The earliest evidence of alcohol dates back to 7000 BCE. And we’ve been raising pints, sipping cocktails and chugging shots ever since. This is all to illustrate that human culture and alcohol have a deep, entangled relationship. But the relationship might be about to change. @sciencefocus gives us an understanding of what alcohol really does to our bodies, explores the value of abstinence, and more: https://flip.it/fiAmj- #Science#Health#Human#Alcohol#Drinking#Cocktails#Booze#Beer
Spacewalking is the new domain of the rich as billionaire attempts first private spacewalk.
From AP: "The stage is set for the first private spacewalk Thursday. Tech billionaire Jared Isaacman will pop out of the hatch of his orbiting SpaceX capsule, two days after blasting off from Florida on a chartered flight that lifted him and his crew higher than anyone since NASA’s moonwalkers. He partnered with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to buy a series of rocket rides and help develop brand new spacesuits."
Does fidgeting really help you focus? According to science, it depends.
From @popsci: "Both children and adults diagnosed with ADHD who engage in more intrinsic movements (measured with devices placed on the wrists and ankles) during a task perform better, based on two separate studies involving dozens of participants."
"SpaceX’s latest mission — a bold and risky trek into Earth’s Van Allen radiation belts by a four-person crew of civilians who will also aim to conduct the first commercial spacewalk — just took flight."
The 2022 eruption of the underwater Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano unleashed a powerful tsunami that destroyed homes and caused four deaths throughout Tonga. It also launched 150 metric tons of water vapor into the stratosphere. Live Science tells us how the explosion has affected the Southern Hemisphere's climate ever since: https://flip.it/grvkap #Science#Volcano#Climate#Tonga#Eruptions#Ocean
A food dye that helps give certain sodas and snacks (like Doritos) their hallmark orange hue can temporarily turn biological tissue transparent to the naked eye. Scientists have used the dye, called tartrazine, to see the organs in a mouse’s intact abdomen, glimpse the pulsing vessels surrounding a rodent skull, and to get an exceptionally clear view of muscle tissue through a microscope. Could this method spur new scientific findings? Popular Science has more: https://flip.it/wm.9iW #Science#Research#FoodDye#Doritos#Laboratory#Mice
Telling people that most scientists agree that human-caused climate change is happening can help to nudge their thinking in that direction.
Personal conversations help. Start with things they care about, such as food prices, national security or fishing. There is a climate-change angle to almost everything.
The next step is to listen carefully and connect the dots between a person's experience and local climate information.
For an enduring shift, the message needs to be personally relevant. That’s because “climate change is affecting the people and places and things that we love right now,” says Anthony Leiserowitz, the director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication.
"It has taken me about 20 years of slow, careful, loving, supportive conversations to change their mind."
The Polaris Dawn mission this week will send four civilian astronauts into space — where fewer than 700 people have been since 1961. Private space companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin hope to boost that number to many thousands, and SpaceX is already taking bookings for flights to Earth orbit. But space is an unnatural environment for humans, and the mission is rife with danger. For @ScienceAlert, an astronomer assesses the risks and rewards of leaving Earth. https://flip.it/J-IvPP #Science#Space#SpaceExploration#PolarisDawn#SpaceX#BlueOrigin
The Milky Way galaxy is acting like that person taking your elbow rest on a cross-country flight, rudely touching another galaxy, scientists are saying. The outer boundary of our home Milky Way may be stretching much farther into the vastness of space than initially thought — and is in fact already touching its closest neighbor, the galaxy Andromeda. Futurism has more: https://flip.it/Hnnq8M #Science#Space#MilkyWay#Astronomy#Stars
As if mosquitoes didn’t already have the upper hand in their quest for human blood, the biting pests are using infrared sensing in their antennae to track down their prey, a new study has found. And they’re more than a nuisance in many parts of the world, spreading deadly pathogens like dengue fever. ScienceAlert has more: https://flip.it/zB4gna #Science#Health#Illness#Human#Mosquitoes
"Boeing's troubled Starliner spacecraft — not trusted by NASA to safely bring its crew home from the International Space Station — was rigged for undocking Friday and an unpiloted return to Earth to close out a disappointing test flight marred by helium leaks and thruster problems."
Many dogs like to play fetch. But what about cats? 🐕 🐈
From @TheConversationUS: "Despite their very different hunting and play styles, fetching appears to combine elements of predatory and social behavior for both species."
From @KnowableMag: "It’s clear that genes, receptors and neurons all play a role in detecting odors. But much of how we make sense of what we sniff remains mysterious. A neuroscientist explains."
The Mastcam team of the Curiosity rover is hoping to capture a special celestial event above the Martian skyline as one of Mars’ moons, Phobos, will be in conjunction with Earth on the evening of this Martian day. So everyone look up, and smile for the camera!