Monday, April 13

Science

Second Nature Director on Elliot Page, LGBTQIA Representation in Animals
Science

Second Nature Director on Elliot Page, LGBTQIA Representation in Animals

In Second Nature: Gender and Sexuality in the Animal World, director Drew Denny poses a playful question to audiences: Since clownfish can change sex from male to female, after Nemo’s mom died in Finding Nemo, could his dad simply have become another mom? Denny knows some viewers likely didn’t learn that tidbit about clownfish in their high school science classes. Or any other number of facts around the science and nature of animal gender and sexuality she manages to pack into the 80-minute film, inspired by evolutionary biologist Dr. Joan Roughgarden’s book, Evolution’s Rainbow: Diversity, Gender, and Sexuality in Nature and People.  But with the narration of executive producer Elliot Page, alongside the combined decades of research by Roughgarden and other experts in evol...
Goodnight Universe Is A Messier, More Ambitious Before Your Eyes
Science

Goodnight Universe Is A Messier, More Ambitious Before Your Eyes

There aren’t many games I recommend as wholeheartedly as 2021’s Before Your Eyes. GoodbyeWorld Games’ brisk, beautiful narrative adventure game is a devastating, cathartic, and clever project that rolls a lifetime’s worth of ups and downs into its quick 90-minute play time. Its eye-tracking control scheme is one of the most meaningfully frustrating ones I’ve experienced, as it skips through entire segments of its story every time your webcam sees you blink. Goodnight Universe, the follow-up from Nice Dream Games, extrapolates this idea into a 3-and-a-half-hour experience, and it feels like turning a really tight Pixar short into a feature film, for good and ill. Goodnight Universe has the same sentimentality running through its veins that made Before Your Eyes an incredibly heartwarming ...
Carbon Direct Acquires Pachama To Strengthen Science-Driven Carbon Management Capabilities
Science

Carbon Direct Acquires Pachama To Strengthen Science-Driven Carbon Management Capabilities

Carbon Direct announced that it has acquired Pachama, integrating the climate technology company’s data-driven monitoring, reporting, and verification capabilities into Carbon Direct’s established science-focused advisory services. This acquisition expands Carbon Direct’s digital project diligence tools and online client platform, further reinforcing the company’s position in carbon management. Carbon Direct, founded in 2020, has established a global presence with over 70 scientists and market experts serving more than 150 clients, including major corporations seeking solutions for carbon dioxide removal, carbon measurement, clean power development, and other decarbonization challenges. Pachama, launched in 2018, gained recognition for its advancements in digital systems for evaluating for...
Nintendo’s Black Friday sale knocks $30 off Switch classics
Science

Nintendo’s Black Friday sale knocks $30 off Switch classics

Nintendo rarely offers big discounts on its own games and gear throughout the year, but opportunities to save are coming soon. The company announced that multiple retailers will offer discounts of up to $30 off of beloved Switch games, as well as temporary price cuts on its amiibo figures, and a $20 off discount on microSD Express cards that are only compatible with the Switch 2.These discounts begin at slightly different times. If you’re shopping for games digitally through your Switch or Switch 2, you can get the jump on deals in Nintendo’s Cyber Deals sale starting November 20th and lasting through December 3rd at 11:59 PM PT.Notably, there are no deals on Nintendo Switch 2-exclusive titles; however, Echoes of Wisdom, Super Mario Odyssey, and Splatoon 3 all offer a downloadable Switch 2...
Science Museum of Oklahoma exhibit to close for renovations
Science

Science Museum of Oklahoma exhibit to close for renovations

SHOWS US WHAT IT WILL LOOK LIKE. IF YOU’VE BEEN TO SCIENCE MUSEUM OKLAHOMA, YOU’VE SURELY BEEN TO THE MIGHTY MOUTH EXHIBIT. IT’S BEEN ICONIC SINCE THE 80S, BUT NOW IT’S CLOSING DOWN FOR A MUCH NEEDED TEETH CLEANING. SINCE 1987, MORE THAN 10 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE SEEN OKLAHOMA’S LARGEST SMILE. THE MIGHTY MOUTH EXHIBIT HAS BEEN HERE SINCE THE 80S TO EDUCATE YOUNG PEOPLE AND EXPOSE THEM TO THE SCIENCE BEHIND DENTAL CAVITIES AND ORAL HEALTH. THE 29 FOOT EXHIBIT, USED AS A PLACE TO CLIMB, TAKE PHOTOS AND LEARN ABOUT TEETH AND ORAL HYGIENE. BUT NOW WE ARE ABLE TO LITERALLY BRUSH OUR TEETH. IT’S GOING UNDER CONSTRUCTION THANKS TO A $1.25 MILLION GIFT FROM DELTA DENTAL OF OKLAHOMA, AND THEIR FOUNDATION, STARS JUST ALIGNED FOR EVERYONE TO COME TOGETHER. FOR US TO DO THIS RENOVATION, WHILE WE DO LOVE ...
Best Apple Watch SE 2 deal: Save $89.01 at Amazon
Science

Best Apple Watch SE 2 deal: Save $89.01 at Amazon

SAVE OVER $80: As of Nov. 10, the Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen) is on sale for $189.99 at Amazon. This is 32% off its list price of $279. $189.99 at Amazon $279 Save $89.01   Black Friday is an excellent time of year to save on high-end tech that's been ...
Scientists link climate change to rising insurance costs for Iowans
Science

Scientists link climate change to rising insurance costs for Iowans

Nearly 200 science faculty from 26 colleges and universities across Iowa endorsed the 15th annual Iowa Climate Statement, which warns of higher insurance costs due to climate change.The scientists pointed to data showing the number of inflation-adjusted billion-dollar disasters in the region, including in Iowa, more than doubled in the last four decades.“Insurance, obviously, is a way that we spread costs of private risks in our society … but with climate change increasing risks from extreme events, that cost will increase for all of us,” Dave Courard-Hauri, professor of environmental science and sustainability at Drake University, said during a news conference Monday.Bill Gutowski, professor emeritus of meteorology at Iowa State University, summarized decades of research linking the burni...
Google brings Gemini to the Google TV Streamer
Science

Google brings Gemini to the Google TV Streamer

Google announced on Monday that it’s starting to roll out Gemini to the Google TV Streamer, replacing Google Assistant. The tech giant says the change will enable users to use their voice more naturally to access content and more. For example, users can now ask something like, “I like dramas but my wife likes comedies. What’s a movie we can watch together?” when looking for movie recommendations. Or, users could quickly catch up on a show they’re returning to by asking something like, “What happened at the end of Outlander last season?” In another example, Google says users can even ask something like “What’s the new hospital drama everyone’s talking about?” Google says Gemini for TV goes beyond entertainment, as users can ask the AI assistant any other type of question as well,...
Forest Wisdom, Mother Trees and the Science of Community
Science

Forest Wisdom, Mother Trees and the Science of Community

Forests have long occupied a fertile landscape in the human imagination. Places of mystery and magic – of wildness and wisdom – of vision and dreaming. Yet beyond mythic realms of imagination, we’ve largely treated forests as inert physical resources to satisfy human needs and desires. The main operative science behind this commodification has been market science – how to extract maximum resources and profits. Suzanne Simard is a revolutionary researcher who is transforming the science of forest ecology and coming full circle to the wisdom held by First Peoples and traditional land-based cultures from time immemorial. The story Simard is uncovering can change our story for how we live on Earth and with each other – for the long haul. Source link
Black Friday Apple deals include the Mac mini M4 for $100 off
Science

Black Friday Apple deals include the Mac mini M4 for $100 off

It's a good idea to look for Black Friday Apple deals this time of year if you're thinking about upgrading an aging laptop or picking up a pair of AirPods or an Apple Watch as a gift. One of the best discounts we're tracking at the moment is on the M4-powered Mac Mini desktop — it's $100 off right now, down from $599 to $499. That applies to the 16GB of RAM/256GB SSD model, and it's pretty close to its all-time-low price.We gave the Mac mini M4 a 90 in our review, in part, because it packs an incredible amount of power into such a small design. It also has front facing USB-C and headphone ports, a first for the Mac mini lineup. Plus, it starts with 16GB of RAM, an upgrade from its predecessors.AppleHowever, if you want more memory or storage, the other Mac Mini M4 models are also on sale. ...