Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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What’s behind the toxic levels of mercury in tropical birds? Gold mining, study shows
A Black-spotted Bare-eye (Phlegopsis nigromaculata) captured next to an artisanal gold mining operation in Madre de Dios, Peru. Credit: Chris Sayers/UCLA The tropics are home to more than 75% of all species and are projected to support 50% of the world’s human population by mid-century, but little is known about mercury pollution in these life-filled…
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UK govt urges food delivery firms to step up vetting
The UK government wants food delivery platforms to tighten delivery driver checks. The UK government on Tuesday urged online food delivery platforms such as Uber Eats, Just Eat and Deliveroo to step up driver vetting to protect people and prevent unauthorized immigrants working illegally. Ahead of a meeting with the companies Tuesday, immigration minister Robert……
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‘Forever chemicals’ blood tests in Belgium over polluted water
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Belgium’s southern Wallonia region pledged Tuesday to offer free blood tests for residents to measure their possible exposure to PFAS “forever chemicals” amid a scandal over polluted drinking water. Local authorities have been rocked after an investigation by the RTBF news outlet last week revealed they had ignored warnings over elevated…
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Pacific rainbow+ communities face discrimination, conversion therapy
Manalagi Project. Credit: University of Auckland The need to increase Pacific and Rainbow+ leadership was a major finding in the Manalagi project, the first and largest research of its kind addressing the health and well-being of Aotearoa, New Zealand’s Pacific Rainbow+ community. A three-year long study backed by the Health Research Council of New Zealand,…
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Siemens Energy gets state-backed 15-bn-euro rescue package
Siemens Energy has been facing problems at its wind power unit, Gamesa. Siemens Energy will receive a 15-billion-euro ($16.3-billion), state-backed rescue package, Berlin said Tuesday, as the German group struggles to overcome a crisis in its wind power unit. The company’s Gamesa subsidiary has faced long-running technical problems with its onshore wind turbines,… Continue Reading…
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After Beatles, AI to bring Edith Piaf voice back to life for biopic
Edith Piaf on stage at the Paris Olympia on December 30, 1960. A new biopic on the life of Edith Piaf will use artificial intelligence to allow the French star to narrate her own story, Warner Music and her estate said on Tuesday. “Edith” is “in the final phase of development”, sources close to Warner…
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National climate plans won’t limit warming to 1.5°C, so COP28 is critical, UN warns
Credit: CC0 Public Domain A new report from UN Climate Change finds national climate action plans remain insufficient to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C and meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. Even with increased efforts by some countries, the report shows much more action is needed now to bend the world’s emissions trajectory…
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Study describes 48 new species of spiders
Credit: Queensland Museum A paper recently published in Zootaxa documents the 48 species of ground-hunting spiders from the family Miturgidae, which can be found across Australia, particularly in arid habitats in open eucalypt forest, brigalow, mallee, heath, and desert. Lead author, Dr. Robert Raven, who worked on the decades-long project during his tenure with Queensland…
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Bioengineers send cardiac muscle samples into space to study heart cell biology in microgravity
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Mount Sinai’s Cardiovascular Research Institute is sending bioengineered human heart muscle cells and micro-tissues into space for the first time on NASA’s 29th SpaceX commercial resupply services mission, which launched Thursday, November 9. The “SpaceX CRS-29” mission is sending scientific research to the International Space Station (ISS), where the samples will…
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COVID-19 triggers epigenetic alterations that drive lung damage and fatalities
The COVID-19 disease, due to infection with the SARS-CoV2 virus, became an international pandemic in 2020. To date, more than 770 million people have suffered from the disease and nearly 7 million of them have lost their life. The most common cause of death in the studied group is lung involvement with consequent respiratory failure.…
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