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☆ How Do We Know What Animals Are Really Feeling?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Bill Wasik | Monica Murphy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Then there were the tortoises. Into the slides had been packed an exhausting array of detail about the care provided for the tortoises in each facility. “Animal welfare” is sometimes misused as a synonym for “animal rights,” but in practice the two worldviews can sometimes be at cross purposes. From an animal rights perspective, nearly every human use of animals is morally suspect, but animal-welfare thinkers take it as a given that animals of all kinds do exist in human care, for better or worse, and focus on how to treat them as well as possible. In the past half century, an interdisciplinary group of academics, working across veterinary medicine and other animal-focused fields, have been trying to codify what we know about animal care in a body of research referred to as “animal-welfare science.”

Persons: ”

☆ Treasure-hunter using a faulty metal detector discovered England's 'largest' gold nugget worth $38,000
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A metal detectorist found what he believes is the largest gold nugget ever found in England. AdvertisementA metal detectorist in England found what might be the biggest gold nugget ever found in the country, worth an estimated £30,000 or around $38,000. Richard Brock unearthed the gold nugget, which weighs 64.8 grams, in England's Shropshire Hills — despite turning up to the search late and using faulty equipment. The most expensive metal detector can cost $15,000, but starter models are available for a few hundred dollars. While Brock celebrates his gold nugget find in England, it pales compared to one of the greatest discoveries with a metal detector.

Persons: —, Richard Brock, Brock, I'd, Mullock Jones, Simon Beresford, Cortez Organizations: Service, YouTube, Guardian, Shack Locations: England, England's Shropshire, Mexico

☆ What it would take for humans to actually survive the harsh conditions on Dune's planet Arrakis
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-02 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Frank Herbert first described this harsh, fictional world of Arrakis in his 1965 novel "Dune," which was recently adapted into a film trilogy. The movie was shot in the deserts outside Abu Dhabi, but we wondered what it would actually take to survive on a real-life Arrakis. AdvertisementDune's planet Arrakis has enormous sandworms, a drug known as spice that helps with interstellar travel, and two moons. Planet Arrakis lacks oceans, lakes, or even tiny puddles on its surface. Surviving the temperature extremesIf the lack of water on Arrakis doesn't kill you, the heat certainly will if you're not prepared.

Persons: —, Frank Herbert, Seth Collings Hawkins, Amy J, it's, Alexander Farnsworth, Farnsworth, Herbert, Hawkins, Arrakis, Kreykes Organizations: Service, Business, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch, Warner Bros, University of Bristol, Mexican - Locations: Abu Dhabi, Arrakis, Sonoran, Mexican, Mexican - U.S, Arizona , New Mexico, California

☆ Psilocybin: These athletes suffered life-changing injuries. Then, they turned to psychedelics.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Amy Woodyatt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

Last year, Australia became the first country in the world to legalize clinical prescribing of MDMA, more commonly known as ecstasy, and psilocybin for certain mental health disorders. Elite athletes experience mental health disorder symptoms and psychological distress at similar, if not higher, rates to the general population, researchers pointed out in a study published in the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology. Researchers in the field say that psychedelics are shown to work when treating some mental health conditions. Later, he founded Wesana Health, a biotechnology company which focuses on developing psychedelic medicine for mental health, the most recent being a CBD and psilocybin-based drug. Since her retirement as a professional athlete, Symonds explains that she uses psychedelic drugs for clarity, though not under the direction of a doctor.

Persons: CNN — Daniel Carcillo, Carcillo, ”, Jeff Gross, “, –, Aaron Rodgers, ayahuasca, Dustin Satloff, ” Rodgers, Mike Tyson, Dana White, Courtney Walton, ” Walton, Jeff Novitzky, White, Novitzky, Johns Hopkins, we’ve, ‘, ’ ”, Chris Unger, ” Robin Carhart, Harris, Ralph Metzner, University of California San Francisco, psychedelics, ” Carhart, Carhart, psychedelics aren’t, ” James Rucker, ” Rucker, I’ve, Jonathan Daniel, Lucy, Anna Symonds, Symonds, James MacDonald, Rucker, “ They’re Organizations: CNN, Canadian, NHL, Philadelphia Flyers, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, Chicago Blackhawks, CNN Sport, ” Sporting, Harvard Health, Oregon, UFC, Elite, Applied Sport Psychology, Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, Athlete Health, University of Miami, Neurology, Psychiatry, University of California San, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, King’s College London, Imperial College of London, Getty, Wesana Health, US Food and Drug Administration, NASDAQ, Lucy Scientific, Former US, Addiction Center, US National Institutes of Health, Numinus Bioscience, Bloomberg, Prevention, Befrienders Locations: Denver, Colorado, psychedelics, Australia, “, Nanaimo

☆ US-Mexico Border Is World's Deadliest Land Migration Route, IOM Finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

GENEVA (Reuters) - The U.S.-Mexico border is the world's deadliest land migration route, according to U.N. migration agency figures published on Tuesday, with hundreds losing their lives attempting to make perilous desert crossings. Paul Dillon, spokesperson for IOM, said that the figures recorded "represent the lowest estimates available." IOM said that nearly half of the deaths recorded last year were linked to the crossing of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts. Most of the victims on Caribbean migration routes were people from the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba. The Darien Gap, a jungle border crossing between Panama and Colombia, saw 141 documented migrant deaths last year, according to IOM.

Persons: Paul Dillon, Dillon, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, William Maclean Organizations: Organization for Migration, IOM Locations: GENEVA, U.S, Mexico, Texas, Geneva, Americas, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba, Darien, Panama, Colombia

☆ US-Mexico border is world's deadliest land migration route, IOM finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A gap in the U.S.-Mexico border fence near Sasabe, Arizona, U.S., May 10, 2022. REUTERS/Rebecca Noble/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsGENEVA, Sept 12 (Reuters) - The U.S.-Mexico border is the world's deadliest land migration route, according to U.N. migration agency figures published on Tuesday, with hundreds losing their lives attempting to make perilous desert crossings. Paul Dillon, spokesperson for IOM, said that the figures recorded "represent the lowest estimates available." IOM said that nearly half of the deaths recorded last year were linked to the crossing of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts. The Darien Gap, a jungle border crossing between Panama and Colombia, saw 141 documented migrant deaths last year, according to IOM.

Persons: Rebecca Noble, Paul Dillon, Dillon, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, William Maclean Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Organization for Migration, IOM, Thomson Locations: U.S, Mexico, Sasabe , Arizona, Texas, Geneva, Americas, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba, Darien, Panama, Colombia

It was the 54th day this year that the official reading at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport made the mark, eclipsing the previous record of 53 days set in 2020. An extreme heat warning remained in effect, with temperatures forecast at 111 F (43.9 C) on Sunday and 106 F (41.1 C) on Monday. The daily average temperature of 97 F (36.1 C) in June, July and August passed the previous record of 96.7 F (35.9 C) set three years ago. In July, Phoenix also set a record with a 31-day streak of highs at or above 110 F (43.3 C). As of Saturday, Phoenix has tallied 104 days this year with temperatures over 100 F (37.7 C), Salerno said.

Persons: Matt Salerno, ”, Salerno, Phoenix Organizations: PHOENIX, Phoenix Sky Harbor, National Weather Service, Phoenix, World Meteorological Organization, El Nino Locations: Phoenix, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, El, Maricopa County

☆ Scottsdale, Arizona is the No. 1 city for renters based on quality of life—see the full list
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Celia Fernandez | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

WalletHub compared key quality-of-life measures in more than 180 rental markets across the United States. To rank the best states for renters based on quality of life, the report considered the following factors:Whether you're buying a home or renting, one major factor to consider in your search for the right state, city or neighborhood you move to is the quality of life you will have when you get there. Scottsdale, Arizona, topped the list of the best places for renters based on quality of life. Over the past two decades, it has been one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S. and according to Henley and Partner's 2023 wealth report, it is also one of the fastest-growing cities for millionaires. From 2012 to 2022, Scottsdale saw an 88% millionaire growth rate and is home to 13,900 millionaires, 60 centi-millionaires, and five billionaires.

Locations: United States, Scottsdale , Arizona, McDowell, U.S, Henley, Scottsdale

☆ Arizona voters sent a billion dollar message to their NHL team last night: We're not that into you
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Tempe voters rejected a referendum that may decide the future of Arizona's NHL team. The Arizona Coyotes, which are currently playing in a college arena, are grasping for answers. "We are very disappointed Tempe voters did not approve Propositions 301, 302, and 303. For the time being, the Coyotes have played in Arizona State's hockey arena, sharing space with the college team. As for the team's future, if history is any indication this setback could finally send the team out of Arizona.

☆ Frank Ocean Shows Us a More Human Way to Perform
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Jenn Pelly | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Frank Ocean was constructing an ice-skating rink in the Sonoran desert. Nor did I really believe that I would be able to watch Ocean’s set — his first major public performance since 2017 — on an officially sanctioned livestream. Enigma has always been a tenet of Ocean’s public persona. We were all in it, waiting in the Frank Ocean IG Live, together. Fortunately, I soon found @Morgandoesntcare, a young musician from North Carolina who facilitated the guerrilla video stream that brought Ocean’s set to the masses, reaching 130,000 viewers.

☆ Six Golf Vacations Even Your Golf-Hating Spouse Will Love
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( David Weiss | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

LET’S BE FRANK: Old-school golf trips were a handy way to ditch the spouse and fritter away a week with like-minded monomaniacs. The following spots offer course corrections that let both golfers and their better halves pursue their own form of fun, be it a birdie, an eagle, a catamaran cruise or a walk in a “meditation labyrinth.”1. Arizona: Tee Time and TranquilityWith 36 holes of Jay Morrish-designed golf and a 33,000 square-foot spa, the Boulders Resort, Curio Collection by Hilton, in Scottsdale, Ariz., is a cushy oasis in the Sonoran Desert. Ancient souls will feel young again: A meditation labyrinth and reflecting pond promise transcendence, while the earthbound golfer makes his or her way around the plush golf course.

That caused the Northern Lights, or aurora borealis, to make a rare appearance in skies across the US. The colorful lights were seen as far south as Arizona, much further than what was forecast. They normally occur in the Arctic, but powerful eruptions on the sun caused them to stretch as far south as Phoenix, Arizona before sunrise on Friday, according to images shared by photographers and skywatchers on social media. "Most people when they're seeing that far south... they're seeing it on the horizon," Young said. NWS La CrosseAnchorage, AlaskaAuroras in Anchorage, Alaska, on March 24, 2023.

☆ Wall Street investment firms are thirsty for the West's vanishing water
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Lucy Kafanov | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

And it comes at a time when Arizona’s allocation of Colorado River water is being slashed amid a decadeslong megadrought. “In the face of record shortages on the Colorado River, we have voluntarily answered urgent and repeated calls to conserve water. Water Asset Management owns at least 3,000 acres in Western Colorado’s Grand Valley, where Mueller works to protect Colorado’s share of the river. “Water Asset Management has engaged in a number of different purchase methods to keep their transactions unknown to many of the local jurisdictions,” Mueller said. The Colorado River in Eagle County, Colorado.

☆ It’s Home to Coachella Valley’s Most Expensive Real Estate (And No, It’s Not Palm Springs)
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Jessica Flint | Photographs Natasha Lee For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

This week, The Wall Street Journal’s Mansion section is rolling out stories from our special desert living issue. On the western end is Palm Springs, known for its old Hollywood glamour, stylish resorts, and significant architecture. But more mid-to-east valley, about 30 minutes from Palm Springs, is Indian Wells, which has the area’s priciest residential real estate as ranked by median listing price, according to Realtor.com. It also has some of the most expensive desert real estate in the United States. “To say you live in Indian Wells has cachet,” says Scott Ehrens, a Compass real-estate agent.

☆ Where Have All the Short-Term Renters Gone? To the Desert
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Jessica Flint | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

For the past year, short-term rental booking demand in U.S. deserts has been particularly hot. According to data from short-term rental analytics firm AirDNA, Arizona’s Phoenix and Scottsdale area, the home of the 2023 Super Bowl, has seen a huge increase in booking demand, up 41% year-over-year, as of December 2022. This Sonoran Desert location has also seen an uptick in rental supply, with 23,249 listings in December 2022, up 47% year-over-year. These dynamics have pushed the area’s occupancy rate down 6%. A similar trend has been playing out in other desert destinations such as California’s Coachella Valley, where the Sonoran eventually meets the Mojave Desert, and in Marfa, Texas, in the Chihuahuan Desert.

☆ Secretive Society Keeps Watch Over Arizona’s Holy Grail of Cactus
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Eliza Collins | Photographs Ash Ponders For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

PIMA COUNTY, Ariz.—Millions of saguaro cactuses grow in the Sonoran Desert, yet only an estimated one in 200,000 exhibits the spectacular crown of the crested saguaro. Its rare beauty spawned the needle-in-a-haystack mission of Arizona’s secretive Crested Saguaro Society. With the zeal of birders, the society’s 10 members are out to find as many of the crested saguaro as time and energy allow. They hunt in a desert that stretches across 100,000 or so square miles.

☆ Only a handful of psychedelics companies have gotten funding from established biotech investors. Here's what they've done right, according to a top VC.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

RA Capital is one of the few mainstream biotech VCs wading into the psychedelics space. The number of companies touting the benefits of psychedelics for healthcare is rapidly growing, but not all biotech investors are on board yet. Last year RA Capital made two investments into the psychedelics spaceIn 2021, RA made its first investments into the psychedelics space by funding two startups: GH Research and Delix Therapeutics. Dublin, Ireland-based GH Research is one of the only psychedelics companies to have garnered a flurry of interest from mainstream healthcare investors including RA Capital, RTW Investments, and BVF Partners. Lusaris' treatment is designed to be taken sublingually — placed under the tongue — for treatment-resistant depression.

☆ He Made Custom Furniture—and Now He Makes Whiskey
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Julie Halpert | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Stephen Paul started experimenting at making whiskey just for himself and his wife in Arizona. In 2011, he and his daughter launched their company, Whiskey Del Bac by Hamilton Distillers. It was an unusual road that Stephen Paul followed on his way to becoming a maker of whiskey. Mr. Paul, a native of southern Arizona, experienced his first career change at the age of 30 when he gave up teaching environmental science and entered architecture school. At the time, he was mainly interested in the historic architecture of the Sonoran Desert region.

☆ Compass Pathways' new CEO says data from his firm's upcoming clinical trial could finally persuade Big Pharma to jump into the psychedelics industry
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Compass Pathways is set to start its biggest clinical trial yet by the end of this year. But that may soon change as more data around the effectiveness of psychedelics as treatments emerges, according to Kabir Nath, the new CEO of the psychedelics company Compass Pathways. He joined Compass Pathways from the Japanese pharmaceutical company Otsuka in August and led Otsuka's investment into Compass Pathways during the company's $80 million Series B round in 2019. At the time of Otsuka's initial investment into Compass Pathways, the psychedelics industry was relatively new and the potential around such treatments was still not well known. In 2019, the Food and Drug Administration approved a ketamine-based treatment called Spravato for treatment-resistant depression that was developed by Johnson & Johnson's Janssen.

While some may be tempted to offer the Sonoran Desert Toad a kiss, the National Park Service urged visitors to leave the potentially deadly amphibians alone. In a Facebook post last week, the government agency warned visitors against licking the toads if they stumble across them. It's unclear whether there was a specific instance to prompt the advisory, but "here we are," the National Park Service wrote. People have exploited the toad's toxin as psychedelic, smoking it to experience euphoria and hallucinations, according to the Oakland Zoo. The Sonoran Desert toad, also referred to as a the Colorado River toad, is one of the largest toads native to North America and measures about 7 inches in length, the National Park Service said.

☆ The National Park Service warns visitors not to lick Sonoran Desert toads, whose psychoactive poison has been smoked by celebrities like Joe Rogan and Chelsea Handler
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The National Park Service told visitors not to lick toads or anything else they find in the parks. The Sonoran Desert toad, also known as the Colorado River toad, can grow to nearly 7 inches and is one of the largest toads in North America. The practice is dangerous and can make humans and animals sick, as the Sonoran Desert toads release toxins through glands in their skin as a powerful defense mechanism. The relevant psychoactive substance, 5-MeO-DMT, is illegal in the US and designated a Schedule 1 substance, but that hasn't stopped it from accruing fans. Some are concerned that the growing embrace of psychedelics and 5-MeO-DMT could threaten the existence of the Sonoran Desert toad due to illegal poaching and overharvesting, the Times reported.

☆ What to know about the booming psychedelics industry, where companies are racing to turn magic mushrooms and MDMA into approved medicines
▼ + stars: | 2022-06-30 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

In the early days of the industry, nonprofits and scrappy startups made up the psychedelics space. Research on compounds like psilocybin, the active compound found in magic mushrooms, and MDMA is resurfacing after years of neglect amid the war on drugs. Soon, VC firms focused on psychedelics companies began to emerge. Some psychedelics VCs, however, are still wary about entering the newest psychedelics space: Oregon's soon-to-be-legal magic mushroom market. Insider published a list of the psychedelics startups that raised the most cash in 2020.

“I think in every country in the world, historically, some soups were seen as restorative.”That’s true no matter what you call it. These are CNN Travel’s nominations for 20 of the best soups around the world:Banga | NigeriaBanga is so popular in Nigeria that shops sell ready-mixed packets of spice. By 1930, Nguyen explained, the soup was served with slices of raw beef cooked gently in the broth. Today, beef pho remains the most beloved version in Vietnam, with options that include the original raw beef, a mix of raw and cooked beef, brisket and tendon. Slip them into a bowl of beef broth for a world-class soup that includes tender beef, pale slices of radish, chili oil and fresh herbs.

Persons: you’ve, Janet Clarkson, “ It’s, Clarkson, you’re, ”, “, jansa, beletete, Leisa Tyler, LightRocket, Andrea Nguyen, Nguyen, Ukraine “, frik, camarones, Katherine Frey, It’s, Spain Gazpacho, Tom McCorkle, —, Gumbo, it’s, It's, chiles, Menudo rojo, blanco, moqueca, ayam, Tom yum goong, Natasha Breen, Shutterstock, — it’s, Turkey Yayla çorbasi, weren't Organizations: CNN, Nigeria Banga, UNESCO, borscht, Washington Post, United States, Menudo, Mexico Menudo, cilantro, chiles Locations: Banga, Nigeria, Niger, orima, Vietnam, Ukraine, Eastern Europe, Russian, France, Marseille, Saffron, Portugal, Portugal's, Minho, Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, North Africa, camarones, Peru, Arequipa, amarillo, Gazpacho, Spain, Andalusia, Africa, West Africa, Nigerian, Louisiana, West, Choctaw, New Iberia, Harira, Morocco Moroccan, Yom Kippur, Kharcho, Georgia, Lanzhou, China, Mohinga, Myanmar, Mexico, Mexican, moqueca, Bahia, Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Suriname, South America, Thailand, Fukuoka Prefecture, Kyushu, çorbasi, Turkey, pita

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