your science briefing for 01.07.2025

The uncertain politics of mining on the Moon, a potential new way to clean up plastic pollution, the military prowess of queens and empresses of yore, and more...

Humans could mine the Moon for valuable resources in the foreseeable future, which sounds cool and pretty simple on paper. It would pave the way to explore much of the solar system and help us move away from environmentally destructive mining on our world. Before we start, however, there are some legal and logistical issues we’ll need to solve and negotiate… (The Conversation)

We’re saddled with a literal mountain of plastic that needs to be recycled or broken down so it doesn’t continue to pollute every nook and cranny on Earth. In our efforts to clean it up, we’ve even turned to genetically engineering bacteria to eat it, but this approach is fraught with risks and shortfalls. A lucky discovery using a very common compound may finally offer us a better solution… (Yahoo! News)

Despite countless movies, TV shows, novels, comics, and essays urging against it for moral, biological, and philosophical reasons, some people keep trying to customize a new generation of humanity through experiments that have been both ineffective and amoral. And the “designer babies” in question are quite upset about it… (Wired)

If you’re a straight couple whose love life seems a little dead, the answer may be both very simple but easy to overlook. Boredom. A study from Portugal shows that variety is indeed the spice of life, and trying new things, having new experiences, breaking up routines, and exploring together — sexually and not — may just be the spark you need in a relationship that feels in a rut… (PsyPost)

“Every war was started by a man” says common wisdom. Historians disagree. In fact, they say, female rulers in Europe were 39% more likely to go to war. They also tended to be very good at it by wisely delegating responsibilities, and seldom hesitated to use military power to defend their empires or make a statement… (The Times)