ESA’s Euclid Lifts off on Quest to Unravel the Mystery of Dark Matter and Dark Energy
Following launch and separation from the rocket, ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany, confirmed acquisition of signal from Euclid via the New Norcia ground station in Australia at 17:57 CEST. “The successful launch of Euclid marks the beginning of a new scientific endeavour to help us answer one of the most compelling […]
From East to West: The Enchanting Blend of Architectural Styles in Yuanmingyuan
Yuanmingyuan, also known as the Old Summer Palace, was 20 kilometers northwest of The Forbidden City, the ancient walled city in Beijing. It was an enormous multi-functional complex for the emperor to work and live in. Even more, it was the alternative political center of the Qing Dynasty. Construction began in 1709 and continued for […]
San Diego Passes Law to Establish Safe Sleeping Sites for Homeless People
In response to the controversial encampment ban that is projected to come into effect on July 30, 2023, the San Diego City Council has passed a law allowing the establishment of safe sleeping sites for homeless people. This announcement came in on Thursday, June 29 just after the encampment ban ordinance was passed. The Unsafe […]
Supreme Court Strikes Down Race-Conscious Admissions at American Elite Universities
In a significant setback to affirmative action policies, the United States Supreme Court outlawed race as a factor in college admissions programs on June 29, at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina as a violation of the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. It is worth noting that affirmative action policies, also known as […]
China Should Learn from Russia’s Wagner Insurrection
China has been studying the war between Russia and Ukraine. Experts on the mainland have called it a proving ground, supplying them with invaluable lessons to further their potential invasion of Taiwan. But as educational as the war may be, China can learn much more from recent events within Russia’s borders. On Saturday, June 24, […]
Australian Prime Minister Advises Residents on Cybersecurity
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has advised residents to reboot their smartphones at least once daily to increase cybersecurity. The information is timely as more people become concerned about the infiltration of their phones by hackers and other unauthorized personnel. He has, therefore, urged residents to be more aware of little actions that can thwart, […]
Pan of the Orion Bar Region
An international team of scientists have used data collected by the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope to detect a molecule known as the methyl cation (CH3+) for the first time, located in the protoplanetary disc surrounding a young star. They accomplished this feat with a cross-disciplinary expert analysis, including key input from laboratory spectroscopists. The […]
First Detection of a Carbon Molecule Crucial for the Development of Life in a Planet-Forming Disk
Carbon compounds form the foundations of all known life, and as such are of a particular interest to scientists working to understand both how life developed on Earth, and how it could potentially develop elsewhere in our Universe. As such, interstellar organic chemistry is an area of keen fascination to astronomers who study the places […]
The Wagner Coup: Another Serving of Chaos at Putin’s Table
Saturday, 24th June 2023 saw the foundations of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s power totter on the edge of collapse. The embattled ruler of the Russian state has not had a weekend to relish as, in addition to the war of attrition going on in Ukraine, he had to watch 25,000 armed mercenaries march on his […]
Do China’s ‘Jungle Tigers’ Pose Threat to U.S.?
As discussed here in my earlier blog post, “Chinese Migrants Crossing Southern Border Should Alarm Us,” observers on the ground at the Darien Gap and Panama have been reporting about the large numbers of young, fit, military-age Chinese men headed north to the U.S. southern border. Even more concerning is that villagers and others have seen some […]