Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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The World’s Most Powerful X-ray Laser Lights Up
In the hills above San Francisco Bay, scientists are firing up the world’s most powerful X-ray laser. The laser is the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), shooting through a former particle accelerator tunnel. LCLS itself is more than a decade old, and plenty of scientists have utilized its power to study proteins and make better…
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Some Physicians Receive Thousands Of Dollars A Year From Drug Companies
I recently received an e-mail from the State of California reminding me that California physicians are legally required to notify patients about the Open Payments database. According to a California law which took effect January 2023, doctors in California must give patients written or electronic notice that: “The Open Payments database is a federal tool…
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Entrepreneurs are facing a mental health crisis, according to report
Almost half of Canadian entrepreneurs are experiencing mental health challenges related to stress and finances. Credit: Shutterstock Mental health is a pressing concern in the startup community. Entrepreneurs face a number of unique challenges, including securing funding and meeting grueling performance targets—all while trying to achieve a work-life balance. These demands can take a significant…
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Dismantling Stigmas In The Workplace
A pregnant employee sitting at her desk and talking to one of her colleagues. getty Pregnancy can be one of the most transformative experiences in a woman’s life. But for many, a positive test also heightens anxiety about one’s career, and how others will react to the news. During my first pregnancy I gained weight…
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How to use Split View on iPad
Splitting the screen on your iPad can really amp up your productivity. The feature is officially called Split View and it’s available on all Apple tablets running iPadOS 13 and newer. When you activate it, you’ll have two open windows on your screen, whether that’s two completely different apps or a pair of windows for…
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Sierra Space raises $290 million
WASHINGTON — Sierra Space has raised $290 million in a round led by Japanese investors, providing the company with additional funding to accelerate work on its Dream Chaser vehicle and commercial space stations. The company announced the Series B round Sept. 26, led by three Japanese investors: MUFG, Japan’s largest bank; trading company Kanematsu Corporation;…
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Fossils in Morocco reveal the astounding diversity of marine life 66 million years ago, just before the asteroid hit
Credit: Nicholas Longrich Sixty-six million years ago, the Cretaceous period ended. Dinosaurs disappeared, along with around 90% of all species on Earth. The patterns and causes of this extinction have been debated since paleontology began. Was it a slow, inevitable decline, or did the end come quickly, driven by a sudden, unpredictable disaster? Georges Cuvier,…
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Is it time for Australia to introduce a national skills passport?
Credit: Antoni Shkraba/Pexels As part of the new employment white paper, the federal government has announced it is thinking seriously about a national skills passport. It has set aside A$9.1 million to prepare a business case for the passport to “help workers promote their qualifications and businesses find more skilled workers.” What might this involve?…
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For solar power to go global, we must consider relaxing intellectual property rights
The solar energy revolution is well underway. The share of solar power in the global energy mix has nearly tripled over the past five years, and solar panel technology is increasingly cheap, with utility-scale costs falling by a factor of five in the United States over the same period. Solar is increasingly efficient. Public and…
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Genomics detective work reveals pest moth travels
Countries where invasive populations of FAW surveyed for genomic analyses in this study were collected from. Credit: Scientific Reports (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-27501-x The fall armyworm moth (Spodoptera frugiperda) is a notorious pest in agriculture. It devastates essential food crops and threatens global food security. It has been reported to feed on more than 350 plant…
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