Non-IT News Thread
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Uncovering secrets of mystery civilization in Saudi Arabia
A team of researchers is carrying out the first in-depth archaeological survey of part of Saudi Arabia, in a bid to shed light on a mysterious civilisation that once lived there. The Nabataean culture left behind sophisticated stone monuments, but many sites remain unexplored.
The rock-strewn deserts of Al Ula in Saudi Arabia are known for their pitch-black skies, which allow stargazers to easily study celestial bodies without the problem of light pollution. But the region is becoming even more attractive for archaeologists. A long-lost culture known as the Nabataean civilisation inhabited the area starting from around 100 BC and persisted for some 200 years. While the Nabataeans ruled their empire from the stunning city of Petra in Jordan, they made Hegra (the modern Mada'in Saleh) in Al Ula their second capital. Now, archaeologists are planning to carry out the first in-depth survey of a chunk of land here that's roughly the size of Belgium. The large international team of more than 60 experts has started work on an initial, two-year project to survey the core area of 3,300 sq km in north-western Saudi Arabia. -
More than a quarter of UK mammals face extinction
More than a quarter of mammals are facing extinction, according to a detailed and devastating report on the state of the natural world in the UK.
It also said one in seven species were threatened with extinction, and 41% of species studied have experienced decline since 1970. Providing the clearest picture to date, the State of Nature report examined data from almost 7,000 species. It drew on expertise from more than 70 different organisations. These included wildlife organisations and government agencies. The report said 26% of mammal species were at risk of disappearing altogether. A separate report outlined the picture in Scotland, where the abundance and distribution of species has also declined. Scotland saw a 24% decline in average species abundance, and about one in 10 species threatened with extinction. -
BBC News - Florida man shoots son-in-law in birthday surprise gone awry
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-49924581 -
Milky Way's centre exploded 3.5 million years ago
A cataclysmic energy flare ripped through our galaxy, the Milky Way, about 3.5 million years ago, a team of astronomers say.
The so-called Seyfert flare started near the supermassive black hole in the centre of the galaxy, they add. The impact was felt 200,000 light-years away. The discovery that the Milky Way's centre was more dynamic than previously thought can lead to a complete reinterpretation of its evolution. "These results dramatically change our understanding of the Milky Way," says co-author Magda Guglielmo from the University of Sydney, Australia. "We always thought about our galaxy as an inactive galaxy, with a not so bright centre," she added. -
BBC News - Indian selfie deaths: Four drown in reservoir in Tamil Nadu
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-49965819 -
@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
BBC News - Indian selfie deaths: Four drown in reservoir in Tamil Nadu
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-49965819Darwin Award winners.
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Nobel chemistry prize: Lithium-ion battery scientists honoured
Three scientists have been awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the development of lithium-ion batteries.
John B Goodenough, M Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino share the prize for their work on these rechargeable devices, which are used for portable electronics. At the age of 97, Prof Goodenough is the oldest ever Nobel laureate. Professor of chemistry Olof Ramström said lithium-ion batteries had "enabled the mobile world". The trio will share the prize money of nine million kronor (£738,000). The lithium-ion battery is a lightweight, rechargeable and powerful battery that is used in everything from mobile phones to laptops to electric cars. The Nobel Committee said: "Lithium-ion batteries are used globally to power the portable electronics that we use to communicate, work, study, listen to music and search for knowledge." -
As NASA tries to land on the Moon, it has plenty of rockets to choose from
One of them is even something the agency is calling a "commercial" SLS.
Last week, NASA held an "industry day" for companies hoping to win lunar lander contracts from the government as part of its Artemis program. During the teleconference, industry officials could ask questions about NASA's plans for how best to get astronauts from an orbit around the Moon, down to the surface, and safely back. After Vice President Mike Pence established the goal of landing humans on the Moon by 2024, NASA officials have been working overtime throughout the last six months to put together mission plans and architectures to meet this deadline. The effort culminated in the release last week of a solicitation that asks industry for designs of a human landing system. -
BBC News - Stalker 'found Japanese singer through reflection in her eyes'
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-50000234 -
A snakehead fish that survives on land was discovered in Georgia. Officials want it dead
https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/10/us/georgia-invasive-snakehead-trnd/index.html -
@wirestyle22 said in Non-IT News Thread:
A snakehead fish that survives on land was discovered in Georgia. Officials want it dead
https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/10/us/georgia-invasive-snakehead-trnd/index.htmlSpeaking of Snakehead.
https://www.amazon.com/Snakehead-Terror-Bruce-Boxleitner/dp/B001V7SJA4 -
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'Unacceptable' delays in diagnosing secondary breast cancer
One in four patients with secondary breast cancer had to visit their GP three or more times before they got a diagnosis, a survey suggests.
A breast cancer charity said there should be more awareness that the disease can spread to other parts of the body. GPs said they were doing their best for patients but symptoms could be difficult to spot. In the UK, 35,000 people are living with the incurable form of the disease. Breast Cancer Now said it was "unacceptable" that some people whose cancer had spread were not getting early access to treatments which could alleviate symptoms and improve their quality of life. "For too long now, the worrying perception that everyone survives breast cancer has masked the heartbreaking reality for 11,500 families in the UK that lose someone they love each year," the charity said. -
@wirestyle22 said in Non-IT News Thread:
A snakehead fish that survives on land was discovered in Georgia. Officials want it dead
https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/10/us/georgia-invasive-snakehead-trnd/index.htmlApparently Swarm of the Snakeheads is a documentary...
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Alexei Leonov: The Russian who could have been first to the Moon
Pioneering cosmonaut Alexei Arkhipovich Leonov died on Friday in Moscow aged 85. With his passing, the world has lost another direct connection to the Cold War space race of the 1960s and 70s.
Leonov was widely admired by other astronauts and cosmonauts, and his exploits in orbit were legendary. He was also regarded as a man of great compassion, who was deeply affected by the deaths of his colleagues and friends in the ground-breaking but perilous contest in space between the superpowers. Yet his passion for art made him somewhat atypical of the "steely-eyed missile men" who made up the astronaut and cosmonaut corps during the 1960s. His hobby was not always a good fit with the technocratic nature of the Soviet space effort. The head of the USSR's rocket programme in the 1970s, Vasily Mishin, became convinced that a problem with the world's first space station, Salyut-1, had been caused by one Leonov's drawing pencils floating into the ventilation system and getting stuck. A subsequent mission to inspect the station disproved the idea. -
What's in the government's new environment bill?
A bill to tackle environmental priorities is to be published by the government later.
It aims to improve air and water quality, tackle plastic pollution, restore wildlife, and protect the climate. Environmentalists have welcomed several of the proposals, especially on restoring nature. But they say on other green issues ministers are going backwards - and they're anxious to see details of the new policies. Under EU rules, for instance, the government has faced heavy fines for failing to meet air quality standards. With Brexit set to remove the stick of these rules, an independent watchdog, the Office for Environmental Protection, is being created to hold the government to account. Ministers say the watchdog won't be able to fine the government if it fails to uphold its commitments - but will ensure it is held to account, with the ability to stop projects and hold authorities in contempt of court if they breach environmental standards. -
Man arrested on suspicion of using ‘McLovin’ fake ID to get into bar
Iowa man arrested on suspicion of using ‘McLovin’ fake ID to get into bar
A 20-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of using a fake ID bearing the name “McLovin” to get into an Iowa City bar. Daniel Alfredo Burleson was arrested on Friday night after a police officer spotted him at a local bar allegedly holding an alcoholic beverage. When the officer confronted Burleson, he allegedly admitted that he was drinking a vodka-infused drink but did not provide his identification card. The officer took Burleson out of the bar and that’s when he provided his ID, according to a complaint affidavit. The ID card showed that Burleson was under the legal drinking age and when he was asked to show his fake ID card, he refused. In the complaint, authorities said Burleson pulled out his wallet and shuffled through it. Officers could see the fake Hawaii ID card with the name “McLovin” and a birthdate of June 3, 1981. -
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Bulgaria v England: Police arrest six following racist abuse at Euro qualifier
Bulgarian police have identified 15 fans they suspect are responsible for subjecting black England players to racist abuse and arrested six of them.
The nine not arrested are under police investigation, with three wanted. England's 6-0 Euro 2020 qualifier win over Bulgaria in Sofia was stopped twice in the first half following racist chanting by home supporters. "We do not tolerate such behaviour," Bulgaria Ministry of the Interior commissioner Georgi Hadzhiev said. Bulgaria's football chief Borislav Mikhailov resigned on Tuesday. Bulgaria manager Krasimir Balakov said after the game he "didn't hear" any chanting, having previously accused England of having a bigger racism problem. But Balakov has since posted a statement on Facebook, acknowledging the incidents on Monday and apologising to "English footballers and to all those who felt offended".
