Matt Willemsen @Nonog@fedibird.com

During Pregnancy, a Fake ‘Infection’ Protects the Fetus
Cells in the placenta have an unusual trick for activating gentle immune defenses and keeping them turned on when no infection is present. It involves crafting and deploying a fake virus.
https://www.quantamagazine.org/during-pregnancy-a-fake-infection-protects-the-fetus-20231114/ #pregnancy #placenta #ImmuneSystem #fetus #virus #InterferonLambda #AluRepeat #DoubleーStrandedRNA

Make Me Famous
Thief Steals City Trail Camera, Gets Secretly Photographed in His Bedroom
A hapless thief who stole a city game camera which began sending photos of him to the police has been arrested.
The suspect was unaware that the trail cam installed by the city of Live Oak, Texas was transmitting photos of him as he sat on his bed shirtless.
https://petapixel.com/2023/11/14/thief-steals-city-trail-camera-gets-secretly-photographed-in-his-bedroom/ #thief #bedroom #TrailCamera #TV

Elephants give each other names — the 1st non-human animals to do so, study claims
Elephants in Kenya's Amboseli National Park appear to call to each other with individual names using low, complex "rumbles," a study has found.
https://www.livescience.com/animals/elephants/elephants-give-each-other-names-the-1st-non-human-animals-to-do-so-study-claims #elephants #names #kenya #rumble #vocalizations #ReferentialCalls

I'm so embarrassed!
It's Sagittarius A Star.

Beat Me Daddy, 76 To The Bar
Our Galaxy's Heart Is Pulsing With a Mysterious Signal
Every 76 minutes, like clockwork, the gamma-ray flux of Sgr A* fluctuates. This, the researchers say, is similar in periodicity to changes in the black hole's radio and X-ray emission too, suggesting an orbital motion of something whirling madly around the black hole.
https://www.sciencealert.com/our-galaxys-heart-is-pulsing-with-a-mysterious-signal #galaxy #MilkyWay #beat #pulse #SgrAStar #radio #XRay

GPI: The Geoscientist Price Index
So you want to be a geoscientist? Inspired by that metric, Eos presents the Geoscientist Price Index, an inventory of some of the costs regularly incurred by geoscientists for equipment, fieldwork, publishing, and more.
https://eos.org/articles/gpi-the-geoscientist-price-index
#geoscience #shopping #prices #field #lab #academics

Attention Please!
A Surprising Feature of IQ Has Actually Improved Over The Past 30 Years
The general consensus is that the constant bombardment of information and distraction that comes with modern living means that our attention spans aren't what they used to be.
A new study suggests we might be coping rather well; our concentration performance is better today than it was prior to the rise of the internet.
https://www.sciencealert.com/a-surprising-feature-of-iq-has-actually-improved-over-the-past-30-years #IQ #concentration #attention #FlynnEffect #AreYouJustIgnoringMe?

What the world’s oldest dog can tell us about ageing
If you have ever cared for a pet dog, it is a sad truth that you are likely to outlive them. So it’s no wonder that people may be asking how to increase their pet’s longevity following the news that a dog in Portugal lived longer than 30 years.
So, what practical measures can we take to help ourselves and our dogs live as long and healthy lives as possible?
https://theconversation.com/what-the-worlds-oldest-dog-can-tell-us-about-ageing-216766 #oldest #dog #ageing #Bobi

Boeing investigating leaked data after LockBit allegedly publishes stolen info
Airplane maker Boeing said it is investigating data leaked by a prominent Russia-based ransomware gang that was allegedly stolen from the company.
Two weeks ago, the aviation manufacturing giant confirmed that its parts and distribution business was affected by a cyberattack.
https://therecord.media/boeing-investigating-leaked-lockbit-data
#Boeing #leaked #data #LockBit #cyberattack

Did Humans Ever Live in Peace?
War may be ancient, but it doesn’t have to go on forever.
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2023/11/war-humanity-evolutionary-history/675987/ #war #peace #anthropology #archaeology #warfare #OrganizedViolence

Daycare TB case exposes over 500 babies, children; emergency declared
Health officials in Omaha, Nebraska, are wasting no time in testing over 500 infants, toddlers, and children who may have been exposed to an active tuberculosis case at a local daycare. The Douglas County Health Department (DCHD) declared a public health emergency Friday.
https://arstechnica.com/health/2023/11/daycare-tb-case-exposes-over-500-babies-children-emergency-declared/ #daycare #tuberculosis #infants #toddlers

Kind of a Drag
Supermassive black hole at the heart of the Milky Way is approaching the cosmic speed limit, dragging space-time along with it
Supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* is spinning nearly as fast as it can, dragging the very fabric of space-time with it and shaping the heart of the Milky Way.
https://www.livescience.com/space/black-holes/our-galaxys-monster-black-hole-is-spinning-at-top-speed-and-its-dragging-everything-along #Supermassive #BlackHole #MilkyWay #cosmic #SpeedLimit #SagittariusAPrime #AngularMomentum #FrameDragging

A Texas Billionaire’s Associates Are Trying to Sink a School Tax Election via Their Dark Money Nonprofit
Tim Dunn’s public policy groups have helped ensure that tax hike language is attached to school bonds in the state. Now, that language is being used to undercut support for a bond in his hometown of Midland.
https://www.propublica.org/article/tim-dunn-move-midland-school-bond #NickFuentes #billionaire #oligarch

ESA’s Trace Gas Orbiter Observes Green Atmospheric Nightglow on Mars
The atmospheric nightglow is observed on Earth. On Mars, it was something expected, yet never observed in visible light until now.
https://www.sci.news/space/esas-trace-gas-orbiter-green-atmospheric-nightglow-mars-12441.html #ESA #mars #TraceGasOrbiter #Green #Atmospheric #Nightglow