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Kim Kardashian Secures Invitation to NASA Headquarters – Should We Follow Suit?

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Feedback is New Scientist A popular figure who keeps up with the latest in science and technology. To provide feedback on topics you think may interest our readers, please reach out via email at feedback@newscientist.com.

NASA Surveillance

Some stories elude my interest in feedback. With over 8 billion people on the planet, many hold on to misguided beliefs, and countless individuals have internet access, phones, and mailboxes. I simply cannot engage with the flood of unrefined ideas that arise. Feedback— I refuse to become the person depicted in the XKCD comic who loses sleep over the phrase, “someone on the internet is wrong.”

Recently, it barely grazed the news that Kim Kardashian seems to think NASA staged the moon landing in 1969. She mentioned the same on her reality TV show The Kardashian Family, which features her mother and sisters.

Kardashian allegedly misinterpreted her chat with Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon. At one point, Aldrin remarked: “That never happened.” He meant there was no frightening incident during the mission, but Kardashian seemed to conclude that it implied the entire mission was faked. This is a quite audacious assertion, especially given Aldrin’s previous criticisms of moon landing conspiracy theories.

Instead of spouting mockery at the Kardashians’ misunderstanding, let’s focus on what lies ahead. According to the BBC, NASA’s Acting Administrator Sean Duffy has “invited Ms. Kardashian to the Kennedy Space Center for the Artemis moon mission launch.”

Duffy might soon wish he hadn’t set that precedent—publicizing nonsensical conspiracy theories through mainstream media appears to yield exclusive tours of NASA. Feedback has desired to visit Mission Control for ages, and we think we could propose better theories than “faking the moon landing.”

Do you know why it took 9 years for the New Horizons spacecraft to reach Pluto? Because NASA was secretly moving the planet further away from Earth to make it seem smaller, enabling the downgrade from planet status to dwarf planet.

Similarly, have you pondered the realism of Martian? Deep NASA (akin to the Deep State, but more effective) would have you believe it’s due to author Andy Weir’s research. In truth, they clandestinely left astronauts stranded on Mars during the ’90s. The premise is based on a video diary he recorded before being terminated by a robot with a heat ray.

We eagerly await the invitation from NASA.

Middle of Saturday

Previously, we delved into the concept of Scunthorpe problems. Harmless words may encompass strings that seemingly offend automated moderation systems lacking context (October 11). We thought we had concluded this matter, but Peter Lloyd has informed us about an earlier iteration of this issue.

On a Saturday afternoon in the ’70s, he recounts: Grandstand begins. ” For younger audiences and those outside the UK, Grandstand was a sports show aired every Saturday afternoon. Depending on your stance on televised sports, it was either a delight or a nuisance in an era with limited television options.

“Suddenly, one word flashed across the screen,” Peter recalls. “I was taken aback! Why would the BBC display TURD on my television? After a brief delay, the image zoomed out to reveal ‘SATURDAY ON BBC1’.”

Just Imagine!

If you haven’t heard yet, submit your work for the upcoming issue by Friday, December 5th. Check out the Imagination Research Journal.

Feedback was previously unaware of this publication, but we’ve taken some time to discover its essence. “We publish imaginary research abstracts, which are short fictive pieces that mimic the format of traditional academic work,” the editors express. An abstract serves as a synopsis of scholarly articles, offering a brief overview of prior research.

If we understand this correctly, the aim is to craft short fiction that is formatted as a mock summary of a research paper. We reviewed the ten most recent volumes. Some of the summaries/stories are quite amusing and effectively parody academic literature.

We particularly enjoyed Edward Loveman’s piece, “Being In-Between: A Sensory Autoethnography of Otherworldly Life,” which recounts “scholars capable of traversing dimensions (hyperdimensionality).” Unfortunately, Loveman notes, “Such research is often met with skepticism, cruelty, and disdain within both academia and the wider public.”

However, he argues that it symbolizes a “unique, ever-evolving, fluid connection to existence that surpasses temporality.”

Similarly, Soyoung Park’s submission queries: “Can research succeed without a research question?” in which a “group of doctoral students” engages in “an intensive coffee session,” disclosing that “their challenge was not the questions themselves, but the essence of questioning, a process that fundamentally implies and necessitates an answer.”

Feedback suspects that Imagination Research Journal could become a staple feature here. It’s a pity it’s only published once a year.

Have a story for Feedback?

You can submit your article to Feedback at feedback@newscientist.com. Please include your home address. This week’s and past feedback can be found on our website.

Source: www.newscientist.com

When Rift Lakes Dry Up, Earthquakes and Eruptions Can Follow

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Aerial overview of Nabuyatom Crater, located south of Lake Turkana, Kenya

Martin Harvey/Alamy

The arid conditions of East Africa have led to a decline in the water levels of Kenya’s Lake Turkana for millennia, triggering rising earthquakes and volcanoes beneath its surface. This risk associated with climate change could potentially impact other water bodies globally as precipitation and drought patterns shift.

Lake Turkana is often referred to as the cradle of humanity. Fossils from at least six different human species, dating back 4.2 million years, have been unearthed here, with some believed to have lived alongside each other. As the size of these lakes decreased over thousands of years, our ancestors faced not just a more arid environment but also increased geological activity.

“We believe that during these eras, there would have been a rise in the frequency of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions,” states Christopher Scholz, a researcher at Syracuse University in New York. “The challenging conditions observable today in the region would have been further intensified.”

Situated in the Great Rift Valley between Kenya and Ethiopia, Lake Turkana is the world’s largest desert lake, a greenish body of saline water surrounded by sandy shrublands and breezy outcrops. However, 9,000 years ago, it was considerably larger and enveloped by rich grasslands and forests.

Between 4,000 and 6,000 years ago, the climate shifted towards drier conditions, causing the lake’s level to fall by 100 to 150 meters. Such a drop in water levels lessens the pressure on the lakebed below, potentially influencing seismic behavior. To investigate the impact of this climatic alteration, Scholz and his team pinpointed specific sediment layers that correspond to various historical periods from cores previously extracted from the lakebed.

They conducted sonar scans from a boat over 27 faults on the lake floor to analyze how the sediment layers were displaced vertically on either side of each fault. Their findings suggested that as the climate grows drier, the sides of faults slip past one another at an accelerated average rate of 0.17 millimeters per year.

“The key mechanism here involves tightening and loosening this deformation area, which causes earthquakes,” Scholz explains. “A drier climate coupled with lower lake loads will facilitate a slicker fault line.”

Computer simulations indicate that as water mass diminishes, an increase in magma movement occurs beneath the lake. One of the volcanic islands in Lake Turkana erupted in 1888.

Research previously demonstrated that declining sea levels heighten volcanic activity at ocean ridges. However, this provides the first solid evidence of a similar trend occurring around this lake, according to Ken McDonald from the University of California, Santa Barbara. “It’s akin to loosening the cork on a champagne bottle,” he remarks. “Reducing the pressure increases the likelihood of magma ascending within the Earth’s crust and erupting.”

While climate change is currently leading to higher water levels in Lake Turkana, it may take millennia for seismic and volcanic activities to stabilize significantly.

Nevertheless, the authors of the study advocate that seismic risk assessments should take into account how climate change affects water levels. Moreover, policymakers should factor in seismic vulnerabilities when planning the construction or deconstruction of dams.

“They should install [seismometers] before making any substantial alterations,” McDonald advises.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Your Happiness in Life May Not Follow a U-Shaped Curve—Here’s How It Can Shift

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Our happiness levels vary throughout life

Ippei & Janine Photography/Getty Images

The widely accepted notion that happiness follows a U-shaped trajectory—with peaks in early and late life—may be misleading.

This idea gained traction from an original study by researchers David Blanchflower and Andrew Oswald, based on data from 500,000 individuals in 2008. Since then, it has permeated popular culture through mainstream literature.

However, researchers Fabian Kratz and Josef Brüderl at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich argue that this belief may not hold true.

Kratz feels compelled to reevaluate the U-curve claim. The researchers analyzed self-reported happiness data from 70,922 adults who took part in the Socio-Economic Panel Survey in Germany from 1984 to 2017, modeling how happiness evolved over individuals’ lifetimes.

Contrary to the U-shaped model, they discovered that happiness typically declines during adulthood, only beginning to rise again in the late 50s.

Kratz believes that prior research may have drawn erroneous conclusions by oversimplifying the happiness trajectory and neglecting deaths due to suicide or illness. “It can seem that happiness increases after a certain age simply because those who are unhappy have already passed away,” Kratz explains.

“In the social sciences, there’s been considerable debate over conflicting findings—results often evaporate with new data collection,” says Julia Roller at the University of Leipzig. “Yet, another overlooked issue is that researchers may analyze data in ways that are systematically flawed. This can yield replicable findings, but still mislead.”

Others posit that these findings raise important questions. “This study provides an excellent opportunity to reconsider our understanding in this field,” remarks Philip Cohen at the University of Maryland, highlighting the need to explore why our happiness shifts throughout life and how we can ameliorate low points. Both Kratz and Brüderl express a desire to avoid speculation on the reasons behind these observed changes.

Oswald notes that the study presents “interesting results” worthy of consideration, but he emphasizes that factors such as marriage and income are beyond his control.

Furthermore, he points out that the study focuses on a single country, leaving it unclear whether these results are applicable elsewhere. Kratz suggests this may provide a useful foundation for future research. Notably, the findings could inform policy. “Previous scholars argued for the importance of proactive policies to help individuals navigate mid-life crises,” Kratz mentions. “While we do not dismiss this urgency, our results indicate that addressing declining well-being in older adults should be a priority.”

Do you need someone to talk to? In the UK, contact Samaritans at 116123 (Samaritans.org); in the US, reach out to the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 (988lifeline.org). For services in other countries, visit bit.ly/suicidehelplines.

Source: www.newscientist.com

Will other US companies follow Starbucks’ lead in making major progress in union negotiations?

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Starbucks has been actively resisting unionization efforts for over two years, but now they seem willing to engage in negotiations.

In a surprising move, Starbucks and its union released a joint announcement at the end of February, expressing a willingness to make progress on organizing and collective bargaining.

The union representing Starbucks employees announced plans to resume direct negotiations with the company in late April to establish a basic framework agreement involving over 400 unionized stores.

This development has brought hope not only to Starbucks employees but also to workers at companies like Amazon, Trader Joe’s, and REI, who have been struggling to move contract negotiations forward.

The possibility of Starbucks potentially unionizing after years of aggressive anti-union tactics has sparked curiosity about which company may follow suit in the future.

Claire Chan, an REI employee, expressed excitement about the progress, highlighting the persistence required to bring a company like Starbucks to the negotiating table. She described it as a significant step forward.

John Logan, a labor studies professor, remains cautious about Starbucks’ intentions and whether they will truly commit to ending anti-union practices and reaching an initial contract.

The union representative for Starbucks, Michelle Eisen, remains optimistic about the future collaboration between Starbucks and the union, emphasizing the importance of valuing employee input for business success.

Starbucks has offered a settlement to the union following backlash over union-busting allegations, stock price declines, and disruptive strikes, showing a potential shift towards supporting unions.

Legal experts and union representatives see Starbucks’ possible unionization as a significant step that could inspire other companies to consider similar actions.

Overall, the announcement from Starbucks has far-reaching implications for workers’ rights and the future of unionization in major corporations.

Source: www.theguardian.com