Harvard Board: Gay's Plagiarism Is a Concern. Also‚ We're Keeping Her.

Taylor Lorenz: Only Right Wing Opinions Are Allowed at NYT

Stonehenge‚ the Pyramids of Giza‚ and Machu Picchu are just some of the ancient monuments that are said to be connected by mysterious invisible pathways called ley lines. Given how little we know about these spectacular yet enigmatic landmarks‚ it’s sometimes been difficult for scientists to fully quell this theory or offer alternative explanations as to why they were built exactly where they were. At the same time‚ however‚ no one has ever provided any compelling evidence to confirm the existence of this unseen mystical grid. To further complicate the landscape‚ there’s no consensus on what ley lines even are‚ with some believers proposing they may have served as ancient trading routes while others think aliens are somehow involved. From a scientific perspective‚ it’s very rocky terrain.Ley Lines: Neolithic Tracks Or "Earth Energies"The concept of ley lines was first proposed by English antiquarian Alfred Watkins in 1925. Laying out the concept in his book The Old Straight Track‚ Watkins revealed that the idea came to him while traveling through rural Herefordshire one day‚ when he suddenly noticed that ancient monuments appeared to be arranged in a grid of straight lines that stood out like "glowing wires all over the surface of the county.”Seeking to prove his point by highlighting alignments between burial mounds‚ stone crosses‚ churches‚ holy wells‚ standing stones‚ beacon hills‚ and other landmarks‚ Watkins suggested that these features were deliberately constructed along straight pathways so that Stone Age traders could follow the most direct route between settlements.Almost immediately‚ however‚ the archaeological community saw numerous potholes in the road. For example‚ the fact that Watkins used maps to illustrate these alignments blinded him to the fact that‚ in the real world‚ many of these landmarks were separated by tall hills‚ dense forests‚ or rivers – meaning it was often impossible to follow a straight path from one point to the next.More significantly‚ however‚ the sheer density of these features in the English landscape means that it’s pretty much impossible to draw a line on a map without touching upon at least a few of these. In other words‚ the accidental alignment of monuments is inevitable given their abundance‚ so to even mention this pattern of distribution is something of a moot point.Dismissed by the scientific community‚ Watkins’ ley lines idea hit the end of the road - but then the sixties happened. In 1961‚ former military pilot Tony Wedd relit the fire by suggesting that ley lines were laid out by prehistoric monument builders to provide runways for alien spacecraft. Believers in this theory swear that UFO sightings are most commonly reported directly above these ley lines‚ although unsurprisingly no one has ever presented any evidence for this.It wasn’t until 1969‚ however‚ that the idea really took flight‚ largely thanks to John Michell’s New Age book The View Over Atlantis‚ in which he introduced the concept of Earth energies. Speaking to IFLScience‚ archaeologist Dr Robert Wallis from the Open University explained that the view was “these are sort of the spiritual arteries of the planet‚ and there’s a belief that through psychic awareness‚ or dowsing‚ particularly at ancient sites‚ it’s possible to sense these energies.”The idea behind Earth energies is therefore that ancient societies were somehow more attuned than we are to these power lines running through the landscape‚ and built their monuments directly on top of these sacred pathways. As the idea spread‚ a community of so-called ley hunters sprung up in the UK – members of which could often be seen bumbling around Neolithic sites holding dowsing rods in an attempt to detect these Earth energies. In the 1970s‚ Paul Devereux - who at the time was the editor of the Ley Hunter magazine - set up a research initiative called The Dragon Project to scientifically investigate these supposed mysterious power centers (more on that later). Wallis‚ who joined the project in the early 2000s‚ says the popularity of the Earth energies concept probably has something to do with the fact that it challenged people to try and tap into this force themselves. “One reason it's a particularly powerful idea‚ whether it's reliable or not‚ is because it's something that anyone can have a go at.” He said. “Anyone can go to a mysterious ancient site with a pair of dowsing rods and do some dowsing and the rods move. It's something that you can experience for yourself.”Laying The Idea To RestWhen the Dragon Project first started up in 1977‚ Devereaux and his multidisciplinary team of scientists hoped to find solid evidence for the existence of Earth energies. For the first decade of the project’s existence‚ they went from ancient site to ancient site looking for anomalous readings of ionizing radiation‚ magnetism‚ and other invisible forces. Focusing the bulk of their attention on a Neolithic site called the Rollright Stones‚ the team used techniques including infra-red photography and ultrasound to try and seek out these energies.After ten years of looking‚ however‚ the researchers ultimately found nothing to suggest that Earth energies are actually a thing‚ despite obtaining a few interesting readings here and there. For example‚ Wallis says that “there was increased radioactivity at certain sites‚ but there are no definable patterns that add up to a particular interpretation which holds more weight than any other.”In addition to these scientific methods‚ the Dragon Project also recruited dowsers to try and detect electromagnetism at these sites using their little sticks. Even they‚ however‚ were unable to detect anything that might hint at the presence of ley lines. Not ready to give up just yet‚ the project’s directors decided to change tack in 1987 and focus their efforts on “dreamwork”. This essentially involved asking volunteers to sleep at ancient sites to see how this affected their dreams. Exactly how this approach could ever be used to prove the existence of Earth energies or ley lines is unclear‚ although‚ unsurprisingly‚ the experiment failed to yield any useful data at all.“Ultimately‚ the findings were that‚ yeah‚ there did seem to be a likelihood that sleeping at prehistoric sites did raise some interesting dream phenomena. But again‚ no patterns‚” said Wallis. “And it's difficult to say whether or not that was to do with someone sleeping in a very strange location‚ where they're not used to sleeping‚ which probably would inspire some strange dreams.”“So that was really the main reason why Paul Devereaux and the Dragon Project Trust moved away from ley lines and the idea they were Earth energies.”Chance Alignments?The concept of energetic power lines running through the landscape may not be aligned with scientific fact‚ but some ley line enthusiasts continue to claim that prehistoric sites were built in alignment with each other. To make their argument‚ many point to the popular "St. Michael’s line"‚ which supposedly connects a large number of monuments dedicated to the Archangel Michael‚ including the iconic St. Michael’s Mount in Cornwall‚ traversing some 350 miles (563 kilometers) of terrain to the Norfolk coast.To counter this claim‚ mathematicians have repeatedly demonstrated how unconnected sites can easily appear linked when lines are drawn on maps. For example‚ Matt Parker from Queen Mary University of London revealed how ley lines could be identified linking the former locations of Woolworths stores across the UK.He also showed how every single postcode in Britain is aligned with at least three ley lines‚ highlighting the ridiculousness of the whole concept. As Parker’s work demonstrates‚ the problem with ley lines is that there are so many ancient sites in the UK‚ and this number increases when you start counting churches‚ wells‚ and other conveniently placed features as ley markers. By picking and choosing the sites that line up with one another and ignoring the rest‚ it’s pretty easy to find a pattern that doesn’t really exist.In that sense‚ ley lines are the perfect illustration of the mathematical concept known as the Ramsey Theory‚ which basically states that you can find any pattern you want as long as you have enough random data points to choose from.Global Ley LinesWhile the idea of ley lines has always been predominantly centered around the UK‚ some believe the prehistoric highways extend across the planet‚ linking monuments in separate countries and different continents. However‚ if there are enough sites in the UK to enable the fabrication of ley lines‚ then the task becomes even easier when you include the hundreds of thousands of ancient sites around the world.Having said that‚ there are a few examples of intentionally aligned monuments stretching across vast areas‚ with the most notable being in South America. For example‚ the Inca Empire was dissected by a series of ritual pathways known as ceques‚ which radiated out from the capital‚ Cuzco‚ and extended towards the outer edges of the kingdom. Along these straight lines‚ the pre-Hispanic culture placed ceremonial markers known as Wak’as‚ although it’s still unclear exactly why they did this or how they determined the trajectory of each ceque.In China‚ meanwhile‚ the ancient art of Feng Shui was developed as a means of arranging landscape features to ensure a harmonious flow of the universal energy called Qi. Though not entirely the same as Earth energies‚ there are some clear similarities between this philosophy and the New Age idea of ley lines.And so‚ with all that said‚ it’s probably time to draw a line under the whole ley concept. Or‚ as Dr Wallis says‚ “I think it’s fantasy‚ basically.”

A 150 million-year-old snout belonging to a predatory marine reptile was found by a fossil enthusiast while walking along the Jurassic Coast‚ UK. The chance discovery led to a retrieval mission of epic proportions as fossil experts scaled down a nearby cliff face in search of the rest of it. It wasn’t easy‚ but it paid off‚ and the resulting monstrous skull – believed to belong to a new-to-science species – is the star of a new documentary from the BBC called Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster. IFLScience went to meet the prehistoric monster and the people who discovered it.The Jurassic Coast is a famously productive site for fossil discoveries‚ helped along by a combination of erosion and stormy weather that means the remains of extinct animals are regularly being churned up along the shoreline. Anyone can visit the beaches in search of common finds like ammonites‚ but finding the skull of an enormous predatory sea monster halfway up a cliff? Well‚ that’s not something you see every day.After the snout was found rolling around on the stones‚ the mission began to work out if‚ and where‚ the rest of the giant sea monster was hiding.“We put a drone up‚ then scanned all the way along the cliff and found what looked to be the rest of it sticking out of the cliff‚ but we needed to confirm that and that meant a trip down the cliff on ropes to actually go down and see it‚” fossil expert Steve Etches MBE told IFLScience as we stand next to the massive skull in his workshop. He is the proprietor of the Etches Collection Museum in Kimmeridge‚ Dorset on England's famous Jurassic Coast‚ where the pliosaur skull will eventually go on show to the public early next year.Sir David Attenborough‚ Christopher Moore‚ and Steve Etches observing the fossil at the Etches Collection in Dorset.Image credit: BBC StudiosPliosaurs were one of the largest marine predators ever to swim in Earth’s oceans. With the biggest species at around 12 meters (39 feet) long‚ there wasn’t much that was off the menu‚ and they would use their enormous teeth to snatch prey like ichthyosaurs and chomp them into pieces.Etches was joined by friend and fellow fossil expert Christopher Moore on the trip down the Dorset cliff face‚ accounts of which range from it being a lot of fun‚ according to Etches‚ and incredibly exhausting‚ according to Moore. Given the pair estimated getting the skull out of the cliff required the equivalent of two weeks' worth of chipping into the surrounding mudstones‚ we think we’d sit in the latter camp.We were invited to visit the Etches Collection and speak to Etches and Moore – both of whom have discovered impressive fossils and new species of marine reptiles along the Jurasic Coast –  about their experience getting the rest of the pliosaur skull out of the cliff‚ and what evidence there is to suggest that it’s a new-to-science species.In Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster‚ Sir David Attenborough investigates how Etches and Moore were able to retrieve the fossil from 12 meters up in the cliff face. To help unravel the skull’s mysteries‚ he speaks with an international team of scientists to find out what the skull can tell us about how the pliosaur behaved in life‚ including what strategies this predator used in the hunt.What the pliosaur may have looked like in life while hunting ichthyosaurs.Image credit: BBC StudiosYou can expect cutting-edge visual effects to bring the sea monster to life‚ fascinating scanning technologies that enabled scientists to peer inside the fossil‚ and why scientists now believe this could be a completely new species.Don’t miss Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster at 8 pm GMT on New Year’s Day on BBC One in the UK and iPlayer.

Inokashira Park Zoo in Tokyo‚ Japan‚ has launched an investigation after 31 of its 40 squirrels died over the course of a week‚ potentially the result of an accidental poisoning.According to a statement released by the zoo on December 11‚ keepers had given all 40 squirrels an anti-parasitic medication on December 4‚ alongside spraying the squirrel cages with insecticide‚ as part of its sanitary measures.It wasn’t long after the squirrels were returned to their cages‚ however‚ that one of the common Japanese squirrels fell ill and subsequently died. Over the course of the next week‚ several other squirrels followed‚ and by the morning of December 11‚ there had been a total of 31 recorded fatalities.“We are currently investigating the cause of death and monitoring the progress of the surviving individuals. We sincerely apologize for any concern this may cause‚” said the zoo. “We will endeavor to determine the cause of death through pathological tests and other means‚ and will notify you as soon as the facts are known.” Specimens are being sent to external research institutions as part of the investigation.Whilst the statement said that the three drugs used on the squirrels had been used in the past and according to instructions‚ the zoo also admitted that “the possibility of poisoning from the drugs cannot be ruled out.”In the meantime‚ the zoo confirmed that the squirrel facility has been cleaned and confirmed safe‚ and while under observation‚ the remaining squirrels have since returned to display. The zoo is home to multiple squirrel species‚ including the Japanese squirrel‚ Japanese flying squirrel‚ and Japanese giant flying squirrel – one even went viral back in 2018.

Earlier this month we celebrated the birthday of the oldest living land animal in the world and now it’s time to celebrate the return of the world’s oldest living wild bird to land. Wisdom the albatross came back to her nesting site of the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in the North Pacific Ocean on December 1.Wisdom is a female Laysan albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis)‚ also called a mlÄ«‚ who is thought to be at least 70 years old. These albatrosses return to these tiny island atolls every year to breed‚ with the males typically arriving earlier than the females. Almost the entire population of these birds relies on the islands in the Hawaiian island chain as their breeding grounds‚ according to All About Birds. However‚ for the last two years‚ Wisdom’s mate‚ a male albatross by the name of Akeakamai‚ has not been seen at the atoll‚ adding to fears that he may have passed away. He was last seen at the refuge in 2021. Wisdom was first tagged in the 1950s and bears the letters Z333‚ helping experts and researchers identify her return every year. Throughout the time she has been monitored‚ the team have observed her raising 30-36 chicks in her lifetime as these birds typically breed every other year. In a social media post‚ the United States Fish and Wildlife Service Pacific (USFWS) announced that she had returned‚ with supervisory wildlife biologist Jon Plissner saying that he had seen Wisdom participating in mating dances but did not expect her to breed this year. IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.“She is quite spry for a septuagenarian!” said Plissner in the post.

Over four decades have passed since the original Golden Records were blasted into deep space onboard the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 in one of humanity's first efforts to communicate with alien species. Now‚ scientists are looking to put together a new edition of the message to provide potential extraterrestrial life with another snapshot of planet Earth in the 21st century.The original Golden Records were like a message in a bottle thrown out into the universe with the hope of providing extraterrestrial lifeforms with insights into today's human society and our planet's story.They consisted of two golden-plated phonograph records that contained audio and images designed to portray what life on Earth was all about‚ one placed aboard each Voyager spacecraft in 1977.The contents of the record were selected by a committee led by none other than Carl Sagan. They settled on a collection of spoken greetings from 55 languages‚ music from an array of cultures‚ scientific diagrams‚ images of the natural world and human culture‚ plus mathematical definitions.                NASA · Golden Record: English GreetingIf humanity were to release a new edition of the Golden Records‚ what might we change about the original message produced in the 1970s? A new research article sets out to answer that question in a project they call Message in a Bottle (MIAB). It’s still in its early phases‚ so the team is currently outlining the broader vision of the mission‚ and the exact contents have not yet been discussed. The ultimate aim‚ however‚ is to launch one copy of the MIAB into space onboard a future space mission and keep another copy on Earth. “While the odds of an extraterrestrial entity receiving our communiqué are slim‚ the replicated version safeguarded on Earth will offer invaluable insights about our civilization and its legacy to succeeding generations or‚ potentially‚ to intelligent species that might one day visit our planet‚” the study authors write.Unlike the originals‚ the new message could feature videos as it will allow "outsiders" to observe humanity with much greater depth than a still image or audio recording. The message might also include other modern forms of media‚ like games or computer code.  However‚ the problem still stands on how to create a universally understandable message. On the extremely slim chance this message is seen by an intelligent extraterrestrial species‚ how do we communicate with them? Do they understand the world through visual and audio information like us‚ or do they perceive the universe in a completely unimaginable way? Would they even be able to decipher the difference between music and a child saying "hello"? To overcome this hurdle‚ the researchers recommend creating a system whereby the information can be unraveled in gradual stages‚ starting with the fundamentals of life on Earth and progressing towards more complex aspects of human society and science.“The message will be hierarchical: each layer serving as the key to unlock the next‚ more complex layer‚ guided by the principle that each should be understandable and informative. In this way‚ earlier layers of video provide context for later layers‚” they explain.This figure from the new paper shows how the new MIAB could effectively communicate with Extraterrestrials.Image Credit: Jiang et al. 2023. (CC BY 4.0)Ultimately‚ the MIAB could be an enticing advertisement for our species and its achievements‚ as well as a time capsule to document our experience. After all‚ this was the original spirit of Sagan's Golden Records in the 1970s.“Our goal is to share our collective knowledge‚ emotions‚ innovations‚ and aspirations in a way that provides a universal‚ yet contextually relevant‚ understanding of human society‚ the evolution of life on Earth‚ and our hopes and concerns for the future‚” the study authors write.“It is crucial to show humans as an intellectual‚ emotional‚ caring species worthy of interacting with regardless of the distance‚ time‚ and energy required initiating a response.” However‚ it does raise the question of whether we should be brutally honest about humanity’s darker side. Do we tell the would-be aliens about our devastating wars‚ our disrespect for the natural world‚ and our psychological shortcomings?The answer is not yet clear.The research article is published in the journal AGU Earth and Space Science.

This Sausage Artichoke Dip is made in the crock pot and one your family will love. It’s a wonderful combination of cheese‚ sausage‚ artichokes and green chilis. If you love crock pot appetizers you will also love these delicious Cranberry Smokies. Only three ingredients and the perfect addition to any gathering. ❤️WHY WE LOVE THIS...

Have you heard of the Corporate Transparency Act? Most of the estimated 32 million small business owners‚ including sole proprietors‚ whom the new law affects have not. It was just recently put on my radar by a handful of people — quite a shock for a measure that takes effect at the start of the new year! A new reporting rule under the law means that businesses will need to file information with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (a bureau within the U.S. Department of Treasury)‚ including personal information about the people who are associated with the business‚ or risk penalties for noncompliance. This is being done in the name of "fighting money laundering." Sure. The law is another administrative hassle that adds to small business owners’ paperwork requirements and takes entrepreneurs away from more productive economic activities. If you are not familiar with FinCEN‚ its mission is “to safeguard the financial system from illicit use and combat money laundering and promote national security through the collection‚ analysis‚ and dissemination of financial intelligence and strategic use of financial authorities.” Of course‚ the law includes around 20 exemptions‚ such as publicly traded companies‚ U.S. operating companies with 20 or more full-time employees and $5 million in sales‚ and some others‚ which means that the burden of this rule falls primarily on small businesses‚ including solopreneurs (aka one-person entities). While it is not uncommon for unsavory folks to use certain business structures to create shell corporations to launder money‚ actual instances of this are few and far between. This rule will impact tens of millions of law-abiding small businesses. FinCEN estimates it will take three hours for initial compliance (but who knows‚ depending on if you have to track down the information they are asking for or if you have questions). Then you will be responsible for letting FinCEN know of any future updates and changes. First‚ this is an unnecessary invasion of privacy for small businesses‚ creating a database filled with personal information. And it is hard to believe the law will do anything meaningful to stop money laundering or that the burden it generates will justify any possible small benefit to come from it. Not to mention the security risk of having yet another database full of information for cybercriminals and foreign adversaries to target. Moreover‚ it is another administrative hassle that adds to small business owners’ paperwork requirements and takes entrepreneurs away from more productive economic activities. Of course‚ there is also a fee of $85 to milk from the small businesses already burdened by this compliance — that is‚ if you understand what you are doing and don’t need to hire some type of adviser to assist you‚ which will cost you much more. And‚ again‚ very few people even know about the law. By the way‚ you can’t blame Joe Biden for this one. “The act falls under the scope of the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020 and was enacted as part of an expansive national defense authorization package on Jan. 1‚ 2021‚” the Mississippi Business Journal reported. “The package passed through Congress with broad bipartisan support before being vetoed by then-President Donald J. Trump. Both houses of Congress voted to override the veto.” As it appears you have a year for initial compliance if you are an existing small business (but only 30 days after creation if you are starting a new one)‚ I am likely to wait until the back half of 2024 to see if the rule gets revised or postponed before I waste any of my valuable time on it. But in the meantime‚ if you are a small business owner or service small businesses‚ put it on your radar and ask your legal and accounting advisers about it. The government proves once again that it doesn’t care about small businesses but only about what gives government officials more power. Unfortunately‚ entrepreneurs have to pay the price.