in

How China's 'Bat Woman' Hunted Down Viruses from SARS to the New Coronavirus

Wuhan-based virologist Shi Zhengli has identified dozens of deadly SARS-like viruses in bat caves, and she warns there are more out there

-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com




in

How a Warming Climate Could Affect the Spread of Diseases Similar to COVID-19

A hotter planet could change the relationship among infectious agents, their hosts and the human body’s defense mechanisms

-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com




in

A Shiny Snack Bag's Reflections Can Reconstruct the Room around It

Researchers used the light reflecting off the wrapper to build an image of its surroundings

-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com




in

Planet Nine Could Be a Mirage

Mysterious patterns in orbits of small bodies in the outer solar system could arise from the gravity of a massive disk of icy debris rather than an undiscovered giant world

-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com




in

Physicists Criticize Stephen Wolfram's 'Theory of Everything'

The iconoclastic researcher and entrepreneur wants more attention for his big ideas. But so far researchers are less than receptive

-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com




in

Heat and Humidity Are Already Reaching the Limits of Human Tolerance

Events with extreme temperatures and humidity are occurring twice as often now as they were 40 years ago

-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com




in

Consumer Brands Association introduces Critical Infrastructure Supply Chain Council

The CBA said that the objective of the CISCC is to advance uniform national policies that will strengthen United States supply chains and also ensure the timely flow of critical goods in various ways.




in

Preliminary Class 8 truck orders see lowest order levels in years

Preliminary North American Class 8 truck orders saw steep declines, driven on by the impact of COVID-19, or coronavirus, according to recent data issued respectively freight transportation consultancy FTR and ACT Research, a provider of data and analysis for trucks and other commercial vehicles.




in

Exclusive Interview: industry expert shares forecast on global 3PL sector

Cathy Morrow Roberson, Founder & Head Analyst for Logistics Trends & Insights LLC – a boutique market research firm that specializes in global supply chains – recently shared her observations on the current state of the global and domestic Third-Party Logistics (3PL) industry in this exclusive interview.




in

U.S. rail carload and intermodal volumes see steep declines in April, reports AAR

U.S. rail carloads in April—at 980,535—were off 25.2%, or 329,693 carloads, annually, and intermodal containers and trailers—at 1,095,423—slipped 17.2%, or 227,165 units.




in

Postal Service sees fiscal second quarter revenue gain and further net losses

Quarterly revenue—at $17.8 billion—headed up $348 million on an annual basis. But, despite the revenue gain, volume declined, falling 2.3% to 34,013 total pieces, and total operating expenses—at $22.3 billion—were up$2.8 billion, or 14.2%.




in

Further COVID-19 U.S-bound import declines are expected, notes Port Tracker report

Heavy declines for imports at United States-based retail container ports, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, are expected to continue in the coming months, according to the new edition of the Port Tracker report, which was issued today by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and maritime consultancy Hackett Associates.




in

Industry expert shares forecast on global 3PL sector: Part II

Cathy Morrow Roberson, Founder & Head Analyst for Logistics Trends & Insights LLC – a boutique market research firm that specializes in global supply chains – recently shared her observations on the current state of the global and domestic Third-Party Logistics (3PL) industry in this exclusive interview.




in

Despite recent setbacks, China is not down for the count

Two recent industry surveys indicate that China and other key Pacific Rim markets remain resilient as the recent pandemic recedes.




in

HOLY FUCKING SHIT I WON A HUGO

In realtime, I am speechless. Fortunately, I wrote a speech ahead of time, which was read beautifully by Campbell nominee Alyssa Wong in my stead at the ceremony. Here’s the text: My apologies for not being present this evening; I’m deep in Deadline Hell right now on book 3 of the Broken Earth trilogy. I’ve […]



  • Awards
  • The Broken Earth
  • The Fifth Season

in

Well, here we fucking go.

So I’ve spent the last day or two in a cloud of simmering fury. Only just cooled down enough to really think, and talk, about the election. For the last few years, I’ve been trying to explain to people outside of SFF that the various dramas playing out here — self-aggrandizing bigots; self-righteous “movements” to […]




in

Withdrawing from the Dragon Awards

So, amid the furor of preparing for a book launch, I’ve had to divert time to another matter. I found out belatedly that The Obelisk Gate had been nominated for the Dragon Awards, basically when I started to hear murmurs that the awards were especially problematic this year. I went to go see what the […]




in

Hugo Nomination Rumination

As I’ve mentioned on social media, I only have two works eligible for awards nomination from 2017: The Stone Sky, and my Uncanny short story Henosis. Last year was tough, so I didn’t get much writing done. I’m sure a lot of you can relate. But since people have asked for my thoughts on this… […]




in

The essay that inspired the collection’s title

For reasons that I cannot fathom, I can’t figure out how to change the sidebar of my blog anymore. It’s probably something simple, but since I don’t really use this blog much anymore, I’ve forgotten most of my PHP and CSS. Plus, WordPress keeps changing things to make them harder to figure out! Argh. Anyway. […]




in

The silver linings: Working from home in a pandemic

Originally posted on - blogs by NPG staff

I have mixed feelings about social distancing.  Read more






in

From the frontline: A doctor’s tryst with COVID-19

Originally posted on - blogs by NPG staff

My heart skips a beat thinking of Thursday. That’s the day my scheduled week-long duty starts in COVID-19 wards and intensive care units (ICU) every fortnight.  Read more




in

Mapping the malady of cancer

Originally posted on - blogs by NPG staff

A group of cancer patients under palliative care, aged under 15, were scheduled for a guided visit to our Science Centre. As a science communicator I was desperate to make it special. Having lined up the choicest of our expositions, I was adamant on giving them an amazing experience. From decking the halls with cheerful banners, to ensuring that they could touch and see science-in-action – I believed that all would take part.  Read more





in

How coronavirus data from history is helping fight COVID-19

Originally posted on - blogs by NPG staff

Many of us had heard the term ‘coronavirus’ for the first time at the office lunch table. Our team lunches are unusual, discussing topics that range from evolution, to bodily functions to Bollywood. The scientific experts in the team were trying to explain how the coronavirus works, its relation to respiration and the conspiracy theories associated with it.  Read more




in

The Sting of Fleas on Him!

Luí fada gan faoilte air! Seacht n-aicíd déag agus fiche na hÁirce air! Calcadh fíodáin agus stopainn air! Camroillig agus goile treasna air! An ceas naon air! An Bhuí Chonaill air! Pláigh Lasaras air! Eagnach Job air! Calar na muc air! Snadhm ar bundún air! Galra trua, bios brún, péarsalaí, sioráin, maotháin agus magag air! […]




in

Tim Robinson, RIP.

Trevor Joyce alerted me to the passing of author and cartographer Tim Robinson a couple of weeks ago, but what with one thing and another I haven’t gotten around to posting about it; now per incuriam has reminded me and linked to a fine tribute by Fintan O’Toole: The word “geography” means in its origins […]




in

West Wind Keen.

Back in 2018 the Paris Review published a piece by Anthony Madrid called Guy Davenport’s Translation of Mao that’s so irresistible I can barely resist quoting the whole thing. But I am strong, so I will just quote the start: In 1979, Guy Davenport’s second book of “stories” appeared: Da Vinci’s Bicycle. He was fifty-one. […]




in

At Home in the Russian Kasbah.

I’m finally getting around to reading a book that a kind Hatter got me almost a decade ago (thanks, Andrei!), Stalin’s Children: Three Generations of Love, War, and Survival by Owen Matthews, and am enjoying it greatly; the first chapter has material of clear LH interest: I spoke Russian before I spoke English. Until I […]




in

Some Links.

A few tidbits of interest: 1) Via Laudator Temporis Acti, W.S. Merwin describes a visit to Ezra Pound at St. Elizabeth’s: He told me he imagined I was serious, and that if I was I should learn languages, “so as not to be at the mercy of translators.” And then I should translate, myself. “If […]




in

Misused Terms in Linguistics.

Evelina Leivada, a psycholinguist at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, has an article in Inference, Misused Terms in Linguistics, that begins: The evolutionary biologist Eörs Szathmáry observed that linguists “would rather share each other’s toothbrush than each other’s terminology.” This is far from an isolated view. Peter Hagoort, an eminent cognitive neuroscientist, voiced […]




in

A Frustrating Article.

Kelly Grovier at BBC Culture writes a piece that perfectly illustrates the pitfalls of the popular belief that earliest attestation is the same thing as word creation. Her thesis is that “it was often female writers who sculpted the fresh coinages that kept language rippling with poignancy and power.” She illustrates it by combing the […]




in

Flaming Youth by Samuel Hopkins Adams

Language: English




in

chest pains




in

difficult to tinkle




in

in fact it's the normal amount




in

going up stairs




in

i like hearing my fat fucking stupid lips yap




in

saving throw




in

Even the animals are losing it




in

PICKING ON YOUR BROTHER! THAT'S IT, NO MORE ISOLATION FOR YOU, YOUNG MAN




in

Heidi Getting uo




in

THEY'RE DRIVING US CRAZY




in

AND THERE IS NO STOPPING IT




in

WORST STAR WARS OPENING CREDITS EVER




in

TP is a tearable thing to waste




in

AND IT'S KIND OF DRY




in

And, frankly, I resent the insinuation...




in

GOT SOME KINKS TO WORK OUT