Notices by Flipboard Science Desk (sciencedesk@flipboard.social), page 47

"The ‘average’ revolutionized scientific research, but overreliance on it has led to discrimination and injury."

From @TheConversationUS: https://flip.it/vFF4_5

#Science #Research #Academia

What it’s like to live in the most polluted place on Earth.

@BloombergGreen reports: "The air in one South African industrial region is so contaminated that a town regularly registers the highest levels of harmful particulate emissions on the planet."

https://flip.it/ggBYa6

#Pollution #Climate #Environment #SouthAfrica #SocialJustice

Locust swarms will intensify with climate change, threatening food security, study finds.

Salon reports that "as climate change worsens, locusts will expand their ranges in the very same North African and Middle Eastern regions where the Bible is set."

https://flip.it/-.gPD_

Here's the full study in Science Advances: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adj1164

#ClimateChange #Climate #Insects #Entomology #Famine

Our ancient animal ancestors had tails. Why don’t we?

AP reports "researchers have identified at least one of the key genetic tweaks that led to this change."

https://flip.it/wa5kNJ

#Animals #Human #Evolution #Science

Where does lightning strike? New maps pinpoint 36.8 million yearly ground strike points in unprecedented detail.

@TheConversationUS reports: https://flip.it/s3pzNE

#Lightning #Storm #Weather #Meteorology #Science

Finishing a PhD is reason to celebrate, but did you know there is a "Dance Your PhD" contest?

@Smithsonianmag reports this year's winner was a musical celebration of kangaroo behavior.

https://flip.it/D8Uw-0

For more stories from Smithsonian Magazine, follow "Science": @science-Smithsonianmag

#PhD #Academia #Research #Science #Dance

Today is Feb. 29. BBC examines the mathematical muddle created by leap years.

"This is the messy story of how leap years work."

https://flip.it/4q_Hqj

#LeapDay #LeapYear #Math #Mathematics #Calendar #Time

Why flamingo milk is pink. Plus, other weird things the staff @popsci learned this week.

They write: "In a world of upwards of 10,000 species of birds, only three kinds of birds create 'milk.'"

https://flip.it/.2VGru

#Birds #Flamingo #Science #Weird

A child's dream to "drive" a space shuttle propels him toward a historic NASA mission.

NPR profiles Victor Glover, a Navy captain and the first African American to have spent extended time on the International Space Station.

https://flip.it/BUfDTg

#NASA #Space #Astronauts #BlackHistoryMonth #BlackMastodon

What ancient farmers can really teach us about adapting to climate change.

From @TheConversationUS: "In dozens of archaeological discoveries around the world, ... new evidence paints pictures of civilizations struggling with unforeseen climate changes and the reality that their farming practices had become unsustainable."

https://flip.it/dUpliJ

#ClimateChange #Climate #Agriculture #Farming #Archaeology #Farmers

The Lady Gaga ferns are losing their home.

Atmos argues this is bad for science and society. "Duke University is closing its century-old herbarium—a legendary plant collection and training ground—to the outcry of many."

https://flip.it/SS9tXx

#Plants #Ferns #Botany #Duke #LadyGaga #Science

"A private U.S. lunar lander is expected to stop working Tuesday, its mission cut short after landing sideways near the south pole of the moon."

AP reports: https://flip.it/soty3n

#Moon #Space #LunarLanding #Odysseus

Rare megamouth shark found in east Africa for the first time.

@TheConversationUS explores why so little is known about this species: https://flip.it/38g7IW

#Sharks #Animals #Ocean #Biology #Africa #Science

"The first photo of the Odysseus lunar lander on the moon, the first U.S. spacecraft to make a soft landing on the lunar surface in more than 50 years, was released Monday."

ABC News reports: https://flip.it/vLonPH

For more stories like this, follow "Space News": @space-news-science

#Odysseus #Moon #MoonLanding #Space

"Astronomers have found three previously unknown moons in our solar system — two additional moons circling Neptune and one around Uranus."

AP reports: "The distant tiny moons were spotted using powerful land-based telescopes in Hawaii and Chile."

https://flip.it/kkl5iD

#Space #Neptune #Uranus #Astronomy

Microplastics are found just about everywhere and, apparently, infiltrated environments untouched by modern humans. A study published in the journal Science Advances details how a team of researchers found microplastics in sediment layers at three lakes in Latvia. Futurism has more. https://flip.it/NdQvR5
#Science #Microplastics #Europe #Latvia

One the list of illnesses that nobody wants, cancer and HIV rank pretty high. Paul Edmonds had both. But ever since a particular treatment five years ago, the California man has been cleared of each disease. Science Alert has more on this astonishing story of hope. https://flip.it/TGFyYY
#Science #Health #Cancer #HIV

A leading food and drug chemist says most memory supplements probably aren't going to work. But getting enough protein from some plant sources and eating more berries just might boost your recall. Here’s more from Business Insider. https://flip.it/00WN5V
#Science #Food #Memory #Health #Brain

A star in a nearby galaxy exploded in a spectacular supernova visible to Earth in 1987. But it left so much debris that astronomers couldn’t see past the dust for further examination. AP has more, including how the James Webb Space Telescope recently cut through the clutter to reveal what became of the star after its fiery demise. https://flip.it/HlBkko
#Science #Space #JWST #NASA #SpaceExploration

Why are there so many snakes? 🐍

@popsci reports: "Thousands of species of snakes slither across the globe. Researchers think this is a product of a mysterious singularity event."

https://flip.it/U.l3c-

For similar stories, follow "Animals, Animals, Animals" by Mashable: @animals-animals-animals-Mashable

#Animals #Snake #Evolution #Biology #Science