Charles Darwin and conspicuous consumption: Why bling is blingy
Luxury brands are a prominent feature of modern society. Thorstein Veblen coined the term "conspicuous consumption" to describe how the upper classes showcased expensive goods without inherent practical benefits to demonstrate their economic power......»»
Stardew Valley: The Board Game—a loving production but a mixed review from Grandpa
The beloved video game is relaxing. The board game? Not as much. Enlarge (credit: Charles Theel) Welcome to Ars Cardboard, our weekend look at tabletop games! Check out our complete board gaming coverage at cardboard.arstechnica.com. Sta.....»»
Genetically modified salmon head to US dinner plates
The inaugural harvest of genetically modified salmon began this week after the pandemic delayed the sale of the first such altered animal to be cleared for human consumption in the United States, company officials said......»»
Ohio lawmakers want to abolish vaccine requirements—all vaccine requirements
Someone would only have to verbally decline vaccination and site "reasons of conscience." Enlarge / A child with measles. (credit: Greene, Charles Lyman) Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s “Vax-a-Million” program began Wednesday, running the first.....»»
Iran issues four-month ban on cryptocurrency mining following widespread power outages
Among several controversies surrounding cryptocurrency mining is the issue of energy consumption and its environmental impact. We recently saw New York looking to put a 3-year ban on mining crypto, but the problem seems much more serious for Iran. Th.....»»
Minnesota engineering board faces First Amendment lawsuit over the use of the word engineer
Charles Marohn is the founder of the engineering reform group Strong Towns. While he has not practiced his profession since 2012, he remains licensed in Minnesota. His focus these days is to reform the industry's outdated practices and "dogma." He ha.....»»
Darwin foreshadowed modern scientific theories
When Charles Darwin published "Descent of Man" 150 years ago, he launched scientific investigations on human origins and evolution. This week, three leading scientists in different, but related disciplines published "Modern theories of human evolutio.....»»
Drinking Any Amount of Alcohol Causes Damage To the Brain, Study Finds
There is no such thing as a "safe" level of drinking, with increased consumption of alcohol associated with poorer brain health, according to a new study. CNN reports: In an observational study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, researchers from.....»»
Ethereum Staking Will Drop Power Consumption By 99%
After Ethereum transitions to proof-of-stake, the blockchain's power consumption is expected to drop by more than 99%, making it about 7,000 times more energy efficient than Bitcoin. Crypto Briefing reports: Ethereum will reduce its energy consumptio.....»»
Novel method of labeling DNA bases for sequencing
An international research team headed by Michal Hocek of the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences (IOCB Prague) and Charles University and Ciara K. O'Sullivan of Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) in Spain.....»»
The story of Rum Jungle: a Cold War-era uranium mine that"s spewed acid into the environment for decades
Buried in last week's budget was money for rehabilitating the Rum Jungle uranium mine near Darwin. The exact sum was not disclosed......»»
Market report: Rising stock wealth does boost spending, employment
The stock market is a staple of business news, but it is unclear how meaningful stock prices are to the larger economy. Do changes in stock prices directly affect shorter-term consumption, or are they just leading indicators for subsequent economic a.....»»
How widespread is lemur and fossa meat consumption?
A new study by WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) looks at the prevalence of human consumption of lemur and fossa (Madagascar's largest predator) in villages within and around Makira Natural Park, northeastern Madagascar, providing up-to-date estima.....»»
James Charles fans "send death threats" to producer
Kelly Rocklein says she has received abuse since her legal action against the YouTuber became public......»»
Vegetarians have healthier levels of disease markers than meat-eaters
Vegetarians appear to have a healthier biomarker profile than meat-eaters, and this applies to adults of any age and weight, and is also unaffected by smoking and alcohol consumption, according to a new study in over 166,000 UK adults......»»
Rapid lifestyle changes during early COVID-19 pandemic had no impact on climate change, study finds
Despite the rapid and significant changes in consumption patterns witnessed during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Japanese households maintained their normal levels of greenhouse gases emissions. The 'anthropause' -- reduction of human.....»»
Flower size correlates with pollinator size, evolved independently among mountains
The morphological compatibility between flowers and insects was given in the famous textbook example of Darwin's orchids and hawkmoths. As in this example, many studies have shown that geographical variations in flower size match the size of insects.....»»
Rapid lifestyle changes in Japan during early COVID-19 pandemic had no impact on climate change
Despite the rapid and significant changes in consumption patterns witnessed during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Japanese households maintained their normal levels of greenhouse gas emissions. The "anthropause"—reduction of human act.....»»
In soil, high microbial fluctuation leads to more carbon emissions
As humans, the weather where we live influences our energy consumption. In climates where weather shifts from hot summers to very cold winters, humans consume more energy since the body has to work harder to maintain temperature......»»
Review: Most human origins stories are not compatible with known fossils
In the 150 years since Charles Darwin speculated that humans originated in Africa, the number of species in the human family tree has exploded, but so has the level of dispute concerning early human evolution. Fossil apes are often at the center of t.....»»
Native American lawmakers seek federal help on Montana bison
Native American lawmakers in Montana on Tuesday called on the Biden administration to help craft a plan to reintroduce wild bison to the landscape in and around Glacier National Park and the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge......»»