As an active runner, climber, hiker, and cyclist, I’m fit, but my legs were burning, my knees grinding, and my pack felt much heavier than it had during my last backpacking trip only two months prior. There was no going back, of course—my determination and stubbornness simply wouldn’t allow me to call off a hike just because I was tired—but I was exhausted physically and mentally knowing I had three whole days of this ahead of me....
They’re the only mammals to dine exclusively on blood, which means their bodies have needed to adapt in many ways to this challenging diet. Vampire bats also boast very advanced social skills, says Michael Hiller, a professor of comparative genomics at the LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics in Frankfurt, Germany. Hiller and his collaborators are investigating the genetic changes that have enabled vampire bats to thrive. They analyzed the genomes of common vampire bats and more than two dozen other bats, and have identified 10 genes that are no longer functional in the vampires....
Spotify researchers have been working hard at finding answers, and a new study from the company probes at some emerging patterns around how different age groups explore new content. Researchers at the company further broke down what the data uncovered in a blog post today. Their paper, in whole, was published in the Proceedings of the Sixteenth International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media. Specifically, the music streaming company found that user behaviors tend to change over time, and that while younger users tended to explore less content overall, what they did explore was more diverse compared to older users....
The smaller galaxy, called Arp 86, appears super close to the larger one, NGC 7753. Its location is unusual, which is why it’s in the Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies, a list of interstellar oddballs compiled by astronomer Halton Arp in 1966 (hence the “Arp” in its name). NGC 7753 will eventually either consume this smaller galaxy altogether, or fling it back out into space as the two gravitational fields interact....
Florence is halfway across the Atlantic Ocean as of Thursday afternoon, swirling more than 2,000 miles from where it sprang to life off the western coast of Africa one week ago. The storm brought foul weather to the Cabo Verde Islands as it crossed into a more favorable environment for strengthening. It defied the odds on Wednesday to briefly balloon into a picture-perfect category four hurricane in the central Atlantic, strengthening far beyond what forecasters expected....
The warm waters of the Bahamas are the prefect place to rest, recuperate, and get your strength back—especially if you happen to be a hurricane. Scientists and meteorologists have had their eye on Hurricane Joaquin for the past few days as the storm evolved from a tropical depression, to a tropical storm, and finally, last night to a Category 3 hurricane, with winds of up to 120 miles per hour....
The storm lashed the coast with maximum sustained winds of 120 miles per hour, before dissipating to a tropical storm as it moved over east-central Mexico, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). “This rainfall could lead to flash flooding and landslides in areas of rugged terrain,” the NHC added. “Swells generated by Roslyn will affect portions of the coast of southwestern Mexico, west-central Mexico, and the southern portion of the Baja California peninsula through tonight [Sunday]....
The CH-4 is built by the Chinese Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). With a 350kg payload, it is roughly similar in size to the General Atomics MQ-1 Predator. It has a retractable electro-optical sensor turret, and a datalink back to the ground control station. The CH-4 also boasts a modern, two person control station to fly the drone remotely, with provisions for both line of sight and satellite communications....
Whether or not you’ve resolved to get into shape this January, Muscle Month is here to teach you a thing or two about stretching, contracting, lifting, tearing, gaining, and so much more. Even in 2019, many of us still act like pregnancy is practically a disability. Anyone in that condition should take it easy, eat plenty of food, and generally avoid doing anything that might be even remotely construed as interfering with the body’s ability to grow a human being....
As long as Dry January has existed, it has been mocked and criticized as a virtue-signaling gimmick that simply demonizes alcohol. While some criticisms of the tradition may be valid, the fact is that abstaining from or reducing alcohol intake, at any time, is an admirable endeavor—not a reason to shame people. In the past few years, the “mindful drinking” movement has evolved to embrace nuanced, positive frameworks for approaching sobriety or moderation....
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Philosophy can help us tackle the question of whether direct action is warranted via the theory of civil disobedience. This states that, in a democratic society, one is justified in disobeying the law only when other alternatives have been exhausted, and the injustice being protested against is grave. In the case of the climate school strikes, it is without question that the injustice—the threat—is grave. There is none graver facing us....
In a paper published this week in Nature Climate Change researchers found that in the next century, weather conditions in the countries bordering the Persian Gulf could reach absolutely deadly levels during the height of summer. The researchers predict that average temperatures during the summer will continue to rise based on current climate change models, with some days reaching temperatures and humidity levels that are hazardous to even the healthiest human....
Get the right TV this Black Friday Black Friday and Cyber Monday are holidays basically dedicated to buying giant TVs at cheap prices. But, if you don’t know what you’re looking at, you can end up with 55-inches of blurry, washed-out garbage instead of the set of your dreams. Here’s a guide on how to pick the right TV. Remember, you’ll be watching the series finale of Game of Thrones on this thing, so take it seriously....
Last year L.A.-based artist Stephen Glassman, who has apparently been making bamboo art installations for two decades, made a small-scale art project called Urban Air that involved a miniature billboard-bamboo setup. After it got some attention, leading billboard-maker Summit Media agreed to donate billboards in busy areas of Los Angeles for the first prototype. It works by removing the advertisement-ready facade and retrofitting a billboard’s metal husk to contain planters, live bamboo and a watering system....
The quake had a magnitude of 7.5. The magnitude of an earthquake is the amount of shaking and energy released during an earthquake, and a 7.5 is very high–usually only 20 or so earthquakes of this size happen in any given year, and they tend to be serious, with the potential to reduce buildings to rubble. There are early reports that homes and buildings collapsed in the quake, but getting information about damage and casualties from the quake remains difficult....
In audiophile-grade headsets like Master & Dynamic’s MG20 wireless gaming headphones, the divide between those two worlds has never seemed sharper. Most gaming headsets, even the great ones, cost less than $250 dollars. The MG20 costs $450. And while some other headsets we’ve covered—such as the Audeze Mobius—feature special tech to augment the pitch and perceived directionality of sound, the MG20 relies solely on its ability to produce that higher level of audio quality, and the ability to look and feel like something that could do such a thing....
Accordingly, heat advisories are in effect across the country, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (which also just announced that last month was the planet’s hottest June on record). During heatwaves, public health officials often warn that the elderly and people with chronic conditions such as diabetes or cardiovascular and respiratory disease are at an increased risk of heat-related illness. Less publicized is the elevated risk for people with mental illnesses, especially those taking medications that can interfere with the body’s attempt to cool itself down....
“It has a face only your mother could love,” says Eric Chapman, director of aquatic science at Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. But the mother of all mothers, Mother Nature, does, in fact, love the hellbender. Although this creature might look like the spawn of satan, it is actually quite docile towards humans unless provoked. Plus, the aquatic animal does wonders for its environment as its presence signals water quality and mitigates crayfish populations from running amok....
Jonathan Bamber, who led the research, was originally mapping Greenland’s bedrock, which was previously thought to be relatively flat and smooth. “Unexpectedly, we found an enormous apparent formation,” he said. “We looked at it in more detail, and realised it was a canyon.” The canyon, which is thought to predate glaciation, has remained hidden beneath two kilometres of ice for more than four million years. It has the characteristics of a meandering river channel, an ancient river system that Bamber thinks hasn’t been significantly modified by ice cover....
