The Fix Is In: The $455M 'Poison Pill' in Trump Judgment

Coulter's Law

Israel Sets Deadline for Release of Hostages - Beginning of Ramadan

Manufacturing giant Yamaha Motor have unveiled a prototype they claim is a world first: a hydrogen-powered outboard motor‚ used to power a motorboat.The hydrogen-powered engine‚ exhibited at the 2024 Miami Boat Show‚ is the result of a collaboration between Yamaha and engineering firm Roush‚ and part of the company's overall goals to reach carbon neutral targets.“Yamaha is exploring all possibilities to achieve carbon neutrality‚ and we’ve made commitments for our operations to be carbon neutral by 2035 and our products to become carbon neutral by 2050. That goal within the marine market can only be reached through an approach that leverages multiple solutions. We believe hydrogen is a viable method of achieving these goals‚” Ben Speciale‚ President of Yamaha U.S. Marine Business Unit‚ said in a press release. “Yamaha wants to be a leader in this space‚ and we encourage others in the marine industry to become involved as we look for ways to build infrastructure and new policy around innovations.”       Moving through water‚ being a lot denser‚ takes a lot more energy than moving through air. Don't believe us? Try jogging through soup. The hydrogen combustion engine is powerful enough to drive boats through the water‚ with the added bonus of it being far cleaner than engines using conventional fuel. One challenge though is storing enough H2 to power the engine‚ given their bulk. Roush worked with Yamaha‚ shifting around the insides of the prototype and removing non-essential components‚ to make it fit while still being safe and seaworthy.While a cool idea and prototype‚ it still needs to be seen if it can cope with a marine environment‚ with testing set to take place in summer this year."If we don’t look for a new source [of power for boats]‚ we won’t find a new source. Innovation starts by asking questions. It creates a little angst‚ but at the end of the day good stuff comes out of innovation‚" Joan Maxwell added. "In the future‚ as we design boats‚ if this proves what we think it will‚ it could be very possible that we are designing hulls around these hydrogen fuel tanks."

A container ship has hit the seas fitted with an onboard carbon capture system that allows it to trap some of its carbon emissions while it makes its voyage.The experimental pilot project was recently carried out by Seabound‚ a London-based climate tech startup that’s come up with an inventive way to decarbonize shipping. Their carbon capture technology was fitted on the Sounion Trader container ship during a two-month voyage from Turkey to the Persian Gulf. According to the company‚ the device captured 78 percent of carbon emissions and 90 percent of sulfur dioxide from one of the ship’s auxiliary engines.“While still early days‚ our first pilot project proves that our technology works and that it is possible to take on this huge‚ complex problem‚” Alisha Fredriksson‚ CEO and co-founder of Seabound‚ told The Next Web.“This breakthrough demonstrates that the shipping industry doesn’t have to wait for new fuels or solutions to reduce its emissions in the future – we can start to capture carbon from the existing fleet right now‚” explained Fredriksson. Off the back of this success‚ Seabound now aims to build a “bigger and better” system capable of removing up to 95 percent of the carbon dioxide‚ which they say could arrive on the market by next year.The system works by hooking up a capture capture device to the engine's exhaust. The exhaust gas is combined with calcium oxide (aka quicklime) which reacts with the carbon dioxide to produce calcium carbonate (aka limestone). The rest of the “clean” exhaust without carbon dioxide is then released into the atmosphere.The solid limestone is then brought back to port where it can be sold as a building material. Alternatively‚ it’s possible to reseparate the material back into calcium oxide‚ which can be used for further carbon capture‚ and carbon dioxide‚ which can be sequestered underground.There's a lucrative gap in the market for this type of technology. Around 90 percent of traded goods are carried overseas through shipping. As the demand for international freight trade increases‚ the volume of goods delivered via the ocean is expected to triple by 2050.Although indispensable to life in the 21st century‚ the shipping industry pumps out a massive amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions. Shipping vessels account for 3.1 percent of global carbon emissions per year – that’s more than the sixth biggest nation emitter‚ Germany. In other words‚ if shipping were a country‚ the emissions would be the sixth-biggest in the world.      Seabound says that the shipping industry is way behind other industries when it comes to decarbonization. However‚ few scientists believe that carbon capture is a silver bullet solution to climate change‚ despite its best intentions. Firstly‚ no amount of technology can deal with the copious streams of greenhouse gases that end up in the atmosphere. Carbon capture also attracts criticism for being expensive‚ difficult to scale up‚ and having a long history of poor performance.Last but not least‚ carbon capture can be used as a justification for new fossil fuel projects – or to simply carry on with "business as usual". It’s a bit like treating the symptoms instead of curing the actual disease.Fundamentally‚ fossil fuels need to stay in the ground. Until that goal is reached though‚ perhaps carbon capture technology like this can provide a realistic means to ease the transition towards alternative energy sources.

Egypt is the home to the oldest mummies in Africa‚ right? That at least is the assumption most of us likely have – but there is evidence challenging this. Deep in the desert mountains of southwest Libya‚ researchers uncovered the mummified remains of a long-dead child‚ known as the Tashwinat mummy‚ that predates Egyptian mummies by over a thousand years. So what do we know about this ancient infant mummy?In the winter of 1958‚ so the story goes‚ the archaeologist Fabrizio Mori was exploring a natural cave shelter known as Uan Muhuggiag‚ an archaeological site that was occupied by pastoralists (cattle farmers) at different times. During his examination‚ Mori apparently noticed signs of this ancient habitation in the form of rock art depicting people‚ animals‚ and cattle‚ as well as graffiti‚ from different periods. But as he started to dig in the cave’s soft sand floor‚ he also found a strange bundle buried near the surface.This bundle‚ made of goat or antelope skin‚ was covering the desiccated body of a small child who had been wrapped in a layer of leaves. The child had undergone some form of mummification process. The child’s organs had been removed post-mortem through incisions in the abdomen and thorax‚ a process known as evisceration‚ and replaced with herbs (probably to help preserve the body).The body was positioned in the fetal position and there was an ostrich eggshell necklace found around its neck.       IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.Analysis of the body suggests the child was around 3 years old when they died. Additional analysis shows the child possessed a dark skin complexion.Dated using radiocarbon dating‚ the mummified child is thought to be between 5‚400 to 5‚600 years old.When the child was alive‚ the Sahara would have looked very different from how it does today. Far from being an arid desert‚ the people who visited Uan Muhuggiag would have inhabited a far greener landscape. This time‚ sometimes referred to as the “African humid period”‚ saw the Sahara covered in grasses‚ trees‚ and lakes‚ which would have helped sustain the cattle farmers who lived around the site.Further evidence that this part of North Africa was far wetter than it is today is apparent from local cave art that depicts elephants‚ giraffes‚ and crocodiles‚ while fish bones and ancient fishing equipment have been found in other sites across the Sahara.So how does this ancient mummy relate to Egyptian versions? At the moment it is unknown whether this earlier mummification practice influenced the other‚ but it does open up the possibility that mummification in Africa has a much deeper and more complex history than previously thought.

It happens to the best of us. You are sat there‚ innocently doomscrolling your phone‚ when the device slips from your grip and into the toilet bowl.Before you can say‚ "My phone is wet‚" a friend‚ family member‚ or casual acquaintance will tell you that you should immediately plunge it into rice. And if no-one fitting that bill is around‚ you will be told the same thing by the internet. According to the "hack"‚ putting a wet phone or device into dry‚ uncooked rice will remove the moisture‚ allowing you to turn the device back on safely. Well‚ Apple has finally weighed into the conversation in updated guidelines about what to when you receive an alert telling you your phone is wet. Their first piece of advice is to unplug the phone (if it is plugged in) and tap the phone gently against your hand with the connector pointing downwards in order to remove some of the moisture. After half an hour‚ they advise you try charging it again."If you see the alert again‚ there is still liquid in the connector or under the pins of your cable‚" Apple writes. "Leave your iPhone in a dry area with some airflow for up to a day. You can try again to charge or connect an accessory throughout this period. It might take up to 24 hours to fully dry."More importantly‚ in the "things not to do" section‚ they advise against using external heat sources‚ swabs‚ and paper towels. The company must be aware of the rice rumor‚ being the only food that made the list."Don’t put your iPhone in a bag of rice‚" Apple added. "Doing so could allow small particles of rice to damage your iPhone."So‚ is this just a big corporate ploy to keep that toilet water inside your phone‚ requiring you to buy a new handset? No. While the hack has not been rigorously tested‚ the idea has been around since the 1940s‚ then for keeping exposed film dry. Even then it was noted that silica is more effective. In a semi-scientific test in 2014‚ Gazelle put rice up against couscous‚ oatmeal‚ silica gel‚ and cat litter‚ finding the same results.According to a blog posted at the time‚ they concluded that uncooked rice was the worst of all the options tested‚ absorbing the least amount of water in 24 hours.But a sponge left in the open air outperformed all of the drying agents‚ leading the experimenters to conclude that you'd probably be better off just leaving your phone on a shelf. [H/T: Gizmodo]

Usually‚ you want your flying vehicles to be extremely visible because you want other aircraft to know where you are using radar and other wavelengths of light. The exception is military aircraft‚ which very much don’t want to be seen‚ and so various technologies have been employed to reduce the reflection and emission of both light and sounds mostly in terms and materials and design. Scientists in China have proposed a new approach involving the fourth state of matter: plasma.Plasma is actually the most common state of matter in the universe – it’s just a bit beyond our everyday experience of dealing with liquids‚ solids‚ and gases. But from stars to neon signs‚ plasma is everywhere. A substance is a plasma when it is ionized‚ at least some of its electrons are ripped from their atoms creating a medium full of unbound negative (the electrons) and positive (the atoms) particles.It's this partial ionization that matters to stealth technology. As the electromagnetic waves – in the case of radar‚ radio waves – propagate to the plasma‚ they move the charged particles about and deliver energy to them. So in principle‚ you could have a plasma that absorbs all of your radio waves. With nothing reflecting back‚ you’d be invisible to the radar.There’s a vast gulf between the theory of such stealth technology and actual applications. However Chinese researchers including Tan Chang report that they are crossing that gulf‚ and they have a solution for this tech that might soon be applied to military aircraft. As reported by the South China Morning Post‚ Chang has claimed two approaches have been successfully tested.One uses radioactive material in specific locations on the craft. As it decays‚ it ionizes the air‚ creating a plasma around it. The other uses electricity to ionize the air around the vehicle. The design is not intended to create plasma around the whole aircraft but only on specific portions that would give it away.The team claims that the approaches allow for adapting them to many different aircraft designs and do not require the peculiar compromises of traditional stealth aircraft like the F-22 Raptor or the B-2 Spirit. Special shaping to reduce the so-called radar cross-section often has major aerodynamical drawbacks. Plasma could be a solution to this. Plasma stealth is also believed to have been used in Russian missiles 3M22 Zircon (SS-N-33) and Kh-47M2 Kinzhal.[H/T: Interesting Engineering]

Calling those with an interest in photographing the skies‚ and the backyard equipment to do it; your electricity grid needs you. A forthcoming approach to the Sun by a relatively modest comet could provide an opportunity to learn about the solar wind close to the peak of the Sun’s cycle‚ and your help is being sought.Comets bright enough to see with the naked eye only occur every few years (although 2024 could have two)‚ but dozens of fainter comets make their closest approach to the Sun each year. One of these is C/2021 S3 PANSTARRS‚ and University of Reading PhD student Sarah Watson is looking to take advantage.Comet PANSTARRS made its closest approach to the Sun on February 14‚ although at a distance closer to the orbit of Mars than that of Earth it was not much of a Valentine’s Day kiss. The closest approach to Earth isn’t until March 14‚ however‚ and even that will be at a distance of around 200 million kilometers (120 million miles) – further than the gap between Earth and the Sun‚ so there is certainly no need for alarm.Not being a very large comet‚ and never getting all that close to either Earth or Sun is hardly a recipe for brightness. C/2021 S3 PANSTARRS is currently around 10th magnitude – barely visible in binoculars – and will soon start to get fainter. That doesn’t mean it can’t be useful for research‚ nor indeed put on a show if your equipment is good enough.“When we talk about comets‚ people often think of a large‚ bright sphere followed by a long tail‚” Watson said in a statement. “The comet we are observing may look different as its tail could ‘detach’ as it is buffeted by solar winds.”  It is this buffeting‚ rather than the comet itself‚ that Watson is interested in. She wants photos that show when the head and tail come apart‚ and by how much. Information about when and where the image was taken will be crucial. “We need lots of timed photos of the comet to build up a picture of its journey through our solar system‚” Watson said. “This is a fantastic opportunity for amateur astronomers to get out their telescopes‚ capture a truly spectacular cosmic moment and make a big contribution to some important science.”The comet is only visible for a short time each night‚ so the more dispersed people trying to supply the images are‚ the more useful they will be.It’s commonly believed comets’ tails stream out behind them‚ but this is not true. Instead‚ they are carried away by the solar wind‚ the charged particles of which push against the gas and dust released from the comet. The gas tail points directly away from the Sun at all times‚ but the dust tail can sometimes be at more of an angle.Variations in the solar wind can produce this ruffled effect seen in comet LeonardImage Credit: Gerald RhemannOur understanding of solar wind behavior is improving thanks to instruments such as the Solar Dynamics Observatory. We’re even getting warnings of major solar storms' impacts on the Earth’s magnetic field half an hour in advance.  Given the potential damage such storms could do‚ it could be very important to manage a little longer than that‚ and Watson hopes what she learns from the comet will improve the solar winds prediction page she currently runs.Photographs and the relevant details should be sent to s.r.watson@pgr.reading.ac.ukGuides to comet photography can be found online.

Two hundred years ago‚ a dinosaur was given a scientific name for the first time. It was named Megalosaurus‚ and it’s a strange moment in history to contemplate with the benefit of hindsight because‚ at the time‚ nobody knew what a dinosaur was. The word “dinosaur” wasn't used until around 20 years later‚ so what on Earth did the discoverers of Megalosaurus think they were looking at?On the February 20‚ 1824‚ cleric‚ geologist‚ and fellow at the University of Oxford William Buckland (who allegedly ate the heart of a king) presented Megalosaurus at meeting of the the Geological Society. Its name is derived from “great lizard‚” which is near enough what Buckland thought he was dealing with. “[There were] a number of years of people finding odd bones in the ground and wondering about them‚ but eventually they put two and two together and realised that these weren't just any old bones‚ but they were the bones of a giant reptile‚” Professor Paul Barrett of London’s Natural History Museum‚ who has published several papers on Megalosaurus‚ told IFLScience. “And that's where the name Megalosaurus comes from‚ it means 'great lizard‚' and so what they thought it was‚ was just a souped-up regular type of lizard‚ they thought it was essentially a huge iguana or a huge Komodo dragon-type animal.” We spoke to Barrett in the bowels of the Natural History Museum‚ where authentic and cast Megalosaurus fossils can be found‚ to find out more about its discovery‚ what we’ve learned about dinosaurs since‚ and how it almost ended up being named after testicles…How did we get from the discovery of Megalosaurus to the official recognition of dinosaurs 20 years later?Prof Paul Barrett: Megalosaurus appears in 1824‚ to much acclaim that people have never really seen anything like this‚ and then more and more bones of these things start to come out from Oxfordshire‚ Sussex‚ and Kent. They start to be found in other parts of the UK‚ so museums start to build up collections of these. And then a couple of years later‚ after all of these remains have built up and various people have studied them‚ suddenly‚ Sir Richard Owen – who was the leading anatomist at the time – realised that these animals had something in common. They weren't just big lizards or big crocodiles‚ it was something distinct‚ and that's what led him to come up with the name dinosaur in 1842. And it was his lobbying that actually got the Natural History Museum built in the first place.How did a Megalosaurus fossil almost end up named after testicles?PB: A few hundred years before the material Megalosaurus was found‚ a few odd bones were still turning up under the plough in places like Oxfordshire‚ and one of those bones was the end of a thigh bone‚ and this thigh bone has a very suggestive shape. It's just the end of a thigh bone.Initially‚ they thought it was part of an elephant and maybe the Romans had brought it over. Then‚ they thought maybe it was part of a giant man‚ and that's when it starts to take a slightly kind of salacious turn.[It was thought that] if it was a giant man‚ it was a…. very well-endowed giant man‚ let’s say‚ and so eventually this bit of bone became named Scrotum humanum‚ but it turns out that that thigh bone is probably a bit of a Megalosaurus thigh bone.  Dentary bone of Megalosaurus bucklandii‚ housed at Oxford University Museum of Natural History.Image credit: Trustees of the Natural History MuseumHow many species of Megalosaurus were there?PB: There's a single species at the moment‚ which is called Megalosaurus bucklandii‚ and that species name commemorates William Buckland who described Megalosaurus in the first place. But over the years‚ a number of other big meat-eating dinosaurs are also thought to be called Megalosaurus. This goes back to old ideas about how we would classify animals and what we call a “wastebasket taxon”. Megalosaurus basically became a name that people would throw any big‚ large‚ meat-eating dinosaur into without really thinking about whether it was related to Megalosaurus or not. Over the years‚ there has been a very careful programme to actually go through all of these species of Megalosaurus and work out‚ are they really Megalosaurus? Or are they actually something different? And [what’s been found] is that the only real species of Megalosaurus is Megalosaurus bucklandii.What do we know about Megalosaurus bucklandii?PB: All of our finds are mainly of isolated bones‚ and that's because of the way that they were collected‚ but when we take all of those bones together‚ we can actually piece together quite a lot of the animal. When we do that‚ what we find is that Megalosaurus was an animal that was up to about nine metres [30 feet] long‚ so pretty hefty. [It was a] large predator‚ [it] would walk on its hind legs only‚ like all the other meat-eating dinosaurs‚ and it came equipped with a large number of big‚ sharp‚ pointed teeth that it would have used for ripping through prey.Does Megalosaurus hold a special place in your heart?PB: It’s going to hold a special place for every dinosaur palaeontologist. It's literally the first dinosaur to receive a scientific name. So‚ if you'd like‚ it's the core of what everyone else does. It's like the founding point of where everything else we do comes from. Catch IFLScience’s full interview on YouTube‚ and Happy 200 Years Of Megalosaurus!