Lab-Bred Mosquitos Could Slow the Spread of a Deadly Human Disease

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Lab-Bred Mosquitos Could Slow the Spread of a Deadly Human Disease Bacteria-infected insects can slow the spread of dengue — but they’re hard to mass produce. At Singapore’s National Environment Agency, more than a million mosquitoes buzz inside plastic boxes in a breeding room that smells of fermented sugar. The male insects, which don’t bite, feed on plant juices in the wild, but here, they nourish themselves on sugar water. Meanwhile, their female counterparts lay eggs on paper-like strips half submerged in trays of water. Each week, the insects inside this facility produce 24 million tiny black eggs. Continued here

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Machine learning is helping police work out what people on the run now look like Charlie Frowd is one of the developers of the EvoFIT facial composite system. Charlie Frowd and the University of Central Lancashire derive some royalty income from sales of the system. The Italian police recently arrested Matteo Messina Denaro, the alleged leader of the Sicilian Mafia who has been on the run since 1993. To aid in the search, the Carabinieri issued an artificially aged image to show what he might look like now. Continued here

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People High in Emotional Intelligence May Have Their Gut to Thank for Their Good Mood The brain-gut connection is improving our mood. Continued here

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I'm descended from a Baloch-Afghan cameleer and a Badimiya Yamitji woman: they battled racist government policies to save our family I am one of 400 descendants of a Baloch-Afghan cameleer man, Goolam Badoola, and an Aboriginal Badimiya Yamitji woman, Mariam Martin. As I share these stories told to me by my Elders, I pray they are used as a means for others to recognise the resilience in these historical lessons as a vessel for good action. As humans, we should be naturally inclined towards performing good acts in service of humanity. Continued here

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Covering your baby's pram with a dry cloth can increase the temperature by almost 4 degrees. Here's what to do instead We like to think of babies as tiny versions of ourselves. But babies aren’t simply miniature adults, especially when it comes to coping in the heat. Babies are at greater risk of overheating and need different cooling strategies to those that work for adults. Parents have long covered prams and strollers with cloth to shade the carriage from the hot sun. However, our recent study showed this can substantially increase temperatures inside the stroller. Continued here

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People High in Emotional Intelligence May Have Their Gut to Thank for Their Good Mood The brain-gut connection is improving our mood.Continued here � S30 How Monopoly Became America’s Cruellest Board Game In a recent memoir, the actor Matthew Perry, of "Friends," reveals that his parents spent the hours before his birth playing the board game Monopoly. It was an unhappy marriage, Perry writes, and they divorced when he was a baby. Monopoly probably wasn't responsible, but it can't have helped. Most aficionados agree that Monopoly, if not a bad game, is at the very least designed to embitter its players. The rules are straightforward. Players take turns moving their respective token around a square board. Each tile represents a major street or district in a real-world city. The first player to land on a property tile has the option to buy the land, on which he can then build houses and hotels, and charge visitors rent. Move by move, territory is lost to competing landlords, who work to bankrupt their rivals, acquire their assets, and establish a monopoly. By the end of the game, all but one player sit, frowning, indebted to the friend or family member who has negotiated, through an infuriating combination of luck and avarice, domination of the board. Continued here S22 What Australia learned from recent devastating floods - and how New Zealand can apply those lessons now Australia and New Zealand have both faced a series of devastating floods triggered by climate change and the return of the La Niña weather pattern. So it makes sense that Australia has now sent disaster crews to help with the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle. With five serious floods in the space of 19 months in 2021-2022, Australia’s experiences – and how people responded – offer New Zealand a guide for recovering and rebuilding after an extreme weather event. Continued here � S9 11 of the best films to watch this February Why would anyone kill their own baby? Alice Diop asked herself that question in 2016, when she was watching the trial of a French-Senegalese woman who had left her child on a beach to drown. Having made a name for herself as a documentary filmmaker, Diop has turned her memories of the trial into a gripping drama, Saint Omer. Kayije Kagame plays Rama, a pregnant, Diop-like novelist who plans to use the case in her book on the Greek myth of the child-killing Medea. Guslagie Malanda plays Laurence Coly, the complex woman on trial. "Diop consciously uses the many tropes of true crime documentaries," says Sheila O'Malley at RogerEbert.com, "while at the same time up-ending them. In doing so, Saint Omer becomes a much larger reflection on contemporary French life, the experience of immigrants, and the shadows we drag along with us as we move into a different space." Women Talking is another high-profile new film exploring male sexual violence from the perspective of victims (Credit: Alamy) Continued here S27 Why sleep is so important for your fitness When we think of what makes athletes great, few of us would think that sleep might play an important role. But many of the world’s best athletes say sleep is an essential part of their training routine and key in helping them to perform well. Serena Williams, for example, strives to get eight hours of sleep each night. NBA star LeBron James aims for eight to ten hours per night, while NFL legend Tom Brady says he goes to bed early and gets at least nine hours of sleep. Continued here � S8 Gumbo's long journey from West Africa Fried cheese was the last thing I thought I'd see going into a traditional West African dish, but especially into an okra stew. It was just one of several ingredients that surprised me as a Louisiana-born Cajun who cut his teeth on gumbo, a pillar of southern Louisiana cuisine that's made up of seafood or meat cooked in a roux – but never with cheese. The origins of Louisiana gumbo can be traced to West Africa, during a time when enslaved Africans brought okra (or gombo as it is known in regional tongues) with them to the Caribbean and the US South, including where I'm from, the port city of New Orleans. Continued here S11 Gender equality in Nigeria: Three reasons why women aren't represented in politics In March 2022, Nigerian women suffered backlash in their pursuit of gender equity. Five gender bills presented to the National Assembly were thrown out. The bills sought to advance women’s rights on a number of fronts. These included: providing special seats for women at the National Assembly; allocating 35% of political position appointments to women; creating 111 additional seats in the National Assembly and the state constituent assemblies; and a commitment to women having at least 10% of ministerial appointments. Continued here � S16 We pitted ChatGPT against tools for detecting AI-written text, and the results are troubling As the “chatbot wars” rage in Silicon Valley, the growing proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) tools specifically designed to generate human-like text has left many baffled. Educators in particular are scrambling to adjust to the availability of software that can produce a moderately competent essay on any topic at a moment’s notice. Should we go back to pen-and-paper assessments? Increasing exam supervision? Ban the use of AI entirely? Continued here S4 The Debt Ceiling Standoff Has Federal Contractors On Edge If the U.S. defaults, government contractors may not get paid on time. They're already devising stopgap solutions. Continued here � S33 How To Use FaceTime to Play Games With Your Friends Apple has coupled SharePlay, FaceTime, and its Game Center to allow for a more cooperative mobile gaming experience. Through SharePlay on iOS 16, users can watch movies, listen to music, and share their screens with others on a FaceTime call simultaneously. Continued here S6 3 Scientific Reasons Your Brain Fears Public Speaking, And How to Fix It Retrain your brain to perform its best when the pressure is on. Continued here S2 10 Top-Ranked Cities for Digital Nomads Where You Can Live for $2,000 or Less a Month A new ranking sorts cities by both digital nomad-friendliness and affordability. Continued here S5 How to Focus and Move Past Your Destructive or Distracting Inner Narratives Which of your 70,000 daily thoughts should you believe? Continued here S29 31 years after the advent of compulsory super, the government is about to decide what it's for. The answer will matter Today Treasurer Jim Chalmers released a consultation paper on “Legislating the Purpose of Superannuation”. This is a long-awaited piece of work that has been the subject of ongoing discussion since it was recommended by the Rudd government’s Financial System Inquiry in 2014. Continued here S13 Long before the Voice vote, the Australian Aboriginal Progressive Association called for parliamentary representation Director/Chair of Aboriginal History - The Wollotuka Institute, University of Newcastle Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names and/or images of deceased people. Continued here S24 View from The Hill: April 1 Aston byelection will be an all-female battle You can bet on one thing in the Aston byelection, which is to be held on April 1. The winner will be a woman. Labor already has its female candidate in the field – Mary Doyle, who gave former Liberal member Alan Tudge a run for his money last year. Doyle, who works for an industry super fund, says she’s a “suburban mum” who has “a mortgage on a three-bedroom weatherboard house”. Continued here S10 Expert Q&A: why do people commit murder-suicides? The deaths of Epsom College Head Emma Pattison and her daughter Lettie are a possible example of the rare and tragic phenomenon of murder-suicide. Pattison’s husband is believed to have shot his wife and child before taking his own life. We asked Sandra Flynn, an expert in forensic mental health at the University of Manchester, about why people commit this horrific act and what we should understand about it. Researchers have examined the motive for past cases, which have included mental health, relationship problems, alcohol and substance use, physical health problems, criminal and legal issues, job or financial difficulties and domestic violence. More recently, a review of cases found negative childhood experiences to be risk factors, as are characteristics like gender, age and financial situation. Continued here S7 Are Gen Z the most stressed generation in the workplace? The instability, insecurity and relentless upheaval of the past several years has left workers anxious. And now, as layoffs proliferate, and pay fails to keep pace with rising inflation, they’re still worrying – in some cases, more than ever. The global strain of what some call a ‘permacrisis’ impacts workers of all ages, yet many researchers and experts posit that Gen Z are the most stressed cohort in the workplace overall. Jumping into their careers in the past few years – with some only just entering the workforce during the pandemic – has put them in particularly difficult situations. According to Cigna International Health’s 2023 survey of almost 12,000 workers around the world, 91% of 18-to-24-year-olds report being stressed – compared to 84% on average. Continued here S34 The 7 Best 'GTA 6' Leaks, Rumors, and Theories About Rockstar's Crime Sequel When it comes to eagerly anticipated video games, it doesn’t get much bigger than Grand Theft Auto 6. After all, the previous entry, Grand Theft Auto V, is the second bestselling game of all time (behind Minecraft), selling over 175 million units since its launch in 2013. Since GTA 6 has been in the works for so long, it has accumulated its fair share of rumors, leaks, and theories — many of which are promising. Developer Rockstar Games has yet to officially unveil the upcoming game, so there’s plenty of speculation to go around. These are 7 GTA 6 rumors, leaks, and theories we hope are true. Out of all the leaks and theories on this list, this one is most likely to be true. As reported by Bloomberg in 2022, GTA 6 will apparently feature two protagonists: A duo consisting of a Latino brother and sister. This would mark the first 3D entry in the series to feature a female protagonist. (You could play as a female in the original GTA and its sequel, GTA 2, but those fundamentally feel like entirely different games since they were in 2D.) Continued here S32 You Need to Watch the Most Shameless Slasher Sequel Ever Before It Leaves HBO Max Next Week When is a sequel not a sequel? How about when an entirely unrelated straight-to-DVD slasher is altered part-way through production to shamelessly capitalize on a cult box office hit? Enter, the bizarre post-millennium curio that is American Psycho II: All American Girl. Launching the leading man phase of Christian Bale’s career, the 2000 original was a provocative yet intelligent blend of social satire, post-modern humor, and gratuitous violence rooted firmly in the materialism of the Reagan era. Transferring what many considered to be an unfilmable novel onto the screen with aplomb, it was a true one-off. Well, it should have been. Continued here S15 Should private schools share their facilities with public students? There is a new push for private schools to open their grounds and facilities to the broader community. North Sydney mayor Zoe Baker, wants to ask top private schools in her area to share their green spaces and other facilities. For so much of the year, schools sit unused and most campuses close at 4pm. We should search for opportunities where space can be shared where it is suitable. Continued here S28 Why it's time for the UK to introduce mandatory training for new dog owners With recent reports suggesting there has been an increase in fatal dog attacks in the UK, it’s clear the status quo isn’t working. Records indicate that in an average year there would be three dog fatalities. But in 2022 there were nine. The reasons why records show an increase are complex but already in 2023 there have been two tragic incidents, one a dog walker who died from bites to the neck. The other attack, which is still being investigated, involved the death of a four-year-old girl. Continued here S25 Proposed privacy reforms could help Australia play catch-up with other nations. But they fail to tackle targeted ads In the recently released Privacy Act Review Report, the Attorney-General’s Department makes numerous important proposals that could see the legislation, enacted in 1988, begin to catch up to leading privacy laws globally. Among the positive proposed changes are: more realistic definitions of personal information and consent, tighter limits on data retention, a right to erasure, and a requirement for data practices to be fair and reasonable. Continued here S3 Want to Start a New Habit and Keep It Up? Ignore This Common Advice, Says a Wharton Behavioral Scientist In a 95-second video, Katy Milkman explains how to plan for when your habit goes wrong. Continued here S35 New Nuclear Fission Concept Could Power Future Rockets in Space Besides the typical argument between solar sails and chemical propulsion lies a potential third way. Novel propulsion ideas for moving around space seem like they’re a dime a dozen recently. Besides the typical argument between solar sails and chemical propulsion lies a potential third way — a nuclear rocket engine. While we’ve discussed them here at Universe Today before, NASA’s Institute of Advanced Concepts has provided a grant to a company called Positron Dynamics for the development of a novel type of nuclear fission fragment rocket engine (FFRE). It could strike a balance between the horsepower of chemical engines and the longevity of solar sails. Continued here S12 The rise of renewables is not without risk for investors Given the urgent need to combat climate change and put an end to the exploitation of fossil fuels, it would appear renewable energies have a bright future. Having grown steadily for several years, they accounted for 19.1% of gross final energy consumption in France in 2020. Across the Channel, 43% of the energy consumed in oot twhe UK now comes from renewable sources such as wind, solar and hydroelectric power. That said, it is essential we step up green investment even more if we are to sustain low-carbon economic growth. According to the International Energy Agency, more than $2 trillion in annual investment in clean electricity will be needed by 2030 to achieve carbon neutrality. The war in Ukraine has also highlighted the risks posed by states’ dependence on imported hydrocarbons, making the energy transition not only an economic and ecological imperative, but a political one. Continued here S19 Locked down with D.H. Lawrence? Yeah, nah The emotional consequences and aesthetic ramifications of the pandemic will continue to ripple through culture, changing our way of seeing the world, even as we begin to weary of the change. Writers who seemed outmoded or alien to a pre-pandemic worldview will suddenly have new relevance, helping us to understand the emotional landscape of a world riven by disease and crisis. Review: Look! We Have Come Through!: Living with D.H. Lawrence – Lara Feigel (Bloomsbury) Continued here S20 Illegal Sydney warehouse parties, lives lost to AIDS, and gay liberation: photographer William Yang captured it all We are all photographers now, since the advent of smartphones and the selfie. So it may seem strange to be writing a review of an exhibition of photographs when, in their digital form, they are both ubiquitous and at the same time largely redundant. William Yang’s photographs in Sydneyphiles offer the complete opposite of the selfie. Instead of the throwaway image, he offers carefully framed and curated portraits. Continued here S17 Disability and dignity - 4 things to think about if you want to 'help' The prevailing public perception is that everything people with disability do is a challenge. Sometimes, that is true. In those times, we may ask or say “yes” to a kind and respectful offer of assistance. Other times, and more often than not, we are simply navigating daily life when a person without disability interjects to offer assistance. It is rare anyone means to be discriminatory in their approach to supporting people with disability, but society’s attitude still has a way to go. Continued here S18 NZ cities urgently need to become 'spongier' - but system change will be expensive Two extreme and deadly weather events within the first two months of 2023 have brought the consequences of climate change into sharp focus. Auckland’s January 27 flood is the most expensive weather event in New Zealand insurance history. Cyclone Gabrielle prompted a national state of emergency, only the third time one has been declared. Auckland and the upper North Island also face an increasing risk of extreme heatwaves. These floods, storms and heatwaves are becoming more frequent and intense in a changing climate. Our cities, including Auckland, are poorly prepared for what is coming. Continued here S23 From the dingo to the Tasmanian devil - why we should be rewilding carnivores Euan G. Ritchie is a Councillor within the Biodiversity Council, and a member of the Ecological Society of Australia and the Australian Mammal Society. No matter where you live, apex predators and large carnivores inspire awe as well as instil fear. Continued here Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom) Followers Blog Archive ►  2024 (51) ►  December (1) ►  October (2) ►  August (2) ►  July (4) ►  June (3) ►  May (5) ►  April (4) ►  March (2) ►  February (10) ►  January (18) ▼  2023 (834) ►  December (20) ►  November (54) ►  October (44) ►  September (108) ►  August (91) ►  July (29) ►  June (68) ►  May (104) ►  April (33) ►  March (30) ▼  February (99) Can't Find An Email? Use This Hack. Mar 1, 2023 - VCs and founders are finding life ea... Wegovy: what you need to know about this weight lo... Does Not Being Able to Picture Something in Your M... Do You Cause Your Own Stress? 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