PONDERWALL | Magazine of Science & Culture

THE SCIENCE OF FOREST THERAPY

WHO OWNS THE MOON? A SPACE LAWYER ANSWERS

Countries such as Russia and somewhat less explicitly Brazil and Belgium hold that the moon and asteroids belong to humanity as a whole.

NETHERLANDS POLICE TRAIN EAGLES TO CATCH DRONES

Misc, Technology

Netherlands Police are training eagles to catch drones to prevent illegal use. They said that they will investigate the birds’ safety as safety continue.

RESEARCHERS INVENT DEVICE THAT GENERATES LIGHT FROM THE COLD NIGHT SKY – HERE’S WHAT IT MEANS FOR MILLIONS LIVING OFF GRID

Science, Technology

What if we could generate electricity from the cold night sky? Researchers at Stanford and UCLA have just done exactly that.

IF IMPEACHMENT COMES TO THE SENATE – 5 QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Politics

If the House of Representatives concludes its impeachment inquiry by passing articles of impeachment of President Trump, attention will turn to the Senate.

TELETEXT WAS SLOW BUT IT PAVED THE WAY FOR THE SUPER-FAST WORLD OF THE INTERNET

Technology

The BBC has announced that 2020 will mark the end of the Red Button text service – the final incarnation of what was originally known as CEEFAX and Oracle.

OPIUM, RAT HAIR, BEAVER ANAL SECRETIONS – AND OTHER SURPRISING THINGS YOU MIGHT FIND IN FOOD

Politics

For example, a natural flavoring called castoreum is a thick, odorous secretion obtained from the anal glands of beavers.

ON GERMANY’S NATIONAL SOCCER STAGE, WHY HAVE EAST GERMANS GONE MISSING

Politics, Sports

Why is German soccer so dominated by players and clubs from the West? And what does this imbalance say about the state of the German reunification?

BARN OWLS REFLECT MOONLIGHT IN ORDER TO STUN THEIR PREY

Science

We’ve been following a Swiss population of barn owls for more than 20 years, monitoring their hunting behavior with cameras and GPS trackers.

HOW RUPTURE WITH MAINLAND EUROPE CAUSED BRITAIN TO FALTER FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS

Geography, History

Mainland Europe has always been essential to Britain’s prosperity. When the relationship with Europe is poor, the lot of ordinary Briton is poorer for it.

CAR-FREE PARIS? IT WAS ALREADY A DREAM IN 1790.

Geography, History

Car-free Paris? It was already a dream in 1790 Le Pont-Neuf et la Pompe de la Samaritaine, vue du quai de la Mégisserie, painting by Nicolas Raguenet (circa 1750-1760). Musée Carnavalet Arnaud Exbalin, Université Paris

FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRY SEES THE FUTURE IN HARD-TO-RECYCLE PLASTIC

Economics, Politics

How will they adapt as fossil fuel demand wanes with the rise of renewable energy and battery power? The answer is plastic.

FORD BRIDGEND CLOSURE: THE UK’S CAR INDUSTRY COULD STAGE A REVIVAL BY RECYCLING RARE EARTHS

Economics, Technology

The intended closure of Ford’s Bridgend engine plant in 2020, with the loss of 1,700 industry jobs, has sent shock waves through Wales.

HOW THE PRETZEL WENT FROM SOFT TO HARD – AND OTHER LITTLE-KNOWN FACTS ABOUT ONE OF THE WORLD’S FAVORITE SNACKS

Geography

The pretzel, a German food, and one of the fastest-growing snack foods in the world, recently crossed a billion dollars a year in sales.

A DANISH WORD THE WORLD NEEDS TO COMBAT STRESS: PYT

Geography

Pyt doesn’t have an exact English translation. It’s more a cultural concept about cultivating healthy thoughts to deal with stress.

THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY: BUILDING AN ECONOMY ON THE TEMPLATE OF NATURE

Economics, Science

The concept of a circular economy which is actively supported by influential institutions such as the Ellen MacArthur foundation, or EU research programs.

COMPUTER SCIENCE NOW COUNTS AS MATH CREDIT IN MOST STATES – IS THIS A GOOD IDEA?

Science

29 states passed legislation allowing computer science to count in place of a science course. Are these changes are helping students or hurting them?

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A RAINDROP HITS A PUDDLE

Science

The beauty of puddle waves is no small thing by itself. By connecting nature with its primal language – mathematics – we gain access to its control panel.

POLICE PHOTO LINEUPS: HOW BACKGROUND COLORS CAN SKEW EYE WITNESS IDENTIFICATION

Politics, Science

Identification parades can be powerful evidence in securing convictions in criminal cases. But eyewitness evidence is notoriously prone to errors.

HOW ONE NHS ANAESTHETIST IS FIGHTING INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL RESEARCH FRAUD

Politics, Science

Consultant anaesthetist at Torbay Hospital on England’s south coast has developed statistical methods to help spot signs of fraud in medical research.

WEBCAMS IN NURSING HOME ROOMS MAY DETER ELDER ABUSE – BUT ARE THEY ETHICAL?

Politics

Papp’s fight to monitor her mother’s care reflects a reasonable fear. About 1.3 million Americans live in nursing homes, and elder abuse can be a killer.

JUSTICE STEVENS, BABE RUTH AND THE BEST LAW CLERK ASSIGNMENT EVER

Politics, Sports

Babe Ruth’s famous, and controversial, “called shot” home run during Game 3 of the 1932 World Series between the New York Yankees and the Chicago Cubs

WHY THE BRITISH ARE HIDING INFORMATION ABOUT RUDOLF HESS

History

The Russian scholar, Andrei Fursov, explains in this video the reason why the British authorities insist to keep Rudolf Hess’s files classified until 2050.

IPCC REPORT PAINTS CATASTROPHIC PICTURE OF MELTING ICE AND RISING SEA LEVELS – AND REALITY MAY BE EVEN WORSE

Geography, Science

Based on almost 7k peer-reviewed research, the report is a cutting-edge crash course in how human-caused climate breakdown is changing our ice and oceans.

STOLEN FINGERPRINTS COULD SPELL THE END OF BIOMETRIC SECURITY – HERE’S HOW TO SAVE IT

Technology

Traditional passwords are something you know. Biometric features are something you are. Unlike passwords, biometric data can’t be changed if it is stolen.

HOW MULTINATIONALS CONTINUE TO AVOID PAYING HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN TAX – NEW RESEARCH

Economics, Politics

New research estimates that $420 billion in corporate profits is shifted out of 79 countries every year. This equates to $125 billion in lost tax revenue.

NEW TELESCOPE WILL SCAN THE SKIES FOR ASTEROIDS ON COLLISION COURSE WITH EARTH

Science, Technology

An international team of scientists is constructing the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope in Chile, which will be an essential tool for asteroids alert.

MORE THAN A MILLION UK SMALL BUSINESSES SEE BREXIT AS MAJOR OBSTACLE TO SUCCESS

Economics, Politics

Over one million UK SMEs, around a quarter of the total, were concerned about how Brexit would affect the success of their business.

WHY THE GERMAN LANGUAGE HAS SO MANY GREAT WORDS

Geography, Politics

Backpfeifengesicht may join other German words that have found a place in English, like Weltschmerz (world-weariness) and Zeitgeist (spirit of the time).

SOUTH AMERICA’S SECOND-LARGEST FOREST IS ALSO BURNING – AND ‘ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY’ CHARCOAL IS SUBSIDIZING ITS DESTRUCTION

Geography, Politics

The fires raging across the Amazon have captured the world’s attention. Meanwhile, the second-largest forest, Gran Chaco, is disappearing in plain sight.

HOW EDWARD SNOWDEN COULD LOSE HIS BOOK ROYALTIES TO THE US GOVERNMENT.

Politics

Instead of trying to ban Snowden book, the US authorities have tried something else. They are suing the publisher Macmillan, seeking to seize any profits.

ZERO-HOURS CONTRACTS HAVE A DEVASTATING IMPACT ON CAREER PROGRESSION – LABOUR IS RIGHT TO BAN THEM

Economics, Politics

Labour has reaffirmed its plans to rid the UK of zero-hours contracts, said shadow chancellor John McDonnell at the Labour Party conference.

WHY HISTORIANS ARE FIGHTING TO SAVE THOMAS COOK’S ENORMOUS ARCHIVE

Economics, History

Thomas Cook’s enormous 178-years heritage is about to be lost and a number of business historians are fighting to save it.

MANUFACTURING STILL MATTERS: FIVE REASONS WHY THE IMF IS WRONG

Economics, Politics

According to new IMF research, countries need no longer rely on manufacturing for productivity growth. Here are five reasons why IMF is wrong.

THESE THREE FIRMS OWN CORPORATE AMERICA

Economics, Politics

Vanguard, BlackRock and State Street are the largest shareholders in 90% of S&P 500, including Apple, Microsoft, ExxonMobil, General Electric and Coca-Cola.

ARRESTS OF 6-YEAR-OLDS SHOW THE PERILS OF PUTTING POLICE IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS

Politics

The arrest of two six-year-olds in a Florida school in October has shown, sometimes one threat to the students is the officers themselves.

URBAN FORESTS CAN STORE ALMOST AS MUCH CARBON AS TROPICAL RAINFORESTS

Geography, Science

New study by researchers at University College London shows that pockets of London’s urban jungle store as much carbon per hectare as tropical rainforests.

DISCOVERY OF PREHISTORIC BABY BOTTLES SHOWS INFANTS WERE FED COW’S MILK 5,000 YEARS AGO

History

Clay vessels that have been found in Germany could have been used to supplement breast milk and wean children more than 5,000 years ago.

ASTRONAUTS’ BRAINS ARE SUBJECT TO LONG-LASTING DAMAGE DUE TO LOW DOSE SPACE RADIATION

Science

Physicists at Colorado State University have developed a facility that allows researchers to deliver a slow and realistic deep space radiation exposure.

FOSSIL FUEL SUBSIDIES REACH US$87 BILLION IN EU COUNTRIES – AND THEY’RE GROWING

Economics, Politics

In 2017, EU countries spent US$87 billion subsidizing the cost of fossil fuels. This is nearly 2.5 times more than they spent in 2010.

NO, IT’S NOT OK FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO USE YOUR PRESCRIPTION DETAILS TO RECRUIT YOU FOR A STUDY

Politics

People providing their personal information to the government, to access government services, are doing so through necessity, not choice.

THE ANSWER TO FORECASTING BITCOIN MAY LIE IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Economics, Technology

Using daily observations from 2011-2018, we created an ANN with three predictors: returns, 50-day buy-sell signal and 200-day buy-sell signal.

DRUG USE IN ENGLAND AND WALES IS UP FOR THE FOURTH YEAR IN A ROW

Politics

One of the most striking elements of the data is the ease with which people, especially young people, can obtain controlled drugs.

NOW THAT CANNABIS IS LEGAL, LET’S USE IT TO TACKLE THE OPIOID CRISIS

Politics

There’s growing evidence for the use of cannabis in treating opioid addiction. A study of found that those who used cannabis used opioids less often.

TEENAGE SEXTING LINKED TO INCREASED SEXUAL BEHAVIOR, DRUG USE AND POOR MENTAL HEALTH

Science

Researchers have found links between sexting and factors such as sexual activity, drugs and alcohol use and emotional health.

MILLENNIALS ARE $1 TRILLION IN DEBT BUT THEY’RE BETTER AT SAVING THAN PREVIOUS GENERATIONS

Economics, Politics

Millennials have racked up over US$1 trillion of debt. Yet, in comparison to previous generations this group is significantly more fiscally conservative.

THE AMAZON’S TALLEST TREE JUST GOT 50% TALLER – AND SCIENTISTS DON’T KNOW HOW

Science

The laser scanning technology that has enabled this and other recent mammoth tree discoveries isn’t just a plaything for tree lovers.

NEW YORK’S NEW RENTAL PROTECTIONS WON’T END THE OUTSIZE INFLUENCE OF BIG DEVELOPERS WHO PAY THE CITY’S BILLS

Politics

New York has the second most expensive rental market in the United States. More than half of all New Yorkers spend more than 30% of their income on housing.