"Legal animism": When a river or even nature itself goes to court
On 30 March 2011, a truly unprecedented event took place at a provincial court in Loja, Equator, located some 270 miles from the capital of Quito. The Vilcabamba River, a plaintiff in a trial there, convinced the tribunal that its own rights were bei.....»»
How Black teachers lost when civil rights won in Brown v. Board
Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court decision that desegregated public schools, stands in the collective national memory as a turning point in America's fight for racial justice. But as the U.S. observes its 70th anniversary, Brown also rep.....»»
Floods in south Brazil have displaced 600,000—here"s why this region is likely to see ever more extreme rain in future
A mighty river is flowing out of the Amazon rainforest, and it's not the one you're thinking of. In the first kilometer above the forest canopy, a "flying river" is transporting moisture evaporated from Amazonian trees southwards along the Andes moun.....»»
Pyramids built along long-lost river, scientists discover
Scientists have discovered a long-buried branch of the Nile river that once flowed alongside more than 30 pyramids in Egypt, potentially solving the mystery of how ancient Egyptians transported the massive stone blocks to build the famous monuments......»»
The nature of consciousness, and how to enjoy it while you can
In his new book, Christof Koch views consciousness as a theorist and an aficionado. Enlarge (credit: SEAN GLADWELL) Unraveling how consciousness arises out of particular configurations of organic matter is a quest that h.....»»
New York City FC vs Red Bulls live stream: Can you watch for free?
New York City FC and NY Red Bulls clash in the Hudson River Derby today, and we have everything you need to know to watch a live stream......»»
Delta Emulator changes logo after Adobe legal threat
The developer behind Delta has been threatened with legal action by Adobe, forcing the game emulator to change its icon.Adobe's logo [left], Delta's new icon [middle], Delta's old icon [right]On Friday, the Delta game emulator updated its icon to som.....»»
It could soon be illegal to publicly wear a mask for health reasons in NC
Senators skeptical of legal trouble for harmless masking after moving to make it illegal. Enlarge (credit: Getty | Spencer Platt) The North Carolina State Senate on Wednesday voted 30-15, along party lines, in favor of a.....»»
Mystery CRISPR unlocked: A new ally against antibiotic resistance?
CRISPR-Cas systems have revolutionized biotechnology by offering ways to edit genes like a pair of programmable scissors. In nature, bacteria use these systems to fight off deadly viruses. A recent international collaboration led by the University of.....»»
Fossil captures starfish splitting itself in two—showing this has been happening for 155 million years
One of the wildest wonders of nature is the ability of some animals to reproduce by splitting in half. There is still so much we don't know about this process. So the discovery of a 155-million-year-old starfish fossil frozen partway through this pro.....»»
U.S. Supreme Court backs consumer finance watchdog agency"s funding mechanism
Many conservatives and their Republican allies have portrayed the CFPB as part of an overbearing "administrative state," the network of agencies responsible for the array of federal regulations affecting businesses and individuals......»»
Discovery may explain why Egyptian pyramids were built along long-lost Ahramat branch of the Nile
Some 31 pyramids in Egypt, including the Giza pyramid complex, may originally have been built along a 64-km-long branch of the river Nile which has long since been buried beneath farmland and desert. The findings, reported in a paper in Communication.....»»
A penguin with an unconventional call inspires researchers to change how they study penguins
An emperor penguin's sex determines the nature of their courtship call—male vocalizations are composed of long, slow bursts with lower frequency tones than the female version. But calls of SeaWorld San Diego male penguin E-79 caught the attention o.....»»
Elon Musk’s X dodges Australian order to remove church stabbing video
Elon Musk accused Australia of trying to have "jurisdiction over all of Earth." Enlarge (credit: Apu Gomes / Stringer | Getty Images News) An Australian federal court sided with Elon Musk on Monday, rejecting an Australi.....»»
Honda OK to reject store acquisition by poor-performing dealership, court rules
For the third time, a Honda dealership with one of the lowest retail sales effectiveness scores in Ohio has lost a bid to require American Honda Motor Co. to approve its acquisition of another store......»»
Game dev says contract barring “subjective negative reviews” was a mistake
Early streamers agreed not to "belittle the gameplay" or "make disparaging... comments." Enlarge / Artist's conception of NetEase using a legal contract to try to stop a wave of negative reviews of its closed alpha. (credit: NetE.....»»
Tracing the origins of organic matter in Martian sediments
Although Mars presents a barren, dusty landscape with no signs of life so far, its geological features such as deltas, lakebeds, and river valleys strongly suggest a past where water once flowed abundantly on its surface. To explore this possibility,.....»»
The secret to mimicking natural faults? Plexiglass and Teflon
When a fault ruptures in nature, some sections of the fault slip suddenly and seismically, weakening as velocity increases. Other regions creep slowly and strengthen with increasing velocity. The relative locations of these sections affect the size a.....»»
Tiny pieces of plastic pose one of the biggest threats to Chicago River wildlife and water quality
Wendella engineer Miguel Chavez climbed down a ladder and over a small dock to pull up a trap floating in the Chicago River near the Michigan Avenue Bridge. The size of a standard garbage can, the trap is designed to collect trash and can hold up to.....»»
Researchers breed tomato plants that contain the complete genetic material of both parent plants
In a new study published in Nature Genetics, led by Charles Underwood from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, Germany, scientists established a system to generate clonal sex cells in tomato plants and used them to design.....»»
Nature"s 3D printer: Bristle worms form bristles piece by piece
A new interdisciplinary study led by molecular biologist Florian Raible from the Max Perutz Labs at the University of Vienna provides exciting insights into the bristles of the marine annelid worm Platynereis dumerilii. Specialized cells, called chae.....»»