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A Billion-Year Solar Eclipse Forecast: Totality No More
Total solar eclipses visible from Earth’s surface are gradually vanishing. Due to the complex gravitational interaction between Earth and its solitary natural satellite, the Moon’s orbit is expanding. As it gradually moves away from our planet at a rate of about 3.78 centimeters per year, its apparent size as seen… Read more
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Act FAST to Save a Stroke Victim
When blood vessels fail to supply oxygen-rich blood to part of the brain due to a blood clot, rupture, or severe narrowing, brain cells begin to die within minutes from oxygen deprivation. It is estimated that the rate of loss may reach 3.2 million neurons per minute. This is what… Read more
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Air Travel: Way Safer Than the Highway
Airplanes are the safest way to travel in the United States. They are much safer than traveling by car or train. In fact, if you examine the transportation safety graph compiled by the U.S. Department of Transportation for the period from 2010 to 2021, you’ll notice that fatalities from air… Read more
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All Human Activity is Prompted by Desire
According to the 20th century philosopher Bertrand Russell, people are motivated by four basic desires: While these motivations aren’t inherently evil, it’s difficult to align with Russell’s perspective because, in certain cases, they can be self-serving, unethical, and even reprehensible, particularly when embraced by politicians and large businesses. “And remember…… Read more
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Analemma: The Sun’s Wandering Trail Across the Sky
Influenced by the Earth’s elliptical orbit and the axial tilt, the Sun’s apparent movement through the sky varies throughout the year. What would the Sun’s path across the sky be like if Earth orbited the Sun in a perfect circle and if the axis around which Earth rotates wasn’t tilted… Read more
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Arctic Haze: A Consequence of Urban Air Pollution
Major urban and industrial areas are often hotspots for air pollution. This is unsurprising, given that dense populations and economic activities in these areas often result in the concentration of emission sources. When smog disperses over these heavily polluted areas, air pollutants can travel far beyond their original sources, reaching… Read more
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Asking the Wrong Question: How Many Drinks Can You Have Before Driving?
About one in four Americans overestimate the amount of alcohol they can consume and still drive safely. This raises the crucial question: how much alcohol can one consume before exceeding the legal limit for safe driving? In the United States, alcohol-impaired driving, also known as DUI, DWI, or drunk driving,… Read more
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Banana Chill Factor: Keeping It Cool
If you are not planning to eat ripe bananas right away, store them in the refrigerator to arrest further ripening. However, refrain from using plastic bags or tightly sealed containers, as they can trap ethylene gas released by bananas, leading to overripening and faster rotting. For the same reason, keep… Read more
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Beyond the Mushroom Cloud: What Prompted Japan to Surrender and Brought an End to WWII
The ongoing debate on the necessity and moral justification of dropping two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 has consumed historians for decades. American researcher Ward Wilson has shifted the focus of that debate, steering it from theoretical considerations to practical aspects. Wilson contended that, from a… Read more
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Blinded by the Light: The Hidden Risks of Bright Light Exposure
Looking directly at very bright light sources, like the sun, lasers, welding arcs, electric sparks, or tanning lamps, for just a few seconds without proper eye protection can cause irreversible eye damage with little or no treatment options. Even exposure to indirect light reflected off glossy surfaces such as snow,… Read more
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Buzzing with Creativity: Ending Hostage Crises in Style
The renowned Norrmalmstorg robbery, an armed robbery and hostage crisis in Stockholm in 1973, brought the controversial psychological theory known as “Stockholm syndrome” to global attention. The unfolding event, where four hostages were held at gunpoint inside a bank’s vault for six days, was broadcast live on national television, getting… Read more
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Can Humans Breathe Through Their Butts?
Most mammals, including humans, typically breathe through their noses. However, there’s an intriguing question: can we breathe through our butts? According to science, the answer is yes. But there’s a twist. When lab animals—specifically pigs and rodents—were deprived of breathable oxygen, those receiving oxygen gas directly into their intestines didn’t… Read more
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Can You Sniff Out Fake News?
Whether you approach online information critically or trust it unquestionably, the content you consume significantly influences your worldview. However, have you considered your own online news consumption habits? The News Provenance Project research has classified online media consumers into four types, considering their levels of trust in media outlets and… Read more
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Car Batteries: Climate Matters
In most cars with internal combustion engines, batteries are typically installed near the engine under the hood, where temperatures can easily exceed 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Summer heat exacerbates this harsh environment, accelerating battery degradation. Consequently, batteries in cooler climates may last a few years longer than those in regions with… Read more
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Checking In? Check for Bed Bugs First
The last thing you want after returning home from a business trip or vacation is to discover unwelcome guests—bed bugs—that you brought with you. They are found worldwide, from North and South America to Africa, Asia, and Europe, even in unexpected places like five-star hotels and luxury resorts. Therefore, the… Read more
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Chilling Resilience: How Frogs Survive the Cold Winter
Animals have a variety of ways to cope with adverse environmental conditions. Many utilize dormancy—a prolonged period of inactivity and fasting—to survive winters when temperatures often drop below freezing. Frogs, along with other cold-blooded amphibians, lack the ability to regulate their body temperature internally. Thus, they have developed clever methods… Read more
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Clearing the Air: Tree Planting Won’t Solve Air Pollution
Undoubtedly, trees play an important role in reducing air pollution in urban areas. However, their contribution alone is not sufficient. While trees are generally beneficial, they can also have negative effects. In some cases, they hinder the dispersion and transport of air pollutants and may even emit gases that exacerbate… Read more
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Decoding Mucus Colors: Best Left to Your Doctor
Mucus, a watery secretion produced by your body, can vary in color. While it’s typically clear, it may change color when you’re sick. But can you diagnose a disease just by observing the color of your mucus? Not really. While it’s true that specific diseases or chronic conditions may be linked… Read more
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Did the Emancipation Proclamation end slavery in the United States?
Issued on January 1, 1863, in the midst of the American Civil War, the Emancipation Proclamation marked a major turning point in the long battle to abolish slavery in the United States. It did not, however, end slavery nationwide. Read more
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Do We Tend to Remember Good Things and Forget the Bad Ones?
In psychology, there is a controversy about repressed memories, questioning whether certain kinds of emotionally charged events may not be remembered, even if they have a significant personal impact. Although rooted in Sigmund Freud‘s ideas, which have largely been disproven, the belief that traumatic memories can be forgotten, repressed, or… Read more
What I Learned Today 