Nov 24, 2024 | Salon.com
When scientists discovered water and a chemical compound common in RNA on a rock from the asteroid Ryugu, astronomy fans and laypeople alike held their collective breath for the chance of extraterrestrial life. As more evidence of microorganisms emerged, experts began to wonder if humans would soon learn life exists somewhere in the universe besides Earth....
Originally posted on salon.com
Nov 24, 2024 | History, Salon.com
Tashbulak and Tugunbulak may be largely forgotten today, but the pair of Uzbekistani cities thrived during the Medieval era. Nestled in the Tien Shan mountains, the largest east to west mountain range on Earth, merchants from all over Europe and Asia would travel to Tashbulak and Tugunbulak to hawk their wares....
Originally posted on salon.com
Nov 22, 2024 | Salon.com
On Wednesday, the Environmental Protection Agency released newly-acquired data showing that over 143 million Americans are exposed to so-called “forever chemicals,” or PFAS. The source of this exposure is their drinking water — and as more data comes in, that number is expected to rise.
In the analysis, the EPA learned that 11 million more people are exposed to PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in their drinking water than was previously reported....
Originally posted on salon.com
Nov 21, 2024 | Salon.com
The Chagos Archipelago is one of the most remote places on Earth. Smack dab in the middle of the Indian Ocean, the collection of more than five dozen tiny islands are mostly uninhabited, due in no small part to the United States and United Kingdom expelling the Indigenous Chagossians in an ethnic cleansing from 1967 to 1973....
Originally posted on salon.com
Nov 20, 2024 | Salon.com
A “once in a decade” bomb cyclone pummeled the Pacific Northwest on early Wednesday, with southern Canada and Washington, Oregon and California experiencing wind speeds as high as 101 mph (163 km/hr), torrential rain and heavy mountain snow.
At least one person is confirmed to have died from the storm — a woman in her 50s who was killed after a large tree fell on her homeless encampment — while hundreds of thousands of others in the affected area are without power....
Originally posted on salon.com
Nov 18, 2024 | Salon.com
Ned Barnett lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, meaning he resides in one of the seven swing states that Donald Trump swept in the 2024 presidential election. LIke a majority of voters on Election Day, Barnett is primarily concerned about economic issues like inflation. That is why he cast his ballot for Trump; he explained that he has simply suffered too much from the rising prices under President Joe Biden’s economy....
Originally posted on salon.com
Nov 16, 2024 | Salon.com
On Thursday, British authorities charged a pair of climate change activists for vandalizing Stonehenge, a prehistoric megalithic structure on a chalk plateau known as the Salisbury Plain.
Authorities are charging Just Stop Oil’s Rajan Naidu, 73, of Gosford Street, Birmingham, and Niamh Lynch, 20, of Norfolk Road, Bedford, with destroying or damaging an ancient protected monument, and intentionally or recklessly causing a public nuisance following the incident....
Originally posted on salon.com
Nov 16, 2024 | Salon.com
Gulls are everywhere, but most people see them as pests, taking for granted their remarkable variety and beauty. Many people think of gulls (“seagull” is not a technical term) as nothing more than obnoxiously screeching birds, swooping for food while leaving white fecal messes behind. Instead of being adored, gulls tend to be more of a punchline....
Originally posted on salon.com
Nov 15, 2024 | Salon.com
When the Leonids fly across the sky, stargazers know that the comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle is nearby. Every year, the iconic meteor shower offers a spectacular show… and experts say this weekend is going to be particularly special.
Between November 3rd and December 2nd, but especially during the weekend of November 16-17, the Leonids will be unusually easy to see and appreciate, according to the American Meteor Society....
Originally posted on salon.com
Nov 13, 2024 | Salon.com
ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods has a message for President-elect Donald Trump: Do not pull the United States out of the Paris climate accord. Speaking to The New York Times from a United Nations climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, Woods said that “we need a global system for managing global emissions....
Originally posted on salon.com