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May 20, 2019
Deflecting Earthquakes The Way Ancient Romans Did It
Posted by Quinn Sena in category: materials
A recent French study indicates that the ancient Romans may have figured out how to deal with earthquakes by simply deflecting the energy of the waves using structures that resemble metamaterials. These are materials which can manipulate waves (electromagnetic or otherwise) in ways which are normally deemed impossible, such as guiding light around an object using a special pattern.
In a 2012 study, the same researchers found that a pattern of 5 meter deep bore holes in the ground was effective at deflecting a significant part of artificially generated acoustic waves. One of the researchers, [Stéphane Brûlé], noticed on an aerial photograph of a Gallo-Roman theater near the town of Autun in central France that its pattern of pillars bore an uncanny resemblance to this earlier experiment: a series of concentric (semi) circles with the distance between the pillars (or holes) decreasing nearer the center.
Further research using archaeological data of this theater site confirmed that it did appear to match up the expected pattern if one would have aimed to design a structure that could successfully deflect the acoustic energy from an earthquake. This raises the interesting question of whether this was a deliberate design choice, or just coincidence.
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May 20, 2019
1.5 Million Volunteers Plant 66 Million Trees in 12 Hours, Breaking Guinness World Record
Posted by Quinn Sena in category: sustainability
The central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh set a new Guinness World Record on Sunday after 1.5 million volunteers planted more than 66 million tree saplings in just 12 hours along the Narmada river.
The effort bested the state of Uttar Pradesh’s previous record-breaking feat, when 800,000 participants planted 50 million trees in one day in July 2016.
May 20, 2019
The (Likely) Reason Men Don’t Live as Long as Women
Posted by Genevieve Klien in category: futurism
Research data indicates men can expect to live an average of five fewer years than women. The reason might surprise you.
May 20, 2019
Family Matters podcast: Why all same-sex twins should get genetic testing
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: genetics, sex
LISTEN ABOVE: The director of the Twin Studies Center at California State University explains why all same-sex twins should get genetic testing.
Are you a twin? And if so, do you know with confidence whether you are an identical or fraternal twin?
Many parents rely on the results of an ultrasound. If there are two placentas, they assume they are carrying fraternal twins, and if there is one placenta, it’s assumed the twins are identical.
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May 20, 2019
If You’re Curious About Nootropics, It’s Time to Try This Clinically Proven Brain Booster
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience
May 20, 2019
Google built a lung cancer diagnosing AI and the implications are huge
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: biotech/medical, robotics/AI
An innovative system to predict lung cancer could make a huge change in survival rates, with Google exploring how artificial intelligence could dramatically improve diagnosis rates. Despite advances in cancer treatment, lung cancer remains one of the most deadly diseases, not least because difficulty in identifying it among patients means it can often be too late to address.
May 20, 2019
NASA Names New Moon Landing Program Artemis After Apollo’s Sister
Posted by Heather Blevins in category: space
May 20, 2019
Evolutionary Biologist: Mars Colonists Will Mutate Really Fast
Posted by Quinn Sena in categories: biotech/medical, space
Contact with Earthlings could even be deadly for Martians — and vice versa. Mars doesn’t have any microorganisms to carry disease, and so if cross contamination between Earth and Mars is controlled, Solomon explains that all infectious disease could be eliminated — meaning there should be no intimate connection between the two groups.
But all mutation isn’t bad. Every new baby on Earth is born with 60 new mutations, a number which Solomon says will jump to the thousands on Mars. By mutating, humans on Mars would gain critical, life-saving benefits to cope with the brutal planet: a different skin tone to protect from radiation, less reliance on oxygen to adapt to the thin atmosphere, denser bones to counteract calcium loss during pregnancy.
Solomon even suggests that we could use CRISPR to more purposefully design these helpful mutations.
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