Ant Wound Treatment and Social Immunity

Ant "Doctors" and Their Medical System

• Ants respond to battle-related injuries with antimicrobial substances to treat infected nestmates.
• Dr. Erik Frank and his team researched how ants respond to injuries by bringing specimens to their lab in Germany.
• Researchers injured the legs of about 100 ants, cutting either the femur (upper leg) or tibia (lower leg), and exposed the wounds to soil germs.
• Injured ants were divided into groups, with some left alone and others placed back in their nests to receive care.
• Ants with femur injuries received amputations, taking at least 40 minutes and involving multiple "surgeons," resulting in a 90% survival rate compared to 40% for isolated ants.
• Tibia wounds were treated with licks to remove bacteria, resulting in a 75% survival rate versus 10% for isolated ants.
• Amputation decisions are believed to be linked to hemolymph flow; femur muscles slow "blood" flow, buying time for amputation, while tibia infections spread faster, making cleaning the priority.
• According to Dr. Erik Frank ants can diagnose a wound, see if it's infected or sterile, and treat it accordingly over long periods of time, rivaling the human medical system.
• Findings were published in Current Biology on July 2, 2024, with plans to study other ant species to see if they perform similar "surgeries".

Discovery of a Massive Diamond in Botswana

• Lucara Diamond discovered a 2,492-carat diamond in Botswana on August 22, 2024, the second-biggest ever found and the largest in the country.
• The largest diamond discovered to date is the 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond, found in South Africa in 1905.
• The newly found stone was discovered in the Karowe mine using X-ray technology.
• Karowe mine is known for exceptionally large diamonds, including the 1,758-carat Sewelô diamond sold to Louis Vuitton in 2019.
• Experts expect it to fetch tens of millions of dollars.
• Large diamonds like the Cullinan are often cut into smaller gems; the Cullinan was divided into nine larger and nearly 100 smaller stones.
• The 530.2-carat Cullinan 1 is part of the Sovereign's Sceptre with Cross, and the 317-carat Cullinan II is in the Imperial State Crown.
• Diamonds are formed under high-pressure conditions at depths over 93 miles (150 km), where temperatures exceed 2,000°F (1,093°C).
• Most natural diamonds are at least a billion years old, with some being over three billion years old.

NASA's Starliner Mission Update

• NASA announced on August 25, 2024, that Boeing's Starliner will return to Earth in early September without its crew, Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams.
• NASA's made it decision based on lingering safety concerns, and Wilmore and Williams will now remain at the ISS until February 2025.
• Wilmore and Williams launched on June 5, 2024, for an eight-day mission to test the new spacecraft's safety and capabilities.
• The Starliner experienced helium leaks and thruster failures on approach to the ISS but managed to dock safely on June 6, 2024.
• NASA decided returning them on the Starliner would be too risky and will bring the astronauts back home aboard the SpaceX Dragon after September 24, 2024.
• The SpaceX Crew-9 mission had to be pushed back and will comprise two astronauts instead of four due to the docking space occupied by the Starliner.
• Wilmore and Williams will conduct spacewalks, help maintain the ISS, and participate in scientific experiments.

Banksy's Animal Artworks in London

• Banksy created a series of animal sketches at various locations around London from August 5 to 13, 2024.
• The first artwork, a silhouette of a mountain goat, appeared in Kew on August 5, 2024
• Subsequent murals, including elephants, monkeys, a wolf, pelicans, and a rhino, appeared on walls across London for nine consecutive days.
• The final piece of the animal series appeared on the shutters of the London Zoo on August 13, 2024, showing a gorilla lifting a shutter to free a sea lion and birds.
• The London Zoo removed the shutter with the artwork to preserve it, replacing it with a photo and a sign saying "Banksy was here.”.

Resilience of Redwood Trees to Wildfires

• The Big Basin Redwood State Park was significantly damaged by the CZU Lightning Complex Fire in August 2020, burning 97% of the park.
• Charred redwoods began to sprout fresh green needles within months, prompting research into their rapid recovery.
• Redwoods store excess energy from leaf photosynthesis, sustaining them when leaves are absent, such as after fires.
• Radiocarbon dating revealed the stored energy was 50 to 100 years old, created as early as the 1920s.
• Redwoods have bud tissue to enable leaf regrowth; this tissue can be nearly as old as the tree itself.
• 90% of charred trees are showing signs of regrowth.

Superstitions and Impact of Friday the 13th

• Friday the 13th is considered by millions to be the unluckiest day of the year.
• The superstition stems from the fear of the number 13, known as "triskaidekaphobia."
• Thomas Fernsler believes 13 is considered unlucky because it follows the "complete" number 12.
• Donald Dossey suggests 13 is unlucky due to a Scandinavian legend involving Loki causing the death of Balder.
• Jesus was crucified on a Friday, and biblical scholars believe Eve tempted Adam on a Friday.
• Experts estimate over 20 million Americans experience anxiety on this day, leading to accidents in high-risk jobs.
• Friday the 13th hurts the US economy, with businesses losing about $900 million as believers avoid working, traveling, or making purchases.
• A 2008 study found fewer traffic accidents occur on Friday the 13th than on other Fridays.

Climeworks' Mammoth Plant for Carbon Capture

• Climeworks activated Mammoth on May 8, 2024, a direct air capture (DAC) plant in Iceland designed to reduce atmospheric CO2 levels.
• Mammoth uses fans to pull air through specialized filters, trapping carbon molecules, which are then mixed with water and pumped underground to turn into stone.
• The plant is powered by geothermal energy and produces no carbon emissions.
• Mammoth is nine times bigger than Climeworks' Orca plant and can absorb up to 39,000 tons of carbon annually, equivalent to removing over 7,000 cars from the road.
• Climeworks is planning an even bigger DAC plant in Louisiana, USA, expected to capture a million tons of CO2 annually by 2030.

SpaceX's Historic Polaris Dawn Mission

• SpaceX's Polaris Dawn, the first of three commercial space missions under the Polaris program, was successfully completed on September 15, 2024.
• The Dragon capsule lifted off from Florida's Kennedy Space Center on September 10, 2024, with Jared Isaacman as mission leader, along with SpaceX employees Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, and retired pilot Scott Poteet.
• On September 11, 2024, the spacecraft reached a peak of 870 miles (1,400 km) above Earth.
• Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon became the first women to fly so far from Earth.
• A key purpose of reaching the high altitude was to assess the impact of increased radiation levels on the Dragon capsule and its crew and to prepare for future missions to the Moon.
• On September 12, 2024, Isaacman and Gillis tested new SpaceX spacesuits during the first-ever civilian spacewalk, connected to the spacecraft with a 12-foot-long cord.
• The Dragon capsule splashed down into the Gulf of Mexico on September 15, and the crew underwent medical tests to assess the effects of space travel.

Decoding Ancient Scrolls from Herculaneum

• In 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius erupted, burying Pompeii and Herculaneum under volcanic debris.
• In 1752, over 1,800 rolled papyrus scrolls were found inside a Herculaneum mansion, charred on the exterior but well-preserved inside.
• Attempts to mechanically unroll the scrolls resulted in them crumbling to dust and Brent Seales devised X-ray technology to image the scrolls' interior without opening them in 2009.
• In March 2023, Seales invited students worldwide to decode the scrolls as part of the "Vesuvius Challenge," releasing an AI program and 3D X-ray images.
• In October 2023, Luke Farritor decoded the first word, "porphyras," the Greek word for purple, shortly followed by Youssef Nader.
• Farritor, Nader, and Julian Schillinger teamed up to decode 85% of the characters in four passages, winning the top prize of $700,000 and decoded passages were attributed to Philodemus.
• Seales is challenging contestants to decode an entire scroll by the end of 2024, offering a $100,000 cash prize for deciphering at least 90% of all four scrolls.

Alex Morgan's Retirement from Professional Soccer

• Alex Morgan announced her retirement from professional soccer on September 5, 2024, after a 15-year career because she is expecting her second child and wants to focus on her young family.
• She scored four international goals in her debut year with the USWNT, earning the nickname "Baby Horse" for her speed and distinctive running style.
• Morgan played a role in the USA winning back-to-back FIFA Women's World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019, scoring seven goals and providing four assists in 13 of the 14 matches.
• Morgan ranks fifth all-time in USWNT history with 176 combined goals and assists.
• Morgan, along with 28 USWNT players, sued the US Soccer Federation for gender discrimination in 2019, winning the lawsuit in 2022 and receiving $22 million in back pay.
• In 2023, Morgan founded the Alex Morgan Foundation to promote equity and opportunities for girls and women.
• Morgan played her final game for the San Diego Wave on September 8, 2024, making a 13-minute appearance and taking a penalty kick.

Discovery of Ramses II Sword in Egypt

• Egyptian archeologists discovered a bronze sword with the insignia of Ramses II on September 5, 2024.
• The sword was found inside a small room in one of the mud barracks surrounding Tell Al-Abqain, a 3,200-year-old military fort in northwest Egypt.
• Historian Peter Brand believes the sword suggests the fort was well-defended and possibly had a weapons production area, with the sword likely a royal gift.
• Two clay tablets were also found, one with Ramses' name.
• Ramses II ruled for 66 years, from 1279 to 1213 BCE, and under his rule, Egypt's borders expanded.

Hurricane Helene's Devastation

• Hurricane Helene made landfall near Perry, Florida, on September 26, 2024, as a Category 4 storm, with sustained winds of over 140 miles per hour (225 km/h).
• The city of Asheville, in western North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, and its surrounding areas were among the hardest hit.
• As of October 2, 2024, officials have confirmed 170 storm-related deaths, making Helene one of the deadliest hurricanes to strike the mainland US.
• President Joe Biden authorized the deployment of 1,000 soldiers and has approved a major disaster declaration for Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Earthworms' Impact on Plant Growth and Soil

• Earthworms are responsible for 6.5% (140 million tons) of global food production annually.
• In Sub-Saharan Africa, earthworms help increase grain yields by 10%, and in Latin America, by 8%.
• Their burrowing creates channels that loosen and aerate the soil, improving water drainage and storage, and their movement helps churn the soil's organic matter
• Earthworms can protect plants from microplastic pollution and boost plant immune systems.

Orb-Weaver Spiders Manipulating Firefly Mating Signals

• The Araneus ventricosus spider species manipulates male fireflies to catch more prey.
• Orb-weaver spider webs contained caught many male fireflies emitting a single flash instead of their usual two.
• Researchers found that the spiders wrapped the fireflies in a light layer of silk and male fireflies emitted single, female-like signals when a spider was nearby.
• It is suspected this is caused by the spider's venom, which disrupts normal flashing behavior by interfering with the delivery of oxygen supply
• The findings were revealed in Current Biology on August 19, 2024.

US Presidential Election Process Explained

• On November 5, 2024, Americans will vote for either Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump.
• Voters cast their ballots for members of the Electoral College, known as electors.
• Each state receives two electoral votes for its two senators, plus additional votes based on the number of Representatives in the House.
• There are 538 electoral votes, and a candidate needs at least 270 to become president.
• Most states follow a winner-takes-all system, where the majority vote winner receives all of that state's electoral votes.
• The new president's term officially begins after the inauguration ceremony, usually held on January 20 of the following year.

Greenland Landslide and Tsunami Cause Earth to Rumble

• In mid-September 2023, earthquake sensors worldwide detected a slow, constant wave for nine days.
• The rumble was traced to a landslide and tsunami in Dickson Fjord in East Greenland, where 33 million cubic yards of rock and ice collapsed into the fjord on September 16, 2023.
• This triggered a 650-foot-tall (198 m) tsunami.
• Scientists discovered mega-tsunami wave traveled back and forth within the narrow fjord, creating a standing wave called a seiche.
• The scientists published their findings in the September 2024 issue of the journal, Science.