Atlantic sturgeon were nearly wiped out in the eastern US by heavy fishing in the late 1800s and did not rebound for a long time because the water quality in most rivers was so bad, plus many spawning areas were blocked off by dams. But water quality has improved to the point that breeding populations are now established in dozens of rivers, including the Potomac and the Hudson.
Incredible photographs of slime molds and fungi by Barry Webb.
Using AI to discover new antibiotics.
J. Colin Bradley thinks the "post-liberals" (Deneen, Ahmari) are incoherent because they are insufficiently Kantian. Having no master does not mean having no limits.
Andrea Smith, the self-proclaimed Native American professor I mentioned here, has resigned to avoid a university investigation into ethnic fraud.
Test scores for elementary and high school students declined during the pandemic, but apparently not because of school closures and distance learning, since they declined about the same amount in states that did not close the schools. (Kevin Drum) Very strange.
Seeing lots of stories like this one about how Americans are tired of politics: "For many, many Americans, there’s not excitement or energy approaching 2024. It’s more dread."
Nice photoset of abandoned movie theaters by Ben Geier.
The US government has acquired field-mobile 10kw laser units, about the size of a mini fridge, that are supposed to be capable of shooting down small drones.
Mussel shell figure of a dragon found at a Neolithic site in Inner Mongolia.
Good NY Times story on the potential of geothermal energy, focusing on the Fervo Energy plant I mentioned in July. However bad our energy/pollution issues seem now, this is not a long-term problem for humanity.
Via Tyler Cowen, a paper showing that insiders never had any worries about the movement to "defund the police": during the George Floyd protests the authors' stock index of police-related companies rose by 7% relative to the overall market.
The Dean of Harvard's Business School is trying to revoke the tenure of Professor Francesca Gino for fraud; if he succeeds, this will be the first time that has happened in Harvard's history. The evidence that she tampered with the data in several published papers is here, here, here, and here. I was convinced by this analysis, but I was even more impressed by how trivial these studies seem; you can get tenure at Harvard for lame studies like these? Blimey.
An argument that things are going great in America.
NY Times feature on the designs proposed for a Harriet Tubman statue in Philadelphia; one question is whether the race of the sculptor should matter. I note that despite all the statue takedowns there is still a longing in some quarters for figurative sculptures of heroes.
Scott Siskind asks what survives in subconscious social psychology after so many psych experiments in "priming" and the like failed replication.
Cool cache of Aztec figurines found in Mexico City.
CalTech has long required calculus, physics, and chemistry as requirements for admission, but they are now trying to find alternatives for people whose high schools don't offer those courses. Interesting that this made the news even though it will likely effect fewer than ten people a year.
What was viral yesterday on Ukrainian War Twitter? This, from Thomas Babington Macaulay's Lays of Ancient Rome (1842): "To every man upon this earth /Death cometh soon or late. / And how can man die better / Than facing fearful odds, / For the ashes of his fathers, And the temples of his Gods." This happens from time to time, and almost always for a poem at least a century old. Modern poetry does not appeal to men interested in war.
Ukraine Links
Bernie Sanders, who has opposed every American war for the past sixty years, has gone on record supporting weapons for Ukraine and opposing any settlement that gives Russia territory: "We cannot allow Putin to run roughshod over an indpendent country."
Amazing 3-minute video of a small Ukrainian assault with tanks, IFVs, and about 20 infantry who finish up by clearing a Russian trench in close-quarters fighting.
One Ukrainian response to Russian drone attacks on artillery is to step up the manufacture of fakes to lure their fire.
Three-minute video showing a Russian armored column brought under Ukrainian artillery fire.
Discussion of Russia's prepared defenses in the south and where Ukrainian troops are in relation to them, as of August 26.
Long tweet on the obstacles faced by Ukraine's southern offensive at the tactical level.
According to this story, Russia is suffering from a shortage of ball bearings that is impacting their production of tanks and other vehicles.
Since the Russian navy has basically been hiding since the sinking of the Moskva, Ukraine has modified its Neptune anti-ship missile for land attack and has been using them against targets in Crimea.
Update on the Ukrainian advance in the south as of August 29. The first part of the main Russian defensive line – the Surovikin Line – has been breached; took only 24 hours.
Meanwhile, the Russian MOD has begun reducing the amount of information it releases about the war and has stepped up censorship.
Interesting article looking forward at the prospects for Ukrainian offensives, forseeing slow progress and a long war.
The "war of the cities" that I wondered about last year seems to be under way: "Russian media reported drone attacks in 6 Russian regions and occupied Crimea, which came as Russian forces launched their largest attack on Kyiv since spring." (Kyiv Independent on August 30)
Interview with a Ukrainian national security guy who explains Ukraine's strategy of advance by attrition.
Igor Girkin announces his candidacy for President of Russia: "I consider myself more competent in military matters than the current president, and certainly than the current minister of defense." Also complains that Putin has left in place the incompetent people who said the invasion of Ukraine would be a cakewalk and goes after Putin's billionaire friends.
Ukrainian foreign minister's reaction to renewed calls to negotiate with Russia: "Prigozhin had a conflict with Putin, he had successful negotiations: ended the conflict, agreed to security guarantees. And then Putin killed him."
LPR volunteer Murz explains why the Russian side is losing more low-ranking officers and how this hurts.
Satellite images confirm that Ukraine's drone attack destroyed Russian Il-76 transport planes at Pskov, 700 km from Ukraine. Ukraine has put out a lot of smoke about how this was done, so be careful about any particular claim you may have seen. (War Zone)
2 comments:
Re Francesca Gina - the most bizarre thing is that she threatened the scientists with a trial for exposing her. They had to start a public drive to gather money for a defense.
I don't see that looking toward 2024 with dread rather than excitement indicates people are "tired of politics." I'm filled with dread at the possible outcome, but I continue to read political articles every day. I'd say dread feeds political interest for a lot of people on both sides.
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