KEY TAKEAWAYS The Higgs boson's discovery in 2012 sparked significant interest, proposing an explanation for subatomic particle mass. Recent measurements of CERN data show an unexpectedly high decay rate of the Higgs into Z bosons and photons, suggesting potential new physics. It's too early to know whether these measurements reflect undiscovered phenomena or statistical fluctuations. Further analyses could soon answer the question.
To create advanced technology, a species would likely require the capability to increase the temperature of the materials used in its production. Oxygen's role in enabling open-air combustion has been critical in the evolution of human technology, particularly in metallurgy. Exoplanets whose atmospheres contain less than 18% oxygen would likely not allow open-air combustion, suggesting a threshold that alien worlds must cross if life on them is to develop advanced technology.
KEY TAKEAWAYS Digital reading might be adversely affecting kids' reading comprehension skills, a recently published meta-analysis finds. Digital reading does improve comprehension skills, but the beneficial effect is between six and seven times smaller than that of print reading. Digital texts, such as social media chats and blogs, tend to be much shorter and have worse linguistic quality compared to printed works. Phones and computers also expose readers to distractions from social media, YouTube, and video games. The authors recommend that parents and teachers limit kids' time with digital content, or at least emphasize printed works or using basic e-readers with ink screens.
• Crowther's research found that there is room on Earth for 1.2 trillion trees, which can absorb up to two-thirds of the carbon.
• The study sparked a tree-planting craze among companies and leaders seeking to bolster their environmental credentials.
• This led to a firestorm of criticism from scientists who argued that Crowther's study vastly overestimated the area of land suitable for reforestation.
• Crowther published a more detailed paper showing that preserving existing forests can have a greater impact on the climate than planting trees.
• The study caused a crisis of confidence in conservation programs, as the purchase of private carbon credits for forest conservation proved futile.
AI CONCISE SUMMARY: Researchers have discovered a new virus called vB_HmeY_H4907, which infects bacteria living in the Mariana Trench at 8,900 meters deep. The virus has an icosahedron-shaped head and tail used to identify and penetrate its target. This discovery adds to the enormous diversity of viruses thought to exist in this extreme environment. Viruses like these play a crucial role in marine ecosystems by killing microbes and releasing organic matter rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon. The study provides a foundation for researchers to learn more about the life strategies and ecology of viruses in extreme environments.
AI CONCISE SUMMARY: Scientists have identified a novel type of brain cell that acts like both neurons and glial cells. Known as glutamatergic astrocytes, these cells release the primary neurotransmitter used by neurons (glutamate) and could lead to new treatments for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other nervous system disorders. Further research is needed to explore their function in humans and potential protective role against memory impairment in Alzheimer's disease as well as their role in other regions and pathologies.
• Google is rolling out "Enhanced Ad Privacy" to Chrome.
• The feature allows websites to target ads based on the user's browsing history.
• The feature notification pop-up is available for some Chrome users.
• Google plans to opt out of third-party cookies for targeted advertising.
• Themes are determined based on the user's browser history via the Chrome Themes API.
• Some users complain and ask to disable the feature.
• The pop-up window is regionally-variable and offers the option to turn off theme API support.
• Apple and Mozilla will not use themes for privacy reasons.
3/5 – Moderation, not Federation, is the Threadiverse’s killer feature
Lemmy is not Reddit, and calling Lemmy a Federated or Open-Source version of its inspiration is doing it a disservice. Since Lemmy instances are not venture capital funded, continual growth is not the criteria for success. On Reddit, people who read, post, comment, and vote are the product, advertisers are the customers, and investors set the policy. Return on investment trumps all other concerns, and Reddit must continue to grow to be successful. Lemmy allows for a much more diverse set of definitions of success.
So the 0th step in becoming a successful Lemmy instance is deciding what that success looks like. That’s obviously up to the admin(s), but it can’t be achieved without skilled and dedicated moderators. Moderators do obvious tasks like remove spam and ban hate-speech, but they also encourage community activities, model conflict resolution, and produce content. A healthy community is a well-kept garden, and a successful Lemmy instance must include a collection of healthy communities. Moderators are the gardeners that help a community grow.
Moderation is a difficult and emotionally taxing job. I’ve alluded earlier that Reddit made an unforced error, degrading the moderator experience by killing 3rd party apps, and that Lemmy is missing those same essential tools due to its current stage of development. But Lemmy has an advantage over Reddit in there are plenty of instances where admins will listen to and respect their moderators. Lemmy’s codebase and 3rd party software is improving, and while Reddit may be able to improve their internal moderator support mechanisms, moderators will never be more than exploited rubes for them.
Since moderation is so difficult to do well, and is so essential to the Threadiverse project, the effect on moderators should be the primary concern in making any decision that changes the policy, culture, or performance of a Lemmy instance.
• Mozilla plans to launch support for an open ecosystem of extensions in Firefox for Android at addons.mozilla.org.
• Firefox will be the only major Android browser to support an open ecosystem of extensions.
• Mozilla has created an infrastructure to support extensions in Firefox for Android.
• Mozilla is planning additional events and resources to support extension developers.
• Extensions are no longer hosted in the main process of Firefox for Android, improving stability.
• Developers are encouraged to update the manifest.json background key and use non-persistent event pages.
• Developers can join the Firefox Add-ons discussion to gain community support and contribute.
• The results of the study of the brain of insects during metamorphosis are the most detailed.
• Insect metamorphosis evolved to reduce competition for resources between adults and offspring.
• Metamorphosis began about 350 million years ago, before the advent of dinosaurs.
• Metamorphosis affects the brain of insects, which undergoes significant changes.
• During metamorphosis, the insect brain recycles most of the neurons to function again.
• Metamorphosis changes connections between neurons, destroying old ones and creating new ones.
• Memories of a larva cannot be stored in the brain of an adult insect.
• Associative memories can be associated with smells and direct insects to or away from something.
AI: The author described his experience using Spotify's new DJ feature, which uses artificial intelligence to create personalized playlists. He noticed that his musical preferences had remained virtually unchanged over the past ten years, and began researching the phenomenon of musical paralysis and the science of sound preferences. Research results have shown that ear openness usually peaks at age 24, and after that age it usually declines. 31 is considered the age when musical tastes begin to stagnate and parents stray from the mainstream faster than other groups in the population. The author admits that he is on the cusp of becoming a musical dinosaur, and his musical preferences are becoming more specialized as he ages.