Science (General/Chat)

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  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - Supernumerary Rainbows over New Jersey

    10/04/2026 10:38:57 AM PDT · by MtnClimber · 7 replies
    NASA ^ | 4 Oct, 2026 | Credit & Copyright John Entwistle, Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff, Jerry Bonnell, Cecilia Chiren
    Explanation: Yes, but can your rainbow do this? After the remnants of Hurricane Florence passed over the Jersey Shore, New Jersey, USA in 2018, the Sun came out in one direction but something quite unusual appeared in the opposite direction: a hall of rainbows. Over the course of the next half hour, to the delight of the photographer and his daughter, vibrant supernumerary rainbows faded in and out, with at least five captured in this featured single shot. Supernumerary rainbows only form when falling water droplets are all nearly the same size and typically less than a millimeter across. Then,...
  • What Is the Oldest Pub in England? [7:58]

    10/04/2026 6:19:45 AM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 26 replies
    YouTube ^ | October 1, 2026 | Historic England
    Pubs are fertile ground for tall tales, with many claiming to be the oldest pub in England. What Is the Oldest Pub in England? | 7:58 | Historic England | 30.9K subscribers | 203,944 views | October 1, 2026
  • Phaselis: Between Mountains and Sea [7:11]

    10/03/2026 7:59:46 PM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 4 replies
    YouTube ^ | September 18, 2026 | Scenic Routes to the Past (Garrett Ryan, Ph.D)
    The ancient city of Phaselis, a short distance from Antalya, is picturesquely poised between the Mediterranean and the hills of Lycia. Phaselis: Between Mountains and Sea | 7:11 Scenic Routes to the Past | 62.5K subscribers | 21,635 views | September 18, 2026 Chapters 0:00 Introduction 1:07 Central Harbor 2:04 Main street and agoras 4:47 Theater 6:26 Gate of Hadrian
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - Selfie at Vera Rubin Ridge

    10/03/2026 2:31:58 PM PDT · by MtnClimber · 6 replies
    NASA ^ | 3 Oct. 2026 | Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS - Panorama: Andrew Bodrov
    Explanation: On sol 1943 of its journey of exploration across the surface of Mars, the Curiosity Rover recorded this selfie at the south rim of Vera Rubin Ridge. Of course a sol is a Martian solar day, about 40 minutes longer than an Earth day. Curiosity's sol 1943 corresponds to Earth date January 23, 2018. Also composed as an interactive 360 degree VR, the mosaicked panorama combines 61 exposures taken by the small car-sized rover's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI). Frames containing the imager's arm have been edited out while the extended background used was taken by the rover's Mastcam...
  • Chinese AI model investigated after researcher says it provided instructions for bioweapons, assassinations

    10/02/2026 3:15:30 PM PDT · by Libloather · 7 replies
    Fox News ^ | 10/01/26 | Brittany Miller
    Chinese AI company Moonshot AI has launched an internal investigation after a researcher found that one of its models could be manipulated into providing instructions for developing biological weapons and carrying out assassinations, Fox News senior foreign policy correspondent Gillian Turner reported Thursday. Researcher Peter Garrigan told Fox News Moonshot AI's Kimi model could also be manipulated to provide information on planning terrorist attacks using real-time data, creating sarin gas, developing malware and taking down aircraft. "What we found is quite damaging and worrying," Garrigan said. The findings are raising broader concerns about advanced AI models concealing capabilities or behaving...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - The Complete Sharpless Catalog: 313 Nebulas

    10/02/2026 12:13:05 PM PDT · by MtnClimber · 8 replies
    NASA ^ | 2 Oct. 2026 | Credit: Bing Xin, Authors & editors: Keighley Rockcliffe, Robert Nemiroff, Jerry Bonnell, Cecilia Ch
    Explanation: What does it take to image hundreds of nebulas? Today’s image contains the entire Sharpless Catalog of H II Regions, totaling 313 objects. Zoom in and explore! You may spot fan favorites like the Eagle (Sh2-49), Heart (Sh2-190), and Orion (Sh2-281) Nebulas. Despite its name, this catalog contains more than the glow of ionized hydrogen that makes up H II regions. There are planetary nebulas (the Medusa Nebula, Sh2-274) and supernova remnants (the Spaghetti Nebula, Sh2-240) as well. Astrophotographer Bing Xin traversed the dark skies of Eastern China and Inner Mongolia to catch them all. Narrowband filters that primarily...
  • Are new laws/regulations needed for AI? (vanity)

    10/01/2026 5:24:53 PM PDT · by Az Joe · 8 replies
    10/01/2026 | Me, Myself, I
    The laws already on the books cover a lot of harmful conduct involving AI, but they do not cover everything cleanly. As of October 2026, the U.S. still does not have one comprehensive federal AI law. Instead, AI is governed through a mixture of existing laws, agency authority, executive policy, and state laws.
  • AI SECURITY/CONTROL - Problem solved (vanity)

    10/01/2026 5:01:09 PM PDT · by Az Joe · 4 replies
    10/01/2026 | Me, Myself, I
    AI security/control will probably develop into something akin to "anti-virus" software. The closest analogy is the entire cybersecurity industry: Antivirus began as one layer, but eventually we needed firewalls, identity management, intrusion detection, security operations centers, audits, penetration testing, and incident-response teams. What follows is the most likely path for AI.
  • 70% of teens admit to using AI for schoolwork — as test scores plunge: ‘It slowed my thinking down’

    10/01/2026 3:34:38 PM PDT · by Libloather · 10 replies
    NY Post ^ | 10/01/26 | Natalie O'Neill
    AI is killing their A+. More than three fourths of teens use AI to do their schoolwork — but it’s causing test scores to plunge as they rely on the tech “to think,” according to a new survey. Meanwhile, Google is pushing to increase the use of its Gemini AI on school-issued Chromebook computers — which have become nearly universal in American classrooms. A total of 70% of teens ages 13 to 17 said they use AI for homework and assignments in class — with 63% admitting they take the shortcut simply “to get answers,” according to a survey by...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - Harvest Moon with Erupting Mount Etna

    10/01/2026 12:57:25 PM PDT · by MtnClimber · 8 replies
    NASA ^ | 1 Oct. 2026 | Credit & Copyright Dario Giannobile Authors & editors: Cecilia Chirenti, Robert Nemiroff, Jerry Bonn
    Explanation: Have you ever seen the full moon rise? This colorful image was photographed last weekend in Sicily, just outside the town of Nicosia, in Italy. It is a composite photograph that shows the Moon rising as the sky turns darker. Lower clouds are reflecting the colors of antitwilight, while ash and gas from Mount Etna are seen higher in the background. The pink band lower in the sky is called the Belt of Venus. During a full moon, the Moon and the Sun are in opposition in the sky: the moon rises as the sun sets. The lunar phase...
  • Hezbollah received $157M in weapons in 2024, mostly from 1 nation, report says

    10/01/2026 12:21:43 PM PDT · by Libloather · 7 replies
    Fox News ^ | 10/01/26 | Anders Hagstrom
    Hezbollah terrorists in Yemen received $157 million worth of weapons in 2024, most of it given freely by Iran, according to a new report from the Israeli nonprofit Center for Research of Terror Financing (CENTEF). The report, titled "Hezbollah Financial Statements," relied on open-source data as well as known valuations of Hezbollah's military assets, according to the Jerusalem Post. The report found that Hezbollah spent just $28 million on procuring weapons, and those were limited to small arms, ammunition, drone components, dual-use equipment and equipment obtained through its international procurement networks. Meanwhile, CENTEF said Iran provided roughly $129 million worth...
  • "More And More Severe Storms": When Can We Declare This Hypothesis To Be Definitively Falsified?

    10/01/2026 4:51:06 AM PDT · by MtnClimber · 28 replies
    Manhattan Contrarian ^ | 29 Sep. 2026 | Francis Menton
    You know the mantra: Human caused climate change, driven by burning fossil fuels and adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, causes an increase in the frequency and severity of major storms, like hurricanes. When major hurricanes come along, as they regularly do, the promoters of this mantra immediately claim an ability to “attribute” the storm and/or its intensity to the ongoing human-caused warming. For example, last October we had Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm that struck Jamaica and other Caribbean islands. As soon as Melissa had passed, an organization calling itself World Weather Attribution promptly came out with an...
  • Author Talk | The Scythians | Barry Cunliffe [39:29]

    09/30/2026 9:17:25 PM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 13 replies
    YouTube ^ | March 25, 2020 | Oxford Academic (Oxford University Press)
    ...Barry Cunliffe here marshals this vast array of evidence -- both archaeological and textual -- in a masterful reconstruction of the lost world of the Scythians, allowing them to emerge in all their considerable vigour and splendour for the first time in over two millennia. Author Talk | The Scythians | Barry Cunliffe | 39:29 Oxford Academic (Oxford University Press) 173K subscribers | 131,877 views | March 25, 2020
  • 'Noah's Ark's final resting place' confirmed to be a 'man-made object' in groundbreaking announcement

    09/30/2026 2:24:38 PM PDT · by Ezekiel · 225 replies
    Daily Mail ^ | 30 September 2026 | By ISABELLA MACHIN, REPORTER and IMOGEN GARFINKEL - SENIOR FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER
    A team scanning a boat-shaped hill in eastern Turkey has announced that new radar images show a large man-made structure underground, not just natural rock. On Wednesday, private research group Noah’s Ark Scans released a preliminary report about their work at the Durupınar Formation in Turkey, claiming that the 515-foot boat-shaped mound contained a 'man-made object.' The scans were conducted by Dr Khosrow Bakhtar, an engineer who spent decades building detection systems for US defense agencies, including the Air Force, Navy and NORAD. He used a system he invented called BakhtarRadar, originally developed to find buried tunnels and hidden structures,...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - Arp 78: Peculiar Galaxy in Aries

    09/30/2026 12:02:57 PM PDT · by MtnClimber · 11 replies
    NASA ^ | 30 Sep. 2026 | Credit & Copyright Robert Eder, Authors & editors: Jerry Bonnell, Cecilia Chirenti, Robert Nemiroff,
    Explanation: Peculiar spiral galaxy Arp 78 is found within the boundaries of the head strong constellation Aries. Some 100 million light-years beyond the stars and nebulae of our Milky Way galaxy, the island universe is an enormous 200,000 light-years across. Also known as NGC 772, it sports a prominent, outer spiral arm in this detailed cosmic portrait. Tracking along sweeping dust lanes and lined with young blue star clusters, Arp 78's overdeveloped spiral arm is pumped-up by galactic-scale gravitational tides. Interactions with its brightest companion galaxy, the more compact NGC 770 seen directly below the larger spiral, are likely responsible....
  • Trump is proving that Iran CAN’T control the global oil supply - a win for the world

    09/29/2026 3:45:09 PM PDT · by Libloather · 13 replies
    NY Post ^ | 9/29/26 | Post Editorial Board
    President Donald Trump’s resolve is paying off, proving the “Iran is stronger now” crowd to be completely wrong. Oil shipments from the Persian Gulf are now approaching prewar levels, ending the energy blackmail — even as Tehran’s resources dwindle, pushing the regime ever closer to having to abandon its nuclear ambitions. Crucially, the campaign has proved that Iran can’t sustainably stop Gulf shipments — as long as a real leader stands up to its bullying. That’s a huge win for the entire civilized world. Consider the progress: Crude exports from the Gulf fell from 18.3 million barrels a day in...
  • Shocked judge scolds Florida mom of 4 for allegedly leaving kids home alone to take Bahamas cruise: ‘You cannot make this up!’

    09/29/2026 2:02:34 PM PDT · by Libloather · 45 replies
    NY Post ^ | 9/29/26 | Chris Nesi
    A Florida mother was arrested after allegedly leaving her four young children — including a 2-month-old infant and a 2-year-old — home alone as she took a three-night cruise to the Bahamas, visibly shocking the judge hearing the case. “Who leaves four little kids alone to go on a cruise?” Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer incredulously asked Nathalie Belizaire, 29, as she appeared in court with her lawyer by video call Tuesday. “The poor kids were home alone!” she exclaimed, Local 10 reports. Belizaire was charged with four counts of child neglect after she flitted off for a three-night cruise...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - Sh2-188: The Shrimp Nebula

    09/29/2026 11:39:39 AM PDT · by MtnClimber · 8 replies
    NASA ^ | 29 Sep. 2026 | Image Credit & Copyright: Pawel Piechnik
    Explanation: What causes the swirl in the Shrimp Nebula? Its high speed is likely. What is sure is that Sh2-188 is one of the larger planetary nebulas on the night sky, by angular size, spanning about half the diameter of the Moon. Moreover, the white-dwarf core -- leftover from the Sun-like star that shed its outer atmosphere -- is moving unusually fast through interstellar space, creating a bow shock most visible on the upper left that is similar to a boat plowing through water. Although faint, the Shrimp Nebula glows also by compressing and brightening gas on its leading edge....
  • OpenAI abandons plan to release upcoming model as SAFETY concerns escalate

    09/29/2026 5:58:32 AM PDT · by Red Badger · 15 replies
    CNBC ^ | September 28, 2026 | Ashley Capoot
    Key Points OpenAI has decided not to release its GPT-6.1 Astra model due to heightened AI safety concerns. Saachi Jain, head of safety systems at OpenAI, said the model “didn’t quite meet the bar in terms of staying within scope and authorization, and how it communicates back to the user about the type of work it’s done.” The heads of OpenAI and rival Anthropic have both indicated recently that top AI labs should slow the pace of model development. ======================================================================= OpenAI decided not to release an upcoming artificial intelligence model, GPT-6.1 Astra, after determining that it did not adequately meet...
  • Medieval Ship Discovered in the Ceiling of a German House

    09/28/2026 9:02:44 PM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 19 replies
    Medievalists.net ^ | prior to August 2026 | editors / unattributed
    Parts of a medieval ship have been discovered in an unlikely place: forming the ceiling of a 13th-century cellar in southern Germany. Researchers say the unusually well-preserved timbers could provide new insights into medieval shipbuilding on Lake Constance. The discovery was made during an architectural investigation of a building on Konradigasse in Konstanz, a southern German city on the shores of Lake Constance. Researchers from the State Office for Monument Preservation (LAD) found that timbers reused to construct the ceiling of a cellar dating to 1244 had originally belonged to a ship... Once the vessel was no longer needed for...