Earth Day: Planet vs. Plastics

• Earth Day is celebrated annually on April 22 and began on April 22, 1970, with US lawmaker Gaylord Nelson mobilizing over 20 million people to promote environmental protection.
• Earth Day Network (EDN) includes over 50,000 partners in over 190 countries and led to the passage of environmental laws, such as the Clean Water Act of 1972, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and the 2015 Paris Agreement.
• Earth Day 2024 focuses on Planet vs. Plastics, spotlighting the annual production of over 380 million tons of plastic, half of which is for single-use purposes.
• The nonprofit EDN is demanding a 60% reduction in plastic production by 2040.
• EDN outlines four ways to reduce plastic production by 60% by 2040:
• Increase public awareness of the health risks of plastic pollution.
• Urge countries to phase out single-use plastics by 2030.
• Encourage governments to implement policies to end fast fashion.
• Promote corporations to invest in innovative technologies for sustainable plastic alternatives.
• Plastics are ingested and inhaled as microplastics all over the world.
• Fast fashion is a major contributor to plastic pollution.
• Companies can reduce their plastic footprint by utilizing natural or recycled fabrics and compostable containers while governments create plastic regulations.
• Individual actions can reduce plastic use by opting for reusable cutlery, containers, and water bottles.

Rare Celestial Event

• NASA anticipates a rare nova outburst between now and September 2024.
• The nova outburst is viewable without equipment, unlike the solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.

Nova Occurrences

• A nova occurs in binary star systems with a red giant and white dwarf.
• Material shed by the red giant accumulates on the white dwarf's surface.
• The collected material will explode in a burst of energy, resulting in brightness illuminating night skies.
• The upcoming T Coronae Borealis nova will be visible to the naked eye.

T Coronae Borealis (T CrB) Details

• T CrB is a binary star system 3,000 light-years away from Earth.
• It is known for periodic nova outbursts roughly every 80 years.
• The last occurred in 1946.
• The outbursts stem from the orbits of the system's red giant and white dwarf.
• The red giant heats up, shedding its outer layers onto the white dwarf, causing its atmosphere to heat up and erupt.
• NASA expects the nova explosion before September 2024.
• The nova outburst will be visible to the unaided eye for several days and for over a week with binoculars.

Taiwan Earthquake

• A 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck Taiwan's east coast on April 3, 2024.
• The tremor, centered 11 miles south of Hualien, was the most powerful earthquake to hit the island in 25 years and sent boulders and mud tumbling down mountains and destroyed or damaged buildings in Hualien.
• At least 13 people died, and over a thousand were injured.
• Rescuers looked for six people believed to be buried in the rubble on April 7, 2024..

Reduced Casualties

• The reduction in fatalities is credited to measures put in place since 1999, including monitoring seismic movements and phone alerts.
• Strict building codes contributed to the low fatality rate, even buildings with the most damage allowed residents to escape safely.
• A majority of the fatalities happened due to landslides near the mountains, with only one person dying in a damaged residential building.
• Life in Hualien returned to almost normal within days of the quake, with many companies reopening.

Earthquake Location

• Taiwan is located along the "Ring of Fire" where 90% of the world's earthquakes and 75% of volcano eruptions occur.
• Taiwan's earthquake preparedness has implemented strict building codes, seismological networks, and public education campaigns on earthquake safety.

Cole Brauer's achievement

• Cole Brauer made history as the first American woman to sail alone around the world without stopping
• Brauer completed the Global Solo Challenge on March 7, 2024, in 130 days, taking second place.
• Brauer, aged 29, was the youngest racer and the only woman, standing at 5 feet 2 inches and weighing 100 pounds.

The Global Solo Challenge

• Brauer's journey started October 29, 2023, in A Coruña, Spain, sailing around Africa, Australia, and South America before returning to Spain.
• The route necessitates navigating Africa's Cape of Good Hope, Australia's Cape Leeuwin, and South America's Cape Horn.
• She sustained a rib injury from 30-foot waves and experienced dehydration that required IV insertion.

Chimpanzee Tactics

• Researchers identified chimpanzees using human-like military tactics when evaluating risks to expand territories
• The study used GPS trackers on two groups of chimps in West Africa's Tai National Park from 2013 to 2016.
• Chimps regularly patrolled territory edges in coordinated groups, seeking higher ground to listen for rivals.
• Chimpanzees felt more confident taking over a neighbor's territory when there was low risk of conflict, such as fewer rivals.

Revolutionary war sketch

• In November 2023, researchers only studying West African chimpanzees believe other chimps use similar tactics to control territories.
• A pen-and-ink drawing depicting a scene from the Revolutionary War bought in the mid-1970s by collector Judith Hernstadt has discovered it was an exact representation of a waggon belonging to the North Carolina Brigade of continental troops which passed through Philadelphia in August.
• Discovered by Matthew Skic, a curator at Philadelphia's Museum of the American Revolution, who researched artwork and verified that the paper and ink were from the time period.
• The sketch was done by Swiss artist Pierre Eugene du Simitiere, who came to Philadelphia in 1774.
• The sketch is the first known wartime drawing of North Carolina troops by an eyewitness.

Cooperation Mimicry of Crab Spiders

• Environmental scientists Shi-Mao Wu and Jiang-Yun Gao observed cooperation mimicry exhibited by a male and female crab spider in China's Yuan Province on March 1, 2024.
• They had come together to resemble a single flower, with the male spider disguised as the pistils and stamens and the female looking like the petals.
• Female crab spiders are known to camouflage with a flower.

Discovery of New Ichthyosaur Species

• A father-daughter team, Justin and Ruby Reynolds, discovered fossils leading to a new species of ichthyosaur in spring 2020.
• They found the fossils on Blue Anchor Beach in Somerset, England.
• Fossils are popular in the region deposits of fish and reptile from the Triassic era.
• The new species, Ichthyotitan severnensis, meaning "giant fish lizard of the Severn" are marine reptiles that lived during the Triassic and Jurassic periods (251 to 145 million years ago).
• By comparing bone fragments to other giant ichthyosaurs, scientists estimated the new specimen's length to be a staggering 80 feet.
• Ruby and Justin Reynolds are listed as co-authors in the study published in PLOS One on April 17, 2024.

Broods of Cicadas

• Beginning in Mid-May 2024, 16 US states will be stretching from Maryland to Oklahoma and Illinois to Alabama, are bracing for the arrival of trillions of noisy cicadas.
• Brood XIX, surfaces every 13 years, with Brood XIII, consisting of three species that appears every 17 years.
• Periodical cicadas reproduce every odd year due to predators predicted to prey during an even number year between 12 or 16 years.

Olympic Sports in Paris 2024

• The 2024 Summer Olympics will feature extra sports that include Breaking, Surfing, Skateboarding, Sport Climbing

Rakus Cares for Cheek wound

• A Sumatran orangutan named Rakus uses a leaves known to locals for its healing properties to treat a cheek wound.
• Dr. Isabelle Laumer and her team at Max Planck Research witnessed Rakus chewing the stems of the leaves of the medicine planit
• The Journal Scientific Reports reported on May 2, 2024, details being a good nurse, Rakus was also a great patient.
• After following the steps Rakus's wound was completely healed within a month
• Critically endangered species, Sumatran orangutans, less than 15, 000 left

Tornadoes

• The hardest hit with tornadoes was Marietta, Oklahoma that had winds between 166 mph (267 km/h) and 200 mph (320 km/h) on April 27, 2024.
• Minden, Iowa, also suffered substantial damage after a powerful strom rippe through the small town of 600 people on April 26, 2024 that destroyed 48 homes.
• a tornado is a very powerful rotating column of air when cold, dry polar air comes in contact with warm, moist tropical air.

Zombie Fires

• 2023 was the worst wildfire season on record with over 6.500 blazes scorched more than 48 million acres.
• Canada's Wildfire Service shares exceptionally dry wildfires smolder in deep duff layers and logs.
• Zombie fires occur annually in Britsh columbia and Alberta but usually no more than 15 each year.
• experts reveal that most years, the melting snow goes deep underground.

NASA Technology

• The US Space Agency's Quiet Technology (QueSST) mission is designed to fly at supersonic speeds without a boom

Floating Cities

• By 2050, experts predict nearly 300 million people in costal areas will face Annual flooding
• Floating city Dogen City, measures roughly 1 mile in diameter and 2.5 in cicumference and circular shape.
• Dogen City be enable to house 10,000 and 40.00 visitors.
• a guarenteed way to fight cancer has proved usive but vaccines could help fight the battle.

The Splendor of the Sphere

• This ground breaking new performance venue is located in Las Vegas Nevada that allows more of a virtual setting
• the 366 foot tall and 561 foot wide structure resembles an orb.
• the world's largest Auditorium boasts 17.500 sets with rooms for 2,400 standings.

Coopers Hill Cheese

• Many people are injured for an 8 pound wheel and is thought to settle and ownership

Claudia Sheinbaum

• on June, 2024 Claudia was the first female Mexican president
• the 61 yr old president elect most recent served a head of government in Mexico City.
• She graduated with a PHD in energy engineering transitioning from fossils to clean energy.

Chang e 6 Chinese Moon

• This lunar probe made history to bring back soil. Launched May 32024
• The Chang e 6 spacecraft is named after Chinese Moon goddess and picture perfect landings.
• The material are expected to reveal the evolution of Moon.

USA Gymnastics 2024

• The USA won 10 medals and their team hadn't won since 2008.

George Washington Fruit

• Excavations have been going on looking for pits and the 2024 excitement of the century
• It provided insight and the team plans t extract DNA from the cherries.
• Resulting tree would be a living artifact

Elephants and Dolphin

• Elephants assign names to each other. Dolphins and parrots call each other names. The computer will correctly guest the receiving elephant's calling and the elephant doesn't use all names all the time.

Pompeii Herculaneum

• Mount Vesuvias eruption in AD 79 burying the city with ash
• " The restoration of beach allows us to walk with the ancient Roman people" -Francesco Sirano
• The restored beach is replaced with dark colored material.

Carpenter Ants

• Found New Study with ants performing surgeries to save their Nestimates
• the insects were helping and cleaning blood
• They could diagnosis and clean the limb

August 2024 diamond

• In Botswana, a gemstone revealed to be the second biggest diamond
• The yet to be called Stone was found in the Karone mine
• It's known for its exceptionally large diamonds.

Space

• The test flight for the space missions to launch in June 4. 2024
• but was delayed due to thruster failures

August 2024 Banksey

• New artistry around London by Banksey the Zoo has a place and it's their forever.

Biggest Redwood

• 2020 a massive California Park burn 97% of the big Redwood it's been four year since.
• and the trees now is thriving the outlook is promising it's going on 90% from regrowth.

2024 Friday the 13th

• has become the day of the year.
• in the history and the superstition with many believing over 20 million the 13th is the day.

Switzerland Directs air Capture( DAC) plant on May 8th 2024

• Pull the water from the soil then turned.

the Polarise program

• Space X has now the successful complete is there is a new milestone that has occurred in space.

Artifical Intelligence on Scrolls

• Seales and AI programs to help decode scrolls with thousands helping all over the.

Alax Morgan Retires

• she was 35 to announce this she had made incredible moments in her career and was so thankful.
• she did fight for her rights in the sporting league with others.

2024 Ramses Egyptian Weapon

• the Egyptians revealed that the weapon has been in and found for over a thousand
• the sword was found in the military fort

helene the hurricane

• hurricane Heiene makes landfall and continued damages to over 140 Mph with thousands

Earthworms

• new study that worms can protect plants microplastic
• They surveyed the earthworm 8% in Latin america with help they receive.

weaver spiders

• Some use deceives tactics for survival in August the 19 is the current biology