Category: The World

Life, the Universe, and everything in it.

The World

The helicopter on Mars

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I’m taking a minute to appreciate that, despite all the challenges we currently face here on Earth, we’re flying a helicopter around on another planet. 🤯 We can still do incredible things.

This image goes with my continued fascination that we’re invading Mars instead of the them invading us. If there were really such as thing as Martians, then they surely would have blown this helicopter to smithereens and sent us an ultimatum by now. 🤷🏻‍♂️

(Also: NASA, can I use this as an album cover? Some stylish text would fit nicely against the pale Martian sky.)

The World

The weird, scrappy 2021 Olympics

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The Tokyo Olympics are kicking off today. 🇯🇵

I remember the Olympics being unambiguously awesome. 🤟

Things are more complicated today. Some Tokyoites are not too happy about hosting the games. Olympics officials are being fired for saying dumb things. There are lingering questions about whether rotating the Olympics is wasteful or whether we should have the Olympics at all.

Still, great athletes will be in Tokyo.

My favorite story is about athletes finding a way to stay in fighting form for an extra year despite the pandemic and wildfires.

From sword fighting in a New York City alley, to wresting with your brother, to swimming in a kiddie pool, this scrappy spirit is what the Olympics are all about.

👉Olympians Had to Train During a Pandemic. These Are Their Weirdest Stories.

All of this is via Apple News and their not-too-newsy daily news podcast.

I kind of like the classic round Olympic stadium in Tokyo. It looks like it’s from 1984.
Quotes · The World

“Consider yourself blessed if you have a passion for anything.”

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At the end of an article about a decades-long archaeology effort in Southern California, the protagonist says this:

Consider yourself blessed if you have a passion for anything. Passion is a way of organizing your life; otherwise you go off in 20 different directions, and in the end, you wonder what you have.

Fred E. Budinger (LA Times | Apple News)

This dude knows what he’s talking about.

Fred E. Budinger has been pushing to prove, from the evidence in the ground in the Mojave Desert, that humans were in North American 200,000 years ago (not 11,000 years ago as previously thought) despite decades of misfortune, hostility, and even vandalism.

Good luck to you, Fred (pictured right, below). ✌️ Your passion is inspiring.

The World

Immunity 🦠: It’s in Your Bones 🦴

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There has been some confusion around the topic of how long Coronavirus immunity lasts, so it’s nice to see some new info about it. This is not the first time we’ve seen evidence that Coronavirus immunity is long-lasting, well beyond the life of your active antibodies.

Yes, antibodies fight an active infection. But your immunity does not end there. Memory of the virus lives in your bone marrow 🤯 as “memory B cells”. You can literally feel it in your bones. 😉

These B cells retain intel on the virus you had previously fought off so your body can produce fresh antibodies quickly on re-exposure. B cells last for years, if not your entire life. And they’re flexible and can deal with variants as well.

So if you’ve been vaccinated or had the virus and recovered, enjoy your amazing immune system and go forth and conquer!