You Don't Need a 'Doomsday Clock' When Every Day Is Doomsday

Animals should have the right to vote‚ according to a recent paper. Check your calendars – we promise it’s not April Fool’s Day yet. “The idea that animals should have the right to vote sounds preposterous‚” the paper begins‚ accurately summarizing most people’s thoughts upon reading that headline. But‚ author Ioan-Radu Motoarc goes on to argue‚ it may be worth a second look.Debates around the “personhood” of certain animals have raged for many years. In a world where an actual body of water was granted personhood status‚ the idea of the same protections being afforded to an orangutan or Pablo Escobar’s smuggled hippos quickly begin to sound less farfetched. Granting suffrage to animals might be considered a natural extension of these conversations. Motoarc clarifies that there is no suggestion of animals lining up two-by-two at the ballot box. Rather‚ the system would involve “appointed representatives casting votes on behalf of animals”. Again‚ there is a precedent for something like this: Some governments already allow representatives to stand up for the legal rights of animals‚ and individual animals have been named as plaintiffs in US federal lawsuits. In 2018‚ for example‚ the Animal Legal Defense Fund filed a lawsuit on behalf of an 8-year-old horse called Justice‚ seeking to recover medical costs and compensation from his owner Gwendolyn Vercher‚ who had previously pleaded guilty to criminal neglect. And there’s the famous case of Tilikum v. Sea World Parks &; Entertainment‚ Inc.‚ brought on behalf of an orca who became a household name after the damning documentary Blackfish shone a light on the controversial practice of holding the species in captivity.  In a similar way‚ Motoarc argues‚ animals could have their votes cast by a human proxy. But before you sit down with your pet cat to find out their opinions on government spending or foreign policy‚ you should know that Motoarc is suggesting animal voting be restricted to issues that directly impact them.“[A]nimal proxies would not be voting on bankruptcy reform or securities regulation‚ but could vote on issues like the mandatory size of chicken cages on industrial farms‚” the paper explains.  Underpinning this mildly farcical discussion is a serious point: the “all affected interests” principle‚ which states that everyone affected by the decisions of a government should have the right to participate in the political process.Unthinkable though it may be to many in the modern world‚ arguments for restricting voting rights solely to white male landowners used to sound reasonable‚ even obvious‚ to lots of people. Motoarc argues that having animals participate in our democracy “is a natural extension of our best theories concerning the constitution of a democratic community.”The paper makes the case that a lack of physical or mental competence to vote on the part of animals should not be a barrier. People with physical disabilities are not disenfranchised‚ so similar accommodations could be applied to animals. As to the competence question‚ Motoarc explains how that very quickly gets into tricky territory‚ and that any “test” of political competence risks “unjust treatment” of other groups‚ such as adults with intellectual disabilities who should retain the right to vote.Clearly‚ this is all very complex. Motoarc does not go so far as to designate which animals might be covered by the proposed voting system‚ and the whole thing would require extensive legal wrangling. Rest assured‚ no one is going to ask you to submit Fluffy’s vote along with your own in November’s presidential election. But in a year that will almost certainly see major political upheaval on both sides of the Atlantic‚ this paper certainly puts forward some intriguing arguments to consider. Ultimately‚ Motoarc says that “there is no way of satisfactorily showing that extending the franchise to animals would have worse electoral outcomes than the status quo.”So: Votes For Chickens? Stranger things have happened.The study is published in the journal Analysis.

The emergence of treponemal diseases‚ the unpleasant gang of illnesses that includes syphilis and yaws‚ has been a long-standing mystery that’s been hotly debated for decades. Thanks to a new study‚ the bodies of four prehistoric people found in Brazil have recently added an intriguing piece to the puzzle.Scientists at the University of Zürich have managed to get their hands on the oldest known genomes of Treponema pallidum bacteria from a set of prehistoric human remains found in Brazil. Dating to around 2‚000 years old‚ they're the oldest reconstructed ancient T. pallidum strains by more than 1‚000 years.The strains were obtained from human remains discovered at Jabuticabeira II in the Laguna region of Santa Catarina along the Brazilian coast. Among the many bodies discovered at the site‚ at least four individuals had been infected with a treponemal disease.Using advanced genomic techniques‚ the team managed to piece together and reconstruct the genomes of the T. pallidum bacteria that had infected them. These people would not have been suffering from venereal syphilis‚ the notorious sexually transmitted infection. There are three subspecies of T. pallidum‚ each of which causes a different disease: yaws‚ bejel‚ and syphilis.Analysis of the genomes indicates the bacteria were most closely related to the modern subspecies that causes bejel‚ also known as nonvenereal endemic syphilis‚ a condition that causes lesions of the skin and bones.Nevertheless‚ the research may help shed some light on the subspecies of T. pallidum bacteria that causes the sexually transmitted form of syphilis.“With molecular clock dating‚ one can illuminate the evolution of a species by calculating the divergence times of the whole T. pallidum family and the difference subspecies. With these calculations‚ we can see that the venereal syphilis-causing strains evolved later than the bejel-causing strains‚” Verena Schünemann‚ study author from the Institute of Evolutionary Medicine at the University of Zürich‚ told IFLScience.A cluster of skeletons infected with the pathogen at the Jabuticabeira II site.Image credit: Dr Jose Filippini“Now we have an idea that treponemal diseases were present in pre-Columbian America and can even identify the subspecies. Although we cannot yet uncover the origins of the venereal syphilis subspecies‚ it shows that other subspecies such as bejel-causing strains also played an important role in the past and need to be integrated into these theories‚” she added.Most crucially‚ the study shows unequivocal evidence that treponemal diseases were present in the Americas before European colonization. How they got here‚ however‚ remains unclear. Maybe T. pallidum originated here in the Americas through a local zoonotic spillover or perhaps it was brought over from Eurasia during the early human migrations into the Americas. When looking at the global spread of syphilis‚ the best known of all treponemal diseases‚ it’s often assumed that the crew who sailed with Christopher Columbus brought the bacteria back to Europe in the late 15th century after colonizing the Americas and “intermingling” with the locals. The first documented outbreak of syphilis occurred in 1495 CE when the army of France’s Charles VIII fell sick with the bug during an invasion of Naples. While it might seem that evidence of treponemal disease in pre-Columbian America affirms this theory‚ the researchers' previous work on T. pallidum strains in Early Modern Europe suggests the opposite: the T. pallidum family was likely to be lurking across the world long before Columbus set foot in America. “The existence of a treponemal disease in prehistoric South America and the resulting molecular clock dating of the divergence time of the Treponema pallidum family (12‚000-550 BCE) suggests that the bacterial family had already spread globally in pre-contact times or emerged on the American continent‚” Schünemann explained.“Based on these results we cannot favor one of the two options. However‚ if we also take previous studies into account‚ like the huge diversity of three different T. pallidum lineages that we found in 15th-17th century Europe‚ it seems to be more likely that the bacterial family [was] already prevalent globally before Columbus sailed to the Americas‚” she concluded.The study is published in the journal Nature.

Tables get dull pretty quickly. Sure they may have a nice pattern on them‚ or be made of some particularly fancy wood‚ but once you've seen one‚ you've basically seen them all. Just variation after variation of the "big flat thing on top of some legs" model which hasn't really changed since we first started using them.But spend long enough on the Internet and you will see the fancy design – known as a Tensegrity Table – somehow kept upright despite no obvious lifting from legs.           IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.     The tables are not held up by magic‚ so what is keeping them upright? And would they be of any practical use? As you'll have intuited at some point‚ string  or malleable wires are not great for pushing. Nobody has ever asked somebody else to "grab that string and help me give this a push"‚ because of the obvious inherent floppiness of string. These tables are kept upright by the pulling of the string in tension. The tables work with string‚ paper and harder wires too‚ though they can only lift what the string is capable of lifting before it will break.          The four wires or strings placed at the corners of the tables are there for overall stability‚ rather than to provide any upwards force to keep the table upright. The easiest way to see what is keeping it up is to imagine the four strings are removed. If you were to keep the table in the same position and push down evenly (and not too hard to break the wire or string) it would remain where it was‚ and you can see why; you are simply pulling on the string between the two solid arms‚ preventing you from moving it downwards further."Two wires that are attached to the bottom and one to the top [...] provide compression resistance‚" Jerry explains on the YouTube channel funbygum. "The wires are in compression and the center string is in tension. These three components provide the support between the top and the bottom."While awesome‚ they are not exactly practical‚ their strength being dictated by the string‚ and are unstable to boot."My table legs are simply string in tension that provide mechanical integrity. Of course this table had to be put together and fine-tuned so this so that the string tension is the same all the way around otherwise the table would sway and slope‚" he added‚  "because of unequal tension from one side to the other."

Of the many alternative ways the universe might end‚ nothing is as scary as "false vacuum decay". This scenario is based on the idea that a fundamental field in the universe is not at its lowest possible state. Under that “false” stable region‚ our own universe has grown. The field might spontaneously jump into a more stable value‚ creating a bubble that wipes out all reality.We don’t know enough about the field in question – the Higgs field that gives mass to everything – to know how likely this is as a possibility. False vacuum decay is when a not-stable state turns into a true stable state‚ though In general‚ there’s a lot we don't understand about how this bubble formation works‚ especially experimentally. Now‚ a group of Italian experimentalists and British theoreticians have produced the first experimental evidence of vacuum decay."Vacuum decay is thought to play a central role in the creation of space‚ time‚ and matter in the Big Bang‚ but until now there has been no experimental test‚" explained Ian Moss‚ Professor of Theoretical Cosmology at Newcastle University. "In particle physics‚ vacuum decay of the Higgs boson would alter the laws of physics‚ producing what has been described as the 'ultimate ecological catastrophe'."            For the first time‚ scientists have observed the bubbles forming in a controlled atmoic system. The analogous setup they used for the false vacuum scenario was a supercooled vapor at a temperature less than a millionth of a degree from absolute zero. This is a metastable state‚ which means that it's not the most stable configuration but it could stay like that for an indefinite amount of time. You can picture it as a little valley on the side of a hill. The lower energy state is at the bottom but this little dent could work for a while.In quantum mechanics‚ things don’t even have to have the extra energy to get out of the little valley. They can simply tunnel and decay to the lowest energy state. In the analogous setup‚ thermal effects work similarly‚ leading to the formation of a bubble. The bubble expands leading the system into its lowest energy state‚ akin to the true vacuum."Using the power of ultracold atom experiments to simulate analogs of quantum physics in other systems—in this case‚ the early universe itself—is a very exciting area of research at the moment‚" co-author Dr Tom Billam‚ also at Newcastle‚ added.The team's goal is to push the temperature of the system closer and closer to absolute zero. Under those conditions‚ the thermal effects will become less relevant but the quantum effects should appear‚ delivering a more accurate analogous to the false vacuum decay.The study is published in Nature Physics.

Here at IFLScience‚ we love some good animal news – and today‚ it comes in the form of Ariel the cocker spaniel. Born with multiple birth defects and abandoned at 11 weeks old‚ Ariel was then rescued and has now successfully received surgery that removed her two extra limbs‚ giving her a bright future ahead.Ariel was discovered in a supermarket car park in Pembrokeshire‚ Wales‚ back in October 2023. Taken in by Greenacres Rescue‚ a trip to the vet revealed that the dog had an extra vulva and two additional legs that had partially fused together. Further CT scans also showed that Ariel was missing her right kidney.“Due to having two hip joints on one side‚ Ariel's pelvis never formed properly. As a result her normal back right leg had virtually no muscle tone‚” Mikey Lawlor‚ founder and manager of Greenacres Rescue‚ told the BBC.The way Ariel’s back legs had fused is what led to her being named after The Little Mermaid – the staff at the vets thought that the legs resembled a mermaid’s tail. However‚ the extra legs were not functional‚ and it was decided that she would require surgery.The mermaid pup was still able to enjoy walks before surgery‚ trying to build up strength.Image credit: Greenacres RescueAfter a fundraising appeal raised around £15‚000 ($19‚000) towards the procedure‚ the surgery was successfully carried out at Langford Vets Small Animal Hospital last Thursday. According to a press release from the University of Bristol‚ which owns Langford Vets‚ the complexity of the procedure meant that it required a wide range of specialists‚ including soft tissue‚ radiology‚ and anesthesia teams.Before the surgery‚ there were initial concerns that Ariel’s back right leg would also have to be removed‚ but thankfully this was not the case. “Great care was taken not to damage any of the nerves or blood vessels to the right hindlimb that was being preserved to ensure this remained as functional as possible‚” reads the statement.The next step for Ariel is recovery‚ but it seems the young pup is already doing well. "The next day she was up‚ walking around and eating and drinking‚” said Lawlor. "Now we just need to keep our fingers crossed she doesn't get any infections‚ but she really is in the best hands."Here's Ariel after surgery‚ cozied up after a long day of being adorable.Image credit: Greenacres RescueA long stretch of physiotherapy will also be involved – this aims to build up muscle mass and strength in Ariel’s right back leg. After that‚ it’s hoped she’ll finally get to her “fur-ever” home‚ and from what Lawlor has said‚ we don’t think there’ll be any problems with that."The response we've had to Ariel's story so far‚ including calls and emails from as far away as New York and Australia‚ has been incredible – so I've no doubt she'll be snapped up.”

UAPs‚ or Unidentified Aerial Phenomena‚ have been a hot topic of discussion ever since the US government released a report on the subject in June 2023. The report acknowledged that there were many cases of military personnel encountering mysterious objects in the sky that defied conventional explanation‚ but did not offer any definitive answers as to what they were or where they came from. One of the most intriguing types of UAPs reported by the military are spherical objects that appear to hover or maneuver without any visible means of propulsion. These objects have been sighted over several US military bases along the East Coast‚ as well as over the ocean near naval vessels. Some experts have speculated that these objects could be advanced technology from a foreign adversary‚ such as China or Russia‚ that is spying on US military activities. One of them is Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick‚ who used to head the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office at the US Department of Defense. This office was responsible for investigating and analyzing UAP incidents and reporting them to the Pentagon. Right is Pheh‚ Kyi Hla Win‚ et al. drone and left is Flyability drone Dr. Kirkpatrick said that he believes some of the spherical UAPs could be high-tech Chinese drones that are designed to evade detection and surveillance. He pointed out that there are existing drone prototypes that resemble metallic spheres and can fly autonomously or remotely. One example is a drone developed by researchers from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore in 2022. The drone‚ called GimBall‚ has a spherical cage around it that protects it from collisions and allows it to roll on the ground or bounce off walls. The drone can also adjust its orientation and fly in any direction. Another example is a drone made by Flyability‚ a Swiss company that specializes in drones for industrial inspection. The drone‚ called Elios‚ has a similar spherical design that enables it to access confined spaces and fly close to obstacles. The drone has a camera and sensors inside that transmit live video and data to the operator. Dr. Kirkpatrick suggested that these drones could be modified or scaled up by the Chinese military to create UAP-like devices that can spy on US bases or ships. He said that these drones could have stealth features‚ such as radar-absorbing materials or electronic jamming‚ that make them hard to track or identify. However‚ not everyone agrees with Dr. Kirkpatrick’s theory. Some critics have argued that there is no evidence that China has such technology or that it is using it against the US. They have also pointed out that some of the UAP sightings involve objects that perform maneuvers or exhibit characteristics that are beyond the capabilities of any known drone. For instance‚ some UAPs have been reported to accelerate at incredible speeds‚ change direction abruptly‚ fly underwater‚ or disappear suddenly. These phenomena are hard to explain by conventional physics or aerodynamics and suggest that there is something more mysterious at play. The post Are Chinese drones behind some UAP sightings? appeared first on Anomalien.com.

On Friday‚ former NFL player Ben Watson spoke at the 51st annual March for Life. The former NFL player has been vocal about his pro-life values and convictions in the past‚ and on the 19th‚ provided advice to the audience on how to build a culture of life. March for Life shared a segment of Watson’s speech on Tuesday and pointed out Watson’s four main points on how to “change culture.” How to build a culture of life: 1. Men fight for your families 2. Civic leaders legislate for life and justice 3. Frontline workers and pregnancy resource centers know that every encounter you have isn’t about saving one child‚ but generations 4. Young people be leaders that are… pic.twitter.com/IF7oVplwgu — March for Life (@March_for_Life) January 23‚ 2024 He’s right. In order to facilitate an actually just nation‚ we need to start with our most vulnerable population‚ the unborn.  His last point was especially important for the crowd where thousands of students and young people gathered to hear more about their specific role in the pro-life movement. Related: Former NFL Player Ben Watson: Life Has Value From 'The Moment of Conception’ In a nation where it’s become so popular and “trendy” to support progressive ideologies‚ the left tries everything they can to make young people fighting for life the anomalies. Bullies online attack pro-life young people for their Christian values and often‚ protestors throw signs and scream profanities at pro-life young people to push back against their views. But what did Jesus do when he was rejected for his ministry? He kept pushing on.  That’s what Watson’s charge was: to be unashamed and keep leading the pro-life movement‚ regardless of rejection or persecution. This isn’t the first time that Watson has been outspoken about his pro-life stance. In June‚ Watson spoke at The Heritage Foundation about how life has value from the “moment of conception.” Watson also released a book last year called “The New Fight for Life: Roe‚ Race &; a Pro-Life Commitment to Justice.” In the book‚ Watson talks about different tactics in order to “stand for life for everyone who bears the image of God‚ from womb to tomb‚” especially now that Roe is overturned. Additionally‚ back in 2021‚ Watson‚ at the 48th annual March for Life‚ emphasized the same point he made this year. He encouraged young pro-lifers to “be bold!” In sum‚ it's great to see a celebrity stand firm in his values and convictions and encourage others to do the same. Follow us on Twitter/X: "Murder is perfectly fine." A pro-abortion lunatic said the quiet part out loud at the March for Life. @tierin_rosepic.twitter.com/Buhz4oKa7S — MRCTV (@mrctv) January 22‚ 2024

Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci told NBC News Tuesday that the airline found “loose bolts on many” of its Boeing planes following an in-house inspection.Earlier this month‚ an Alaska Airlines flight from Portland International Airport to Ontario‚ California‚ was forced to make an emergency landing after a panel on the Boeing 737 Max 9 plane blew out mid-flight‚ Blaze News previously reported. The plane was transporting 171 passengers and six crew members.Miraculously‚ no one was seated next to the panel. Minicucci noted that there were only seven open seats on the aircraft at the time of the incident.“We had a guardian angel‚ honestly‚ on that airplane‚” Minicucci told NBC News. As a result of the incident‚ the Federal Aviation Administration grounded all Boeing Max 9 airplanes. The agency is conducting a safety investigation and an audit of Boeing’s production line and suppliers.FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker told CNBC that the agency is “visually inspecting the aircraft” as it goes through Boeing’s factory to ensure quality control.“We’re shifting from more of an audit approach to a direct inspection approach‚” Whitaker remarked.Following recent in-house inspections‚ Alaska Airlines found many of its planes had loose bolts. “We found some loose bolts on many of our Max 9s‚” Minicucci stated. “Those are things that are going to be rectified through the inspection process.”“I’m more than frustrated and disappointed‚” he continued. “I am angry. This happened to Alaska Airlines. It happened to our guests and happened to our people. And — my demand on Boeing is what are they going to do to improve their quality programs in-house.”Alaska Airlines is sending auditors to examine Boeing’s quality control systems‚ Minicucci noted.“I knew that this was an issue out of the [Boeing] factory‚” he added. “And it’s clear to me that we received an airplane from Boeing with a faulty door. Now the [National Transportation Safety Board] investigation is going to figure out why that was a faulty door‚ whether it was bad installation‚ missing hardware‚ a manufacturing issue‚ but there’s no doubt that Alaska received an airplane off the production line with a faulty door.”United Airlines has also found loose bolts on its Max 9 airplanes. “We have let down our airline customers and are deeply sorry for the significant disruption to them‚ their employees and their passengers‚” Boeing said in a statement to NBC News. “We are taking action on a comprehensive plan to bring these airplanes safely back to service and to improve our quality and delivery performance. We will follow the lead of the FAA and support our customers every step of the way.”Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Approximately 70% of New Hampshire primary voters who supported former United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley (R) were not registered Republicans‚ according to a Tuesday CNN exit poll.The poll revealed that only 27% of Haley voters were Republican‚ and another 3% were not registered with any party before the primary on Tuesday. Seven in ten of Haley's voters were "undeclared."In contrast‚ 70% of former President Donald Trump's (R) New Hampshire supporters were registered Republicans‚ and approximately 27% were undeclared.According to the New Hampshire Secretary of State‚ undeclared voters are allowed to vote in primary presidential elections‚ but they must choose either Democratic or Republican when showing up to submit their ballot. Before leaving the polling place‚ they may "fill out a card or sign a list to return to undeclared status with the supervisors of the checklist."On Tuesday evening‚ ABC reporter Eva Pilgrim applauded undeclared voters for showing up to vote for Haley‚ MRC NewsBusters reported. She noted that South Carolina and 11 Super Tuesday states also hold open primaries."Those independent‚ those undeclared voters waiting in line feeling like they needed to do this‚ that they needed to participate in this primary. So many people we talked to‚ while they were waiting in line to go into those polling sites‚ told us that here in New Hampshire‚ they really take this job seriously. And they recognize that they're the first in the nation primary and that they are the ones who decide the whole thing‚" Pilgrim stated."In South Carolina‚ anyone can vote in that primary as long they haven't voted in the Democratic primary. So‚ [Haley's] really hoping to pull those independent‚ those more moderate voters‚ those people who just don't want to vote for Trump again. And then look into Super Tuesday‚ 11 of those Super Tuesday states are open primaries or semi-open primaries‚ and she's hoping for that same game plan again‚" she added.The CNN exit poll also revealed that 83% of Haley voters think President Joe Biden (D) "legitimately won" the 2020 presidential race‚ while only 17% of Trump voters agreed. Despite Democratic and independent voters boosting Haley's New Hampshire Republican primary results‚ Trump still secured a roughly 11-point victory on Tuesday evening‚ according to the Associated Press.Last week‚ Haley came in third behind Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) in the Iowa caucuses. Trump received 51% of the vote‚ the AP reported.A recent Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll revealed that 43% of Haley supporters would vote for Biden over Trump‚ while only 23% said they would favor Trump‚ Blaze News previously reported. Over half of Haley's backers said it would be impossible for Trump to win against Biden.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!