Podcast: Download MYS274: We regularly give Patrons the opportunity to ask Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli their mysterious questions and make them available exclusively to Patrons first and then later to the whole audience. This time the questions cover the blood of St. Januarius, ultraterrestrials, Mary Suratt, RPGs, the Beloved Disciple, and more. Get all… Continue reading The Blood of Saint Januarius (And Other Patron Questions)
The Hidden Brain Connections Between Our Hands and Tongues
One day, while threading a needle to sew a button, I noticed that my tongue was sticking out. The same thing happened later, as I carefully cut out a photograph. Then another day, as I perched precariously on a ladder painting the window frame of my house, there it was again! What’s going on here?… Continue reading The Hidden Brain Connections Between Our Hands and Tongues
The EU Can’t Treat Ukrainian Refugees Like Short-Term Visitors
As the war in Ukraine passes the 500-day mark, hopes are fading that the refugee crisis set off by Russia’s brutal invasion will be over any time soon. Already, 6.3 million Ukrainians have been recorded as refugees since February 2022; most have gone westward to Poland, Germany, and other European Union countries. All told, around… Continue reading The EU Can’t Treat Ukrainian Refugees Like Short-Term Visitors
Strange Ecosystem Found Thriving below Seafloor Hydrothermal Vents
There may be no ecosystem on Earth that seems less hospitable than hydrothermal vents. In the perpetual darkness, cold and relentless pressures of the deep sea, these volcanic seeps spew piping hot water so loaded with particles and metals that it looks like black smoke billowing from a chimney. But even these hellish habitats are… Continue reading Strange Ecosystem Found Thriving below Seafloor Hydrothermal Vents
Making Every Defense Dollar Count in Taiwan
The surging security relationship between the United States and Taiwan is exposing some long-simmering differences, with questions about Taiwan’s defense investments atop Washington’s list of concerns. Washington and Taipei agree on the goal of protecting Taiwan’s security, and they are forging the most comprehensive ties in decades. Taiwan faces an existential threat, but Taiwan is… Continue reading Making Every Defense Dollar Count in Taiwan
In a Monster Star’s Light, a Hint of Darkness
His team’s analysis, published in June in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, did not find evidence for wavelike dark matter effects in high-resolution images of arcs of light from one gravitational lens, suggesting that the dark particle must be heavier than the smallest fuzzy candidates. But an April study in Nature Astronomy, led… Continue reading In a Monster Star’s Light, a Hint of Darkness
Why the United States Still Needs Ground Forces in Europe
Russia has faced several setbacks since its February 2022 attack on Ukraine: an estimated hundred thousand military casualties, including to some of its best units; the recent mutiny by Prighozin’s Wagner troops; and the ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive, which is slowly gaining ground. With these losses, the threat of a Russian attack against the NATO alliance… Continue reading Why the United States Still Needs Ground Forces in Europe
Andreas Wagner Pursues the Secrets to Evolutionary Success
Quanta Magazine > 0; if (typeof predicate !== ‘function’) { throw new TypeError(‘predicate must be a function’); } var thisArg = arguments[1]; var k = 0; while (k We care about your data, and we’d like to use cookies to give you a smooth browsing experience. Please agree and read more about our privacy policy.Agree… Continue reading Andreas Wagner Pursues the Secrets to Evolutionary Success
UFOs Are Not the Only Potential Threat in American Skies
On Thursday, the House Oversight Committee will hold a public hearing about national security implications of unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs). It comes on the heels of public inquiries in 2022 by Congress, the Department of Defense, NASA, and the intelligence community (PDF) into what were once called UFOs. If extraterrestrials are visiting our planet, the… Continue reading UFOs Are Not the Only Potential Threat in American Skies
Math Proof Draws New Boundaries Around Black Hole Formation
The modern notion of a black hole has been with us since February 1916, three months after Albert Einstein unveiled his theory of gravity. That’s when the physicist Karl Schwarzschild, in the midst of fighting in the German army during World War I, published a paper with astonishing implications: If enough mass is confined within… Continue reading Math Proof Draws New Boundaries Around Black Hole Formation