Scientists Who Study Heat Say This One Type Is the Most Deadly.

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Scientists Who Study Heat Say This One Type Is the Most Deadly.      Because of climate change, summers are getting hotter and more humid — much more humid. SciLine interviewed Dr. W. Larry Kenney, professor of physiology and kinesiology at Penn State University, who discussed why humid heat can be dangerous to human health and, in some cases, life-threatening; how heat stresses the body, particularly the cardiovascular system; and why infants, athletes, and older adults are especially susceptible.Below are some highlights from the discussion. Answers have been edited for brevity and clarity. Continued here

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Scientists Just Scanned the Brain of an Animal That's Been Extinct for 87 Years     Using a 140-year-old piece of brain tissue, we may know more about the Tasmanian tiger’s brain than beforeResearchers often think about how and when their results will be published. However, many research projects don’t see the light until decades (or even centuries) later, if at all. Continued here

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This Common Throat Infection Can Be Hard To Spot -- Here's What To Look Out For     So declares Mary to Anne in “Persuasion,” Jane Austen’s 1817 book. Most of us can relate to this feeling. There is no such thing as “just a sore throat.” The pain, headache, fever, and aches associated with a sore throat can make you feel terrible.While sore throats can occur at any time of year, strep throat is more common in the fall, winter, and early spring. Continued here

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Storm Antoni: why naming storms is a risky business     Since 2015, the UK’s Met Office has used forenames to label storms, as a strategy for improving people’s awareness of severe weather warnings. The list of names for the 2023 storm season was compiled in conjunction with the Irish forecaster Met Éireann and KNMI, the Dutch national weather forecasting service. The list includes forenames suggested by the British public – Daisy, Glen, Khalid, Owain – as well as the winner of a public vote on Twitter, Betty. KNMI has honoured famous Dutch scientists with its selections: Antoni, Hendrika, Johanna, Loes, Tobias and Wouter. And Met Éireann has plumped for Cillian, Fleur, Íde, Ruadhán and Nelly. Continued here

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Writing a Rejection Letter (with Samples)     I have a friend who appraises antiques — assigning a dollar value to the old Chinese vase your grandmother used for storing pencils, telling you how much those silver knickknacks from Aunt Fern are worth. He says the hardest part of his job, the part he dreads the most, is telling people that their treasure is worthless. Continued here

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The Cryptic Crossword: Sunday, August 6, 2023     By signing up, you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.© 2023 Condé Nast. All rights reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. The New Yorker may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast. Ad Choices Continued here

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How to Stop Saying "Um," "Ah," and "You Know"     When you get rattled while speaking — whether you’re nervous, distracted, or at a loss for what comes next — it’s easy to lean on filler words, such as “um,” “ah,” or “you know.” These words can become crutches that diminish our credibility and distract from our message. To eliminate such words from your speech, replace them with pauses. To train yourself to do this, take these three steps. First, identify your crutch words and pair them with an action. Every time you catch yourself saying “like,” for example, tap your leg. Once you’ve become aware of your filler words as they try to escape your lips, begin forcing yourself to be silent. Finally, practice more than you think you should. The optimal ratio of preparation to performance is one hour of practice for every minute of presentation. Continued here

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You Need to Play Bethesda's Best RPG on Xbox Game Pass ASAP     Fantasy is hard. It’s bound only by the limits of imagination, which may sound easy. You can just make whatever you think of, right? Wrong. Because it needs to work. It needs to make sense. The more details you add, whether its new characters, plot twists, or easter eggs, the more you need to balance before it crumbles under its own weight. The masters of fantasy make crafting intricate worlds look easy. Great video games do, too. What better medium for sprawling, captivating worlds than a digital simulacrum literally at the tip of your fingers? But fantasy is hard. Even among the greats, there can be only one. Continued here

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Are Naps Good for You?     It’s midafternoon. You’re full from lunch. The day is warm. You’re starting to feel drowsy. Should you give in to the comfort of a nap?From a health perspective, it may be worth it. Though there is some debate over whether napping benefits everyone, research suggests naps can boost at least some people’s cognitive performance in the short term. And a regular midday snooze might also have longer-term impacts, from a possible improvement in cardiovascular health to a bulwark against the loss of brain volume—potentially a protective factor against dementia. Continued here

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57 Years Later, One Underserved Star Trek Character Finally Gets Justice     In Strange New Worlds, Uhura has become the person Nichelle Nichols always wanted her to be.In the very first Star Trek episode ever, “The Map Trap,” Lt. Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) says, “Mr. Spock, sometimes I think if I hear that word ‘frequency’ once more, I’ll cry.” Right from the beginning, The Original Series floated the idea that the Enterprise’s communications officer was a little overworked and more than a little underappreciated. Continued here

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The U.S. national monument that was stolen to death     In 1993, a group of employees from the U.S. National Park Service found themselves in a bit of a pickle. The NPS was working hard to put together a display for the upcoming Chicago World’s Fair, a massive exhibition that promised to draw tens of millions of visitors. They already had a scale model of the Grand Canyon, wood samples from Petrified Forest, and a 12-foot-tall “miniature Mt. Rainer” that experienced a blizzard whenever visitors pushed a button.But the director wanted to make sure they had something else—a fossilized cycad plant from the end of the Cretaceous period. Thousands had been preserved in the silt beds of South Dakota, and the best specimens were both familiar-looking and clearly ancient. If you were showing off the country’s wonders, a cycad was a good thing to include. Continued here

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Shane Drumgold resigns after sweeping criticisms of his conduct in the Lehrmann case     The ACT Director of Public Prosecutions, Shane Drumgold, has resigned in the wake of an independent inquiry’s sweeping criticisms of his conduct in the prosecution of Bruce Lehrmann. The report from the inquiry by Walter Sofronoff, a former Queensland judge, commissioned by the ACT government, accuses Drumgold of serious misconduct and dishonesty. Continued here

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'Mario Kart 9' Could Borrow a Surprising Forza Mechanic for Switch 2     Nintendo struck gold with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, a Switch game that eventually went on to sell 55.46 million copies. Despite it being one of the bestselling games of all time, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe offers little incentive to keep revisiting it, especially if you’re a solo player. Sure, the gameplay is top-notch, but there are very few systems in place that incentivize players to stick around. It could certainly use an engaging story, deeper customization, or light upgrades to unlock. But with Mario Kart 9, which will presumably launch for the Switch 2, Nintendo can change that, making it a bit more like Forza Horizon in the process. Continued here

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65 Things That Are So Dope & Under $30 on Amazon Prime     Sometimes, the best purchases you make are the ones you didn’t plan for. You stumble upon an item you’re curious about, add it to your cart, and boom — it instantly becomes one of your very favorites. That’s why I’ve assembled this list of dope things on Amazon that may not be on your radar yet. From weird, clever kitchen gadgets to car hacks that make your commute a little more pleasant, you’ll find so many useful things that will make your life easier — and they’re all $30 or less. With a built-in mesh strainer, this stainless steel bacon grease container removes any larger drippings as the liquid passes through. When you’re ready to whip up another tasty breakfast, you can use this bacon grease to add delicious flavor to your pancakes and eggs. The handle and spout ensure that pouring is a mess-free operation. Continued here

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Stunning "El Gordo" Webb Telescope Image is a Bounty of Early Universe Science     In an image description NASA published on Wednesday, the space agency showcases a galaxy cluster and its vibrant science cornucopia. Astronomers can piggyback off galaxy clusters, like one called “El Gordo” (The Fat One), to peer deep into the distant universe. The hundreds of galaxies packed together wield a heavy concentration of mass, and if astronomers look towards a cluster on the hunt for sluggish or worm-like features, they might stumble upon light from the ancient past. Continued here

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Scientists Crack the Case on How Diamonds Come Up from Deep Within Earth     “A diamond is forever.” That iconic slogan, coined for a highly successful advertising campaign in the 1940s, sold the gemstones as a symbol of eternal commitment and unity.But our new research, carried out by researchers in a variety of countries and published in Nature, suggests that diamonds may be a sign of break up too — of Earth’s tectonic plates, that is. It may even provide clues to where it is best to go looking for them. Continued here

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Tax advisers who promote exploitation schemes to face $780 million penalty     An extensive federal government crackdown on misconduct will increase maximum penalties for advisers and firms promoting tax exploitation schemes from the present A$7.8 million to more than $780 million.Sparked by the PwC scandal, which involved the consultancy’s use of confidential government information for commercial gain, the planned measures will also expand tax promoter penalty laws to make it easier for the Australian Taxation Office to apply them to advisers and firms who promote tax avoidance. Continued here

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College Football's Power Brokers Are Destroying It     The kickoff to the college-football season is a few weeks away, but fans are already seeing 2023’s biggest showdown—one that pits the long-term interests of schools and conferences against their own insatiable greed.When a major football power switches from one conference to another—disrupting existing rivalries in favor of new opponents less familiar to fans—it’s always controversial. But numerous recent conference changes have disrupted the landscape to an unusual degree. Amid widespread complaints that college players’ newfound ability to profit from endorsement deals is harming a supposedly amateur sport, what’s really chewing college football to pieces are conference realignments fueled by schools’ and conferences’ avarice. Continued here

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How to Be Animal: An Antidote to Our Self-Expatriation from Nature     Each month, I spend hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars keeping The Marginalian going. For seventeen years, it has remained free and ad-free and alive thanks to patronage from readers. I have no staff, no interns, not even an assistant — a thoroughly one-woman labor of love that is also my life and my livelihood. If this labor has made your own life more livable in the past year (or the past decade), please consider aiding its sustenance with a one-time or loyal donation. Your support makes all the difference.“You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves,” Mary Oliver wrote in one of her finest poems. And yet in an age when we have come to see ourselves as disembodied intellects channeled by machines, we seem to have forgotten that there is a soft animal of the body, that it purrs with agency in every aspect of our lived experience, from hunger to love; we seem to have forgotten that our intelligence is not the crowning curio of nature but just one particular accoutrement of one particular animal, while all about us are creatures “aflame with shades of brilliance we cannot fathom… far more vibrant, far more holy, than we could ever imagine.” In How to Be Animal: A New History of What It Means to Be Human (public library), poet turned environmental historian and philosopher of science Melanie Challenger traces our slow self-alienation from our own nature and invites an urgent recalibration of the organizing principles by which we perceive, respond to, and reverence the world. Continued here

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15 Years Ago, One Incredibly Weird Sci-Fi Sequel Signaled The End Of An Era     The last great experiments in science fiction cinema ended 15 years ago. While it's undeniable that we currently live in a glut of legitimately great filmed sci-fi, the days of direct-to-video movies arguably resulted in creativity that can never be recreated. From the early 1990s to the end of the 2000s, these sci-fi flicks allowed for the creation of abominable sequels, which sometimes scanned as distant spoofs of the original movies upon which they’re based. (Ever seen Highlander: The Source?) The strangest of these not-so-great sci-fi franchises is easily the Starship Troopers franchise, which spawned four spinoffs and a spinoff cartoon. But 15 years ago, on August 5, 2008, Starship Troopers 3 came the closest of any of the sequels to actually capturing the spirit of the 1997 classic. Continued here

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Six Ways to Stay Safe Outdoors in Extreme Heat     As summers get hotter and longer, experts provide advice on how to survive heat-related emergenciesThe summer sun has been anything but fun for many this year. Brutal temperatures torched records across the U.S. as they peaked globally in July. Relentless heat waves baked the Southwest and rolled into the Midwest and South, occasionally enveloping other regions that are completely unaccustomed to such extremes. Exposure to this kind of heat isn’t just uncomfortable; it can kill. As summer heat becomes more intense and indoor air-conditioning becomes a life-support system, the season may cease being a time to enjoy the outdoors—if we don’t find new ways to stay safe outside. Continued here

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Ghana's housing policy and regulation is failing - COVID proved as much     Access to decent housing is a fundamental human right. Across sub-Saharan Africa, however, this right remains an elusive dream for many households. In Ghana, for example, the government estimates a staggering deficit of 1.8 million homes. Many households don’t get basic services either: 28.6% rely on wells for water, over a third use public latrines and one in ten dispose of waste indiscriminately. Continued here

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An expanded Brics could reset world politics but picking new members isn't straightforward     Acting Director: Institute for Pan-African Thought & Conversation, University of Johannesburg University of Johannesburg provides support as an endorsing partner of The Conversation AFRICA. Continued here

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The psychopathic path to success     Think of a psychopath, and any number of Hollywood villains might come to mind, from charming killers like Hannibal Lecter to Anton Chigurh, portrayed with chilling menace by Javier Bardem in the film No Country for Old Men. But the traits and symptoms of psychopathy run along scales that range from weak to strong. So, someone may be mildly psychopathic or severely so. There could be a psychopath sitting next to you right now.Some psychologists argue that the focus on violent and criminal psychopathic behavior has marginalized the study of what they call “successful psychopaths” — people who have psychopathic tendencies but who can stay out of trouble and perhaps even benefit from these traits in some way. Researchers haven’t yet reached a consensus on which traits distinguish successful psychopaths from serial killers, but they are working to clarify what they say is a misunderstood branch of human behavior. Some even want to reclaim and rehabilitate the concept of psychopathy itself. Continued here

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16 Great Deals on Outdoor Gear, Bluetooth Speakers, and Fitness Trackers     with summer winding down and fall around the corner, the weather is slowly transitioning from sweltering to refreshing. The idea of taking camping trips, hikes, bike rides, and other outdoor activities feels more exciting than it does dreadful. To help, we found a variety of great deals on camping gear, cameras, plus Bluetooth speakers this weekend, and plenty more. That way, you can focus on enjoying the great outdoors.Busy getting ready for the new school year? Check out our roundup of Best Back-to-School Deals for discounts on gear for students, teachers, and parents. Continued here

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Google-backed startup sets two world records in geothermal power     A Google-backed startup has successfully tested an enhanced geothermal system that could harness Earth’s inner heat to generate clean electricity anywhere, anytime — and they built it, ironically, with technology perfected by the oil industry.The challenge: Geothermal power plants take advantage of the heat radiating from deep inside the Earth to create electricity. Usually, this is done by drilling wells down to natural underground reservoirs of hot water and using that steam to spin electric turbines. Continued here

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The 50 Cheapest, Easiest Home Upgrades That'll Save You So Much Money     Don’t run away when you see the word upgrade because this list is completely free of pricey home decor pieces or way-too-expensive flooring. Instead, these super easy-to-use pieces prove that you can add a few budget-friendly upgrades around your home, and they’ll actually save you a ton of money.Because sometimes, not having to buy a new sofa or spend way too much money on your power bill feels like the best home upgrade ever — especially when they’re so easy to install or work into your routine. Continued here

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Astronomers are Watching a Planet Get its Atmosphere Blasted Away into Space     What do you get when a hot young world orbits a wildly unstable young red dwarf? For AU Microsopii b, the answer is flared from the star tearing away the atmosphere. That catastrophic loss happens in fits and starts, "hiccuping" out its atmosphere at one point and then losing practically none the next.That frenetic activity is kind of shocking. Usually, interactions between stars and their planets are more constant. But not this one. "We've never seen atmospheric escape go from completely not detectable to very detectable over such a short period when a planet passes in front of its star," said Keighley Rockcliffe of Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. "We were really expecting something very predictable, repeatable. But it turned out to be weird. When I first saw this, I thought, 'That can't be right.'" Continued here

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Using Technology to Create a Better Customer Experience     A compelling CX demands balancing customer empathy with technology to avoid falling into the trap of what we call “engineered insincerity,” or using automation to simulate interest in who you are as a human being. Engineered insincerity shows up from brands in various ways, such as a constant flow of emails from a retailer that bear no understanding of your current situation, chatbots that use slang and informal language to make them appear human, and daily text messages that force you to unfollow. Don’t let your automation strategy set the tone for your relationship with your customers. Continued here

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How to Handle Difficult Conversations at Work     Start by changing your mindset. Continued here