Cosmic Impact caused Destruction of one of World’s Earliest Human Settlements

Before the Taqba Dam impounded the Euphrates River in northern Syria in the 1970s, an archaeological site named Abu Hureyra bore witness to the moment ancient nomadic people first settled down and started cultivating crops. A large mound marks the settlement, which now lies under Lake Assad.

But before the lake formed, archaeologists were able to carefully extract and describe much material, including parts of houses, food and tools — an abundance of evidence that allowed them to identify the transition to agriculture nearly 12,800 years ago. It was one of the most significant events in our Earth’s cultural and environmental history.

Abu Hureyra, it turns out, has another story to tell...

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Yale Study may help Resolve Bitter Debate over Low-Cal Sweeteners

A diet soda with a green okay sign, and diet soda with fries under a red No sign
Illustration by Michael S. Helfenbein

A new study showed that people who periodically drank beverages with the low-calorie sweetener sucralose, which is found in low-cal soft drinks, candy, breakfast bars, and other products, did experience problematic metabolic and neural responses – but only when a carbohydrate in the form of a tasteless sugar was added to the drink. In contrast, people drinking beverages with low-calorie sweeteners alone, or beverages with real sugar, showed no changes in brain or metabolic response to sugars.

Several studies in recent years have reported that low-calorie sweeteners in foods and beverages disrupt the human , promoting the development of diabetes and obesity...

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Goodyear’s Biodegradable Concept Tire Regenerates its Tread

Credit: Goodyear

Goodyear recently unveiled a tire concept that could revolutionize the auto industry. Dubbed reCharge, this concept tire would never require replacements or rotations because it regenerates its tread as needed.

In addition to eliminating flat tires and the need to check tire pressure, the concept’s regeneration features would be customized to the driving habits and conditions of individual motorists courtesy of a combination of AI and telemetry data.

The crux of reCharge’s regeneration capabilities is a biodegradable, reloadable liquid compound that’s recharged by capsules. The compound is fortified by a mixture of dandelion rubber and fibers similar to spider silk, known to be one of the toughest raw materials found in nature...

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SpaceX announces partnership to send Tourists to ISS

Elon Musk’s company has signed a deal with Axiom Space to transport the tourists along with a commander on one of its Crew Dragon capsules in the second half of 2021

SpaceX on Thursday announced a partnership to send three tourists to the International Space Station (ISS), the first private trip in more than a decade.

Elon Musk’s company has signed a deal with Axiom Space to transport the tourists along with a commander on one of its Crew Dragon capsules in the second half of 2021.

Axiom CEO Michael Suffredini said the flight “will represent a watershed moment in the march toward universal and routine access to space.” He did not reveal a price tag.

The cost of launching a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is around $60 million and, throwing in the cost attached to building a new capsu...

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