After the Republican bloodbath that was the 2022 midterm election, there was no shortage of reactions. “We have to ballot-harvest, too.” “We have to stop the stealing.” “Only Trump can save us.” “We have to move away from Trump.” “We have to reposition on abortion.” “We have to kick out the RINOs.” “We have to… Continue reading Take it from a Coach: the GOP Can Win by Hitting Singles
Climate Change Has Made California’s Wildfires Five Times Bigger
CLIMATEWIRE | The amount of land scorched by wildfires in California has been on the rise for decades, and human-caused climate change is almost entirely to blame. A new study, published Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, finds that California’s summertime burned area has increased fivefold since 1971. And it won’t stop there —… Continue reading Climate Change Has Made California’s Wildfires Five Times Bigger
The National Education Association Is an Enemy of Teachers and Families
Since a majority of students in most American school districts can’t read or perform math equations at grade level, you might think the nation’s largest teachers’ union would spend at least part of its annual national convention pushing solutions to this sad state of affairs. Nope. The National Education Association did push a proposal… Continue reading The National Education Association Is an Enemy of Teachers and Families
New Proof Threads the Needle on a Sticky Geometry Problem
Here’s one way to think about the Minkowski dimension: Take your set and cover it with tiny balls that each have a diameter of one-millionth of your preferred unit. If your set is a line segment of length 1, you’ll need at least 1 million balls to cover it. If your set is a square… Continue reading New Proof Threads the Needle on a Sticky Geometry Problem
Draconian Laws Deter Pregnant Women from Treating Drug Abuse
Neonatologist Stephen W. Patrick of Vanderbilt University Medical Center recalls one patient in particular. She was seeking care for an opioid use disorder (OUD) at the treatment facility that he runs in Nashville, Tenn. The patient came in frantic after an exchange at her first prenatal visit. The sonographer who conducted her ultrasound, she recounted,… Continue reading Draconian Laws Deter Pregnant Women from Treating Drug Abuse
What’s Behind Jerome Powell’s Woke Turn? Bidenomics.
In February 2021, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell told Congress, “We are not climate policymakers here who can decide the way climate change will be addressed by the United States. We’re a regulatory agency that regulates a part of the economy.” When Powell said that, less than a month into the Biden administration, inflation was… Continue reading What’s Behind Jerome Powell’s Woke Turn? Bidenomics.
This Tiny Fish Can Recognize Itself in Photos
Bluestreak cleaner wrasses are entrepreneurial fish. This tiny, shiny species sets up shop in coral reefs, where it eats parasites off of client fish, some of them big and hungry. It’s a dangerous business that requires impeccable social skills. No wonder, then, that these fish can identify other individuals by their faces—and even recognize their… Continue reading This Tiny Fish Can Recognize Itself in Photos
Mysterious Voices! (Medical Diagnosis? Hallucination? Psychosis? Spirits?)
Podcast: Download MYS268: A woman in London began hearing mysterious voices and what they told her changed her life. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli discuss the story of Annabelle and the mysterious voices in her head that probably saved her life. Get all new episodes automatically and for free: Follow by Email | Watch this… Continue reading Mysterious Voices! (Medical Diagnosis? Hallucination? Psychosis? Spirits?)
In a Fierce Desert, Microbe ‘Crusts’ Show How Life Tamed the Land
While all biocrusts perform some degree of weathering, the larger grains of the grit crust are especially suited for it. The process reveals the full potential of microbes to impact their environment. A microbial skin can glue together pebbles, break them down into soil and fertilize that soil with essential nutrients. In effect, the crust… Continue reading In a Fierce Desert, Microbe ‘Crusts’ Show How Life Tamed the Land
Woe, the Humanity: How AI Fits Into Broadly Rising Anti-Humanism
The future of humanity is becoming ever less human. The astounding capabilities of ChatGPT and other forms of artificial intelligence have triggered fears about the coming age of machines leaving little place for human creativity or employment. Even the architects of this brave new world are sounding the alarm. Sam Altman, chairman and CEO of… Continue reading Woe, the Humanity: How AI Fits Into Broadly Rising Anti-Humanism