The sun may be setting on NASA’s plans to build a space-based solar power (SBSP) satellite system to alleviate our energy needs on Earth. In January, the agency released a report that, citing launch costs specifically, concludes that generating power from orbit is simply too expensive, especially compared with solar power made right here on… Continue reading NASA’s Hopes for Space Solar Power Are Looking Dim
How Arguments that Embryos Are People Pose a Threat to IVF
On February 16 the Alabama Supreme Court brought fertility care in that state to a screeching halt—and started a national conversation—by declaring that frozen embryos were people in the eyes of the law. In support of its decision, the court cited a 19th-century Alabama statute, the state’s constitution and, in a memorable concurrence from Chief… Continue reading How Arguments that Embryos Are People Pose a Threat to IVF
New Rules for Evaluating Supernatural Phenomena (Apparitions, Visions, Eucharistic Miracles, Catholic, Vatican, Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith)
Podcast: Download MYS322: The Vatican has released new rules for evaluating reports of supernatural phenomena. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli conclude their two-part discussion by looking at the rules themselves; the possible categories; and how the investigations are to be carried out. Get all new episodes automatically and for free: Follow by Email | Watch… Continue reading New Rules for Evaluating Supernatural Phenomena (Apparitions, Visions, Eucharistic Miracles, Catholic, Vatican, Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith)
The Physics of Cold Water May Have Jump-Started Complex Life
Modern-day algae are not early animals. But the fact that these physical pressures forced a unicellular creature into an alternate way of life that was hard to reverse feels quite powerful, Simpson said. He suspects that if scientists explore the idea that when organisms are very small, viscosity dominates their existence, we could learn something… Continue reading The Physics of Cold Water May Have Jump-Started Complex Life
The ‘Merits’ of the Inflation Reduction Act Is Another Fiction Being Unmasked
My, how things have changed in the past few weeks. By the time the Republican National Convention convened, the Democrats had hoped to be running President Biden on a platform touting the alleged success of his healthcare policy, exemplified by the poorly named Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). But his debate performance, particularly his “We beat… Continue reading The ‘Merits’ of the Inflation Reduction Act Is Another Fiction Being Unmasked
Paying Attention to Sensations Can Help Reset the Mind
Having grown up in the Danish city of Copenhagen, chef René Redzepi recalls feeling dissatisfied with the fast-food world to which many city-dwellers were accustomed. He instead attributes his love for food to his summers in Macedonia, which were filled with farm life and foraging in the nearby woods. Despite the lack of technological sophistication,… Continue reading Paying Attention to Sensations Can Help Reset the Mind
Biden’s State of the Union Promises Big Job Gains from Clean Energy Policy
CLIMATEWIRE | President Joe Biden tied his climate policies to domestic manufacturing growth and union jobs in the final State of the Union address of his first term. “I’m taking the most significant action ever on climate in the history of the world,” he said Thursday night to a House chamber that featured heckles from… Continue reading Biden’s State of the Union Promises Big Job Gains from Clean Energy Policy
Lead from Old Paint and Pipes Is Still a Deadly Hazard in Millions of U.S. Homes
The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research. Lead is a potent neurotoxin that causes severe health effects such as neurological damage, organ failure and death. Widely used in products such as paint and gasoline until the late 1970s, lead continues to contaminate environments and harm… Continue reading Lead from Old Paint and Pipes Is Still a Deadly Hazard in Millions of U.S. Homes
How Vance Can Move the Needle in PA
Johnsonburg is a small borough on the Clarion River in Elk County, Pennsylvania. Home to a paper mill, it has a unique scent in its air. “You can smell it before you can see it,” people endearingly say. My family, like many others, made it their home around the turn of the 20th century. Like… Continue reading How Vance Can Move the Needle in PA
Meet the Real-Life Versions of Dune’s Epic Sandworms
Meet the Real-Life Versions of Dune’s Epic Sandworms A Dune-loving worm paleontologist makes the case that worms have been just as important on Earth as they are in the blockbuster film By Julian Nowogrodzki & Nature magazine Sandworms pursue a crowd in this scene from Dune: Part Two. Warner Bros./FlixPix/Alamy Stock Photo The film Dune:… Continue reading Meet the Real-Life Versions of Dune’s Epic Sandworms