Why Do We Launch Space Telescopes? Telescopes in space give us a view we literally cannot get from the ground By Phil Plait edited by Lee Billings Astronauts Steven Smith and John Grunsfeld, appear as small figures in this wide-angle photograph from December 1999, taken during a spacewalk to service the Hubble Space Telescope. On… Continue reading Why Do We Launch Space Telescopes?
The Wagner Group Is Leaving Mali. But Russian Mercenaries Aren’t Going Anywhere
The June 6 announcement by the infamous Wagner Group private military company that it will end its three-and-a-half-year-long deployment in Mali is an important development in Russia’s evolving mercenary landscape. Even as one Russian mercenary group is leaving, the country’s presence in Africa is not going anywhere. The Kremlin seized control of Wagner’s operations, most… Continue reading The Wagner Group Is Leaving Mali. But Russian Mercenaries Aren’t Going Anywhere
Why Potential Weather Radar Outages Have Meteorologists Worried
Outside every National Weather Service (NWS) office around the U.S. stands what looks like an enormous white soccer ball, perched atop metal scaffolding several stories high. These somewhat plain spheres look as ho-hum as a town water tower, but tucked inside each is one of modern meteorology’s most revolutionary and lifesaving tools: Doppler radar. The… Continue reading Why Potential Weather Radar Outages Have Meteorologists Worried
As U.S.-China Trade Talks Continue, Europe Needs a Plan to Navigate Uncertainty
U.S. and Chinese officials convened in London on 9 June for the first meeting of the economic and trade consultation mechanism—a channel of communication agreed upon during their first negotiation in Geneva this past May. The framework agreed in London on the one hand offers temporary relief to businesses and markets, and time for both… Continue reading As U.S.-China Trade Talks Continue, Europe Needs a Plan to Navigate Uncertainty
Hurricane Season Is Here—This Is What Experts Are Most Worried About
June 1 marks the official start of the hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean—and once again, the season looks like it will be busy. Though it is impossible to tell this far in advance exactly when storms will form and where they might hit, the presence of hurricane-friendly environmental conditions this season—along with the federal… Continue reading Hurricane Season Is Here—This Is What Experts Are Most Worried About
The Israel-Iran Conflict: Q&A with RAND Experts
Last week’s Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear program and military assets and Iran’s responding missile strikes represent a significant escalation in the long-standing tensions between the two nations. While covert operations and proxy conflicts have defined much of their rivalry in recent years, this overt military strike signals a dramatic shift in the nature of… Continue reading The Israel-Iran Conflict: Q&A with RAND Experts
How Does Graph Theory Shape Our World?
Born in the 18th century when Leonhard Euler solved the puzzle of the seven bridges of Königsberg, graph theory has become a foundational tool in mathematics. It studies relationships through nodes (vertices) and the links (edges) that connect them, transforming the complexity of systems — from friendship networks to airline routes — into elegant abstractions… Continue reading How Does Graph Theory Shape Our World?
My Post-Pandemic Potty Mouth: A Psychologist’s Perspective
The realization hit me somewhere around mile three of my usual run with my running partner. As the miles ticked by and our conversation flowed, I noticed that nearly every story I told was punctuated with curse words. My running partner, in contrast, kept her language clean. Her stories were just as animated, her frustrations… Continue reading My Post-Pandemic Potty Mouth: A Psychologist’s Perspective
When Did Nature Burst Into Vivid Color?
In the animal kingdom, there is incredible variation in visual perception. What an animal sees depends on the structure of its retina and its neural visual processing system. Most insects can see ultraviolet, blue and green light, but there is wide variety among arthropods; mantis shrimp eyes have up to 12 different channels of color,… Continue reading When Did Nature Burst Into Vivid Color?
Death by Nemawashi
Seppuku, also called hara-kiri, is an incredibly painful way to die. A ritualistic Japanese way to kill oneself in feudal times involved cutting open one’s abdomen for the purpose of disembowelment. There also is a metaphorically painful way important decisions can die, one that involves sacrificing national interests due to slow decisionmaking. It is called… Continue reading Death by Nemawashi