(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Overnight News Digest Saturday Science - JWST, Slow running, Stephen Hawking, Pompeii [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-06-08 Welcome to Overnight News Digest- Saturday Science. Since 2007 the OND has been a regular community feature on Daily Kos, consisting of science stories from around the world, sometimes coupled with a daily theme, original research or commentary. Editors of OND impart their own presentation styles and content choices, typically publishing each day near 12:00 AM Eastern Time. Topics in tonight’s digest include: NASA’s “Earthrise” photographer dies at 90 Slow running could be a key to better health Covidlandia republished from DKos JWST found a key ingredient for life in a young galaxy. Stephen Hawking’s answer when asked if he believed in god A sargassum invasion in the Caribbean Homeowners’ mutiny on Florida’s beaches Thinner, lighter night-vision lenses Pompeii archaeologists discover rare blue room Explanation of mysterious “Seahenge” structure in UK Auto-brewery syndrome in the gut caused intoxication symptoms Can we eradicate “forever chemicals?” Science Focus by Ian Taylor Slow running could be the key to a healthier, longer life. Here’s why Deceleration isn’t really in the runner’s vocabulary. For many of the people who do it, from Olympic champions to 5K enthusiasts, running is the pursuit of speed itself; a sport defined by personal bests, competition, striving and Strava. Slow? That’s a four-letter word. Or at least it was, until quite recently. In the last year or two, slow running has become ‘A Thing’, backed not just by wellness gurus on Instagram, but also by a growing number of coaches, amateur runners and exercise scientists, too. BBC by Max Matza Nasa 'Earthrise' astronaut dies at 90 in plane crash Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders, who snapped one of the most famous photographs taken in outer space, has died in a plane crash at the age of 90. Officials say a small aircraft he was flying crashed into the sea off Washington state. […] Anders - who was a lunar module pilot on the Apollo 8 mission - took the iconic Earthrise photograph, one of the most memorable and inspirational images of Earth from space. Taken on Christmas Eve during the 1968 mission, the first crewed space flight to leave Earth and reach the Moon, the picture shows the planet rising above the horizon from the barren lunar surface. In case you missed it on Tuesday… Daily Kos by Examined The Month of May in Covidlandia Covidlandia is a unique place. Here we try to see the gradient between black and white, carefree and cautious, pandemic beginning and end. I’m going to start with highlighting a study on children, and then review some chemistry for those who don’t usually have a chance to do chemistry anymore. […] KIDS WITH LONG COVID CAN’T RUN AND PLAY AS WELL. OBJECTIVELY. […] POORLY VENTILATED SPACES ARE A BOON FOR CORONAVIRUSES BBC Sky at Night by Iain Todd Webb has found key ingredient for life in a young galaxy in the early Universe How soon is it possible for life to have formed in our Universe? Earth is around 4.5 billion years old, so is this how long it takes for the ingredients and conditions necessary for life to be forged in the Universe? The James Webb Space Telescope has found carbon in a galaxy just 350 million years after the Big Bang. Unilad Tech by Rebekah Jordan Stephen Hawking's simple answer when asked if he believed in God Given Stephen Hawking's status as one of the greatest scientists of our time, it's not surprising to learn his thoughts on religion. The physicist died at the age of 76 in 2018 and is probably best known for his 2002 book, The Theory of Everything: The Origin and Fate of the Universe. […] Though Hawking beat the odds for more than five decades, he spoke about living with the constant presence of death. 'I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years,' he said. Fast Company by The Conversation A sargassum-invasion-is-fueling-an-economic-and-public-health-crisis-in-the-Caribbean The Caribbean’s sandy beaches, clear turquoise water and vibrant coral reefs filled with an amazing variety of sea creatures have long been the pride of the islands. The big three—sun, sea, and sand—have made this tropical paradise the most tourism-reliant region in the world. But now, all of that is under threat. The explosive growth of a type of seaweed called sargassum is wreaking havoc on economies, coastal environments, and human health across the islands. Gizmodo by Jake Bittle A Homeowner Mutiny in Florida Is Leaving the State More Vulnerable to Hurricanes Lisa Hendrickson is almost out of sand. Hendrickson is the mayor of Redington Shores, Florida, a well-heeled beach town in Pinellas County. Her town occupies a small section of a razor-thin barrier island that stretches down the western side of the sprawling Tampa Bay metro area, dividing cities like Tampa and St. Petersburg from the Gulf of Mexico. Many of her constituents have an uninterrupted view of the ocean. The town’s only protection from the Gulf of Mexico’s increasingly erratic storms is a pristine beach that draws millions of tourists every year — but that beach is disappearing fast. A series of storms, culminating in last fall’s Hurricane Idalia, have eroded most of the sand that protects Redington Shores and the towns around it, leaving residents just one big wave away from water overtaking their homes. New Atlas by Bronwyn Thompson Night-vision lenses so thin and light that we can all see in the dark From evening drives to navigating a house or a park in the dark, there are so many situations where it'd be handy to slip on a simple pair of night-vision lenses and the world that's beyond human optical perception could be illuminated like never before. […] Researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems (TMOS) in Australia have been on a quest to make night vision accessible and wearable, doing away with bulky and expensive headsets and lens attachments. Their new findings allow all the complex light processing to take place along a simpler, narrower pathway, which essentially means the tech can be packaged up as a night-vision film that weighs less than a gram and can be placed across existing lensed frames. EuroNews by Theo Ferrant Pompeii archaeologists uncover incredibly rare blue room with stunning frescoes of female figures Experts believe the 8-square metre room can be interpreted as a shrine, or a space dedicated to ritual activities and the storage of sacred objects. A new room with painted blue walls, a very rare colour in Pompeian spaces, has emerged in Pompeii during recent excavations in the central area of the ancient city. The stunning blue-ground walls are decorated with female figures representing the four seasons and allegorical representations of agriculture and pastoralism, according to experts. Construction materials, ready to be used in renovations, were also found at the site, as well as a pile of already consumed oyster shells, which according to archaeologists once crushed were probably added to plaster and mortar mixes. Science Alert by Jess Cockerill Mysterious 'Seahenge' Structure in UK May Finally Be Explained When tidal erosion exposed a mysterious Bronze Age structure on a beach in Norfolk, England, it captured the imaginations of archaeologists and pagans alike, who recognized the site may hold spiritual significance. New research supports this hunch, suggesting the monument and a similar structure nearby were created for climate rituals at a time when severe winters plagued the region. Known colloquially as 'Seahenge' and officially as Holme I, the prehistoric monument consists of an upturned oak stump encircled by 55 split trunks of the same wood. Live Science by Nicoletta Lanese A woman kept getting drunk despite not drinking. Fungi in her gut were brewing their own alcohol. A woman kept ending up in the emergency room with excessive sleepiness, slurred speech and the scent of alcohol on her breath, but she had not ingested a drop of liquor. It turns out that microbes in her gut were brewing their own booze — and making her drunk. Doctors eventually diagnosed her with a rare condition called auto-brewery syndrome. But before that, the 50-year-old had been referred to emergency departments seven times over the course of two years. Each time, her symptoms were similar and made her seem drunk. Her sleepiness, in particular, was troubling, as she'd suddenly fall asleep while getting ready for work or preparing meals. This drowsiness would keep her out of work for weeks and suppress her appetite. During each visit to the ER, expect [sic] the last, doctors diagnosed her with alcohol intoxication. However, "in recent years, she had stopped drinking altogether because of her religious beliefs," doctors wrote in a new report of her case, published Monday (June 3) in the Canadian Medical Association Journal . Her family confirmed that she didn't drink. The Guardian by Samira Shackle They’re in pans, fruit, dust – and even tap water. But can I eradicate toxic forever chemicals from my home? I’m cooking a tomato sauce in a pan I’ve had for a few years when it bubbles and splatters on to the kitchen surface. I spray some cleaner from a bottle, dampen a cloth with tap water to wipe it up, and then chop some vegetables on the same bit of counter. All very familiar – only this time, I’m conscious of a hidden ingredient. At every step of this process, invisible so-called “forever chemicals” have potentially been leaching into my food and, soon, my body – from the battered nonstick surface of the pan, the cleaning product and even the tap water. I only know this because I am about to embark on an experiment to remove forever chemicals from my life. Trouble is, they are everywhere. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are used in food packaging, toiletries, nonstick cookware, carpets and waterproof clothing. There are thousands of them, and they have been found in an almost comical range of products: strawberries, cucumbers, greaseproof paper, disposable coffee cups, food wrap, sandwich bags … The nickname forever chemicals comes from their persistence – they do not easily degrade. This is an open thread where everyone is welcome, especially night owls and early birds, to share and discuss the science news of the day. Please share your articles and stories in the comments. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/6/8/2245359/-Overnight-News-Digest-Saturday-Science-JWST-Slow-running-Stephen-Hawking-Pompeii?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/