Missouri AG Investigating Media Matters Targeting Twitter Advertisers

The Geminid Meteor Shower is set to light up the night skies on December 13 and 14. Don’t be put off by the cold weather – this is one of the strongest meteor showers of the year‚ and the favorable conditions of the moon should ensure they're perfectly visible. The Geminid Meteor Shower lasts from November 19 to December 24‚ but its peak of activity will be on December 13 and 14. Around these dates‚ there will be a young waxing crescent moon‚ ensuring the spectacle isn’t drowned out by moonlight.During a strong year‚ the Geminid meteor shower can have a peak rate of around 100 meteors per hour. According to NASA‚ observers in rural areas should expect to see upwards of one meteor per minute this year.“Most meteors appear to be colorless or white‚ however the Geminids appear with a greenish hue‚” Bill Cooke‚ head of the Meteoroid Environment Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center‚ said in a statement.“They’re pretty meteors!”The Geminids are visible from both hemispheres‚ but people living in our planet's Northern Hemisphere will have a better chance to see them. As ever‚ the best way to view the shower will be in a dark place far away from artificial light (that includes phone screens). You should also head outside early and let your eyes acclimatize to the lower light conditions.      In case you can't catch them in person‚ there will also be a live stream of the event broadcasted by the Virtual Telescope Project‚ which you can view in the player above.When you see a meteor streak across the sky‚ you are witnessing a tiny bit of space debris crashing into Earth’s atmosphere‚ releasing energy in its final demise. Sometimes‚ the object is no bigger than a grain of sand‚ but it can still produce beautiful‚ long streaks across the sky. Most showers are caused by comets – icy balls of space debris – as they orbit past Earth‚ but the Geminids are caused by an asteroid – typically made of rock. The asteroid in question is 3200 Phaethon‚ a 5.8 kilometer (3.6 mile) wide space rock whose orbit can travel very close to the Sun. Unlike many asteroids‚ Phaethon is in a comet-like orbit and releases dust‚ which makes up the Geminids‚ possibly due to extreme heating when it orbits near the Sun.It’s believed that the Geminid shower is intensifying every year‚ so fingers crossed that 2023’s light show will be another one to remember!

Move over‚ Bowie – there’s a new bilateral gynandromorph in town. In a Colombian forest‚ zoologists have captured footage of an extremely rare and vividly colored half-green‚ half-female‚ half-blue‚ half-male wild bird.The bird‚ a Green Honeycreeper‚ was spotted by amateur ornithologist John Murillo‚ who pointed it out to zoologist Professor Hamish Spencer‚ who happened to be holidaying in Colombia at the time. It’s only the second known observation of a bilateral gynandromorph – an organism with half-female‚ half-male characteristics split down the midline – in this species in more 100 years.“Many birdwatchers could go their whole lives and not see a bilateral gynandromorph in any species of bird. The phenomenon is extremely rare in birds‚” said Spencer in a statement. “It is very striking‚ I was very privileged to see it.”The video and photographs of the bird‚ which Spencer suggested are “arguably the best of a wild bilateral gynandromorphic bird of any species ever”‚ show a creature with typical male‚ blue plumage on its right side and female‚ green plumage on its left. Both colors are pretty vivid‚ making the split between the two particularly striking.Green Honeycreepers are not the only bird species in which this phenomenon has been seen‚ and it also extends beyond birds into butterflies‚ bees‚ and even stick insects. Whilst it’s been documented in many different species‚ bilateral gynandromorphism is generally thought of as rare.The authors of the study documenting the observation‚ including Murillo and Spencer‚ believe that bilateral gynandromorphism occurs as the result of rare errors before conception and at the point of fertilization. “The phenomenon arises from an error during female cell division to produce an egg‚ followed by double-fertilization by two sperm‚” Spencer explained. It’s thought that double-fertilization could explain why the previous observation of the unusual phenomenon in this bird species had the reverse color pattern.The rear view of the bird's unusual color pattern.Image credit: John MurilloDespite its unusual appearance‚ the team didn’t spot anything else out-of-sorts in the Green Honeycreeper. It was present in the forest for at least 21 months‚ during which time it acted much the same as other wild members of its species. It’s unclear‚ however‚ if the bird was fertile or reproduced in this time; the researchers didn’t witness any courtship behavior‚ and it tended to keep to itself.Regardless‚ the team believes the rare observation adds another piece to the puzzle of understanding sex determination in birds. Spencer expressed hope that the discovery would inspire people to “treasure exceptions” and the interesting revelations that they can bring.“Be always on the lookout for oddities‚” the zoologist concluded.The study is published in the Journal of Field Ornithology.

Years of sample collection on the Hungarian steppe has revealed four brand new species of fungi‚ including one that scientists say bears a striking resemblance to an infamous sci-fi monster. Its worm-like body and sandy dwelling place led the team to dub the new species Tulostoma shaihuludii‚ after the Shai-Hulud sandworms that feature in Frank Herbert’s Dune novels.All four of the new species belong to the genus Tulostoma‚ more commonly known by their decidedly non-threatening name of stalked puffballs. This moniker comes from the spherical fruiting bodies that they produce on the end of a stalk‚ from which their spores are released when disturbed by the wind or trampled by an animal.In the case of T. shaihuludii‚ you can seek why the researchers made the connection with Herbert’s monstrous worms – but you needn’t go as far as Arrakis to find such unusual lifeforms.The vast Pannonian steppe in southern Hungary‚ close to the borders with Romania and Serbia‚ is known to be a hotspot for stalked puffballs. The sandy soil peppered with grassy thickets provides the perfect habitat for gasteroid fungi such as these‚ but conditions can be tough. The region sees little rainfall‚ and in summer and autumn the sand temperatures can soar‚ so Tulostoma species have had to evolve resilience.The new identifications are based on samples collected in the area over 25 years.“In Hungary‚ so far 19 species have been recorded‚ including the four new species proposed in this study‚” the authors write‚ hinting that the land is yet to reveal all its secrets: “our ongoing studies indicate the presence of many more undescribed species of Tulostoma in Central Europe.”While they may not have a movie-star fictional worm as a namesake‚ some of the other new discoveries have their own distinctive features."Tulostoma sacchariolens stands out as the only fragrant stalked puffball species‚ a rarity among puffballs‚" the authors told Newsweek. "Tulostoma hungaricum holds the title of the world's smallest stalked puffball. Tulostoma shaihuludii's curved stalk is a distinctive feature within its genus."Along with the new finds‚ the team’s comprehensive taxonomic research is an important addition to our understanding of this group of organisms. For example‚ they were able to demonstrate that another species‚ T. dunense‚ is a new species that emerged as a result of geographic isolation‚ being closely related to but genetically distinct from similar species found in North America.Sadly‚ as the authors point out‚ Tulostoma species are rare‚ with the majority being red-listed by the European Council for the Conservation of Fungi. Knowing the best ways to protect them starts with learning as much as we can about their diversity and habitat. Who knows what other mythical monsters could be lurking just beneath the sand?The study is published in the journal MycoKeys.

It's that time of year again when news outlets begin publishing their big lists of things that 16th Century CE astrologer Nostradamus predicted would happen in the following year.Last year‚ predictions included everything from disaster on Mars to a "celestial fire on the Royal edifice"‚ which Nostradamus-enablers took to mean a meteor could set Buckingham Palace on fire and force the King to live in one of his many other palaces‚ castles‚ or cottages. Well‚ we made it through those things which definitely happened – but don't get too cozy‚ for this year outlets are claiming that we will have to deal with all of the above things that failed to materialize‚ as well as global disasters and a war with China.Though none of that sounds very nice‚ it's not bad considering Nostradamus "predicted" that the world would end in 1999. Here's what Nostradamus supposedly has in store for 2024‚ 25 years after the apocalypse.War with ChinaSome outlets have claimed that Nostradamus predicted an upcoming war with China‚ based on a passage saying that a "red adversary will become pale with fear. Putting the great Ocean in dread." "Analysts" alluded to by JPost say that NATO countries could become involved‚ potentially ending in an all-out war‚ which is a more than generous interpretation of an unnamed red adversary looking a bit peaky.King Charles gets sackedIt looks like King Charles‚ the ultimate nepo baby‚ may not enjoy his new role for long. One passage in Nostradamus's long and deliberately vague works refers to a "King of the Isles" being "driven out by force". Another passage claimed to be about King Charles reads that "soon afterward [a disastrous war] a new King shall be anointed / Who‚ for a long time‚ will appease the earth."This has also been interpreted as referring to King Charles‚ who is apparently going to have a busy year of appeasing the Earth before being hounded from his palace for it.What has he really predicted for 2024?Absolutely nothing. The great thing about predicting the future is the vaguer you are‚ the more right you can be about a larger number of topics. It's why horoscopes don't say things like "throw out that Bolognese you made on Tuesday‚ it may look ok but you are in for a tsunami of diarrhea‚" instead opting for sentences like "the Sun in the harmonic aspect will make you experience great changes‚" which is so vague you can read anything into it and is really unhelpful with the diarrhea situation.      Nostradamus was especially good at creating predictions so loose that eventually‚ someone would be able to ascribe it to a not-too-dissimilar real-world event. They are what's known as "postdictions"‚ in that you could not possibly guess what he was predicting before the event happened‚ but after the event you can find a passage that makes it look like he'd known all along – and even then they are not that accurate.For instance‚ a passage that is touted as predicting the rise of Hitler would in no way warn you of Hitler himself:“From the depths of the West of Europe‚ A young child will be born of poor people‚ He who by his tongue will seduce a great troop; His fame will increase towards the realm of the East.”Were you to read it beforehand‚ you could maybe guess that he meant someone famous will be born in Western Europe‚ but that's about it. Once Hitler had risen to power‚ people decided he must have been referring to Hitler and declared Nostradamus once again to be an incredible prediction wizard‚ on an incredibly vague passage.This year‚ just like every other year‚ Nostradamus predicted nothing.

It’s been quite the two months for NASA’s Psyche mission. Now‚ in the latest of its long list of successes‚ the spacecraft has snapped its first images – achieving a milestone called “first light”.On December 4‚ the mission turned on Psyche’s twin cameras and photographed a star field in the constellation Pisces‚ according to the space agency. The resulting images – there were 68 in total‚ captured by both cameras – have been combined to create a stunning celestial mosaic.NASA’s Psyche‚ the first-ever mission to a metal-rich asteroid‚ launched in October‚ embarking on a six-year journey to one of the most unusual (and expensive) objects in the Solar System. The spacecraft will travel 3.5 billion kilometers (2.2 billion miles) to visit its namesake‚ asteroid Psyche‚ which may be made of up to 60 percent metal.Psyche (the asteroid‚ not the spacecraft – it’s confusing‚ we know!) has been known about for almost two centuries‚ but is still something of a mystery – one that the NASA mission is attempting to solve. The spacecraft is expected to arrive at the asteroid in July 2029 and will spend two years taking pictures‚ mapping the surface‚ and unveiling the chemistry of this weird world.As a side mission‚ Psyche will be testing NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications technology. Just a handful of weeks ago‚ it successfully beamed the first-ever laser message to Earth from far beyond the Moon‚ sending a laser encoded with test data 16 million kilometers (10 million miles)‚ the farthest-ever demonstration of this type of communication.The mission has also been busy snapping the stars‚ and in doing so‚ testing its imager instrument – check out its first images‚ of a star field in the constellation Pisces‚ below:Stars in the constellation Pisces‚ imaged by NASA's Psyche.Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASUOne of the cameras‚ Imager A‚ took the left half of the mosaic‚ while the other‚ Imager B‚ took the right half. The brightest star you can see is called mu Piscium (far right).“These initial images are only a curtain-opener‚” Arizona State University’s Jim Bell‚ the Psyche imager instrument lead‚ said in a press release. “For the team that designed and operates this sophisticated instrument‚ first light is a thrill. We start checking out the cameras with star images like these‚ then in 2026 we’ll take test images of Mars during the spacecraft’s flyby. And finally‚ in 2029 we’ll get our most exciting images yet – of our target asteroid Psyche. We look forward to sharing all of these visuals with the public.”It’s not just pretty pics we have to look forward to: the data collected will hopefully help to spill some of Psyche’s secrets (and maybe Earth’s too). The imager uses color filters to photograph in wavelengths of light both visible and invisible to the human eye to help determine the composition of the metal-rich asteroid.The team will also create 3D maps of Psyche‚ furthering our understanding of its geology and offering clues as to its history. Check back in six (ish) years for the big reveal…

We know: “time crystals” sound like something out of a movie. And not a good movie‚ either – probably something from the same scriptwriter who came up with “unobtainium”. However‚ not only are they real‚ but they’re actually much cooler than anything Hollywood could come up with. They break the laws of physics. They turn up in children’s gifts. They were thought to be impossible for years‚ and then we found like‚ half a dozen in the space of a few years.Since they may hold the key to the technology of the future‚ it’s probably best we get to grips with them. So here it is: what they are‚ why they’re awesome – and how‚ just maybe‚ you might be able to get one of your very own.What exactly is a “time crystal”?Despite the name‚ a time crystal is not actually a crystal. At least‚ not the kind you’re thinking of.“A crystal is a system of many atoms that‚ due to mutual interactions‚ organize themselves into a periodic pattern in space‚” Kostyantyn Kechedzhi‚ a staff research scientist at Google‚ told IEEE Spectrum in 2021. A time crystal‚ meanwhile‚ “is a quantum system of many particles that organize themselves into a periodic pattern of motion – periodic in time rather than in space – that persists in perpetuity‚” Kechedzhi explained.Get the idea? While a normal crystal is defined by its super-ordered system of atoms in space – so that you can move left and right and through and back and so on and the whole thing will look the exact same – a time crystal has that‚ but through time (go figure). You can think of it as a more complicated version of our own Earth-moon system‚ kind of: two objects that orbit a barycenter and return to the same positions relative to each other on a regular period. Of course‚ that’s an overly simple illustration. Time crystals don’t really consist only of two objects: “the key novelty of a time crystal is the periodic motion of a system of many objects interacting with each other‚” Kechedzi said. In reality‚ planetary motion is a terrible candidate for a time crystal: “the true behavior of planets is chaotic‚” Kechezdi explained‚ “which means a small deviation of a planet from its path today will result in a completely reshaped trajectory over time‚ albeit billions of years.”But if you’re looking for a headline‚ here it is: what is a time crystal? It’s probably the first ever human-invented phase of matter. They are "something that doesn’t actually exist in nature‚” Loughborough University physics researcher Achilleas Lazarides told NBC News in 2022. “As far as we know‚ we created this phase of matter.”Why should I care (or: Thermodynamics who?)There’s no doubt about it: among the quantum physics crowd‚ time crystals are a very big deal.“A time crystal keeps moving and repeats itself periodically in time in the absence of external encouragement‚” Samuli Autti‚ a research fellow in the physics department of Lancaster University‚ told Live Science in 2022.“This means they are perpetual motion machines‚ and therefore impossible.”How‚ then‚ can they exist at all? The key is in that word “quantum” – the space where cats can be simultaneously alive and dead at once‚ and light can be both a particle and a wave at the same time. In both these seemingly paradoxical examples‚ the apparent conflict is due to what’s known as the “observer effect”: in quantum mechanics‚ particles exist in a superposition state – that is‚ all possible states at once – until somebody looks at them and‚ by doing so‚ causes the superposition to collapse.And it’s this kind of weirdness that lets time crystals if not break‚ then certainly bend‚ the laws of thermodynamics. “In quantum physics‚ a perpetual motion machine is fine as long as we keep our eyes closed‚” Autti said. “It must only start slowing down if we observe the motion.”As long as we’re only side-eyeing them‚ time crystals may hold the key to resolving some of the most stubborn disconnects in modern physics. “The continuum from quantum physics to classical physics remains poorly understood‚” Autti said. “Time crystals span a part of the interface between the two worlds. Perhaps we can learn how to remove the interface by studying time crystals in detail.”Some experts claim the crystals have the power to illuminate the nature of time itself. “However much you try to treat [time] as being just another dimension‚ it is always kind of an outlier” in classical physics‚ Chetan Nayak‚ a research engineer at Microsoft Station Q‚ University of California‚ Santa Barbara told Quanta Magazine in 2021. But when time crystals enter the picture‚ “all of a sudden time is just one of the gang."Wow‚ that sounds cool! Not very useful‚ though…Yeah‚ okay – we admit it: time crystals are‚ at least for now‚ pretty useless outside of the research physicist crowd. But that doesn’t mean they always will be – and according to those who study them‚ time crystals are full of potential.“A time crystal is‚ like ferromagnetism or superconductivity‚ an example of spontaneous symmetry breaking‚ or spontaneous order‚” Kechedzi noted. This puts time crystals in the same league as utopian tech such as superconductors or ferromagnetism‚ he explained – except that‚ even among these celebs of the physics world‚ time crystals have something unique going on. “Spontaneous symmetry breaking is associated with equilibrium‚” he told IEEE. Liquid water‚ for example‚ becomes ice when the ambient temperature drops low enough; the hydrogen and oxygen atoms that make it up settle into the state with the lowest energy possible‚ and eventually‚ their properties become stable. Time crystals‚ on the other hand‚ play by different rules: they break time-translation symmetry. And they’re the only things in the universe known to do so.“A remarkable property of the time crystal we observed is its spontaneous order despite it being driven out-of-equilibrium‚” Kechedzi said. “Stable examples of spontaneous symmetry breaking […] often have significant technological value.”Precisely what that value will be – well‚ that remains to be seen. The door is open‚ however: “time crystals can be used as a building block for quantum devices that work also outside the laboratory‚” Autti told Live Science. “Maybe time crystals will eventually power some quantum features in your smartphone‚” he told NBC.Great! Where do I get one?If you want to get your hands on a time crystal‚ you’d better have a physics lab at your disposal – they are‚ frankly‚ finicky little buggers to get a hold of.Most successful breakthroughs have involved the use of supercomputers – like Google’s Sycamore quantum computing hardware‚ which was used to realize a time crystal in 2021 by Stanford researchers along with Kechedzi and his colleagues – or the ability to cool gases down to microscopic temperatures‚ as Autti and his colleagues did last year.In fact‚ time crystals are so difficult to create that‚ until physicists at the University of Maryland semi-accidentally discovered one in 2017‚ their very existence was thought to be impossible. Even now‚ with a handful of success stories in the headlines‚ we don’t have anything long-term: “after a sufficiently long time‚ the order is lost and the periodic pattern no longer repeats itself‚” Kechedzi admitted.Still‚ if you’re really intent on finding one‚ there is an alternative to all that hifalutin’ laboratory tech – and it’s kind of delightful‚ actually. Back in 2018‚ just one year after the first time crystals were created‚ researchers from Yale University discovered signs of one hiding in a rather unusual place. Not in a quantum processor; not in a super-cooled tube of hydrogen – but in a kid’s toy.“My student Jared Rovny had grown monoammonium phosphate (MAP) crystals for a completely different experiment‚ so we happened to have one in our lab‚” Yale physics professor Sean Barrett said at the time.Strip away the chemistry jargon‚ and what you’re looking at there is a grow-your-own crystal kit – the kind you might give to a kid as a neat science experiment on a rainy afternoon.“Our crystal measurements looked quite striking right off the bat‚” he said. “Our work suggests that the signature of a DTC could be found‚ in principle‚ by looking in a children’s crystal growing kit.”So‚ aunts and uncles of the world‚ beware: next time you gift your niblings a slightly nerdy pastime‚ you might just be setting the stage for the discovery of a brand new state of matter.All “explainer” articles are confirmed by fact checkers to be correct at time of publishing. Text‚ images‚ and links may be edited‚ removed‚ or added to at a later date to keep information current.  

A newly proposed rule from the FDA is ill-advised and likely exceeds the agency’s statutory authority.

It’s not good enough simply to rail against our broken health-care system without a plan for how we will address it.