your science briefing for 01.14.2025
More wildfires are coming say geologic records, how American laws are leading to more self-sterilization, a 20,000 year old 3D map made by humans, and more...
While wildfires ravaged Los Angeles, geologists studying climate shifts of the past are warning us that more are coming. According to their research, abrupt in global climate patterns bring massive spikes in wildfires, and we’ll be no exception… (PhysOrg)
After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade and set the stage for lawmakers to regulate what their constituents can and cannot do with their bodies, young adults are rushing to their doctors for permanent birth control. Vasectomies almost doubled, and tubal sterilizations went up 70% compared to pre-ruling stats… (The Guardian)
In a stunning display of general relativity, the James Webb Space Telescope managed to resolve 44 individual stars in the epically named Dragon Arc galaxy, 6.5 billion light years away. This is a feat once thought impossible, and it would have been, if not for a gravitational lens created by a nearby cluster of galaxies. Now, we can see these stars as they were well before the Sun and Earth were born… (USA Today)
Turns out that as fetuses grow, they can use a gene inherited from fathers to dial in an optimal number of nutrients from the mother. The gene emits hormones which talk to the placenta and ask for extra nutrients, creating a tug of war between how quickly a fetus can grow and how many nutrients the mother’s body can give… (SciTechDaily)
Some 20,000 years ago, in a sandstone cave near what is modern day Paris, a group of humans used basic tools and water to create a rough miniature model of the valley in which they lived. This is the earliest known 3D environmental map ever found, and may potentially be the earliest attempt at mapping ever found. The other candidate is a 25,000 year old tusk found in modern day Czech Republic, which may or may not be decorated as a basic hunting map… (LBV)