Flashing Palely in the Margins
Things I learned these past few months
Below, a quick roundup of a few of the things I learned over the past few months.
Observers have reported a large red spot on Jupiter since the 1660s. But according to a new analysis, the old red spot may have disappeared and the current Great Red Spot formed sometime in the 19th century. (ArsTechnica)
Employees working from home spend an average of 13 hours daily staring at screens, according to a new survey. The survey found total screen time for remote workers eclipses their on-site peers by more than two hours. (theHill)
Eating cheese plays a role in healthy, happy aging. The link between cheese and well-being was an unexpected finding in the study conducted out of the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, which found that a higher intake of cheese (and fruit) was one of the standout contributors in those who had high well-being scores. (New Atlas)
After Roe v Wade was overturned in June 2022, doctors said a wave of young people started asking for permanent birth control like tubal ligations, in which the fallopian tubes are removed, or vasectomies. New research shows that tubal ligations doubled from June 2022 to September 2023, and vasectomies increased over three times during that same time. (KFF Health)
Elephants call each other by name and respond when they hear others call their name. (Yale e360)
Renewable energy was the leading source of electricity in the EU in 2023. Renewables accounted for 44.7 per cent of all electricity production generating 1.21 million Gigawatt-hours (GWh) — a 12.4 per cent increase from 2022. (euronews)
A small, family-owned electronics company, Nichols Electronics, controls 97% of the ice cream truck music market. The music box tracklists have remained mostly unchanged for years, but a recent addition includes a new 45-second jingle written and produced by Wu-Tang Clan member RZA, which blends “traditional ice cream truck sounds with jazz and hip-hop elements.” (Hustle)
People currently throw out 92 million tons of clothes a year and only an eighth of it gets recycled. (WaPo)
Since 2020, 14 countries have consistently generated over 95% renewable electricity. In eight of these countries, electricity has been almost entirely renewable-based for over 20 years. (Ember)
Swimmer Katie Ledecky hasn’t lost a 1500m race in 14 years. (NBC)
A new analysis finds that sending and receiving emails emits about 1344.3 tons of carbon globally on a daily basis. (Digital Journal)
Scientists have developed a “holy grail” insulin that responds to changing blood sugar levels in real-time and could revolutionise treatment for millions of people with type 1 diabetes worldwide. (Guardian)
Among children born in the US during 1994–2023, routine childhood vaccinations will have prevented approximately 508 million cases of illness, 32 million hospitalizations, and 1,129,000 deaths, resulting in direct savings of $540 billion and societal savings of $2.7 trillion. (CDC)
Two-thirds of books released by the top-ten trade publishers sell fewer than a thousand copies. (New Yorker)
Long Covid has pushed around one million Americans out of the labor force. (WSJ)
Fossilised remains thought to be 100 million years old have been identified as a new species of pterosaur, a powerful flying predator with a wingspan of up to 12 metres. (ABC)
Tuberculosis is still the world’s #1 infectious disease killer (1+ million people per year) but the are new advances in screening, prevention and treatment, however, that now make significant progress possible. (NYTimes)
Elite athletes are using a new Swedish baking soda formulation to boost athletic performance. (Outside)
Data from 10 million car crashes shows larger vehicles kill more Americans–compared to compact cars, colliding with a heavy pickup increases fatality rates by roughly seven-fold. (The Economist)
At Starbucks, the world’s second-largest restaurant chain, one-quarter of all custom drinks it sells in the United States have more than three modifications — like an extra shot of espresso, a pump of flavored syrup or a cap of the chain’s wildly popular cold foam. (NYTimes)
A man named Alan Adler invented both the Aerobie Flying Ring and the AeroPress Coffee Maker. (IronicSans)
The International Space Station is scheduled to reach the end of its functional life by 2030 — and will then be destroyed. (ScienceFocus)