Mastodawn

MJ Valente Jul 23, 2023

Viking Dublin Dogs 🐕 🐺🐴Jul 23, 2023

Horse #3, Newtown, Co. Dublin, Ireland. A partial front part of the lower jaw with very worn incisor teeth and the canines are broken off. Just visible are the chop/cleaver impact marks between the two halves - removal of the tongue. #horse #vikingdublindogs

MJ Valente Jul 16, 2023

Wonder of Science Jul 14, 2023

A ladybird beetle spreading its wings captured with a high-speed camera. In real-time wing deployment from the fully folded state takes less than 0.1 seconds.

Video credit: University of Tokyo / Saito et al. 'Investigation of hindwing folding in ladybird beetles.' DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1620612114.
https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1620612114

MJ Valente Jul 16, 2023

Map of current droughts in #Europe at EDO - European #Drought Observatory.

#climate

https://edo.jrc.ec.europa.eu/edov2/php/index.php?id=1052

Map of Current Droughts in Europe - European Drought Observatory - JRC European Commission

Current drought situation in Europe depicted by the latest map of Combined Drought Indicator

MJ Valente Jul 16, 2023

Be amazed by the *thylacine*, driven to extinction by human greed and stupidity. (It was a species under protection for 😳 59 days.)

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/thylacine-tasmanian-tiger-de-extinction (use reader in browser if paywalled)

#animal #extinction #australia #history #zoology #science #histodons

The controversial quest to bring back the Tasmanian tiger

Nearly a century after it was wiped out, this unique animal has become a prized symbol of Australia—and a target for de-extinction.

National Geographic

MJ Valente Jul 15, 2023

How probable is human #catastrophe or #extinction over the next century?

☢️ or 🦠 or 🤖 🟰 💀❓

Well, artificial intelligence, nuclear event and engineered pathogens seem to raise the highest concerns.

Check the full report recently published by the Forecasting Research Institute (#OpenAccess). They interviewed *superforecasters*, i.e. historically accurate forecasters on short-run questions, and *experts* on nuclear war, climate change, AI, biological risks, and existential risk more broadly. (Note: be aware that this is an north-american based report.)

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/635693acf15a3e2a14a56a4a/t/64abffe3f024747dd0e38d71/1688993798938/XPT.pdf

The results are fascinating. In general, the domain experts are more negative than the superforcasters: 20% and 6% versus 9% and 1% chances of catastrophe or extinction, respectively.

The Economist put forward a nice graphic with a summary of the results, divided by type of threat.

#future #AI #nuclear #pathogens #apocalypse #superforecasting

MJ Valente Jul 15, 2023

A better life…?

#Twitter #cartoon #threads #socialmedia

MJ Valente Jul 15, 2023

Show thread

The Conversation U.S.Jul 14, 2023

Oh, and if you’d like to learn more about pioneering women physicists of the 1930s and 40s, we’ve got you covered https://theconversation.com/lise-meitner-the-forgotten-woman-of-nuclear-physics-who-deserved-a-nobel-prize-106220 https://theconversation.com/new-postage-stamp-honors-chien-shiung-wu-trailblazing-nuclear-physicist-154687 #oppenheimer #womeninSTEMM #physics #womenshistory

Lise Meitner – the forgotten woman of nuclear physics who deserved a Nobel Prize

Left off publications due to Nazi prejudice, this Jewish woman lost her rightful place in the scientific pantheon as the discoverer of nuclear fission.

The Conversation

MJ Valente Jul 15, 2023

The Conversation U.S.Jul 14, 2023

Looks like #Oppenheimer will once more show physics as a field for men, men and more men:
“the only women seen in the movie’s trailer are either hanging laundry, crying or cheering the men on.”

https://theconversation.com/female-physicists-arent-represented-in-the-media-and-this-lack-of-representation-hurts-the-physics-field-207697 #WomenInStem

Female physicists aren't represented in the media – and this lack of representation hurts the physics field

The trailer for ‘Oppenheimer’ fails to include female physicists, which is indicative of a broader media trend that, if reversed, could lead to greater gender diversity in science.

The Conversation

MJ Valente Jul 14, 2023

🎶🎻 Amsterdam Sinfonietta and violinist Janine Jansen play Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons' during the International Chamber Music Festival 2014.

Absolutely fantastic! One of my favourite #classicalmusic videos. 🔝🌟

@classicalmusic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzE-kVadtNw