Notices by Flipboard Science Desk (sciencedesk@flipboard.social), page 4

A chemical that's been long used in soft, flexible plastics like PVC might be messing with the sex cells of some animals and possibly even humans, a new study suggests. Read more @ScienceAlert: https://flip.it/OLTP11
#Science #Humans #Chemicals #Health

As the expansion of the universe accelerates, a radical hypothesis has been stirring up controversy among astronomers. Are black holes behind the expansion? @LiveScience tackles the question: https://flip.it/IlSphK
#Science #Space #Universe #BlackHoles

With their bladed paws, wielded by a rippling mass of pure muscle, sharp eyes, agile reflexes, and crushing fanged jaws, lions are “the biggest group-hunting land predator on the planet.” And yet, they’re not the scariest. @ScienceAlert explains how this could be: https://flip.it/YL9IBJ
#Science #Animals #Lions #Predators #Humans #Africa

How best to tell the story of Texas’s frustration with Gov. Greg Abbott? Through the medium of song. “Young Greg Abbott: A FuQusical” had its first two full performances on Oct. 18 in Austin. @oconnell reviewed the show for @TexasObserver. The team behind it now want to take it on the road. “We really don’t want him to have a national profile, and, if he thinks of having one, we want to be in his ear as this very annoying little pesky punk show following him around,” co-creator Brently Heilbron says.

https://www.texasobserver.org/young-greg-abbott-musical/

#Texas #MusicalTheater #GregAbbott #Culture #Music #Theater #Newstodon #NewstodonFriday #FollowFriday

What is happening with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft?

From @ArsTechnica: "Among the options NASA and Boeing are considering: A Starliner cargo flight."

https://flip.it/B5mQgG

#Boeing #Starliner #Space #NASA #SpaceX #Science

How parrot plumage gets its dazzling reds and yellows.

From @npr: "Most birds with bright yellow or red feathers — think goldfinches and cardinals — use pigments called carotenoids to make those colors. ... There is a notable exception, however — parrots."

https://flip.it/DUuIC4

Full study: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adp7710

#Birds #Parrots #Animals #Science #Biology #Evolution

For years, humans have relished opportunities to kick, punch, trip, crush, and run over anything remotely resembling a robot. Sometimes it’s funny, but this penchant for machine violence could become potentially concerning as a new wave of humanoid robots is being built to work alongside people in manufacturing facilities. @PopularScience examines the history of people bullying robots. https://flip.it/kH1rAP
#Science #Robots #Technology #ComputerScience #HumanBehavior #Violence #Psychology

A team of researchers tracked 30 women who menstruate over their cycles, documenting in detail the structural changes that take place in the brain as hormonal profiles fluctuate. What’s more, the changes may extend beyond regions associated with the menstrual cycle. @ScienceAlert reports: https://flip.it/sh265K
#Science #Health #Human #Women #WomensHealth #Brain

How many more (or less) days will you spend outside in a climate changed world?

From @AnthropoceneMag: "A new study projects large drops in 'outdoor days' in the southeastern U.S. and an increase in the Northwest toward the end of the century."

https://flip.it/lff6il

#ClimateChange #Climate #Environment #Science

This ancient tadpole fossil is the oldest ever discovered.

@AssociatedPress reports: "The new fossil, found in Argentina, surpasses the previous ancient record holder by about 20 million years."

https://flip.it/Eti8lP

#Fossils #Paleontology #Science

Simple science summaries written by AI help people understand research and trust scientists, argues a professor of communication.

From @ConversationUS: "AI-generated summaries not only improved public comprehension of science but also enhanced how people perceived scientists."

https://flip.it/hohE5O

#AI #Science #ArtificialIntelligence #Communication #Language

With Halloween here, we're reminded of the superstition that black cats are bad luck. 🎃

This editor can personally attest that it's not true! One of my favorite pets was a lovely black cat named Felix: smart, funny and the best companion.

@ConversationUS looks at the human biases against all black or all white animals. "As two biologists who focus on human-wildlife interactions, what we find scary is how superstitions, lore and myths can shape your subconscious – particularly biases toward the animals people are trying to conserve and protect."

https://flip.it/Gi2WZD

#Animals #Halloween #Cats #Biology #Psychology #Science

"A newly discovered 450-million-year-old fossil arthropod was found entirely preserved in pyrite — aka fool’s gold."

From @popsci: "The newly named species Lomankus edgecombei boasts a leg coming out of its head called a 'great appendage' that likely helped this extinct spider-like creature live in a very hostile world."

https://flip.it/sAz_fd

The original study: https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(24)01367-8?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982224013678%3Fshowall%3Dtrue

#Fossil #Arthropod #Science #Paleontology

Where has all the rain gone? Bone-dry October strikes much of the U.S.

@AssociatedPress reports: "Cities that have had no measurable rain for October include New York, Houston, Dallas, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Sioux City, Iowa, along with normal dry spots such as Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Phoenix, National Weather Service records show."

https://flip.it/r03FW_

#Weather #Drought #ClimateChange #Climate #Rain

A colossal asteroid once boiled the oceans. It also did the unexpected.

@Mashable reports: "Scientists suspect the impact left behind a monstrous crater some 297 miles (487 kilometers) wide, and created rock formations that remain exposed today in South Africa — with telltale signs from the ancient collision."

https://flip.it/-MjEzu

Here's the full study: https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2408721121

#Asteroid #Geology #Earth #Science

Two teenagers have once again proved an ancient math rule.

From Science News: “Some people have the impression that you have to be in academia for years and years before you can actually produce some new mathematics,” says mathematician Álvaro Lozano-Robledo of the University of Connecticut in Storrs.

https://flip.it/_48RXz

#Math #Mathematics #Science #Maths #Pythagorean #Trigonometry

China says it’s ready to launch the next crew to its orbiting space station this week.

@AssociatedPress reports: "The two men and one woman will replace the astronauts who’ve lived on the Tiangong space station for the last six months. ... China built its own space station after being excluded from the International Space Station."

https://flip.it/wMbS4l

#Space #China #Astronaut #Science

"There are real vampires in the world of bats. Out of over 1,400 currently described bat species, three are known to feed on blood exclusively."

From @ConversationUS: "Look beyond the fangs and blood to see animal friendships and unique adaptations."

https://flip.it/nvmvDR

#Bat #Animals #Biology #Science #Ecology #Halloween

Scientists say skeletal remains found in a castle well belong to figure from 800-year-old saga.

From CNN: "The 800-year-old Sverris saga, which follows the story of the real-life King Sverre Sigurdsson, includes the tossing of the body of a dead man — later known as 'Well-man' — down a well during a military raid in central Norway in 1197."

https://flip.it/2-.l5a

Here's the full study: https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(24)02301-0

#History #Archaeology #Norway #Norse #Science #Anthropology

In the U.S., daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, Nov. 3.

@AssociatedPress has tips for preparing your body and mind for the time change: https://flip.it/pbfndr

#DaylightSavingTime #Time #Health #Science