Flatter Earth: Without plate tectonics, our planet once looked much different

S51

Flatter Earth: Without plate tectonics, our planet once looked much different     You hear a lot about people believing that the Earth is flat these days. It’s hard to imagine anyone seriously considering that the world is not a sphere. Still, in researching a new project about life and geological history, I found an entirely new meaning for “flat Earth,” or at least a “flatter Earth,” that has the possibility of actually being true. To understand what I’m talking about, we need to go back to a staple of geology: plate tectonics.The lithosphere is the scientific name for the outer skin of the planet. It extends down a few hundred kilometers and includes both the crust and the upper mantle. The important thing about the lithosphere is that it’s rigid, unlike the deeper mantle, which, over long enough timescales, flows like taffy (or, as one geologist told me, like asphalt on a hot day). The deeper mantle’s motion comprises big circulating swirls called convection. On Earth, as opposed to other rocky planets like Venus or Mars, the lithosphere is broken up into a bunch of plates. These plates sort of float on the convecting mantle below, getting carried along with the mantle motion. Sometimes these motions lead to the plates sliding past each other. But in other places, the plates collide, with one plate diving down into the deeper mantle (a process called subduction) and the other plate being pushed upward. As the plates move, so do the continents, which are made of granite (as opposed to the seafloor material made of basalt). Continued here

S40

The future of repairing the human body     As humans live longer than ever before, we need our implants to last as long as we do, says bioengineer Nina Tandon. Using stem cells and digital fabrication, she's working on growing anatomically precise spare parts for the human body, replacing damaged bones, cartilage and more with implants that fit perfectly and hold up for a lifetime. Continued here

�

S62

A Military Loyal to Trump     In 2020, the armed forces were a bulwark against Donald Trump’s antidemocratic designs. Changing that would be a high priority in a second term.If Donald Trump wins the next election, he will attempt to turn the men and women of the United States armed forces into praetorians loyal not to the Constitution, but only to him. This project will likely be among his administration’s highest priorities. It will not be easy: The overwhelming majority of America’s service people are professionals and patriots. I know this from teaching senior officers for 25 years at the Naval War College. As president, Trump came to understand it too, when he found that “his generals” were not, in fact, mere employees of a Trump property. Continued here

S8

The Most Useful Book of 2023: 'Outrage Machine'     Rohit Bhargava explains why this practical book stood out from the rest of the titles on the 2023 Inc. Non-Obvious Book Awards list. Continued here

�

S10

3 Promising Business Use Cases For A.I.     Here's how artificial intelligence is being harnessed to improve customer experiences and provide unique services. Continued here

S61

Hubble back in service after gyro scare--NASA still studying reboost options     The Hubble Space Telescope resumed science observations on Friday after ground teams spent most of the last three weeks assessing the performance of a finicky gyroscope, NASA said. Continued here

� � �

S60

EU agrees to landmark rules on artificial intelligence     European Union lawmakers have agreed on the terms for landmark legislation to regulate artificial intelligence, pushing ahead with enacting the world’s most restrictive regime on the development of the technology. Continued here

S32

FDA Approves First CRISPR Gene Editing Treatment for Sickle Cell Disease     Most people with sickle cell disease who received a new gene editing treatment saw their pain resolve for at least one year, but longer follow up is neededSickle cell disease causes red blood cells to take on a sickle-like shape, making them fragile and less able to transport oxygen. Continued here

S53

Stealthy Linux rootkit found in the wild after going undetected for 2 years     Stealthy and multifunctional Linux malware that has been infecting telecommunications companies went largely unnoticed for two years until being documented for the first time by researchers on Thursday. Continued here

S64

What Will Happen to the American Psyche If Trump Is Reelected?     There were times, during the first two years of the Biden presidency, when I came close to forgetting about it all: the taunts and the provocations; the incitements and the resentments; the disorchestrated reasoning; the verbal incontinence; the press conferences fueled by megalomania, vengeance, and a soupçon of hydroxychloroquine. I forgot, almost, that we’d had a man in the White House who governed by tweet. I forgot that the news cycle had shrunk down to microseconds. I forgot, even, that we’d had a president with a personality so disordered and a mind so dysregulated (this being a central irony, that our nation’s top executive had zero executive function) that the generals around him had to choose between carrying out presidential orders and upholding the Constitution.I forgot, in short, that I’d spent nearly five years scanning the veldt for threats, indulging in the most neurotic form of magical thinking, convinced that my monitoring of Twitter alone was what stood between Trump and national ruin, just as Erica Jong believed that her concentration and vigilance were what kept her flight from plunging into the sea. Continued here

S58

FDA approves first CRISPR therapy--here's how it works against sickle cell     The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved two gene therapies to treat sickle cell disease, one of the which is the first CRISPR/Cas9-based treatment to win regulatory approval in the US. Continued here

S69

The College Board Tries Again     The nonprofit has released an updated curriculum for its AP African American Studies course, correcting many of its earlier missteps.Earlier this year, the College Board—which administers Advanced Placement courses at high schools across the country—faced a fierce backlash. On January 23, during a press conference at Duval Charter School at Baymeadows, in Jacksonville, Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis attacked the organization’s pilot course in AP African American Studies as a radical revision of history. Continued here

S26

55 Books Scientific American Recommends in 2023     The best fiction, nonfiction, history and sci-fi books Scientific American staff read in 2023The Scientific American editorial team learned a lot this year. We debated why we’ll never live in space, explored the deep ocean (sort of), and asked how dinosaurs got so big. We also read a ton of books. While of course there were quite a few science fiction books (we can't help ourselves), we also learned how to cook, fell in and out of love with intriguing fictional characters, and got the scoop on how many bears really exist, what our universe actually looks like and why we’re even here.  Continued here

S49

Can you solve Charles Munger's microeconomic puzzles?     Let me demonstrate the power of microeconomics by solving two microeconomic problems, one simple and one a little harder. The first problem is this: Berkshire Hathaway just opened a furniture and appliance store in Kansas City, Kansas. At the time Berkshire opened it, the largest-selling furniture and appliance store in the world was another Berkshire Hathaway store selling $350 million worth of goods per year. The new store in a strange city opened up selling at the rate of more than $500 million a year. From the day it opened, the 3,200 spaces in the parking lot were full. The women had to wait outside the ladies’ restroom because the architects didn’t understand biology. It’s hugely successful.  Continued here

S63

The Left Can't Afford to Go Mad     A second Trump term would require an opposition that focuses on his abuses of power—and seeks converts rather than hunting heretics.The Trump years had a radicalizing effect on the American right. But, let’s be honest, they also sent many on the left completely around the bend. Some liberals, particularly upper-middle-class white ones, cracked up because other people couldn’t see what was obvious to them: that Trump was a bad candidate and an even worse president. Continued here

S56

HP printer app is installing on PCs whether they have HP printers or not     Earlier this month, Microsoft posted a new entry in its list of known issues with fully up-to-date Windows 11 PCs: The HP Smart printer app was installing automatically on Windows 10 and Windows 11 PCs whether they had an HP printer installed or not, changing the names and icons of their connected printers and causing error messages. Continued here

S46

The First Crispr Medicine Is Now Approved in the US     The US Food and Drug Administration today approved a first-of-its kind medical treatment that uses Crispr gene editing.Called Casgevy, the therapy is intended to treat patients with sickle cell disease, an inherited blood disorder that affects more than 100,000 people in the United States. The UK first approved the groundbreaking treatment on November 16. The therapy is made by Vertex Pharmaceuticals of Boston and Crispr Therapeutics of Switzerland. Continued here

S45

Google's NotebookLM Aims to Be the Ultimate Writing Assistant     Steven Johnson has written 13 books, on topics ranging from a London cholera outbreak to the value of video games. He's been a television presenter and a podcast host. He's a keynote speaker who doesn't have to call himself that in his LinkedIn profile. And for over a year now, he's been a full-time employee of Google, a status that's clear when he badges me into the search giant's Chelsea offices in New York to show me what his team has been creating.It's called NotebookLM, and the easiest way to think of it is as an AI collaborator with access to all your materials that sits on your metaphorical shoulder to guide you through your project. NotebookLM was soft-launched to a select group earlier this year but is now available to all as an "experiment"—that's Google's low-risk way to see how the app behaves and how we behave with the app. Continued here

S41

How stem cells orchestrate healing -- and how to speed it up     From synthetic embryos to lab-grown skin, we live in a brave new world of stem cell advances. So why can it still take years to recover from injury? Orthopedic surgeon Kevin Stone is working to accelerate the body's healing response so you could recover in a matter of days or weeks, not months or years. Continued here

S66

The Humbling of Henry Kissinger     The truth is that his tenure as secretary of state was often rocky, and as full of setbacks as acclaim.Brilliant, witty, and ambitious, Henry Kissinger made diplomacy the stuff of unrivaled celebrity. He thrived on attention, and would have been thrilled by  the flood of coverage that marked his death last week. Whether the obituaries and commentaries put his record in a positive or negative light, almost all of them treated Kissinger as the master of events. Continued here

S34

Ad Spending Is Increasing As We Head Into 2024. Here's Why     Todd Krizelman, CEO and co-founder of MediaRadar, joins the show to discuss trends in ad spending and how media fragmentation is changing how branding agencies are reaching consumers.©2023 Knowledge at Wharton. All rights reserved. Knowledge at Wharton is an affiliate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Continued here

S43

Why science needs to get behind natural medicine     Pharmaceutical companies often only patent drugs they can monetize, creating synthetic versions of remedies already available in nature. In this quick talk, physician and entrepreneur Jeff Chen offers a path to affordable, effective natural medicines — for everyone. Continued here

S35

The Private Market for Homeowners Insurance Is in Turmoil     Wharton professor talks about why the homeowners insurance market is seeing a level of chaos we haven't seen before due to climate change.Wharton professor of real estate Ben Keys joins the show to discuss how climate change can affect home insurance premiums. Continued here

S55

Apple exec departure leads to major iPhone, Apple Watch reshuffle     According to a report in Bloomberg, Tang Tan, vice president of Product Design, is leaving Apple, and his departure heralds a shuffle of executives heading up some of the company's most important products. Continued here

S39

True love -- and the myth of "happily ever after"     "The fairytale industrial complex has been lying to you," says love coach and podcast host Francesca Hogi. Having spent years talking to thousands of people about their romantic hopes and dreams, she introduces a new possibility for our collective romantic future, one that recognizes that each of us holds the keys to true love within ourselves. Continued here

S44

How stress drains your brain -- and what to do about it     Do you ever feel extra forgetful? Stress could be the culprit. In a fascinating talk about how your memory works, neuropsychologist Nicole Byers shares the science behind how stress drains your brain's resources, making it harder to remember things and easier to make mistakes. But fear not: she also shares a simple solution to recharge your brain and get your memory back on track. Continued here

S13

Overcoming Your Need for Constant Validation at Work     Letting go of the need for constant approval at work doesn’t mean you have to stop caring. In fact, the most effective leaders are those who balance empathy and decisiveness, conviction and compassion, and warmth and strength. In this article, the author offers strategies for how to mitigate an excessive need for approval at work: 1) Do a gut check. The next time you’re faced with a choice, ask yourself: “Am I doing this because I believe it’s the right course of action, or because I want to be seen a certain way?” 2) Formulate your own opinions first. 3) Try the “so what?” test. 4) Wait 24 hours before responding to contentious or charged issues 5) Keep promises you make to yourself. Continued here

S11

What's in a Name? A Lot, Actually. Here's How Branding Changed in 2023     Companies pivoted away from weird names in 2023, but some made questionable decisions to walk away from established branding built up over decades. Continued here

S47

The EU Just Passed Sweeping New Rules to Regulate AI     The European Union today agreed on the details of the AI Act, a far-reaching set of rules for the people building and using artificial intelligence. It’s a milestone law that, lawmakers hope, will create a blueprint for the rest of the world.After months of debate about how to regulate companies like OpenAI, lawmakers from the EU’s three branches of government—the Parliament, Council, and Commission—spent more than 36 hours in total thrashing out the new legislation between Wednesday afternoon and Friday evening. Lawmakers were under pressure to strike a deal before the EU parliament election campaign starts in the new year. Continued here

S52

Worm's rear end develops its own head, wanders off to mate     Some do it horizontally, some do it vertically, some do it sexually, and some asexually. Then there are some organisms that would rather grow a butt that develops into an autonomous appendage equipped with its own antennae, eyes, and brain. This appendage will detach from the main body and swim away, carrying gonads that will merge with those from other disembodied rear ends and give rise to a new generation. Continued here

S67

America Isn't Ready for the Two-Household Child     Joint custody is a growing reality—but the country’s systems for supporting families aren’t built to accommodate it.For most of American history, when parents separated, their kids almost always ended up living with just one of them. But recent studies have confirmed a new era: Joint physical custody, in which a child resides with each parent a significant portion of the time, has become dramatically more common in the U.S. Continued here

S68

The Universities That Don't Understand Academic Freedom     Leaders of prestigious institutions who can’t say whether advocating “the genocide of Jews” is allowed on campus seem to have a basic literacy problem with free speech.The presidents of Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, and MIT testified in front of Congress this week. Their performance was a disaster. Continued here

S48

Ask Ethan: Is it possible that gravity isn't quantum?     The two greatest leaps of 20th century physics still leave physicists grappling to understand how it’s possible, at a fundamental level, that they can coexist. On the one hand, we have Einstein’s general theory of relativity (GR), which treats space as a continuous, smooth background that’s deformed, distorted, and compelled to flow and evolve by the presence of all the matter and energy within it, while simultaneously determining the motion of all matter and energy within it via the curvature of that background. On the other hand, there’s quantum physics, governed at a fundamental level by quantum field theory (QFT). All the quantum “weirdness” is encoded in that description, including ideas like quantum uncertainty, the superposition of states, and quantum indeterminism: fundamentally anti-classical notions.Traditionally, approaches to unify the two have focused on quantizing gravity, attempting to place it on the same footing as the other quantum forces. But a series of new papers, led by Jonathan Oppenheim, takes a very different approach: creating a “postquantum” theory of classical gravity. It’s led to questions by many, including Patreon supporters Cameron Sowards and Ken Lapre: Continued here

S24

The legal battles changing the course of climate change     In 2015, a lawsuit of a kind that hadn't been seen before landed on the desk of Dutch government lawyers. The state was being sued for not doing enough to protect its citizens from climate change.The claim, brought by the Dutch environmental advocacy non-profit Urgenda, was one of the first ripples in what has become a tsunami of climate litigation in recent years. Continued here

S54

Verizon fell for fake "search warrant," gave victim's phone data to stalker     Verizon Wireless gave a female victim's address and phone logs to an alleged stalker who pretended to be a police officer, according to an affidavit filed by an FBI special agent. The man, Robert Michael Glauner, was later arrested near the victim's home and found to be carrying a knife at the time, according to the affidavit submitted in court yesterday. Continued here

S31

AI Can Now Read Your Cat's Pain     Thanks to researchers, new AI tech is delving into feline feelings to see when cats could need medical help. Tulika Bose: Probably not! Cats evolved to be solitary hunters stalking their prey, not social animals like us humans. Continued here

S59

Revisiting the Ford Mustang Mach-E--how's the pony EV doing 3 years later?     When Ars first drove the then-new Ford Mustang Mach-E back in early 2021, the car was an attention magnet. Now, almost three years later, the Mustang Mach-E is a much more common sight on our roads, but so are other electric crossovers from most of Ford's usual rivals, including the sales juggernaut that is the Tesla Model Y. We decided to book a few days with a Mustang Mach-E to see how (or if) this equine EV has matured since launch. Continued here

S21

Message sticks: Australia's ancient unwritten language     The continent of Australia is home to more than 250 spoken Indigenous languages and 800 dialects. Yet, one of its linguistic cornerstones wasn't spoken, but carved.Known as message sticks, these flat, rounded and oblong pieces of wood were etched with ornate images on both sides that conveyed important messages and held the stories of the continent's Aboriginal people – considered the world's oldest continuous living culture. Message sticks are believed to be thousands of years old and were typically carried by messengers over long distances to reinforce oral histories or deliver news between Aboriginal nations or language groups. Continued here

S12

Jane.com Is Shutting Down -- Leaving Sellers in the Lurch     The e-commerce site offered an alternative to Amazon and focused on female-owned small businesses. Continued here

S14

How GenAI Could Accelerate Employee Learning and Development     While in a nascent stage, generative AI promises to have a major impact on learning and development. It will personalize learning pathways; continuously update materials; create highly realistic, varied training simulations; identify and address skill gaps; and offer a more interactive and responsive feedback than conventional approaches. Continued here