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Many Iron Age swords may be tainted by modern forgery

Ancient weaponsmiths combined bronze and iron to fashion swords during the early Iron Age – but modern forgers glue together elements from different weapons, making it difficult for researchers to study the ancient technology




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What the US election will mean for AI, climate action and abortion

The upcoming US presidential election will determine how the country regulates tech, combats the climate crisis and decides on access to abortion




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Can sensor technology stop a wildfire before it starts?

The US Department of Homeland Security is trialling chemical sensors that detect the first whiff of smoke in the air and alert fire crews while a potential blaze is still smouldering




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Meta AI tackles maths problems that stumped humans for over a century

A type of mathematical problem that was previously impossible to solve can now be successfully analysed with artificial intelligence




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Carbon emissions are now growing faster than before the pandemic

Despite talk of a green recovery, global greenhouse gas emissions continued to rise as the world emerged from coronavirus lockdowns




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Your gut bacteria are at war - and force their enemies to switch sides

Rival tribes of bacteria armed with poison darts are fighting it out in your gut, with armies of traitors often winning the day




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Complex form of carbon spotted outside solar system for first time

Complex carbon-based molecules crucial to life on Earth originated somewhere in space, but we didn't know where. Now, huge amounts of them have been spotted in a huge, cold cloud of gas




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AI models fall for the same scams that we do

Large language models can be used to scam humans, but AI is also susceptible to being scammed – and some models are more gullible than others




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Earth is now gaining less heat than it has for several years

The recent surge in warming led to fears that climate change may be accelerating beyond model projections, but a fall in how much heat Earth is gaining makes this less likely




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Meditation seems to improve our empathy for strangers

In a small study, women experienced more empathy for strangers who were experiencing pain after an eight-week meditation training programme




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Quantum 'Schrödinger's cat' survives for a stunning 23 minutes

A typically fragile quantum superposition has been made to last exceptionally long, and could eventually be used as a probe for discovering new physics




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One course of antibiotics can change your gut microbiome for years

Antibiotics can reduce diversity in the gut microbiome, raising the risk of infections that cause diarrhoea - and the effects may last years




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Data centres may soon burn as much extra gas as California uses daily

In support of their AI ambitions, tech companies are rapidly expanding US data centres, and this growth is on track to significantly increase US gas demand by 2030




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Bird flu was found in a US pig – does that raise the risk for humans?

A bird flu virus that has been circulating in dairy cattle for months has now been found in a pig in the US for the first time, raising the risk of the virus evolving to become more dangerous to people




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The COP16 biodiversity summit was a big flop for protecting nature

Although the COP16 summit in Colombia ended with some important agreements, countries still aren’t moving fast enough to stem biodiversity loss




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Natural fibres in wet wipes may actually be worse for soil and animals

Fibres in wet wipes and clothes often make their way into soil - and natural versions could be more damaging than synthetic ones




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More people are living with pain today than before covid emerged

Chronic pain has increased among adults in the US since 2019, which could be due to a rise in sedentary lifestyles or reduced access to healthcare amid covid-19 restrictions




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Knots made in a weird quantum fluid can last forever

Shapes created by vortices in water often fall apart, but an odd quantum fluid made from ultracold atoms could support vortex knots that never lose their knottiness




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Chinese rover finds further evidence for an ancient ocean on Mars

Data collected by the Zhurong rover and orbiting satellites suggests the existence of an ancient shoreline in the Utopia Planitia region of Mars




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Any delay in reaching net zero will influence climate for centuries

Reaching net-zero emissions is essential for halting climate change - but even after we achieve this goal, parts of the planet will continue to warm. Delaying net zero will worsen these effects




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Our only visit to Uranus came at an unusual time for the planet

Voyager 2 flew by Uranus in 1986, giving us our only up-close look at the planet – but unusual space weather just before the craft arrived has given us a misleading idea about the planet’s magnetic field




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This robot can build anything you ask for out of blocks

An AI-assisted robot can listen to spoken commands and assemble 3D objects such as chairs and tables out of reusable building blocks




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Next Mauna Loa eruption could be forecast months in advance

An analysis of crystals in lava from the 2022 eruption of Mauna Loa has revealed an unknown magma reservoir within the volcano, which could extend forecasts of eruptions from minutes to months




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24 Funniest Feline Posts for Meme-Loving Cat Pawrents to Meow Caturday Cheer Throughout the Holiday Season

Hey, I Can Has-ers. Now that Meowlloween is over, it's officially time for us to start prepping for the meowlidays. Every Caturday is a holiday for us, and the fact that we get to have tasty meals and days off from work on other holidays is just an added bonus. Heck, even Christmas could use some Caturday energy. How should we do that, you ask? Well, by adding cat memes to our meowlidays and enjoying the best of both worlds while remaining chonky, cheery, and pawsitively ameowzing.

These funny feline posts are for meme-loving cat pawrents, and meme-loving cat pawrents only! If you're not one of these, you can just close the screen. Be gone!

Okay, now that it's just us, let's scroll through these hisstercal kitties in the form of digital delights. Are you in your jammies? Are you purrfectly snuggled under a blankie? Are you ready to meow Caturday cheer for the next two months? Good. Now let's get to work! And by work, we mean giggling. It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it! 




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25 Pawsitive Energy Meowtivation Memes of Fierce Felines for Fending off Fall Fatigue

Unfortunately, life offers a myriad of buzzkillers throughout the day. Sometimes they pounce on you with some alarming news, but most of the time they creep in, luring you to slouch on the couch like snoozy sirens, and you can't find the will to fight back. 

It can be the cold weather, a grouchy boss, or even current events - negative thoughts and low energy tend to spread like a bad odor.  
 

Well, that's just not going to happen, fellow I Can Has-ers! We got your back. All you need is an energy boost of fierce feline funnies, furrociously pumping their paws. True, there are plenty of meownching photos in our content menu. We don't deny it! For everything, there is a season, a time to munch, and a time to crunch. 
 

For days of gloomy clouds, boring work, or just when your boss doesn't get your priorities (cats first, obviously), our Paw Power Practice is just the thing for you. The method we developed is both refreshing AND as old as time: the secret is to laugh until your abs strengthen, and your frown is upside down. Feline Fitness Fun, Try it! Fending off fall fatigue has never been so easy.




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20 Snuggly and Silly Cat Memes for Cat Parents Embracing Blanket Season

Take a deep breath, everyone. It's Sunday morning, it's autumn, it's blanket season, our favorite season, and it feels like we have never felt quite so content. No work, no alarm clock, blankets that enwrap us in the best feeling in the world, and our cats beside us, enjoying these blankets just as much as we do. There is not a lot that can make this morning even better, but there is one thing. Because is always one thing that can make our mornings better, and that is, of course, a whole bunch of pawsome cat memes

Staring any morning with a good bunch of cat memes is a good thing for us, but there is something about giggling at cat memes in bed, under those heavy blankets, with our cats, that just… hits different. It hits better. So, we hope that you enjoy these memes, friends, and that you have just as much fun scrolling through them as we did bringing them to you. 




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28 Fortunate Floofy Funny Felines in Furtastic Memes to Meownifest Purrfectly Pawesome Positivity

Hey, feline fam. We don't know about you, but after our Caturdays filled with feline activities and catnip craziness, we like to unwind with some cat memes to mentally prepare ourselves with pawsitivity for the week ahead. Mondays can turn even the brightest, sweetest feline into a cranky, grumpy cat - which is why we need to boost our mewd with feline funnies so we don't scratch somebody's eyes out tomorrow meowrning. It only happened once, and that was because they tried to talk to us before we had our coffee. We did warn them, to be fair.

With these fortunate floofy funny felines in furtastic memes, we expect to wake up with chirps of happiness and ek-ek-eks of excitement to start the day. Okay, that might be exaggerating a little bit, but it never hurts to meownifest good vibes! If not, we'll just call in sick and stay home with our cats all day. It's only the 10th time we've done it in the last month. Our boss will understand, right?




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Snuggly Selection of Cute Cats Competing For Cuddles Right Next to Your Face Because Who Needs to Breathe Anyway

We….do not have a snuggly cat. As much as we wish we did (and as much as we tried to make her a snuggly cat), it's just not in the cards for us. We tried luring her to the bed with treats, playing relaxing music, and even holding her there against her will - none of it worked. Maybe our next cat will be a cuddly cat, or, we'll just live vicariously through the lives of strangers on the internet and not be jealous at all of all of their outrageously cute cuddly cats.

Not only are they cuddly, but they appawrently like to cuddle right next to their pawrents' faces because they're just that silly and awwdorable. They probably can't breathe very well at night, but if that was a burden we had to bear, we would bear it with purrfect pride because it would be absolutely worth it. Enjoy this snuggly selection of cute cats competing for cuddles below, we're going to try to lure our cat into bed one more time. Have a great week!




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22 Coo-Coo Cat Memes Madly Meowing For a Feline Filled Full Wholesome Weekend

There's something special about spending an absurd amount of time goofing around with your cat. It can be a simple playtime toy that your cat loves so much, making them wiggle wiggle before they pounce to hunt it, or it can be a full playtime of hide and seek between your cat and you - but there's definitely something special about this time. It's the ultimate coo-coo cat time, full of cat craziness and cuteness. And since now it's still the weekend - you can have as much of a coo-coo cat time as you want. Or as much as your cat wants, obviously, but they usually like it so much that they just want to continue playing.

If you want to feel the cat coo-cooness and get inspired for a fully-fledged feline friendly playtime, we have here a very coo-coo-inspiring cat meme list. It can definitely get you, and your cat, in the right crazy cat mindset.




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To the kitchen for noms!




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25 Weird Cat Memes For Fuzzy Feline Fanatic Fans Getting Coo-Coo This Monday Meowrning

You a feline fanatic fan. How do we guess with such certainty? Because you're here, of course. You are in a meme list made for some serious feline fanatics of the coo-coo kind. Crazy cat ladies, some might say. But don't worry, you are in good company - we're all crazy cat ladies here. Each of us has at least one cat, or five, and we're fanatic fans of all the cats that aren't ours.

But "ours" doesn't sound like the best word to describe this sort of meowlationship - it's more like the cats own us. We're here to provide our cat owners with yummy treats and lots of pets - on their terms. While they need their cat space and we cannot pet them, we fill the cat hole in our hearts with cat memes. These specific memes are intended for the feline fanatic fans and crazy cat ladies waiting for their cat overlord to make some time for them.




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27 Warm & Fuzzy Fall Feline Funnies Overflowing With Autumnal Affection for Snuggling Sweetly in Soft Sweaters

Good meowrning, feline fanatics, and happy Tuesday. A lot of people rant and rave over summer, but us? We love fall and winter. Why? Because it's sweater weather. We love sweaters. We love wearing sweaters, putting sweaters on our cats, snuggling in sweaters, sleeping in sweaters, heck, we would even exercise in sweaters if we could. There is nothing comfier than putting on a fuzzy sweater and burrowing your way under the blanket for ultimate comfort. 

These warm and fuzzy feline funnies are basically cat memes wrapped in soft sweaters. They're full of autumnal affection, heartwarming vibes, and they're purrfect for enjoying when you need to feel extra cozy (and, purrhaps, silly). We thought to ourselves, "how can one improve the purrfection that is cat memes?" - and the answer was simple: add the feeling of throwing on a sweater to them. So that we did. Grab your favorite sweater (cardigans and sweatshirts are also okay) and get ready for a catastrophe of comfort in the form of cat memes. You will be comfy, there is no escaping it.




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24 Wholesome Happy Cats Healing Even Your Worst Workday With Purr Joy for the Soul

There is some sort of smear campaign going on against cats, and we're here to dispel it. Cats are not emeowtionless creatures, they are full of love, joy, and funny facial expressions! Our cats have been more connected to us than most hoomans (although the bar is not set very high for hoomans, unfortunately), and if we're being purrfectly honest, our cats do a lot more things that make us smile than our fellow sapiens. Fur example, just watching them smile makes us smile, as simple as that.

It also makes us smile when they fall asleep in a silly pawsition, when they do a biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig stretch after waking up for a nap, or when they run to greet us when we come home from work. Cats are so full of love and pawsitivity that they have the power to heal even our worst workday. No matter what may have happened at the office, as soon as we see their purrfect little faces, we furget everything bad that happened and we can only think of one thing: how much we love our awwdorable little fur babies.




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26 Colossally Cute Cat Memes for Hoomans Having a Horrible Week Who Need a Double Dose of Cat Comfort

Much as we might have started this week with the hope that we would find some pawsitivity, it does not always go that way. And this week is simply one of those weeks that runs behind your ankles like a cat on zoomies, throwing you completely off balance and making you almost hit your head on that new glass table you recently purchased. But you, being a feline fanatic, are lucky to have a permanent support system in place, in the form of feline funnies. And this list of colossally cute cat memes for hoomans having a horrible week and need a double dose of cat comfort, is chock-full to the gills with hilarious cats.

From the comfort eating catto who was more than a little bummed out that the takeout place gave him three forks even though he only ordered for one, to the captivated cat pawrent who has permanently booked themselves up to spend time with their furry felines.




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Guardians of the Food Bowl: 14 Marvel-Flavored Feline Funnies for Hangry Hoomans Who Haven't Had Lunch Yet

Monday is a tough day to navigate, even at the best of times. You are still finding your feet, fumbling around trying to remember where you left things in the office after your anger attack, which left the office in a state not seen since the great office showdown of 2019. Add to that micromanagers dumping deadlines on you left and right, and you are in for quite the unpleasant and busy day that has got your hanger huffing and puffing its way towards exploding.

But you have nothing to fear for we have enlisted the help of the Guardians of the Food Bowl, who are a feisty feline crew, hell-bent on pawtecting your food from thieves. And they told us that the best thing for you right now is a list of marvel-flavored feline funnies for hangry hoomans such as yourself who have not had lunch just yet. So sit back, relax and know that your food is waiting for you under their pawtection.




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Ryuichi Sakamoto's Posthumous Opus Album Nominated for Grammy

Posthumous documentary film of same name, directed by his son Neo Sora, shows Sakamoto performing 20 compositions




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“Tarot for Creativity” helps writers and artists get through creative blocks

“My very first experience was in asking the cards about a novel I was writing at the time and it wasn’t going anywhere," says Chelsey Pippin Mizzi in an interview with Lauren Parker. “Up until that point, so much of my writing had been informed by visuals. And then suddenly there were these three pocket-sized pictures that were inviting me to consider creative ideas.” 

Continue reading “Tarot for Creativity” helps writers and artists get through creative blocks at The Wild Hunt.




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The End of Ondsel and Reflecting on the Commercial Prospects for FreeCAD

Within the world of CAD there are the well-known and more niche big commercial players and there are projects like FreeCAD that seek to bring a OSS solution to the …read more




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So Goeth Before the Fall

Fall, my favorite season Fires chlorophyllous, riotous, Swirling as kids rustle about Hiding in leaves.  Familial conscripts raking   Chafing against Sisyphean task Hedges color snared  Trees haltingly immodest.  Trick or Treat  The hobgoblins innocent plaint Mercantile pumpkin spice, cloying sweet Radiators pinging in the night.  Attic exchange Swapping old clothes  For the cold new time’s […]

The post So Goeth Before the Fall appeared first on Waiter Rant.




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“We live in a democracy, therefore the government represents us.”

(I’ll be adding this to my socialism FAQ, but for now I think it deserves it’s own post.) The logic here is what fascinates—the mechanical formality, starting with rigid definitions and proceeding step by careful step to absurdity. The old scholastics of the middle ages would certainly have approved, but if we don’t want to … Continue reading “We live in a democracy, therefore the government represents us.”




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Rant [1102] "So much for Microblogging..."

Well, after 15 years of using this new fangled "Twitter" thing for microblogging, that's enough of that. Back to normal ranting. (For the record, this is not a rant about twitter, it's about me and the internet over the last thirty... years... oh geeze, it's been that long?) When Twitter was just a new thing, i kinda liked the idea of using it for quick micro blogging (since i was such a slacker about writing rants) so i added two new twitter acc...

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Comic [1610] "OSE: Conscience Enforcement Authority: The New Kitty Case Worker [special comic]"

One Shot Episode comic 1610
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Sunday Sweets For Kids & Kids At Heart

Confession Time: as much as I love all the Sweets I feature, it's the kids' cakes that thrill me the most.

From classic childhood characters:

(By Alana Lily Chocolates & Cakes)

 

...to more modern favorites:

(By Sugar Top Cakes)

 

...to squee-inducing cuteness I just want to snuggle:

(By Bake-A-Boo)

MUST. RESIST. SNUGGLE URGE!

 

Then there are colorful, guitar-rockin' monsters:

(By Phoenix Cake Company)

 

Dapper little owls:

(By Eunice Cake Designs)

 

...and the sweetest bees you ever did see:

(By Frosted Indulgence)

Just looking at this makes me happy. :)

 

When I was very young my parents let me buy a Little Twin Stars stationary set from Epcot, and even though I had no idea who they were, I've loved the pastel pair ever since.

And this is the best Little Twin Stars cake I've ever seen:

(By The Bunny Baker)

Kids' cakes, schmids' cakes. I'll take this one for my next birthday, thx.

 

Or how about this drop dead gorgeous Tangled tower?

(By Sabz Cakes)

 

Oooh! Or this little yellow submarine?

(By Über Angel Cakes)

Complete with a cutie-patootie pink seahorse!

 

And finally, since you all know I have a soft spot for adorable robots:

(By Isabella's Sweet Tooth)

D'awwww.

Yep, this grown-up just wants kids' cakes from now on, guys. And I bet I'm not the only one, right?

 

Happy Sunday!

*****

And now that I’ve got Gonzo on the brain, OH MY GOSH LOOK HOW COOL!!!

The Great Gonzo Christmas Ornament

*****

And from my other blog, Epbot:




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Fortified With 100% Real Irony

It may not be rain on your wedding day, but these cakes are still a little too ironic.

[grabbing microphone]

HIT IT!

 

It's like loving journalism

... but not kerning!

It's a "good job"

that needs some learning.

It's the winner's cake

that SHOULD be burning!

And who would have thought? It figures!

It's calling someone "dumb"

When you can't spell the word

It's trying to show you care

While giving a beautiful turd

Heh.

And isn't it ironic, don't you think?

Thanks to Tracey, Julie, Dorothy S., Tony W., & Stacey, who really DO think.

 *****

Hang on, you know what ELSE has delicious irony? A fully armed and operational battle station with an exposed exhaust port.

Death Star Waffle Iron

Thanks to this waffle iron, you can recreate the Death Star's catastrophic destruction every morning with butter and syrup. Nomz. Just remember: Use the forks.




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The Rec League: Video Games for Fall

Hello, everyone! We have a slightly different Rec League this week. On a bonus episode of the podcast, which we release for SBTB Podcast Patreon members, Sarah asked me to come up with some fall gaming recs. Well, I definitely overdid it and had twenty in a matter of ten minutes. Most of these are cozy games, with a couple of exceptions. If you are a fellow cozy gamer, allow me to plug Wholesome Games. … Continue reading The Rec League: Video Games for Fall




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Smart Bitches After Dark is Open for Registration!

It’s time! Smart Bitches After Dark is open to everyone for registration! You can register now! Come on in, the mayhem is delightful! You might have seen our first After Dark posts go up the past two Sundays, with a link to register, but this is the Official Announcement. Mostly because I used Capital Letters. We already have over 100 members of the community registered, and it’s going to be a LOT of fun. You can … Continue reading Smart Bitches After Dark is Open for Registration!




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Sign Up for Quarterly Book Recommendations!

This piece of literary mayhem is exclusive to Smart Bitches After Dark, but fret not. If you'd like to join, we'd love to have you! Have a look at our membership options, and come join the fun! If you want to have a little extra fun, be a little more yourself, and be part of keeping the site open for everyone in the future, we can’t wait to see you in our new subscription-based section … Continue reading Sign Up for Quarterly Book Recommendations!



  • Smart Bitches After Dark

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Masochism For Dummies

Pintsize is doing book reviews now???