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Science (General/Chat)

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  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - Spokes on Saturn's B Ring

    08/05/2026 11:52:58 AM PDT · by MtnClimber · 11 replies
    NASA ^ | 5 Aug, 2026 | Image Credit & Copyright: Brad Croslin Text: Keighley Rockcliffe (NASA GSFC, UMBC CSST, CRESST II)
    Explanation: Don’t get spooked by Saturn’s ghostly spokes! Today we feature a nearly two-hour timelapse of Saturn and its rings looping forwards and backwards. A day on Saturn is only 10 hours long, so two hours of observation covers quite a bit of its rotation. If you look closely, a ghoulish shadow appears and disappears as Saturn’s B ring rotates. Decades of observation with Voyager 2, Cassini, and Hubble show the appearance of Saturn’s spokes varies with the planet’s seasons. Like Earth, Saturn’s spin axis is tilted compared to the plane of its orbit around the Sun. During Saturn’s equinox,...
  • Strange quantum experiment shows “negative time” is more than an illusion

    08/05/2026 11:12:42 AM PDT · by BenLurkin · 55 replies
    .sciencedaily.com ^ | 08/04/2026
    Photons traveling through a cloud of atoms can emerge so early that they appear to have spent a negative amount of time inside. Researchers tested whether this was merely a misleading feature of the light pulse by making extremely weak measurements of the atoms. Surprisingly, the atoms confirmed the same negative dwell time. The finding does not break standard physics, but it reveals that one of quantum mechanics’ strangest effects is physically measurable. ... Our experiment used photons – quantum particles of light – and the against-the-odds journey they must undertake to pass straight through a cloud of rubidium atoms....
  • Olympic star Alysa Liu’s brother is transgender athlete dominating California high school girls’ events

    08/05/2026 9:02:55 AM PDT · by Libloather · 45 replies
    NY Post ^ | 8/05/26 | Ross O'Keefe
    The brother of American Olympic legend Alysa Liu is a transgender athlete dominating California high school girls’ athletic events, reports say. Jaylin Liu was formerly named Joshua before transitioning and identifying as female, according to Reduxx. He now competes in track and field girls’ varsity basketball and ultimate frisbee for both Albany High School and El Cerrito High School in California. He’s reportedly made his biggest impact in track and field, taking home every first-place finish in 200-meter and 400-meter girls’ races that Albany High School has entered this year. Jaylin recently took home the top spot at the Tri-County...
  • Anthony Fauci responds to Aaron Rodgers after NFL star called him a 'coward' in Covid meltdown

    08/04/2026 7:30:55 PM PDT · by MinorityRepublican · 48 replies
    The Daily Mail ^ | August 4, 2026 | James Cohen
    Former White House chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci has hit back at Aaron Rodgers after the quarterback launched a scathing verbal assault on him on-air. Rodgers, who has long been a vaccine skeptic and was extremely outspoken about the Covid-19 pandemic, didn't hold back as he eviscerated Fauci in the wake of his decision to continuously plead the fifth amendment in a hostile senate hearing. Appearing on ESPN on Monday, Rodgers attacked Fauci in a 13-minute monologue, labeling the 85-year-old an 'absolute criminal' and an 'absolute coward'. On Tuesday, Fauci’s attorney, David Schertler, responded to Rodgers delivering a swift...
  • Iran, Oman near deal to reopen Strait of Hormuz with both countries collecting ‘service fee’: report

    08/04/2026 2:13:17 PM PDT · by Libloather · 76 replies
    NY Post ^ | 8/04/26 | Samuel Chamberlain
    Iran and Oman are close to an agreement to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping traffic that would see both countries collect a so-called “service fee” to cover environmental and security costs. The New York Times reported late Monday, citing Iranian and US officials familiar with the developing accord, that ships entering the strait from the Indian Ocean via the Gulf of Oman would be required to take a route through Iranian territorial waters. Vessels exiting the strait from the Persian Gulf would take a route near Oman’s coast along the south side of the strait. Iran’s Foreign...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - Curious Cometary Knots in the Helix Nebula

    08/04/2026 12:00:19 PM PDT · by MtnClimber · 8 replies
    NASA ^ | 4 Aug, 2026 | Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, JWST; Processing: A. Pagan (STScI)
    Explanation: What causes unusual knots of gas and dust in planetary nebulas? Seen also in the Ring Nebula, the Dumbbell Nebula and NGC 2392, the knots' existence was not initially predicted, and their origins are still not well understood. Pictured here is a fascinating image of part of the Helix Nebula by the James Webb Space Telescope showing tremendous detail in infrared light. The cometary knots have masses similar to the Earth but have sizes typically several times the orbit of Pluto. One hypothesis for the fragmentation and evolution of the knots includes existing gas being driven out by a...
  • 100-Million-Year-Old Fossil Preserves an Ichthyosaur That Ate a Pterosaur Before Becoming Food for a Giant Predator

    08/04/2026 10:03:39 AM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 34 replies
    Discover Magazine ^ | Updated August 4, 2026 | Monica Cull
    Thanks to fossilized evidence from Richmond, Queensland, researchers found a marine reptile had eaten a flying reptile shortly before becoming a meal for a larger predator. This is some of the first fossilized evidence of its kind, according to a study in the journal Gondwana Research, and helps us better understand what happened beneath ancient waves over 100 million years ago...Inside the fossilized belly of a 19- to 22-foot ichthyosaur -- a prehistoric dolphin-like marine reptile -- researchers uncovered something they'd never seen before. Thanks to advanced 3D imaging, the research team found pieces of a pterosaur, a flying reptile,...
  • Fighting with the FDA, or Why young people are rejecting sunscreens

    08/04/2026 8:39:16 AM PDT · by pingman · 20 replies
    American Thinker ^ | 8/3/26 | Susan Quinn
    At a time when melanoma is the deadliest skin cancer on record, the Federal Drug Administration was still slow-walking its decision-making over a new drug, Replimune (RP1). The staff members used inappropriate criteria to make their decision about rejecting the drug, and at a time when one of the most lethal cancers is not responding to other treatments, they were showing poor judgment: Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, with as many as 3 million people being diagnosed with skin cancer every year, according to the American Cancer Society. The most dangerous form...
  • DSA’s panhandling pol is just the start — as Democrats careen toward a socialist cliff

    08/03/2026 4:47:18 PM PDT · by Libloather · 7 replies
    NY Post ^ | 8/03/26 | Betsy McCaughey
    New Yorkers, hold onto your wallets and brace yourselves for financial chaos. Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s minions in the Democratic Socialists of America are preparing to radicalize the state Legislature in January, when they take their newly won seats in Albany. A warning sign of their coming craziness appeared Friday, when Mamdani-endorsed Assembly candidate Brian Romero put up a GoFundMe page with an unusual request. He begged for handouts to cover his own rent and groceries for the rest of this year, until he’s sworn in to represent East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, Astoria and other parts of Queens. Romero won the...
  • Aaron Rodgers goes scorched earth at 'coward' Fauci as he makes blistering Covid rant live on ESPN

    08/03/2026 12:46:22 PM PDT · by MinorityRepublican · 23 replies
    The Daily Mail ^ | August 3, 2026 | Ben Nagle
    Aaron Rodgers unleashed at 'coward' and 'criminal' Anthony Fauci in a no-holds-barred appearance on Pat McAfee's ESPN show on Monday. Rodgers, who has long been a vaccine skeptic and was extremely outspoken about the Covid-19 pandemic, didn't hold back as he eviscerated Fauci in the wake of his decision to continuously plead the fifth amendment in a hostile senate hearing. As he arrived on set, Rodgers appeared to ask how long the broadcast had left on ESPN, with McAfee responding that they had 'a hard out' after just eight minutes. That, seemingly, was all the fuel Rodgers needed as he...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - Vaporizing Meteor Photobombs the Lacerta Nebula

    08/03/2026 11:28:45 AM PDT · by MtnClimber · 9 replies
    NASA ^ | 3 Aug, 2026 | Image Credit & Copyright: Tom Burnett
    Explanation: What's happening to this meteor? This bright meteor streak appeared and disappeared quickly during a long exposure of the Great Lacerta Nebula, seen faintly in red toward the center of the image. The meteoroid, likely a small pebble, creates its glow partly by heating and exciting surrounding air in Earth's atmosphere, but itself vaporizes and leaves wind-blown gas and dust with colors that give clues to its composition. The featured image was captured last month from Death Valley Observatories in Nevada, USA. This month, though, is particularly good for seeing meteors. Presently there are three meteor showers ongoing, although...
  • Don't Forget: There Are Two Multi-Trillion Dollar Pseudoscience Scams

    08/03/2026 7:06:52 AM PDT · by MtnClimber · 36 replies
    Manhattan Contrarian ^ | 1 Aug, 2026 | Francis Menton
    The news this past week has been filled by Rand Paul’s Senate hearings exposing the extent of the scientific fraud perpetrated by ex-NIAID Director Anthony Fauci in the matter of Covid-19. First Paul released Fauci’s “diaries,” otherwise known as personal musings recorded in various places on the government’s servers. Then Fauci was compelled to testify, whereupon he invoked his Fifth Amendment privilege more than 100 times and never provided a word of substantive testimony. However, the diaries on their face revealed numerous instances where Fauci’s public statements were blatant deceptions. As just one example, on January 20, 2020, Fauci wrote...
  • Naked nutjob jumps from Brooklyn Bridge after erecting flags

    08/02/2026 8:25:47 PM PDT · by Libloather · 36 replies
    NY Post ^ | 8/02/26 | Larry Celona, Steven Vago
    An unhinged, 44-year-old naked man jumped off the top of the Brooklyn Bridge Sunday afternoon in front of shocked onlookers — and miraculously survived, according to cops and wild video. The nutjob affixed multiple flags at the top of the bridge and “took off clothing” after he scaled the north tower on the Manhattan side of the iconic bridge around 2:30 p.m., police sources said. The NYPD’s Emergency Services Unit tried to convince him to come down, but he leapt instead. “A guy jumped out of the top after getting naked,” an X user wrote while posting video of the...
  • Groundbreaking discovery could remake California's avocado breeding

    08/02/2026 3:48:48 PM PDT · by thecodont · 19 replies
    San Francisco Chronicle / SFGate.com ^ | July 31, 2026 | By Anna FitzGerald Guth, Science and climate reporter
    Even as a fixture in California cuisine and a sizable industry for the state’s farmers, avocados have presented an ongoing mystery for scientists: How do they easily flip sexes? In a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, California researchers have finally answered that question by tracing the process in avocado trees back to a single gene. “Even for a plant that is so familiar to us, there’s been this great mystery for so long,” Jeffrey Groh, a postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley and first author of the study, told SFGATE. “It’s super exciting...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - A Fire Rainbow over West Virginia

    08/02/2026 11:59:08 AM PDT · by MtnClimber · 10 replies
    NASA ^ | 2 Aug, 2026 | Image Credit & Copyright: Christa Harbig
    Explanation: What's happening to this cloud? Ice crystals in a distant cirrus cloud are acting like little floating prisms. Known informally as a fire rainbow for its flame-like appearance, a circumhorizon arc appears parallel to the horizon. For a circumhorizontal arc to be visible, the Sun must be at least 58 degrees high in a sky where cirrus clouds present below -- in this case cirrus fibratus. The numerous, flat, hexagonal ice-crystals that compose the cirrus cloud must be aligned horizontally to properly refract sunlight in a collectively similar manner. Therefore, circumhorizontal arcs are somewhat unusual to see. The featured...
  • What Was Arabia Like Before Islam? | DOCUMENTARY [38:22]

    08/02/2026 6:22:43 AM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 19 replies
    YouTube ^ | March 29, 2026 | Para Bellum
    In this video, we explore the history of Arabia before Islam, starting with the prehistoric period when the region was far greener than today, filled with lakes, rivers, and wildlife. We follow the transformation of this landscape into desert and how early communities adapted to it. What Was Arabia Like Before Islam? | DOCUMENTARY | 38:22 Para Bellum | 140K subscribers | 1,362,096 views | March 29, 2026
  • Democrats’ ‘climate hushing’ prompts activists to turn up the volume (only 4.49 years left)

    08/02/2026 4:15:39 AM PDT · by Libloather · 17 replies
    The Guardian ^ | 8/01/26 | Dharna Noor
    This summer, torrential rains have washed away Texas neighborhoods, dangerous heat has blanketed swaths of the country, and smoke from Canadian wildfires has choked communities as far south as Florida. Research makes clear that global warming is making extreme weather events more frequent and severe. Yet the climate crisis has largely disappeared from the political agenda, with many Democrats who once described it as an existential threat now shying away from talking about it. Now US activists are pushing back against this trend of “climate hushing”, arguing it is misguided. During the summer’s federal recess, during which lawmakers leave the...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - Buck Moon and Belt of Venus

    08/01/2026 3:08:31 PM PDT · by MtnClimber · 7 replies
    NASA ^ | 1 Aug, 2026 | Image Credit & Copyright: Branko Nadj
    Explanation: The Buck Moon is a traditional name for the full moon of July. In this colorful Adriatic sea and skyscape captured on July 28 from Krk Island along the coast of Croatia, a full Buck Moon is just rising over distant mountains. Since a full moon rises as the Sun sets, Earth's shadow also rises in the twilight scene, a diffuse gray band extending above the mountainous southeastern horizon. Above Earth's shadow band is the pinkish antitwilight arch. That subtly tinted band of backscattered sunlight is more widely known as the Belt of Venus. But as it shares the...
  • Q ~ Trust Trump's Plan ~ 08/01/2026 Vol.522, Q Day 3200

    07/31/2026 9:43:58 PM PDT · by foldspace · 615 replies
    Qalerts.net ^ | Aug 1, 2026 | FReeQs, FReepers, LurQers and Vanity A celebration like no other in history - American Revolution 2026We are moving into a season of celebration as we and our allies around the world are shrugging free of the last of the dying New World Order.All Glory to God - He has indeed shed His grace on us, even after our enemies foreign and domestic were certain we were defeated.May God bless all who served His purpose in bringing about our miraculous rescue. Father in Heaven, thank you for leading America in battle, and granting...
  • Asteroid (44) Nysa Is A World Like No Other – It’s The First Known 3-Lobed Space Object And Even Has Its Own Moon

    07/31/2026 8:57:49 PM PDT · by Red Badger · 9 replies
    IFL Science ^ | July 31, 2026 | Dr. Alfredo Carpineti
    Asteroid (44) Nysa seen by the SHARK-VIS instrument of the Large Binocular Telescope. It does look odd! Image Credit: Kate Minker et al./Large Binocular Telescope/Lowell Observator ================================================================== Asteroid (44) Nysa is bright, weird, and, it turns out, not alone. New observations reveal that this asteroid has an extremely peculiar structure. It's the first known asteroid in the Solar System with three lobes. Excitingly, it also seems to have its own moon. Several objects in the Solar System are known to be contact binaries, such as Comet 67P and Kuiper belt object Arrokoth. In those cases, a valley or neck is...