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☆ Scientists Calculated the Energy Needed to Carry a Baby. Shocker: It’s a Lot.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Carl Zimmer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It takes a lot of energy to grow a baby — just ask anyone who has been pregnant. In a study published on Thursday in the journal Science, Australian researchers estimated that a human pregnancy demands almost 50,000 dietary calories over the course of nine months. That’s the equivalent of about 50 pints of Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia ice cream, and significantly more than the researchers expected. Previous estimates were lower because scientists generally assumed that most of the energy involved in reproduction wound up stored in the fetus, which is relatively small. But Dustin Marshall, an evolutionary biologist at Monash University, and his students have discovered that the energy stored in a human baby’s tissues accounts for only about 4 percent of the total energy costs of pregnancy.

Persons: Jerry’s Cherry Garcia, Dustin Marshall Organizations: Science, Monash University Locations: Ben

☆ Stone Age humans once sheltered in lava tube caves
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Mindy Weisberger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Beginning in the Stone Age, Neolithic herders descended into and occupied these vast tunnels, known as lava tubes, archaeologists have discovered. Umm Jirsan spans nearly 1 mile (1.5 kilometers), with passages that are up to 39 feet (12 meters) tall and as much as 148 feet (45 meters) wide. The researchers enter Umm Jirsan, the longest lava tube system in the region. Animal carvingsIn another tunnel near Umm Jirsan, the researchers found 16 panels of engraved rock art. “Collectively, the archaeological findings at the site and in the surrounding landscape paint a picture of recurrent use of the Umm Jirsan Lava Tube over millennia,” Stewart said.

Persons: Jirsan, haven’t, Umm, ”, Mathew Stewart, ” Stewart, Umm Jirsan, Guillaume Charloux, Charloux, Stewart, “, —, ” Mindy Weisberger Organizations: CNN —, Australian Research Centre, Griffith University, CNN, Umm, French National Centre for Scientific Research, ’, Saudi Geological Survey, Arabia, Scientific Locations: Medina, Saudi Arabia, Umm Jirsan, Australia, Arabia, Asia

☆ New discoveries suggest Rhode Island shipwreck is Captain Cook's long-lost vessel after battle over ship's identity
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Australian researchers believe a shipwreck off the coast of Rhode Island is that of the HMS Endeavor. Previously, their claim was contested by their research partner, The Rhode Island Maritime Archeology Project. The Rhode Island Maritime Archeology Project did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment regarding the recent announcement of evidence. "We would like to work with the Rhode Island government to do that," Hosty told the outlet. "If it means working with Rhode Island Maritime Archaeology Project we'll work with them; we'll work with anyone who is willing to help us on this site."

Persons: —, Captain James Cook, Cook, Daryl Karp, Kieran Hosty, Hosty Organizations: HMS Endeavor, Australian National Maritime Museum, Rhode, Maritime Archeology, Service, HMS, British Royal Navy, Endeavour, Sydney Herald, Guardian, Herald, Maritime Locations: Rhode, British, Newport Harbor , Rhode Island, Australia, Newport

☆ Video shows weird 'kelping' behavior in whales. Scientists think it's the animals using seaweed to exfoliate.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Maiya Focht | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Scientists gathered 105 instances of baleen whales performing a strange behavior called kelping. This could be to help the whales exfoliate, or for them to entertain themselves, researchers said. The group gathered over a hundred videos and photos from social media of whales "kelping", which led them to realize that this behavior isn't isolated to one group of baleen whales. AdvertisementAdvertisementBecause this behavior turned out to be so widespread, the researchers began to speculate why the whales were doing it. But it's also possible, the researchers wrote, that the whales are using the kelp to exfoliate their skin, removing parasites and bacteria.

Persons: —, it's, Olaf Meynecke Organizations: Service, Marine Science, Engineering, Marine Research, Facebook, Flickr Locations: Queensland, Australia, Australia's

☆ Five Eyes intelligence chiefs warn on China's 'theft' of intellectual property
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Zeba Siddiqui | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The officials from the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand - known as the Five Eyes intelligence sharing network - made the comments following meetings with private companies in the U.S. innovation hub Silicon Valley. From quantum technology and robotics to biotechnology and artificial intelligence, China was stealing secrets in various sectors, the officials said. In response, Chinese government spokesman Liu Pengyu said the country was committed to intellectual property protection. The U.S. has long accused China of intellectual property theft and the issue has been a key sore point in U.S.-China relations. "The Chinese government is engaged in the most sustained scaled and sophisticated theft of intellectual property and expertise in human history," said Mike Burgess, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation's director-general.

Persons: Christopher Wray, Jim Bourg, Wray, Liu Pengyu, Mike Burgess, Burgess, we've, Zeba Siddiqui, Jamie Freed Organizations: Committee, Federal Bureau of Investigation, REUTERS, Rights STANFORD, FBI, Reuters, The, Australian Security Intelligence, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, California, China, United States, Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, U.S, Valley . U.S, Washington, The U.S, Australian, Stanford , California

☆ China's BRI forum is an attempt to try to create a 'parallel world order,' analyst says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailChina's BRI forum is an attempt to try to create a 'parallel world order,' analyst saysShahar Hameiri, Australian Research Council Future Fellow at the University of Queensland, discusses the gathering of world leaders at the Belt and Road Initiative forum in Beijing.

Persons: Shahar Hameiri Organizations: Australian Research, University of Queensland, Initiative Locations: Beijing

☆ Australian jobs surge as productivity debate heats up
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"Headline indicators report a very strong employment report, but the bias towards predominantly part-time employment should temper exuberance," said Dwyfor Evans, head of APAC macro strategy at State Street Global Markets. Markets maintained bets that the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) would keep rates steady next month, with an about 40% chance of one final hike early next year. WAGES, PRODUCTIVITYThe strong figures showed Australia's jobs market is still extremely tight more than and a year-and-a-half after the economy shook off its COVID-era border restrictions. loadingTreasurer Jim Chalmers on Thursday welcomed the strong jobs report, but warned that the labour market could slow from here, a consensus view among economists. Adam Boyton, head of Australian research at ANZ, is already seeing signs of slackening in the labour market, with underemployment rate creeping up and hours worked falling.

Persons: Barista Claudio Chimisso, Loren Elliott, Dwyfor Evans, Tim Gurner, Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez, Jim Chalmers, Chalmers, Adam Boyton, Boyton, Stella Qiu, Kim Coghill, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Australian Bureau, Statistics, Street Global, Reserve Bank, Australian, Reserve Bank of Australia, ANZ, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, China

☆ Scientists spot a planet that shouldn’t exist
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A Jupiter-like planet located 520 light-years from Earth may be an unlikely survivor after its host star had a temper tantrum. The gas planet is known as 8 UMi b and was named Halla after its initial discovery by Korean astronomers in 2015. The exoplanet orbits a giant star larger than our sun named Baekdu, located in the Ursa Minor, or “Little Bear,” constellation. Halla orbits Baekdu at a distance about half that between the Earth and the sun at 0.46 astronomical units, or 42,759,659 miles (68,815,020 kilometers). While our solar system only has one star, many stars across the universe exist in binary pairs.

Persons: Halla, “, ”, Dan Huber, Marc Hon, ” Huber, Tim Organizations: CNN, Ursa, Australian Research, University of Sydney, Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, Keck Observatory, Halla, Star Wars Locations: South Korea, Manoa, Canada, France, Hawaii, Mauna Kea

☆ Rio Tinto sets up battery testing plant in Melbourne
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRISBANE, June 28 (Reuters) - Global miner Rio Tinto (RIO.AX) is setting up a battery test plant at an Australian research hub to better understand how its minerals can work for battery makers, an executive said on Wednesday. Rio set up its battery materials business in 2021 before buying the Rincon lithium mine in Argentina the following year. It has put on ice its plans to develop a large lithium mine in Serbia, for which research and development was centred at its Melbourne research hub, due to community opposition. Kaufman said demand for lithium is expected to grow five-fold out to 2030, with a significant supply-demand deficit expected from the second half of this decade. The battery plant is expected to be operational by November.

Persons: Rio, Sinead Kaufman, Kaufman, Melanie Burton, Sonali Paul Organizations: BRISBANE, Rio Tinto, Thomson Locations: Australian, Rincon, Argentina, Serbia, Melbourne, Bundoora

☆ Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? Crypto fans just celebrated the bitcoin inventor's birthday and his legend is as mysterious as ever.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Satoshi Nakamoto is said to be the inventor of bitcoin and wrote the token's original white paper in 2008. Nakamoto's paper, "Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System," was published in October 2008. In his white paper, Nakamoto cited the work of Stuart Haber, a computer scientist credited with helping invent blockchain technology. A Newsweek article in 2014 said that Dorian Prentice Satoshi Nakamoto, a Japanese American man living in California, was the elusive inventor of bitcoin. After the article published, Nakamoto's online account revived itself after a five-year hiatus, stating: "I am not Dorian Nakamoto."

☆ Adam Grant says this skill can make you highly successful—but ‘there’s not a book’ on how to do it properly
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Natasha Piñon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

But Wharton psychologist Adam Grant says high achievers actually display a different trait: the ability to follow. "I see a lot of students who want to lead and they don't know how to follow," Grant said. Grant isn't the first to notice how difficult it can be for self-proclaimed leaders to develop a following. Meanwhile, the recruits who saw themselves as followers were often seen by their peers as leaders. But there's a problem, Grant said: Despite an abundance of leadership research, there's no reliable playbook for learning to effectively develop following skills.

☆ Australian economy on edge as fixed-rate mortgage pain looms in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The cost of paying your mortgage is literally going up for everyone by thousands of dollars," said the 31-year-old Lemon. Australia's big four banks - Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA.AX), Westpac (WBC.AX), National Australia Bank (NAB.AX) and ANZ (ANZ.AX) - account for 75% of the country's mortgage market. read moreThe RBA fears 15% of the borrowers on variable rates could see their cash flows turn negative, assuming that interest rates rise to 3.6% in line with market expectations. Buyers' agent Lloyd Edge says some cautious mortgage holders have been selling up before their fixed-rate loans expire. Hundreds of thousands of Australians took advantage of the ultra low rates during the COVID pandemic to enter one of the world's least affordable housing markets.

Researchers created a microscope slide that can detect cancer by simply "viewing" cells. It's not limited to cancer cells, so could also be used to detect other diseases. Cancer cells tend to interact with light in a different way from healthy cells. Cancer cells tend to interact with light in a different way from healthy cells. In contrast, the NanoMslide can manipulate light at the nanoscale, causing cells to "light up" with vivid and contrasting colors.

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