Monthly Archives: July 2020
Morning News Podcast: U.S. Reopening Issues, UK Mass Unemployment
‘The Economist Morning Briefing’ features tussles over America’s reopening and Britain’s attempt to avoid mass unemployment.
Travel Videos: “Seasons & Skyscapes – Central Otago” In New Zealand
Filmed and Edited by: Stephen Patience
For more than two years now, I have lived in the stunningly beautiful region of Central Otago, New Zealand. I moved there with the sole aim of capturing the stunning landscapes and clear night skies with time-lapse.
Up to now, I have not produced a reel that truly showcases Central Otago. The 12 scenes in this short movie I’ve titled ‘Seasons and Skyscapes’ are only some of what the region has to offer.
Music by Dexter Britain and licensed through Musicbed.com
Art Profile: 55-Year Old British Painter Damien Hirst – “Veil Paintings”
“I wanted to make paintings that were a celebration, and that revealed something and obscured something at the same time.” —Damien Hirst
Damien Steven Hirst (born 1965) is an English artist, entrepreneur, and art collector. He is one of the Young British Artists, who dominated the art scene in the UK during the 1990s. He is reportedly the United Kingdom’s richest living artist, with his wealth valued at £215m in the 2010 Sunday Times Rich List.
Travels With A Curator: Santa Maria Della Scala In Siena (The Frick Video)
In this week’s episode of “Travels with a Curator,” Xavier F. Salomon, Deputy Director and Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator, journeys to Siena to explore Santa Maria della Scala, an eleventh-century complex across from the steps of the cathedral. Behind the modest exterior of this hospital turned museum are a variety of magnificent frescoes and sculptures by Lorenzo di Pietro, better known as Vecchietta. The Frick’s “Resurrection” is the only signed and dated work by the artist in the United States.
Top New Science Podcast: UAE’s New Mars Mission, ‘Enhanced Weathering’ & Mexico’s Deep Caverns
On this week’s podcast, an ambitious Mars mission from a young space agency, and how crumbling up rocks could help fight climate change.
In this episode:
00:46 Mars hopes
In a few weeks the UAE’s first mission to Mars is due to launch. We speak to the mission leads to learn about the aims of the project, and how they developed the mission in under six years. News Feature: How a small Arab nation built a Mars mission from scratch in six years; News Feature: Countdown to Mars: three daring missions take aim at the red planet
09:53 Research Highlights
Pluto appears to be losing its atmosphere, and solving the mystery of a pitch-black prehistoric mine. Research Highlight: Goodbye, Pluto’s atmosphere; Research Highlight: Why ancient people pushed deep into Mexico’s pitch-black caverns
12:12 Climate rocks
Researchers have assessed whether Enhanced Weathering – a technique to pull carbon dioxide out of the air – has the potential to help battle climate change. Research Article: Beerling et al.
18:41 Briefing Chat
We take a look at some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time we talk about an outbreak of flesh-eating bacteria in Australia, and how flatworms can regrow their nervous systems. The Atlantic: Australia Has a Flesh-Eating-Bacteria Problem; The New York Times: A Worm’s Hidden Map for Growing New Eyes
Travel & Exploration: The “Changing Glaciers Of Iceland” (NatGeo Video)
National Geographic Explorer M Jackson is fascinated by glaciers. That fascination takes her to Iceland where she tromps through ever-shifting ice tunnels and leads local students to see their country’s largest and most endangered glacier. The National Geographic Society uses the power of science, exploration, education, and storytelling to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world.
Health Studies: Declining “REM Sleep” Linked To Increasing Death Rates
From U.S. News (July 7, 2020):
“Numerous studies have linked insufficient sleep with significant health consequences. Yet, many people ignore the signs of sleep problems or don’t allow enough time to get adequate sleep,” said lead researcher Eileen Leary. She is a senior manager of clinical research at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif.
“REM sleep appears to be a reliable predictor of mortality and may have other predictive health values,” Leary said. “Strategies to preserve REM may influence clinical therapies and reduce mortality risk, particularly for adults with less than 15% of REM sleep.”
REM (rapid eye movement) sleep is when dreams occur and the body repairs itself from the ravages of the day. For every 5% reduction in REM sleep, mortality rates increase 13% to 17% among older and middle-aged adults, researchers report.
For the study, Leary and her colleagues included more than 2,600 men, average age 76, who were followed for a median of 12 years. They also collected data on nearly 1,400 men and women, average age 52, who were part of another study and were followed for a median of 21 years.
Poor REM sleep was tied to early death from any cause as well as death from cardiovascular and other diseases, the researchers found.
Wednesday Podcast: Virus Misinformation, 2020 Election & Surveillance
The spread of misinformation is crippling our fight against the coronavirus. Social media and a deeply partisan divide are fueling what the World Health Organization calls an “infodemic,” which is just as urgent as the virus itself.
- Plus, the 2020 election could determine the future of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines.
- And, going back to work might require getting used to surveillance and data collection in the workplace.
- Guests: Axios’ Bryan Walsh, Ben Geman, and Erica Pandey
TOP TRAVEL VIDEOS: “AERIAL AMERICA – NEW MEXICO” (SMITHSONIAN CHANNEL)
New Mexico: Take flight over 121,000 square miles of timeless beauty and national treasures, from the Rio Grande, to adobe structures and dormant volcanoes. See what brought Billy the Kid, the makers of the atomic bomb and perhaps even visitors from far away galaxies to New Mexico.
Boomers Daily 