%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.npr.org%2F2016%2F08%2F16%2F490174061%2Fwhy-high-income-households-benefit-more-from-product-innovations%3Futm_medium%3DRSS%26utm_campaign%3Dresearchnews&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 Why High-Income Households Benefit More From Product Innovations
A Stanford University researcher finds that products purchased mainly by poor people were increasing in price much more quickly than those purchased by the wealthy.
science
1471344789000
science
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FScience360NewsServiceBreakingStory%2F%7E3%2FFkZiunnDkYU%2Fbrain-sentences&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 This is your brain on sentences
Full Text:
Researchers have for the first time, decoded and predicted the brain activity patterns of word meanings within sentences, and successfully predicted what the brain patterns would be for new sentences. The study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure human brain activation.
Image credit: University of Rochester/Andrew Anderson, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences
science
1471344785000
science
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FScience360NewsServicePictureOfTheDay%2F%7E3%2Ft9tVoto5hlA%2Fsem-soil-dust&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 SEM of soil dust
Full Text:
This is a scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of soil dust, composed mainly of silicon-oxygen minerals. This particle was collected along a highway in Scottsdale, Arizona, as part of a research study conducted by Arizona State University researchers on the flow of air pollution in the Phoenix metro area. Dust kicked up by road traffic creates a large proportion of the particles, while others are the combustion products of gasoline or diesel fuel, sometimes in combination with dust.
Image credit: Hua Xin, Ph.D., Arizona State University
science
1471342293000
astronomy
%feed http://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/astronauts-kate-rubins-and-jeff-williams-prepare-for-a-spacewalk Astronauts Kate Rubins and Jeff Williams Prepare For a Spacewalk Expedition 48 crew members Kate Rubins (left) and Jeff Williams (right) of NASA outfit spacesuits inside of the Quest airlock aboard the International Space Station. Rubins and Williams will conduct a spacewalk on Friday, Aug. 19, 2016, to install a new docking port that will enable the future arrival of U.S. commercial crew spacecraft. astronomy
1471339643000
twitter
%feed http://twitter.com/GozoPedzi/status/765479150190784512 CITES stands for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. The meeting happens in Jozi this September @WWFSouthAfrica http://ifttt.com/missing_link?1471339643
1471339483000
general
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.spiegel.de%2Finternational%2Fworld%2Feditorial-why-trump-would-be-a-danger-for-the-entire-world-a-1107880.html%23ref%3Drss&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 Narcissist and Agitator: Donald Trump Is One of the Greatest Threats of Our Time During his campaign, Donald Trump has repeatedly flirted with violence. Crude political notions aside, he lacks the character to become president of the United States and represents a true danger to the entire world. general
1471336911000
astronomy
%feed http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheDailyGalaxyNewsFromPlanetEarthBeyond/~3/wtXrABCeu-Y/methuselah-stars-oldest-stars-in-the-universe-discovered-at-milky-way-center-date-from-before-its-bi.html 'Methuselah Stars' --Oldest Stars in the Universe Found at Milky Way Center: "Date from Before Its Birth"
These oldest known stars, date from before the Milky Way Galaxy formed, when the Universe was just 300 million years old. The stars, found near the center of the Milky Way, are surprisingly pure but contain material from an even earlier star, which died in an enormous explosion called hypernova. The discovery and analysis of the nine pure stars challenges current theories about the environment of the early Universe from which these stars formed.
"These pristine stars are among the oldest surviving stars in the Universe, and certainly the oldest stars we have ever seen," said Louise Howes from The Australian National University (ANU), part of the 2015 discovery team along with the University of Cambridge. "These stars formed before the Milky Way, and the galaxy formed around them."
"The stars have surprisingly low levels of carbon, iron and other heavy elements, which suggests the first stars might not have exploded as normal supernovae," said Ms Howes. "Perhaps they ended their lives as hypernovae - poorly understood explosions of probably rapidly rotating stars producing 10 times as much energy as normal supernovae."
Project leader Professor Martin Asplund, from ANU Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics said finding such rare relic stars amongst the billions of stars in the Milky Way center was like finding a needle in a haystack.
"The ANU SkyMapper telescope has a unique ability to detect the distinct colors of anaemic stars - stars with little iron - which has been vital for this search," said Professor Asplund.
Following the team's discovery in 2014 of an extremely old star on the edge of the Milky Way, the team focused on the dense central parts of the galaxy, where stars formed even earlier. The team sifted through about five million stars observed with SkyMapper to select the most pure and therefore oldest specimens, which were then studied in more detail using the Anglo-Australian Telescope near Coonabarabran in New South Wales and the Magellan telescope in Chile to reveal their chemical make-up.
The team also demonstrated that the stars spend their entire lives near the Milky Way center and are not just passing through, a further indication that the stars really are the oldest known stars in the Universe.
Today's Most Popular
The Daily Galaxy via Australian National University
Image credit: ESO and https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Milky_Way_Arch.jpg
Several thousand years ago, a star some 160 000 light-years away from us exploded, scattering stellar shrapnel across the sky. The aftermath of this energetic detonation is shown here in this striking image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Camera 3 .
The exploding star was a white dwarf located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, one of our nearest neighbouring galaxies. Around 97% of stars within the Milky Way that are between a tenth and eight times the mass of the Sun are expected to end up as white dwarfs. These stars can face a number of different fates, one of which is to explode as supernovae, some of the brightest events ever observed in the Universe. If a white dwarf is part of a binary star system, it can siphon material from a close companion. After gobbling up more than it can handle — and swelling to approximately one and a half times the size of the Sun — the star becomes unstable and ignites as a Type Ia supernova.
This was the case for the supernova remnant pictured here, which is known as DEM L71. It formed when a white dwarf reached the end of its life and ripped itself apart, ejecting a superheated cloud of debris in the process. Slamming into the surrounding interstellar gas, this stellar shrapnel gradually diffused into the separate fiery filaments of material seen scattered across this skyscape.
Giant sulphur (Colias gigantea) collected in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, and photographed at the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics (sample ID: 04HBL003032; specimen record: http://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/Public_RecordView?processid=LCH032-04; BIN: http://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/Public_BarcodeCluster?clusteruri=BOLD:AAA3447)
pin-gaia
1471336182000
pin-art
%feed https://www.pinterest.com/pin/77124212348628850/ Donald Byrd - A New Donald Byrd - A New Perspective (1964) Designed by Reid Miles pin-art
1471335879000
general
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ozy.com%2Frising-stars%2Fhow-do-you-stop-a-plague-of-loneliness%2F70903&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 How Do You Stop a Plague of Loneliness? This filmmaker is questioning Scandinavia's socialist paradise. general
1471335809000
technology
%feed http://thenextweb.com/insider/2016/08/16/80-of-all-android-devices-are-vulnerable-to-hackers-hijacking-their-web-traffic/ 80% of all Android devices are vulnerable to hackers hijacking their Web traffic A bug that was first found in version 3.6 of the Linux OS kernel (released in 2012) allows attackers to terminate a device's connections to servers and applications. It could also be exploited to spy on unencrypted traffic or inject malware into the user's data stream. The security flaw, which was noted by security firm Lookout on its blog, is worrying because it's also present in Android KitKat 4.4 and later versions. That means that 80 percent of all Android devices, or about 1.4 billion of them, are affected and vulnerable to attacks. There's good news and bad news. The…
%feed http://thenextweb.com/insider/2016/08/16/snapchats-110m-acquisition-of-vurb-could-remedy-its-biggest-problems/ Snapchat's $110M acquisition of Vurb could remedy its biggest problems Snapchat today acquired mobile search and recommendation app Vurb for a reported $110 million. Why Snapchat was interested in a mobile search app at a all is what makes the purchase interesting. It's no secret that Snapchat is growing. After initially turning down a $3 billion acquisition bid from Facebook in 2013, Snapchat has grown to a reported 150 million daily users and a valuation north of $20 billion. It also passed Twitter this year in daily active users. But still, Snapchat has problems. The most oft-heard gripes center on a confusing interface that makes it difficult for new users to…
%feed http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nybooks/~3/JNoHeKiTfk0/ African Wildlife: Darkness Falls Today, wildlife experts speak of an “elephant holocaust.” The regions of Africa that have suffered most from poaching are those steeped in conflict, where it is too dangerous for conservationists to work. Robert Ross's new book of photographs of the African Selous reserve brings us into a fast disappearing world and keep us there. culture
%feed http://thenextweb.com/insider/2016/08/16/study-current-electric-car-batteries-suitable-for-87-of-all-drivers/ Study: Current electric car range suitable for 87% of all drivers If you're still worried that an electric car battery isn't enough to get you from Point A to Point B and back, stop. According to a new study by MIT, the ‘range anxiety' discussion is overblown. By analyzing driving habits across the country, MIT researcher Jessika Trancik and a team of colleagues found that currently available electronic car technology would prove suitable to replace 87 percent of the personal vehicles on the road, and up to 98 percent by 2020 — assuming current rates of battery improvement remain stable. For the study, researcher's used the Nissan Leaf, an electric vehicle with…
%feed http://thenextweb.com/insider/2016/08/16/eon-board-adds-an-electric-motor-capable-of-22-mph-speeds-to-any-skateboard/ Eon Board adds an electric motor capable of 22 MPH speeds to any skateboard Personal movement devices like Segway's Mini Pro, hoverboards, and electric scooters are starting to gobble up an increasing amount of marketshare from those that used to walk or ride a bike to work. Eon Board is trying to join their ranks. Designed by Unlimited Engineering, the board uses a low-drag in-wheel motor and replaceable battery pack to propel a skateboard at speeds of up to 22 MPH with a range of 15 miles on a single charge. Through a system dubbed ‘regenerative braking,' the board will also be able to partially recharge itself each time you slow down. Perhaps even more…
%feed http://thenextweb.com/insider/2016/08/15/striking-out-on-tinder-use-more-gifs/ Striking out on Tinder? Use more GIFs Humans have spent centuries trying to understand the intricacies of love. The answer, as it turns out, might be as simple as GIFs and a dating app. While you spend 20 minutes trying to craft a perfect opener, the guy who sent this GIF is about to take that girl you just matched with out for some cheap beer and free pretzels. According to Tinder, GIF messages are 30 percent more likely to receive a response than their non-GIF counterparts. The company also revealed that conversations with GIFs were two times longer than those without. Tinder's sociologist Dr. Jess Carbino told Engadget she…
%feed https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/15-21-august-2016/new-culture-secretary-vows-tear-barriers-career-arts/ New culture secretary vows to “tear down the barriers to a career in the arts”
Recently appointed Culture Secretary, Karen Bradley, has promised to open up the arts to people from all backgrounds, in her first speech since being added to the cabinet when Theresa May became Prime Minister last month.
Speaking in Liverpool, Bradley emphasised that access to arts and culture “must be available to everyone, not the preserve of a privileged few”, citing a survey which found that arts engagement was nearly 82% among the wealthiest adults, but just over 65% from lower socio-economic groups.
Cultural Citizens Programme
“The Government is looking at how we can tear down the barriers to a career in the arts. A new experience that reaches someone who would not otherwise enjoy a rich cultural life changes that person's world,” Bradley said.
“That sort of experience has immeasurable value, but can also have a cumulative impact that can effect change on a local and even national scale. Culture can help regenerate villages, towns and cities.”
The Culture Secretary announced that pilots of the Cultural Citizens Programme, first announced by David Cameron in January, will be launching next month in cities including Liverpool and Blackpool and will help 600 disadvantaged children.
“It is a fantastic initiative which could give thousands of children the chance to take part in a range of cultural activities, such as free visits to local plays, behind the scenes access to museums and galleries, and exclusive trips to world class venues, so they realise that culture is just as much for them as for anyone,” said Bradley.
“Make sure no child is left out”
The Culture Secretary's speech comes after last month's parliamentary debate on the English Baccalaureate a GCSE qualification that excludes art and design which some have claimed devalues creative subjects and makes them inaccessible for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Bradley said she will be working closely with the new Education Secretary Justine Greening to “make sure that no child is left out of this country's magnificent and extraordinary cultural inheritance.”
It is also uncertain whether in light of the vote to leave the EU during the recent referendum the Government could announce further austerity measures affecting arts and culture in this year's Autumn Statement.
%feed https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/15-21-august-2016/christine-losecaat-honoured-mbe/ Christine Losecaat honoured with MBE
Christine Losecaat, former creative industries advisor to UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), has been appointed an Honorary Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to the creative industries in the UK.
Losecaat also founded consultancy Little Dipper and is a senior business strategy, marketing and creative specialist.
The Dutch national, who is an honorary fellow of the British Institute of Interior Design, is responsible for a number of high profile creative projects, including co-producing Peter and the Wolf. Last year, she also helped bring to life the UK's Pavilion at the World Expo in Milan.
Creative Industries International Strategy
Losecaat, who worked for UKTI until last year, has advised on the UK's Creative Industries International Strategy for over a decade. It was in this capacity that she was one of the creative drivers behind the London 2012 Olympics' British Business Embassy. The project is estimated to have contributed over £15bn to the UK economy in total.
The announcement of her MBE comes after various prominent British designers including Margaret Calvert and Johanna Basford were recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours list in June.
“Based in the UK for over 20 years”
“I've been based in the UK for over 20 years. It is a very special place and remains the number one global destination for bringing creative concepts to fruition with global impact,” says Losecaat.
“I am truly delighted to receive such a prestigious honour for doing what I love best bringing together talent with projects that put creative integrity at their core.”
%feed https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/8-14-august-2016/samuel-mensah/ Samuel Mensah: “Black designers are never placed at the forefront”
Every bit as bold, stylish and vibrant as his work, it is my pleasure to introduce you to the multi-talented Samuel Mensah.
What's your background?
I was born in Ghana and raised in London where I work today under the name SMBStudios focusing on brand innovation and visual storytelling. I've got experience in digital marketing, brand identity conception and design, production, visual design and art direction. I like to integrate branding and visual marketing to create overall innovative user experiences. By day I am also a designer at renowned idea agency AKQA on the brand design team.
I am also the founder and creative director of creative organization and studio, Youth Worldwide; a creative platform dedicated to discovering and supporting pioneers in creativity and showcasing emerging young creative talent from around the world.
YWW products
While traveling in Ghana last summer I had an epiphany to host a youth networking forum with some of Africa's brightest entrepreneurs as part of my responsibility to another organisation of which I am a founding member, Future of Ghana. We lectured at Ghana's first creative university Ashesi, which was founded by Patrick Awuah formerly of Microsoft.
His story of overcoming the odds to build a university over almost a decade inspired me greatly and I realised even though this may not be exactly what I wanted YWW to be, the scale and magnitude of the impact it had on people's lives is something that could not escape me. Upon my return back to the UK I made it a point to team up with more young creatives, begin a small team and begin working on a few cool projects that challenged and fed their skills.
YWW products
We now work with numerous creatives around the world and have them as part of our network in our aim to share, showcase and express emerging creative talent in all areas on a global stage. The format of YWW has changed and will continue to evolve until we find the most optimum way of making it happen. We want to get to know more people, more leaders that can support and join the movement. Feel free to connect with us.
How did you get started in your field of expertise?
My background lies mainly in the realm of traditional graphic design. That is what I initially fell in love when it comes to design as a whole. I've always seen graphics as the one thing that connects the entire world visually but is heavily taken for granted by most people.
I wanted to design everything and anything when I was younger and my knowledge of design itself was limited but I was determined to dedicate my life to it since I found a purpose with it. I went on to study Design for Advertising at Degree level but really made a name for myself outside the classroom in the digital arts realm.
Designs for MTV headquarters
By taking advantage of online platforms such as DeviantArt, Tumblr, Behance and more I was able to gain popularity quite quickly with my pieces which were always quite vibrant and had a vibe of motivation and inspiration to them. Those are things I take quite seriously in my work. Apart from them looking good I always aim for my work to actually motivate the audience in some way and bring some semblance of joy in their lives.
This went very well for me and from a young age saw me get featured on quite prestigious platforms and design blogs around the world, which it was hard to take seriously at the time since it never really sunk in. Along with juggling school and interning for Gilbert & George my life 6 years ago was definitely just about design and nothing else.
Nothing much has changed really. The process of making the shift into the working world of advertising and branding with my expertise and skills was quite simple and if you told me I would be designing for Nike almost every day of my life and speaking on an OFFF Festival stage last year about my work, I wouldn't have believed you either but the universe is interesting.
YWW exhibition
The formation of YWW has also shifted my love of advertising to other creative and design processes such as industrial design, fashion, experiential design and all things tech. I find my understanding of creativity and its applications has evolved and I want to understand more about everything now. From someone who started in digital arts and branding I feel there are no boundaries to how far things can be pushed in regards to how I apply my creativity and the overall impact it can make.
What challenges did you face/overcome in getting into the industry and achieving your ambitions?
The challenges I continue to face are the ones I put before myself. I challenge myself to be the best I can be and place myself in my own lane when doing anything. However I am very aware of the real social challengers that do hold people back in the industry. The creative industries are rife with classism, sexism and other discriminatory ism's which has been slowing down and getting better in recent years but is still very far from eradicated.
I've been brought up with the mentality to work harder than everyone else to give people no reason to say no. Through this approach I have to say I have been able to evade systematic discrimination for the most part in my professional journey, but it begs the question why work so hard just to be seen as equal. I chose to see it as preparing myself to simply be the most equipped and capable.
YWW team exhibition team
Coming up in the industry I never studied or was even educated about one great graphic designer that was black, even though there are many out there we are never placed at the forefront. For a long time it confused and angered me. I choose to dispel this status quo forever by being that person of colour that I always wanted to see in certain positions and achieve things that were once thought of as highly improbable.
For many millennials of colour that are entering the industry, simply seeing people in powerful positions in the industry that look like them can inspire them so much and has to be championed more. They can take solace knowing that it is most definitely possible to get to the same level and even exceed that of their predecessors.
Who and/or What are your greatest inspirations and influences?
My greatest inspirations have always come from talking to people. I truly believe that conversation is the most holistic way that we as creatives can create better ideas and become better at our jobs of being visual communicators.
My personal heroes are innovators such as Steve Jobs, Larry Page, Bill Gates, Tim Brown & Elon Musk. They inspire me as being those who were able to wield their creativity in the most impactful way possible and leave a lasting effect on the world for a very long time to come. It bothers me that Steve and Bill are not classed as equally creative, when they both created things from scratch that we all use almost every day of our lives to serve specific imperative functions.
A common misconception is the word “design”, which most people think of as pretty pictures or forms. What is missing however is understanding the depth to which design goes—not only in products, but in essentially every aspect of our lives . Whether it is the design of a program, a shirt or some form of communication tool, we are living in a world that's infinitely designed. Somebody made a design decision about everything we use, and have.
What is your best piece of work or the project you are most proud of?
I always think the project I am most proud of is the one I either just did or the one I am currently executing. I say this because I believe you're only ever as good as your last and you must make that the strongest you've ever done. The project that was most formative for me was the process of creating my first ever typeface. I was 21, just completing 2nd year of my university degree and was bored in the summer, hungry to do something I'd never done before. With my background being typography and typographic studies it meant that every font I used in my designs was in essence created by someone else.
My mind shifted when I realised I could create my own and that in fact I wouldn't be satisfied until I made my own. The process in itself would not only be creatively liberating but also a personal liberation. To own something and furthermore create a resource that could benefit other creatives was inspirational. Once I knew I wanted to take on the task I was determined to make it happen even though I had no idea how to do it. I was luckily able to recollect that I had a friend in New Zealand called Daniel McQueen who was a font specialist and was able to turn my designs into a usable font.
Knowing this, the process of researching began and moving into the mentality of creating something classic. I wanted my first typeface to sit alongside the likes of Helvetica, Avant-Garde & Futura. Those were the ambitions I had for the yet untitled font. I named it Echelon. I remember creating a rollout for it on social media that was able to make its release in early september 2012 all the more impactful. It went on to do very well and be featured in many impressive places and most notably be used last year for Nike's Athlete kit for Basketball giant Kevin Durant.
My subsequent font Atelier Neue, which I released almost exactly a year later went on to do well and is my personal favorite. I saw it as a way of very much cementing myself and not being regarded as a one hit wonder. I feel it proved to many potential critics that I can churn these out. The font has also been used in many notable places; most recently for the BFI's Black Star film campaign.
What would be your dream job or project?
My dream job ideally is not to have to have a job at all. That is the best reason to explain why I formed YWW. It was an escape to what I've always wanted to do, which is simply work on super creative briefs and projects whether it's about making products or crafting films.
My dream project is a collection of many small projects culminating in a cultural shift of creative liberation and acceptance by a generation who can take it further than we ever imagined. It is most definitely a process that will not be achieved in a few years or decades but most definitely in our lifetime.
Please name some people in your field that you believe deserve credit or recognition, and why?
I feel we live in age where because of the internet and social media, everyone is able to have a platform and take advantage of the benefits. They are able to gain recognition and become creatives that are creditable.
Everyone is very visible and it's beautiful because it means collaboration has become easier than ever before. Sharing of ideas, culture, skills and creativity has never been easier.
I do aim to give credit to those that paved the way for me personally and I looked up to coming up. Pioneers like Dieter Rams, Peter Saville, Sagmeister, Milton Glaser & Tibor Kalman just to name a few.
In my field today there are amazing young talents in the YWW network that are doing incredible things. So many emerging creatives, some as young as 15 years old, that I have been exposed to, poses a unique creative approach and understanding. They say tomorrow belongs to those that can hear it coming. This truly is the most fearless generation of all time. We will find out why very soon.
What's your best piece of advice for those wanting to follow in your footsteps?
Nobody knows what the hell they are doing most of the time. Just do your own thing. I believe everyone has their own specific way of how the universe will unfold itself to them.
What I will say is that life begins when people understand that the key is to give back. When they realise that serving and creating real change and impact in people's lives through their creativity is the most powerful thing they can do.
Forget rules, and let nothing hold you back. That's why I love the next generation. They don't care about paying homage or being constrained to the past, they are more focused in making new, making their own path. That energy is so empowering.
I would also encourage creatives to embrace failure more. I used to be very self-conscious about failing early on in my career. I have now realised how vital it is to understanding the journey of growth that comes with getting to a certain level. Failure will come but you will get over it. If you are not failing you are honestly not innovating enough.
What's next for you?
I continue to be dedicated to my passion of collaborating and showcasing creatives. I will continue to build the YWW network and aim to create impact with the greatest creative talents the world has to offer. Most importantly I aim to have fun.
ANIMAE CARIBE CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS. Held every year in the caribbean island of Trinidad and Tobago, the Animae Caribe animation festival will run from October 24th to 31st 2016. The largest animation film network with a regional coverage in the Caribbean, it is recognized to be one of the many notable international annual festivals. In addition, Animae Caribe has a regional and international network of storytellers, writers, puppetry artists, visual artists (including graphic designers and photographers), theatre and music performers, sound and lighting technicians and reseachers, which feed into the animation production sector. Submissions for Short animation are open. Deadline 30th August 2016
EUROPE:
FASHION CITIES AFRICA the first major UK exhibition dedicated to contemporary African fashion opened at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery on 30 April 2016. Exploring fashion and style in four cities at the compass points of the African continent Casablanca in Morocco, Lagos in Nigeria, Nairobi in Kenya and Johannesburg in South Africa Fashion Cities Africa considers recent and contemporary fashion practices in these distinctive metropoles, from couture to street style. Until 8 January 2017
Included in Museum admission fee/£3.50 residents, members and children free brightonmuseums.org.uk/fashioncitiesafrica
#FashionCitiesAfrica
AFRICA:
ALBUS EXHIBITION BY JUSTIN DINGWALL. Barnard Gallery is pleased to present Justin Dingwall's solo exhibition Albus in association with Lizamore & Associates. With an arresting vulnerability and striking intimacy, the photographs in Justin Dingwall's ongoing body of work Albus constitute an extended meditation on the nature of beauty and perception. Aiming both to raise awareness about Albinism and to challenge the taboo that exists around it, the series interrogates and offers an alternative to traditional notions of beauty. From 23 August til 11 October 2016.
%feed http://thenextweb.com/insider/2016/08/15/reddit-refuses-to-hand-over-ip-address-of-music-pirate/ Reddit refuses to hand over IP address of music pirate Reddit says it's not giving up the IP address of a user who leaked a Twenty One Pilots song a week before its planned release. A track from the Suicide Squad soundtrack, ‘Heathens,' made its way to file-sharing site Dropfile on June 15 and was uploaded to the Twenty One Pilots subreddit minutes later. The leak then forced Atlantic Records and its subsidiary label Fueled by Ramen to release the track on June 16, a week before scheduled rollouts with Spotify, iTunes and other platforms. According to a lawsuit filed in the New York State Supreme Court, Atlantic Records and Fueled…
%feed http://thenextweb.com/apple/2016/08/15/apple-to-introduce-10-5-inch-ipad-pro-in-2017-new-display-tech-in-2018/ Report: Apple to introduce 10.5-inch iPad Pro in 2017, new display tech in 2018 A new report by esteemed analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggests Apple has plans to release three different iPad models for its 2017 lineup, including a new 10.5-inch size iPad Pro and a “low-cost” 9.7-inch tablet. Oh, and you can expect new display technology for the iPad later in 2018. According to Kuo, the newly added 10.5-inch model will accompany the 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2 and its more affordable 9.7-inch alternative: We expect three new iPads (12.9” iPad Pro 2, new size 10.5” iPad Pro & low-cost 9.7” iPad) to be launched in 2017, though this may not drive shipment growth amid structural headwinds; 2017F shipments…
%feed http://thenextweb.com/insider/2016/08/15/popular-kickasstorrents-clone-torrent-site-wants-to-steal-your-credit-card-details/ Malicious KickassTorrents clone wants to steal your credit card details It's a cold summer for the torrent community. Last month pirates' favorite tracker KickassTorrents shut down following the arrest of alleged founder Artem Vaulin and last week the internet's largest meta-search engine, Torrentz.eu, mysteriously closed its doors. With two of its major players out of the picture, the torrent community had a massive gap to fill up and it didn't take long before a bunch of clones spurred. Now it turns out not all of these mirrors are genuine. Popular KickassTorrents clone KAT.am recently taken down following a run-in with Hollywood has now resurfaced on the Web; but this time as a scam aimed at stealing your bank account details.…
%feed http://insider.si.edu/2016/08/fishing-gear-deaths-of-marine-birds-is-focus-of-smithsonian-ecologists-study/ Fishing gear entanglements of marine birds is focus of Smithsonian ecologist's study
A Laysan albatross estimated to be at least 63-years-old and chick Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge (John Klavitter/U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
To catch tuna in the Pacific today, many commercial fishing ships set a series of long lines through the water—lines that are bristling with hundreds and even thousands of baited hooks. While a chunk of squid may be irresistible to a tuna, many seabirds also chase and swallow these fishing baits.
Albatrosses, including Hawaii's black-footed and Laysan albatrosses, feed at the ocean's surface. “Bait on a hook is tempting. It looks like easy prey before the long line sinks into the sea,” explains Autumn-Lynn Harrison, a marine ecologist at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. “But, going after the bait means an albatross can also get caught on the hook, become injured, or even drown,” Harrison says.
Created from a database maintained by the United States Geological Survey, this map plots the location of fishing-gear entanglements of all banded albatrosses in the Pacific from 1945-2014. (Image courtesy Autumn-Lynn Harrison)
Albatrosses are one of the most threatened groups of birds globally and information about their interactions with fisheries is important. When fishing vessels pull in the line to release or salvage the bird, they are encouraged to also look for a band on its leg. Metal bands are placed on albatross chicks in the nest, or on breeding adults. A band can identify the specific colony where it was born and its age, or for birds banded as breeding adults, where it bred.
If a hooked albatross has a band on its leg, it is hoped the band information and the circumstances of how it was obtained is reported to the United States Geological Survey, which maintains the North American Bird Banding Database. Database records go back to the 1920s, when major fishing operations hadn't yet left the coast to spread throughout the open ocean. Many original band-return records of albatrosses banded by Smithsonian biologists in the 1960s can even be found in our own records at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
Two of thousands of return cards maintained in the Smithsonian's Pacific Ocean Biology Survey Project. These two cards document the entanglement of a banded black-footed albatross on the California coast and a banded Laysan albatross in Japan. (Image courtesy Autumn-Lynn Harrison).
This week, Harrison will speak on large-scale patterns of bird entanglement in fishing gear in North and South America and the Pacific at the 2016 North American Ornithological Conference in Washington, D.C. One of the largest ornithological conferences ever held, lectures by dozens of world experts, workshops, roundtable discussions and interactive sessions and symposia on a vast array of bird-related topics will be featured. Held every four years, this year's conference runs from Tuesday, Aug. 16 to Saturday, Aug. 20 and is being hosted by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center.
In addition to albatrosses, entanglement of North American banded birds by fishing operations, including recreational fishing, also is reported in large numbers for royal terns, double-crested cormorants, and brown and white pelicans. Globally, entanglement by fishing is a primary reason “all of the 22 species of albatross is listed in someway on the International Union for Conservation Nature Red List of Endangered Species,” Harrison continues.
This interactive map was created from data on all reported fishing-gear entanglements of birds of all species from 1920-2014. (Map courtesy Autumn-Lynn Harrison)
Harrison's current research involves using the USGS Bird Banding database to investigate patterns that show if members of specific albatross colonies (many different colonies nest across the Hawaiian Islands) died more frequently as the by-catch of specific North Pacific fisheries.
Albatross by-catch by the fishing industry is a well-studied phenomenon, yet “how different colonies might be impacted differently because of their migration patterns is just starting to come to light,” Harrison says. The traditional migration route of a specific colony may place its members in harm's way at specific times of operation—right in the seasonal path of a commercial fishery. Another colony in a different area may not face this threat.
Black-footed Albatross (Flickr photo by budgora)
“I am trying to learn what 100 years of banding data can tell us about which colonies were caught in which fisheries and how this might have changed through time. Birds that breed on Midway Island in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands [west], for example, may have a higher likelihood of being caught by an Asian fishing fleet versus birds that breed on Kauai or Oahu Islands in the main Hawaiian Islands [east] that are caught more frequently in Hawaiian long-line fleets.”
Laysan (foreground) and black-footed albatrosses in flight at Southeast Eastern Island, Midway Atoll, Hawaii, April 2015. (Flickr photo by Forest and Kim Starr)
Albatross death by long-line fishing is “changing over time,” Harrison observes. “Fishing fleets have become more aware about the impacts of their operations on seabirds, and have gotten smarter about ways to try to get albatrosses away from their fishing vessels. A lot of this work is really improving the ways fisheries are able to avoid bird by-catch.”
Second to commercial fishing as a marine bird hazard, Harrison says, are two other human-introduced threats: floating plastics that albatrosses feed to their chicks, and climate change. “Many marine birds nest on low-lying islands that are likely not to be there in the future,” due to rising sea levels.
%feed https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160815185830.htm Fifth force of nature? Light particle may be key to understanding dark matter in universe Recent findings indicating the possible discovery of a previously unknown subatomic particle may be evidence of a fifth fundamental force of nature, according to new research by theoretical physicists. astronomy
1471334182000
astronomy
%feed https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160815134951.htm Brown dwarfs reveal exoplanets' secrets Brown dwarfs are smaller than stars, but more massive than giant planets. As such, they provide a natural link between astronomy and planetary science. However, they also show incredible variation when it comes to size, temperature, chemistry, and more, which makes them difficult to understand, too. New work surveyed various properties of 152 suspected young brown dwarfs in order to categorize their diversity and found that atmospheric properties may be behind much of their differences. astronomy
1471327680000
images
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2Fmichael_capo%2F28729148950%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 London Skyline
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fenvironment%2F2016%2Faug%2F16%2Fbudget-cuts-threaten-to-weaken-powers-of-englands-nature-watchdog&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 Budget cuts threaten to weaken powers of England's nature watchdog
Leaked documents and sources show Natural England will use its legal powers less and seek funding from the private companies it is meant to keep in check
England's nature watchdog is planning to use its legal powers less and risks becoming a weak regulator forced to raise funding from the private companies it is meant to keep in check, leaked documents and sources reveal.
Natural England is duty-bound to defend rare species and protected areas including national parks and England's 4,000 sites of special scientific interest from potentially environmentally damaging developments.
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencedaily.com%2Freleases%2F2016%2F08%2F160815190146.htm&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 Luna moth's long tail could confuse bat sonar through its twist A detailed look at how sound waves bounce off a flying moth's body offers new clues for how its long, twisted tail might help it evade predatory bats. gaia
1471322190000
gaia
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencedaily.com%2Freleases%2F2016%2F08%2F160815094625.htm&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 Tropical sea urchins caught between a rock and a hot place The balmy waters of the Caribbean could turn into a deadly heat trap for countless tiny creatures. Authors of a new study have discovered that microscopic sea urchin eggs and larvae may suffer stunting or death when the water temperature spikes just a couple of degrees above normal, adding to the impact of climate change in already warm tropical oceans. gaia
1471322182000
gaia
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencedaily.com%2Freleases%2F2016%2F08%2F160815094518.htm&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 A very hungry caterpillar: Researchers sequence genome of 'gluttonous' tobacco hornworm The genome of the tobacco hornworm -- an important model of insect biology -- has now been sequenced by a team of researchers. The sequenced genome can lead to improved molecular biology, physiology and neurobiology research in insects and also may help in developing future new methods for insect pest management. The tobacco hornworm is a good model species because of its large size -- the caterpillar can measure up to 4 inches long -- making it easy to collect tissue samples. gaia
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.inc.com%2Fleigh-buchanan%2Fwhy-thousands-are-buying-pi-labs-rubber-duck.html&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 Why Thousands Are Buying This $100 Rubber Duck Pi lab started out making traditional consumer electronics, but found its biggest hit with a high-tech spin on a classic children's toy. images
1471303594000
images
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2Fwaterford_man%2F28391339013%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 London at Sunset
Thanks for all the views, Please check out my other photos and albums.
images
1471303591000
images
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2Fwaterford_man%2F28932288491%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 London at Sunset
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fmehroz-baig%2Fprep-for-her-bringing-wom_b_11527650.html%3Futm_hp_ref%3Dscience%26ir%3DScience&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 PrEP For Her: Bringing Women Into The HIV Prevention Conversation "PrEP for a lot of women, will be their entry point for access to care," noted Martha Cameron, Director of Prevention at The Women's Collective. "They are hearing about it for the first time and you see the surprise," she added. "The first part of the session is trying to convince people that it's real, it's out there, that it's for women and not just for MSM, and it works."
The Women's Collective is a non-profit organization in Washington D.C. that serves women of color who are HIV positive or at risk for HIV. They're working with the D.C. Department of Health on PrEP for Her, a new campaign that aims to increase knowledge about PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, among African-American Women. PrEP can be more than 90 percent effective in preventing HIV when taken daily.
Not everyone who is eligible for PrEP is aware of it, however, and that's where the health department along with their community partners hope to make a dent. CDC estimates that there are 1.2 million people in the nation who are eligible for PrEP: 38 percent are women. "This group hasn't really been targeted in any other initiative," noted Ashlee Wimberly, PrEP for Women Project Coordinator at the Washington AIDS Partnership, a similar initiative to bring PrEP awareness to women. "There's a very big gap."
Ms. Wimberly is referring specifically to women of color. "The most important thing that needs to be mentioned is that there has hardly been any campaign, social media strategies, even images out there that have targeted women in general and especially women of color with regard to PrEP," added Ms. Cameron.
17.2 percent of HIV diagnoses in 2014 in DC were among women; of all the women diagnosed, 91.2 percent were Black. Data from Gilead Sciences, the pharmaceutical company that makes Truvada® (the medication used for PrEP), showed an almost four fold increase in PrEP uptake between 2014 and 2015 among men, while the numbers of women taking PrEP remained stagnant.
PrEP for Her wants to change that. "It's exciting to see it come together," said Dr. Travis Gayles, Chief Medical Office at the D.C. Health Department. "I think for so long, especially around HIV, a lot of our resources haven't been targeted towards women." Dr. Gayles noted that while there are high numbers of men who have sex with men (MSM) impacted by HIV, and thus much of HIV prevention efforts focus on that population, it's exciting to have an effort that includes women as well.
However, prescribing PrEP isn't enough. "I'm a big believer that the easy part of PrEP is to write a prescription," Dr. Gayles said. Ms. Cameron agrees. "The drug is not the issue," she said. "The issue is you have to have follow-up medical care, and labs, and so on." Ms. Cameron noted that many of the women she works with face barriers to sustained care, from financial instability, to housing security, being in violent relationships, and having mental health or substance use concerns. All those aspects must be addressed in order to reap the benefits from PrEP. Dr. Gayles concurs. "There are a lot of factors that go into adherence beyond just the patient's desire to take the medication," he said.
Ms. Wimberly added that the PrEp for Women Initiative aims to reach 5,000 women and 300 doctors in D.C. to increase knowledge and PrEP awareness through social media and traditional marketing over the next two years. The conversation is about empowering women and PrEP helps HIV negative women do that by putting prevention in their hands, in the form of a pill. Everyone agrees that messages about PrEP must be relevant for women and their sexual circumstances. "I think we definitely have to make sure that the information is accessible and we relay it in a way that connects with our intended audience," Ms. Wimberly said. "If we're going to be effective, that's a key piece to it."
The D.C. Health Department launched the PrEP for Her initiative this year with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the MAC AIDS Foundation. In July 2016, their STD clinic began offering PrEP to patients for the first time. The Washington AIDS Partnership launched the D.C. PrEP for Women initiative in July 2016. This fall, the Partnership will release a request for applications to support innovative projects aimed at increasing PrEP knowledge and utilization in Washington, D.C. Additionally, the D.C. Health Department provides funding to The Women's Collective for some of their HIV prevention efforts.
The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the City and County of San Francisco.
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
science
1471300840000
cogdis
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.google.com%2Fnews%2Furl%3Fsa%3Dt%26fd%3DR%26ct2%3Dus%26usg%3DAFQjCNGbsVNkAeBzHgUq47syU5ayP7M_NQ%26clid%3Dc3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331%26ei%3DiESyV-BdhOnWBq_ZmuAB%26url%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.chinalawblog.com%2F2016%2F08%2Fchina-the-world-greed-cognitive-dissonance-the-best-and-the-brightest-and-why-people-seem-to-encouragealmost-enjoy-getting-scammed.html&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 China, The World, Greed, Cognitive Dissonance, The Best and the Brightest, and Why People Seem to Encourage ... - China Law Blog (blog)
SRI Spin-off Abundant Robotics Developing Autonomous Apple Vacuum IEEE Spectrum The first automated apple harvesting system that doesn't bruise or damage the produce will be a huge breakthrough in an industry that has been dependent on the challenges of seasonal labor.” Abundant Robotics' initial prototype is designed with ...
robots
1471299970000
robots
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fnews.google.com%252Fnews%252Furl%253Fsa%253Dt%2526fd%253DR%2526ct2%253Dus%2526usg%253DAFQjCNFXf3AKGheahialn1F6j1X3FHKQaQ%2526clid%253Dc3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331%2526cid%253D52779180425670%2526ei%253DDDGyV5i5FLKuzAao3pnIDA%2526url%253Dhttp%253A%252F%252F411mania.com%252Fgames%252Ffour-player-co-op-is-final-fantasy-xvs-season-pass-too-costly%252F%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 r0B0t: Four Player Co-op: Is Final Fantasy XV's Season Pass Too Costly? - 411mania.com
Four Player Co-op: Is Final Fantasy XV's Season Pass Too Costly? 411mania.com Quizmaster Well, it looks like Telltale is going to keep the ball rolling with a Mr. Robot game in the future. I've played and completed Episode ... Niantic at first, took a while to say anything, which angered players of the beloved app. When ...
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fdavid-yarnold%2Fpuffin-wintering-grounds_b_11532298.html%3Futm_hp_ref%3Dgreen%26ir%3DGreen&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 Puffin Wintering Grounds Need To Be Protected Atlantic Puffins. Photo: Derrick Jackson/Audubon Photography Awards.
A long-running mystery in the bird world has been solved: Where do the little clown-faced Atlantic Puffins go when they leave their Maine nesting grounds?
Within just the last year, with the help of tracking tags attached to puffin leg bands, scientists have learned that Maine puffins winter about 150 miles southeast of Massachusetts' Cape Cod in the waters of an area known as the Grand Canyon of the undersea world. Here, mountains rise thousands of feet from the sea floor and brilliant corals grow to tree-like proportions in aquatic forests that resemble a Dr. Seuss creation.
This discovery has come just as President Obama is weighing a decision to declare the undersea area--the New England Coral Canyons and Seamounts--the first Atlantic Marine National Monument.
So why should the recent puffin discovery by Audubon scientists help President Obama make that decision?
This is one of the most pristine biodiversity hot spots on the planet, a place remarkably free from human disturbance. It's not only the winter home to the threatened Atlantic Puffins, but hosts whales, porpoises, tuna, sailfish and countless other sea creatures and ocean fauna. And those are just the seafaring creatures we know about. Much remains unexplored in this aquatic wonderland.
But the pressure to fish, drill and mine in increasingly remote and unexplored places puts this fragile habitat at risk. President Obama, with a stroke of his pen, has the power to permanently protect the New England Coral Canyons and Seamounts by declaring it a Marine National Monument.
Some commercial fishers oppose the national monument designation, saying it would hurt their business if they are not allowed to fish these waters.
We believe protecting this underwater biodiversity hot spot would have exactly the opposite effect. Rather than hurt commercial fishers, protecting this highly diverse undersea world will help improve declining populations of lobsters and commercial fish in the overfished waters off the New England Coast.
Fishers have experienced declining hauls for years due to overfishing and climate change that is shifting the patterns of fish populations.
When fish and other sea creatures have a safe haven as diverse as the New England Coral Canyons and Seamounts, they grow and repopulate the seas for hundreds of miles, bolstering populations with more and healthier fish.
That's the economic side of preserving this unique area. Just Google "images for New England Coral Canyons and Seamounts" and you can't help but be awed by the photos of lacey corals, sea creatures more magical than anything Hollywood animators could ever create, and thriving sharks and whales.
Scientists believe the Atlantic Puffins are attracted to the area because of the huge upwelling that provides abundant food, the same conditions that attract other sea birds along with whales, porpoises, tuna, sailfish and other fish.
Protecting this pristine habitat that will help ensure the health and bio-diversity of the region's ocean waters for wintering Atlantic Puffins and countless other species of birds and marine wildlife. With the video evidence from our live puffin cams on Explore.org, Audubon scientists know the puffins are going to need all the support they can get to survive as warming sea waters impact the kinds of fish they need to survive.
There is much we still don't know about the area. It's one of the aspects that makes it so special, and would create such a tragedy if it were destroyed.
President Obama has an opportunity to make a decision that will impact the planet and future generations: He can ensure that one of the most magical and bio-diverse spots on the planet will be protected for decades to come.
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
gaia
1471299808000
gaia
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newscientist.com%2Farticle%2F2101032-without-oxygen-from-ancient-moss-you-wouldnt-be-alive-today%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 Without oxygen from ancient moss you wouldn't be alive today The earliest terrestrial plants, such as moss, made a surprising contribution to the levels of oxygen in the atmosphere some 400 million years ago gaia
1471298059000
cogdis
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slate.com%2Fblogs%2Fxx_factor%2F2016%2F08%2F15%2Fbuzzfeed_piece_about_clinton_accuser_juanita_broaddrick_voting_for_trump.html&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 A New Buzzfeed Piece Shows How Juanita Broaddrick Has Drifted to the Right
Long before Donald Trump clinched the Republican nomination, he vowed that the ammunition he had stocked for Hillary Clinton would include constant reminders of her husband's sexual misdeeds. Now, Trump appears to have won the support of the woman with perhaps the most disturbing allegations against Bill Clinton, Juanita Broaddrick, as Buzzfeed's Katie J.M. Baker reports in a nuanced profile.
Broaddrick, who claims that Clinton raped her in 1978 when he was Arkansas' attorney general, told Baker what she has always told reporters: that her animus toward the Clintons is personal, not political. But Baker found that as conservatives have embraced Broaddrick's cause, she seems to have increasingly returned the favor. Broaddrick, who voted for Obama in 2008, “insists she has no plans to join Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's campaign and says she's only voting for him because she doesn't want the man she claims raped her—and the woman she believes enabled him—back in the White House,” Baker writes. But her public profile tells a different story. “She used to tweet mostly about her own story and other sexual assaultrelated issues; these days, her feeds are filled with outlandish Clinton conspiracy theories and angry posts about Benghazi.”
Broaddrick also granted her—slightly ambivalent—approval after the Trump campaign, without her permission, used her voice and story in an anti-Hillary attack ad. Though Broaddrick told Buzzfeed that she was “really hurt” when the Trump team pulled audio of her describing the alleged rape, fighting tears, in a 1999 Dateline interview, she said in a radio interview in May that she thought her role in the ad was “important,” and that she wasn't “unhappy” that the clip was used.
For those who don't remember the details of Broaddrick's allegations against Clinton, here's a brief refresher: Broaddrick, who met Clinton when he made a campaign stop at the nursing home where she worked, claims that she'd arranged to meet the then-attorney general in a coffee shop in Little Rock, but at the last minute he instead invited himself to her hotel room, where he raped her “like it was an everyday occurrence.” Broaddrick says she told a few friends at the time, but might never have come forward if lawyers for Paula Jones, the Arkansas state employee who sued Clinton for sexual harassment, hadn't heard about her through word-of-mouth and subpoenaed her in 1998. At the time, Broaddrick signed an affidavit swearing that Clinton had not raped her—hoping, she says now, “to stay out of it.” When Clinton was impeached the next year, however, and federal prosecutor Ken Starr reached out to Broaddrick, she testified the opposite. Ultimately, she agreed to do the 1999 Dateline interview, hoping to lend her voice to the clamor for impeachment.
Starr deemed Broaddrick's claims “inconclusive,” and the Dateline interview didn't air until after the impeachment proceedings had ended. In the end, Broaddrick's testimony didn't stick to Bill Clinton's presidency—but it lingered in the air after his time in the White House had ended. As Lisa Myers, the Dateline reporter who interviewed Broadrrick for NBC News, told Baker: “No one can objectively look at Juanita's story and not be troubled.”
According to Trump—and to Broaddrick herself—voters should be especially troubled to see Hillary Clinton, wife of an accused rapist, running an openly feminist campaign. One New Hampshire voter asked her in December, “You say that all rape victims should be believed. But would you say that about Juanita Broaddrick, Kathleen Willey, and/or Paula Jones?” Clinton replied stiffly: “Well, I would say that everybody should be believed at first, until they are disbelieved based on evidence.” Baker reports that, in the months following this incident, Clinton's campaign seemingly tinkered with its website focused on the issue of campus sexual assault. A block quote on the page once read: “I want to send a message to every survivor of sexual assault: Don't let anyone silence your voice. You have the right to be heard. You have the right to be believed, and we're with you.” The final sentence has since disappeared.
There's a long history of wives being called to account for their husband's sins, as Rebecca Traister has written at New York magazine—and Hillary Clinton has more experience than anyone with that particular American instinct. As Michelle Goldberg wrote for Slate in December, “I don't think for a moment that the people who hope to use Broaddrick against Hillary care about victim blaming. And it would be a profound sexist irony if these accusations, having failed to derail Bill Clinton's political career, came back to haunt his wife.” Of course, irony doesn't begin to capture the glaring dissonance between Trump's enthusiastic support of Broaddrick and his own reportedly violent history with women: His ex-wife Ivana has accused him of rape, though she later disavowed the statement. It's telling that Trump has had so little trouble painting Clinton as a hypocrite while presenting himself as Broaddrick's long-awaited advocate. Often, what a powerful man can brush off, a woman must contend with for the rest of her life. Juanita Broaddrick may know that better than anyone.
cogdis
1471297121000
science
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Frss.sciam.com%2F%7Er%2Fsciam%2Fglobal-videos%2F%7E3%2FQGvCUJiNXpY%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 An Olympic Showdown: Human versus Ant Could the fungus-farming leaf-cutter ant take on an Olympic weightlifter?
-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
science
1471295507000
robots
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.slate.com%252Fblogs%252Ffuture_tense%252F2016%252F08%252F15%252Fresearchers_grow_animal_like_living_biobots.html%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 r0B0t: Researchers Are Growing Living Biohybrid Robots That Move Like Animals
Think of a traditional robot and you probably imagine something made from metal and plastic. Such “nuts-and-bolts” robots are made of hard materials. As robots take on more roles beyond the lab, such rigid systems can present safety risks to the people they interact with. For example, if an industrial robot swings into a person, there is the risk of bruises or bone damage.
Researchers are increasingly looking for solutions to make robots softer or more compliant—less like rigid machines, more like animals. With traditional actuators—such as motors—this can mean using air muscles or adding springs in parallel with motors. For example, on a Whegs robot, having a spring between a motor and the wheel leg (Wheg) means that if the robot runs into something (like a person), the spring absorbs some of the energy so the person isn't hurt. The bumper on a Roomba vacuuming robot is another example; it's spring-loaded so the Roomba doesn't damage the things it bumps into.
But there's a growing area of research that's taking a different approach. By combining robotics with tissue engineering, we're starting to build robots powered by living muscle tissue or cells. These devices can be stimulated electrically or with light to make the cells contract to bend their skeletons, causing the robot to swim or crawl. The resulting biobots can move around and are soft like animals. They're safer around people and typically less harmful to the environment they work in than a traditional robot might be. And since, like animals, they need nutrients to power their muscles, not batteries, biohybrid robots tend to be lighter too.
Building a biobot
Researchers fabricate biobots by growing living cells, usually from heart or skeletal muscle of rats or chickens, on scaffolds that are nontoxic to the cells. If the substrate is a polymer, the device created is a biohybrid robot—a hybrid between natural and human-made materials.
If you just place cells on a molded skeleton without any guidance, they wind up in random orientations. That means when researchers apply electricity to make them move, the cells' contraction forces will be applied in all directions, making the device inefficient at best.
So to better harness the cells' power, researchers turn to micropatterning. We stamp or print microscale lines on the skeleton made of substances that the cells prefer to attach to. These lines guide the cells so that as they grow, they align along the printed pattern. With the cells all lined up, researchers can direct how their contraction force is applied to the substrate. So rather than just a mess of firing cells, they can all work in unison to move a leg or fin of the device.
Biohybrid robots inspired by animals
Beyond a wide array of biohybrid robots, researchers have even created some completely organic robots using natural materials, like the collagen in skin, rather than polymers for the body of the device. Some can crawl or swim when stimulated by an electric field. Some take inspiration from medical tissue engineering techniques and use long rectangular arms (or cantilevers) to pull themselves forward.
Others have taken their cues from nature, creating biologically inspired biohybrids. For example, a group led by researchers at California Institute of Technology developed a biohybrid robot inspired by jellyfish. This device, which they call a medusoid, has arms arranged in a circle. Each arm is micropatterned with protein lines so that cells grow in patterns similar to the muscles in a living jellyfish. When the cells contract, the arms bend inwards, propelling the biohybrid robot forward in nutrient-rich liquid.
More recently, researchers have demonstrated how to steer their biohybrid creations. A group at Harvard used genetically modified heart cells to make a biologically inspired manta ray-shaped robot swim. The heart cells were altered to contract in response to specific frequencies of light—one side of the ray had cells that would respond to one frequency, the other side's cells responded to another.
When the researchers shone light on the front of the robot, the cells there contracted and sent electrical signals to the cells further along the manta ray's body. The contraction would propagate down the robot's body, moving the device forward. The researchers could make the robot turn to the right or left by varying the frequency of the light they used. If they shone more light of the frequency the cells on one side would respond to, the contractions on that side of the manta ray would be stronger, allowing the researchers to steer the robot's movement.
Toughening up the biobots
While exciting developments have been made in the field of biohybrid robotics, there's still significant work to be done to get the devices out of the lab. Devices currently have limited lifespans and low force outputs, limiting their speed and ability to complete tasks. Robots made from mammalian or avian cells are very picky about their environmental conditions. For example, the ambient temperature must be near biological body temperature and the cells require regular feeding with nutrient-rich liquid. One possible remedy is to package the devices so that the muscle is protected from the external environment and constantly bathed in nutrients.
Another option is to use more robust cells as actuators. Here at Case Western Reserve University, we've recently begun to investigate this possibility by turning to the hardy marine sea slug Aplysia californica. Since A. californica lives in the intertidal region, it can experience big changes in temperature and environmental salinity over the course of a day. When the tide goes out, the sea slugs can get trapped in tide pools. As the sun beats down, water can evaporate and the temperature will rise. Conversely in the event of rain, the saltiness of the surrounding water can decrease. When the tide eventually comes in, the sea slugs are freed from the tidal pools. Sea slugs have evolved very hardy cells to endure this changeable habitat.
We've been able to use Aplysia tissue to actuate a biohybrid robot, suggesting that we can manufacture tougher biobots using these resilient tissues. The devices are large enough to carry a small payload—approximately 1.5 inches long and one inch wide.
A further challenge in developing biobots is that currently the devices lack any sort of on-board control system. Instead, engineers control them via external electrical fields or light. In order to develop completely autonomous biohybrid devices, we'll need controllers that interface directly with the muscle and provide sensory inputs to the biohybrid robot itself. One possibility is to use neurons or clusters of neurons called ganglia as organic controllers.
That's another reason we're excited about using Aplysia in our lab. This sea slug has been a model system for neurobiology research for decades. A great deal is already known about the relationships between its neural system and its muscles—opening the possibility that we could use its neurons as organic controllers that could tell the robot which way to move and help it perform tasks, such as finding toxins or following a light.
While the field is still in its infancy, researchers envision many intriguing applications for biohybrid robots. For example, our tiny devices using slug tissue could be released as swarms into water supplies or the ocean to seek out toxins or leaking pipes. Due to the biocompatibility of the devices, if they break down or are eaten by wildlife these environmental sensors theoretically wouldn't pose the same threat to the environment traditional nuts-and-bolts robots would.
One day, devices could be fabricated from human cells and used for medical applications. Biobots could provide targeted drug delivery, clean up clots or serve as compliant actuatable stents. By using organic substrates rather than polymers, such stents could be used to strengthen weak blood vessels to prevent aneurysms—and over time the device would be remodeled and integrated into the body. Beyond the small-scale biohybrid robots currently being developed, ongoing research in tissue engineering, such as attempts to grow vascular systems, may open the possibility of growing large-scale robots actuated by muscle.
robots
1471294717000
images
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2F43208722%40N04%2F28903157472%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 Spire and Chimneys
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2F43208722%40N04%2F28975489086%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 End of Terrace
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2F43208722%40N04%2F29007995855%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 Golden Tower
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2Fdavidedamico%2F28389914743%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 Thames Barrier, Canary Wharf and the O2 III
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2Fdavidedamico%2F28389918293%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 Canary Wharf and the O2
Meet Marty, the robot that is teaching kids and makers about programming, electronics and mechanics.
The cute robot is Wi-Fi enabled, can be customized through 3D printing, and with the help of his spring legs, can to do all types of things other robots cannot do.
The founder is currently raising money on Kickstarter, and hopes to ship Marty the Robot kits in early 2017. Read more...
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fnews.google.com%252Fnews%252Furl%253Fsa%253Dt%2526fd%253DR%2526ct2%253Dus%2526usg%253DAFQjCNFuqKTj0_B9hrJ8QJ1DkUeAC_QbxA%2526clid%253Dc3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331%2526ei%253DbxCyV9jBJuWLzAbkrImACA%2526url%253Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.hreonline.com%252FHRE%252Fview%252Fstory.jhtml%253Fid%25253D534360994%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 r0B0t: Read This Book! - Human Resource Executive Online
Read This Book! Human Resource Executive Online His sixth book, Silicon Collar, is a Renaissance man's view of automation in the workplace, bringing rare historical perspective and balance to the cry: "The robots are coming!" By Bill Kutik .... And my doctors still can't share information online...
A Red Deer Stag with new antlers covered in a layer of velvet.
By using a low vantage point and by positioning the stag between the sun and the camera I was able to capture a halo of light around the edges of the antlers. This was enhanced by using the dark tree canopy in the distance as a backdrop.
In post processing I reduced the exposure level down so that very little detailed remained other than the glowing outline of the stag.
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.seattletimes.com%2Fnation-world%2Fphotos-of-the-day-aug-15-2016%2F%3Futm_source%3DRSS%26utm_medium%3DReferral%26utm_campaign%3DRSS_photos-of-the-day&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 Photos of the Day: Aug. 15, 2016 Explore the news of the day with these images from around the world. images
1471290113000
images
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Ftheatlantic%2Finfocus%2F%7E3%2F7Zn_e2rFMho%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 Rio 2016: Photos From the Second Weekend (40 photos)
Hundreds of photographers have gathered in Rio to follow the action in the Olympic arenas, swimming pools, racetracks, and more. Over the two weeks of the games, I'll be featuring some amazing images from recent Olympic events. Today's entry encompasses rowing, marathon swimming, sailing, weightlifting, steeple-chase, tennis, synchronized swimming, handball, wrestling, a marriage proposal, and much more.
Usain Bolt of Jamaica looks at Andre De Grasse of Canada as they compete in the Men's 100m Semifinals in Rio's Olympic Stadium on August 14, 2016. (Kai Pfaffenbach / Reuters) images
1471287489000
robots
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.engadget.com%252F2016%252F08%252F15%252Frobot-journalism-wordsmith-writer%252F%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 r0B0t: How a robot wrote for Engadget John McCarthy, the late computer scientist who first coined the term Artificial Intelligence, famously said "as soon as it works, no one calls it AI any more." What was once cutting-edge AI is now considered standard behavior for computers. As I writ... robots
I, like pretty much every parent out there, want to do the best for my children and I spend far far too much time worrying about what I'm doing wrong. I am a worrier by nature so this does not come as too much of a surprise but I do think that today's society doesn't help. I've always believed in the most fundamental way that knowledge is power so when it comes to the most important task of my life I feel I should arm myself accordingly but there comes a point when it becomes demoralising.
I've found recently the amount of articles explaining what NOT to do is becoming overwhelming and actually hindering me to the point of utter indecision. We are bombarded daily by articles telling us how to parent, from 'Late bedtimes make obese children' to 'Breast is best' and 'Fussy eaters will sprout new heads' (OK, so I made that last one up, but you get the point). No matter how you raise your children, there will be an article somewhere saying you're doing it wrong, most likely with research and scary percentage figures to back it up. And it's exhausting!
A particular meme I saw said something like 'If you don't listen to the small things your children tell you now then they won't tell you the big things later' so I'm now obsessed with listening to every single word that falls from my 5yo (motormouth) child's mouth in case he doesn't want to tell me about his blossoming heroin habit when he's older. And I'm terrified my 2yo is going to have ADHD or depression when he grows up because he was born so early (and he exists only on cheese sandwiches and Hula Hoops, don't get me started on the salt content).
I mean, do we need that stress in our lives? To be told constantly we're getting it wrong? It's hard enough to get through the day to day stuff, things like dinner time, supermarket trips and death defying stunts at the play park, let alone worrying about things 15 years down the line. How on earth can we possibly take into account the '50 different ways you're failing when your child has a tantrum' when they are already face down on the shop floor wailing about the sweets you won't let them have because they are '10 times more likely to cause childhood obesity'. And that's without even taking into account the 2 hours of Paw Patrol 'screen time' they had this morning just so you could make a home made organic fish pie to prevent an anxiety disorder when they grow up. But wait, aren't home made meals now worse for your kids? Oops!
By doing the wrong thing we can make our children insecure, clingy, fussy eating, obese, anxious, bratty, inarticulate robots who will contribute nothing to society. Ok, no pressure then!
I was brought up before the joys of the Internet and my parents had nothing to go on but their own instincts and what their parents taught them and I turned out OK... to a point. Yeah, I am a fussy eater but who's to say that's anything my parents did? I have a fair feeling I would have been a fussy eater regardless of what hand pressed, dunked in holy water, divinely worshiped food my mother had fed me. I have my issues, we all do, it's what makes us human.
The reality is, no matter how hard we work, no matter how much we strive to be the perfect parent, we will make mistakes. We will lose our tempers, we will do things the wrong way, we will make the wrong decisions but we will still be trying our best.
So I've decided to read less articles about how 'My ill chosen sofa is ruining my child's bottom' and spend more time listening to my instincts (and my children) about what I think I'm doing right and wrong. I'll do my best to improve every day, I will strive to be the best parent I can be and I'll live in the now. I will no longer worry about the studies that show 'My child's dirty finger nails will cause hair loss when he's 50' or 'Hugging your children less than 80 times a day will cause a phobia of t shirts'. But I might still read the ones about fussy eaters, you know, 'cause I'm a glutton for punishment.
This summer The Huffington Post UK is spearheading an initiative helping families thrive, with a focus on parent wellbeing, the challenges facing stay-at-home and working parents, friendships and navigating the landscape of modern parenting beyond the 2.4. To kickstart the campaign, Jamie Oliver guest edited the site, bringing a focus on feeding healthy families.
We'll be sharing stories and blogs with the hashtag #ThrivingFamilies and we'd like you to do the same. If you'd like to use our blogging platform to share your story, email ukblogteam@huffingtonpost.com to get involved. robots
1471287483000
robots
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.slate.com%252Fblogs%252Ffuture_tense%252F2016%252F08%252F15%252Fpostable_mails_out_physical_greeting_cards_for_you.html%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 r0B0t: This Website Mails Out Physical Greeting Cards for You
At the end of last month, I received seven birthday cards in the mail. The senders were my mom, a friend from high school, my college roommate, an ex from a relationship that ended in 1984, that ex's mom, someone I've been close to since the mid-'80s, and a guy I met for about 20 seconds as I was leaving a 2014 holiday party.
Of course, those weren't the only birthday wishes I received. Other people sent greetings via Facebook, email, Gchat, Slack, and Twitter. I even got an ecard! And while I genuinely appreciated all those salutations, the one that stuck with me the most—the one I'm staring at three weeks later—was the card from the rando. It's made from 100 percent cotton, tree-free paper, and the design is one I'd choose myself: The letters “HBD” are spelled out in colorful cake-topping sprinkles. Inside was a touching sentiment written in a loose cursive script.
To be fair, describing my acquaintanceship with the person who sent the card exclusively in terms of our face-to-face encounters gives a false impression. Gabriel Arana, the sender, is far from a stranger. He's a journalist whose work I admire; our beats overlap; we move in similar social circles; and we often interact on Facebook. We know each other relatively well for people who've never really spent any time together. In other words, we have the kind of modern friendship that doesn't typically involve sending physical cards through the U.S. mail. Which made receiving one from him all the more memorable.
After a couple of minutes spent staring at the card, I started to question a few things: Upon closer inspection, the handwriting on the envelope looked like the robot script familiar from fundraising appeals. Then I asked myself how Gabe knew my postal address. I searched through my email archive and found a delightful note from him, sent back in January 2015. It began, “I apologize for the mass e-mail, but in order to fulfill my dream of sending people birthday and anniversary cards like a fancy society lady, I need your mailing addresses.” There was a link to a site called Postable.com, which I had apparently followed. So that's how he got my postal address: I had given it to him! Sneaky.
Over at Postable, I learned that the site bills itself as “snail mail heaven.” It notes that postal mail seems special and surprising these days precisely because “it's a pain in the ass to send.” We're all familiar with that particular PITA. In the case of a friend's birthday, you have to remember the date, acquire a card, find the time to compose a message—if I've spent money on a card, I generally want to write more than “Happy birthday”—dig up an appropriate stamp, and take it out to the mailbox. Postable claims it was “created to alleviate that ass pain. We make sending seriously stylish snail mail as easy as sending an email. You type it and we handle all the annoying stuff. We print, stuff, stamp, address and mail all of your cards directly to everyone for you.” (It may sound a little like the letter-writing shop where Joaquin Phoenix works in Her, but with Postable, the words are your own.)
My first response was that this is cheating. Then I consulted my to-do list and noticed that four of the items included the words “send card to.” All had been on the list for a couple of weeks. It's possible that I send more cards than most of the people reading this—I came of age before the email era; I grew up in another country so I rarely see childhood friends to catch up in person; and I'm a stationery addict who's always looking for opportunities to use her pens. But it's still surprisingly difficult for me to write and mail the darned things on time.
Postable offers a wide range of cards—in terms of design and occasion—and generally speaking, they're a little cheaper than the ones I typically buy in the chic card shops of Brooklyn. Cards cost $3 each, or $2 each if you send 10 or more, plus the cost of postage. You can choose among several handwriting fonts—I'm dying to use “As If Your Kid Wrote It,” a tribute to the comically inept letter formation of small children—and there are also various type options. The font you choose for your message is also used on the envelope. You can set up automated birthday and anniversary cards—though you have a chance to tweak the message or cancel before it's sent out—or you can send one-off greetings. I imagine the service is particularly useful for people who are planning a big event like a wedding: Having someone—or something—else take care of dozens of save the date cards and invitations would surely save hours of repetitive toil.
But is snail mail still special if the person wishing you well used an online service rather than taking care of all the details themselves? I confess that when I first examined my Postable card, I briefly felt as though I'd been tricked into thinking it was more personal than it really was. I got over that very quickly, though. The Postable URL had been on the back of the card, but I just hadn't paid it much mind—URLs have become so ubiquitous these days, we barely notice them anymore. And the most important thing was that Gabe had put me on his list. It's always the thought that counts, but he'd also spent real money to wish me a happy birthday.
The more I looked at the Postable site, the more tempting it seemed. Soon enough, I was sending an overdue birthday card to a high-school friend in England. I used one of the cursive scripts for my breezy note—a choice I now regret. That isn't my handwriting, so it lends an unnecessarily ersatz tone. If there's nothing shameful about paying someone to send your cards, why not embrace the artificiality and use a typewriter-style font.
Postable won't let me cross off all the “send card to” entries on my to-do list, though. I know that some friends would be insulted by my time-saving automation, and certain occasions, like sympathy cards, demand a more personal touch. But I'll soon be sending out my own mass email to acquire my friends' addresses and birthdays. I feel guilty when birthday cards are late and Christmas cards go out in January, so why not let a website do some of the work?
robots
1471287479000
robots
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fnews.google.com%252Fnews%252Furl%253Fsa%253Dt%2526fd%253DR%2526ct2%253Dus%2526usg%253DAFQjCNH-9J8ufaCcuBmw-8xVA4lIDdTSTA%2526clid%253Dc3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331%2526cid%253D52779176597202%2526ei%253DSfyxV8iuPMnqzAbx_pyoCg%2526url%253Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fbigthink.com%252Fvideos%252Fbill-nye-on-artificial-intelligence%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 r0B0t: Bill Nye: Worrying about the AI Robot Apocalypse Is Pointless | Big ... - Big Think
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fjan-christoph-minx%2Fcharts-paris-climate_b_11458812.html%3Futm_hp_ref%3Dgreen%26ir%3DGreen&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 These Charts Show What the Paris Climate Agreement Is Up Against BERLIN -- There has been a heated debate over the last few years about if and how we can prevent the world from warming more than 2 degrees Celsius. At the Paris climate conference last year, countries set out an even more ambitious goal -- keeping the world under 1.5C of warming. We know relatively little about the benefits, risks and challenges associated with reaching the 1.5C target, but our knowledge in the area is expanding rapidly. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is now tasked with mapping out the state of the scientific knowledge on the 1.5C goal in a report due in the autumn of 2018 that is expected to inform future international negotiations. And first, at a meeting this week in Geneva, 60 experts and government officials are coming together to scope that study.
The 1.5C goal is elusive
There are many open scientific questions around the costs and benefits of keeping global warming below 2C versus 1.5C that will need to be addressed by this special report. Whether we can feasibly reach 1.5C -- and how -- will be the most important.
Many experts see a growing dissonance between the increasing ambitions of climate policy and the lack of success in achieving sustained emission reductions today. So far, there is no track record for reducing emissions globally. Instead, greenhouse gas emissions have been rising at a faster pace during the last decade than previously -- despite growing awareness and political action across the globe.
The remaining net amount of CO2 that can still be released to the atmosphere in order to keep temperatures rise below 1.5C is close to zero. Even in the most optimistic case, it will not take longer than five years to exhaust the remaining carbon budget at current rates of CO2 emissions. It will be, on the other hand, about 10-25 years before the world crosses the budget line for 2C.
So is reaching 1.5C goal still thinkable? The initial evidence in the last IPCC report points towards the (theoretical) existence of emission reduction pathways consistent with the 1.5C goal, but the technological, economic and institutional requirements are enormous. Take all of the most difficult features of individual pathways to 2C -- like fast and ambitious climate action in all countries of the world, the full availability of all required emissions reduction and carbon removal technologies, as well as aggressive energy demand reductions across the globe -- the feasibility of which were so heatedly debated prior to Paris. This gives you an idea of the challenge associated with the more ambitious 1.5C goal.
Solar panels in the village of Dharnai in Bihar, India, on July 9, 2015. (Prashanth Vishwanathan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Keeping the temperature increase below 1.5C appears rather elusive -- the institutional challenge in mobilizing adequate action at the timescales required appears too big. Still, positive surprises, unexpected technological breakthroughs or rapidly changing attitudes and ambitions may well occur and keep the 1.5C goal within reach.
What kind of technologies we would need to meet a 1.5C goal? One prominent feature of 1.5C pathways is their fundamental dependence on the ability to remove large amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere through carbon dioxide removal technologies. Such CO2 removals buy us time, while we are reducing emissions towards a fully decarbonized world economy -- as with a bank loan, we overshoot our carbon budget in the short term and pay it back later, with interest. All 1.5C pathways to date are characterized by such an overshoot.
But the amount of CO2 we need to remove from the atmosphere is staggering: roughly speaking, every unit of CO2 we release around the globe from today onwards will need to be compensated for during the 21st century. In total, we would need to store 10-25 years worth of emissions at current rates under the Earth's crust.
Is that possible? We need a fine-grained exploration of all the ways to extract carbon from the atmosphere. These include biochar, afforestation, direct air capture, enhanced weathering or bioenergy combined with carbon capture and storage (BECCS).
Currently, all of these technologies seem to have stark limits: some are currently hugely expensive while others require large amounts of land and may involve potentially large risks to food security or biodiversity. It is therefore prudent to believe that a portfolio of carbon dioxide removal options will need to be established to stand a chance of meeting the 1.5C goal.
But there is widespread skepticism about developing and deploying some components of removal technologies. For example, in the case of BECCS, there is opposition both against wider deployment of bioenergy and carbon capture and storage. In fact, CCS has a track record of lagging behind the roadmaps laid out by the International Energy Agency. Understanding the possibilities of meeting the 1.5C goal fundamentally hinges on our ability to overcome roadblocks and learn quickly about the various technologies and their associated risks at growing scales.
So what will work?
Limiting our dependence on carbon removal technologies -- for whatever reason -- requires immediate and sustained emission reductions across the globe, another difficult feature of 1.5C pathways. But the emission reductions that countries have committed to as part of the Paris agreement are not sufficient to even modestly enter a new era of sustained emissions reductions. Unless this short-term ambition is ratcheted up substantially, global emissions growth will only be slowed down in the best case. By 2030, carbon releases will have exceeded the remaining budget for the 1.5C goal four times and used up most of the remaining budget associated with the 2C goal. If history plays out in this way, the challenge of meeting the 2C limit will be roughly the same as the one we face today for meeting the 1.5C goal -- and, by then, more vital.
The IPCC special report needs to address the questions of how to achieve sustained and substantial greenhouse gas emissions reductions efficiently -- what works under what conditions and what doesn't. How can we end the renaissance of coal and initiate a global coal exit? What policies have been historically successful in reducing GHG emissions? What are the options to resolve distributional conflicts underlying the climate problem? By providing such a knowledge base for solutions to the climate problem, the IPCC special report could turn out to be of real value for policymakers as well as future international negotiations. The biggest threat is that it will exclusively focus on the long-term. This would risk diverting too many valuable resources away from what is needed now: jumpstarting a legacy of reducing greenhouse gas emissions towards a completely carbon-neutral world.
Also on WorldPost:
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
gaia
1471285501000
gaia
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newscientist.com%2Farticle%2F2101015-does-eating-more-salt-prevent-migraines-and-severe-headaches%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 Does eating more salt prevent migraines and severe headaches? For the first time, there's evidence suggesting dietary sodium can affect migraines, but salt comes with a strong health warning gaia
1471284055000
twitter
%feed http://twitter.com/BATanzania/status/765243222167650304 Please sign and share! Every 2 years, CITES, the organization that determines whether species are classified as... https://t.co/9cLQZPHaUq https://t.co/9cLQZPHaUq
1471283628000
science
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fjan-christoph-minx%2Fcharts-paris-climate_b_11458812.html%3Futm_hp_ref%3Dscience%26ir%3DScience&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 These Charts Show What the Paris Climate Agreement Is Up Against BERLIN -- There has been a heated debate over the last few years about if and how we can prevent the world from warming more than 2 degrees Celsius. At the Paris climate conference last year, countries set out an even more ambitious goal -- keeping the world under 1.5C of warming. We know relatively little about the benefits, risks and challenges associated with reaching the 1.5C target, but our knowledge in the area is expanding rapidly. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is now tasked with mapping out the state of the scientific knowledge on the 1.5C goal in a report due in the autumn of 2018 that is expected to inform future international negotiations. And first, at a meeting this week in Geneva, 60 experts and government officials are coming together to scope that study.
The 1.5C goal is elusive
There are many open scientific questions around the costs and benefits of keeping global warming below 2C versus 1.5C that will need to be addressed by this special report. Whether we can feasibly reach 1.5C -- and how -- will be the most important.
Many experts see a growing dissonance between the increasing ambitions of climate policy and the lack of success in achieving sustained emission reductions today. So far, there is no track record for reducing emissions globally. Instead, greenhouse gas emissions have been rising at a faster pace during the last decade than previously -- despite growing awareness and political action across the globe.
The remaining net amount of CO2 that can still be released to the atmosphere in order to keep temperatures rise below 1.5C is close to zero. Even in the most optimistic case, it will not take longer than five years to exhaust the remaining carbon budget at current rates of CO2 emissions. It will be, on the other hand, about 10-25 years before the world crosses the budget line for 2C.
So is reaching 1.5C goal still thinkable? The initial evidence in the last IPCC report points towards the (theoretical) existence of emission reduction pathways consistent with the 1.5C goal, but the technological, economic and institutional requirements are enormous. Take all of the most difficult features of individual pathways to 2C -- like fast and ambitious climate action in all countries of the world, the full availability of all required emissions reduction and carbon removal technologies, as well as aggressive energy demand reductions across the globe -- the feasibility of which were so heatedly debated prior to Paris. This gives you an idea of the challenge associated with the more ambitious 1.5C goal.
Solar panels in the village of Dharnai in Bihar, India, on July 9, 2015. (Prashanth Vishwanathan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Keeping the temperature increase below 1.5C appears rather elusive -- the institutional challenge in mobilizing adequate action at the timescales required appears too big. Still, positive surprises, unexpected technological breakthroughs or rapidly changing attitudes and ambitions may well occur and keep the 1.5C goal within reach.
What kind of technologies we would need to meet a 1.5C goal? One prominent feature of 1.5C pathways is their fundamental dependence on the ability to remove large amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere through carbon dioxide removal technologies. Such CO2 removals buy us time, while we are reducing emissions towards a fully decarbonized world economy -- as with a bank loan, we overshoot our carbon budget in the short term and pay it back later, with interest. All 1.5C pathways to date are characterized by such an overshoot.
But the amount of CO2 we need to remove from the atmosphere is staggering: roughly speaking, every unit of CO2 we release around the globe from today onwards will need to be compensated for during the 21st century. In total, we would need to store 10-25 years worth of emissions at current rates under the Earth's crust.
Is that possible? We need a fine-grained exploration of all the ways to extract carbon from the atmosphere. These include biochar, afforestation, direct air capture, enhanced weathering or bioenergy combined with carbon capture and storage (BECCS).
Currently, all of these technologies seem to have stark limits: some are currently hugely expensive while others require large amounts of land and may involve potentially large risks to food security or biodiversity. It is therefore prudent to believe that a portfolio of carbon dioxide removal options will need to be established to stand a chance of meeting the 1.5C goal.
But there is widespread skepticism about developing and deploying some components of removal technologies. For example, in the case of BECCS, there is opposition both against wider deployment of bioenergy and carbon capture and storage. In fact, CCS has a track record of lagging behind the roadmaps laid out by the International Energy Agency. Understanding the possibilities of meeting the 1.5C goal fundamentally hinges on our ability to overcome roadblocks and learn quickly about the various technologies and their associated risks at growing scales.
So what will work?
Limiting our dependence on carbon removal technologies -- for whatever reason -- requires immediate and sustained emission reductions across the globe, another difficult feature of 1.5C pathways. But the emission reductions that countries have committed to as part of the Paris agreement are not sufficient to even modestly enter a new era of sustained emissions reductions. Unless this short-term ambition is ratcheted up substantially, global emissions growth will only be slowed down in the best case. By 2030, carbon releases will have exceeded the remaining budget for the 1.5C goal four times and used up most of the remaining budget associated with the 2C goal. If history plays out in this way, the challenge of meeting the 2C limit will be roughly the same as the one we face today for meeting the 1.5C goal -- and, by then, more vital.
The IPCC special report needs to address the questions of how to achieve sustained and substantial greenhouse gas emissions reductions efficiently -- what works under what conditions and what doesn't. How can we end the renaissance of coal and initiate a global coal exit? What policies have been historically successful in reducing GHG emissions? What are the options to resolve distributional conflicts underlying the climate problem? By providing such a knowledge base for solutions to the climate problem, the IPCC special report could turn out to be of real value for policymakers as well as future international negotiations. The biggest threat is that it will exclusively focus on the long-term. This would risk diverting too many valuable resources away from what is needed now: jumpstarting a legacy of reducing greenhouse gas emissions towards a completely carbon-neutral world.
Also on WorldPost:
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
science
1471283626000
science
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.npr.org%2Fsections%2Fhealth-shots%2F2016%2F08%2F15%2F490069664%2Fhow-big-a-risk-is-acetaminophen-during-pregnancy%3Futm_medium%3DRSS%26utm_campaign%3Dresearchnews&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 How Big A Risk Is Acetaminophen During Pregnancy?
A study found that behavioral problems were more common among the children of women who took acetaminophen during pregnancy. But interpreting the results isn't as straightforward as you might expect.
science
1471283621000
science
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPhysicsWorld%2F%7E3%2FCIcQQoQk6o8%2Fentangled-hawking-radiation-spotted-in-analogue-black-hole&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 Entangled Hawking radiation spotted in analogue black hole Quantized sound emerges from BoseEinstein condensate science
1471283123000
images
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2Fcitronate%2F28385163153%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 Antalya
The tune might not be as catchy as "It's a Small World After All," but this new trailer for Fallout 4's Nuka World add-on uses an infectiously happy tune as the backbeat for its peek into a post-apocalyptic theme park.
There are roller coasters and tilt-a-whirls. Killer robots and laser-spewing aliens. You know, all the ingredients necessary to create the happiest place on Earth in a world where nuclear fallout erased all happiness long ago.
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.huffingtonpost.co.uk%252F2016%252F08%252F15%252Fmits-temporary-tattoos-are-the-wearable-gadgets-of-the-future_n_11526184.html%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 r0B0t: MIT's Temporary Tattoos Are The Wearable Gadgets Of The Future
Will the remote control still exist in the future? If MIT and Microsoft have their way then the answer would most definitely be no.
The two have partnered together to create DuoSkin, a unique temporary tattoo that when attached directly to the skin, allows the user to control a range of connected devices.
DuoSkin is made using gold metal leaf, which means that it's cheap, skin-friendly and can support a range of different input options.
The finished product can be styled in a number of ways (so it doesn't scream that you're wearing an advanced piece of wireless technology), and the applications can range from a simple on/off switch to even increasing/lowering the volume on a device.
If you're fed up of losing your Oyster, then DuoSkin could potentially help in the future too. In addition to be a control interface, the tattoos can be equipped with wireless communication devices like NFC receivers allowing you to turn your arm into your very own Oyster card.
Finally the team developed a simplistic display that could also be worn using the same process.
Using ink-like thermochromic pigments, the displays have two different states and can be switched when the liquid is heated beyond body temperature.
As you can probably tell, these are very much in the early stages which means that any channel switching from the comfort of your own arm is still a few years away.
However by creating a faster, easier construction method the project has effectively opened up the space to other research teams to take the technology forward.
Robots In 2016:
robots
1471283032000
robots
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.slate.com%252Fblogs%252Ffuture_tense%252F2016%252F08%252F15%252Fthe_donotpay_lawyer_chat_bot_has_expanded_his_practice_from_parking_tickets.html%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 r0B0t: This Lawyer Bot Will Be Happy to Solve Your Housing Problems
Remember the DoNotPay bot? The world's first “robot lawyer” (that we know of, I have questions about some of the attorneys I've met) made a name for itself disputing hundreds and thousands of parking tickets in London and New York City. Creator Joshua Browder, a Stanford student born in the United Kingdom, told Venture Beat that his bot had successfully challenged 160,000 of 250,000 British parking tickets as of June 2016. (DoNotPay opened its “practice” across the pond last fall and came to the States in March.) “I think the people getting parking tickets are the most vulnerable in society,” Browder said at the time. “These people aren't looking to break the law. I think they're being exploited as a revenue source by the local government.”
DoNotPay is essentially a chat bot that asks the user questions to determine what the best course of legal action might be. For instance, it might inquire, of the newly ticketed, whether a sign was visible above the parking space. Or maybe the only nearby lot was too small—it's unreasonable to ticket drivers for not parking in a too-small lot. Once the user has figured out the basis for his appeal, DoNotPay generates an official letter automatically.
That was several months ago. Now, the bot is turning its pro bono efforts to homelessness. The new service launched Aug. 10 in the United Kingdom; Browder wants to take it to San Francisco and New York next. It's a story of unanticipated demand: When DoNotPay began receiving messages about eviction and repossession, Browder realized his digital Saul Goodman could help people apply for emergency housing. According to the Guardian, he consulted a team of volunteer (human) lawyers and pored over FOIA-obtained documents to “figure out trends in why public housing applications are approved or denied.”
That data made its way into the algorithm that shapes DoNotPay's responses to user input. Though the project was only released on Wednesday, Browder told the Guardian he's already seeing people use it to help tackle their housing problems. For instance, to a person evicted from her home, the bot might ask: “Do you have a legal right to live here?” It might say, “Are you legally homeless?” and elaborate with a definition: “Usually, this means that you have no legal right to live in accommodation anywhere in the world.”
The more complicated and delicate cases will likely continue to require a human touch, but DoNotPay may reduce the shame and bother that can come with seeking certain forms of legal aid. With his automated attorney, Browder has bottled the efficiency of statutory expertise, made it convenient to access, and left out the sticky interpersonal stuff. Who—law school grad or otherwise—would object to that?
robots
1471283029000
robots
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fnews.google.com%252Fnews%252Furl%253Fsa%253Dt%2526fd%253DR%2526ct2%253Dus%2526usg%253DAFQjCNFhnCG2by9mBz_RtanZXyZm1QZfhQ%2526clid%253Dc3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331%2526cid%253D52779182296593%2526ei%253DnuqxV6jOJ8GNzAa_to6oCg%2526url%253Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.ocregister.com%252Farticles%252Fbot-725785-browder-housing.html%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 r0B0t: This robot lawyer helps the newly evicted file for housing aid - OCRegister
This robot lawyer helps the newly evicted file for housing aid OCRegister He's the creator of DoNotPay, an online robot that has successfully challenged more than 160,000 parking tickets for drivers in London and New York City. Following the ... “Automation can be helpful, but it can also be incredibly flawed. A lot of our ...
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theatlantic.com%2Fvideo%2Findex%2F495338%2Fguatemalan-cuisine-in-the-heart-of-colorado%2F%3Futm_source%3Dfeed&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 Guatemalan Cuisine in the Heart of Colorado
The Maya population in Guatemala suffered the most during the nation's 30-year civil war, which ended in 1996. Francisco and Lucia traveled to Colorado in the 80s after life became inhospitable in their native country. "What happened is a bit sad,” Fransisco says in this short documentary, Our Heart Within Us. “Discrimination and racism have greatly affected the people, especially the native peoples." Through farming plants indigenous to Guatemala, however, they are able to keep a piece of their ancestral home, despite being in the United States.
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fmike-sandler%2Ffor-californias-post2020_b_11501416.html%3Futm_hp_ref%3Dgreen%26ir%3DGreen&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 For California's Post-2020 Cap And Trade, Give Money To People California's Legislature is considering whether to continue the State's Cap & Trade system meant to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fight global warming before it potentially expires in 2020. Governor Jerry Brown, some Democrats in the State Legislature, and environmentalists would like to renew it, but opponents question whether it is an illegal tax supporting a slush fund for liberals, and how effective it has been at reducing emissions. Adding to the drama, the price of permits crashed in the last auction, possibly due in part to uncertainty about the program's future.
The lack of demand could partly stem from the program's subsidies to the fossil fuel industry, which receives millions of permits for free (even though they mostly oppose the program). The Petroleum Refining, Natural Gas Extraction, and Cement sectors received over 49 million free allowances in 2016. At $12.73 per allowance, that subsidy is worth over $629 million per year.
The politicized nature of auction proceed expenditures may also account for some of the difficulties in renewing the program. Critics note that the State has chosen to devote hundreds of millions of dollars from Cap & Trade funds towards high-speed rail project and affordable transit-oriented housing, which helps mostly urban constituencies. A report from the Legislative Analyst's Office raised questions about the current laundry list of items in the State's expenditure plan, including the criteria by which projects are selected, and whether spending the money on projects actually reduces emissions overall. The economics of Cap & Trade is such that projects in one sector may serve to reduce the cost of permits in that sector, but the space created under the cap will be taken up by other sectors until emissions rise to meet the cap.
A simpler and more transparent approach would be to return the auction revenues to households through climate dividends. Instead of a funding source for government programs, Cap & Trade (actually in this approach, "Cap & Dividend") would become a money generator for people. Climate dividends are similar to anti-poverty movements focusing on the concept of "basic income," and international development efforts promoting "unconditional cash transfers." It would be congruent with the State's efforts at establishing a State Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).
The California Public Utilities Commission has mandated utilities return the revenues from their "consigned allowances" back to the ratepayers through a California Climate Credit that appears twice a year on electricity bills. Post-2020 the State could expand that to an off-bill per capita dividend that would be simple, transparent, and be inclusive of disadvantaged communities not just coastal cities.
The State's Air Board will be hosting a public hearing September 19 and accepting public comment on proposed regulations for the 2018-2020 period of the current program and how to implement the Governor's April 2015 Executive Order that established a target to reduce GHG emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. This includes aligning the Cap & Trade program with President Obama's Clean Power Plan.
California has shown leadership on climate change by creating a price on carbon. It can improve the program in its next phase, and perhaps gain supporters for the program's extension, by decreasing subsidies to the fossil fuel industry, and depoliticizing the way funds are used by moving the funding for environmental programs into the regular budget process and returning Cap & Trade revenues back to people as climate dividends.
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
gaia
1471277301000
gaia
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fgina-coplonnewfield%2Fauto-industry-needs-to-ma_b_11526082.html%3Futm_hp_ref%3Dgreen%26ir%3DGreen&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 Auto Industry Needs to Make It Easier to Shop for Electric Cars -Here's How Electric vehicles (EVs) are cleaner, greener, and more fun to drive. Different mileage ranges, prices, and car types abound with about 30 plug-in electric sports cars, SUVs, and sedans now available from Chevrolet, Nissan, BMW, Ford, Tesla, and many other automakers. Shopping for an EV should be fun and easy. So, with so many terrific options available, why are EV sales still at only one percent of total monthly U.S. auto sales?
We launched Rev Up EVs, the first-ever multi-state study of the EV shopping experience, to find out. Based on surveys from Sierra Club volunteers who called or visited 308 different auto dealerships and stores across ten states to check out and test drive EVs, the study finds that there is tremendous room for improvement among both the dealerships and the automakers to provide customers with a better EV shopping experience.
Photo Credit: Sierra Club
The California Air Resources Board's Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) program requires automakers to sell increasing numbers of EVs between now and 2025. Because of the many environmental and economic benefits of electric vehicles, the ZEV standard is now followed by nine other states as well. With the standards currently up for review, many automakers are lobbying regulators to weaken zero emission vehicle regulations, saying they are doing everything they can to sell EVs.
But the numbers don't add up. A recent Union of Concerned Scientists and Consumers Union survey of randomly selected drivers found that 55 percent of survey respondents in Northeastern states and 65 percent in California are interested in EVs, and that 65 percent of surveyed California drivers wish there were more EV options. An earlier survey of driving habits showed that for more than 40 percent of Americans, switching to an electric vehicle would be practical right now. With such high interest, EV sales should be accelerating at a much faster pace.
By studying the EV shopping experience in each of the ZEV states, the Rev Up EVs study found that some automakers and auto dealers are doing a great job developing, marketing, and selling EVs to consumers by having several EVs on their lots, informed salespeople, and strong EV advertising. These best practices are not rocket science. But many other dealers and automakers are falling short.
The first step to selling any car is to actually have it available for purchase -- you can't sell a car that isn't there. But the Rev Up EVs project found that it's often difficult to find an auto dealership with even one electric vehicle on its lot. Auto dealerships in the nine other ZEV states were 2 ½ times more likely than those in California to find no EV on the dealership lot for customers to see, test-drive, and lease or buy.
Availability may be the first step to selling a car, but it's not the only area with room for improvement. Even at dealerships with at least one EV on the lot, about one third of the salespeople at surveyed dealerships failed to provide their customers with information on the tax credits and rebates that make EVs significantly more affordable and that are proven to increase electric vehicle sales.
Photo Credit: Sierra Club
To increase EV sales, we can't lower the bar for the auto industry. We need the industry to step up and put best practices to work to sell EVs and comply with the ZEV regulations. In fact, to achieve our climate, air quality, and EV sales goals, we need even stronger ZEV regulations. And it's possible. Automakers can increase inventory and multi-state distribution of EVs, as well as offer attractive deals to dealerships. Once they're on dealers' lots, EVs need to be charged, ready for test drives, and prominently displayed. Auto dealers and makers need to train their salespeople on the ins and outs of EVs so that salespeople can answer customer questions. Finally, automakers need to increase advertising of their EVs which, in turn, will encourage dealers to advertise more at the local level.
In less than a month, drivers across the country will take part in the largest celebration of electric vehicles, National Drive Electric Week, now in its sixth year. At upwards of 200 parades, ride and drives, charging station ribbon cuttings, city fleet displays and other community events, people across the country will showcase the many benefits of driving electric. In previous years, we've found these events to lead to more people heading to dealerships to buy or lease EVs. Will the industry be ready to welcome these customers?
This post was co-authored by Mary Lunetta, the campaign representative for the Sierra Club's Electric Vehicles Initiative.
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
gaia
1471277298000
gaia
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fyonatan-neril%2Fmodern-megacity-meet-anci_b_11448614.html%3Futm_hp_ref%3Dgreen%26ir%3DGreen&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 Modern Megacity, Meet Ancient Wisdom "City limits have become limitless cities," proclaims a Prudential advertisement appearing in many airports. Jakarta, São Paolo, and Shanghai all have metropolitan area populations of more than 30 million people; Tokyo approaches 40 million. Prudential seems to have a good point.
The modern Holy Land now contains three large urban strips. One stretches from south of Bethlehem, through Jerusalem, and north to Ramallah. It spans 30 miles and includes about one million people. The Gaza Strip is the second urban belt, with about 1.8 million inhabitants. The third is the greater Tel Aviv metropolitan area, with about two million inhabitants. While these figures pale in comparison to other cities in the world, for those living in any urban belt, easy access to nature is a pressing challenge. Currently, the majority of the people in the world live in cities, and as mass migration from rural areas to cities continues, this challenge will only become more pronounced.
This is where millennia-old religious teaching becomes relevant. When the Hebrew Bible was received on Mt. Sinai, there were likely fewer people on the entire planet than currently live in Tokyo and Jakarta. The Bible has much to teach the modern megacity, since it contains a clear instruction on how to combat urban sprawl and achieve sustainable urban planning. Leviticus chapter 35 states the instruction from God that the 48 Levitical cities were to establish an open space around them-- what Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch called a 'greenbelt.' The Hebrew word used, migrash, comes from the root 'to separate,' since urban centers were meant to be separate from one another. The Talmud discusses how, once a city was established with a greenbelt around it, the city could not be expanded into the greenbelt. If the city became too dense, a new city would need to be built elsewhere. Significantly, the rabbis of the Talmud understood the law of the greenbelt to apply not only to Levitical cities but also to all Israelite cities in the land of Israel. (More teachings on greenbelt are available here.)
Rabbinic commentators make clear that for a city to be truly livable, it must be surrounded by green space, since the quality of life of city residents, to a significant degree, depends on access to green spaces. A society that lacks green space can become stifling, oppressive, disconnected and unnatural. Green space enables people to walk and sit in nature, promoting physical, emotional, and spiritual balance. Trees generate oxygen and help filter the air. The greenbelt ensures that nature stays close to the people, enabling the people to remain connected to nature. The greenbelt promotes balance in an urban society as well as balance between humans and nature.
Unfortunately, since the destruction of the second Temple in Jerusalem in 70 C.E., or sometime thereafter, Jews have not observed this commandment. Nor have they in the past 130 years, with Jews returning to Israel in large numbers. Yet, global sustainability and our collective future requires a balance between urban settlement and nature, not just more building. As Edward Abbey wrote, 'growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell.' Some of the world's megacities are so large that lower-income residents have to commute to work three hours a day- each way! To have to live that way is to live a degraded lifestyle. Building cities with greenbelts in mind would moderate overgrowth, promote compact urbanism, check urban sprawl, and improve quality of life.
Population growth plays a large part in current city growth and the rise of megacities. The exponential human population growth in the past century has led to the exponential growth of cities. The result is rapidly growing cities with less green access for their inhabitants. Genesis 1:28 establishes the Biblical commandment "be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth." (See here for an ecological understanding, based on rabbinic commentators, of this verse.) A key question to address is, at what point have we filled the Earth and therefore fulfilled this commandment? Ironically, many Bible adherents stringently fulfill this commandment while neglecting other commandments intended to make such growth sustainable-- like the commandment of the greenbelt.
A leading Israeli environmental scientist, Dr. Alon Tal, spoke to this in his recent New York Times op ed, Israel's Looming Demographic Challenge. He writes, "Israel's environmental problems are largely a function of a rapid increase in population. The country will never be able to control greenhouse gases, maintain even minimal levels in our rivers and streams or protect our fragile habitats if this demographic growth continues at such an astonishing rate. With urban development taking over about five square miles of open space every five years, Israel's wildlife is in steep decline."
But it's not just about the birds and the bees, the trees and the toads. Despite Israel desalinating huge amounts of water (by burning fossil fuels to do so), some of the twelve million Palestinians and Israelis experience water shortages, Gaza is on the brink of permanently depleting and salinizing its underground aquifer, and the Sea of Galilee nears the 'black line.' What might the water situation look like with 20 million people, which is projected for later this century? High population growth and the lack of sustainable urban planning together present a significant challenge, for Israelis and Palestinians alike, and for people around the world.
Living sustainably on this planet is, as the Dalai Lama said, "a question of our very survival." In order to enable the next generation to inherit a thriving, livable planet we need to put a greenbelt on unchecked urban growth and access the wellspring of ancient wisdom at our disposal.
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
gaia
1471277294000
gaia
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fadam-m-roberts%2Ffrom-elsa-to-cecil_b_11461360.html%3Futm_hp_ref%3Dgreen%26ir%3DGreen&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 From Elsa To Cecil Every individual animal matters: whether it is Elsa the lioness, whose poignant story of freedom gave birth to generation after generation of animal lovers, or Cecil the lion, whose brutal demise elicited a global outcry against lion hunting. World Lion Day (August 10) is meant to remind us of the dire state of lions in the wild, and inspire us to act with vigor to ensure the species' future.
We have no time to waste; lions desperately need us to shield them from deadly threats. They face habitat loss, reduction in prey populations, retaliatory killings from coming into contact with humans, and rising levels of international commercial trade in parts of their bodies (bones to Asia and "trophies" to the U.S. and Europe).
Fewer than 20,000 lions remain. Their threats persist; some governments still fail to act to protect the species; and some NGOs refuse to support full international protection. How could we "celebrate" World Lion Day when lions are in such crisis?
We knew the situation was dire, so we dubbed 2016 the "Year of the Lion" to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Born Free film and to put a special focus on lions all year long.
On World Lion Day, we introduced a light-hearted new video to raise awareness of the threats facing lions all year long. The video is for those who are unaware of their plight, and who perhaps can't handle the gruesome reality of what is happening on the ground.
We want people to continue to pay attention, just like they did when the news of Cecil broke. We hope that the comedic nature of Born Free USA's new video will inspire people to share it on Facebook and Twitter, and email it to friends and family. The more people who watch it, the more that lions will be on the forefront of the public consciousness for months to come.
Make no mistake, though; designating a "day" for lions doesn't mean that we forget about them during the rest of the year. Rather, it means that maybe -- during the buzz surrounding World Lion Day -- the world will listen to another lion's story.
Keep Wildlife in the Wild,
Adam
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
gaia
1471277290000
gaia
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Faudrey-peterman%2Fquestions-the-park-servic_b_11523498.html%3Futm_hp_ref%3Dgreen%26ir%3DGreen&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 Vital Questions Must Be Answered on Eve of Park Service Centennial If anything could mitigate the current divisions roiling our country, I believe our National Park system would be that thing. The power of our national parks to inform, inspire, heal and build community can hardly be overstated - if you are among those privileged to know them.
My view could be considered hyperbole coming from a private citizen, a relatively obscure fan of the parks. So take it from the great American writer and historian Wallace Stegner (1909-1993) who said,
"National parks are the best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst."
His view was reinforced by Ken Burns in his groundbreaking 2009 series, "The National Parks: America's Best Idea."
And just last week Shelton Johnson, who is featured in Burns' series, described his job as a park ranger in Yosemite National Park as "facilitating astonishment... .I create that bridge between the divine and the earth, that's my job. It means building a bridge between one world and the next."
One of the most famous park rangers on Earth, our friend Ranger Shelton Johnson tells non-white and all Americans, "you have an inheritance" in our national parks.
If our national parks have such power, how come a full 30 percent percent of our population doesn't know they exist? That translates to nearly 100 million of around 315 million Americans. My heart cries out at the disservice this does to our country -- that the very places our ancestors and our current president saved to inspire us and guide us as are right here in our midst, yet obscured from the view of so many.
Having explored our parks from Alaska to the Virgin Islands, I know the real story of America -- that there's no one to "take our country back" from, and that together we already made America great. In the current uncivil discourse, both the aggressors and the people on the receiving end of that aggression could benefit from knowing what really happened here.
When First Lady Michelle Obama declared this summer "I wake up in a White House built by slaves," the unknowing masses went wild with revulsion. Only upon research revealing the incontrovertible facts did a grudging acceptance emerge.
I suggest that if the Park Service was doing its job, this history would be common knowledge since the White House is set in a national park.
Among the earliest acts of American nation building, the first man shot dead in the Boston Massacre was the African American Crispus Attucks, whose story is told at Boston African American National Historic Site
At the Presidio of San Francisco -- a national park -- I learned that the City and the fort were explored, developed and built primarily by Americans of Hispanic, African and Native descent.
At Valley Forge National Historical Park outside Philadelphia I learned that soldiers of every race and ethnicity, and women, served in General George Washington's Continental Army that holed up there in the dire winter of 1777-78. From this hellish experience the birth of the American military is traced.
A visit to the monuments on the National Mall in Washington DC honoring our servicemen and women showed me that every racial and ethnic group has served in every war defending our country, and made the ultimate sacrifice of their lives.
I've learned the story of America's evolution from the 20,000-year-old Anasazi communities at Bandelier National Park and I'm looking forward to visiting the most recent expression of our evolution at Stonewall Monument in New York City, marking the integration of the LGBT community into national history.
So I can stand toe to toe in any conversation with anyone about the past and future of my country, and I've had occasion to sympathize with some who tried to make me feel like a second class citizen, after completely demolishing their misconceptions. I only wish that my 100-million or so countrymen and women who are of African, Asian, Hispanic or Native descent feel the same luxury based upon the security of knowing the legacy we have in this country.
As the Park Service gets ready to celebrate its 100th Anniversary August 25, it admits to a grave imbalance in the number of non-white Americans that have a relationship with the parks either as users or as part of the workforce. This "challenge" has dogged the service for the 20 years I've been involved, though the 2000 census indicated that the fastest growing sectors of our population was non-white.
Like the park service, corporate America recognized the need to build their clientele among emerging groups. But where corporations have responded and succeeded in expanding their base by targeting information and opportunities to this sector, the service has lagged far behind in broadening its constituency for the parks.
What message will it send to the Park Service and its leadership if they are celebrated and allowed to enter a second century in the same exclusionary posture as the previous century? In 2050, will my great grandsons still have to invest their energy into making the parks egalitarian for all Americans as we've been doing since 1995?
More than two million Americans have signed petitions objecting to Director's Order 21 that would increase the corporate presence in our national parks and require staff to become fundraisers. What threat does that Order pose to the integrity of the park system? Considering that today's Republican Party platform calls for large swaths of public lands to be removed from the federal treasury, isn't it self-defeating that fully one-third of the population has not been informed that we have this birthright to enjoy and protect?
I salute the 20,000-plus high caliber public servants of the National Park Service on the Centennial. I've had the pleasure of meeting many of our public lands stewards and consider you among my most cherished friends. I commend those of you who are already engaging with the plurality of the American public on an equal footing. Please be assured that a network of diverse leaders around the country stand ready to assist you . Let's find answers and solutions to these questions. Let us help you secure the future of our National Park System by working together to engage our country in the enjoyment, care and preservation of America's peerless natural, cultural and historic treasures.
THIS will make it a Centennial worthy of celebration.
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
gaia
1471277283000
gaia
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fyonatan-neril%2Fmodern-megacity-meet-anci_b_11448614.html&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 Yonatan Neril: Modern Megacity, Meet Ancient Wisdom The modern Holy Land now contains three large urban strips. One stretches from south of Bethlehem, through Jerusalem, and north to Ramallah. It spans 30 miles and includes about one million people.
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fdailyoverview.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F148984190809&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 The Port of Shanghai is the world's busiest container port,...
The Port of Shanghai is the world's busiest container port, handling more than 35 million TEUs (approximately 776 million tons) of cargo every year. That weight is roughly equal to 1.7 times the mass of all humans living on the planet.
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Ftheatlantic%2Finfocus%2F%7E3%2FkImWNHofoDI%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 Rio 2016: The Taste of Victory (17 photos)
It's a ritual that pops up every Olympic Games, winners on the podium taking a little bite out of their newly-won medals. While the idea of biting metals to test for purity is an old concept, these poses are purely celebratory—with winners often urged into position by photographers. Below, a collection of some of this year's Olympic athletes in Rio making their medals appear simply delicious.
Britain's Mo Farah celebrates with the gold medal after the men's 10,000-meter final at the Olympic stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 13, 2016. (Kirsty Wigglesworth / AP) images
1471276483000
images
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=https%3A%2F%2F500px.com%2Fphoto%2F167936199%2Fmoma-minimalism-by-tim-gaweco&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 MOMA Minimalism by Tim Gaweco
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=https%3A%2F%2F500px.com%2Fphoto%2F167815935%2Fmorning-light-by-philipp-heigel&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 morning light. by Philipp Heigel
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fmedical-discovery-news-%2Fa-good-nights-sleep_b_11525692.html%3Futm_hp_ref%3Dscience%26ir%3DScience&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 A Good Night's Sleep
By David W. Niesel and Norbert K. Herzog, Medical Discovery News
I can think of few things as satisfying as a good night sleep. As I age, it seems harder and harder to achieve. Sleep is extremely important to humans and there are some significant consequences to not getting enough.
Sleep is essential in a diverse range of organisms ranging from nematodes, insects, amphibians, birds, reptiles and mammals. In humans, sleep loss contributes to obesity, elevated blood pressure and metabolic disorders. It can also lead to changes in cognition, behavioral changes and neurological issues affecting judgement, reaction time and mood. The sleep cycle has four stages followed by REM or rapid eye movement sleep. As we sleep, our heart rate is reduced, core body temperature drops and electrical activity in our brain changes. During Stage 1, we drift in and out of wakefulness and we can easily awaken. In Stage 2, eye movement stops and brain waves slow. We spend about one half of our sleep time in stage 2 sleep. In contrast, Stage 3 is a deeper sleep that is harder to wake from and may cause disorientation after abrupt awakening. Brain waves are slower with some occasional faster waves. During Stage 4, these slow waves predominate and it becomes harder to arouse someone. After stage 4, REM sleep occurs, 70 to 90 minutes after sleep cycle initiation. During REM, heart rate increases, breathing becomes more rapid and shallow, eyes move irregularly and we dream. About 30% of our total sleep is in the REM stage. A complete sleep cycle is about 2 hours long so we complete several cycles each night. Who knew sleep could be so complicated!
Sleep deprivation leads to changes in brain waves as measured by electroencephalogram that reflect changes in neural activity in different areas of the brain. In the striatum, receptors for the brain messenger chemical dopamine are affected. In the forebrain, buildup of nitrous oxide leads to accumulation of adenosine which has sedative activity and whose elevated levels correlate with sleepiness and decrease after sleeping. Caffeine blocks adenosine receptors and keeps us awake. So that's why there should be no Jo' at bedtime.
Even short duration sleep deprivation alters our metabolism which can resemble pre-diabetic states. This can lead to changes in insulin signaling and in activities of genes in fat cells called adipocytes contributing to obesity. Sleep debt also alters brain wave patterns, emotions, cognition and behavior and increases appetite. Those in sleep debt consume hundreds of additional calories every day.
We still do not fully understand the impact of chronic sleep debt on health. Sleep deprived rodents show some profound effects including reductions in bone formation and alterations in bone marrow composition. The length of the small intestine increases, hormone levels such as leptin and corticosteroids change, cholesterol levels are altered and skin changes lead to irritation and sores. In humans, chronic sleep deprivation can increase the possibility of heart attacks.
So sleep is much more than closing your eyes for some time each day. If you are having sleep problems, your physician could recommend a sleep specialist. Overall, good lifestyle habits, a defined sleep schedule and minimizing factors that are sleep disruptive are important.
Medical Discovery News is hosted by professors Norbert Herzog at Quinnipiac University, and David Niesel of the University of Texas Medical Branch. Learn more at www.medicaldiscoverynews.com.
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
science
1471273723000
twitter
%feed http://twitter.com/DarrenIngleson/status/765202950717251584 @bkives Conch are listed under Appendix II in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).Try periwinkles better. http://ifttt.com/missing_link?1471273722
1471272748000
cogdis
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.co.uk%2Fvictoria-ward%2Fhow-to-travel-beyond-your_b_11448126.html&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 How To Travel Beyond Your Comfort Zone Travel gives us the opportunity for adventure and the chance to push ourselves beyond our comfort zone to experience personal growth that can last a lifetime.
People who are willing to take risks and try something new reap bigger rewards. So if you're travelling abroad this summer, you might get the most from your trip if you venture outside the bubble of what you usually find comfortable. And when you do, what you learn there could enhance your life in ways you'd never dreamed of.
If you're visiting an exotic destination, it might feel scary to approach a local and strike up a conversation. Perhaps you feel a bit anxious because you can't speak their language, or you're worried because they seem a little bit different and that makes you feel uncomforable. But what if you pushed past that initial feeling of discomfort and had a go at connecting with someone new - where could that lead?
Well, perhaps you'd learn where the hottest spot to eat is that only the locals know about, or you'd end up with an invite to their family home and get a first-hand experience of their traditions and hospitality. Or you might be lucky enough to find a guide to take you through the city off the well-beaten tourist path, to the treasures that don't appear in any guidebook. You might make a friend for life. There are endless possibilities that could come out of that simple interaction.
Another way to step out of your comfort zone might be to try something new off the menu. Most fears of food are due to lack of experience. I might not have enjoyed the raw sea urchin a local diver in the South Pacific brought me up from the sea floor on a trip a few years back. The next day, however, I discovered that fish intestines fried with a squeeze of lemon are delicious!
And then, when you return home, you can use the progress you've made in stretching those boundaries, to work out how your new thoughts and feelings fit in to your old life. Remember that striving to go beyond your comfort zone will usually bring something beneficial, as you open up to making new connections with people, trying new things, and saying 'yes!' more.
Those people who thrive on seeking out fresh experiences are often more creative and emotionally resilient than those that remain stuck in their usual routine of life. They have learned that by getting comfortable with trying new things, the more likely they are to embrace new challenges and chances to grow personally.
Because the alternative is to stay in a state of protection, where you play it small, stay safe, keep your boundaries close and your world small. And that can seem very tempting, because our subconscious likes to feel comfortable, it likes what it knows. It sees dangers lurking in the unknown. The things is though, those dangers aren't usually there at all, you've just imagined them.
You never know what you can do until you try it. Travelling gives you the chance to try something new with every new place you visit. As you conquer your fears about what you thought you couldn't do, you'll learn new things about what you are capable of and your confidence will rise. And once you stretch the boundaries of what you thought was possible, they never go back.
Benefits of breaking out of your bubble while on holiday
Make new friends Learn about new cultures Discover things you thought you couldn't do Build self-confidence Personal growth through new experiences
How to step out of your comfort zone on holiday
Travel without an itinerary. If you're a perfectionist and a planner, take the opportunity to learn that you can be spontaneous, that it's not going to be dangerous to not know what the next step is. Losing yourself is part of the adventure!
Travel alone. If you lack confidence in yourself, travelling solo is an incredible boost. You meet more new people than when you're in a group, and you learn that you, alone, are more capable than you ever realised.
Connect with locals. Be curious about their customs, food and culture. You never know where it might lead, and you'll come back with tales to tell and improved communication skills.
Take a walk. Instead of hopping on a bus or taking a taxi, walking will reveal those little out-of-the-way tucked-down-a-side-road gems that you'd have missed otherwise.
Forgo some comforts. We are all used to hot showers, comfortable beds, and TV-on-demand. When you travel, these sometimes aren't available to you, but you soon learn to be less reliant on them than you are at home.
Still too scared? Try this.
Spend ten minutes each day visualising what it feels like to have already done that thing that's scaring you. Imagine how it feels to have completed it, hear what other people say to you about it, see the results of having risen to the challenge. Show your brain a video of you having survived the thing it thinks is too scary for you to do, and show it the rewards of doing it, so that it can help to drive you towards it rather than away from it.
Turning fear into Excitement
You know those feelings you get when your subconscious is trying to protect you and stop you from doing something a little bit scary: The butterflies in your stomach, increase in heart rate, the shortness of breath? Don't you remember getting those just before something really exciting was going to happen too? Perhaps you can remember waiting for your first date with your partner, or going on holiday as a kid. You labelled those same feelings as excitement then - so what might happen if instead of labelling them as fear now, you chose to interpret them as anticipation of something good, what might you be able to achieve then?
%feed http://www.npr.org/2016/08/14/489964135/how-gig-economy-workers-make-a-living?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=technology How Gig Economy Workers Make A Living
NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with economics professor Alan Krueger of Princeton University about how people participate in the gig economy — particularly as Uber drivers — to supplement their incomes.
technology
1471272046000
technology
%feed http://www.npr.org/2016/08/14/489964079/post-revolution-many-egyptians-seek-online-communities?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=technology Post-Revolution, Many Egyptians Seek Online Communities
Zeinab al-Ashry founded the popular Facebook group, "Confessions of a Married Woman." University of California Riverside professor Sherine Hafez talks to Rachel Martin about an online trend in Egypt.
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fnews%2Fspeaking-of-science%2Fwp%2F2016%2F08%2F15%2Fhundreds-of-baby-spiders-just-burst-out-of-the-ground-and-zookeepers-are-delighted%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 Hundreds Of Baby Spiders Just Burst Out Of The Ground — And Zookeepers Are Delighted Whatever your personal feelings are on the birth of a couple hundred spider hatchlings, this unprecedented event could help save a rare species or two. gaia
1471269134000
science
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Flindahall.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F148979854203&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 Vincenzo Coronelli Scientist of the Day Vincenzo Coronelli,...
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fnews.google.com%252Fnews%252Furl%253Fsa%253Dt%2526fd%253DR%2526ct2%253Dus%2526usg%253DAFQjCNGNQ-qcUYMbgsgph4A93CjGwiPiJg%2526clid%253Dc3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331%2526ei%253DNaqxV_DmF-mgzAa_5pPQCg%2526url%253Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.wired.com%252F2016%252F08%252Fthis-week-in-podcasts-august-15%252F%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 r0B0t: 5 Great Podcasts to Listen to While Watching the Olympics - WIRED
5 Great Podcasts to Listen to While Watching the Olympics WIRED His letter was read online over 200,000 times. (For perspective, there are 800,000 Mennonites in North America.) ... But Steve Dickerson, founder of SoftWear Automation (get it?), made the case that robotics could bring clothing manufacturing back to ...
robots
1471267429000
cogdis
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fmotherboard.vice.com%2Fen_uk%2Fread%2Fwhat-if-we-havent-found-aliens-because-humans-came-first&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 What If We Haven't Found Aliens Because Humans Came First?
Space is “vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big,” as the author Douglas Adams put it, and those gargantuan dimensions present a colossal roadblock in the search for alien life beyond Earth. Even if our own Milky Way galaxy is currently teeming with extraterrestrial beings, their worlds could be scattered thousands of light years distant from each other, passing blindly like cosmic ships in the night.
But what if the key obstacle to detecting alien pen pals is not spatial, but rather temporal? That's one of the questions posed by a forthcoming paper in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics.
Led by astrophysicist and professor Avi Loeb, who chairs the department of astronomy at Harvard University, the paper charts out the probability of life's emergence from the birth of the first stars 30 million years after the Big Bang to the death of the last stars trillions of years into the future. Loeb's team focused on “life as we know it,” meaning terrestrial organisms on a rocky planet with liquid water, within the habitable zone of its star.
The results suggested that low-mass red dwarf stars are the most likely candidates for hosting habitable planets, thanks to their extreme longevity. These slow burners are only about ten percent as massive as yellow dwarfs like the Sun, but they outlive Sunlike stars thousands of times over.
Red dwarfs may also have some major setbacks, including a propensity for wildness in their youth. Flares emitted by adolescent red dwarfs may singe and sterilize the atmospheres of their surrounding planets, rendering life impossible. Though a recent study demonstrated that some planets within the habitable zones of red dwarfs do have compact atmospheres, similar to Earth, Mars, or Venus, the jury is still out on whether life can exist on these worlds.
But supposing red dwarfs could host life, it stands to reason that the long, stable, adult lifespans of red dwarf systems would amplify opportunity for fledgling ecosystems to bloom. “Our conclusion is that if low-mass stars can support life, then life is much more likely in the future,” Loeb told me. “Since [low-mass stars] live so much longer, they are providing heat to keep a planet warm for longer.”
Indeed, Loeb's team found that life would be about one thousand times more likely to arise in the distant future by calculating the probability of habitable, Earthlike planets forming over trillions of years.
Concept art of TRAPPIST-1, a red dwarf system with planets in the habitable zone. Image:ESO/M. Kornmesser/N. Risinger
The scenario casts Earthlings as early bloomers, prematurely born long before the universe's most fertile life-bearing years. Perhaps this is one possible explanation for the classic Fermi paradox: Have we struck out in our attempts to detect alien intelligence simply because we are the first example of it to show up to the cosmic party?
“It might be morning in the cosmos, to quote Reagan,” Seth Shostak, senior astronomer and director of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute, told me. “There's going to be a lot more life to come.”
“But there's no reason for any of that to imply that there is a lack of habitation today,” he added.
Indeed, we may be one of several precocious civilizations strewn across the cosmos. But Loeb's team is not alone in speculating that the real heydey of life in the universe lies billions or trillions of years ahead.
Another recent study led by Pratika Dayal, an astrophysicist based at the University of Groningen, came to a similar conclusion by delving into the role that radiation from sources like supernovae and gamma ray bursts have played in habitability over the course of the last 13 billion years.
Her team's models show that decreasing radiation may have resulted in a universe that is 20 times more liveable today than it was four billion years ago, when life first appeared on Earth. The study also projected that our cosmic surroundings will continue to evolve into a more nurturing environment for life in the future.
“People have been taking such different approaches,” Dayal told me. “The paper that Avi [Loeb] wrote takes a different approach to what we're doing, but then all of us are, more or less, coming up with the same answers. It is encouraging because it shows we're on the right track.”
Of course, all of this research will remain inherently speculative until we have built up more observational evidence of the universe's habitability over time, and more robust simulations to interpret that evidence.
“Even the best simulations aren't good enough to study habitability of the universe on an extremely large scale,” Dayal said. “We're just trying to think of clever ways to get around the problem.”
“We should be agnostic until we go and search,” Loeb said.
Still, it's intriguing to ruminate on the implications of humans being the first, or among the first, intelligent life forms to emerge in the cosmos. Let's say we are, for kicks. Does that change how we view ourselves and our place in the universe? Are we elder brothers and sisters to societies that will emerge around stars that have yet to be born? In addition to trying to bridge communication gaps in deep space, should we also reach out across deep time, to the wealth of extraterrestrial beings that are projected to develop billions of years after our Sun dies?
We look for alien life in the stars because we want to learn from other intelligent civilizations, but we may be most valuable as teachers. Even if these speculative future lifeforms are advanced relative to humans, they might welcome information about our perspective on the universe. Imagine what a boon it would be for Earthlings to receive this kind of message-in-a-bottle from a bygone alien society, regardless of whether it was technologically superior to us.
Of course, it's possible that we already are receiving posthumous letters from aliens, but have no way to identify them. “This is one of the key outstanding questions: When you say you look for life in the universe, what do you mean?” Dayal said.
“From the astrophysical perspective, we are basically talking about Earthlike life. But what if it's different? Would you even be able to recognize it? How do we know there's not some form of life trying to communicate with us and we don't know?”
“It's quite possible that there are other forms of life, and that nature has more imagination than we do,” Loeb told me. “We just have one example.”
This is an important limitation to keep in mind for ourselves as well. The only thing more excruciating than the thought of alien attempts at contact falling on deaf ears on Earth is the opposite scenario, in which human messages reach civilizations that can't interpret them. Transcending this problem will be essential to securing even one link in a chain of cognitively sophisticated beings across time and space.
"It's quite possible that such forms of life spread throughout the galaxy, and are mostly in places we don't suspect."
“I bet you'd get a lot of people weighing in on how to communicate with critters that might spring up five, ten, or 100 billion years from now,” Shostak said. “It's a tough problem.”
There are some basic roadmaps for solving it, though each is contingent on major technological breakthroughs. We could, for instance, develop interstellar spaceflight in order to disperse ourselves more widely across the stars. It's a lot easier said than done, but theoretically, it would up the odds of humans sticking around long enough to interact directly with the more populous universe of the future.
“If you are an intelligent form of life like we are—a technological civilization—then everything changes because you are not restricted to live next to a star,” Loeb said. “In principle, such a civilization, if it's very advanced, could move away from the star that hosted it in the beginning.”
“It's quite possible that such forms of life spread throughout the galaxy, and are mostly in places we don't suspect,” he continued. “There might be a lot of spacecraft moving through the galaxy that are not particularly visible to us because they are small. If you imagine a civilization that is hundreds of millions of years old in terms of its technology, the sky's the limit in terms of how widely it would be able to spread.”
Humans may one day develop the capabilities necessary to become this type of star-hopping civilization. Projects like Breakthrough Starshot, which aims to send a fleet of tiny spaceships to the nearest star system, Alpha Centauri, are hoping to pave the way for this achievement.
“Our civilization will have to move somewhere [to survive long-term],” Loeb said. “The nearest example is Proxima Centauri, so we might consider traveling there.”
It's difficult to predict if and when these efforts will come to fruition, and we may ultimately have to submit to our primitive planetary life and its star-exploding expiration date. If so, our plan B for contacting future life could be launching our own epitaphs in the form of robotic spacecraft or radio messages to civilizations that don't exist yet. It would be a shot in the dark, and we'd never know whether we'd succeeded. But it would be a small step towards the connection we so clearly crave from other living denizens of the cosmos.
For now, it's a fun thought experiment. However, if evidence continues to accumulate suggesting that we live in an era of biological sparseness relative to an abundance of future civilizations, it could reorient our attitude to our place in the universe, and our approach to the other creatures—past, present, and future—with whom we share it.
cogdis
1471266651000
images
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2F44079668%40N07%2F28381958223%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 Canary Wharf from Butler's Wharf. Late Evening Sun
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fellen-kanner%2Fmeatless-monday-get-your_b_11411942.html%3Futm_hp_ref%3Dgreen%26ir%3DGreen&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 Meatless Monday: Get Your Olympic Game on With Pasta and Pulses When you're an athlete competing at the highest level, what should you eat? Protein bars? Performance-enhancing drugs? Dr. Michelangelo Giampietro prescribes something deliciously different -- pasta. "Pasta is a great source of complex carbohydrates and is highly recommended for athletes."
A specialist in sports medicine and health science, Giampietro is no stranger to the Olympics. He's worked with the Sports Science Institute of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI). He's no stranger to pasta, either. He's Italian, after all. Giampietro presented at last year's Scientific Consensus Conference on the Healthy Pasta Meal, organized by Oldways . He's seen how pasta and performance go together. "Large amounts of pasta are always in the athletes' cafeteria."
So are pulses--- dried beans -- another whole food that keeps you at peak performance. They're complex carbs, high in protein and fiber, "with zero cholesterol to clog your arteries or slow you down," says world class runner and world class vegan, Ellen Jaffe Jones, author of the new book, Vegan Fitness for Mortals. . "They keep your engines burning slowly, evenly and without taxing your glycemic load. You feel light before a race or intense training -- that helps you feel fast, fit and energized."
The closest I've gotten to running a marathon is to cook for someone who's run 14 of them, Gloria Lau. Lau, 65, was my guest at a plant-based EatWith with a specially-designed menu to superfuel her and other runners prior to the Miami Marathon. "Lentils, chickpeas -- I practically have these all the time in my meal plans," says Lau. "They're low GI and easy to digest." She ran Miami and came in fifth in her age group. Any questions?
My Olympic participation is limited to working with culinary Olympian Chef Ron Pickarski, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)'s pulse chef. Like me, he's committed to raising awareness of and appreciation for pulses, especially now, during the International Year of Pulses.
You don't have to be Olympic material to love and eat pasta and pulses. A new Mass General study links plant-based protein consumption with reduced mortality risk.
Combine whole-grain pasta and high-fiber beans and there's no stopping you. Says Jones, "They ramp fiber up to 40 to 60 grams" per serving. Most Americans get about half that. "How many grams of fiber in cholesterol-laden meat and dairy? Zero!"
Pasta and pulses predate the first Olympic runner -- a cook, by the way. They're still a winning team any time, especially this week, when the Olympics and National Lentil Fest coincide during the International Year of Pulses. It's like some great celestial event.
Pasta and pulses combine to boost athletic performance and speed you towards post-workout recovery, too, according to Giampietro. "It's not by chance that most races end with the pasta party," he says. "It's a crowning moment, happy and joyful. Pasta has probably contributed positively to the success and medals of many athletes -- for sure the Italian ones."
Performance-Enhancing Spaghetti with Tomatoes and Lentils
Combining whole grain pasta and quick-cooking lentils, this pasta dish gets top marks for speed, flavor, power nutrient delivery and digestibility.
8 ounces whole grain spaghetti 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced pinch red pepper flakes 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved 1 cup lentils, cooked (preferably beluga black lentils or French green lentils, which keep their shape after cooking) 1 handful basil leaves (about 1 cup), chopped 2 cups arugula leaves, coarsely chopped sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the chopped onion, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, occasionally, for about 3 minutes, just until the onion starts to soften.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. When it reaches a rolling boil, add the whole grain spaghetti. Cook spaghetti according to package directions.
Add the halved grape tomatoes to the sauteed onions. Stir to coat the tomatoes in the oil and continue cooking, so tomatoes soften. This should take about 8 minutes, about the length of time it will take for the pasta to become al dente. Stir the lentils in with the tomatoes.
Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot. Add the tomatoes and lentils and pasta water. It has a beautiful starchiness, which, combined with the pasta, tomatoes and lentils, thickens into a spaghetti-hugging sauce. Stir well together.
Add the chopped basil and arugula by the handful, combining just until the greens wilt. Season generously with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Enjoy at once.
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fgo.theregister.com%2Ffeed%2Fwww.theregister.co.uk%2F2016%2F08%2F15%2Fscots_poltergeist_horror%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 Baffled Scots cops call in priest to deal with unruly spirits
Terrified family evacuated after encounter with Chihuahua chucking poltergeist
Scottish Police have been forced to turn to the Catholic Church after a family in South Lanarkshire were apparently subjected to a campaign of terror by a Chihuahua-levitating poltergeist.…
general
1471260092000
gaia
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2Farunkhetia%2F28920541761%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 Yawn or Roar? Sumatran Tiger
Beautiful male sumatran tiger at Chessington zoo in London. An endangered species with only around 300 left in the wild, this smallest of the tiger species is found in game reserves on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
gaia
1471260090000
gaia
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fpeter-lehner%2Fthe-hidden-costs-of-food_b_11492520.html%3Futm_hp_ref%3Dgreen%26ir%3DGreen&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 The Hidden Costs of Food Americans consume an average of three burgers and more than three liters of soda a week. Many of us realize this isn't healthy, but it certainly is cheap. Or is it? How much do we really pay for food, when you consider the health, societal and environmental problems caused by producing and eating it?
I recently spoke at a conference on the true cost of food, alongside farmers, health experts, labor advocates, food industry executives and others. As I started to tally the numbers I was hearing at the conference, it seemed to me that the true cost of food could be double, if not triple, what we pay out of pocket.
Environmentalists often talk about the hidden costs of pollution from our energy system, and there have been many studies that examine this question. But I wasn't aware of any studies that approached food in a similar way. The numbers presented below are rough, but even these conservative estimates suggest that the real cost of our food could be roughly double the apparent cost. Clearly, this is an issue worth exploring further.
According to the USDA, Americans spent approximately $1.5 trillion on food in 2014. That's what we spend at grocery stores, restaurants and every other place we buy food. But here are some additional costs we don't see on that price tag. (All figures below are approximate, but are based on the best available research.)
Hidden Health Costs of our Food
• Treatment of diseases linked to poor diet: $1 trillion (Credit Suisse) When it comes to estimating the cost of illness, it's difficult to isolate the impact of diet alone, since genetics, lifestyle and many other factors are involved. Nevertheless, we know poor diets are a major contributor to chronic diseases, which in the United States account for 86 percent of health care spending--about $2.5 trillion in 2014. The McKinsey Global Institute estimates that obesity alone costs the United States $660 billion each year, while the National Academies calculate that cardiovascular disease and diabetes cost another $545 billon per year. Credit Suisse reviewed a number of studies and determined the effect of poor diet in the United States--specifically related to excess sugar consumption--to be $1 trillion per year. By including the cost of diet-related diseases alone, we've already roughly doubled the cost of our food.
• Adverse reactions to food dye: $5 billion (Center for Science in the Public Interest) The CSPI recently warned the FDA that "adverse behavioral reactions" to food dyes affect more 500,000 children every year. Several studies have linked food dyes to hyperactivity.
• Public health costs from overuse of antibiotics in livestock: $2 billion (Union of Concerned Scientists) On the factory farms that produce most of the meat we eat, antibiotics are routinely given to animals that aren't sick, a practice that can spawn dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This estimate does not include the incalculable cost of what might happen to modern medicine if antibiotics lose their life-saving potency.
• Pesticide poisonings and related illnesses: $1 billion (Pimentel, Cornell University) Industrial agriculture uses 877 million pounds of chemical pesticides every year, many of which are carcinogenic, neurotoxic and/or cause reproductive or respiratory problems.
Hidden Environmental Costs of our Food
• Nitrogen pollution from agriculture: $157 billion (Sobota) When nitrogen fertilizer, largely used on industrial cornfields, and nitrogen from animal manure washes off farms and feedlots, it can contaminate drinking water, damage fisheries and create toxic algal blooms. Researchers estimate that the cost of nitrogen pollution from growing corn is more than twice the market value of the corn itself.
• Soil erosion from agriculture: $44 billion (Pimentel, Cornell University) Intensively growing a single crop--the way most farming is done in the United States--makes land more vulnerable to erosion by wind and water. In 2010, 1.72 billion tons of topsoil were lost to erosion, equal to about 200,000 tons per hour.
• Greenhouse gas emissions from livestock and farming: $22 billion (EPA) The EPA estimates the greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. agriculture, including livestock, to be more than 600 million tons of CO2 equivalent per year. (Others have suggested that the number could be higher.) The EPA also estimates that climate pollution costs $36 per ton. (Many consider this to estimate to be low.) All in all, an estimate of $22 billion is probably conservative.
• Other pesticide costs, including bird deaths, pesticide resistance, crop loss and groundwater contamination: $7 billion (Pimentel, Cornell University)
• Cleanup of manure leached from Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs): $4 billion (UCS) Giant animal feedlots, where hundreds of thousands of animals are kept in a confined space and fattened with subsidized grains, produce more than 300 million tons of excrement every year--more than twice the amount generated by the entire human population of the United States. The waste is held in open pits, which can leak and contaminate land, water and air, and is also sprayed on fields as fertilizer. This figure reflects only the cost of soil cleanup due to leakage from manure pits, not the cost of cleaning up after spills or pollution from spraying.
Hidden Social Costs of our Food
• Declining property values near Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs): $26 billion (Union of Concerned Scientists) People who live near industrial feedlots contend with the constant distress caused by foul odors and contaminated water.
• Taxpayer subsidies to industrial farms: $13 billion (Congressional Budget Office) It's almost impossible to tease out every provision in the 959-page Farm Bill, but you could argue that the cost of programs for commodity crops (corn, wheat, soy and cotton) and crop insurance mostly involve direct payments to or subsidies for large-scale industrial farms. These two line items add up to more than $13 billion in taxpayer money every year.
• Federal assistance for families of fast food industry workers: $7 billion (UC Berkeley Labor Center) More than half of fast food industry employees have families enrolled in taxpayer-funded public assistance programs, including food stamps.
This list is not meant to be an exhaustive or even a precise calculation of costs. My hope is that it will be a conversation starter. Subsidies for harmful foods, healthcare costs and the impacts of pollution should be included in the "real" price of food. When we include these externalized costs we see that large-scale, industrialized food production, with its vast monocultures and factory farm facilities, is not more efficient or more productive than the smaller scale, more integrated, more diverse farming of healthier crops.
Some argue that keeping food costs down is essential, and therefore we can't afford to change our food system. But when you see the true cost of food, it becomes apparent that we can't afford to keep it.
Fertile Groundsis a blog series that examines the challenges and opportunities in ensuring access to healthy, sustainable and affordable food for all.
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
![]("https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=490174061")
![]("https://media.science360.gov/files/story/dab0ad7a-bb06-40a1-802e-9196d7f03761-largeImage.jpg")
![]("https://media.science360.gov/files/pic-day/aeac3b1d-aee3-40b0-810c-e1a7e8be5930-largeImage.jpg")
![]("http://www.spiegel.de/images/image-1035690-thumbsmall-vtgo.jpg")
During his campaign, Donald Trump has repeatedly flirted with violence. Crude political notions aside, he lacks the character to become president of the United States and represents a true danger to the entire world. !["Milky_Way_Arch"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailygalaxy.com%2F.a%2F6a00d8341bf7f753ef01bb092a8d03970d-800wi&width=540&mix=d4e49-astronomy" "\"Milky_Way_Arch\"")
!["6a00d8341bf7f753ef01b7c7eb88b8970b-800wi"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailygalaxy.com%2F.a%2F6a00d8341bf7f753ef01b8d210eae0970c-800wi&width=540&mix=d4e49-astronomy" "\"6a00d8341bf7f753ef01b7c7eb88b8970b-800wi\"")
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Eff%2FTheDailyGalaxyNewsFromPlanetEarthBeyond%3Fd%3DyIl2AUoC8zA&width=540&mix=d4e49-astronomy")
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FTheDailyGalaxyNewsFromPlanetEarthBeyond%2F%7E4%2FwtXrABCeu-Y&width=540&mix=d4e49-astronomy")
!["Stellar]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm9.staticflickr.com%2F8815%2F28994853875_d9904f4085_m.jpg&width=540&mix=d4e49-astronomy")
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com%2F236x%2Fb4%2F8e%2F65%2Fb48e6506df3c6909fa5e10e0c87daa6a.jpg&width=540&mix=9f897-pin-images")
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com%2F236x%2F01%2F62%2F6e%2F01626edeff0d5d398ed52a16a783e7c7.jpg&width=540&mix=9f897-pin-images")
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com%2F236x%2Fb6%2Fdf%2F72%2Fb6df72432df8fd2def1cad64e5cf7780.jpg&width=540&mix=9f897-pin-images")
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com%2F236x%2F8e%2F86%2Ffd%2F8e86fdd5f9668efaa1921cbe5ef2c5e1.jpg&width=540&mix=9aae6-pin-gaia")
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com%2F236x%2F56%2F64%2Fbd%2F5664bd206dabb0198a93b808c633a748.jpg&width=540&mix=c5054-pin-art")
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn1.tnwcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2016%2F05%2Fshutterstock_214469986-796x530.jpg&width=540&mix=3106b-technology")
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn1.tnwcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2016%2F08%2Fvanity-796x531.jpg&width=540&mix=3106b-technology")
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nybooks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F07%2Fselous-night-elephants.jpg&width=540&mix=42dfe-culture")
Today, wildlife experts speak of an “elephant holocaust.” The regions of Africa that have suffered most from poaching are those steeped in conflict, where it is too dangerous for conservationists to work. Robert Ross's new book of photographs of the African Selous reserve brings us into a fast disappearing world and keep us there.![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fnybooks%2F%7E4%2FJNoHeKiTfk0&width=540&mix=42dfe-culture")
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2F67.media.tumblr.com%2F7c821b5b90214e789d8d6cb9523abae7%2Ftumblr_obwr598dfw1rpowflo1_500.jpg&width=540&mix=0b54d-art")
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2F66.media.tumblr.com%2F2dc7b93e867b613862fafb8278816d12%2Ftumblr_obt6xvhefu1qgiw5to1_500.jpg&width=540&mix=0b54d-art")
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn1.tnwcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2016%2F01%2Fshutterstock_183893855.jpg&width=540&mix=3106b-technology")
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn1.tnwcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2016%2F08%2Fezgif.com-optimize-10.gif&width=540&mix=3106b-technology")
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn1.tnwcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2016%2F08%2Fgiphy-4-2.gif&width=540&mix=3106b-technology")
!["Big]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F08%2F15180817%2FiStock_7171575_MEDIUM-753x500.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["ChristineLosecaat1"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F08%2F15164641%2FChristineLosecaat1-333x500.jpeg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["IMG_3899"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F08%2F15100009%2FIMG_3899.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["YWW_INSTA_3_LAYOUT_X3"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F08%2F15100027%2FYWW_INSTA_3_LAYOUT_X3.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["YWW]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F08%2F15100025%2FYWW_INSTA_3_LAYOUT_1.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["Designs]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F08%2F15100016%2FMTV_HQ.png&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["YWW]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F08%2F15100012%2FIMG_4204.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["YWW_TEAM_EXHIBITION"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F08%2F15100033%2FYWW_TEAM_EXHIBITION.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["tumblr_n3qgco1yBY1rbpjcto1_1280_yww"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F08%2F15100022%2Ftumblr_n3qgco1yBY1rbpjcto1_1280_yww.gif&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["ArtePhrases-(2)-copy_almostmodern"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F08%2F15100004%2FArtePhrases-2-copy_almostmodern.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["2880_19.tifxx"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F08%2F15100006%2Fbe96501044f60c27921deec7136c1a2d.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["tdfbanner002"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F08%2F15100020%2Ftdfbanner002.png&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["17780223858_0887f0a77f_k"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F08%2F15095959%2F17780223858_0887f0a77f_k.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["33225_X_YOUTH_001"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F08%2F15095955%2F33225_X_YOUTH_001.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn1.tnwcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2014%2F07%2Fredditlogo2-645x250.jpg&width=540&mix=3106b-technology")
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn1.tnwcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2015%2F10%2FiPadFamTNW-1200x638.jpg&width=540&mix=3106b-technology")
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn1.tnwcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2016%2F08%2Fkickass-torrents-kat.am-clone-scam-796x301.jpg&width=540&mix=3106b-technology")
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2F67.media.tumblr.com%2F181aaae8dd4727eb1fd58698ad35dc26%2Ftumblr_obyqtdmkN71rlkdy0o1_500.gif&width=540&mix=219b9-gifs")
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2F67.media.tumblr.com%2F98341896b14092b5fc70cfb8b4f6efcb%2Ftumblr_obz5xkzyof1r6ivyno1_500.jpg&width=540&mix=42dfe-culture")
!["Lysian]("http://insider.si.edu/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Laysan-albatross-Midway-Atoll-National-Wildlife-Refuge.jpg")
!["albatross]("http://insider.si.edu/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Harrison_AlbieBandReturnsBycatch.png")
!["entanglement]("http://insider.si.edu/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Albatross_1960s_SmithsonianBandReturnCards.jpg")
!["black-footed]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Finsider.si.edu%2Fwordpress%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F08%2F15316862915_32854b718b_k-630x319.jpg&width=540&mix=42dfe-culture")
!["Laysan]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Finsider.si.edu%2Fwordpress%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F08%2FLaysan-and-black-footed-630x261.jpg&width=540&mix=42dfe-culture")
!["London]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8385/28729148950_eef7c38562_m.jpg")
!["Sunset"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8145/28909895282_a9390874a6_m.jpg")
![]("http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7721/28393122843_c7e48214bc_m.jpg")
!["IMG_8504"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8664/28913605131_638fa241d3_m.jpg")
!["IMG_8500"]("http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7696/28989787665_a4de4e65c4_m.jpg")
!["London]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8791/28391339013_e5d27f0ca9_m.jpg")
!["London]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8871/28932288491_a1aef05ba7_m.jpg")
!["Phaselis"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8598/28929463221_9fc4e8fb52_m.jpg")
!["IMG_1343"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8692/28913618771_386c8b1ee5_m.jpg")
!["IMG_1333"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8601/28703793730_9254e28828_m.jpg")
!["2016-08-15-1471293372-60601-APA_2013_29557_236021_DerrickJackson_Atlantic_Puffin_KK.jpg"]("http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-08-15-1471293372-60601-APA_2013_29557_236021_DerrickJackson_Atlantic_Puffin_KK.jpg")
!["Spire]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8511/28903157472_dc2d205eb8_m.jpg")
!["Palace"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8769/28975484976_73d518f847_m.jpg")
!["End]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8633/28975489086_c9591f5e4a_m.jpg")
!["Golden]("http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7775/29007995855_d24f0367eb_m.jpg")
!["Sunset"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8786/28974767476_bca6b453ed_m.jpg")
!["Phaselis"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8702/28900134502_42aa3eecb8_m.jpg")
!["Thames]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8312/28389914743_41347b7f64_m.jpg")
!["Canary]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8734/28389918293_6bae770394_m.jpg")
!["Thames]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8426/28720868730_c2cf2e7d17_m.jpg")
!["Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fstory%2fthumbnail%2f17579%2fsitethumb1__28_"]("http://i.amz.mshcdn.com/goSeXuIWj8X0IaJsgRVWpegRs34=/575x323/https%3A%2F%2Fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fstory%2Fthumbnail%2F17579%2FSiteThumb1__28_.jpg")
!["Feed-tw"]("http://a.amz.mshcdn.com/assets/feed-tw-f7c0a094d16b7ee7c91a1e50839a8e00.jpg")
!["Feed-fb"]("http://a.amz.mshcdn.com/assets/feed-fb-c0a21e8841794479b8086c32c6f24ba1.jpg")
!["Velvet]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8567/28901901282_6ae24b4b3c_m.jpg")
!["Phaselis"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8108/28388147523_9521cbd7fc_m.jpg")
!["Phaselis"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8691/28972804666_e0d9999b59_m.jpg")
!["Phaselis"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8056/28388273863_db50707b7a_m.jpg")
!["Phaselis"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8663/28719296800_92f00f8745_m.jpg")
!["Phaselis"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8548/28929434821_7e7f39af5d_m.jpg")
!["Phaselis"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8867/28929495901_4f27746b2c_m.jpg")
!["Phaselis"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8345/28929528191_cf8a25f942_m.jpg")
!["Phaselis"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8764/28385810084_e8bdcf0e3e_m.jpg")
!["Phaselis"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8875/28900652302_ebd6fb9caf_m.jpg")
!["Phaselis"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8208/28973258616_73126bbcf9_m.jpg")
!["Phaselis"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8572/29006173705_ae07c28a87_m.jpg")
!["Phaselis"]("http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7587/28901047472_e02efb1ab8_m.jpg")
!["Phaselis"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8777/28973716426_35f4aed83d_m.jpg")
!["Phaselis"]("http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7777/28973758936_87b1897110_m.jpg")
!["Phaselis"]("http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7554/29006389555_91ea8dd08d_m.jpg")
!["Phaselis"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8586/28930876521_19a58f782c_m.jpg")
![]("http://static.seattletimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/08152016-pod15_02-1560x1039.jpg")
![]("https://cdn.theatlantic.com/assets/media/img/photo/2016/08/rio-2016-photos-from-the-second-wee/r01_RTX2KUAJ/main_1200.jpg?1471285414")
![]("http://o.aolcdn.com/hss/storage/midas/1036645e948ec969e740fadf51c695a8/204203877/hottake.jpg")
John McCarthy, the late computer scientist who first coined the term Artificial Intelligence, famously said "as soon as it works, no one calls it AI any more." What was once cutting-edge AI is now considered standard behavior for computers. As I writ... !["thriving]("http://i.huffpost.com/gen/4511756/original.jpg")
!["Antalya"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8748/28898294702_508ea7b738_m.jpg")
!["Antalya"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8651/28927276431_d2b0081bd2_m.jpg")
!["Antalya"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8865/28717443830_25c7ae63ce_m.jpg")
!["Antalya"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8666/29003576355_38cce672d3_m.jpg")
!["Antalya"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8586/28898586582_d92a307f8c_m.jpg")
!["Antalya"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8599/28971583986_4b095383e2_m.jpg")
!["Antalya"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8216/28386997933_0e6962f195_m.jpg")
!["Antalya"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8755/28718089400_6a18d33a5d_m.jpg")
!["Antalya"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8358/28384631674_e58187456e_m.jpg")
!["Antalya"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8775/28718229290_1efcc68418_m.jpg")
!["Antalya"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8202/28928375681_c69b5865eb_m.jpg")
!["Antalya"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8887/29004498615_6ace721be9_m.jpg")
!["Antalya"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8500/29004512335_ffd2ce35f9_m.jpg")
!["Antalya"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8864/28718496230_a374fa22af_m.jpg")
!["Antalya"]("http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7776/28387512683_73b85e7b13_m.jpg")
!["Antalya"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8664/29004759195_ac2e0d67c6_m.jpg")
!["Antalya"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8106/28899521162_219f90641e_m.jpg")
!["Antalya"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8707/28899542952_6fd674a3ae_m.jpg")
!["Antalya"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8448/28387651023_0d93c86be2_m.jpg")
!["Antalya"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8674/28718786040_fb3cfa9a96_m.jpg")
!["co2]("http://i.huffpost.com/gen/4598044/thumbs/o-CO2-EMISSIONS-ALLOWANCE-570.jpg?7")
!["solar]("http://i.huffpost.com/gen/4598294/thumbs/o-SOLAR-PANEL-INDIA-570.jpg?2")
!["climate]("http://i.huffpost.com/gen/4598072/thumbs/o-CLIMATE-CHANGE-MITIGATION-570.jpg?5")
!["co2]("http://i.huffpost.com/gen/4598052/thumbs/o-CO2-REMOVAL-OPTIONS-570.jpg?7")
![]("https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=490069664"){kind=tracking}
!["Antalya"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8563/28385163153_519c9fe323_m.jpg")
!["Antalya"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8584/29002358295_3901aa54cc_m.jpg")
!["Antalya"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8661/28385269223_eb99bdc842_m.jpg")
!["Antalya"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8584/28926205261_d3d0661c30_m.jpg")
!["Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fstory%2fthumbnail%2f17696%2fe7f24194107c49b3877f45c700064c99"]("http://i.amz.mshcdn.com/87-zrf2LfyumEbA7BoameOaFSQg=/575x323/https%3A%2F%2Fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fstory%2Fthumbnail%2F17696%2Fe7f24194107c49b3877f45c700064c99.jpg")
!["Antalya"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8763/28716237610_8245c34a52_m.jpg")
!["Antalya"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8839/29002475275_77f197b99a_m.jpg")
!["Antalya"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8637/28385400253_a96ff1b4f5_m.jpg")
!["Antalya"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8657/28926287781_7a59159c16_m.jpg")
!["Antalya"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8789/28897156802_eb0ddd8aee_m.jpg")
!["Antalya"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8672/28897457372_91b67ed50e_m.jpg")
!["Antalya"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8895/28926404771_4b2f8ff93f_m.jpg")
!["Antalya"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8607/28926420331_4750465697_m.jpg")
!["Antalya"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8618/28385577783_03ecae284d_m.jpg")
!["Antalya"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8896/28385592323_430813b070_m.jpg")
!["2016-08-15-1471274620-3944220-revupevsgraphicfina.png"]("http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-08-15-1471274620-3944220-revupevsgraphicfina.png")
!["2016-08-15-1471274831-2989011-oemexperiences.JPG"]("http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-08-15-1471274831-2989011-oemexperiences.JPG")
!["2016-08-11-1470915256-7948698-UrbanSprawlatsunrise.jpg"]("http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-08-11-1470915256-7948698-UrbanSprawlatsunrise.jpg")
!["2016-08-11-1470917206-355356-InfographicofpotentialJerusalemgreenbelt.jpg"]("http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-08-11-1470917206-355356-InfographicofpotentialJerusalemgreenbelt.jpg")
!["2016-08-11-1470916938-7492152-EastJerusalemasviewedfromMt.Zion.JPG"]("http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-08-11-1470916938-7492152-EastJerusalemasviewedfromMt.Zion.JPG")
!["2016-08-15-1471264272-5363196-SheltoninYosemite.jpg"]("http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-08-15-1471264272-5363196-SheltoninYosemite.jpg")
![]("http://67.media.tumblr.com/a60b174f8db5982a8e98c93d2c6c6982/tumblr_obyiqcflvt1tnemwao1_500.jpg")
![]("https://cdn.theatlantic.com/assets/media/img/photo/2016/08/rio-2016-the-taste-of-victory/b01_AP16227085926815/main_1200.jpg?1471274256")
![]("https://drscdn.500px.org/photo/167936199/m%3D900/94cdd6e131e2594498b33a54059833e7")
![]("https://drscdn.500px.org/photo/167815935/m%3D900/bd96dc93c41b0704621a019c1fecae33")
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.npr.org%2Finclude%2Fimages%2Ftracking%2Fnpr-rss-pixel.png%3Fstory%3D489964135&width=540&mix=3106b-technology")
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.npr.org%2Finclude%2Fimages%2Ftracking%2Fnpr-rss-pixel.png%3Fstory%3D489964079&width=540&mix=3106b-technology")
!["Vienne,]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8754/28893899062_55835cff8b_m.jpg")
![]("http://66.media.tumblr.com/b973ae5051d6205a3f03d30a75fbd723/tumblr_obt0smIQSp1ry3nado1_500.jpg")
![]("http://66.media.tumblr.com/da348da372534abde264073694623d47/tumblr_obt0smIQSp1ry3nado2_500.jpg")
![]("http://66.media.tumblr.com/8b62ce5f54087044f9b9c4fa978e5905/tumblr_obt0smIQSp1ry3nado3_500.jpg")
![]("http://65.media.tumblr.com/65cfdb678262c69df0060caf995005a2/tumblr_obt0smIQSp1ry3nado4_500.jpg")
![]("http://67.media.tumblr.com/b2c617032f236f9fd7344866f1543137/tumblr_obt0smIQSp1ry3nado5_500.jpg")
![]("http://67.media.tumblr.com/975bd6be9d4dc66cf710e901dc10a546/tumblr_obt0smIQSp1ry3nado6_r1_500.jpg")
![]("http://motherboard-images.vice.com/content-images/article/no-id/1470953613488392.jpg?crop=1xw:0.75xh;*,*&resize=630:*&output-format=jpeg&output-quality=90")
![]("http://motherboard-images.vice.com/content-images/contentimage/no-id/1470953622174108.jpg")
!["Canary]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8284/28381958223_c1af0d97a4_m.jpg")
!["Vienne"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8161/28378496894_ee0685d379_m.jpg")
!["Vienne"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8756/28997931405_17872bab5f_m.jpg")
!["Vienne"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8874/28378572644_7e99ff8a7e_m.jpg")
!["Vienne"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8637/28998018005_8092193c19_m.jpg")
!["Vienne"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8649/28892927042_eab97982e5_m.jpg")
!["Vienne"]("http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7565/28921879311_c3c4d83ba2_m.jpg")
!["Vienne"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8163/28921887701_dc0c35428d_m.jpg")
!["Vienne"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8748/28381085413_445d19f915_m.jpg")
!["Vienne"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8873/28965783476_b2abc1faf0_m.jpg")
!["2016-08-09-1470779888-5096859-VeganFitnessforMortals_COVER_lores.jpg"]("http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-08-09-1470779888-5096859-VeganFitnessforMortals_COVER_lores.jpg")
!["2016-08-13-1471110347-3529910-IMG_2476.jpg"]("http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-08-13-1471110347-3529910-IMG_2476.jpg")
!["Vienne"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8331/28381171633_4d5fda4156_m.jpg")
!["Vienne"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8689/28712540380_fca07cfd07_m.jpg")
!["Vienne"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8612/28381376663_7004f50554_m.jpg")
!["Vienne"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8817/28998557085_97dcab29b2_m.jpg")
!["Vienne"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8722/28966260496_f4c81ebe65_m.jpg")
!["Vienne"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8293/28966338246_b4cc9dbc74_m.jpg")
!["Vienne"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8333/28712804850_f846531652_m.jpg")
!["Vienne"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8855/28381699633_010e398e08_m.jpg")
!["Vienne"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8077/28381725463_cf6e05586e_m.jpg")
!["Vienne"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8177/28381785133_cef81c574b_m.jpg")
!["Yawn]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8814/28920541761_49bb744b6b_m.jpg")
![ESO/M. Kornmesser/N. Risinger]("https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRAPPIST-1d#/media/File:TRAPPIST-1_and_its_three_planets.jpg"){kind=link}