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The critical role of Cajon Pass Cajon Pass is the tectonically complex junction where the San Andreas and San Jacinto faults converge. It’s located near several densely populated communities, including Los Angeles, San Bernadino, Riverside, and Coachella Valley. Burkhard and her colleagues determined that Cajon Pass can act as a so-called “earthquake gate,” controlling whether large ruptures remain confined to a single fault or cross both fault systems. When stress on both faults accumulates simultaneously toward similarly high levels, it’s more likely that a large joint rupture will cross both systems, according to the study. The model showed that stress...

Have you heard of the “Endangerment Finding” (EF)? You have if you have been reading this blog for any period of time. The 2009 EF is likely the most consequential, expensive and destructive regulatory action ever put in place by the federal bureaucracy. In that action, EPA claimed to find that carbon dioxide and several other so-called “greenhouse gases” constitute a “danger” to human health and welfare. Using the EF as the predicate, the administrative state under the Obama and Biden presidencies implemented dozens of major regulations intended to transform the entire energy sector of the U.S. economy. Obama/Biden regulations...

Silicon Valley’s AI millionaires are paying eye-popping rates of up to $6,000 an hour — and $23,000 a day — for escorts who can discuss GPUs, artificial intelligence and the future of humanity before heading to the bedroom. A small but lucrative class of so-called “nerd-first” escorts is cashing in on the tech industry’s wealth explosion by marketing themselves as intellectually curious companions who can match clients’ obsession with AI, cryptocurrency, longevity and other futurist pursuits. There are only a handful of escorts operating in the niche, according to Forbes, but some are commanding rates that dwarf those of traditional...

The following is adapted from a speech delivered at a Hillsdale College National Leadership Seminar on April 28, 2026, in Dana Point, California. At the root of the scientific revolution was the idea that there was not and should never be a scientific authority. For centuries, a small number of ecclesiastical powers had decided such questions as whether the moons of Jupiter move. The scientific revolution placed these questions in the hands of a lot of very smart scientists, including those with telescopes. Unfortunately, we find ourselves back in a situation today, as demonstrated a few years ago by the...

Explanation: Thor not only has his own day (Thursday), but a helmet in the heavens. Popularly called Thor's Helmet, NGC 2359 is a hat-shaped cosmic cloud with wing-like appendages. Heroically sized even for a Norse god, Thor's Helmet is about 30 light-years across. In fact, the cosmic head-covering is more like an interstellar bubble, blown by a fast wind from the bright, massive star near the bubble's center. Known as a Wolf-Rayet star, the central star is an extremely hot giant thought to be in a brief, pre-supernova stage of evolution. NGC 2359 is located about 15,000 light-years away toward...

According to a report by Arkeologerna, six shipwrecks were discovered near Varberg's original shoreline and medieval harbour defences, dating from the Middle Ages to the 17th century.Varbergsvraken (wreck) 2 is a clinker-built sailing ship constructed during the 1530's using locally sourced oak timbers. Clinker ships had overlapped planks giving the vessels a ridged or stepped appearance along the hull, one of the oldest boatbuilding techniques in northern Europe.One key feature of this wreck are the remains of a berghult, a reinforcing strip on the hull that protected the ship during docking. Traces of burning on the berghult suggest that it...

A massive, semi-continent-sized subsurface structure has been discovered by scientists beneath Antarctica’s frozen surface. The discovery, reported by an international team of scientists, reveals the presence of an unusually shaped feature which researchers with Durham University’s Department of Geography characterize as a “vast geological structure hidden beneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet.” The discovery was recently detailed in a study featured in Nature Geoscience. A Massive Fan-Shaped Structure Composed of several gigantic basins located beneath more than three kilometers of the southern continent’s icy exterior, the unusual structure has been dubbed the “East Antarctic Fan-shaped Basin Province.” The massive feature...

This ancient house, with large elaborate gardens, pools and fountains, was located not far from the ancient amphitheater on the eastern side of Pompeii. Its walls were heavily decorated with depictions of various mythological scenes including a double frieze, the likes of which have not been found anywhere else in Roman wall painting. It shows scenes of Hercules and Kings of Troy, as well as a series of familiar of Achilles in the trojan war, but they are not in the order that we would expect. We will go in depth on its various mythological scenes including and the only...

The search for a ninth planet in our solar system could reach a turning point as soon as this year, according to a planetary scientist involved in the hunt for a mysterious object believed to be lurking in the outer reaches of the Solar System. For the past decade, astronomers around the world have been searching for evidence of another resident in our planetary neighborhood. As far back as 2016, there were already hints that something might be out there, given the odd orbits of distant objects like Sedna, discovered in 2003. Now, two astronomers—California Institute of Technology (Caltech) researchers...

Midway through 2026, energy is the issue of the moment. The standoff in the Strait of Hormuz, soaring gas prices, the race to build AI data centers, and intensifying competition with China all point to the same question: Who will produce the energy that powers the modern world? That question is headed to the US Supreme Court. In a few months, the justices will hear arguments in one of the most consequential energy cases in decades, Suncor v. Boulder County. It’s one of dozens of lawsuits brought by progressive state and local governments seeking to make oil and gas companies...

Explanation: What happens to a comet as it leaves our inner Solar System? Now, the arrival of a comet into the inner Solar System is typically heralded with great fanfare and high hopes that the comet will become bright and photogenic. But on the way out, the comet's nucleus is less warmed by the Sun, less gas and dust are expelled, the bright coma around the nucleus shrinks and fades, and the tail length drops off. Many comets will then return to the outer Solar System and only return in hundreds or thousands of years. In contrast, some comets --...

Michelangelo's Pietà showcases a level of artful mastery that beggars belief, especially considering he was only 24. This piece pushes the boundaries of amazing skills, making us question the very nature of human creativity. Join us as we explore this incredible work and what it reveals about the artist's genius, offering a unique perspective on art history. Giuseppe San Martino crafted this marble masterpiece in 18th-century Naples, challenging viewers to distinguish stone from fabric. While legends suggest alchemical secrets behind its creation, historical records offer a different perspective. Marmoreo explores the artistic techniques and theological questions surrounding this profound work...

The final catastrophe of the Hundred Years War ended in 1453 with the total annihilation of Sir John Talbot’s English army at Castillon, but an extraordinary discovery made over five centuries later has rewritten the final moments of this medieval tragedy. Based on the authentic records from the file captions, this episode investigates the stunning 1974 retrieval of approximately 80 elite medieval swords from the mud of the Dordogne River -- a find originally kept under rigid Cold War secrecy by the French Navy. By dismantling the long -- accepted myth of defeated soldiers frantically dropping their weapons in flight,...

Felt cute this morning hit the modeling software, ESRI, and thought why not solve Corpus Christi and Austin water supply issues forever for under $7 billion and a Capex return of 24 months in it's base config. The Japanese built past tense ABWR reactors in 39 months from ground breaking till first critical. Here is my summary report to the Texas Water Dev Board. Should I present it next time I am standing in their office in Austin. ## EXECUTIVE BRIEFING & PROJECT PROPOSAL To: The Board of Directors, Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) Project Title: The Texas Multi-Energy Hydronic...

The city pulled the plug on a planned Knicks watch party outside Madison Square Garden for Game 3 of the NBA Finals Monday night with President Trump expected to be in the house. The move comes as security for the game will be amped up with TSA-level surveillance and scrutiny – and widespread street and sidewalk closures around the arena, officials said. “The permit for the Plaza33 Game 3 watch party was denied by the city’s permitting office in consultation with the NYPD,” an MSG spokesperson said in a statement to The Post. “However, the White House will confirm that...

John Eisenhower, retired U.S. Army Brigadier General and son of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, talked about his father's role as Supreme Allied Commander Europe. He also spoke about President Eisenhower's relationships with American and British generals and how Eisenhower compromised with Allied nations to bring World War II in Europe to an end. Dwight Eisenhower's Son Talks About D-Day | 53:50 C-SPAN's American History TV | 56.1K subscribers | 3,691 views | June 6, 2026

Explanation: It was visible around the world. The sunset conjunction of Jupiter (left) and Venus (right) in 2012 was visible almost no matter where you lived on Earth. Anyone on our planet with a clear western horizon at sunset could see them. That year, a creative photographer traveled away from the town lights of Szubin, Poland to photograph a near closest approach of the two planets. The bright planets were then separated by only three degrees and his daughter struck a humorous pose. A faint red sunset still glowed in the background. Jupiter and Venus are together again this week...

Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority and Cologne University have made an unexpected discovery in Israel's Negev Desert: carved figurines with apparent African origins.The figurines were uncovered during excavations at Tel Malhata, an elliptical-shaped mound located in the eastern sector of the Arad -- Beer-sheba Valley.The site is often identified as Moladah, the biblical town of Simeon, and one of the cities of Judah (although other identifications have been suggested). Previous excavations at the Tel have found occupational layers dating from the Middle Bronze Age to the Byzantine period.According to a study published in 'Atiqot -- Publications of the Israel...

Many of us eat more protein than we need. We asked experts what can happen if people have too much of a good thing.If you’ve browsed the packaged-food aisle of a grocery store lately, or scanned the updated Dietary Guidelines for Americans, you might think that when it comes to protein, more is better. Packaged cereal, popcorn, pancake mix and coffee drinks are being infused with the nutrient. And the new inverted food pyramid, released by the US government in January, features protein prominently, with steak, chicken and cheese at the top. Research suggests that most US adults are eating...

Explanation: A darkened and mysterious north polar region known to some as Mordor Macula caps this premier view of Charon, Pluto's largest moon. The high-resolution image was captured by the interplanetary space probe New Horizons near its closest approach to distant Pluto on July 14, 2015. The combined blue, red, and infrared image data was processed to enhance colors and follow variations in Charon's surface properties with a resolution of about 2.9 kilometers (1.8 miles). A stunning image of Charon's Pluto-facing hemisphere, it also features a clear view of an apparently moon-girdling belt of fractures and canyons that seems to...