis needs to be conducted.
The research team came from the University of Cambridge and the University of Warwick. Dr. Graham Ladds from the University of Cambridge said, “GLP-1 agonists clearly benefit many patients with type-2 diabetes and there is no reason to presume that our findings outweigh those benefits. Nevertheless, we clearly lack a full picture of their potential impact. Understanding that picture, and being able to consider all the components of target cells for such treatments, is vital if we want to design drugs that have therapeutic benefits for diabetes patients, without any unwanted side effects.”
Diabetes sufferers experience high blood sugar levels which can lead to complications. The World Health Organization estimates that worldwide, 347 million people suffer from diabetes.
GLP-1 agonist drugs are injectable and often prescribed to individuals who cannot control their diabetes through lifestyle changes. GLP-1 agonist drugs work to mimic the naturally-occurring hormone glucagon-like peptide (GLP). They can help regulate blood sugar by stimulating the release of insulin, and by signaling the brain that the body is full as a means to promote weight loss.
The research findings suggest instead of GLP-1 agonists working to activate receptors, it may actually bind to them instead.
Dr. Ladds concluded, “The work shows that, contrary to our previous assumptions, glucagon receptors can potentially be activated by anti-diabetic treatments. To date, very little work has been done on RAMPs, but they clearly play an important part in the process of regulating blood sugar, which is core to helping people with diabetes. The study shows that there is a critical need to take this into account when designing new therapeutics.” | <urn:uuid:17b5a6f2-325d-485d-9cdb-583bcad97652> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.belmarrahealth.com/new-study-highlights-possible-side-effects-of-glp-1-agonists-drugs-for-type-2-diabetes/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141176864.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20201124140942-20201124170942-00244.warc.gz | en | 0.947665 | 496 | 3.0625 | 3 |
About the Exhibition
Featuring changing displays of works from the Skirball’s permanent collection of Judaica—one of the largest in the world—this historically illuminating exhibition chronicles the struggles and achievements of the Jewish people over a span of 4,000 years.
Travel through the many lands and civilizations where Jews have lived and discover how ancestral visions continue to shape modern values. The Visions and Values galleries—Beginnings, Journeys, Holidays, Lifecycle, Synagogue, Passage to America, Nation of Immigrants, Struggle and Opportunity, the Holocaust, the State of Israel, and At Home in America—take the visitor on an unforgettable voyage of learning and discovery.
A recent addition to the exhibition showcases a series of audiovisual excerpts from Holocaust survivors, produced in collaboration with The Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education at USC. A companion exhibit features an interactive media kiosk where visitors can listen to and view full-length versions of the featured testimonies as well as nearly 1,000 other stirring testimonies.
Two recnetly reinstalled cases in the exhibition highlight American Jews’ notable engagements with Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Come learn the story of the Seixas family, whose members embraced the American Revolution and promoted the ideals of equal opportunity and religious freedom upon which the US was built. Then delve into the history of General Ulysses S. Grant’s notorious Order No. 11, an anti-Semitic decree issued in the midst of the Civil War and swiftly revoked by President Lincoln. Notable objects on view include facsimiles of Moses Mendes Seixas’s correspondence with George Washington and Abraham Lincoln’s handwritten note regarding Grant’s order, Manfred Anson’s Liberty Bell Hanukkah lamp celebrating the contributions of Jews to the American Revolution, and a life mask of President Lincoln cast in 1861. | <urn:uuid:a7a8a792-8217-498f-a44b-73736a25a198> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | http://dev.skirball.org/exhibitions/visions-and-values | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141184870.26/warc/CC-MAIN-20201125213038-20201126003038-00324.warc.gz | en | 0.905521 | 389 | 3.203125 | 3 |
It's always difficult being the first, especially when you're going into space. The Apollo program encountered many difficulties on its trip to the Moon, ranging from mechanical to astrophysics. The issue of the Van Allen belt and its radioactivity was a particularly serious concern while planning the mission.
Fortunately, it was a problem with a solution, one that involved skirting the most dangerous parts of the belt, and making sure the astronauts got through it as quickly as humanly possible.
Curious Droid takes a deeper look at the issue.
Scientists are still learning more about the Van Allen belts. In 2013, researchers were studying how their electrons approach astonishing speeds, near the speed of light. In 2014, a paper was published revealing a barrier within the belt itself. In 2016, a paper looked at the electron rainfall, called drop-outs, that occurs when intense bouts of solar radiation interfere with the Earth's magnetic environment. While scientists have figured out how to get around them, the Van Allen belts still hold a lot of secrets for something so close to home. | <urn:uuid:e4b1069f-9cf1-4b61-8faa-bf334ff80d43> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/moon-mars/a24678/nasa-van-allen-belts-explainer/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141189141.23/warc/CC-MAIN-20201127044624-20201127074624-00404.warc.gz | en | 0.975951 | 214 | 4.03125 | 4 |
Researchers led by Edward H. (Ted) Sargent of the University of Toronto have built the first colloidal quantum dot solar cells certified to convert sunlight into electricity with greater than 10% power conversion efficiency (Nano Lett. 2016, DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.6b01957). Although quantum dots have played a role in solar cells with efficiencies better than 11%, the nanoscopic spheres in those cases are used only as a light-absorbing material, says Oleksandr Voznyy, a researcher in Sargent’s group. The new cells use thin films of lead sulfide quantum dots deposited from solution as light-sensitive layers that also conduct electric charges between electrodes. Using these multitasking quantum dots unlocks simpler design approaches for this brand of solar cell, but the team will need to continue improving the efficiency to compete with or complement other promising materials, such as perovskites, Voznyy says. To beat the 10% benchmark, the researchers tweaked the surface chemistry of their quantum dots. The dots were initially capped with oleic acid to prevent clumping. But the organic compound traps charges, which undermines efficiency. By adding methylammonium iodide to the quantum dot solution before deposition, the team swapped out oleic acid for iodine, which inhibits charge trapping. | <urn:uuid:3d1a164b-83dd-405e-9ebb-1d41f81ecd4a> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://cen.acs.org/articles/94/i28/Quantum-dot-solar-cells-hit.html?utm_source=YMAL&utm_medium=YMAL&utm_campaign=CEN&utm_content=pos2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141195656.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20201128125557-20201128155557-00484.warc.gz | en | 0.914201 | 276 | 3.3125 | 3 |
We measure the physical properties that lead to molecular behavior and reactivity. Through a combination of state-of-the-art facilities and the interdisciplinary nature of our program, researchers explore physical chemistry in solids, liquids and gases, and the interfaces where they meet.
Research groups in this area probe the intermolecular forces that drive the self-assembly of new energy-storage materials and the thermodynamics and phase behavior of novel macromolecules. Lasers are used to study the physics of electron transfer events that capture solar energy and chemical changes on time scales from femtoseconds to days. Our graduate students use nuclear spins to map the structures of massive proteins, and mass spectrometry to discover acids and bases with phenomenal reactivities. Microwave photons uncover the structures of ions and molecular clusters that react in the Earth's atmosphere, while lasers and sophisticated ion optics probe bare and partially ligated metal clusters that underlie the development of modern catalysts. Electron and scanning probe microscopes bring the molecular world into vivid focus, revealing growth mechanisms of nanoscopic particles and hybrid materials. | <urn:uuid:53ec4b32-f6b6-4955-b8a1-94da5b16fcc1> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://cse.umn.edu/chem/experimental-physical | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141203418.47/warc/CC-MAIN-20201129214615-20201130004615-00564.warc.gz | en | 0.889996 | 223 | 2.546875 | 3 |
SpaceX has been pioneering reusable rockets for years, NASA is contemplating selling its soul to the highest bidder, and a Russian startup is building a nuclear engine for future rockets. But amid all these shakeups and innovations in the space sector, you might have missed the one Silicon Valley startup whose new technology should probably receive more attention.
Bloomberg Businessweek reports on Apollo Fusion, a new company designing a propulsion system for rocket engines that would use mercury as a fuel. Mercury has promise in this field, sure. But launching any rocket using this system would entail the risk of spreading a toxic substance through the atmosphere.
The idea of using mercury as a spacecraft fuel is not exactly new. NASA experimented with mercury in the '60s, during the SERT missions. The two spacecraft in this series, SERT-I and SERT-II, were designed to test the concept of ion propulsion.
With an ion engine, powerful magnets in the spacecraft push away small charged particles at high speeds, generating thrust. Today's ion engines commonly use krypton or xenon. For example, the recently deceased Dawn spacecraft used a xenon engine to zip from place to place in the asteroid belt. During the SERT test missions, however, the satellite engines used mercury.
Mercury is much heavier than either xenon or krypton, so spacecraft carrying them would be able to generate more thrust. Of course, mercury is also a dangerous neurotoxin, so NASA stopped using it after SERT.
Apollo Fusion is planning to bring mercury back, at least according to a collection of industry insiders talking to Bloomberg. If they’re successful, they could provide low-cost, high-power ion engines for satellites and spacecraft. But if they’re not, they could risk showering the atmosphere with toxic mercury.
For all our sakes, we just have to hope Apollo Fusion decides to pick a different fuel, or that it’s extremely careful during launches. If they’re not, we could all suffer the consequences. | <urn:uuid:caed5c79-60e9-4b52-b9ea-432b4e5dae7f> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/rockets/a25242578/apollo-fusion-mercury/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141716970.77/warc/CC-MAIN-20201202205758-20201202235758-00004.warc.gz | en | 0.940682 | 414 | 3.5 | 4 |
Using nanostraws, scientists can now sample cell contents without disrupting a cell's natural processes. The new tool was developed by researchers at Stanford, and it is hoped that the new technique will help uncover mysteries about how cells function.
The new system uses 600 tubes smaller than a strand of hair to sample a single cell by penetrating the outer membrane and drawing out proteins and genetic matter.
Given the nanostraws' ability to sample cells without disturbing functioning, the tools may also prove a valuable aid in medical therapies since cells can be monitored over time. One possible application would be to look at how cancer cells respond to chemotherapy, which would allow doctors to alter treatments accordingly. Over the long run, a deeper understanding at the cellular level could also help in drug development. | <urn:uuid:9b648d72-daf3-4997-b42c-903ffa98a1bc> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.aiche.org/chenected/2017/02/nanostraw-tool-samples-cells-without-destruction | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141735395.99/warc/CC-MAIN-20201204071014-20201204101014-00084.warc.gz | en | 0.947159 | 156 | 3.609375 | 4 |
From scouting promising athletes to debating over the best way to help gifted children reach their full potential, society’s focus on talent is ubiquitous. Identifying talent is beneficial to developing a person’s skills, and in organizations, it’s essential in matching employees to the right jobs. Effectively recognizing and nurturing talent allows businesses to develop leaders and reach growth targets.
However, despite the validity of psychological testing, there is still some apprehension in accepting talent evaluations. This is especially true when that evaluation is in conflict with our self-perception of our skills. We don’t like to hear that we aren’t as talented as we think we are. Self-delusional bias allows us to overestimate our abilities and competencies, while downplaying our weaknesses. This bias often carries over to the way we view others. Whether it’s seeing ourselves as more compassionate or hard-working, we tend to rate ourselves higher than we rate others.
Though talent evaluations might not always foresee future performance and development with 100% accuracy, they are often correct because our decisions are predictable. | <urn:uuid:a2c16086-d4dc-48c7-af56-eb84f592d31a> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.hoganassessments.com/you-might-not-be-as-talented-as-you-think/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141735395.99/warc/CC-MAIN-20201204071014-20201204101014-00084.warc.gz | en | 0.945088 | 225 | 2.78125 | 3 |
The oldest woodworking shop in America has been discovered virtually untouched in Duxbury, Massachusetts. The extremely rare find reveals an 18th century joiner’s shop with the date ‘1789’ painted in the rafters. University of Delaware professor Ritchie Garrison came upon the historic structure on the site of a preschool, bringing several experts out to verify its age. Craftsmen used the shed to create intricate woodwork.
Though the preschool had been using the woodworking shop for storage, not realizing its historic value, it’s still in remarkably good shape. The woodworking benches and tables are still in excellent condition. According to Garrison, the shop is filled with clues as to how it was used. Some benches were covered in paint while others bear saw marks, testifying to the variety of tasks that were performed there.
Evidence of a removed fireplace makes it clear that the woodworkers were doing tasks that required warmth, like using glue. The type of glue used during that time had to be heated to a certain temperature. Bill Flynt, a former colleague of Garrison, tested the wood of the shop and found that it is second- or third-generation wood, meaning that New Englanders had already cut down and replanted lots of trees by that time.
While reports don’t identify the type of wood used, it’s highly possible that some of it is Eastern White Pine, which was heavily in use at the time in Massachusetts. Growing all over New England, Eastern White Pine has a long history in early American architecture, furniture and other types of construction. | <urn:uuid:b572b636-a71b-4f7b-9b39-34ec2f3a9bfb> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://easternwhitepine.org/this-week-in-wood-untouched-18th-century-woodworking-shed-discovered/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141748276.94/warc/CC-MAIN-20201205165649-20201205195649-00164.warc.gz | en | 0.975784 | 325 | 3.265625 | 3 |
A meta-analysis of climatic and chemical controls on leaf litter decay rates in tropical forests.
Although tropical forests occupy a small fraction of the earth’s total land area, they play a disproportionately large role in regulating the global carbon cycle. Yet controls on both primary productivity and decomposition in tropical forests are not well-studied in comparison with temperate forests and grasslands, despite their extreme biogeochemical heterogeneity. To evaluate the relative importance of climate and foliar chemical variables in driving decomposition in tropical forests, I performed a meta-analysis of reported leaf litter decay rates throughout tropical forest ecosystems. Using a model selection procedure based on Akaike’s Information Criterion, I found that temperature and precipitation played little direct role in regulating decomposition rates, except in montane forests where cool temperatures slowed decay. Foliar concentrations of calcium, magnesium, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium were important predictors of mass loss rates, although each of these factors explained a very small amount of variance when considered in isolation. The large amount of unexplained variation in decomposition rates observed both within and across tropical forest sites may be due to other factors not explored here, such as soil biota or complex plant secondary chemistry. Carbon cycling in tropical forests seems to be modulated by the availability of multiple nutrients, underscoring the need for additional manipulative experiments to explore patterns of belowground nutrient limitation across the biome. Because models of decomposition developed in temperate ecosystems do not appear to be generalizable to wet tropical forests, new biogeochemical paradigms should be developed to accommodate their unique combination of climatic, edaphic, and biotic factors.
Waring, B.G. Ecosystems (2012) 15: 999. | <urn:uuid:d4a3e715-3b64-475e-9e3e-69bfe57f1bd8> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/biology_facpub/1082/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141191511.46/warc/CC-MAIN-20201127073750-20201127103750-00684.warc.gz | en | 0.898738 | 352 | 2.90625 | 3 |
To elucidate the co-evolutionary relationships between phloem-feeding insects and their secondary, or facultative, bacterial symbionts, we explore the distributions of three such microbes--provisionally named the R-type (or PASS, or S-sym), T-type (or PABS), and U-type--across a number of aphid and psyllid hosts through the use of diagnostic molecular screening techniques and DNA sequencing. Although typically maternally transmitted, phylogenetic and pairwise divergence analyses reveal that these bacteria have been independently acquired by a variety of unrelated insect hosts, indicating that horizontal transfer has helped to shape their distributions. Based on the high genetic similarity between symbionts in different hosts, we argue that transfer events have occurred recently on an evolutionary timescale. In several instances, however, closely related symbionts associate with related hosts, suggesting that horizontal transfer between distant relatives may be rarer than transmission between close relatives. Our findings on the prevalence of these symbionts within many aphid taxa, along with published observations concerning their effects on host fitness, imply a significant role of facultative symbiosis in aphid ecology and evolution. | <urn:uuid:2669705d-6066-43af-a313-8762dabbf47c> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12753224/?dopt=Abstract | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141191511.46/warc/CC-MAIN-20201127073750-20201127103750-00684.warc.gz | en | 0.942101 | 239 | 3.015625 | 3 |
After studying Benjamin Franklin’s “Poor Richard’s Almanack,” Upper School students in Ms. Tyndall’s American Literature class created an almanac of their own but with a little twist. Students had to make an almanac for 2020, capturing the full weight of a unique year. The class was divided into four groups and asked to relay events in their assigned quarters. With the months remaining in the year, they based their predictions on the events that have already taken place. Students chose categories to highlight as a class, including health, entertainment, sports, humor, and politics. The final presentations included details on the history of the almanac and an explanation of its relevance today. | <urn:uuid:b6beecec-db8a-4c8c-86db-2de83c9c82c9> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.glenelg.org/news-detail-2020?pk=1379648&fromId=254510 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141195745.90/warc/CC-MAIN-20201128184858-20201128214858-00044.warc.gz | en | 0.977318 | 146 | 3.25 | 3 |
Curious Creatures in Zoology: Illustrated Legends and Myths from Around the World
By John Ashton
This richly illustrated volume offers a feast for the imagination with its fascinatingly odd menagerie of creatures both real and imaginary. Victorian author John Ashton assembled historical accounts of everything from centaurs and unicorns to narwhals and wolves by authors such as Pliny, the ancient Roman naturalist, and Edward Topsell, a 17th-century English clergyman. These credulous treatments provide abundant amusement for modern readers. The compilation ranges from the more familiar creatures such as dragons, griffins, and mermen to now-obscure beings: the lamia, the lamb-tree, the moon woman, and the circhos, to name a few. Some tales offer unusual takes on swans, bears, cats, and other ordinary animals. Since underwater exploration was impractical until the 20th century, a particularly rich vein of folklore centers on sea creatures. Dating from approximately 1890, this fascinating volume is profusely illustrated with 130 images. A detailed index provides easy reference.
Reprint of the Cassell Publishing Company, New York edition. | <urn:uuid:91e50070-a7a2-4505-8c5f-cf3148f316df> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.weirdprovidence.org/store/p362/Curious_Creatures_in_Zoology%3A_Illustrated_Legends_and_Myths_from_Around_the_World.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141195745.90/warc/CC-MAIN-20201128184858-20201128214858-00044.warc.gz | en | 0.891139 | 242 | 2.875 | 3 |
Music is usually about what you hear, not what you see. But beginning in the early 20th century, musicians and artists began questioning the division of sight and sound–a transition John Cage described by saying, “If this word music is sacred and reserved for 18th- and 19thh-century instruments, we can substitute a more meaningful term: organization of sound.”
Cube With Magic Ribbons, a visual sequencer for live performances, induces synesthesia by charting rhythms and harmonies in a 2-D paper space that pivots and changes with the music. Developed by the U.K. musician and programmer Simon Katan, the app shows us the evolution of a single tape-head (the square) into a layered composition. He built the whole thing using SoundCircuit and, in case the reference wasn’t clear, named it after an M.C. Escher painting that shows a series of surfaces within a polygonal cubic framework.
The Escher influence is obvious, but Cube With Magic Ribbons is also a visual takeoff on the circuit diagrams of middle-school physics classes. Each new effect takes the form of a different diode or resistor–the fuzzy, crackling sounds mirror the reference. “As the piece unfolds, the nature of this already confusing space reveals itself to be increasingly elastic and complex, yet inexorably intertwined with the musical form,” Katan says. “As the tape-heads travel through the resultant network, the topological layout of the tracks comes to directly influence the macro form of the music.”
Right now, Cube With Magic Ribbons is Katan’s personal creation–but he’s contemplating developing it for public consumption after the response he received online. His hesitation stems from the ambiguity between sight and sound–he’s not sure whether it’s a tool or a piece of his own art. “Everybody keeps asking me the same thing,” he explains over email. “I’m undecided as to whether the interface is the music or not. If I release the app, will I be selling a new tool or an interactive version of my music?”
Check out Katan’s website for more info. | <urn:uuid:f67fefc6-b822-406d-990d-6d67fe398fec> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.fastcompany.com/1672321/a-music-machine-that-acts-like-a-circuit-diagram | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141205147.57/warc/CC-MAIN-20201130035203-20201130065203-00124.warc.gz | en | 0.925451 | 466 | 2.59375 | 3 |
In South Side Girls Marcia Chatelain recasts Chicago’s Great Migration through the lens of black girls. Focusing on the years between 1910 and 1940, when Chicago’s black population quintupled, Chatelain describes how Chicago’s black social scientists, urban reformers, journalists and activists formulated a vulnerable image of urban black girlhood that needed protecting. She argues that the construction and meaning of black girlhood shifted in response to major economic, social, and cultural changes and crises, and that it reflected parents’ and community leaders’ anxieties about urbanization and its meaning for racial progress. Girls shouldered much of the burden of black aspiration, as adults often scrutinized their choices and behavior, and their well-being symbolized the community’s moral health. Yet these adults were not alone in thinking about the Great Migration, as girls expressed their views as well. Referencing girls’ letters and interviews, Chatelain uses their powerful stories of hope, anticipation and disappointment to highlight their feelings and thoughts, and in so doing, she helps restore the experiences of an understudied population to the Great Migration’s complex narrative. | <urn:uuid:30781a8d-9ca0-4a53-b8c7-1ab9a0431405> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://historyofblackgirlhood.org/2015/06/04/south-side-girls/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141735600.89/warc/CC-MAIN-20201204101314-20201204131314-00364.warc.gz | en | 0.946511 | 241 | 2.859375 | 3 |
Animals maximize fitness by modulating sleep and foraging strategies in response to changes in nutrient availability. Wild populations of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, display highly variable levels of starvation and desiccation resistance that differ in accordance with geographic location, nutrient availability, and evolutionary history. Further, flies potently modulate sleep in response to changes in food availability, and selection for starvation resistance enhances sleep, revealing strong genetic relationships between sleep and nutrient availability. To determine the genetic and evolutionary relationship between sleep and nutrient deprivation, we assessed sleep in flies selected for desiccation or starvation resistance. While starvation resistant flies have higher levels of triglycerides, desiccation resistant flies have enhanced glycogen stores, indicative of distinct physiological adaptations to food or water scarcity. Strikingly, selection for starvation resistance, but not desiccation resistance, leads to increased sleep, indicating that enhanced sleep is not a generalized consequence of higher energy stores. Thermotolerance is not altered in starvation or desiccation resistant flies, providing further evidence for context-specific adaptation to environmental stressors. F2 hybrid flies were generated by crossing starvation selected flies with desiccation selected flies, and the relationship between nutrient deprivation and sleep was examined. Hybrids exhibit a positive correlation between starvation resistance and sleep, while no interaction was detected between desiccation resistance and sleep, revealing that prolonged sleep provides an adaptive response to starvation stress. Therefore, these findings demonstrate context-specific evolution of enhanced sleep in response to chronic food deprivation, and provide a model for understanding the evolutionary relationship between sleep and nutrient availability. | <urn:uuid:89802956-feeb-48a9-a588-381ddcde3aec> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26147198/?dopt=Abstract | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141735600.89/warc/CC-MAIN-20201204101314-20201204131314-00364.warc.gz | en | 0.921454 | 318 | 2.90625 | 3 |
What We Teach
The Humanities Department at The Girls’ Middle School integrates language arts with social sciences, an approach that encourages students to develop an awareness of themselves, their community, and the world. Beginning in sixth grade, students investigate what it means to be a member of a community, broadening their perspective and helping them to understand commonalities in the human experience. In seventh grade, students make connections between key literary works and major concepts in United States history, placing special emphasis on the relationships between race, identity, and class. In eighth grade, students look through the lens of justice to study history, literature, and culture around the world. Through the process of reading, writing, listening, and speaking, students become independent and critical thinkers.
Why We Teach It
The GMS Humanities Department prepares our young women to become powerful communicators, deep thinkers, and positive contributors to a just society. The curriculum encourages students to think critically and make connections to a wide range of texts and disciplines. We nurture and support creativity, growth, and expression, and students develop the ability to communicate their ideas thoughtfully and fluently throughout the process. | <urn:uuid:7299f3e7-f9dc-4579-a7d3-e6f507a12d20> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.girlsms.org/programs/humanities | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141735600.89/warc/CC-MAIN-20201204101314-20201204131314-00364.warc.gz | en | 0.950268 | 232 | 3.234375 | 3 |
The death of Galápagos tortoise Lonesome George this summer was thought to mark the extinction of a subspecies, but a new study hints that the reptile may not have been the last of his kind after all.
Researchers from Yale University recently trekked to the northern tip of Isabella Island, the largest of the Galápagos, and collected DNA from more than 1,600 giant tortoises. The genetic samples showed that 17 of these tortoises were hybrids that had a parent like Lonesome George from the subspecies Chelonoidis abingdoni.
What's more, five of those hybrids were juveniles, suggesting purebred C. abingdoni tortoises may still be roaming a remote part of the island.
"Our goal is to go back this spring to look for surviving individuals of this species and to collect hybrids," Yale ecology researcher Gisella Caccone said in a statement. "We hope that with a selective breeding program, we can reintroduce this tortoise species to its native home."
But even if examples of C. abingdoni are found on Isabella Island, how did they get there? Lonesome George's species is native to Pinta Island, 37 miles (60 kilometers) across the seas from the Volcano Wolf area on Isabella Island where the hybrid samples were collected.
These tortoises are massive, reaching nearly 900 pounds (408 kilograms) and almost 6 feet (1.8 meters) in length, and the researchers don't think ocean currents carried them between the islands. The team does suspect, however, that 19th-century sailors did.
Volcano Wolf is near Banks Bay, where naval officers and whalers marooned giant tortoises picked up from other islands after they were no longer needed for food. Researchers have previously found other hybrid turtles in the region with genetic ancestry of another tortoise, C. elephantopus, which was thought to be lost. This species was native to Floreana Island, where it was hunted to extinction some 150 years ago. But the new evidence suggests several members must have been brought to Isabella Island, where they mated with C. beckitortoises.
The new findings are detailed in the journal Biological Conservation.
Follow LiveScience on Twitter . We're also on and . | <urn:uuid:f178cf63-6e22-4d5d-8679-6ace995f3865> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna49855031 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141735600.89/warc/CC-MAIN-20201204101314-20201204131314-00364.warc.gz | en | 0.967395 | 480 | 3.296875 | 3 |
Taking to the high seas to plunder and pillage is about as old as seafaring itself. The first historical evidence of piracy dates back to 1400 B.C., beginning with the Lukkans, based in what is now Turkey, who made were a great annoyance to early Egyptian empires. Then there were the mysterious Sea People, who lurked the Agean Sea and the coast of Egypt conducting raids. A famous tale from antiquity relating to piracy is the capture of a young Julius Caesar by Cilican pirates. After a ransom was paid, the story goes, the future emperor raised a navy and exacted revenge upon his captors. From ninth-century Viking raiders to the European and Muslim pirates that operated the waters during the various Crusades, piracy’s history runs deep and wide.
However, when most people think of pirates today, thanks to books and movies, they’re immersed in the Golden Age of Piracy. Between 1650 and 1726, as European colonies grew and international trade expanded across the globe, so did the opportunity to secure a lifetime of riches in one fell swoop. Infamous figures shrouded in legend, such as “Calico” Jack Rackham, early travel novelist William Dampier, Mary Reed, William Kidd (a standout who appears all over the place), Raïs Hamidou, and Blackbeard, rewrote the history books and left an indelible mark on culture in less than a century. Some were true outlaws on the high seas, while others were commissioned by their home nations to plunder rivals as privateers. Many were both, and for all their mystique, their victims saw them as little more than merciless bandits. Stories of their reign and exploits have continued to leave a mark on culture for centuries.
Throughout the Caribbean, Barbary Coast (how Europeans referred to the Atlantic coast of North Africa), coastal North America, the Indian Ocean, and beyond, these salty marauders lurked. Some met ghastly ends, relegating their tales of adventure and plundered riches to folklore and historical mysteries, many of which remain unsolved. A precious few retired. Here are 14 places across Atlas Obscura’s database of wondrous places that best reflect this age and influence, when lore was a currency unlike any other, and crafting a good legend meant a shot at immortality. | <urn:uuid:d28db847-f496-4731-b386-6962676ec227> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.atlasobscura.com/lists/obscura-academy-pirates?mapview=true | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141177607.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20201124224124-20201125014124-00085.warc.gz | en | 0.966258 | 481 | 3.15625 | 3 |
In the American imagination, no figure is more central to national identity and the nation’s origin story than the cowboy. Yet the Americans and Europeans who settled the U.S. West learned virtually everything they knew about ranching from the indigenous and Mexican horsemen who already inhabited the region. The charro—a skilled, elite, and landowning horseman—was an especially powerful symbol of Mexican masculinity and nationalism. After the 1930s, Mexican Americans in cities across the U.S. West embraced the figure as a way to challenge their segregation, exploitation, and marginalization from core narratives of American identity. In this definitive history, Laura R. Barraclough shows how Mexican Americans have used the charro in the service of civil rights, cultural citizenship, and place-making. Focusing on a range of U.S. cities, Charros traces the evolution of the “original cowboy” through mixed triumphs and hostile backlashes, revealing him to be a crucial agent in the production of U.S., Mexican, and border cultures, as well as a guiding force for Mexican American identity and social movements. | <urn:uuid:1ec1f6b6-a4af-46bb-8dbf-f52ca51da750> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://americanstudies.yale.edu/publications/charros-how-mexican-cowboys-are-remapping-race-and-american-identity-american | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141186761.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20201126055652-20201126085652-00165.warc.gz | en | 0.937315 | 231 | 3.203125 | 3 |
Study Shows Smokers at Greater Risk for Hearing Loss
Smoking is associated with increased risk of hearing loss, according to a study of over 50,000 participants over 8 years in Nicotine & Tobacco Research, published by Oxford University Press.
Researchers analyzed data from annual health checkups, which included audio testing performed by a technician and a health-related lifestyle questionnaire completed by each participant. They examined the effects of smoking status (current, former, and never smokers), the number of cigarettes smoked per day, and the duration of smoking cessation on the extent of hearing loss. Even after adjusting for factors including occupational noise exposure, researchers noted a 1.2 to 1.6 increased risk of hearing loss among current smokers compared with never smokers.
While the association between smoking and high-frequency hearing loss was stronger than that of low-frequency hearing loss, the risk of both high- and low-frequency hearing loss increased with cigarette consumption. The increased risk of hearing loss decreased within 5 years after quitting smoking.
"With a large sample size, long follow-up period, and objective assessment of hearing loss, our study provides strong evidence that smoking is an independent risk factor of hearing loss," said the study's lead author Dr. Huanhuan Hu of Japan's National Center for Global Health and Medicine. "These results provide strong evidence to support that smoking is a causal factor for hearing loss and emphasize the need for tobacco control to prevent or delay the development of hearing loss." | <urn:uuid:baa7bd76-761c-4557-abc9-3cdfd5843b4c> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://arkansashearingaid.com/latest-news/study-shows-smokers-at-greater-risk-for-hearing-loss | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141186761.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20201126055652-20201126085652-00165.warc.gz | en | 0.960705 | 296 | 2.890625 | 3 |
They swirl. They dance. They ripple. They pulsate. Sometimes they look like curtains, other times like long, ghostly trails in the sky. Mostly they're green, but on rare occassions they can be tinged in red or purple. No wonder people in ancient times thought the northern lights were myth or magic.
So what causes this amazing natural phenomenon?
The northern lights (aurora borealis) occur when solar flares release charged particles into space that collide with atoms in the earth’s atmosphere near the magnetic poles. The results of these collisions are glowing emissions that are visible only on clear winter nights at high northern latitudes, especially around the Arctic Circle, making the Nordic region a prime viewing area.
Depending on factors like the type of atoms involved and the pull of earth’s magnetic forces, the lights can take on various shapes and colours — the more intense the solar activity, the brighter the lights will be. Each short-lived display is one of a kind with ripples, flashes or steady glows of green (most common), violet or reddish hues.
Even with the rational scientific explanation for what’s going on, the northern lights never cease to amaze us — no matter how many times we've seen them.
Pro tip: The best months for viewing the northern lights are October through late March, and peak visibility is usually December through February. Oh, and remember that since these lights are naturally occurring, they don't always appear during your tour. | <urn:uuid:39c4acc0-0fd7-4ea2-ac94-ed1eea6a4eea> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.nordicvisitor.com/blog/northern-lights-spectacle/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141211510.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20201130065516-20201130095516-00405.warc.gz | en | 0.948366 | 308 | 3.578125 | 4 |
Noise deters birds from eating young crops, irks neighbors
The emergence of young crops on valley farmlands brings with it a noticeable increase in noise levels, leaving many local residents confused, concerned or simply irritated.
Carrie Corcoran, Sublimity finance manager and city recorder, said the office has been receiving multiple phone calls regarding the sound effects.
"We have a pretty quiet community, so people don't know what's going on," she said. "We're getting a lot of questions about what the booms are, where they're coming from and why."
Those booms are actually the sounds of propane air cannons, commonly used by farmers to protect their crops. Fueled by propane and timed to cyclically fire, the cannons produce sound blasts similar to that of a large shotgun, effectively scaring away grazing geese and other birds or wildlife.
Though permits are required to use fireworks to haze birds from crops, or to harass threatened or endangered species, no permit is required to scare migratory birds (per OAR 635-043-0105). The regulation does state, however, "Any harassment of non-threatened or non-endangered migratory birds must not result in the take of migratory birds, their eggs or their nests."
While this protective practice may not be a pleasant experience for neighbors or pets, the resulting decrease in damages to crops is substantial, making your wallet very happy. | <urn:uuid:26e90b2b-5a3e-4a1e-92c0-47b0345234e7> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/local/stayton/2014/04/24/noise-deters-birds-eating-young-crops-irks-neighbors/8130667/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141211510.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20201130065516-20201130095516-00405.warc.gz | en | 0.944664 | 295 | 2.796875 | 3 |
Image: Hubble's twisted galaxy
Gravity governs the movements of the cosmos. It draws flocks of galaxies together to form small groups and more massive galaxy clusters, and brings duos so close that they begin to tug at one another. This latter scenario can have extreme consequences, with members of interacting pairs of galaxies often being dramatically distorted, torn apart, or driven to smash into one another, abandoning their former identities and merging to form a single accumulation of gas, dust and stars.
The subject of this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image, IC 1727, is currently interacting with its near neighbor, NGC 672 (which is just out of frame). The pair's interactions have triggered peculiar and intriguing phenomena within both objects—most noticeably in IC 1727. The galaxy's structure is visibly twisted and asymmetric, and its bright nucleus has been dragged off-center.
In interacting galaxies such as these, astronomers often see signs of intense star formation (in episodic flurries known as starbursts) and spot newly-formed star clusters. They are thought to be caused by gravity churning, redistributing and compacting the gas and dust. In fact, astronomers have analyzed the star formation within IC 1727 and NGC 672 and discovered something interesting—observations show that simultaneous bursts of star formation occurred in both galaxies some 20 to 30 and 450 to 750 million years ago. The most likely explanation for this is that the galaxies are indeed an interacting pair, approaching each other every so often and swirling up gas and dust as they pass close by. | <urn:uuid:d820fdf7-4f29-4131-a237-70e7e7184ead> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://phys.org/news/2017-08-image-hubble-galaxy.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141681209.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20201201170219-20201201200219-00485.warc.gz | en | 0.939761 | 319 | 3.953125 | 4 |
A Swarm, A Flock, A Host: A Compendium of Creatures
A collaboration between a contemporary painter and an award-winning poet, this twenty-first-century bestiary is a spellbinding artistic meditation on the mystery and diversity of the animal kingdom.
Originating in the Middle Ages, bestiaries were illuminated volumes that described various animals—some real, some mystical. The natural history and illustration of each beast were usually accompanied by a moral lesson. In this beautifully illustrated book, painter Darren Waterston and poet Mark Doty come together to breathe new life into the medieval genre. Waterston’s lush and haunting silhouettes depict species from insect and bird to mammal, captured in motion as they hunt their prey, build their nests, or protect their young. Accompanying the illustrations are Doty’s poetic observations on the animal world—its panoply of sounds and shapes, its dignity, and its cruelty. Lovers of art, animals, and poetry will delight in this elegant volume that captures nature’s exquisite and terrible beauty. | <urn:uuid:09ef0ff2-0294-4a9e-8fd0-3497a880cd31> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.famsf.org/about/publications/swarm-flock-host-compendium-creatures | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141681209.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20201201170219-20201201200219-00485.warc.gz | en | 0.954037 | 217 | 2.609375 | 3 |
In a move many see as retaliation for the February recognition of independence for Kosovo, both houses of Russia’s parliament voted unanimously to recognize the independence of the separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Though not legally binding, the vote urges Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to officially recognize them and establish full diplomatic relations.
The Georgian Foreign Ministry condemned the vote as a continuation of “Russian aggression” and a violation of Georgia’s sovereignty. Yesterday, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili vowed to rebuild his shattered military and reclaim the enclaves. Earlier this month, the Bush Administration reiterated its commitment to Georgia’s “territorial integrity.”
Both enclaves have enjoyed varying degrees of autonomy since 1992, and tensions with the Georgian government have led to intermittent violence. This all came to a head earlier this month, when the Georgian government launched an offensive against South Ossetia, shelling its capital city of Tskhinvali. The Russian military, along with thousands of Abkhaz and Ossetian volunteers, swept into Tskhinvali, and advanced into parts of Georgia. Though a cease-fire has been declared, Russian troops remain in and around certain strategic Georgian cities.
In February, the breakaway province of Kosovo, long part of Serbia, declared independence with United States backing. At the time, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that the move would affect Russia’s policy toward Abkhazia and South Ossetia’s long-standing independence claims.
compiled by Jason Ditz | <urn:uuid:7a650fc5-9c5a-4c9e-b0ff-610345a6f995> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://news.antiwar.com/2008/08/25/russian-parliament-unanimously-backs-independence-for-abkhazia-south-ossetia/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141718314.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20201203031111-20201203061111-00565.warc.gz | en | 0.935277 | 325 | 2.59375 | 3 |
Temperatures across the United States plummeted today, with parts of the Midwest experiencing wind chills of 40, 50, even 60 degrees below zero—and that’s in Fahrenheit. As if frozen pipes and frostbite weren’t dangerous enough, some folks are learning about one of the rarer, scarier side effects of super-cold weather: cryoseisms, or “frost quakes.”
A cryoseism occurs when an area of land that’s been saturated with water experiences a very sudden drop from above-freezing to subzero temperatures. This drastic temperature change causes the groundwater to freeze—and therefore expand—so suddenly that its surroundings can’t shift to accommodate it, causing pressure to build under the surface. The pressure continues to build until the rocks and dirt can’t take it anymore and, well, explode, usually with a startlingly loud crack or boom. It’s less scary than it sounds: unlike the earthquakes they’re often mistaken for, cryoseisms are very localized and relatively low-energy. Unless you’re right on top of the epicenter, the noises are the worst of it.
Frost quakes have already been reported in Illinois, Indiana, and Pennsylvania; with the forecast promising even colder temperatures tomorrow, it’s likely that more are on the way. If you hear any loud cracking noises, try not to panic. After all, it’s not the end of the world—the ground is just cold enough to explode. | <urn:uuid:7b8a3810-da85-4928-999e-92f65a687315> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://lifehacker.com/what-are-frost-quakes-1832208339 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141187753.32/warc/CC-MAIN-20201126084625-20201126114625-00445.warc.gz | en | 0.915868 | 318 | 2.671875 | 3 |
Dentists across the country have noticed increases in cracked teeth and jaw pain. (Unsplash)
With the added stress of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, there’s been a cascading effect on many people, specifically involving cracked teeth, jaw pain, and other dental health issues.
According to Bremerton dentist Dr. Peter Ruff, he’s been seeing more and more instances of patients with cracked teeth and complaining of jaw pain, a direct result of frequent teeth-grinding.
“This is a stressful time, and we are seeing more issues,” Dr. Ruff told KIRO Radio.
Patients found to have lingering COVID symptoms for months after illness
That’s a trend that’s been consistent not just in Washington too, with one Winnipeg dentist describing a “huge increase” in patients who grind their teeth, seeing as many as three or four people a week with jaw pain and headaches.
A dentist in San Diego has seen similar problems among his patients too — prior to the pandemic, Dr. Paul Koshgerian told CNN he was treating roughly one cracked tooth a day. Nowadays, he sees anywhere from two to five cases a day. Iowa dentist Dr. Derek Peek spotted the same trend, treating twice as many cracked teeth in August and September as he did in those months last year.
To mitigate grinding and jaw pain, Dr. Ruff recommends preventative dental care, something he says many people have put off since the pandemic began.
“If early detection of the problem is available, then early treatment relates to less pain, less discomfort, and less expense,” he advised. | <urn:uuid:615e3d1f-9236-4f51-b790-297e0f3c745c> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.hanielmasri.com/bremerton-dentist-seeing-more-cracked-teeth-jaw-pain-due-to-stress-over-pandemic.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141187753.32/warc/CC-MAIN-20201126084625-20201126114625-00445.warc.gz | en | 0.967369 | 347 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Crocodiles are majestic, powerful creatures that can grow up to 23 feet long. Oh, and they could pretty much snap you in half with one well-timed munch. It's one thing to admire these animals at ground level, where you can keep an eye on them. It's another to imagine them dangling above you in a tree canopy. As it turns out, crocs and alligators have a hunger for heights.
The news of the proclivity for these large aquatic reptiles to shimmy up trees comes from a team of researchers and their paper titled "Climbing behavior in extant crocodilians" from the journal Herpetology Notes.
The scientists gathered data on crocodile climbing behaviors from anecdotes, previously published sources, and new observations. The conclusion is that, "...climbing behaviour is common among crocodilians and might have multiple functions." Those functions may include basking to regulate body temperature and surveillance of the area. Scaring the wits out of some people is just an unintended side effect.
So why haven't we been alerted to this before? It turns out that the tree-climbing reptiles are shy. When approached, they plop into the water, meaning you really have to sneak up on them to observe the behavior.
The revelation that crocs go climbing may help scientists gain a greater understanding of the behaviors of extinct animals. Just because an ancient croc-like skeleton fossil doesn't look like it would have crawled up a tree trunk, doesn't mean it didn't wander up into the leaves from time to time.
If it's any consolation, the scientists note that smaller and less heavy reptiles are most likely to go climbing, while the big bruisers stay grounded. The paper concludes that, "Despite lacking any morphological adaptations for climbing trees, crocodilians are capable of entering arboreal environments within the limits of their locomotory abilities, and in some cases might spend considerable time high above ground." | <urn:uuid:e531b67b-a61f-4bd4-94d3-14f5827195a0> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.cnet.com/news/heads-up-crocs-like-to-go-climbing/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141727627.70/warc/CC-MAIN-20201203094119-20201203124119-00125.warc.gz | en | 0.954712 | 403 | 3.796875 | 4 |
Government data is growing exponentially. Its volume, velocity and variety require advanced data analytics capabilities to empower informed decision-making, but many agencies are unequipped to manage such a largescale task.
Behind the scenes, federal agencies use metadata and data analysis to detect fraud, waste and abuse of federal programs and citizen services. Understanding and acting on these analytical insights derived from government data resources has the potential to support agency objectives in new and varied ways.
Additionally, fraudsters and cybercriminals are constantly outsmarting the overworked human personnel trying to thwart them. With the everyday bustle of modern government IT departments, it’s difficult for teams to adapt to the changing tactics of nefarious entities attempting to take advantage of systematic weaknesses.
Fortunately, new technology is available to assist these efforts. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are the way forward as the amount of data continues to grow alongside the shifting threat landscape.
This GovLoop e-book explains how AI and ML are applied at the federal level to combat cyberattacks and prevent fraud. The following pages also contain interviews with federal leaders about the use of AI and ML in cybersecurity efforts. Finally, we’ll interview experts who are successfully helping governments implement AI and ML technologies. | <urn:uuid:6993f8a7-46d2-4961-91f5-ae6306bb33e2> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.govloop.com/resources/how-artificial-intelligence-combats-fraud-and-cyberattacks/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141743438.76/warc/CC-MAIN-20201204193220-20201204223220-00205.warc.gz | en | 0.927945 | 255 | 2.640625 | 3 |
As spring and summer approaches, allergy sufferers are bemoaning the ever-increasing pollen count. According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, an estimated 30 percent of adults and nearly 40 percent of children have at least one allergy, including seasonal allergies. And the trend is on the rise.
There are many theories about why peoples' immune systems run haywire when exposed to otherwise harmless substances like pollen. One pervasive idea is known as the Hygiene Hypothesis, which suggests that sterile-like environments and limited exposure to bacteria and allergens could cause the immune system to be overly sensitive. This idea could explain, in part, why the prevalence of allergies is increasing worldwide in developed countries.
Moreover, the theory suggests exposure may be the key in acclimating the immune system so that they are less likely to attack when exposed to pollen, food, or other allergens. Indeed, scientists recently revised their recommendation, encouraging people to eat peanut butter earlier in order to help nut allergies in adulthood. Perhaps then seasonal allergies could also be helped with early exposure to pollen too? Watch the video to find out. | <urn:uuid:c9f30aa2-31e2-4b95-a9ef-35f31c6cc32c> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.labroots.com/trending/videos/9725/seasonal-allergies-can-too-much-hygiene-be-blame | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141168074.3/warc/CC-MAIN-20201123211528-20201124001528-00565.warc.gz | en | 0.962141 | 231 | 3.265625 | 3 |
Christopher explains that he sees all the little details around him, which is why he doesn’t like being in new places, because he has to take in everything there is to see. Most people only glance at their surroundings and think about other things while they’re glancing. Christopher recalls standing in a field on the way to France for a vacation, and he can still remember all the tiny details of the field, such as a squashed can with a snail on it.
This hypersensitivity to detail helps explain Christopher’s extreme reactions to crowds and new places. Furthermore, this chapter forces the reader to appreciate what Christopher is going through as he takes on this journey with so many elements in it that are new to him. It also makes Christopher’s narration that much more credible, since he really does remember any detail he writes down.
Christopher draws the exact patterns of a cow he saw in the field, which reminds him he knows a joke about a cow. The joke involves an economist, a logician, and a mathematician who draw different conclusions from seeing a brown cow in Scotland, and it proves that mathematicians think most clearly and don’t assume anything they don’t know for sure.
Christopher already lives like the exemplary mathematician of the joke. Even if he makes hypotheses about what could have happened to Wellington or to his mother, he never takes anything as truth before he has proof to support it.
When Christopher goes somewhere new, his brain gets overloaded by everything he has to see. It’s even worse when there are many people around and they try to interact with him, because he has to anticipate what they might do. In these situations, Christopher covers his ears and groans so that he can remember what he’s supposed to be doing. However, his power of observation also makes him good at chess, math, and logic.
Once again, Christopher’s description of how he experiences the world makes it that much more impressive for him to take on a journey to London. He doesn’t see his hypersensitivity only as a difficulty, however. He also is aware that it gives him an advantage in certain areas that he values. | <urn:uuid:12643f85-747e-4e51-8193-7d87548f841c> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.litcharts.com/lit/the-curious-incident-of-the-dog-in-the-night-time/chapter-181 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141181179.12/warc/CC-MAIN-20201125041943-20201125071943-00645.warc.gz | en | 0.984041 | 449 | 3.1875 | 3 |
Led by Túpac Amaru, Túpac Katari, Tomás Katari, and others, the pan-Andean uprising from 1780 to 1782 was the largest and most radical indigenous challenge to Spanish colonial rule in the Americas since the conquest. Whole insurgent armies were organized in the heart of Peru and Alto Peru (today Bolivia) over the course of two years. Ancient and populous cities such as Cuzco, La Paz, Chuquisaca, Oruro, and Puno were besieged and occupied. Extensive rural areas in Charcas, the provinces in the high Andean plateau bordering Lake Titicaca, and the southern Peruvian sierras, fell under the complete control of the rebel forces. These forces occasionally relied on the direct support of creoles and mestizos. Although Túpac Amaru, the self-proclaimed new Inca king, would become the primary symbol of the rebellion, the insurgent uprisings combined multiple regional uprisings, each with its own history and dynamic. This article explores the similarities and differences among these uprisings in terms of ethnic ideology, social composition, leadership structure, and insistent demands for change. | <urn:uuid:88e7f372-d84f-430f-8f88-d29684bd4d54> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://oxfordre.com/latinamericanhistory/search?btog=chap&f_0=keyword&q_0=La%20Paz | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141194634.29/warc/CC-MAIN-20201127221446-20201128011446-00085.warc.gz | en | 0.929299 | 242 | 4.15625 | 4 |
The new type of material will stay in the Earth’s rock record forever, according to a new study, and will one day act as a geological marker for humanity’s impact on the planet.
The research from the University of Western Ontario in Canada has revealed plastiglomerates form when melted plastic rubbish on beaches mixes with sediment, lava fragments and organic debris to produce a whole new type of rock.
So far the material has only been found at Hawaii’s Kamilo beach, which is considered one of the dirtiest in the world, but the unique geological material likely exists in many other locations, as Joseph Castro reports for LiveScience.
Research on the plastiglomerates from Kamilo Beach have found there are two types: In situ and clastic. The results are published in GSA Today.
The in situ variety is rarer, and forms when “plastic melts on rock and becomes incorporated into the rock outcrop,” lead author Patricia Corcoran told LiveScience. Clastic plastiglomerates (pictured above) instead form as loose rocky structures, when a combination of shells, coral, basalt, woody debris and sand are glued together by melted plastic.
Plastiglomerate was first discovered by oceanographer Captain Charles Moore, who thought that molten lava had melted the plastic to create the new rock material. But, as LiveScience reports, the researchers revealed that the lava hadn’t flowed since before plastics were first invented, suggesting our waste was definitely to blame.
It’s not great news, especially given the fact today is World Environment Day. Hey Earth, to celebrate, we’ve made you a new type of rock that will NEVER break down. You’re welcome. | <urn:uuid:a53f5a4d-ef69-4221-9479-66d4bf120a4e> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://projectoceanus.wordpress.com/tag/plastic-waste/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141194634.29/warc/CC-MAIN-20201127221446-20201128011446-00085.warc.gz | en | 0.937717 | 364 | 3.90625 | 4 |
Torrential rain events and the flooding they cause are nothing new. Global warming, however, is helping to make them more likely.
According to the most recent National Climate Assessment, heavy precipitation events have increased in both frequency and intensity across the United States. While there are seasonal variations with different regions, the greatest increases have been observed in the northeast.
Climate scientists attribute this increase in heavy precipitation to our warming world. As greenhouse gases warm the atmosphere, the air is able to hold more water vapor. More specifically, according to the Clausius–Clapeyron relation, for every increase of 1°F, the saturation level of the atmosphere increases by about 4%. That means there is more evaporation from oceans, rivers, and lakes, and therefore more water vapor available to condense and fall as precipitation.
Heavy rain events have a number of consequences, including an increased risk of both flash floods and river floods. This, in turn, is a threat to life and property. Over the long-term, it also affects insurance rates and property values. According to NOAA, individual billion-dollar flooding events (excluding tropical cyclones) in the U.S. have added up to $39 billion in losses since 2010.
As our global temperature continues to rise, experts say we should expect to see more extreme rain events, even in areas where overall precipitation is projected to decrease. In other words, when it rains, it will likely pour. | <urn:uuid:dbd92dab-4acc-434e-9a6f-fc5d6166d8fc> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.weathergamut.com/2018/04/17/why-heavy-rain-events-are-becoming-more-common/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141197278.54/warc/CC-MAIN-20201129063812-20201129093812-00165.warc.gz | en | 0.946529 | 294 | 3.78125 | 4 |
Wednesday, November 1, 2017
Haley Reading Group: “Thirty Million Gallons Under the Sea”
[The Best American Science and Nature Writing (2016)]
Cynthia A. Campbell
Antonia Juhasz’s article “Thirty Million Gallons Under the Sea” focuses on the impact of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Juhasz illuminates how the thirty million gallons of oil remaining on the ocean floor is affecting the ecological balance. Ultimately, the article speaks to the continued efforts of oil companies to extract oil from the ocean despite the risk of further disasters.
Juhasz’s discussion of the phytoplankton was especially enlightening. At one point, Juhasz notes that “[this] sea vegetation...produces about half of the planet’s oxygen.” This point indicates the vital importance of a healthy ocean ecosystem.
After reading Juhasz’s article, what was one point concerning the destruction of sea organisms that viewed as especially important to consider? Why? Please provide a page number citation. | <urn:uuid:ca92effe-61ef-4468-b5df-2929881445b2> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | http://www.culturalfront.org/2017/11/haley-reading-group-thirty-million.html?showComment=1513014933622 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141686635.62/warc/CC-MAIN-20201202021743-20201202051743-00325.warc.gz | en | 0.901927 | 234 | 3.4375 | 3 |
This Article exposes a surprising doctrinal distortion that has unfolded since the Supreme Court first established the Sixth Amendment standard for the right to a jury selected from a fair cross-section of the community. A significant number of courts are erroneously applying the test for a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection guarantee to Sixth Amendment claims. As a result, criminal defendants are being deprived of the unique Sixth Amendment fair cross-section right, which encompasses more than just protection from discrimination. Under the Sixth Amendment, a defendant need not allege that any state actor discriminated in the jury selection process. Instead, a defendant can establish a prima facie violation by showing that the underrepresentation of a distinctive group in the jury pool is inherent in the selection process, whether by accident or design. The equal protection clause, in contrast, demands evidence of discriminatory intent. This Article reveals that at least ten federal circuits and nineteen states have erroneously denied defendants’ Sixth Amendment claims for failure to satisfy the Fourteenth Amendment’s discrimination requirement. This Article also uses an original survey of federal and state cases to explore the potential scope of the problem. In over one-third of the relevant cases, courts denied defendants’ fair cross-section claims for failing to meet equal protection standards. In contrast to scholarship arguing that the underpinnings of the fair cross-section standard need to be revisited, this Article asserts that the key to enforcing the cross-section guarantee is not to change the standard, but to apply it consistently with the Sixth Amendment and Supreme Court doctrine.
Nina W. Chernoff,
Wrong About the Right: How Courts Undermine the Fair Cross-Section Guarantee by Confusing It with Equal Protection,
64 Hastings L.J. 141
Available at: | <urn:uuid:73d09444-557a-43cf-9fb4-4ff8066163d2> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://repository.uchastings.edu/hastings_law_journal/vol64/iss1/4/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141686635.62/warc/CC-MAIN-20201202021743-20201202051743-00325.warc.gz | en | 0.910522 | 388 | 2.65625 | 3 |
On two separate days in August 1945, the United States dropped atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As the seventy-fifth anniversary of these cataclysmic bombings draws near, American and Japanese citizens are seeking new ways to memorialize these events for future generations. In Discordant Memories, Alison Fields explores—through the lenses of multiple disciplines—ongoing memories of the two bombings. Enhanced by striking color and black-and-white images, this book is an innovative contribution to the evolving fields of memory studies and nuclear humanities.
To reveal the layered complexities of nuclear remembrance, Fields analyzes photography, film, and artworks; offers close readings of media and testimonial accounts; traces site visits to atomic museums in New Mexico and Japan; and features artists who give visual form to evolving memories.
According to Fields, such expressions of memory both inspire group healing and expose struggles with past trauma. Visual forms of remembrance—such as science museums, peace memorials, photographs, and even scars on human bodies—serve to contain or manage painful memories. And yet, the author claims, distinct cultures lay claim to vastly different remembrances of nuclear history. Fields analyzes a range of case studies to uncover these discordant memories and to trace the legacies of nuclear weapons production and testing. Her subjects include the Bradbury Science Museum in Los Alamos, New Mexico; the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum in Japan; the atomic photography of Carole Gallagher and Patrick Nagatani; and artworks and experimental films by Will Wilson and Nanobah Becker.
In the end, Fields argues, the trauma caused by nuclear weapons can never be fully contained. For this reason, commemorations of their effects are often incomplete and insufficient. Differences between individual memories and public accounts are also important to recognize. Discordant Memories illuminates such disparate memories in all their rich complexity. | <urn:uuid:66d6cdad-54ce-4ebe-a16d-50d68f95a093> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.oupress.com/books/15322645/discordant-memories | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141727782.88/warc/CC-MAIN-20201203124807-20201203154807-00405.warc.gz | en | 0.910663 | 378 | 2.5625 | 3 |
A combination of narrative and analysis, the book documents Perdomo's experiences in Colombia and Ecuador and offers valuable insights into the social history of medicine during the Great Transformation in nineteenth-century Latin America. Reactions to Perdomo also illuminate the conflicts between colonial and modern and between religious and secular belief systems in Latin America during this time. This era pitted the norms of colonial Latin America against forces of change that shaped contemporary Latin America. Perdomo's practice of medicine demonstrated a strong religious influence that liberals thought were incompatible with a modern, secular society.
But Perdomo also had his detractors. Physicians, formally trained medicos, and those who supported scientific modernization were critical of Perdomo's practice of Hispanic medicine, even though it was part of the medical system of the day. Blending Catholic healing beliefs with indigenous and African medical ideologies, Hispanic medicine challenged the innovations occurring in the professional medical community. | <urn:uuid:3d8dba21-0ce6-47a4-874d-eed47c1b3895> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781461645757 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141197593.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20201129093434-20201129123434-00445.warc.gz | en | 0.966171 | 183 | 3.15625 | 3 |
Widespread public health campaigns in Michigan have highlighted the dangers of distracted driving. Many of these efforts have focused on the use of handheld phones, including calling and texting while driving. Similarly to overall trends in communication, fewer drivers are talking on handheld phones while behind the wheel. However, drivers are 57 percent more likely to use their phones for texting, internet browsing or email, even when operating their vehicles.
Even drivers who refrain from mobile device use while moving may be tempted to pick up a phone and text or surf while stopped at a red light. However, even stopped distracted drivers can contribute to dangerous car accidents, being ill-prepared to move in an emergency situation or even when the light changes to green. These results came in a study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, an organization supported by the insurance industry that aims to improve roadway safety and decrease accident risks.
The report noted that distracted driving remained relatively steady between 2014 and 2018 but that different types of distraction are posing increased threats. Rather than holding a phone to converse, drivers are choosing to text instead. Researchers warned about this trend, noting that actively typing and otherwise manipulating a phone is linked to more serious crashes than simply holding the phone while talking. Studies indicate that people are 66 percent more likely to have a fatal crash when using a mobile phone or tablet. In 2017, over 800 deaths were linked to surfing or texting while driving.
The consequences of distracted driving can be devastating to others on the road, leading to catastrophic injuries, brain trauma or organ damage in severe motor vehicle accidents. A personal injury lawyer might help accident victims to pursue compensation for their damages, including pain and suffering, lost wages and medical bills. | <urn:uuid:64142220-e83f-45e5-b495-1d6f28941db7> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.michiganautoaccident.com/blog/2019/01/texting-while-driving-on-the-rise/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141197593.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20201129093434-20201129123434-00445.warc.gz | en | 0.959802 | 340 | 3.125 | 3 |
Volcanoes are common occurrences along the boundaries of Earth’s tectonic plates. These boundaries allow super-heated molten rock called magma, along with ash and gases, to rise through Earth’s crust and emerge on the surface, often dramatically. Since many plate boundaries are submerged, around three-quarters of all volcanic activity on Earth actually occurs underwater.
Even though most submarine volcanoes do not produce the spectacular eruption events of some of their land counterparts, undersea volcanic activity is a constant process that shapes the features of the ocean. When magma reaches the level of the seafloor, it meets cold ocean water and quickly cools to form basaltic rock, often termed “pillow lava” due to its rounded shape. This pillow lava, along with slower-cooling magma beneath it, forms the vast majority of oceanic crust.
Frequent eruptions along divergent plate boundaries such as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge form new ocean bottom in a process known as seafloor spreading. This process occurs slowly (1-15 centimeters per year) yet relentlessly, moving the plates—and the ocean floor and continents above them—further apart. Halfway around the world, along the Pacific Ring of Fire, volcanic activity occurs as plates converge on each other, creating subduction zones.
Continued volcanism in one area can build up to form underwater mountains called seamounts or even islands that breach the ocean surface. Many examples of island chains throughout the Pacific, such has the Hawaiian Islands, are formed as one volcanic hotspot erupts over millions of years while the Pacific plate drifts above it.
Submarine volcanoes are also interesting because of the unique habitats they create. Seamounts are often areas of high biological diversity; their shape acts to deflect food-carrying currents upward, attracting a variety of sessile fauna and the crustaceans and fish that feed upon them. In the late 1970s, scientists were shocked to discover that some animals can even metabolize inorganic compounds emitted during volcanic activity, forming unique communities around hotspots of hydrothermal venting (similar to geyser activity on land). | <urn:uuid:16546b76-acad-48ed-9583-12a709a8d853> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.saltwaterpimp.com/ocean-facts/can-volcanic-eruptions-occur-underwater/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141197593.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20201129093434-20201129123434-00445.warc.gz | en | 0.946591 | 444 | 4.5625 | 5 |
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute and the University of Stuttgart in Germany have developed a method to create high-resolution ultrasound fields, a capability which may improve the effectiveness of ultrasound therapies and tailor them for individual patients. The technique involves passing ultrasonic waves through water, where hydrogen bubbles help to transform the waves into desired shapes.
High-power ultrasound therapy is currently used to destroy tumor tissues, including prostate and uterine tumors. However, the technique can also damage healthy tissue, since it generates a great deal of heat, so the ultrasound field must be tightly controlled to restrict it to the tumor as much as possible. This is particularly difficult for brain tumors, as the skull distorts the field.
Current methods to control ultrasound fields involve creating several individual sound sources, which are then shifted to strengthen or weaken each other. However, this technique is limited and can only produce about 1,000 pixels. The newly invented approach, published in journal Nature Communications, can generate as many as 10,000 individual pixels.
“In order to modulate the sound pressure profile, we take advantage of the different acoustic properties of water and air,” said Zhichao Ma, a researcher involved in the study. “While an ultrasonic wave passes through a liquid unhindered, it is completely reflected by air bubbles”.
The researchers developed a thumbnail-sized chip on which they can split water to form hydrogen bubbles in a specific pattern. They can then send an ultrasonic wave through the chip, and when it encounters the bubbles it transforms to form a desired shape. Creating a different profile is as simple as wiping the hydrogen bubbles away and producing a different pattern.
“In this way, we can use much more powerful ultrasonic transducers”, said Kai Melde, another researcher involved in the study. “Thanks to a chip with 10,000 pixels that modulates the ultrasonic wave, we can generate a much finer-resolved profile.”
The researchers have demonstrated the precision of their new system by arranging microparticles into different letters. Check it out in the video below.
Study in Nature Communications: Spatial ultrasound modulation by digitally controlling microbubble arrays
Via: Max Planck Institute | <urn:uuid:556dcade-bf78-44f8-8814-2198694bf4b4> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.medgadget.com/2020/10/high-resolution-ultrasound-for-accurate-tumor-ablation.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Medgadget+%28Medgadget%29 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141486017.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20201130192020-20201130222020-00525.warc.gz | en | 0.936225 | 456 | 3.984375 | 4 |
Snake Venom Could Open New Treatments for Cancer
Besides helping to manage our mouse and rodent population, it may be hard to think of anything beneficial about snakes – especially poisonous ones. Yet there may be a surprising silver lining to slithery serpents: innovative new treatments for cancer.
Just ask Steve MacKessy of the University of Northern Colorado. He’s been collecting and studying snake venom for decades, freeze-drying the venom to retain its properties. He still works with samples gathered as many as 40 years ago, sharing, “A lot of other protein drugs are inherently unstable, but venoms in particular are designed to be stable under bad conditions.”
Because the toxins in the venom bind very specifically to the receptors of its prey, they have the potential to target only the cancer cells themselves, unlike current treatment options like chemotherapy.
An additional study, led by Dr. Nicholas Casewell of Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, concurs, taking it a step further. “Our results demonstrate that the evolution of venoms is a really complex process. The venom gland of snakes appears to be a melting pot for evolving new functions for molecules, some of which are retained in venom for killing prey, while others go on to serve new functions in other tissues in the body,” he explains.
In addition to its potential in treating cancer, this study expands the possible benefits to other chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes and high blood pressure.
Because of the lethal toxins in snake venom, making them safe for consumers is a challenge. Researchers have discovered that snakes may possess nontoxic versions of their venom, opening new doors for safer testing.
Hired Hands Homecare, providers of the professional elderly care Santa Rosa seniors need, is committed to staying on top of the latest trends in treatments for cancer and other health diagnoses, in order to offer the highest possible level of care. Our care staff are fully trained and experienced in a wide range of services to make life better for those in need of care at home. Contact us at (866)-940-4343 to see if our services are available in your area, and to find out how we can help you! | <urn:uuid:a778f070-8ebd-4abf-a506-84c89b8965ad> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | http://www.hiredhandshomecare.com/snake-venom-could-open-new-treatments-for-cancer/?shared=email&msg=fail | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141729522.82/warc/CC-MAIN-20201203155433-20201203185433-00685.warc.gz | en | 0.94494 | 447 | 2.828125 | 3 |
Robert Byron (1905-1941) was a noted British traveler, art critic, and author trained as a Byzantinist. Byron is often credited with introducing an educated reading public to the importance of Islamic and Byzantine art. His most celebrated work, The Road to Oxiana, is an account of his journey through Iran and Afghanistan in 1933-1934. Also a talented photographer, Byron thoroughly documented the buildings (many now altered or destroyed) about which he wrote. His photographs now comprise an invaluable resource for the study of Islamic architecture and offer a rich visual companion to his writings. The Conway Library at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London has generously granted Archnet the rights to publish a selection of Robert Byron images, documenting numerous Seljuk, Timurid, Safavid, and other Islamic monuments in Iran and Afghanistan. | <urn:uuid:d63970f3-18df-40c0-a500-fc2c6fa22bec> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.archnet.org/collections/33/collections/18 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141729522.82/warc/CC-MAIN-20201203155433-20201203185433-00685.warc.gz | en | 0.94876 | 170 | 2.5625 | 3 |
If managed properly, natural resource exploration could be beneficial to communities where extractive activities take place, either directly through transfer of resource revenues and corporate interventions or through the promotion of local content. However, communities also bear the disproportionate costs of resource extraction from environmental hazard and other socio-economic effects. Effective resource management, therefore, involves maximizing benefits from resources while minimizing the costs imposed on the host communities. Nigeria currently performs below average in managing local impacts of resource extraction. Particularly, the Nigeria Natural Resource Charter (NNRC) conducted a robust assessment of the performance of Nigeria’s oil and gas sector against the 12 precepts of the Natural Resource Charter, detailing the relevant findings in their Benchmarking Exercise Report (BER) 2017. Major issues relating to managing local impacts of extractive activities were captured in precept 5. This brief provides actionable policy recommendations that can enhance the management of local impacts of resource extraction, especially in response to the challenges identified in the BER 2017.
The Natural Resource Charter is a set of principles on how to best harness the opportunities created by extractive resources for development for governments and societies rich in non-renewable natural resources. | <urn:uuid:94d9b0f3-d5b3-4999-b7e1-e6ffe1755f07> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | http://cseaafrica.org/managing-local-impacts/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141746320.91/warc/CC-MAIN-20201205044004-20201205074004-00045.warc.gz | en | 0.899659 | 233 | 2.703125 | 3 |
Study Assesses Medicament Released Using Chewing Gum Delivery
A University of Bristol study assessed how much xylitol is released in medicated chewing gum by using a robot to replicate human chewing motion. This development may provide opportunities to refine drug release from gum via this delivery method. The study, “Development of a Chewing Robot with Built-in Humanoid Jaws to Simulate Mastication to Quantify Robotic Agents Release from Chewing Gums Compared to Human Participants,” published in IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, observed whether a chewing robot with built-in humanoid jaws — complete with artificial saliva — could assess the volume of medicament delivered. “The chewing robot demonstrated a similar release rate of xylitol as human participants,” researchers wrote in the study.
When the team compared the amount of xylitol remaining in the medicated gum after chewing for 5, 10, 15, and 20 minutes, the team found the greatest release of xylitol occurred during the first 5 minutes of chewing, with a small amount of xylitol remaining after 20 minutes, regardless of the subject group. | <urn:uuid:bfd7d2e1-bbd6-4c42-8fdf-e6d8d022e7f0> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://decisionsindentistry.com/2020/09/study-assesses-medicament-released-using-chewing-gum/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141746320.91/warc/CC-MAIN-20201205044004-20201205074004-00045.warc.gz | en | 0.917322 | 228 | 2.671875 | 3 |
New research suggests that our immune system may play an active role in shaping the digestive-tract flora, which is tightly linked to health and disease.
An innovative approach from Priya Rajasethupathy has been used to link genetics to behavior in mice. The analysis identifies a gene that underpins the role of the brain’s thalamus region in maintaining short-term memory.
Research led by Jean-Laurent Casanova shows Covid-19 patients with life-threatening illness have antibodies that disable key immune system proteins called interferons.
Just how sick we get from COVID-19 depends on genetic variations, including ones that sabotage immune molecules called interferons. Jean-Laurent Casanova's work aims to better understand why, which could lead to new treatments for COVID-19 and other scourges. | <urn:uuid:adf703d6-5015-4d8c-8dc3-4235a665454e> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.rockefeller.edu/news/?start-date=10%2F28%2F2020&end-date=10%2F28%2F2020 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141163411.0/warc/CC-MAIN-20201123153826-20201123183826-00000.warc.gz | en | 0.928781 | 174 | 3.328125 | 3 |
Republics of Knowledge
Nations of the Future in Latin America
An enlightening account of the entwined histories of knowledge and nationhood in Latin America—and beyond
The rise of nation-states is a hallmark of the modern age, yet we are still untangling how the phenomenon unfolded across the globe. Here, Nicola Miller offers new insights into the process of nation-making through an account of nineteenth-century Latin America, where, she argues, the identity of nascent republics was molded through previously underappreciated means: the creation and sharing of knowledge.
Drawing evidence from Argentina, Chile, and Peru, Republics of Knowledge traces the histories of these countries from the early 1800s, as they gained independence, to their centennial celebrations in the twentieth century. Miller identifies how public exchange of ideas affected policymaking, the emergence of a collective identity, and more. She finds that instead of defining themselves through language or culture, these new nations united citizens under the promise of widespread access to modern information. Miller challenges the narrative that modernization was a strictly North Atlantic affair, demonstrating that knowledge traveled both ways between Latin America and Europe. And she looks at how certain forms of knowledge came to be seen as more legitimate and valuable than others, both locally and globally. Miller ultimately suggests that all modern nations can be viewed as communities of shared knowledge, a perspective with the power to reshape our conception of the very basis of nationhood.
With its transnational framework and cross-disciplinary approach, Republics of Knowledge opens new avenues for understanding the histories of modern nations—and the foundations of modernity—the world over. | <urn:uuid:e97615f4-8585-4dbc-9bb0-4de15f120f0c> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://childrensbookworld_1.mymustreads.com/id007025609/Republics-of-Knowledge | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141193221.49/warc/CC-MAIN-20201127131802-20201127161802-00240.warc.gz | en | 0.930649 | 330 | 3.1875 | 3 |
The mechanisms governing tree drought mortality and recovery remain a subject of inquiry and active debate given their role in the terrestrial carbon cycle and their concomitant impact on climate change. Counter-intuitively, many trees do not die during the drought itself. Indeed, observations globally have documented that trees often grow for several years after drought before mortality. A combination of meta-analysis and tree physiological models demonstrate that optimal carbon allocation after drought explains observed patterns of delayed tree mortality and provides a predictive recovery framework. Specifically, post-drought, trees attempt to repair water transport tissue and achieve positive carbon balance through regrowing drought-damaged xylem. Further, the number of years of xylem regrowth required to recover function increases with tree size, explaining why drought mortality increases with size. These results indicate that tree resilience to drought-kill may increase in the future, provided that CO2 fertilization facilitates more rapid xylem regrowth. | <urn:uuid:7144bf0a-3c58-47eb-acfc-9766c95f13ff> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://hive.utah.edu/catalog?f%5Bcreator_sim%5D%5B%5D=Bartlett%2C+M.+K.&f%5Bkeyword_sim%5D%5B%5D=carbon+metabolism&f%5Bkeyword_sim%5D%5B%5D=hydraulic-carbon+coupling&f%5Bkeyword_sim%5D%5B%5D=CO2+fertilization&f%5Bresource_type_sim%5D%5B%5D=Dataset&locale=en&per_page=10&sort=system_create_dtsi+asc&view=gallery | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141195929.39/warc/CC-MAIN-20201128214643-20201129004643-00320.warc.gz | en | 0.918531 | 188 | 3.5 | 4 |
Inguinal hernia is the most common type of hernia. It occurs when a portion of the intestines protrudes through the inguinal canal. General symptoms include pain, discomfort, and possibly a lump near the groin. These symptoms tend to get worse during the day, while coughing, during exercise, or while bearing down (for example, during a bowel movement). Symptoms may improve when lying down. Surgery is not always necessary, but the situation can become a medical emergency if the protruding organ gets cut off from its blood supply. | <urn:uuid:5cadbebf-6649-4809-b8cf-e25a80130909> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | http://herniapedia.com/faqs_type/what-is-an-inguinal-hernia/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141211510.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20201130065516-20201130095516-00400.warc.gz | en | 0.96261 | 110 | 2.734375 | 3 |
Look at the Weather
From 7 | 152 pages
Through four chapters—sun, rain, ice and snow, and extreme weather—this book explores different weather phenomena, from rainbows and sunsets to clouds, frost, and rainstorms. Moments of distress and destruction are offset by the calm after a storm or the peaceful feeling of a blanket of fresh snow.
Evocative paintings convey the sheer power of weather, while lyrical text captures the richness of our natural environment. The book takes an inspiring tone rather than an exhaustive, factual one. The book explicitly makes the links between extreme weather, climate change, and human activity, and poses questions often, inviting young readers to observe and inquire about their own environment or to imagine other ones. | <urn:uuid:6d1c890f-1093-4362-afef-4f0f86db41df> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://shop.owlkids.com/products/look-at-the-weather?variant=37616794817 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141737946.86/warc/CC-MAIN-20201204131750-20201204161750-00640.warc.gz | en | 0.904097 | 149 | 2.96875 | 3 |
Why do we dance? African-American social dances started as a way for enslaved Africans to keep cultural traditions alive and retain a sense of inner freedom. They remain an affirmation of identity and independence. In this electric demonstration, packed with live performances, choreographer, educator and TED Fellow Camille A. Brown explores what happens when communities let loose and express themselves by dancing together. | <urn:uuid:016d2b28-0f02-4937-ad77-bd34f14e4f56> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.tolerance.org/search?f%5B0%5D=facet_sitewide_grade_level%3A37&f%5B1%5D=facet_sitewide_social_justice_domain%3A42&f%5B2%5D=social_justice_standard%3A50&%3Bf%5B1%5D=facet_sitewide_grade_level%3A38&%3Bamp%3Bf%5B1%5D=facet_sitewide_social_justice_domain%3A39&%3Bamp%3Bf%5B2%5D=facet_sitewide_grade_level%3A38 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141737946.86/warc/CC-MAIN-20201204131750-20201204161750-00640.warc.gz | en | 0.905332 | 75 | 3 | 3 |
Study states almost 3 billion North American birds have vanished since 1970
Even though a species may be considered "abundant," there's definitely still cause for concern if it's becoming significantly less so. A new study indicates that this is the case with North American birds, the total number of which has reportedly declined by 29 percent since 1970.
Led by Cornell University conservation scientist Kenneth V. Rosenberg, a group of American and Canadian researchers recently examined multiple datasets from ground-based bird-monitoring stations, going back 48 years. They determined that for 529 of the most common species in both countries, a net loss of 2.9 billion birds has occurred since that time.
Over 90 percent of the loss took place within 12 bird families, which included songbird species such as warblers and sparrows. On the other hand, species such as waterfowl and raptors have actually experienced a population increase. This is likely due to conservation efforts, which the study suggests should be extended to other bird species that aren't doing so well.
Additionally, the team analyzed data from the continent-wide NEXRAD radar network, which is capable of detecting flocks of migratory birds. Based on this, it was determined that the "biomass passage of migrating birds" has undergone a similarly steep decline in the past 10 years, particularly in the eastern US.
"Species extinctions have defined the global biodiversity crisis, but extinction begins with loss in abundance of individuals that can result in compositional and functional changes of ecosystems," the researchers state. "Given the current pace of global environmental change, quantifying change in species abundances is essential."
A paper on the study was recently published in the journal Science. | <urn:uuid:ef64e148-ff2e-4d4b-97bc-8d85124faa9f> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://newatlas.com/environment/north-american-bird-abundancy/?0000016e-d4b4-d036-a77f-defe204f0000-page=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141193856.40/warc/CC-MAIN-20201127161801-20201127191801-00520.warc.gz | en | 0.966952 | 349 | 2.78125 | 3 |
Assessing the prospects for Zero Hunger—Sustainable Development Goal 2—requires an understanding of food security that goes beyond developmental or humanitarian issues, to include linkages with geopolitics. Geopolitical challenges cut across areas such as natural resources, trade, armed conflict and climate change where unilateralism and zero-sum approaches to security directly hamper efforts to eradicate hunger and undermine the frameworks that govern those efforts.
The report provides an overview of how geopolitics interacts with these areas. Competition for agricultural resources can be both a cause and a consequence of geopolitical rivalry. International trade, while essential for food security, also creates vulnerabilities through supply disruptions—sometimes politically motivated. Armed conflict is a driver of food insecurity, which can itself feed into social unrest and violence. Climate change interacts with all three phenomena, reshaping both the physical landscape and political calculus. These overlapping linkages require further integrated policy engagement and analysis. | <urn:uuid:c3beb5e1-b98b-4029-aa68-79ae3f3314d0> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.sei.org/publications/the-geopolitics-of-food-security-barriers-to-the-sustainable-development-goal-of-zero-hunger/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141188800.15/warc/CC-MAIN-20201126142720-20201126172720-00000.warc.gz | en | 0.918815 | 181 | 2.671875 | 3 |
by Rashid Khalidi
At a time when a lasting peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis seems virtually unattainable, understanding the roots of their conflict is an essential step in restoring hope to the region. In The Iron Cage, Rashid Khalidi, one of the most respected historians and political observers of the Middle East, homes in on Palestinian politics and history. By drawing on a wealth of experience and scholarship, Khalidi provides a lucid context for the realities on the ground today, a context that has been, until now, notably lacking in our discourse.
The story of the Palestinian search to establish a state begins in the mandate period immediately following the breakup of the Ottoman Empire, the era of British control, when fledgling Arab states were established by the colonial powers with assurances of eventual independence. Mandatory Palestine was a place of real promise, with unusually high literacy rates and a relatively advanced economy. But the British had already begun to construct an iron cage to hem in the Palestinians, and the Palestinian leadership made a series of errors that would eventually prove crippling to their dream of independence.
The Palestinians' struggle intensified in the stretch before and after World War II, when colonial control of the region became increasingly unpopular, population shifts began with heavy Jewish immigration from Eastern Europe, and power began to devolve to the United States. In this crucial period, Palestinian leaders continued to run up against the walls of the ever-constricting iron cage. They proved unable to achieve their long-cherished goal of establishing an independent state-a critical failure that set a course for the decades that followed, right through the eras of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, the Palestinian Authority, and Hamas. Rashid Khalidi's engrossing narrative of this torturous history offers much-needed perspective for anyone concerned about peace in the Middle East. | <urn:uuid:3b4bc1d7-6c57-497b-8686-3f3d0edcdfd0> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://burningbooks.com/products/the-iron-cage-the-story-of-the-palestinian-struggle-for-statehood | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141194634.29/warc/CC-MAIN-20201127221446-20201128011446-00080.warc.gz | en | 0.946211 | 364 | 3.265625 | 3 |
It wasn’t man-made lights along a seaside boardwalk that caused this glow in late April and early May. This light show on Southern California and northern Mexico’s Pacific shores was all natural. The bright blue gleam in the crashing waves was caused by bioluminescent plankton tumbling in the surf.
The affected section of the Pacific experienced an algal bloom commonly called “red tide.” By day, the algae, which are a type of phytoplankton, give the water a rusty orange appearance. But at night, they glow neon blue. The phenomenon was a nighttime gift to evening beachgoers—but sadly, with beaches mostly closed, not so many were able to enjoy the rare event. Law enforcement quickly dispersed the crowds that did try to gather. With beach parking areas closed, cars congested roadways along the shoreline, creating potentially dangerous traffic situations. Officials also worried that large groups of spectators might increase transmission of the novel coronavirus.
Surfers did get to enjoy the glow up close as they took advantage of the waves at the beaches of San Diego. There, swimming, surfing, and paddleboarding were all allowed activities despite the stay-at-home orders. Dolphins and sea lions were spotted leaping and diving in the midst of the bloom, churning up the water and causing the algae to flash and sparkle with colored light with each splash and dive.
What makes the algae glow? The microscopic organisms contain chemical molecules called luciferin. The glow may be a defense mechanism for the plankton. When water is turbulently churned up—as it might be if a predator descended on the algae—the algae expends precious energy to release an enzyme called luciferase. When luciferase, luciferin, and oxygen all meet up, a chemical reaction occurs and heatless light results. Scientists speculate that the flashes of light might startle would-be predators, causing them to turn away from the glowing plankton.
Sometimes red tide algae blooms are toxic to other marine life. But that’s not the case with this one, which stretched from Baja California as far north as Los Angeles. This bloom was dominated by a phytoplankton called Lingulodinium polyedra, or L. poly for short. It is a nontoxic alga, even when it is as prolific as this one. | <urn:uuid:65933747-9800-49a0-b9f4-ba37812a9338> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://teen.wng.org/comment/65529 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141216897.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20201130161537-20201130191537-00240.warc.gz | en | 0.960582 | 498 | 3.15625 | 3 |
Washington and the Whiskey Rebellion
This lesson plan examines a critical episode in George Washington's second administration, when federal efforts to collect an excise tax on liquor sparked armed resistance in the frontier communities of western Pennsylvania. Students first review the events that led up to this confrontation, then read from the diary that Washington kept as he gathered troops to put down the insurrection. Focusing on Washington's account of a meeting midway on his march, with spokespersons for the rebels, students outline the arguments on both sides and explore the risks and benefits of the options Washington had before him: whether to uphold the law with military force or withdraw and let the already-waning rebellion sputter out. After debating this choice, students consider the political climate of the times, as reflected in the message Washington delivered to Congress upon his return from the frontier, and consider how far Washington's actions in the Whiskey Rebellion crisis were motivated by politics rather than principle. Finally, students return to the central issue raised by the Whiskey Rebellion to compare Washington's decision with the those of later presidents who faced this same question of constitutional authority: When is the federal government justified in using force against American citizens?
Was Washington's response to the rebellion justified?
Evaluate the significance of the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794 to the early history of the United States.
Analyze George Washington's rationale for using military force against citizens.
Evaluate the extent to which political pressures influenced Washington's decision.
Examine the merit of Washington's policy in light of more recent challenges to federal authority. | <urn:uuid:6cd5f32c-64e0-4782-a5c9-f05d35118eba> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plans/washington-and-whiskey-rebellion | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141182776.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20201125100409-20201125130409-00200.warc.gz | en | 0.939077 | 316 | 4.1875 | 4 |
The US government has multiple responsibilities for the protection of endangered species, many of them stemming from its role as the nation's largest landowner. To explore how endangered species are distributed across the federal estate, we carried out a GIS-based analysis using natural heritage species occurrence data. In this 10-year update of a previous analysis, we found that the Department of Defense and the USDA Forest Service harbor more endangered species than other US agencies. The densities of endangered and imperiled species are at least three times higher on military lands. Defense installations in Hawaii are especially significant, holding one-third of all ESA-status species. These findings highlight the continued importance of public lands for the survival of America's plant and animal species.
- Bruce A. Stein, Cameron Scott, Nancy Benton | <urn:uuid:fe2a90df-7ca5-4faa-9729-03789114fa8f> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | http://connect.natureserve.org/biodiversity-science/publications/federal-lands-and-endangered-species-role-military-and-other | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141747323.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20201205074417-20201205104417-00320.warc.gz | en | 0.90861 | 159 | 3.609375 | 4 |
Marengo and his colleague used Spitzer's infrared vision to study the dust around Delta Cephei. This particular star is racing along through space at high speeds, pushing interstellar gas and dust into a bow shock up ahead. Luckily for the scientists, a nearby companion star happens to be lighting the area, making the bow shock easier to see. By studying the size and structure of the shock, the team was able to show that a strong, massive wind from the star is pushing against the interstellar gas and dust. In addition, the team calculated that this wind is up to one million times stronger than the wind blown by our sun. This proves that Delta Cephei is shrinking slightly.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Cosmology standard candle not so standard after all: Cepheids have since become reliable rungs on the cosmic distance ladder, but mysteries about these standard candles remain. One question has been whether or not they lose mass. Winds from a Cepheid star could blow off significant amounts of gas and dust, forming a dusty cocoon around the star that would affect how bright it appears. This, in turn, would affect calculations of its distance. Previous research had hinted at such mass loss, but more direct evidence was needed. | <urn:uuid:132526dc-a45c-4e07-b473-a0df42c3b377> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | http://blog.submeta.org/2011/01/cosmology-standard-candle-not-so.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141189038.24/warc/CC-MAIN-20201127015426-20201127045426-00120.warc.gz | en | 0.963618 | 254 | 4.15625 | 4 |
Having already suffered the early loss of his wife and three of their children, Rembrandt’s later years were burdened with bankruptcy, acrimonious legal proceedings with a former lover, and the loss of his common-law wife and only remaining son. However, far from diminishing as he aged, Rembrandt’s creativity gathered new energy.
From the 1650s until his death in 1669, Rembrandt pursued an artistic style that was expressive and radical. His bold manipulation of printing and painting techniques and progressive interpretations of traditional subjects inspired generations of artists, earning him a reputation as the greatest master of the Dutch Golden Age.
Through famous masterpieces and rare drawings and prints, ‘The Late Works’ examines the themes that preoccupied Rembrandt as he grew older: self-scrutiny, experimentation, light, observation of everyday life and even other artists’ works; as well as expressions of intimacy, contemplation, conflict and reconciliation. | <urn:uuid:6bed7dee-90ae-46f1-8942-663fc79fe76d> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | http://galeriadieguez.com/2015/12/21/the-late-works/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141733120.84/warc/CC-MAIN-20201204010410-20201204040410-00520.warc.gz | en | 0.97541 | 201 | 2.71875 | 3 |
Early beginnings as a fishing and farming community
Block Island’s history is a rich one, encompassing Native American tribes, Revolutionary War heroes, legendary shipwrecks, and its emergence in the late 1800s as one of New England’s premiere summer attractions.
Learn more about the island’s history by visiting the Historical Society Museum and gift shop downtown. A white mansard-roofed building, the Historical houses an extensive collection of furniture, textiles, quilts, oral histories, fishing gear, tools, and Native American artifacts. Then head to Issac’s Corner, at the intersection of Center Road, Lakeside Drive, and Cooneymous roads. Named for the island’s last full-blooded Native American, who died in 1886, it is near the Indian burial ground and the stone monument erected just last year in honor of the Manissean Indians.
On that same corner, overlooking Fresh Pond, sits the gambrel-roofed cottage of composer and poet Arthur Penn, who lived there with his wife Nell in the 1920s. His song “Smilin’ Through” is named for his Block Island home.
No history of Block Island would be complete without mentioning shipwrecks. While some have become the stuff of legend, others remain accessible for sport divers. Among the legendary is the Princess Augusta, which inspired John Greenleaf Whittier’s 1867 poem The Palatine.
Block Island’s rough seas and rocky coastlines would certainly have claimed more ships were it not for two lighthouses. The North and Southeast lighthouses have achieved iconic status, revered for their historic significance and as symbols of the community spirit that has allowed them to be restored and preserved.
The Southeast Lighthouse made national headlines in the early nineties when, after years of erosion, it found itself just 50 feet from the cliff’s edge. Islanders banded together to save the beloved structure, raising nearly $2 million in federal and private grants and donations to move the lighthouse 245 feet back from the bluff.
You’ll want to see the North Light, too, by hiking past Settler’s Rock. The lantern on that lighthouse was recently restored and re-lit, and its small museum renovated.
BLOCK ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY 401-466-2481 | <urn:uuid:ed8437c7-1864-4604-8f76-bc87256afb8c> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://m.blockisland.com/article/early-beginnings-fishing-and-farming-community/11892 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141733120.84/warc/CC-MAIN-20201204010410-20201204040410-00520.warc.gz | en | 0.951271 | 494 | 2.84375 | 3 |
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