December 9, 2023 2 min read Burials holding mummies with false heads have been discovered from the Wari Empire in Peru By Owen Jarus & LiveScience The ruins of Pachacamac, an ancient archaeological site on the Pacific coast just south of Lima, Peru. Archaeologists in Peru have unearthed the burials of at least 73 people… Continue reading 73 Pre-Incan Mummies, Some with ‘False Heads,’ Unearthed in Peru
Category: Quantum Stuff
Mathematicians Identify the Best Versions of Iconic Shapes
Over the last two years, mathematicians have identified the best versions of a child’s playroom’s worth of shapes. These results occupy a quirky corner of math and, fittingly, have been produced by unlikely collaborations, involving a mathematician practicing origami with his wife and a professor teaching her undergraduates to play with paper. The work takes… Continue reading Mathematicians Identify the Best Versions of Iconic Shapes
Ultrasound Enables Remote 3-D Printing–Even in the Human Body
Mechanical engineers Shervin Foroughi and Mohsen Habibi were painstakingly maneuvering a tiny ultrasound wand over a pool of liquid when they first saw an icicle shape emerge and solidify. The pair shrieked so loudly that their colleagues down the hall at Montreal’s Concordia University could hear them. “Well, they would have heard us, if they… Continue reading Ultrasound Enables Remote 3-D Printing–Even in the Human Body
Betelgeuse Will Briefly Disappear in Once-in-a-Lifetime Coincidence
Some sky watchers this month will witness Betelgeuse, one of the brightest and best-known stars in the sky, nearly disappear. Mere seconds later—despite astronomers’ hopes that the star will meet its explosive end someday soon—it will return, shining just as brightly as ever. Betelgeuse’s brief blip of obscurity will mark a cosmic coincidence: an asteroid… Continue reading Betelgeuse Will Briefly Disappear in Once-in-a-Lifetime Coincidence
OpenAI’s Soap Opera Collapse Bodes Ill for AI Benefiting Humanity
December 11, 2023 4 min read Whatever fantasies we may have had about the nonprofit structure of OpenAI have been eviscerated. While it remains a nonprofit, it’s proven entirely beholden to ruthless capitalism By Ed Zitron Sam Altman, seen here at APEC Leader’s Week in San Francisco, California, was fired briefly as CEO of OpenAI… Continue reading OpenAI’s Soap Opera Collapse Bodes Ill for AI Benefiting Humanity
Why Some People Choose Not to Know
In the Charles Dickens story A Christmas Carol, the wealthy miser Ebenezer Scrooge has a magical, life-changing epiphany. Thanks to visits from a series of ghosts, his eyes are opened as to how his behavior affects other people—and he goes from a selfish grump to a generous benefactor overnight. Scrooge’s transformation comes down to knowledge.… Continue reading Why Some People Choose Not to Know
Christmas Tree Economics, Explained
December 11, 2023 4 min read Economists dive into the financial impact of Christmas trees—real and artificial alike—on the U.S. By Jay L. Zagorsky, Patrick Abouchalache & The Conversation US Peace, joy and profit margins: Retailers sell Christmas trees at a markup of up to 500%. The following essay is reprinted with permission from The… Continue reading Christmas Tree Economics, Explained
A New Type of Heart Disease is on the Rise
Tanya Lewis: Hi, this is Your Health, Quickly, a Scientific American podcast series! Josh Fischman: We bring you the latest vital health news: Discoveries that affect your body and your mind. Lewis: And we break down the medical research to help you stay healthy. I’m Tanya Lewis. Fischman: I’m Josh Fischman. Lewis: We’re Scientific American’s senior… Continue reading A New Type of Heart Disease is on the Rise
Millions of U.S. Homes Risk Disaster because of Outdated Building Codes
December 11, 2023 3 min read Building codes that don’t fully account for climate change are “one of the most significant factors” in increasing disaster risk, a federal report says By Thomas Frank & E&E News Neighborhoods are seen submerged in flood water from the Meremac River on December 31, 2015 in Pacific, Missouri. CLIMATEWIRE… Continue reading Millions of U.S. Homes Risk Disaster because of Outdated Building Codes
New Clues for What Will Happen When the Sun Eats the Earth
Earth’s fate rests on a coin flip. In 5 billion years, our sun will balloon into a red giant star. Whether Earth survives is an “open question,” said Melinda Soares-Furtado, an astrophysicist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Sure, Earth could be swallowed by the sun and destroyed. But in some scenarios, Earth escapes and… Continue reading New Clues for What Will Happen When the Sun Eats the Earth