Does running water really trigger the urge to pee? Experts explain the brain-bladder connection
We all know that feeling when nature calls – but what’s far less understood is the psychology behind it. Why, for example, do we get the urge to pee just before getting into the shower, or when we’re swimming? What brings on those “nervous wees” right before a date?
https://theconversation.com/does-running-water-really-trigger-the-urge-to-pee-experts-explain-the-brain-bladder-connection-210808
#Psychology #UrinaryIncontinence #Physiology #Pee #urination #HumanPhysiology #Bladder
The Black Composers of New Orleans Opera Are Finally Getting Their Due
And it’s all thanks to this mother-daughter dream team.
Although classical music has always included the contributions of people of color, they have rarely had the recognition or opportunities afforded to white musicians, composers, singers, and stage producers.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/black-composers-new-orleans-opera-creole-classical-music #Black #Composers #NewOrleans #Opera #creole #OperaCreole
Human trials of artificial wombs could start soon. Here’s what you need to know
US regulators will consider clinical trials of a system that mimics the womb, which could reduce deaths and disability for babies born extremely preterm.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02901-1 ##artificial #womb #trial #preterm
Signs of Life? Why This Alien World’s Atmosphere Is Exciting Astronomers
Scientists in the United Kingdom and the United States have just reported some very interesting chemical traces in the atmosphere of a planet called K2-18b, which is about 124 light-years from Earth. In particular, they may have detected a substance which on Earth is only produced by living things.
https://singularityhub.com/2023/09/13/signs-of-life-why-this-alien-worlds-atmosphere-is-exciting-astronomers/ #exoplanet #atmosphere #K2ー1b #DimethylSulfide #DMS #CH3SCH3 #life
Exiled Russian journalist had phone hacked with Pegasus spyware
The phone of a prominent Russian journalist and critic of the Kremlin was infected with Pegasus spyware, according to new research.
The notorious spying software developed by the Israeli company NSO Group was reportedly installed on the iPhone of Galina Timchenko, owner of the Russian independent media outlet Meduza, while she was in Berlin
https://therecord.media/meduza-ceo-hacked-pegasus-spyware-russian-journalist #russian #journalist #hacked #pegasus #meduza #notorious #NSO
Why Japan is building its own version of ChatGPT
Some Japanese researchers feel that AI systems trained on foreign languages cannot grasp the intricacies of Japanese language and culture.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02868-z #japan #AISystem #chatbot #LLM #rakuda #fugaku
The Hidden Danger: Air Pollution’s Link to Breast Cancer Risk
Researchers from the National Institutes of Health have discovered a correlation between high levels of particulate air pollution and an increased risk of breast cancer.
https://scitechdaily.com/the-hidden-danger-air-pollutions-link-to-breast-cancer-risk/ #AirPollution #BreastCancer #particulates #risk #PM2point5
Natural Compound Found in Popular Culinary Spice Equally Effective As Indigestion Drugs
A recent study reveals that curcumin, a compound found in turmeric, may be equally effective as the drug omeprazole in treating symptoms of indigestion, with significant symptom reductions observed in both treatment groups over a period of 28 to 56 days.
https://scitechdaily.com/natural-compound-found-in-popular-culinary-spice-equally-effective-as-indigestion-drugs/ #spice #indigestion #drug #curcumin #natural #compound
"Needs More Cowbird"
Wild male palm cockatoos rock out with custom drumsticks
The instruments are part of their mating display and showcase their creativity
Male palm cockatoos woo mates with percussive musical displays featuring custom-crafted drumsticks, which they throw to the ground after each performance.
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/wild-male-palm-cockatoos-drumsticks #PalmCockatoos #drums #percussion #mating #creativity
Appeals Court Upholds Public.Resource.Org’s Right to Post Public Laws and Regulations Online
Our laws belong to all of us, and we should be able to find, read, and share them free of registration requirements, fees, and other roadblocks.
Technical standards like fire and electrical codes developed by private organizations but incorporated into public law can be freely disseminated without any liability for copyright infringement, a federal appeals court ruled.
https://www.eff.org/press/releases/appeals-court-upholds-publicresourceorgs-right-post-public-laws-and-regulations #RightToPost #publish
#PublicLaws #Regulations #Online
Seventy-Year-Old Puzzle Solved – Researchers Decipher Ancient “Unknown Kushan Script”
Currently, about 60 percent of the characters can be read, and the group is working to decipher the remaining characters. A detailed description of the decipherment has now been published in the journal Transactions of the Philological Society.
https://scitechdaily.com/seventy-year-old-puzzle-solved-researchers-decipher-ancient-unknown-kushan-script/ #kushan #script #bilingual #inscription #Tajikistan
Phishing campaign uses Word documents to distribute three malware strains
Researchers identified a new phishing campaign that uses Microsoft Word documents to distribute malware that can log what a victim types, siphon cryptocurrency funds, and steal sensitive data.
https://therecord.media/phishing-campaign-agent-tesla-originbotnet-redline-clipper #phishing #Microsoft #Word #documents #malware #attachment #RedLine Clipper #AgentTesla #OriginBotnet
Password-stealing Linux malware served for 3 years and no one noticed
It's not too late to check if a Linux device you use was targeted.
The site, freedownloadmanager[.]org, offered a benign version of a Linux offering known as the Free Download Manager. Starting in 2020, the same domain at times redirected users to the domain deb.fdmpkg[.]org, which served a malicious version of the app.
https://arstechnica.com/security/2023/09/password-stealing-linux-malware-served-for-3-years-and-no-one-noticed/ #Linux #password #stealing #malware #backdoor
Ancient-human fossils sent to space: scientists slam ‘publicity stunt’
The decision to send hominin bones on a commercial spaceflight has raised eyebrows among human-evolution researchers.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02882-1 #fossils #travelled #space #VirginGalactic #VSSUnity #hominin #AustralopithecusSediba #HomoNaledi #SAHRA #NationalGeographic
Breast cancer often spreads to the spine — newfound stem cell can explain why
A stem cell that contributes to vertebra formation also encourages the growth of tumours that move to the backbone from elsewhere.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02851-8 #breast #cancer #metastasis #vertebrae #tumour #protein #MFGE8 #StemCells #vSSCs
DSCC Reports Record Lobbyist-Bundled Donations
The Senate Democrats' campaign arm reports getting $5.3 million in lobbyist-bundled donations so far this year, more than double its previous record.
https://readsludge.com/2023/07/31/dscc-reports-record-lobbyist-bundled-donations/ #lobbyists #BundledDonations #democrats #DSCC
No Labels Funnels Finance Money to Congress
Billionaire investor Howard Marks and private equity executives with firms like Bain Capital and Neuberger Berman made earmarked donations through a No Labels PAC this year.
https://readsludge.com/2023/07/28/no-labels-funnels-finance-money-to-congress/ #NoLabels #DarkMoney #JoeManchinWV #VicenteGonzalezTx #JoshGottheimerNJ #AbigailSpanbergerVA #KyrstenSinemaAZ #ProblemSolvers #DefundFakeDemocrats
New Paleolithic Cave Art Site Discovered in Spain
Archaeologists have discovered and examined over a hundred Paleolithic paintings and engravings — thought to be at least 24,000 years old — in Cova Dones in Millares near Valencia, Spain. Their preliminary results reveal a rich graphic assemblage with features that are unusual for Mediterranean Upper Paleolithic art and were previously unknown for the Pleistocene in the eastern Iberian coast.
https://www.sci.news/archaeology/cova-dones-paleolithic-cave-art-site-12260.html #paleolithic #CaveArt #spain #paintings #engravings
Ting1
Örnsköldsvik, Sweden
Contrasting the old concrete courthouse beneath, a modern and colorful residential marvel has emerged, stirring both acclaim and controversy.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/ting1-sweden #Ting1
#Örnsköldsvik #Sweden
#modern #colorful #residential #acclaim #controversy
Stunting Successfully Reversed – New Research Challenges WHO’s Guidelines
A recent study challenges the conventional belief that nutrient supplements can’t stimulate growth after age two, demonstrating that even older stunted children can benefit from such supplements, and plant-based proteins are as effective as dairy for this purpose.
https://scitechdaily.com/stunting-successfully-reversed-new-research-challenges-whos-guidelines/ #stunting #reversed #WHO #guidelines #nutrient #supplements #benefit
Power grid of Asian nation shows signs of intrusion by espionage group
Hackers attacked the national power grid of an unspecified Asian country earlier this year using malware typically deployed by personnel connected to China’s government, researchers said Tuesday.
https://therecord.media/power-grid-asian-nation-cyber-espionage-redfly-shadowpad #Hackers #attack #national #PowerGrid #Asian #country #malware
Power grid of Asian nation shows signs of intrusion by espionage group
Hackers attacked the national power grid of an unspecified Asian country earlier this year using malware typically deployed by personnel connected to China’s government, researchers said Tuesday.
https://therecord.media/power-grid-asian-nation-cyber-espionage-redfly-shadowpad #Hackers #attack #national #PowerGrid #Asian #country #malware
CIA bribed its own COVID-19 origin team to reject lab-leak theory, anonymous whistleblower claims
Agency denies allegation as congressional panel demands information from CIA probe into pandemic’s start
. . . Andersen said that “several scientists were part of their team and they knew their stuff.” He asserts that the new whistleblower allegation “obviously is bullshit.”
https://www.science.org/content/article/cia-bribed-its-own-covid-19-origin-team-reject-lab-leak-theory-anonymous-whistleblower #COVIDー19 #CIA #LabLeakTheory #whistleblower #bribe #YesItsARepublican
Why Juneteenth matters for science
In the light of US court rulings on racism in science and affirmative action in higher education, commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans is ever more important.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02855-4 #Juneteenth #science #emancipation #representation #politics #diversity
Nature’s Secret Code: New Findings Shatter Long-Held Beliefs About Fibonacci Spirals
A 3D model of a 407-million-year-old plant fossil has reshaped our understanding of leaf evolution. This study has also provided new perspectives on the remarkable patterns observed in plants.
the typical spiral configurations of leaves seen in nature now were not prevalent in the earliest terrestrial plants that first appeared on our planet.
https://scitechdaily.com/natures-secret-code-new-findings-shatter-long-held-beliefs-about-fibonacci-spirals/ #Fibonacci #Spirals #evolution #palaeobiology
How China gets free intel on tech companies’ vulnerabilities
If your company operates in China, it must reveal all hackable bugs to government.
Either leave China or give sensitive descriptions of vulnerabilities in the company’s products to a government that may well use that information for offensive hacking.
https://arstechnica.com/security/2023/09/how-china-gets-free-intel-on-tech-companies-vulnerabilities/ #china #tech #vulnerabilities #hackable
U.S. bets it can drill for climate-friendly hydrogen—just like oil
Government offers first major funding for unexplored energy source
A dark horse concept in the race to develop clean and sustainable energy sources is getting its first major investment from the U.S. government. Today, the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), announced it would fund $20 million in grants to advance technologies for extracting clean-burning hydrogen from deep rocks.
https://www.science.org/content/article/u-s-bets-it-can-drill-climate-friendly-hydrogen-just-oil #US #hydrogen #energy #ARPAE #DeepRocks
Australia’s “Fairy Circles” – Nature’s Hydrogen Goldmine?
Pockmarked landscapes in Australia may be a treasure map of sorts for a natural source of clean energy. Clusters of so-called “fairy circles” in the North Perth Basin of Western Australia have been found to seep hydrogen gas from their perimeters. Natural sources of hydrogen such as these, which have been found on multiple continents, are receiving more and more attention in the quest for fossil fuel alternatives.
https://scitechdaily.com/australias-fairy-circles-natures-hydrogen-goldmine/ #australia #hydrogen #FairyCircles #Energy #seep
“People Have To Be Careful” – Scientists Debunk Claims of a Psychedelic Cannabinoid
Despite increasing popularity and claims about its psychedelic effects similar to LSD or psilocybin mushrooms, THC-O-acetate, a cannabinoid derived from delta-8 THC, doesn’t induce significant psychedelic experiences, according to a recent study. THC-O-acetate due to its acetate composition, when heated can produce toxic gas.
https://scitechdaily.com/people-have-to-be-careful-scientists-debunk-claims-of-a-psychedelic-cannabinoid/ #Psychedelic #Cannabinoid #toxic #gas
A magnetic therapy for depression gains precision
Approved over a decade ago, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is moderately effective. Tailoring the treatment to individual brains may improve results.
https://knowablemagazine.org/article/mind/2023/targeting-tms-for-depression #magnetic #therapy #depression #TMS #transcranial
The Healing Power of Cannabis – Scientists Shed New Light on Its Anti-Inflammatory Effects
Researchers from the Institute of Pharmacy in Jena studied the anti-inflammatory effects of cannabinoids, particularly focusing on CBD (cannabidiol). They found that CBD activates an enzyme leading to inflammation resolution and believe these findings could result in new treatments for inflammatory diseases.
https://scitechdaily.com/the-healing-power-of-cannabis-scientists-shed-new-light-on-its-anti-inflammatory-effects/ #cannabis #pharmaceutical #AntiInflammatory #CBD #cannabidiol #enzyme #15lipoxygenase1
Shaking the Foundations of Neuroscience: The Astonishing Discovery of a New Type of Brain Cell
Researchers have discovered a new hybrid brain cell, bridging the gap between neurons and astrocytes. This cell can release neurotransmitters and may influence conditions like epilepsy and memory consolidation, offering promising paths for neuroscientific research and potential treatments.
https://scitechdaily.com/shaking-the-foundations-of-neuroscience-the-astonishing-discovery-of-a-new-type-of-brain-cell/ #nerve #cell #hybrid #neurons #astrocytes #neuroscience
What’s the Bare Minimum Number of People for a Mars Habitat?
A recent preprint paper examines the minimum number of people required to maintain a feasible settlement on Mars while accounting for psychological and behavioral factors, specifically in emergency situations.
https://www.universetoday.com/163069/whats-the-bare-minimum-number-of-people-for-a-mars-habitat/ #mars #habitat #crew #settlement #feasibility
As Night Falls, India’s Lunar Lander/Rover Goes to Sleep. Probably Forever
India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission delivered its Vikram lander and Pragyan rover to the lunar surface on August 23rd. Now, as the lunar day ends two weeks later, the rover’s mission may be over. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has put Pragyan into sleep mode.
https://www.universetoday.com/163045/as-night-falls-indias-lunar-lander-rover-goes-to-sleep-probably-forever/ #india Moon #lunar Rover #Chandrayaan3 #Vikram #Pragyan #night
Toyota’s Japanese production was halted due to insufficient disk space
"Not caused by a cyberattack."
According to Toyota, its Japanese factories and their 28 assembly lines were halted due to "some multiple servers that process part orders" becoming unavailable and causing Toyota's production order system to malfunction on August 28.
The problem began during maintenance work on August 27.
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2023/09/insufficient-disk-space-caused-2-day-shutdown-of-toyotas-japanese-factories/ #toyota #insufficient #DiskSpace #shutdown #maintenance #backup
No Benefit of Anti-inflammatory Strategy in Acute Myocarditis
A short course of the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist, anakinra, appeared safe but did not reduce complications of acute myocarditis in the ARAMIS trial.
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/996176? #AntiInflammatory #myocarditis #interleukin1 #anakinra #ARAMIS
America Could Be in for a Rough Fall
The weather is about to get even weirder.
El Niño, the warm phase of a naturally recurring cycle that can wreak havoc on global weather patterns, has officially returned—and it’s predicted to be a strong one. The southern U.S. will likely be wetter, while forecasts are for a warm winter in the North.
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2023/09/fall-winter-heat-el-nino-climate-change/675238/?utm_source=feed #america #fall #weather #climate #ElNiño #predictions
TESS Finds a Planet That Takes 482 Days to Orbit, the Widest it’s Seen so Far
Over 80% of the exoplanets found by Kepler and TESS orbit their stars in fewer than 50 days. That’s quicker than Mercury’s 88-day orbit.
Now, TESS has found a planet on the other end of the orbital spectrum. Rather than adhering to an intimate orbit that keeps it near its star, this new planet has the widest orbit yet found by TESS. It takes 482 days to orbit.
https://www.universetoday.com/163044/tess-finds-a-planet-that-takes-482-days-to-orbit-the-widest-its-seen-so-far/ #TESS #exoplanets #orbit #year #TransitMethod #TOI4600c
X “unfit” for banking because of complicity in Saudi spying, lawyers argue
Read the letter urging regulators to end Musk’s dream of turning X into a bank.
US banking regulators are being urged to reconsider approving X's applications to provide financial services, The Guardian reported. And Ars confirmed that states that already granted licenses are being pressured to revoke them.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/09/x-unfit-for-banking-because-of-complicity-in-saudi-spying-lawyers-argue/ #X #banking #saudi #complicity #spying #regulators #musk
IRS Plans to Crack Down on 1,600 Millionaires for Back Taxes
IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel said that with a boost in federal funding and the help of artificial intelligence tools, the agency has new means of targeting wealthy people who have "cut corners" on their taxes.
He said 1,600 millionaires who owe at least $250,000 each in back taxes and 75 large business partnerships that have assets of roughly $10 billion on average are targeted for the new "compliance efforts."
https://www.voanews.com/a/irs-plans-to-crack-down-on-1-600-millionaires-for-back-taxes-/7260620.html #IRS #millionaires #BackTaxes #AI #compliance
Alarming Discovery: Mutating Bird Flu in China Raises Pandemic Fears
A study by researchers in China and Nottingham found that a subtype of the H3N8 avian influenza virus currently prevalent in Chinese poultry farms is undergoing mutations that facilitate airborne transmission and can cause severe infections in humans, raising fears of a potential pandemic.
https://scitechdaily.com/alarming-discovery-mutating-bird-flu-in-china-raises-pandemic-fears/ #Mutating #Bird #Flu #China #Pandemic #potential
Pliocene Conveyer Belt in the Pacific
Ocean Drilling Program cores and helium isotopes put better constraints on the ocean circulation in the north Pacific.
https://eos.org/editor-highlights/pliocene-conveyer-belt-in-the-pacific #pliocene #ConveyorBelt #ocean #pacific #isotopes #PMOC #AMOC
Mars Has Far Fewer Minerals Than Earth Does
The development of plate tectonics and life on Earth provided avenues for mineral evolution that did not occur on Mars, resulting in relatively limited mineral diversity on the Red Planet.
https://eos.org/research-spotlights/mars-has-far-fewer-minerals-than-earth-does #mars #earth #minerals #life #evolution #tectonics
Experts Fear Crooks are Cracking Keys Stolen in LastPass Breach
a steady trickle of six-figure cryptocurrency heists targeting security-conscious people throughout the tech industry has led some security experts to conclude that crooks likely have succeeded at cracking open some of the stolen LastPass vaults.
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2023/09/experts-fear-crooks-are-cracking-keys-stolen-in-lastpass-breach/ #LastPass #breach #keys #cracked #crypto
From the article:
WHAT SHOULD LASTPASS USERS DO?
According to MetaMask’s Monahan, users who stored any important passwords with LastPass — particularly those related to cryptocurrency accounts — should change those credentials immediately, and migrate any crypto holdings to new offline hardware wallets.
“Really the ONLY thing you need to read is this,” Monahan pleaded to her 70,000 followers on Twitter/X: “PLEASE DON’T KEEP ALL YOUR ASSETS IN A SINGLE KEY OR SECRET PHRASE FOR YEARS. THE END. Split up your assets. Get a hw [hardware] wallet.Migrate.Now.”
New Cause of Alzheimer’s Disease and Vascular Dementia Discovered
Ferroptosis, which is caused by a buildup of iron in cells, appears to be a major mechanism of white matter injury in Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia, according to a new study.
https://www.sci.news/othersciences/neuroscience/ferroptosis-alzheimers-disease-vascular-dementia-12242.html #alzheimers #vascular #dementia #Ferroptosis #iron #microglia #brain
How Ancient Dart Launchers Changed the Game for Early Female Hunters
A female archaeologist is challenging the idea of men as hunters and women as gatherers, one throw at a time.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/early-women-hunt-too #DartLunchers #atlatl #women #hunters #gender #roles
Scientists Identify Potential Treatment for Rare and Devastating Lung Disease
Researchers have potentially identified a treatment for the rare lung disease LAM, found in women of childbearing age. By targeting a newly discovered dysregulated pathway, two existing drugs might effectively treat and possibly cure LAM.
https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-identify-potential-treatment-for-rare-and-devastating-lung-disease/ #LAM #lymphangioleiomyomatosis #lung #disease #treatment
‘Weird’ dinosaur prompts rethink of bird evolution
The fossil is as old as the ‘first bird’, Archaeopteryx, and might have specialized in running or wading instead of flying.
Fujianvenator prodigiosus, a bird-like dinosaur discovered near Nanping in China, had unusually long legs and did not seem equipped for flight
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02757-5 #dinosaur #bird #evolution #jurassic #running #wading #flying
Is Stress Gender-Blind? New Research Says No, and the Implications Are Huge
A recent mouse study could pave the way for personalized treatments for depression, anxiety, and other stress-induced conditions, which are known to impact men and women differently.
https://scitechdaily.com/is-stress-gender-blind-new-research-says-no-and-the-implications-are-huge/ #stress #gender Men #women #mice #depression #anxiety
It’s way past time to stop police ‘testilying’
OPINION: The culture of deception in US courts needs to end
But the appallingly routine habit of police providing false testimony, both in written reports and on the witness stand, still doesn’t get enough attention.
This practice is so common that police officers coined their own word for it decades ago: testilying.
https://knowablemagazine.org/article/society/2023/time-to-end-police-deception #police #testimony #testifying #false #deception #lying #courts #reports
Hormone Therapy Linked to 24% Increased Risk of Dementia
New research suggests that the use of menopausal hormone therapy is linked to a heightened risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Although the study’s findings shouldn’t be taken as a direct causal relationship, it calls for further research on the topic.
https://scitechdaily.com/hormone-therapy-linked-to-24-increased-risk-of-dementia/ #Hormone #Therapy #Dementia #menopause #estrogen #progestin
Scientists Unearth Primordial Photoredox Catalyst
Researchers have demonstrated that a solid formed from ammonia and methane plasma can use sunlight to catalyze amine-to-imine conversions, a process potentially pivotal in the formation of early biomolecules. The study suggests the primordial atmosphere may have provided the necessary catalysts for such conversions, supporting the evolution of early RNA molecules.
https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-unearth-primordial-photoredox-catalyst/ #Primordial #Photoredox #Catalyst#ammonia #methane #graphite #amine #imine #RNA
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