7.4 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Taiwan‚ Hundreds Injured

Time Works Differently on the Moon

UK: Elderly Being Forced to Sell Their Homes To Be Used for Migrants

Birds might not be able to get a driving license (boo)‚ but as it happens‚ some of them have found another way to get about whilst doing minimal exercise: soaring. At one point or another‚ they do have to flap their wings – but which one can go the longest without doing so?To find out‚ we have to head to the Andes‚ home to the absolute unit that is the Andean condor. And when we say unit‚ we’re not joking – this thing can weigh up to a whopping 15 kilograms (33 pounds)‚ making it the world’s heaviest soaring bird.It might seem like something that heavy couldn’t get up in the air in the first place‚ but Andean condors also have an impressive wingspan of up to 3.2 meters (10.5 feet). Their weight is also part of the reason they soar; flapping a lot would be too energy expensive for such a big bird‚ so instead they utilize hot air currents to stay in the air.It feels appropriate‚ then‚ that researchers have found the Andean condor spends the least time flapping during flight out of the soaring birds.A team from Swansea University and the National University of Comahue tracked eight Andean condors over the course of five years‚ tagging them with a GPS device and a recording unit that could log their wingbeats.From this data‚ they found that the condors flapped their wings for only 1 percent of their flight time. That means they only just clinch the title from wandering albatrosses‚ who can spend up to 14.5 percent all the way down to just 1.2 percent of their flight time slowly flapping their wings‚ according to one study. Similarly to albatrosses‚ much of the time that the condors in the study spent flapping was during takeoffs – more than 75 percent‚ in fact. The rest of the time‚ they successfully avoided flapping their wings by making the most of wind and air currents‚ to the point where one bird even managed to go five hours without flapping‚ covering 172 kilometers (just under 107 miles) in that time.That being said‚ weather didn’t seem to have much of an impact on whether or not the condors flapped their wings. “This suggests that decisions about when and where to land are crucial‚ as not only do condors need to be able to take off again‚ but unnecessary landings will add significantly to their overall flight costs‚” explained study author Dr Hannah Williams in a statement at the time.Thankfully for the younger birds‚ that decision-making ability doesn’t seem to be something that only comes with age – all of the condors in the study were immature. “Our results demonstrate that even inexperienced birds can cover vast distances over land without flapping‚” the authors write.It’s an impressive feat‚ but it’s not just the big birds that are capable of such record-breaking flight tricks – the title for the longest time a bird can fly without landing‚ for example‚ goes to a much smaller feathered friend.

A lot of space debris is simply dropped down towards Earth‚ where the friction of the atmosphere should burn it up and destroy it before it can reach us. However‚ that is not always the case‚ and NASA is now investigating whether a piece of a battery pallet released in 2021 came crashing down through the roof of a home in Naples‚ Florida on March 8.The batteries had been used on the International Space Station (ISS) for years‚ and once they were no longer useful‚ a whole pallet of them was dropped from the ISS. It was going to orbit Earth for a while‚ but the air friction with the most tenuous layers of the atmosphere would eventually slow it down enough and make it come down.“Mission controllers in Houston commanded the Canadarm2 robotic arm to release an external pallet loaded with old nickel-hydrogen batteries into Earth orbit on Thursday morning. It is safely moving away from the station and will orbit Earth between two to four years before burning up harmlessly in the atmosphere‚” NASA wrote in a statement back on March 11‚ 2021.Best laid plans‚ am I right? The nine batteries were packed on the HTV9 cargo ship that visited the ISS between May and Aug 2020. Despite expectation that the pallet was going to burn‚ it became clear as it got lower that about half a tonne of the original 2.6 would survive the atmospheric burn‚ as astronomer Jonathan McDowell reported on Twitter.   Details were also shared by the European Space Agency which was tracking this object.“The total mass of the batteries is estimated at 2.6 metric tonnes‚ most of which may burn up during the reentry. While some parts may reach the ground‚ the casualty risk – the likelihood of a person being hit – is very low‚” a statement said.It was on a follow-up to McDowell’s first tweet that Alejandro Otero reported that what he believed was a piece of the pallet had crashed through the roof and two floors of his house‚ almost hitting his son. McDowell assisted Otero‚ who got in touch with the Aerospace Corporation‚ and NASA then got in touch.       IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites."NASA collected an item in cooperation with the homeowner‚ and will analyze the object at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida as soon as possible to determine its origin‚" NASA told AFP on Tuesday. "More information will be available once the analysis is complete."It is unclear if anyone including NASA is liable for damage. The space station was issued a fine for littering when bits of Skylab fell in a town in Australia‚ but they didn’t pay it.

Everyone in Japan will have the same surname by 2531‚ according to a simulation run at the Tohoku University research center.Japan‚ where same-sex marriage is still illegal‚ currently requires couples to choose between their surnames when they get married. Ninety-six percent choose to go with the man's name. According to Professor Hiroshi Yoshida at Tohoku University's Research Center for Aging Economy and Society‚ if the law is not changed this will lead to a situation where every Japanese citizen will have the family name "Sato" in a little over 500 years.As of 2023‚ Sato was the most popular surname in Japan‚ shared by 1.529 percent of the population. That seems low considering that the claim is that shouting "Sato" in 2531 Tokyo will result in just about every local citizen looking in your direction. However‚ the surname Sato grew by 1.0083 times from 2022 to 2023.Continuing this growth rate (a huge assumption)‚ everyone becomes Sato by 2531. "From a general probability perspective‚ there are many cases of people marrying into a group with a major surname‚" the paper explains‚ "and if this process is repeated over a long period of time‚ there is a possibility that they will be absorbed into the Sato surname and converge."If‚ however‚ Japan changes the law to allow for separate surnames‚ by that year only 7.96 percent of Japan's citizens will be named Sato (assuming that 39.3 percent choose to continue to select one surname‚ the proportion of people who said they would do so in a 2022 survey). Under this scenario‚ we would still reach the Sato totality by 3310. "However‚ according to 'Japan's Future Population Projections' 2023.4‚ the Japanese population in 2120 is estimated to be 41‚229‚000. If this pace continues‚ the Japanese population is estimated to be 281‚866 in 2‚531 and 22 in 3310‚" the paper adds. "In other words‚ even if 100 percent adoption of the Sato surname is postponed for 800 years‚ there is a high possibility that the Japanese people themselves will become extinct before that due to the declining birthrate."Of course‚ it's probably not going to play out like that. The research was put together at the request of the Think Name Project‚ which aims to pressure the government into allowing married couples to have separate names‚ and was meant to highlight an absurd scenario if the law is not changed. Which is a shame for anybody who wants to know the surname of everybody in Japan‚ but only wants to learn one name.[H/T: The Guardian]

The Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) Camera is now complete. It will soon travel to the Vera C. Rubin Observatory where it will provide an incredible new eye on the southern sky and help us better answer fundamental questions about the nature of dark matter and dark energy.The LSST camera is a technical marvel. It is 3‚200 megapixels and it weighs 3‚000 kilograms (6‚600 pounds). The images produced by the camera are so large that to screen them properly it would take 378 4K ultra-high-definition televisions in a grid to screen them properly. What a device!“With the completion of the unique LSST Camera at SLAC and its imminent integration with the rest of Rubin Observatory systems in Chile‚ we will soon start producing the greatest movie of all time and the most informative map of the night sky ever assembled‚” Director of Rubin Observatory Construction and University of Washington professor eljko Ivezić‚ said in a statement.       The camera itself has two lenses. The first one is 1.5 meters (5 feet) across‚ making it the largest ever lens constructed for such a purpose. The second one is 90 centimeters (3 feet) wide‚ which is also not exactly small. Both are custom-designed‚ and the second one is used to seal the focal plane of the lens‚ which is kept in a vacuum.The focal plane is the beating heart of the camera. It is made of 201 CCD sensors – similar to what you find in a usual digital camera – but these are custom-made. Each pixel is 10 microns wide and the focal plane is so flat that its surface doesn’t vary by more than one-tenth of the width of a human hair. All together‚ you have a revolutionary resolution.“Its images are so detailed that it could resolve a golf ball from around 25 kilometers (15 miles) away‚ while covering a swath of the sky seven times wider than the full Moon. These images‚ with billions of stars and galaxies‚ will help unlock the secrets of the Universe‚” said SLAC professor and Rubin Observatory Deputy Director and Camera Program Lead Aaron Roodman.The Rubin Observatory will study how galaxies and clusters of galaxies have changed over billions of years‚ providing insights into the evolution of galaxies and the distribution of dark matter. It will measure supernovae‚ providing insights into the expansion of the universe and its cause: dark energy. It will also help study the solar system by spotting never-seen-before asteroids.The first light for the observatory is expected in January 2025.

Newsmax host Chris Plante took a look at how woefully unprepared President Joe Biden has left America with his forced green economic transition. On the April 1 edition of Chris Plante The Right Squad‚ Plante pointed out that the Biden administration had spent a fortune on electric vehicle chargers‚ but had almost nothing to show for it. “It’s been nearly two and a half years now since Joe Biden signed the bipartisan infrastructure law that allocated -- listen to this now -- $7.5 billion American taxpayer dollars to build electric vehicle charging stations across the country. And The Washington Post reported today that‚ to date as of today‚ just seven EV charging stations with a total of 38 spots in four states are now operational‚ according to the Federal Highway Administration‚” Plante said. He summed up the brutal statistics: “So $7.5 billion  — two-and-a-half years — they've got seven charging stations and 38 plugins at I believe $197 million each.” Yikes.   One of Plante’s guests also went after the Biden EPA. Spectator Political Reporter Matthew Foldi told Plante that this slow rollout isn’t the first EV humiliation for the Biden Administration. “Remember Jen Granholm‚ the energy secretary's failed road trip? She couldn't charge. The cops were called‚” Foldi said‚ before adding‚ “The Wall Street Journal reported on how EVs and other digital-controlled products open extra access to the grid‚ which enemies can exploit. There are huge problems.”  Foldi brought up the ridiculous dichotomy of the Biden Administration pushing the nation towards electric vehicles while failing to take into consideration the possibility of enemy threats. “There are huge problems we're not even thinking about if you make a massive push towards vehicle electrification‚ which they're sprinting to‚ but failing to do‚” Foldi concluded. The Post reported that the $7.5 billion in funding ought to support “20‚000 charging spots or around 5‚000 stations‚” rather than the 38 charging spots and 7 stations that have been created in reality. The newspaper‚ true to its leftist form‚ mourned that “the sluggish build-out could slow the transition to electric cars.” At the same time that the Biden Administration is failing at building electric chargers‚ the Biden Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) still plans to implement Biden’s destructive and tyrannical electric vehicle mandate. In a post on X‚ Forbes Media chairman and editor-in-chief Steve Forbes called out the Biden administration for its push to ban Americans’ preferred vehicles through emission regulations: “Make no mistake‚ @EPA’s rule will ultimately ban gas-powered cars by mandating 50% EV sales by 2032.” Conservatives are under attack! Contact ABC News at 818-460-7477‚ CBS News at 212-975-3247 and NBC News at 212-664-6192 and demand they hold Biden and his cronies accountable for attempting to restrict fossil fuel production and Americans’ choices.

Sadly‚ the virulently anti-Israel pockets of the White House press corps took center stage on Tuesday during the first briefing since what appeared to have been a horrible‚ tragic accident in which Israeli airstrikes killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza. Naturally‚ numerous reporters took the opportunity to claim without evidence that the ever-unrepentant Israel purposefully targeted these innocents in defiance of international law.     ABC’s Selina Wang was first to stray into this territory‚ though she was nowhere near as explicit as the others.  After first asking Kirby for his “reaction to” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying these kinds of tragedies happen in war (and Kirby saying the U.S. will look forward to a full investigation from Israel)‚ Wang shot back by implicitly opining Netanyahu can’t be trusted and questioned why the U.S. “continue[s] to send aid to Israel without any conditions.” Kirby hit back at this take by noticing “we’ve had this discussion‚ you and me‚ quite a bit” and “you want us to hang some sort of condition over their neck”. He also told her Israel’s “still under a viable threat of Hamas” and the U.S.‚ like Israel‚ believes another October 7 can’t “happen again”. To throw a bone to the anti-Israel left‚ Kirby reiterated “[t]hat doesn’t mean we’re — whistling past graveyard” and “not paying attention to — to the civilian casualties or the civilian suffering” in Gaza. Unlike Wang‚ The Hill’s Niall Stanage has been more explicit in his hate of Israel. He’s also from Northern Ireland‚ so it’s never been all that surprising when he tees off:  Just wanted to follow up with a question that came from the front row about the conditions of military aid and you said that the questioner wanted you to hang some conditions over their necks‚ that [of] the Israelis‚ and your tone suggested you wouldn’t do that. Why not? Kirby had to have recognized Stanage as a frequent flier as he showed a tinge of attitude as he replied in part “I’ve already answered this question a whole bunch of times”. Stanage then flew off the handle by arguing without evidence Israel engaged in premeditated murder of the World Central Kitchen workers in “violation of international humanitarian law”. As any sensible person would‚ Kirby wasn’t having it and slammed Stanage for claiming with “no evidence” this “was a deliberate strike” (click “expand”): STANAGE: But on the point of conditions‚ the President‚ on February 8‚ issued a memo and it said — you already know this‚ but just for context — it said that it was the policy of this administration to prevent arms transfers that risk facilitating or otherwise contributing to violations of human rights or international humanitarian law. Is firing a missile of people who live in food and killing them not a violation of international humanitarian law? KIRBY: Well‚ the Israelis have already admitted that this was a mistake that they made. They’re doing investigation. They’ll get to the bottom of this. Let’s not get ahead of that. Your — your question presumes‚ at this very early hour‚ that it was a deliberate strike‚ that they knew exactly what they were hitting‚ that they were hitting aid workers and did it on purpose and there’s no evidence of that. I would also remind you‚ sir‚ that we continue to look at incidents as they occur. The State Department has a process in place and‚ to date as you and I are speaking‚ they have not found any incidents where the Israelis have violated international humanitarian law. And‚ lest you think we don’t take it seriously‚ I can assure you that we do. We look at this in real time. STANAGE: They have never violated international humanitarian law — ever — in the past five to six months? KIRBY: I’m telling you the State Department has looked at incidents in the past and has yet to determine that any of those incidents violate international humanitarian law. Always willing to openly promote Hamas propaganda‚ an angered Nadia Bilbassy of Saudi-funded Al Arabiya came next and had the gall to condemn Israel for killing Hamas leaders. She argued that Israeli strikes on Hamas officials in Lebanon and Syria‚ along with the World Central Kitchen tragedy “debunk[s]” his “theory and defense of Israel that it is difficult for them” to completely avoid civilian casualties “because Hamas embedded with the civilian population where they can go after Hamas leaders in the heart of the civilian population[s]”. While Jean-Pierre‚ Jake Sullivan‚ or Biden might budge‚ Kirby largely didn’t by saying he’s “talked about this for months now that fighting in an urban‚ high — highly populated‚ condensed environment like that’s tough” and the IDF has “successfully taken strikes against Hamas leaders in Gaza”‚ but an investigation will get to the bottom of what went wrong this time. Fast-forward to the end of the Kirby block and The Independent’s Andrew Feinberg demanded Kirby refute the assertion that‚ based on reporting from the left-leaning Israeli newspaper Haaretz‚ the three strikes that hit the World Central Kitchen convoy were proof the workers “were targeted with the intent of killing everyone in that convoy.” Kirby remained level-headed as Feinberg twice pushed the claim this was intention and Israel should face “criminal penalties” (click “expand”): KIRBY: First of all‚ there’s an investigation going on‚ so why don’t we let it get done and why don’t we see what they find in terms of the decision making process that led to this terrible outcome? Prime Minister and the IDF have noted that it was their error. If you don’t like the word mistake‚ their error. They’re investigating it. Let ‘em do that work and let ‘em see what they come up wit and then we’ll go from there. FEINBERG: Sorry‚ one — one more‚ John. Two years ago‚ the IDF killed an Al Jazeera journalist. They said that that was a —a mistake‚ that she was wearing a mark press vest. She was shot anyway in that. KIRBY: They investigated it and they released the findings — their investigation which found that they were at fault. Go on. FEINBERG: They did‚ but my — my question‚ sir‚ is — in that case‚ these Israelis did not initiate any criminal proceeding. In this case if it’s found that marked convoy was deliberately targeted‚ if not with the first shot‚ but the second two shots‚ would the U.S. support criminal penalties? KIRBY: As I said‚ we would expect that‚ should there be a need for accountability‚ that account — accountability be properly put in place for whoever may be responsible for this‚ but again‚ that’s going to — a lot of that’s gonna depend on the investigation. To see the relevant transcript from the April 2 briefing‚ click here.

NBC’s Today anchor Savannah Guthrie traveled to CBS and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday to promote her new book‚ but before that‚ Colbert couldn’t help but ask about Ronna McDaniel-gate.  Guthrie claimed that the NBC brass “acknowledged a mistake” in hiring the former RNC chairwoman because “there’s a line and the line is truth.” A half-sincere‚ half-joking Colbert asked‚ “Well‚ one of the big stories about NBC and about NBC News recently was the hiring of and firing of Ronna McDaniel‚ who used to be head of the RNC‚ and so my question for you is why did you‚ Savannah Guthrie‚ personally make that decision to hire her? I want you to answer for your crimes. Why did you think that was the best idea?”     After some crosstalk and jests where Guthrie insisted she was still employed by NBC and therefore not going to say anything too crazy‚ she recalled‚ “No‚ I mean‚ look‚ it was an unpleasant few days at our network. No question about it.” Colbert followed up by wondering‚ “Did you know this was going to happen?” After Guthrie replied “absolutely not‚” he repeated himself‚ “So‚ there was no‚ like‚ company-wide email saying 'oh‚ heads-up‚ tomorrow we're going to announce this?'” Guthrie recalled‚ “No‚ no‚ no‚ I was not in the know. I knew nothing about it and‚ look‚ the bosses made a decision‚ they reversed that decision‚ they acknowledged a mistake‚ and we moved on‚ and the only thing I'll say about it is number one‚ I didn't have anything to do with it.” Paying lip service to the idea that outlets like NBC should have a variety of voices‚ Guthrie continued‚ “But look‚ I think the instinct to try to have a diversity of opinions and a diversity of perspectives and voices as we cover an election is the right instinct‚ and it's complex‚ and it's made more complex by the politics that we have right now‚ but‚ you know‚ I went to law school. In law school‚ we learned that if you didn't engage the counterargument‚ if you didn't know what all sides were saying‚ your own position was quite weak.” However‚ she was still glad to see that McDaniel was eventually let go‚ “So‚ I feel that particularly in mainstream media‚ we need to include an array of voices. But there's a line‚ and the line is truth. The line is facts and the line is you have to be someone upholding our democracy and that’s to me where the line is.” That would be more credible if NBC/MSNBC followed up by hiring at least one consistent conservative voice or didn't spread false information on a regular basis‚ if the media didn’t routinely freak out about conservative hires‚ or didn’t play nice with Democratic election deniers. The Late Show‚ meanwhile‚ never has any conservative voices unless Colbert ends up getting more than he bargained for when speaking to Liz Cheney. Here is a transcript for the April 2 show: CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert 4/3/2024 12:06 AM ET STEPHEN COLBERT: Well‚ one of the big stories about NBC and about NBC News recently was the hiring of and firing of Ronna McDaniel‚ who used to be head of the RNC‚ and so my question for you is why did you‚ Savannah Guthrie‚ personally make that decision to hire her? SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: I’m glad that you— COLBERT: I want you to answer for your crimes. Why did you think that was the best idea?  GUTHRIE: I'm glad you have given me this platform— COLBERT: Thank you. GUTHRIE: Let me see if I can make this as boring as possible‚ this answer and I do still work there‚ you know that‚ right?  COLBERT: Sure‚ yeah. I do. I do. GUTHRIE: Do you have any openings around here? COLBERT: Yeah. So‚ yeah. GUTHRIE: No‚ I mean‚ look‚ it was an unpleasant few days at our network. No question about it. COLBERT: Did you know this was going to happen?  GUTHRIE: Absolutely not.  COLBERT: So‚ there was no‚ like‚ company-wide email saying “oh‚ heads-up‚ tomorrow we're going to announce this?” GUTHRIE: No‚ no‚ no‚ I was not in the know. I knew nothing about it and‚ look‚ the bosses made a decision‚ they reversed that decision‚ they acknowledged a mistake and‚ we moved on‚ and the only thing I'll say about it is number one‚ I didn't have anything to do with it.  But look‚ I think the instinct to try to have a diversity of opinions and a diversity of perspectives and voices as we cover an election is the right instinct‚ and it's complex‚ and it's made more complex by the politics that we have right now‚ but‚ you know‚ I went to law school. In law school‚ we learned that if you didn't engage the counterargument‚ if you didn't know what all sides were saying‚ your own position was quite weak.  So‚ I feel that particularly in mainstream media‚ we need to include an array of voices. But there's a line‚ and the line is truth. The line is facts and the line is you have to be someone upholding our democracy and that’s to me where the line is.