Free Republic 3rd Qtr 2026 Fundraising Target: $81,000 Receipts & Pledges to-date: $32,566
40%  
Woo hoo!! And now only $644 to reach 41%!! Thank you all very much!! God bless.

Science (General/Chat)

Brevity: Headers | « Text »
  • Roman revelation: Biggest ancient monumental wall mosaic unveiled after 2,000 years

    09/09/2026 12:34:04 PM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 12 replies
    Euronews ^ | September 9, 2026 | Ilaria Cicinelli & Tokunbo Salako
    Trajan's Baths in Oppian Hill will host a new museum where visitors to Rome can admire the Great Mosaic and the Painted City, two massive ancient artworks buried near the Colosseum that are estimated to date from the 1st century... The "Painted City" fresco and "Great Mosaic" were discovered in an underground gallery during excavations in the 1990s of the Baths of Trajan on the Oppian Hill near the Colosseum. After being hidden underground for centuries, its blues and terracotta colors are still clear but faded... The Painted City is a ten-square-metre fresco belonging to a building that predates Trajan's...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - Witness XZ Andromedae Wink

    09/09/2026 12:06:19 PM PDT · by MtnClimber · 1 replies
    NASA ^ | 9 Sep, 2026 | Video Credit: Ogetay Kayali (MTU, Starfront Observatories) Text: Keighley Rockcliffe (NASA GSFC, UMB
    Explanation: Is this star winking at us? The central object in today’s animation is not one but two stars. XZ Andromedae, indicated by the bold lines, is an Algol-type eclipsing binary with a nearly edge-on orbit from Earth’s perspective. The bottom light curve shows the amount of light from the system dim and brighten as the cooler star eclipses its hotter, brighter companion. Analysis of several XZ Andromedae light curves indicates there may be two other stars orbiting the system. This particular light curve was created with Citizen Astronomy, an open-source software for differential photometry. The software takes the difference...
  • Hillary Clinton’s ‘deplorables’ speech shocked voters five years ago — but some feel it was prescient (10 year anniversary & celebration)

    09/09/2026 4:10:34 AM PDT · by Libloather · 33 replies
    Washington Post ^ | 8/31/21 | Roxanne Roberts
    Let’s start with the obvious: “Basket of deplorables” is a weird turn of phrase. There are baskets and there are deplorable people, but pairing the two is the oddest of linguistic odd couples. Hillary Clinton said those three words in the final months of her 2016 presidential campaign, making rhetorical and political history. There were two kinds of Donald Trump supporters, she explained: Voters who feel abandoned and desperate, who she placed in one metaphorical basket, and those she called “racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic and Islamophobic” — her “basket of deplorables.” Trump — the same man who announced his candidacy...
  • Where is the Body of Alexander the Great? [8:35]

    09/08/2026 8:54:46 PM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 20 replies
    YouTube ^ | July 1, 2022 | Garrett Ryan, Ph.D (as toldinstone)
    For six centuries, the body of Alexander the great lay in a monumental tomb in at heart of Alexandria. After a series of disasters, the tomb vanished. The conqueror's body, however, may have survived... Following the death of the conqueror in Babylon, their body began a long journey involving squabbling generals, a golden coffin in Alexandria, and various imperial visitors. tol-in-stone examines the tumultuous history of this lost mausoleum, exploring theories ranging from catastrophic destruction to a potential relocation to Venice. Where is the Body of Alexander the Great? | 8:35 toldinstone | 648K subscribers | 298,441 views | July...
  • New Study: DNA From Wyoming's Prehistoric Cat Could Save Cheetahs, Lions, Tigers

    09/08/2026 7:28:40 PM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 7 replies
    Cowboy State Daily ^ | September 05, 2026 | Andrew Rossi
    A new study, "Range and diet diversity in the Pleistocene American 'cheetah,' Miracinonyx trumani," was published in the scientific journal Current Biology on Friday. Using the tiniest of bones, including some found in Wyoming's Natural Trap Cave, the diet and DNA of the American cheetah-like cat have been revealed in astonishing detail... "It's actually most closely related to the living mountain lion, and those are both sister species most closely related to the jaguarundi," she said. "The three of them together are distantly related to modern cheetah."... Some of the best Late Pleistocene specimens [various species] ever found have come...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - Hubble: Decagon Around Saturn's South Pole

    09/08/2026 11:18:45 AM PDT · by MtnClimber · 15 replies
    NASA ^ | 8 Sep, 2026 | Image Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI, HST; A. Sánchez-Lavega (UPV), A. Simon (NASA-GSFC), M. Wong (UC Berk
    Explanation: Why are Saturn’s poles geometric? Saturn’s North Pole has been known to be surrounded by a hexagonal (6 sides) cloud since discovery in 1987 in data taken by NASA’s Voyager spacecrafts, which quickly flew past the ringed world in the early 1980s. Now, recent observations of Saturn by the Hubble Space Telescope reveal a slightly different geometric cloud pattern around the South Pole: a decagon (10 sides). The geometric boundaries are possibly caused by waves when the fast-moving gas away from the poles interacts with slower-moving gas closer to the poles. In the featured image composite by the Hubble...
  • Insilico’s Co-CEO Has Big Hopes That Its AI-Discovered Fibrosis Drug Can Reverse Aging Too

    09/08/2026 7:47:27 AM PDT · by SeekAndFind · 19 replies
    Wall Street Journal ^ | 09/07/2026 | Fabiana Negrin Ochoa
    Alex Zhavoronkov, founder and co-chief executive of techbio company Insilico, is among the scientists who have devoted countless hours to studying aging. He has a reality-check for anyone who thinks that artificial intelligence means that the ability to double lifespans is tantalizingly close. “Absolute nonsense,” said Zhavoronkov, whose company uses AI to discover and develop drugs.In 150 years of discovery, no drug has been clinically proven to extend life, he said in an interview. “Regardless of how rich you are…you cannot buy one year of life with a drug.” What could be within reach in the next decade or so—in...
  • Carmakers Have a New Idea to Boost EV Range: Add a Gas Engine

    09/08/2026 4:59:11 AM PDT · by Skwor · 91 replies
    Wall Street Journal ^ | Sept. 6, 2026 | Christopher Otts
    The auto industry has a new solution to Americans’ fear that electric vehicles will run out of juice: a gasoline engine.
  • Breakthrough Triple Therapy Totally Eliminates Pancreatic Tumors in Mice Without Resistance, CNIO Study Shows

    09/07/2026 9:54:13 PM PDT · by SeekAndFind · 27 replies
    Medbound Times ^ | 09/07/2026 | Vanshika Kalra
    Spanish researchers achieve complete tumor regression in animal models, opening new possibilities for one of medicine's deadliest cancersIn a promising development for pancreatic cancer treatment, scientists at Spain's National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) have successfully eliminated pancreatic tumors in mice using a triple-combination therapy. The findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on January 25, 2026. This represents a significant advance in tackling pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), one of the deadliest cancers. PDAC has one of the lowest survival rates, with over 10,300 new patients diagnosed annually in Spain alone, and a devastating five-year...
  • It Looks Like We've Made a Big Step in Combating Alzheimer's

    09/07/2026 9:48:06 PM PDT · by SeekAndFind · 37 replies
    Townhall ^ | 09/07/2026 | Amy Curtis
    In mid-July, the FDA approved Leqembi, a series of injections that specifically target the plaques that build up in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. Those plaques are what cause the memory loss, behavioral changes, and terminal decline.That medication was given to Gail Youngsdale. Three years ago, Gail's Alzheimer's disease was progressing. At the time, Leqembi was a trial drug. Doctors gave her injections to target the nine spots of plaque in her brain.Now? They're gone and Gail has gotten married and gotten most of her memory back.We're out here reversing Alzheimer's y'all. pic.twitter.com/OuNJCax9Hq— L (@SomeBitchIIKnow) September 3, 2026Every single spot...
  • Hubble spots mysterious 10-sided pattern forming around Saturn’s south pole

    09/07/2026 5:20:24 PM PDT · by Red Badger · 54 replies
    Accuweather Astronomy ^ | September 04, 2026 | Brian Lada, AccuWeather meteorologist
    The newly identified atmospheric wave appears to be strengthening, giving scientists a rare chance to watch an unusual feature develop on Saturn. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has revealed a giant 10-sided pattern encircling Saturn's south pole, giving scientists a rare opportunity to watch an unusual feature develop on another planet. The unusual pattern is actually a huge atmospheric wave embedded in one of Saturn's powerful jet streams. It extends through multiple layers of the atmosphere, showing that it is more than a cloud-level feature. The discovery marks the first time that a large pattern with regular sides has been observed...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - The Pelican Nebula in Gas, Dust, and Stars

    09/07/2026 11:27:31 AM PDT · by MtnClimber · 12 replies
    NASA ^ | 7 Sep, 2026 | Image Credit & Copyright: Mark Killion
    Explanation: The Pelican Nebula is slowly being transformed. IC 5070 (an official designation) is divided from the larger North America Nebula by a molecular cloud filled with dark dust. The deep featured picture from Utah, USA incorporates 25 hours of exposure and brings out great details of this filamentary dust. The Pelican Nebula receives much study because it is a particularly active mix of star formation and evolving gas clouds. The light from young energetic stars is slowly transforming the cold gas to hot gas, with the advancing boundary between the two, known as an ionization front, visible in bright...
  • British police on the hunt for 70K pints of Guinness stout stolen in dead of night

    09/06/2026 9:21:44 PM PDT · by Libloather · 24 replies
    NY Post ^ | 9/06/26 | Zoe Hussain
    My goodness, my Guinness! A massive haul of 70,000 pints of Guinness was stolen in the dead of night — sending British police on a desperate hunt for the missing stout. The two trailer loads of beer, valued at $155,000, were snatched last Monday from an industrial park in Runcorn, near Liverpool, according to the Cheshire Constabulary. The Guinness, destined for pubs, was brazenly taken by two drivers who pulled up to the depot and hauled away the trailers carrying 800 barrels of the dark, creamy Irish beer. “It is famously said that ‘Guinness is good for you,’ but that...
  • Democrats hoping to appear ‘normal’ as they roll out their blue wave of weirdos ahead of critical midterms

    09/06/2026 8:28:57 PM PDT · by Libloather · 8 replies
    NY Post ^ | 9/06/26 | Miranda Devine
    When we return to work after the Labor Day weekend, the hope is that America will start paying attention to the stark choice offered at the midterm elections in November. There are just two months left until voters decide whether the Trump administration can continue the free enterprise agenda that is sparking an economic boom and keep reversing the woke cultural insanity that ruined so many lives — or whether the big-government socialists who call themselves Democrats will cripple all that progress and mire the country in another round of debilitating impeachment politics. While historical precedent and the pundit class...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - Pluto in Enhanced Color

    09/06/2026 12:24:58 PM PDT · by MtnClimber · 22 replies
    NASA ^ | 6 Sep, 2026 | Image Credit: NASA, Johns Hopkins Univ./APL, Southwest Research Inst.
    Explanation: Pluto is more colorful than we can see. Color data and high-resolution images of our Solar System's most famous dwarf planet, taken by the robotic New Horizons spacecraft during its flyby in 2015 July, have been digitally combined to give an enhanced-color view of this ancient world sporting an unexpectedly young surface. The featured enhanced color image is not only esthetically pretty but scientifically useful, making surface regions of differing chemical composition visually distinct. For example, the light-colored heart-shaped Tombaugh Regio on the lower right is clearly shown here to be divisible into two regions that are geologically different,...
  • Archaeologists’ huge ‘Noah’s ark’ discovery

    09/06/2026 12:08:22 PM PDT · by Ezekiel · 58 replies
    news.com.au ^ | Sept 6, 2026 | Jamie Seidel
    Scientists are weeks away from results that could either confirm or shatter one of history’s most enduring biblical mysteries.Noah needed incontrovertible proof. He got it. “And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.” (Genesis 8:11) Now, we need incontrovertible proof that his legendary Ark has been unearthed. >>>“Current data increases the likelihood that it is Noah’s ark with each passing day,” the archaeology professor told the Turkish news agency iHA.He is leading an international team...
  • Abandoned LA mansion turns into party free-for-all — and wealthy neighbors are furious

    09/06/2026 4:44:49 AM PDT · by Libloather · 48 replies
    NY Post ^ | 9/05/26 | Titus Wu
    A million-dollar mansion perched along Los Angeles’ legendary Mulholland Drive has become anything but a dream home — with squatters and trespassers turning the unfinished property into a late-night party pad. The abandoned house at 7711 Mulholland boasts sweeping views of the city, but neighbors say its biggest attraction after dark is the empty property itself. “It’s just right under the Universal Overlook, and people come at night, use it to party,” said Ted, a local resident who lives near the property, told FOX11. “There’s graffiti all over it, beer cans, and everything.” Neighbors say the calls for help have...
  • Don’t blame climate change for the Himalayan flash flood

    09/05/2026 9:33:53 PM PDT · by SeekAndFind · 21 replies
    The Spectator ^ | 09/05/2026 | Matt Ridley
    The tragic and terrifying Himalayan flash flood was caused by a chunk of mountain collapsing into a narrow gorge, sending a tsunami of mud and rock that gathered mass as it shot down the steep Trisuli river valley. More than that is not yet clear. Did a breakaway hanging glacier take a rock face with it or was it the other way round? Was there time for the debris to dam the valley and form a lake that burst or did the 60-metre flood of mud come from ice, river water, rock and soil that accumulated in the valley as...
  • US-made F-4 Phantom crashes in fiery Greek airshow disaster, killing 2 pilots

    09/05/2026 7:30:00 PM PDT · by Libloather · 35 replies
    NY Post ^ | 9/05/26 | Jeanne Erickson
    A Hellenic Air Force F-4 Phantom plunged into the ground during an Athens Flying Week airshow Saturday — erupting into a massive fireball as horrified spectators watched, chilling video shows. Both pilots aboard the American-made, two-seat fighter were killed in the crash, according to two officials who spoke to Reuters. The shocking crash unfolded about two minutes into the jet’s display at Tanagra Air Base near Athens at around 3 p.m. local time, according to The Aviationist. Footage shows the F-4 roaring along at low altitude before banking into a turn and rapidly losing height. Seconds later, the fighter disappears...
  • US forces destroy 3 Iranian oil tankers near Kharg Island and Gulf of Oman: ‘You have 3 minutes’

    09/05/2026 1:09:51 PM PDT · by Libloather · 41 replies
    NY Post ^ | 9/05/26 | Gabrielle Fahmy
    The United States military destroyed three Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps crude oil tankers in the Persian Gulf Saturday – after Iran launched ballistic missiles at two US Navy vessels. Footage shows large tankers blown up in flames, as a thick plume of black smoke rise off the sea. A US military aircraft crew can be heard over radio warning an oil tanker near Kharg Island, before unleashing a barrage of missiles that lit the vessel in flames. “I’m preparing to fire. …You have three minutes to clear the crew,” the US is heard in a video filmed aboard a nearby...