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☆ Alarmed by Climate Change, Astronomers Train Their Sights on Earth
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Katrina Miller | Delger Erdenesanaa | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Bush fires that had been on the horizon the day before were now rapidly approaching. That afternoon, from her home some miles away, Dr. Sackett watched burning embers fall from a smoky sky and worried. The fires also destroyed 500 homes across greater Canberra, and killed four people. The incident was an early warning for astronomy: Wildfires, exacerbated by climate change, were becoming a problem for their field. Since then, several other observatories have been damaged or threatened by fires and other extreme weather, and changing atmospheric conditions have made ground-based astronomical research more challenging.

Persons: Penny Sackett, . Sackett Organizations: Australian Locations: Stromlo, Canberra

☆ Costco sells emergency meal kits that cost up to $6,999 — and it freaked people out. Naturally, we had to try them.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

A TikTok about Costco's emergency food kits went viral, sparking some panicked speculations. But emergency meal kits are handy during emergencies and natural disasters, not just the apocalypse. AdvertisementWhen a TikTok showcasing some of the emergency food kits for sale at Costco went viral, people in the comments had questions — and some mild panic. Related storiesReadywise's emergency meal kits can last up to 25 years, while Mountain House says it has a 30-year taste guarantee. Mountain House Breakfast Skillet Kelsey VlamisThe breakfast option from Mountain House was also a winner.

Persons: —, Readywise, Norm Ramos, there's, Mount House, Kelsey Vlamis, Chili, Fettuccine Alfredo, Kelsey, Kraft, Skillet Kelsey, It's, Beef, Alfredo, Chicken Kelsey, I, Alfredo … Organizations: Service, Costco, Mount, House Locations: Readywise, Tabasco

☆ 2 cicada broods are popping up together for the first time in 221 years — and they'll meet in Illinois
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Two broods of periodical cicadas are emerging simultaneously for the first time in 221 years. That's because two broods of periodical cicadas — Broods XIII and XIX — will emerge from their underground lairs simultaneously for the first time in 221 years. Brood XIX will predominantly appear in southern states, while Brood XIII will appear in a small section of the Midwest — mainly Illinois. Unlike annual cicadas, periodical cicadas spend years in their underground rooms like brooding teenagers (is that why they're called broods?) In the case of the next two emerging broods, Brood XIII emerges every 17 years, while Brood XIX emerges every 13 years.

Persons: —, Lewis, Clark, Thomas Jefferson, Hype, Instagram, Brood, Gene Kritsky, Jessee Smith, I've, Kritsky, they're, it's, cicada, you've Organizations: Service, Business, Joseph University, Southern Locations: Illinois, Chicago, Louisiana, Marbury, Madison, Lake, Mount St

☆ Bill Ackman wants more college presidents to be business people. But that's not the way it works.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-05 | by ( Madeline Berg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Advancing through academia to the role of president is still the traditional route, with 54% of college presidents in the US taking this path. That's according to the American Council on Education's 2023 American College President Study, which surveyed more than 1,000 presidents. AdvertisementA 2017 Deloitte survey of sitting college presidents found they "overwhelmingly agreed" that campus leaders need academic experience. Business people aren't a popular choice for the position for several reasons, many of which have to do with a president's responsibilities. AdvertisementCautionary tales of presidents with business backgroundsWhile it's unfair to write off university leaders from business backgrounds, some recent experiments do provide a cautionary tale.

Persons: —, Bill Ackman, Claudine Gay, isn't, Ackman, Ackman doesn't, doesn't, Benjamin Ginsberg, it's, Ginsberg, Harvard's Gay, he's, Gay, Tim Wolfe, Simon Newman Organizations: Service, Harvard, Business, American Council, Study, Deloitte, Bloomberg, Johns Hopkins University, Faculty, IBM, Novell, University of Missouri, Mary's University, Education's, Futures Lab Locations: Mount St

☆ 18,000-year-old stone tools are among the oldest found in the US, more evidence that humans lived in the Americas during the Ice Age
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Archaeologists found stone tools humans used to butcher animals in what's now Oregon. AdvertisementAdvertisementAncient hunters used a rock-shelter in the Oregon desert to butcher camels, bison, mountain sheep, and horses during the Ice Age. In 2012 and 2015, archeologists found blood-stained stone tools buried below teeth from the extinct animals. The stone tools were below fragments of animal teeth, and both were covered by volcanic ash. "It's a really high-quality tool stone," O'Grady said.

Persons: —, Patrick O'Grady, O'Grady, " O'Grady, Nancy Pobanz, Thomas W, Stafford , Jr, it's Organizations: Service, University of Oregon Museum of Natural, Age Swiss, Swiss Army, US, Coopers Locations: what's, Oregon, Mount St, Helens, Swiss, North America, Siberia, Canada, Idaho, Rimrock, Paisley, North, South America

☆ The updated list of EVs eligible for up to $7,500 in tax credits is out — here's which models qualify under the stricter rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

If you're in the market for an electric car and were banking on tax credits to drop the price by $7,500, you now have fewer options to choose from. A Tesla Model 3 rolls out of the Tesla factory in Fremont, California. The list also details which electrified vehicles qualify for half credit, or $3,750. The tax credits are meant to incentivize the auto industry to move their supply chains and invest in electric vehicle development in the US. Few all-electric vehicles can get the full credit amount starting April 18, while others qualify for partial credits.

☆ Balto: A good dog with great genes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Cleveland Museum of Natural History/Handout via REUTERS. Balto was feted as a hero, the subject of books and movies, and the dog's taxidermy mount still stands on display at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Balto, belonging to a population of working sled dogs in Alaska, also was found to have possessed greater genetic diversity and genetic health than modern canine breeds. Balto was found to share ancestry with modern Siberian huskies and Alaskan sled dogs as well as Greenland sled dogs, Vietnamese village dogs and Tibetan mastiffs, with no discernible wolf ancestry. Balto had a body built for strength and not speed, disappointing the breeder, who had the dog neutered.

☆ A good dog with great genes - 1920s Alaska sled-relay hero Balto
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Cleveland Museum of Natural History/Handout via REUTERS. Balto was feted as a hero, the subject of books and movies, and the dog's taxidermy mount still stands on display at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Balto, belonging to a population of working sled dogs in Alaska, also was found to have possessed greater genetic diversity and genetic health than modern canine breeds. Sled dogs were the only viable option. Balto was found to share ancestry with modern Siberian huskies and Alaskan sled dogs as well as Greenland sled dogs, Vietnamese village dogs and Tibetan mastiffs, with no discernible wolf ancestry.

☆ From GE to Siemens, the wind energy industry hopes billions in losses are about to end
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Bob Woods | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

The wind farm includes 132 2-megawatt Gamesa G80 wind turbines along 12 miles of the Allegheny Front. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesIt's been a tough couple of years for the U.S. wind energy industry. Although 2023 is expected to remain sluggish, GE Renewable Energy, Siemens Energy and Vestas Wind Systems, the leading makers of wind turbines — outside of China, which has built the world's largest wind energy infrastructure — and their suppliers are banking on growth over the next decade, particularly in the nascent offshore wind niche. "The wind energy market is stuck in this very strange paradox right now," said Aaron Barr, an industry analyst at Wood Mackenzie. Comparatively, the U.S. offshore wind industry is just ramping up after years of delays in permitting, environmental approvals and power purchasing agreements with utilities that buy wind energy.

☆ These are the EVs to buy if you want a $7,500 tax credit
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

If you're in the market for an electric car and were banking on tax credits to drop the price by $7,500, you now have fewer options to choose from. Monday's news also detailed which electrified vehicles qualify for half credit, or $3,750. The two halves of the credit are related to the origin of its battery and critical minerals components. The tax credits are meant to incentivize the auto industry to move their supply chains and invest in electric vehicle development in the US. Only 10 electric vehicles can get the full credit amount starting April 18, while six others qualify for partial credits.

☆ To survive nuclear apocalypse, you may have to eat nothing but mushrooms, rats, and insects
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Survivors could farm mushrooms on dead trees, or eat rats and insects. In order to survive, he says, people would need to adopt sunlight-free agriculture — cultivating mushrooms, rats, and insects. Vincent Kessler/ReutersWhile we're using the wood to grow mushrooms, we could use the dead trees' leaves, too, he said. Dead trees can feed other life forms, like rats and insectsRats, much like mushrooms, can digest cellulose, the sugar that makes up 50% of wood. So anything the mushrooms leave behind could be fed to the rats, Walsh suggests.

☆ Studying abroad can cost over $16,000 per semester—here's how students plan to pay for it
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Kamaron Mcnair | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

As a result, many students are turning to other options to pay for studying abroad — if they're available. The cost of studying abroad may be one of the biggest deciding factors in who gets to go. Black students made up just 4% of students who studied abroad in the 2020-21 school year. While the share of non-white students studying abroad increased by 10 percentage points between the 2010-11 and the 2020-21 academic years, white students still make up 68% of students studying abroad, according to the Institute for International Education. While white students and Black students take out loans at similar rates — 40% of white students use loans to pay for college compared with 50% of Black students, according to Education Data Initiative — Black students often have a harder time paying back their loans.

☆ Factbox: Hawaii's Mauna Loa volcano erupts
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Mauna Loa’s summit region glows during an eruption as viewed by a geologist of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory in Hawaii, U.S. November 28, 2022. USGS/Ken Hon/Handout via REUTERSNov 29 (Reuters) - Hawaii's Mauna Loa began erupting on Nov. 27 for the first time in nearly four decades. * Mauna Loa is the largest active volcano on the planet, rising some 13,679 feet (4,169 meters) above the Pacific Ocean and dominating the Island of Hawai'i, also known as the Big Island. Geologists estimate that Mauna Loa first erupted on the sea floor between 600,000 and 1 million years ago, and emerged above sea level about 300,000 years ago. * Mauna Loa has previously erupted 33 times since modern record-keeping began in 1843, according to the USGS.

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