Weekly Roundup | Science and Space: Top 20 science stories of the week of Sept 2 - 9th, 2016
The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom. - Isaac Asimov
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Here's How NASA Thinks Society Will Collapse
Few think Western civilization is on the brink of collapse — but it's also doubtful the Romans and Mesopotamians saw their own demise coming either. If we're to avoid their fate, we'll need policies to reduce economic inequality and preserve natural resources, according to a NASA-funded study that looked at the collapses of previous societies. "Two important features seem to appear across societies that have collapsed," reads the study. "The stretching of resources due to the strain placed on the ecological carrying capacity and the economic stratification of society into Elites and Masses."
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Submitted on September 5th 2016 by drunkenninja with 7 comments and with 1 Related Links:
1. HANDY Report Added by SingleMalt on September 5th 2016.
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Philae: Lost Comet Lander is Found
Europe's comet lander Philae, last seen in November 2014, has been identified in new pictures from the Rosetta probe.
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Submitted on September 5th 2016 by jcscher
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Alien Interpreters: How Linguists Would Talk to Extraterrestrials
In the upcoming sci-fi drama "Arrival," several mysterious spacecraft touch down around the planet, and humanity is faced with how to approach—and eventually communicate—with these extraterrestrial visitors. In the film, a team of experts is assembled to investigate, and among the chosen individuals is a linguist, played by actress Amy Adams. Though the story is rooted in science fiction, it does tackle a very real challenge: How do you communicate with someone—or how do you learn that individual's language—when you have no intermediary language in common?
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Submitted on September 4th 2016 by drunkenninja with 4 comments
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A Hacker From South Africa Just Rescued The First NASA Computer In Space
The Guidance and Navigation Control computer launched on 1966's Apollo-Saturn 202 mission, was the first of its kind. It successfully led a rocket in and out of suborbit, paving the way for the mission to the moon. After that kind of pioneering adventure, you might expect this metal explorer to be safely ensconced in a museum somewhere. But until very recently, it wasn't. Instead, it was languishing in obscurity—first in a scrap heap, then in storage in Houston, Texas.
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Submitted on September 3rd 2016 by socialiguana
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Loneliness can be depressing, but it may have helped humans survive
Loneliness not only feels nasty, it can also make you depressed, shatter your sleep, even kill you. Yet scientists think loneliness evolved because it was good for us. It still is — sometimes.
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Submitted on September 6th 2016 by gladsdotter with 1 Related Links:
1. Researchers Confront an Epidemic of Loneliness Added by LisMan on September 7th 2016.
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Russia's airship plan is crazy — and cunning
A fleet of high-tech aerostats sail across Russia's remote Arctic stretches, bringing resources from the north to the busy railheads farther south. An economic boom saves the economy, and because American business wants a piece of the action, the United States lifts sanctions on Russia. The European Union and China get involved, too. Same goes for disloyal Russian millionaires and billionaires stashing their savings in London and New York real estate instead of investing in the motherland.
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Submitted on September 8th 2016 by grandtheftsoul
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Pondering Miracles, Medical and Religious
A hematologist and medical historian examined 1,400 miracle investigations by the Vatican, from 1588 to 1999.
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Submitted on September 6th 2016 by gladsdotter
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Bacteria lurking in blood could be culprit in countless diseases
By triggering inflammation, bacteria could be to blame for the clots and plaques linked to stroke, Alzheimer's disease, arthritis and many other conditions
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Submitted on September 8th 2016 by kxh
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White House Report Concludes That Bite-Mark Analysis Is Junk Science
A draft report from a presidential council of science and technology advisers determined that forensic bite-mark analysis has no scientific validity.
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Submitted on September 7th 2016 by kxh
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Massive holes ‘punched’ through a trail of stars likely caused by dark matter
The discovery of two massive holes punched through a stream of stars could help answer questions about the nature of dark matter, the mysterious substance holding galaxies together. While we do not yet understand what dark matter is formed of, we know that it is everywhere. Researchers have detected two massive holes which have been ‘punched’ through a stream of stars just outside the Milky Way...
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Submitted on September 7th 2016 by socialiguana
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Why Are Babies So Dumb If Humans Are So Smart?
As a species, humans are incredibly smart. We tell stories, create magnificent art and astounding technology, build cities, and explore space. We haven’t been around nearly as long as many other species, but in many respects we’ve accomplished more than any have before us. We eat them and they don’t eat us. We even run scientific studies on them—and are thinking about re-creating some of those that have gone extinct. But our intelligence comes with a curious caveat: our babies are among the dumbest—or, rather, the most helpless—that exist.
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Submitted on September 8th 2016 by ckshenn
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A Surprising Effect of Sugar on the Immune System
Feed a cold, don’t starve it. Sometimes sugar causes inflammation. But sometimes it does the opposite.
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Submitted on September 8th 2016 by gladsdotter with 3 comments
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Does Chinese Civilization Come From Ancient Egypt?
A new study has energized a century-long debate at the heart of China's national identity....In the past year, Sun, a highly decorated scientist, has ignited a passionate online debate with claims that the founders of Chinese civilization were not in any sense Chinese but actually migrants from Egypt.
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Submitted on September 6th 2016 by LisMan with 1 comments
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Trojan Asteroids: Jupiter's Prisoners
Jupiter has a bunch of asteroids that are trapped in two specific points in its orbit!
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Submitted on September 6th 2016 by rti9
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Palaeontologists uncover giant kangaroo in north Queensland
Palaeontologists have potentially uncovered a new giant species of kangaroo in north Queensland. A mine west of Mackay, in north Queensland, initially came to the attention of palaeontologists back in 2008 when traditional owners discovered an unusual bone. Since then, using hammers, chisels and brushes, palaeontologists have since come across wide range of fossils dating back to more than 30,000 years ago.
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Submitted on September 5th 2016 by Petrox
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Why Nocturnal Tornadoes are 2.5 Times more Deadly
While modern technology has greatly reduced the number of deaths from tornadoes over time, those numbers don’t seem to be affected when the storm occurs at night.
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Submitted on September 7th 2016 by jcscher
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Bizarre ant colony discovered in an abandoned Polish nuclear weapons bunker
Scientists describe workers trapped for years in "a hostile environment in total darkness."
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Submitted on September 3rd 2016 by gladsdotter with 1 comments
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The 'impossible' EM Drive is about to be tested in space
An actual EM Drive is about to be launched into space for the first time, so scientists can finally figure out - once and for all - if it really is possible for a rocket engine to generate thrust without any kind of exhaust or propellant. Built by American inventor and chemical engineer, Guido Fetta, the EM Drive is as controversial as it gets, because while certain experiments have suggested that such an engine could work, it also goes against one of the most fundamental laws of physics we have.
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Submitted on September 7th 2016 by geoleo with 3 comments
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Birds Inside the Eye of Hurricane Hermine and 13 Other Weird Things That Have Shown Up on Radar
Birds were spotted on radar inside the eye of Hurricane Hermine.
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Submitted on September 7th 2016 by jcscher with 1 comments
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Here are this week's top five Science & Space tribes:
/t/research 115 posts, 83 comments, 480 votes.
/t/science 138 posts, 59 comments, 598 votes.
/t/futurism 39 posts, 32 comments, 211 votes.
/t/meteorology 32 posts, 23 comments, 74 votes.
/t/space 32 posts, 22 comments, 149 votes.
Note: Tribes can only be featured once every four weeks. Validate your tribe to be included on this list!
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