Sep 28, 2023 | Salon.com
As humans continue to dump greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, the resulting climate change causes sea levels to rise. Given that New York City is on average less than three yards above sea level, America’s largest metropolis is vulnerable to sea level rise, which will cause widespread flooding. Yet this process will be worsened by the vertical motion of the land itself, according to a recent study published in the peer reviewed journal Science Advances....
Originally posted on salon.com
Sep 27, 2023 | Salon.com
Earth is encircled by millions of pieces of trash, called “space junk,” which orbit our planet and are the bane of astronomers’ existence. This garbage has had devastating impact on at least one American astronaut, Frank Rubio, who returned to Earth on Wednesday after space junk is suspected to have hit the International Space Station last year....
Originally posted on salon.com
Sep 26, 2023 | Salon.com
As Big Agriculture continues to dump fertilizer and other cattle ranch runoff into the Gulf of Mexico, our aquatic systems suffer. Algal blooms wind up flourishing, killing fish and shellfish alike while causing eye and respiratory illnesses in humans. In addition, the dumping of this pollution into the Gulf of Mexico creates “dead zones,” or areas of the ocean where the oxygen is so low that life struggles to survive....
Originally posted on salon.com
Sep 26, 2023 | Salon.com
Growing up as an autistic teenager in the early noughties, I often struggled with the prejudices of the people around me. When I obsessed over specific interests, failed to make eye contact and was socially awkward, I would be told that there was something “wrong” with me. For a long time, I internalized these assessments; it was not until I learned about the concept of neurodiversity that my self-esteem improved....
Originally posted on salon.com
Sep 24, 2023 | Salon.com
According to the Torah — for gentiles, the first five books of the so-called Hebrew Bible — Jews celebrate the holiday Yom Kippur to honor the anniversary of when God forgave them. The story begins after the great exodus from Egypt, one which Biblical legend says occurred after the Jews had been enslaved there for generations....
Originally posted on salon.com
Sep 23, 2023 | Salon.com
On Sunday, September 24 at approximately 10:42 EST, a NASA mission known as OSIRIS-REx will return to Earth after having collected samples from an asteroid named Bennu. Some experts also predict that 159 years from now, there’s a good chance Bennu could collide with Earth.
Such an event would be extremely unlucky for life on this planet, with potential for catastrophic destruction....
Originally posted on salon.com
Sep 22, 2023 | Pennsylvania, Salon.com
Hundreds of farmed mink are wandering through central Pennsylvania after escaping from a nearby fur farm, according to Pennsylvania State Police. Ever since, the escaped mink have been spotted everywhere in the region of Rockefeller Township: In the woods, on the road and under buildings. Local authorities originally claimed that between 6,000 and 8,000 mink escaped, but later revised their estimate....
Originally posted on salon.com
Sep 21, 2023 | Salon.com
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to drag on, with cases rising or plateauing, President Joe Biden announced that his administration will provide all Americans with a means of monitoring their infection status: On Wednesday the president declared that his administration is setting aside $600 million for the manufacturing and distribution of new at-home COVID-19 tests....
Originally posted on salon.com
Sep 20, 2023 | Salon.com
If you struggle with depression, it can be a challenge to imagine feeling better even for a minute. Yet a new study by scientists at the University of Cambridge found that there is a technique which consistently helps people combat their feelings of depression. Even three months after the 16 country-spanning experiment had ended, these patients often reported that their depression symptoms remained less than they had been before....
Originally posted on salon.com
Sep 20, 2023 | Salon.com
There is a tiny species of carpenter bees known as the spurred ceratina (Ceratina calcarata) that behaves unlike any other known species of bee. With their elongated and shiny bluish-black bodies, the spurred ceratina is perhaps best known as a pollinator of delicious gourds like cucumbers and watermelons. At around 6.5 millimeters long, it’s about half the length of an aspirin....
Originally posted on salon.com