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
Back from Hell? Negative Near-Death Experiences (NDEs)
Podcast: Download MYS292: Many reports of near-death experiences sound positive and uplifting and blissful. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli discuss those that are reported as distinctly negative and distressing. What happens in them, what do they mean, and what are their implications? Get all new episodes automatically and for free: Follow by Email | Watch… Continue reading Back from Hell? Negative Near-Death Experiences (NDEs)
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
The FBI-Tainted Whitmer ‘Kidnap Plot’ You’ve Heard Next to Nothing About
By Julie Kelly, RealClearInvestigationsJanuary 3, 2024 In a fiery exchange last month, CNN anchorwoman Abby Phillip told GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy that there was “no evidence” to support his claim that federal agents abetted protesters at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Ramaswamy shot back that the FBI conspicuously has never denied that law… Continue reading The FBI-Tainted Whitmer ‘Kidnap Plot’ You’ve Heard Next to Nothing About
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
Can You Marry an Alien? (& More Weird Questions)
Podcast: Download MYS291: It’s almost New Years, so Cy Kellett of Catholic Answers Live is asking Jimmy Akin weird questions from listeners, about topics like can you marry an alien; baptizing faeries or unborn babies; what the Soul Gem or the Borg do to your soul; time travel and alternate universes; and more weird questions.… Continue reading Can You Marry an Alien? (& More Weird Questions)