The Fount of Useless Information
Your place for useless information that just might possibly be interesting.
Mysterious Lunar Swirls on the Moon May be Caused by Crashing Comets
http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/26216/20150602/mysterious-lunar-swirls-moon-caused-crashing-comets.htm
This is the first I have heard of this, but it seems it is an old ‘problem’. I guess the idea is since the comet has a …
Mystery Behind the ‘Sailing’ Stones of Death Valley Unveiled
http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/25807/20150521/mystery-behind-sailing-stones-death-valley-unveiled.htm
I mention sailing stones before and my theory at the time was water, pushed by winds, would move the stones. It seems the new research supports that idea but also …
More reasons to hate Amazon: Ursula Le Guin is right about their model of books as commodities “written fast, sold cheap, dumped fast”
The online bookseller does more than just shut down indie bookstores, says the venerable fantasy author
http://www.salon.com/2015/06/03/more_reasons_to_hate_amazon_ursula_le_guin_is_right_about_their_model_of_books_as_commodities_written_fast_sold_cheap_dumped_fast/…
Congressman Warns of Encrypted “Dark Spaces”; Another Says: “Ooooh It Sounds Really Scary”
https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/06/03/one-congressman-warns-encrypted-dark-spaces-another-says-ooooh-sounds-really-scary/
…“The notion that encryption is somehow different than other forms of destroying and hiding things is simply not true,” Lieu told The Intercept. “Forty years ago,
The naked chef? Chimpanzees can ‘cook’ and prefer cooked food – study
Findings suggest chimpanzees have the intellectual abilities required for cooking, which could have an impact on our view of human evolution
http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jun/03/chimpanzees-can-cook-and-prefer-cooked-food-study-shows
Really interesting as cooking food (on …
Bacteria may give you Type 2 diabetes
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/bacteria-may-give-you-type-2-diabetes/articleshow/47514655.cms
I talk about the microbiome off and on here, this is another that shows that the impact of our ‘friends’ we carry around with us can have significant life altering impacts. Now …
A co-worker has one of those cute quote things added to his email signature and today’s is “Any sufficiently advanced bug is indistinguishable from a feature.”. That prompted me to Google and I found this:
…Arthur C. Clarke, (Clarke’s
Next Generation: Souped-up Probiotics Pinpoint Cancer
Genetically engineered commensal bacteria help researchers detect cancer metastases in mouse livers.
http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/43100/title/Next-Generation–Souped-up-Probiotics-Pinpoint-Cancer/
This is a cool kind of biotechnology where you can actually see changes with your own eyes. Most of the experiments …
Two interesting articles by Matt Taibbi that explain in detail why inner city people, particularly blacks, but I am sure also Latinos and likely even whites who live in those neighborhoods, are so damn angry with the cops. The first:…
Skipping meals could lead to fat gain, research suggests
http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/skipping-meals-could-lead-to-fat-gain-research-suggests-1.2383746
I didn’t get ‘skipping meals leads to fat gain’ from the article, instead I saw ‘binge eating leading to a bloated belly’. I am certainly guilty of binge eating. When …