Exploring how dark matter alters electron-capture supernovae and the birth of neutron stars
Electron-capture supernovae (ECSNe) are stellar explosions that occur in stars with initial masses around 8–10 times that of the sun. These stars develop oxygen-neon-magnesium cores, which become unstable when electrons are captured by neon and magnesium nuclei. ⌘ Read more
Artificial insemination raises hopes for world’s rarest big cat
The world-first insemination of an Amur leopard in France has lifted hopes of animal lovers for the survival of Earth’s rarest big cat. ⌘ Read more
How spacefaring nations could avoid conflict on the moon
In the 1960s, Frank Sinatra’s song “Fly Me to the Moon” became closely associated with the Apollo missions. The optimistic track was recorded in 1964, when US success against the Soviet Union in the moon race was not assured. ⌘ Read more
China’s rising meat demand drives Brazilian soybean farming and resource use
Behind a steak served in China, there is often a soybean cultivation in Brazil. A new study, published in Nature Food, presents a snapshot of an increasingly interconnected and fragile food system. ⌘ Read more
Rethinking polygamy—research upends conventional thinking about the advantages of monogamous marriage
In July 2025, Uganda’s courts swiftly dismissed a petition challenging the legality of polygamy, citing the protection of religious and cultural freedom. For most social scientists and policymakers who have long declared polygamy a “harmful cultural practice,” the decision was a frustrating but predictable setback in efforts to build healthier and more equal societies. ⌘ Read more
Seismic anisotropy offers insight into viscous BLOBs at base of Earth’s mantle
In some parts of Earth’s interior, seismic waves travel at different speeds depending on the direction in which they are moving through the layers of rock in Earth’s interior. This property is known as seismic anisotropy, and it can offer important information about how the silicate rock of the mantle—particularly at the mantle’s lowermost depths—deforms. In contrast, areas through which seismic waves travel at the … ⌘ Read more
SpaceX is behind schedule, so NASA will open Artemis III contract to competition
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Mike Johnson says Trump was ‘using satire to make a point’ with AI poop-bombing video
Meredith Lee Hill, Senior Congress Reporter - Politico
_Stephan: I have not been able to get the Trump video of him wearing a crown as a pilot and shitting on Americans demonstrating for “No Kings.” There is no precendent for anything remotely like this in the entire history of the United States. Indeed, I can recall no precedent in any country. You woul … ⌘ Read more
Portions of White House East Wing being demolished amid ballroom construction
Michelle Stoddart, Reporter - ABC News
_Stephan: When I first went to work for National Geographic after Unversity one of my first assignments was to become part of the team that did the official guidebooks on the White House and then the Capitol. It left me with a deep appreciation and respect for the historical appearance and continuity of both of these buildings. I … ⌘ Read more
The ‘3.5% rule’: How a small minority can change the world
David Robson, Reporter - BBC (U.K.)
_Stephan: I have been telling you since Trump became President for the second time, and began his fascist coup, assisted by the loyal incompetents he appointed to his administration, and the Republican Party at the state and Congressional level, that the only thing that will change this is millions of Americans nonviolently demonstrating. I hope you were one of the people o … ⌘ Read more
Meet the young Americans who want a monarchy — but not ‘King Trump’
George Grylls, Washington Reporter - The Times (U.K.)
Stephan: You hear nothing about this in American media, but there is a growing number of Gen Z Whites who actually have become so disaffected by what has happened to American democracy that they would choose monarchy over democracy. It is a glaring demonstration of how poorly educated about the history of civics these young people are.
… ⌘ Read more
Offline interactions predict voting patterns better than online networks, finds study
According to a new study, offline social networks, revealed by co-location data, predict U.S. voting patterns more accurately than online social connections or residential sorting. Michele Tizzoni and colleagues analyzed large-scale data on co-location patterns from Meta’s Data for Good program, which collates anonymized data collected from people who enabled location services on the Facebook smartphone a … ⌘ Read more
10 Crazy Things Resulting from Hidden Contract Provisions
We often scroll past pages of endless fine print and click “I agree,” never imagining the bizarre, life-altering consequences buried within. These legal documents—from software End-User License Agreements (EULAs) to celebrity film contracts and even property deeds—are crafted to grant sweeping power to the issuer. But what happens when companies slip absurd demands, perpetual rights, […]
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Study finds Airbnb safety reviews can turn off some but the increased transparency can mitigate that
A new peer-reviewed study in the journal Marketing Science sheds light on how online safety-related reviews from Airbnb guests influence booking decisions and how the platform itself balances consumer welfare against its own financial incentives. ⌘ Read more
Gunboat diplomacy: How classic naval coercion has evolved into hybrid warfare on the water
Over the summer, the United States deployed warships to the Caribbean—ostensibly to menace drug traffickers but also as a none-too-subtle warning to Venezuela. Earlier in the year, a U.S. Navy destroyer bobbed along waters close to Iran for similar reasons. And in the Taiwan Straits and Pacific, China and the U.S. frequently show off their respective maritime military might. ⌘ Read more
Microsoft breaks USB input in Windows Recovery Environment
With official support for Windows 10 having officially ended a few days ago, let’s take a look and see how its successor, Windows 11, is doing. Microsoft released the first Patch Tuesday update (KB5066835) for Windows 11 25H2 this past week and it is probably fair to say that it has been a rough start for the new feature update. Despite the announcement of a wide rollout wherein the new version is now available for … ⌘ Read more
Why is Halloween starting so much earlier each year? A business professor explains
Halloween is a fun, scary time for children and adults alike—but why does the holiday seem to start so much earlier every year? Decades ago, when I was young, Halloween was a much smaller affair, and people didn’t start preparing until mid-October. Today, in my neighborhood near where I grew up in Massachusetts, Halloween decorations start appearing in the middle of summer. ⌘ Read more
A seed bank in England marks 25 years of preserving the world’s plant diversity
Deep underground beneath the Sussex countryside in southern England, millions of seeds are kept frozen in a vault built to withstand fire, flooding, and any other disaster. ⌘ Read more
How a human ‘jumping gene’ targets structured DNA to reshape the genome
Long interspersed nuclear element-1 (LINE-1 or L1) is the only active, self-copying genetic element in the human genome—comprising about 17% of the genome. It is commonly called a “jumping gene” or “retrotransposon” because it can “retrotranspose” (move) from one genomic location to another. ⌘ Read more
Distant galaxy A1689-zD1 found to have unusually low dust-to-gas ratio
Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array (ALMA), an international team of astronomers has carried out comprehensive multiwavelength observations of a distant massive galaxy known as A1689-zD1. ⌘ Read more
Trump’s immigration crackdown weighs heavy on the US labor market
PAUL WISEMAN and GISELA SALOMON, Reporters -
_Stephan: Dictator Trump’s ignorance and nastiness, expressed daily in his ongoing fascist Republican Party coup, is severely impacting the U.S. labor market and the wellbeing of millions, including you and what you have to pay for groceries, clothes, and anything else made overseas, as this article describes. Did you think this moron even knows tha … ⌘ Read more
Unfettered and Unaccountable: How Trump is Building a Violent, Shadowy Federal Police Force
J. David McSwane and Hannah Allam, - ProPublica
_Stephan: Here is one of the best descriptions I have read about the Gestapo dictator Trump has created. It is unlike anything that has ever previously existed in the United States. All of this is straight out of Hitler’s playbook, but Americans seem to just be realizing what is happening, as t … ⌘ Read more
Donald Trump shares AI video of himself bombing ‘No Kings’ protesters with manure
JADA BAS, Trainee Reporter - Daily Mail (U.K.)
_Stephan: Just how mentally sick and contemptuous of Americans who don’t support him, dictator Trump is can, perhaps, best be illustrated by the video of himself wearing a crown, flying as a fighter pilot, and dropping faeces on “No Kings” demonstrators. He, himself, actually posted this video. I think it is also i … ⌘ Read more
The World’s Hottest Engine Is Smaller Than a Cell and Hotter Than the Sun’s Corona
Gayoung Lee, Staff Reporter - Gizmodo
_Stephan: In my remote viewing study of the future, some viewers describe something like this. Their comments seemed so strange to me, I didn’t even know how to ask questions about what they were describing. However, it is now clear that there are going to be a number of breakthroughs that are going to redefine physics as … ⌘ Read more
10 Unusual Facts About Calories
Calories—those tiny numbers printed on the backs of food packages—rule modern life. They determine how we eat, how we exercise, and often how we feel about our bodies. But for something so common, calories are deeply misunderstood. They are treated as absolute truths, yet the science behind them is full of quirks, loopholes, and downright […]
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Hybrid metasurface modulates light at low voltages for energy-efficient optics
Metasurfaces are two-dimensional (2D), nanoengineered surfaces that interact strongly with electromagnetic waves and can control light with remarkable precision. These ultra-thin layers can be used to develop a wide range of advanced technologies, including optical photonic, sensing and communication systems. ⌘ Read more
Invisible poison: Airborne mercury from gold mining is contaminating African food crops, study warns
In a recent study published in the journal Biogeosciences, scientists have confirmed that mercury pollution from artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is contaminating food crops not through the soil, as previously believed, but directly from the air. Driven by the surging price of gold, which has increased by more than tenfold since 2000, the rapid expansion of unregulated mining in thes … ⌘ Read more