If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Charlie Angus‚ a longstanding New Democratic Party MP representing the Timmins-James Bay region in Canada‚ has introduced a provocative private member’s bill this week‚ known as the Fossil Fuel Advertising Act or C-372. Essentially‚ this act aims to impose penalties‚ including imprisonment‚ on those found publicly advertising praise of fossil fuels‚ even if their statements are based on accepted scientific facts. For example‚ such facts could include the statement that burning natural gas is less harmful to the environment than coal. However‚ Bill C-372 encompasses much more than just prohibiting false advertising from oil and gas companies. Heralded by Angus in the House of Commons as the oil industry’s impending “big tobacco moment‚” this reference reflects the sweeping federal ban on tobacco advertisement currently in effect in Canada. Yet‚ seeing as the NDP currently only holds 25 seats in parliament‚ it is unlikely that this private member’s bill will gain the necessary traction to pass. We obtained a copy of the bill for you here. Despite its slim chances of success‚ the implications of this act apply broadly. For instance‚ any Canadian found commending the oil industry or oil in general could be faced with penalties. The law stipulates a heavy fine of up to $500‚000 for individual violators‚ while oil corporations could face up to two years imprisonment or have to shoulder a $1‚000‚000 fine. Under the law‚ a wide net is cast as to what constitutes “promotion” or “advertising‚” potentially including items such as social media posts. The bill also criminalizes various common arguments in favor of oil and natural gas‚ even if they’re scientifically supported. Moreover‚ the law potentially introduces legal consequences for making arguments about fossil fuels being advantageous to the Canadian economy‚ Indigenous reconciliation‚ or Canadians’ health. The post Canada: NDP-Proposed Speech Law Calls to Jail Those That Praise Fossil Fuels appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Private search engine Mojeek‚ one of Reclaim The Net’s recommended search engines‚ has announced the launch of its new algorithm that integrates a semantic element into its search engine. This update‚ which has undergone extensive building and user testing phases‚ is now live and set to revolutionize how queries are matched to relevant pages. The traditional keyword-based approach of Mojeek has been enhanced with this semantic element. This means that pages that might not have ranked highly solely based on keywords can now achieve better visibility. The primary goal of this update is to refine search results‚ making them more relevant and user-friendly. The semantic approach addresses the limitations of keyword searches‚ such as issues with misspellings‚ synonyms‚ and polysemous words (words with multiple meanings). For example – “Light” and “Lamp.” “Light” can refer to the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible‚ but it also means not heavy. A search engine might struggle with connecting “light” to “lamp” if the context is ambiguous. Despite this new addition‚ Mojeek retains its core keyword-based search mechanism. The balance aimed here is to enhance search results without overstepping into the realm of guessing what the user intends – a common frustration with some search engines. The refinement brought about by the semantic element is particularly notable in its current application to English-language results. However‚ Mojeek plans to expand this functionality to other languages over the year. This move is part of a larger strategy to overhaul the way results are ordered‚ promising continual improvements and updates throughout the year. Mojeek has emphasized the importance of user feedback in this process‚ encouraging users to provide feedback through the Contact page or use the buttons on the results pages. The post Private Search Engine Mojeek Deploys New Algorithm That Provides Better Results for Users appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

Sweden Bails on Nord Stream Blast Investigation

Strange Bedfellow: Gaetz Endorses McCarthy

The NY Times Covers Detransitioners

Colorado Had a Bad Day at SCOTUS on Trump DQ

If you think people today enjoy a cheeky bottle (or two) of wine on a Friday night‚ then wait until you hear about the Romans. It’s well established that they loved a bit of vino‚ even to the point where watching it be made was seen as a form of entertainment. But what did Roman wine actually taste‚ smell‚ and look like? A new study analyzing the clay pots Romans used for winemaking may well have revealed the answer.With an intact sample of Roman wine remaining unopened (and who can blame them‚ have you seen it?)‚ researchers Dimitri Van Limbergen and Paulina Komar turned to the clay pots wine was commonly stored in‚ known as dolia‚ to find out what the popular drink might’ve been like.“No study has yet scrutinised the role of these earthenware vessels in Roman winemaking and their impact on the look‚ smell and taste of ancient wines‚” state the authors in their study.The duo compared the vessels to those used in traditional Georgian winemaking. These lemon-shaped clay pots are called qvevri and are used to ferment the wine; this is similar to how Roman wine is thought to have been produced‚ suggesting that modern Georgian wine would be comparable to the Roman drink.A series of wineries dating from 12th-century to modern-day Georgia.Image credit: D. Van LimbergenBy making this comparison‚ the researchers concluded that Roman wine was likely dark yellow or amber-colored‚ matching up with what has been translated from ancient Roman texts. This color is thought to be down to the shape of the vessel; the narrow base stopped the grape solids from touching the wine too much as it aged and affecting its color.As for the most important result – at least if you’re a sommelier – what did the wine taste and smell like? According to the researchers‚ it was probably slightly spicy and thanks to the porous clay allowing for oxidation‚ may have had “pleasant grassy‚ nutty and dried fruit-like flavours”.The scent is the result of the dolia having been buried‚ allowing winemakers to control the temperature and pH. As a result‚ this could allow surface yeasts to grow and release a compound called sotolon into the wine. This produces aromas of “toasted bread‚ apples‚ roasted walnuts and curry”. A perhaps unconventional‚ but fairly delicious sounding combination – no wonder the Romans loved it so much. It definitely sounds nicer than the 170-year-old shipwreck champagne.These are the remains of Roman wine cellars - they look similar to the Georgian ones seen above.Image credit: Francesco Pizzimenti‚ courtesy of Soprintendenza Archeologia‚ Belle Arti e Paesaggio per le province di L'Aquila e TeramoAs well as providing an insight into why Romans were necking wine on a regular basis‚ the authors conclude that the study’s findings “change much of our current understanding of Roman winemaking‚” by suggesting winemakers had much more control over the process than previously thought.In a statement sent to IFLScience‚ Dr Van Limbergen concluded: “The value of identifying‚ often unexpected‚ parallels between modern and ancient winemaking lies in both debunking the alleged amateurish nature of Roman winemaking and uncovering common traits in millennia-old vinification procedures.”The study is published in the journal Antiquity.

Sprawling underneath Mammoth Cave National Park in the US is‚ well‚ a pretty mammoth cave system. In fact‚ at 686 kilometers (426 miles) in length‚ it’s the longest cave system in the world – and within it‚ researchers are making all sorts of discoveries. The latest is two new species of ancient sharks‚ thought to have lived over 325 million years ago.Both species were identified from fossils collected in the cave system. It was through adult and juvenile teeth‚ for example‚ that palaeontologists classified Troglocladodus trimblei: a shark that’s estimated to have reached around 3-3.6 meters (10-12 feet) in length. That’s about the same as an oceanic whitetip or lemon shark.T. trimblei also represents both a brand-new species and genus of shark. The genus name translates to “Cave Cladodus” or “Cave Branching Tooth”‚ whilst the species is named after park superintendent Barclay Trimble‚ who found the first specimen (a tooth) back in 2019.The second new shark species discovered was Glikmanius careforum‚ identified from teeth and a partial set of jaws and gills found in different regions of the cave system. Though its genus was already known to science‚ there was still novelty to be found‚ as the cartilage fossil found was the first of its kind for this genus. This particular species revealed that it may actually have originated 50 million years earlier than previously thought.It’s estimated that G. careforum was about the same length as its fellow new discovery‚ whilst its jaw shape indicates that it likely had a short head with a powerful bite. That bite would probably have been directed towards smaller sharks‚ or bony fish‚ but regardless‚ you wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of it.Both of the new species belong to the ctenacanths‚ an extinct order of fish characterized by their multi-cusped teeth and spines on their dorsal fins. It’s thought that they would’ve hunted along the shores that make up modern-day Kentucky and Alabama during the Mississippian subperiod‚ around 325 million years ago. At the time‚ that region was part of an ancient seaway connecting what would later become eastern North America‚ Europe‚ and northern Africa – though Pangaea decided to get in the way first.The fossils were uncovered as part of an ongoing collaborative project in US National Parks known as the Paleontological Resources Inventory (PRI)‚ which aims to survey the parks for fossils‚ assess their significance‚ and identify how they can be managed and preserved. Since it began‚ at least 70 species of ancient fish have been identified from samples collected at Mammoth Cave.“Every new discovery at Mammoth Cave is possible due to collaborations‚” said Superintendent Barclay Trimble in a statement. “Our park team is honored to work alongside the National Park Service Paleontology Program and now the University of Alabama Geological Sciences Department whose coordinated efforts have made this latest announcement possible.”

One of the most important and enigmatic Bronze Age discoveries appears to have incorporated meteoritic iron. The discovery could resolve confusion about the ages not only of the iron items‚ but the hoard of gold with which they were buried.The Treasure of Villena was discovered in what is now eastern Spain in 1963. The 59 bracelets‚ bowls‚ and assorted items are most famous for their wealth of gold‚ but the more intriguing aspect is the iron from which two of the items were made. These were the oldest iron pieces found on the Iberian Peninsula‚ and based on the accompanying riches appeared to date to at least 3‚000 years ago. The origin of the entire Treasure is mysterious enough‚ given the lack of evidence of the civilization that made them‚ and the presence of apparently Bronze Age items with the iron pieces deepened the mystery. However‚ long before humanity learned to mine and smelt iron‚ we were using iron from meteorites found on the Earth’s surface. Most famously‚ Tutankhamun had a dagger forged from meteoritic iron‚ its possession by the boy pharaoh demonstrating the immense value placed on such items. The capacity to work the mix of iron‚ nickel‚ and sometimes cobalt known as meteoritic iron must have developed independently in many places‚ since pre-Iron Age examples are found in North America‚ southern Africa‚ and Tibet‚ as well as the Middle East.One iron piece is a hollow hemisphere partially covered in gold (referred to as a cap or pommel) and the other a bracelet. Their purpose is unknown‚ but at face value their existence indicates the treasure must date from the Iron Age‚ albeit the very start when ironwork was new enough to be very valuable. Yet if so‚ what are they doing with so much gold in the Bronze Age style? The gold covering makes this item look a little like the rest of the treasure‚ but when it was made the iron peaking through might have been more valuable. Maximum diameter 4.5 cm (1.8 inches).Image credit: Photography Villena Museum (Alicante); Rovira-Llorens et al‚ Trabajos de Prehistoria 2023 (CC BY 4.0)However‚ if the iron from which the two pieces are made is from the heavens‚ not the Earth‚ there would be no discrepancy.Inevitably archaeologists have been keen to test the iron pieces for a long time. However‚ the combination of corrosion making most ancient iron very delicate‚ and the desire to protect the items from damaging test methods‚ has been an obstruction. Increasing availability of non-destructive tests has changed the situation‚ leading retired museum curator Salvador Rovira-Llorens and co-authors to explore the pieces' composition.To our eyes the open bracelet looks worthless compared to the rest‚ but what a journey it has been on. Maximum diameter 8.5 cm (3.4 inches).Image credit: Photography Villena Museum (Alicante); Rovira-Llorens et al‚ Trabajos de Prehistoria 2023 (CC BY 4.0)Portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry produced uncertain results‚ so the team turned to mass spectrometry applied to tiny samples. They found the proportion of nickel in the cap (5.5 percent) is very much in line with known iron meteorites‚ and well above what is usually found in terrestrial deposits. On the other hand‚ preliminary measurements of the bracelet gave the distinctly ambiguous result of 2.8 percent.Corrosion can cause more nickel to leach than iron‚ however‚ lowering its concentration. Deeper analysis revealed more nickel towards in interior areas less exposed to air and water‚ indicating the bracelet was made from meteoritic iron as well. Indeed‚ it is likely it was from the same meteorite‚ with the uncorroded composition being the same. Matching the composition to a specific meteorite has not so far been possible‚ however.“The available data suggest that the cap and bracelet from the Treasure of Villena would currently be the first two pieces attributable to meteoritic iron in the Iberian Peninsula‚ which is compatible with a Late Bronze chronology‚ prior to the beginning of the widespread production of terrestrial iron‚” the authors write.Outside Greenland‚ almost all terrestrial iron is in the form of iron oxide‚ which Bronze Age people lacked the technology to reduce. Meteorites not only avoided the need for this‚ but the iron nickel alloys were more resistant to corrosion even once pure iron became available. The immensely rare product was the Earthly equivalent of Valyrian steel in Westeros‚ given immense value by its extreme rarity.The study is published in Trabajos de Prehistoria.