CLIMATEWIRE | Conservatives are leveraging a new argument against ESG: It’s hurting poor families. Energy analysts say the criticism lacks any supporting evidence. But it builds on Republicans’ intensifying opposition to environmental, social and governance investing, which refers to the practice of considering risks like climate change when making financial decisions. Mandy Gunasekara, a former Trump… Continue reading There’s No Evidence for Claims That Environmentally Friendly Investments Are Bad for the Poor
The Key to Species Diversity May Be in Their Similarities
Back in 2001, the paradoxically high biodiversity on Barro Colorado Island inspired Hubbell to propose the groundbreaking neutral theory of ecology. Traditional ecology theory stressed the competition for niches between species. But Hubbell pointed out that species might not really matter in that equation because, in effect, individuals compete for resources with members of their… Continue reading The Key to Species Diversity May Be in Their Similarities
Recounting the History of Math’s Transcendental Numbers
It was not obvious that transcendental numbers should exist. Moreover, it’s challenging to prove that a given number is transcendental because it requires proving a negative: that it is not the root of any polynomial with integer coefficients. In 1844, Joseph Liouville found the first one by coming at the problem indirectly. He discovered that… Continue reading Recounting the History of Math’s Transcendental Numbers
Have Astronomers Seen the Universe’s First Stars?
SUBSCRIBE: Apple | Spotify Lee Billings: Hi, and welcome to Cosmos, Quickly. This is Lee Billings. Carin Leong: And this is Carin Leong. [CLIP: Show theme music] Billings: Carin, thanks for being here. A quick question for you: What’s super-duper bright and hundreds or even thousands of times heavier than our entire solar system, yet… Continue reading Have Astronomers Seen the Universe’s First Stars?
Black Elk (Lakota/Sioux Medicine Man)
Podcast: Download MYS266: Black Elk was a Native American medicine man who had paranormal visions and participated in some of the pivotal events in 19th-century US history. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli discuss his remarkable life and the hidden truths about him. Get all new episodes automatically and for free: Follow by Email | Watch… Continue reading Black Elk (Lakota/Sioux Medicine Man)
Why Does Smoke Turn the Sky Orange?
If you are one of the tens of millions of people who’ve been affected by smoke from the millions of acres of Canadian forest that are currently aflame, then you know what it’s like to live under a murky brown sky, with the sun a sullen reddish orb glaring menacingly down at you. There’s very… Continue reading Why Does Smoke Turn the Sky Orange?
Spiritual Fathers: Prophets in a Technologized World
A shield from the competitiveness of the world, a spiritual father sows seeds of hope, encourages forgiveness and teaches how to sacrifice in a way that only a father can do. He answers doubts and reproposes the faith when it is shaken. In this way, a spiritual father helps men and women answer the call… Continue reading Spiritual Fathers: Prophets in a Technologized World
After Supreme Court Ruling, Reparations Fight Lives On as ‘Not Race-Based’
A California Reparations Task Force hearing in Oakland last year. AP Task force members repeatedly stated that their damning historical analysis of American racism, and their proposed remedies, are intended to serve as a blueprint for the entire nation to adopt in atonement for what they see as the original sin of slavery and its… Continue reading After Supreme Court Ruling, Reparations Fight Lives On as ‘Not Race-Based’
What Can Jellyfish Teach Us About Fluid Dynamics?
The jellyfish that move through the seas by gently pulsing their saclike bodies may not seem to hold many secrets that would interest human engineers. But simple as the creatures are, jellyfish are masterful at harnessing and controlling the flow of the water around them, sometimes with surprising efficiency. As such, they embody sophisticated solutions… Continue reading What Can Jellyfish Teach Us About Fluid Dynamics?
An Enormous Gravity ‘Hum’ Moves Through the Universe
Most likely, the gravitational waves come from pairs of supermassive black holes that are spiraling around each other inside merging galaxies. But we might be seeing something else entirely, perhaps something exotic such as ruptures in space-time itself resulting from loops of energy called cosmic strings. “Finding for the first time the suggestion of background… Continue reading An Enormous Gravity ‘Hum’ Moves Through the Universe