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☆ Are we in the Anthropocene Epoch? Not so fast, geologists say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Scientists have voted against a proposal to declare a new geological epoch called the Anthropocene to reflect how profoundly human activity has altered the planet. The vote followed a 15-year process to select a geological site that best captures humanity’s impact on the planet. Some experts argued that the start of the Anthropocene could be better defined in other ways, such as the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. “This is the commission’s expert group for this interval of geological time and we are bound by its decision. Regardless of whether the term is officially classified as a geological epoch, Anthropocene is already widely in use, Cohen noted.

Persons: Kim Cohen, ”, Cohen, Phil Gibbard, eon, Colin Waters, Waters, …, David Harper, ” Harper, hadn’t, “ Organizations: CNN —, International Union of Geological Sciences, CNN Tuesday, geosciences, Utrecht University, Scott Polar Research, University of Cambridge, Geologists, University of Leicester, Durham University, International, of Locations: Ontario, Netherlands, United Kingdom

☆ ‘Bone biographies’ reveal what life was like for medieval commoners
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Ashley Strickland | Amy Woodyatt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“An osteobiography uses all available evidence to reconstruct an ancient person’s life,” said lead study author John Robb, a professor at Cambridge University, in a statement. “Our team used techniques familiar from studies such as Richard III’s skeleton, but this time to reveal details of unknown lives — people we would never learn about in any other way.”An illustration shows a typical marketplace in medieval Cambridge. Mark Gridley/After the PlagueThe bone biographies are available on Cambridge University’s After the Plague project website. Together, the bones tell a collective story about a cross section of people living in medieval Cambridge and the hardships they faced. “Everyday diseases, such as measles, whooping cough and gastrointestinal infections, ultimately took a far greater toll on medieval populations,” Robb said.

Persons: —, ”, John Robb, “, Richard III’s, Mark Gridley, Sarah Inskip, osteoarchaeologist, John the, ” Robb, Anne, Eudes, Edmund, John, Wat, Robb, Christiana, Dickon, Maria, infirmity Organizations: CNN —, Cambridge, Cambridge University, University of Leicester, Cambridge’s Hospital of St, St, John’s, Stourbridge Fair, University of Cambridge, “, Cambridge Archaeological, Hospital of St Locations: Cambridge, Cambridge’s, Wat, Christiana, Norway, Stourbridge, England, ”, Europe

☆ Stuart Condie — Reporter at The Wall Street Journal
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Stuart Condie | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Stuart CondieStuart Condie covers corporate news for The Wall Street Journal in Sydney, Australia. Previously, he led the financial news desk at Australian Associated Press. A former sports writer for the AP and Bloomberg, Stuart has an English degree from University of Leicester.

Persons: Stuart Condie Stuart Condie, Stuart Organizations: Wall Street, Australian Associated Press, AP, Bloomberg, University of Leicester Locations: Sydney, Australia

☆ Webb telescope spots never-before-seen jet stream in Jupiter’s atmosphere
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The astronomers spied a high-speed jet stream in Jupiter’s lower stratosphere, an atmospheric layer about 25 miles (40 kilometers) above the clouds. “What we have always seen as blurred hazes in Jupiter’s atmosphere now appear as crisp features that we can track along with the planet’s fast rotation,” he said. Jet stream revelationsResearchers compared winds detected by Webb at high altitudes with those within the lower layers picked up by Hubble and tracked changes in wind speed. Both space observatories were necessary to detect the jet stream, as Webb spotted small cloud features and Hubble provided a look at the equatorial atmosphere, including storms not related to the jet. Future observations of Jupiter using the Webb telescope may uncover more insights into the jet stream, such as whether its speed and altitude shift over time, as well as other surprises.

Persons: James Webb, Webb, ”, Ricardo Hueso, Cassini, Imke de Pater, Hubble, Michael Wong, “, Leigh Fletcher, — it’ll Organizations: CNN, James Webb Space, University of, Hubble, University of California, University of Leicester Locations: Basque, Bilbao, Spain, Berkeley, United Kingdom

☆ A microbiologist explains where and what she won't eat to avoid food poisoning
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Primrose Freestone | The Conversation Uk | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Every year, around 2.4 million people in the UK get food poisoning– mostly from viral or bacterial contamination. Eating outdoorsI rarely eat alfresco – whether picnics or barbecues – as the risk of food poisoning goes up when food is taken outdoors. For barbecues, meat needs to be thoroughly cooked, and a meat thermometer is a good investment to avoid food poisoning. AdvertisementAdvertisementIt is also possible to pick up food poisoning from eating any raw shellfish (clams, mussels, whelks, cockles). The benefits of being a microbiologist are that we know how to avoid food poisoning and, in return, people have confidence our cooking is very safe to eat.

Persons: Primrose Freestone, —, I'm, Silas Stein, Lisa Marion Smith, Francisco Bonilla Organizations: Service, Getty, US Centers for Disease Control, Reuters, University of Leicester Locations: San Pancho, vibriosis

☆ An amateur astronomer caught one of the brightest fireballs ever seen on Jupiter. Watch the rare video footage.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Maiya Focht | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

About 14 seconds into the video below, you can see a bright flash appear in Jupiter's southern hemisphere. AdvertisementAdvertisementOne of the brightest, biggest Jupiter fireballs ever recordedKo Arimatsu, an astronomer at Kyoto University, confirmed to The New York Times that there were six reports of this flash on August 28. AdvertisementAdvertisementA fragment of the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet impacts Jupiter’s night side in 1994. Jupiter is the 'vacuum cleaner of the solar system'As the largest planet in our solar system, by far, Jupiter has a powerful gravity that pulls in comets and asteroids. In fact, Jupiter's appetite for asteroids and comets has earned it the nickname "vacuum cleaner of the solar system," according to NASA.

Persons: Tadao Ohsugi, It's, Arimatsu, Shoemaker, Levy, Peter Vereš, NASA's OSIRIS, NASA's, Leigh Fletcher Organizations: Service, Kyoto University, The New York Times, TNT, NASA, ESA, Space Science Institute, Jupiter, JPL Arimatsu, Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian, NASA's Goddard Space Flight, University of Arizona, University of Leicester, Times Locations: Wall, Silicon, Japan, Boulder, Colo, Siberia

☆ Black hole is observed snacking on sun-like star, bite by bite
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

It was observed being plundered by a supermassive black hole at the heart of a spiral-shaped galaxy. The supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy, called Sagittarius A*, possesses about 4 million times the mass of our sun. Most galaxies have such black holes at their center, and the environment around them can be among the most violent places in the universe. The star was observed orbiting the black hole every 20 to 30 days. This marked the first time that scientists had observed a sun-like star being repeatedly snacked upon by a supermassive black hole.

Persons: Neils Bohr, Daniele Malesani, Neil Gehrels, Rob Eyles, Ferris, Will Dunham, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: NASA, Neils, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, NASA's, University of Leicester, Thomson Locations: Hawaii, U.S, Handout, England

☆ Experts identify the first witness to the Great Fire of London
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Amy Woodyatt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —The Great Fire of London in 1666, which razed 436 acres of the mostly-timber city and lasted for four days, was so devastating it secured its place in the history books. Now, experts say they have identified the first person to witness the fire and raise the alarm as Thomas Dagger, a journeyman baker in Thomas Farriner’s bakery on Pudding Lane. This woodcut, later colorized, shows the Great Fire of London in 1666 by English School. Museum of London, UK“It was fascinating to find out more about what happened on that famous night. The new discoveries will be included in the Museum of London new site in Smithfield, which will open in 2026.

Persons: Thomas Dagger, ”, Farriner’s, Kate Loveman, –, Thomas Dagger’s, didn’t, ” Loveman, “ Organizations: London CNN, Research, Museum of London, CNN, University of Leicester, English School . Museum of London, Museum of Locations: London, Thomas Farriner’s, Pudding Lane, St, Paul’s, Museum of London, Smithfield

☆ At World Cup, England’s Lionesses Aim to Show Men’s Team How It’s Done
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( Mark Landler | More About Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In London, theatergoers have flocked to “Dear England,” a hit play that chronicles the drama and anguish of the men’s national soccer team in its long quest for another World Cup title, now at 57 years and counting. In Sydney on Sunday, the England women’s team might finally get the job done. England will face off against Spain in the Women’s World Cup final, the first for either team. While they are closely matched, England’s impressive march through the tournament has spurred hopes that “football’s coming home,” in the ever-optimistic words of “The Three Lions,” the unofficial anthem of the men’s team. If anything, it makes them look even less formidable and more culpable, if women do the job.”

Persons: theatergoers, ”, “, —, John Williams Organizations: soccer team, England, Spain, Lions, University of Leicester Locations: London, “, England, Sydney, Germany

☆ Canadian lake sediments reveal start of Earth's Anthropocene age, scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( David Stanway | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Presence of plutonium and other evidence was found in core samples of the Crawford Lake sediments. The Anthropocene epoch is proposed as a chapter in Earth's history reflecting the transformation of the planet's climate and ecology as a result of human activity. The Anthropocene epoch has not yet been formally recognised by a scientific body called the International Commission on Stratigraphy. The scientists obtained core samples of sediment at Crawford Lake and sediments, soils, corals and ice samples at the other 11 sites. Crawford Lake sediments provided a record of accelerating changes that have unfolded in the past few decades, including traces of fly ash produced by burning fossil fuels.

Persons: Crawford, Colin Waters, we've, Waters, Francine McCarthy, Andrew Cundy, Bill Laurance, David Stanway, Will Dunham Organizations: University of Leicester, International, Crawford Lake, Brock University, Industrial, University of Southampton, James Cook University, Thomson Locations: Crawford, Canada's Ontario, Toronto, Britain, Canada, Australia, Singapore

☆ Anthropocene: Scientists say they’ve found a site that marks a new chapter in Earth’s history
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —Scientists have identified the geological site that they say best reflects a proposed new epoch called the Anthropocene — a major step toward changing the official timeline of Earth’s history. “We’ve moved into this new Earth state and that should be defined by a new geological epoch,” Waters added. On Tuesday, the scientists announced the geological site — Crawford Lake in Ontario, Canada — that best captures the geological impact of the Anthropocene, according to their research. Annual sediment samples from the Crawford Lake site have revealed geochemical traces of nuclear bomb testing, researchers have confirmed. The alpha spectrometry output shown on the screen indicates the presence of plutonium in a Crawford Lake drill core sample.

Persons: ”, Colin Waters, “ We’ve, Waters, eon, James St, Andrew Knoll, “, ” Knoll, Crawford, AWG, Crawford Lake, Francine McCarthy, Andrew Cundy, Stan Finney, it’s, Paul Crutzen —, Finney, It’s, stratigraphers, ” Waters, they’re, Andrew Mathews, We’ve, ’ ” Organizations: CNN —, Environment School, University of Leicester, Geologists, Wales, Harvard University, University, Southampton, Brock University, UK’s University of Southampton, International, International Union of Geological Sciences, Geological Congress, California State University, University of Southampton “, University of California Locations: Crawford Lake, Ontario, Canada, Flinders, South Australia, Jura, Crawford, Southampton Crawford, Sudeten, Lake, California, Baltic, Japan, China, Australia, Gulf of Mexico, Busan, South Korea, Long, Santa Cruz

☆ Roman 'shrine' discovered in cathedral graveyard could be a sacrifice site linked to fertility and mystery cults, say archaeologists
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Archeologists in Britain discovered what they believe to be an ancient Roman shrine. Archaeologists from the University of Leicester excavate a Roman cellar at Leicester Cathedral. There has always been a "folk tale" for centuries that a Roman temple once stood where the Leicester Cathedral is now, the expert said. Archeologists made many other finds at the cathedral site, including ancient Roman coins and pottery. "This excavation has produced a remarkable amount of archaeological evidence from a modestly sized area," said John Thomas, Deputy Director of the University of Leicester Archaeological Services.

☆ It should take another 300 years for NASA's Voyager 1 probe to reach the most distant region of our solar system. Until then, it's cruising through the void between the stars.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Voyager 1 and 2 are exploring the mysterious region between stars, called interstellar space. Both plucky spacecraft continue to send data back from beyond the solar system — and their cosmic journeys are far from over. A diagram showing both of NASA's Voyager probes in interstellar space as of November 2018. An illustration of the Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud in relation to our solar system. NASA/JPL-CaltechFor the last decade, Voyager 1 has been exploring interstellar space, which is full of gas, dust, and charged energetic particles.

☆ Kohl’s, Bed Bath & Beyond and Uniqlo add self-checkout
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Plus Uniqlo, Primark and other chains have started to roll out self-checkout machines at some of their stores. A Uniqlo self-checkout machine in Spain. This is a problem for self-checkout: customers aren’t used to removing security tags themselves, and most self-checkout machines aren’t equipped to do so. To get around this, some apparel stores are using wireless “radio frequency identification” security tags, known as RFID, on merchandise instead of hard tags. Stores such as Uniqlo have invested in new self-checkout machines that automatically recognize these tags, eliminating the need for customers to scan any products themselves or remove security tags.

☆ NASA telescope images reveal brightest explosion ever recorded, as a star collapses into a black hole
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

NASA space telescopes detected the brightest explosion ever recorded. Images show the faint object erupting with powerful gamma rays. About 1.9 billion years ago, a dying star collapsed, exploding in a powerful burst of gamma rays that careened toward Earth. Images taken in visible light by Swift’s Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope show how the afterglow of GRB 221009A (circled) faded over the course of about 10 hours. It could be decades before another gamma-ray burst this bright appears again.

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