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Mar 15, 2019

Indian Scientists Measure 1.3-Billion-Volt Thunderstorm, the Strongest on Record

Posted by in categories: climatology, particle physics, space

Scientists in India observed the highest-voltage thunderstorm ever documented with the help of a subatomic particle you might not hear much about: the muon.

The researchers operate the GRAPES-3 telescope, which measures muons, particles that are similar to electrons but heavier. Specifically, the Gamma Ray Astronomy at PeV EnergieS Phase-3 (GRAPES-3) muon telescope measures high-energy particles from outer space called cosmic rays. It typically picks up 2.5 million muons each minute, mapped on a 13-by-13 grid across the sky. But during thunderstorms, it experiences quick changes to the amount of muons it receives. The GRAPES-3 researchers added electric field monitors to the experiment, and devised a way to turn these muon fluctuations into measurements of the voltage of passing storms.

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Mar 15, 2019

One Family Has Sent Flowers to NASA for More Than 30 Years

Posted by in category: space

The Shelton family from Texas sent their first bouquet in 1998 after the Challenger disaster. And they haven’t stopped since.

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Mar 15, 2019

Tectonics in the tropics trigger Earth’s ice ages, study finds

Posted by in category: climatology

Over the last 540 million years, the Earth has weathered three major ice ages—periods during which global temperatures plummeted, producing extensive ice sheets and glaciers that have stretched beyond the polar caps.

Now scientists at MIT, the University of California at Santa Barbara, and the University of California at Berkeley have identified the likely trigger for these ice ages.

In a study published in Science, the team reports that each of the last three major ice ages were preceded by tropical “arc-continent collisions”—tectonic pileups that occurred near the Earth’s equator, in which oceanic plates rode up over continental plates, exposing tens of thousands of kilometers of oceanic rock to a tropical environment.

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Mar 15, 2019

Why history’s most famous scientists are usually a bit weird

Posted by in category: futurism

Obsessed with work, insensitive, socially detached, and neglectful of family and friends — these may not be the most endearing qualities in a person, but they are just a few of the common characteristics a researcher found when studying some of the world’s most famous and prolific inventors.

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Mar 15, 2019

Research set to shake up space missions

Posted by in categories: materials, space

New 2D materials research shows their capacity to survive and work well in the environment of space.


A new study from The Australian National University (ANU) has found a number of 2D materials can not only withstand being sent into space, but potentially thrive in the harsh conditions.

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Mar 15, 2019

“Medieval” Diseases Flare as Unsanitary Living Conditions Proliferate

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, health

Typhus and other infectious illnesses hit homeless communities.

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Mar 15, 2019

Study uncovers genetic switches that control process of whole-body regeneration

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics, life extension

Researchers are shedding new light on how animals perform whole-body regeneration, and uncovered a number of DNA switches that appear to control genes used in the process.

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Mar 15, 2019

This Is Why The Multiverse Must Exist

Posted by in categories: cosmology, quantum physics

If you accept cosmic inflation and quantum physics, there’s no way out. The Multiverse is real.

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Mar 15, 2019

Susanne Tarkowski Tempelhof Photo

Posted by in categories: bitcoin, governance, robotics/AI

Bitnation is growing up.


🔥 🔥 🔥 NEW RELEASE: #BITNATION JURISDICTION v. 1.4.0 for Android and iOS 🤩 🥳 🥰

The 1.4.0 release has been a crazy road! After the 1.3.4 release, we thought “this app somehow does not say: ”I’m a virtual nation” or ”I’m a blockchain jurisdiction”, but rather we thought it looked more like a confused web3 app which didn’t really know its purpose.

Continue reading “Susanne Tarkowski Tempelhof Photo” »

Mar 15, 2019

DNA reveals that local men were replaced in Iberian gene pool thousands of years ago

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics

“The modern people of Basque Country, in northern Spain, are genetically similar to the Iberian Iron Age people with ancestry from the Russian steppe. While people around them mixed with different groups and changed, the Basques held on to their heritage.”


Ancient DNA is uncovering the secrets of the unique populations of what are now Portugal and Spain. Two studies published this week include unexpected findings from the DNA of people who lived thousands of years ago on the Iberian Peninsula.

The rugged peninsula is positioned between North Africa, Europe and the Mediterranean on the westernmost edge of the continent, so the DNA of its ancient population shows how it was affected by migration over time.

Continue reading “DNA reveals that local men were replaced in Iberian gene pool thousands of years ago” »