We could soon be living in an apres-ski world if global temperatures continue to soar‚ according to the findings of a study. After analyzing the expected future precipitation at more than 2‚000 European ski resorts under different climate eventualities‚ the authors found that more than half will experience a severe lack of snow if temperatures rise 2°C (3.6°F) above pre-industrial levels.Using “state-of-the-art reanalyses and climate projections of the snow cover reliability and a detailed inventory of ski resort locations in Europe‚” the researchers found that 53 percent of Europe’s winter sports hotspots face a very high risk of low snowfall if this critical threshold is breached. A temperature increase of 4°C (7.2°F)‚ meanwhile‚ would lead to a lack of snowfall at 98 percent of resorts.Europe is currently the largest global winter sports tourism market‚ with around 60 percent of the world’s skiers slaloming down the continent’s slopes. During the 2019 season - the last before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted international travel - this equated to 209 million visitors and more than 30 billion euros in revenues.However‚ some of the region’s most popular destinations could soon have little to offer visitors in the winter. For instance‚ 89 percent of ski resorts in the Pyrenees - which straddle the border between France and Spain - face a very high risk of low snowfall at two degrees of warming.In this case‚ “low snowfall” equates to the amount of snow experienced in the worst 20 percent of seasons between 1961 and 1990‚ while “very high risk” means that any given season has at least a 50 percent chance of experiencing these conditions. Assuming a 2°C (3.6°F) increase in global temperatures‚ the researchers calculate that 80 percent of resorts along the French-Swiss border will fall into this category‚ compared with just a third of those in the French Alps.To mitigate the problem and keep the pistes open‚ the study authors suggest that resorts increase their production of artificial snow. This involves spraying water into the air so that it freezes before falling to the ground.If artificial snow can be used to cover 50 percent of all skiing areas‚ then the researchers calculate that the percentage of European resorts facing severe snow shortages could be reduced to 27 percent. In the Alps and Pyrenees‚ this figure could be as low as seven and nine percent respectively.However‚ at 4°C (7.2°F) of warming‚ the same quantity of artificial snow would be far less effective‚ leaving 71 percent of resorts at very high risk of low coverage.The study is published in the journal Nature Climate Change.[H/T The Conversation]

Venus is truly an odd twin of Earth. Despite its similar size‚ the planet has such a thick‚ hot atmosphere that it would crush you and cook you if you were to stand on its surface. And the space oddities don’t end there. As all the other planets spin anticlockwise on their axes‚ Venus spins clockwise. It’s like it is upside down compared to the other major players in the Solar System. The reason is unclear‚ but a new proposal sees Venus capturing and then destroying a moon.Earth is also affected by its own Moon. The Moon has stabilized and slowed down the planet's rotation. In the case of Venus‚ this new‚ hypothetical moon did even more than that. Researchers Valeri Makarov at the United States Naval Observatory in Washington DC‚ and Alexey Goldin at Teza Technologies in Chicago‚ want us to cast our eyes back to near the beginning of the Solar System. It was a time when the rocky planets had assembled most of their mass‚ but there were still plenty of building blocks hanging about.From these‚ a planetesimal could have been captured by Venus. The research duo looked at hundreds of thousands of simulations and found scenarios that they deem both possible‚ and with the power to explain the properties of Venus today. First of all‚ the moon capture would have been retrograde. This means that was going around Venus in the opposite direction. The assumption is that Venus at that point was spinning in the same direction as the other planets.The motion of this moon would have created tides that slowed down Venus's spin‚ as long as the moon could stick around for over 10‚000 years. This is easier said than done. Holding on to a moon‚ it would have been difficult for Venus to be so close to the Sun. And this is true whether it captured one or whether it formed from a major impact‚ like our own Moon. The captured moon in the scenario was kept thanks to the presence of material around Venus that removed orbital energy. But this comes at a cost.The frequent collisions‚ the tides‚ and the orbital motion eventually brought the moon too close to the planet. The gravity of Venus broke the moon apart‚ and its broken remains eventually fell down on the world below. The team called the moon Neith. Giovanni Cassini‚ the discoverer of Titan and the rings of Saturn‚ is believed to have seen such a moon around Venus‚ and for a few centuries people reported the presence of this hypothetical object. It's likely they were seeing stars that had serendipitously appeared near the planet.The scenario is not the only one that set out to explain why Venus orbits the way it does: a backward day‚ from our point of view‚ and extremely slowly. It takes about 243 Earth days for Venus to do a single pirouette on its axis. Other suggestions for the weird spin relate to gravitational interactions with the Sun‚ the effects of its thick atmosphere‚ and a major impact‚ similar to the one that forced Uranus to orbit on its side.The study is published in the journal Universe.[H/T: New Scientist]

So-called Odd Radio Circles (ORCs) are the products of vast outflows of gas from galaxies generating stars at a phenomenal rate. A team of astronomers have concluded supernovae within those galaxies are pumping out enormous winds‚ with the ORCs as the end product. That might have been the explanation all along‚ had it not been for the mind-blowing size of this phenomenon‚ which led to the idea initially being considered unlikely.Until recently‚ radio telescopes could only focus effectively on small areas of the sky at a time. Anything too big became effectively invisible. Instead of photographing random patches of sky‚ as we have done with optical telescopes‚ there has been a tendency to focus on places where results from other wavelengths lead us to expect to find something.That changed with the building of the Murchison Wide Field Array and the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP)‚ which capture such large areas that broad surveys become possible. In 2020‚ astronomers using the ASKAP discovered large‚ roughly circular areas of the sky are emitting at similar wavelengths. After satisfying themselves these were not a result of equipment error‚ but not coming up with any other satisfactory explanation‚ the discoverers called them ORCs. The name is accurate‚ reminiscent of Middle Earth‚ and doesn’t contain any guesses about the cause that might turn out to be wrong. It’s also less likely to offend than WTF‚ which was the first effort.Back then one of the discoverers‚ Professor Ray Norris of Western Sydney University told IFLScience‚ “We don’t see circles like this any other way‚ except supernova remnants. And these are no supernova remnants.”According to a newly published paper‚ however‚ that is exactly what they are.Norris and the rest of the team who found the ORCs thought they couldn’t be supernova remnants because they were too big. All the ORCs we have found have quite distant galaxies near their centers‚ and many exist too far from the galactic plane to be likely to be part of the Milky Way. However‚ given their angular size‚ if they really do originate from these galaxies then ORCs are so large they bend the minds of even the sort of people who bend others’ minds with scale for a living. Powerful as supernovae are‚ they shouldn’t be able to create blast radii millions of light-years wide.However‚ according to Professor Alison Coil of the University of California‚ San Diego and co-authors‚ what one supernova can’t do‚ many working together can.Starburst galaxies produce stars‚ often very massive ones‚ at a rate many times greater than the Milky Way. The more massive a star‚ the shorter its life‚ and if the mass is greater than eight solar masses it ends as a supernova. Consequently‚ any galaxy that has been in a starburst phase for tens of millions of years has plenty of exploding stars. Although there may be years between each bang‚ by astronomical standards these explosions almost coincide.That‚ according to Coil‚ accelerates winds carrying gas equal to 200 times the mass of the Sun to 2‚000 kilometers per second (4‚500‚000 mph or almost 1 percent of light speed). That’s enough to push some of the gas out beyond the stars’ galaxy. Electrons stripped from the gas go even further.ORCs’ other original odd feature was that initially no one could find any sign of them at wavelengths short enough to be viewed by other types of telescopes. Coil decided to keep trying‚ and used the Keck Observatory to examine ORC 4. She found a high concentration of hot‚ very compressed ionized gas out to a distance of about 130‚000 light-years from the central galaxy. That’s only about a 10th of the distance at which the radio waves have been detected‚ but provides a possible source for the electrons thought to be producing those radio emissions.Like all large galaxies‚ this one is the product of galactic mergers. Unlike the Milky Way‚ however‚ Coil and co-authors think it was formed from two galaxies of similar size‚ rather than a series of smaller ones being consumed. “The merger pushes all the gas into a very small region‚ which causes an intense burst of star formation. Massive stars burn out quickly and when they die‚ they expel their gas as outflowing winds‚” Coil said in a statement. Eventually‚ galaxies run out of the material to form new stars. “There was a burst of star formation in this galaxy‚ but it ended roughly a billion years ago‚” Coil said. Simulations run by team member Dr Cassandra Lochhaas of the Harvard &; Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics indicate rings produced by the gas outflow can last for 750 million years. Within this ring‚ cooler gas collapses back on the galaxy. The mismatch in time suggests there is still work to do‚ but the explanation may be approximately right.     “To make this work you need a high-mass outflow rate‚ meaning it’s ejecting a lot of material very quickly. And the surrounding gas just outside the galaxy has to be low density‚ otherwise the shock stalls. These are the two key factors‚” said Coil. The combination is so rare‚ only five ORCs have so far been found.The study is published in Nature.

At some point‚ perhaps during a terrible business seminar run by an '80s guy‚ you may have come across the story of a boiled frog.According to the story‚ if you place a frog directly into boiling water it will jump out immediately‚ but if you place it in cold water and slowly raise the temperature it will not notice and remain in the water until it is boiled to death. It is used as a way of telling people to be wary of getting used to an unusual or urgent situation slowly‚ not noticing the danger that you are in‚ or by business people who have glossed over the "frog's dead" aspect to say you have to introduce change slowly if you want to be successful.But is this really a thing? Have people actually sat around boiling frog after frog to find out?The answer to that latter question‚ unfortunately‚ is kinda.      IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.In the 19th Century‚ several different scientists did attempt to answer this bizarre question. The first was actually attempting to find the location of Kermit's soul (or frog souls‚ anyway) by comparing how healthy and brainless frogs reacted to being placed in boiling water. Freidrich Leopold Goltz cut out frogs’ cerebral hemispheres‚ leaving them (Goltz believed) with just a small part in tact. With a little left‚ the frogs would react when being poked‚ swim when placed in water‚ and right themselves when placed mercilessly on their backs.When Goltz raised the temperature slowly‚ healthy frogs attempted to jump out of the water at 42°C (108°F) but were boiled alive anyway‚ as the experiment setup didn't allow for frogs to escape being boiled alive. The brainless frogs‚ meanwhile‚ remained in the water making little movement until the water reached 56°C (133°F)‚ at which point they began making twitching movements.Science is all about replication‚ and boiling frogs to death is‚ for some reason‚ no exception. Several others attempted to boil frogs at various speeds‚ and with various degrees of compassion towards the frogs. One‚ Heinzmann‚ who took the trouble of placing the frogs on a small cork platform so that the frog was partially submerged but could escape‚ found that he was able to gently heat the frogs on several occasions up to 37.5°C (100°F) without them hopping away. He didn't go beyond this point‚ as trials before the experiment had convinced him this was the temperature at which frogs became paralyzed before they boiled to death.Several others were able to do the same with some frogs‚ though results varied by how fast the temperature of the water was raised. Of course‚ this doesn't mean that the idea is correct. The setup of the experiment could have prevented the frogs from escaping‚ or the temperature of the water could have risen too fast for the frogs to make any meaningful attempt to escape. Modern experiments have not found the same things."The legend is entirely incorrect!" Victor Hutchinson‚ now Research Professor Emeritus of Biology at the University of Oklahoma‚ told Whit Gibbons of the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory at the University of Georgia. "The 'critical thermal maxima' of many species of frogs have been determined by several investigators. In this procedure‚ the water in which a frog is submerged is heated gradually at about 2 degrees Fahrenheit [1°C] per minute. As the temperature of the water is gradually increased‚ the frog will eventually become more and more active in attempts to escape the heated water. If the container size and opening allow the frog to jump out‚ it will do so."Which doesn't make quite as good an analogy‚ but is‚ at least‚ more scientifically accurate.

Kingo‚ one of the world’s most beloved lowland gorillas who inspired three decades of conservation‚ has sadly passed away at the grand old (estimated) age of 45. His body was found in Djéké Triangle Forest‚ Republic of Congo‚ on December 26‚ 2023‚ and his death is believed to be related to his advanced age.The elderly ape was something of an icon‚ having gained international fame after being featured in articles from the BBC‚ National Geographic‚ and‚ of course‚ IFLScience. His conservation credentials include inspiring the protection of his home – Congo’s Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park – and all of its wildlife‚ something that his legacy will undoubtedly continue to do.   “Kingo’s legacy is immense‚” said Jancy Boungou‚ a research assistant for the Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS's) Mondika Gorilla‚ who followed Kingo until his last days‚ in a statement seen by IFLScience. “He has always inspired me and my colleagues to protect gorillas and the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park.”Kingo first captured people’s hearts in the 1990s when researchers based in New York began studying him to gain insight into Western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)‚ which were‚ at that time‚ one of the least understood great apes. Thanks to Kingo’s distinctive bark‚ his group could be located‚ and so began the world’s decades-long fascination with him. Since then‚ more than a dozen documentaries and almost 50 scientific articles have included Kingo‚ who is named after the Ba’aka expression “kingo ya bol锂 which means “he who has a loud voice”.The WCS took over research into the species in 2006.“Kingo has enabled a better understanding [of] Western lowland gorilla ecology and behavior; and‚ through tourism‚ created a pathway to sustainable livelihoods for Indigenous Peoples and local communities in the area‚” said WCS’s Ben Evans‚ Director of Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park.RIP to a real one.Image credit: ©Scott RamseyWestern lowland gorillas are listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN‚ meaning conservation efforts‚ such as those sparked by Kingo‚ are vital. In his time‚ Kingo also inspired efforts to protect other wildlife in the national park‚ which includes more gorilla species‚ as well as forest elephants‚ chimpanzees‚ bongo‚ and sitatunga.At 45‚ Kingo had a relatively long life for a gorilla. In the wild‚ they usually live for around 35-40 years‚ although they can live longer in captivity‚ sometimes for over 50 years. But it wasn’t just his longevity or contribution to conservation that were noteworthy:“Even by gorilla standards‚ Kingo was a physically impressive silverback with massive arms and broad shoulders that powered his confident swagger through the dense forests of the Congo Basin‚” added David Morgan‚ Director of the Goualougo Triangle Ape Project‚ which has supported WCS efforts for more than 10 years. “Generations of silverbacks have visited those same trees over hundreds of years‚ but it is unlikely that any were as successful in their tenure as Kingo.”

Today‚ January 8 (at 7:18 am UT) Astrobotic launched its Peregrine Mission One towards the Moon‚ the first US mission to land on the Moon in 50 years. It is the third private company attempting to reach our natural satellite and the first one from the US. However‚ the company has since announced that an anomaly has occurred that may prevent it from landing on the Moon.In the first statement on X (formerly Twitter)‚ Astrobotic explains the spacecraft's solar panels are no longer pointing stably at the Sun. It has since released a second statement explaining that the source of the anomaly is believed to be in the propulsion system. Astrobotic explains that if this is confirmed‚ the mission won't be able to soft-land on the Moon. In the same message‚ they report that the batteries of the spacecraft are low and that they experienced a loss of communication after a maneuver was attempted to reorient the solar panels toward the Sun.        IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.Engineers are working to solve the situation and it is not clear what the fate of this mission will be. It was envisioned as the first American return to lunar soil in 50 years and‚ while a private mission‚ it had involvement from NASA and many other institutions. It carries 21 payloads ranging from experiments to human remains from private company Celestis. The latter has been mired in controversy as many people objected to the "burial" of people on the Moon. There is no regulation on what can and cannot be sent to the Moon. In fact‚ the mission also carries some cryptocurrency-themed payloads‚ as well as a piece of Mount Everest. The other two commercial missions that attempted a soft landing on the Moon were from Israel and Japan and both of them crash-landed on the gray world above our heads.This is an ongoing story and will be updated when more information is available.

In the hustle and bustle of everyday life‚ a heartwarming story emerges‚ standing out like a beacon of love and determination. This tale is about Betsy‚ a woman whose love for her lost dog‚ Harley‚ sparked an incredible 1‚100-mile journey. More than just a reunion‚ it’s a celebration of the unbreakable bond between a pet... The post Owner can’t contain emotions when she reunites with lost dog after 8 long years apart appeared first on Animal Channel.

At the 2004 Democratic National Convention‚ Illinois State Sen. Barack Obama said: “There is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America -- there’s the United States of America... We are one people...” After announcing his candidacy for president‚ Sen. Obama appeared on “60 Minutes”: “60 Minutes”: “You think the country’s ready for a black president?” Obama: “Yes.” “60 Minutes”: “You don’t think it’s going to hold you back?” Obama: “No. I think if I don’t win this race‚ it will be because of other factors. It will be because I have not shown the American people a vision for where the country needs to go that they can embrace.” Polls offered support for Obama’s optimism. The 2008 principal primary candidates for the Republicans were Arizona Sen. John McCain and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. For Democrats‚ the candidates were Obama and Hillary Clinton. A 2007 Gallup poll found that 42% of Americans said they would not vote for someone of McCain’s age. Twenty-four percent said they would not vote for a Mormon‚ Romney’s religion. As for Clinton‚ 11% said they would not vote for a woman. Just 5% said they would not vote for a black person. Shortly after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964‚ an optimistic Rev. Martin Luther King said‚ “Frankly‚ I have seen certain changes in the United States over the last two years that have surprised me.” He said‚ “We might be able to get a Negro president in less than forty years.” Fast forward to 2008. Even those who voted against Obama nevertheless felt his victory made a profound statement about the country. Polls showed both blacks and whites expected “race relations” to improve. But after Obama’s eight years in office‚ both blacks and whites thought race relations got worse. What happened? From the beginning of Obama’s presidency until its end‚ the man America’s considered a unifier played one race card after another. He enraged American law enforcement by falsely accusing a white Cambridge police officer of “acting stupidly.” He implied the officer was racially motivated when he gave to a reasonable and lawful order to a black Harvard professor‚ who resisted it. When black Florida teenager Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by a self-appointed neighborhood watchman‚ Obama said‚ “If I had a son‚ he’d look like Trayvon.” The jury found the defendant not guilty‚ and the jurors said race played no role in the encounter. But Obama‚ who later embraced Black Lives Matter‚ again advanced the false narrative of anti-black “systemic racism.” Never mind studies showing cops more reluctant‚ more hesitant to pull the trigger on a black suspect than a white suspect. In an interview‚ the man who said he would not blame race if he lost the election said: “The legacy of slavery‚ Jim Crow‚ discrimination in almost every institution of our lives -- you know‚ that casts a long shadow‚ and that’s still part of our DNA that’s passed on. We’re not cured of it. ... Racism -- we are not cured of it.” Obama invited the race-hustling Al Sharpton to the White House over 70 times. Obama’s Attorney General Eric Holder complained of America’s “pernicious racism‚” giving as an example voter ID. In Obama’s second term‚ a black man motivated by the Obama-promoted police anti-black narrative murdered two NYPD cops as they sat in their squad car. In Baton Rouge‚ another black man driven by the same narrative ambushed and murdered three police officers. In Dallas‚ another black man influenced by this narrative ambushed and murdered five police officers. There is a straight line between Obama’s rhetoric and the months of the deadly‚ costly 2020 Black Lives Matter/George Floyd protests. Never mind that the lead prosecutor‚ a black man‚ never argued the officer-defendant was racially motivated‚ and the officer was not charged with a hate crime. Obama‚ post-presidency‚ still fans the flames of race and identity division. Less than two years ago‚ the man America hired as a uniter said: “I have little sympathy for reactionaries who cynically condemn identity politics or cancel culture when really all they’re doing is trying to preserve existing privilege or excuse entrenched injustice‚ or bigotry.” Thanks‚ Obama. Larry Elder is a bestselling author and nationally syndicated radio talk show host. To find out more about Larry Elder or become an “Elderado‚” visit www.LarryElder.com. Follow Larry on Twitter @larryelder. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists‚ visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.

A female basketball player and her coach in New York have been kicked off the team after they reportedly made anti-Semitic comments against the opposing team during a game last week. The opposing team was a private Jewish school.The incident was revealed in a statement made by the school system and mayor of Yonkers‚ New York‚ according to CNN. The investigation into the situation is ongoing‚ and more people could be involved than was initially thought. — (@) Yonkers Public Schools Interim Superintendent Luis Rodriguez and Mayor Mike Spano released a statement on Sunday‚ saying‚ “The Yonkers Public Schools along with the City of Yonkers sincerely apologize to the students and community of the Leffell School for the painful and offensive comments made to their women’s basketball team during a recent game with Roosevelt High School- Early College Studies."“Collectively‚ we do not and will not tolerate hate speech of any kind from our students and community. The antisemitic rhetoric reportedly made against the student athletes of The Leffell School are abhorrent‚ inappropriate and not in line with the values we set forth for our young people.”The game in question was between the girls' varsity teams from the Leffell School and Roosevelt High School Early College Studies. During the third quarter of the game‚ a number of the Leffell School players were injured in what was referred to as "the other team's physical style of play‚" according to an op-ed published at the Jewish school's student-run newspaper‚ the Lion's Roar.The Leffell School decided to end the game early‚ as players from Roosevelt High School allegedly spewed "antisemitic slurs and curses at us."“Attacking a team because of their school’s religious association is never acceptable‚ but especially due to the current war in Israel and the world’s rise in antisemitism‚ this felt extremely personal to me and many members of my team‚” the op-ed continued.Anti-Semitism has been on the rise since Hamas launched a surprise attack against the Jewish state on October 7‚ murdering 1‚200 Israelis and abducting 240 more. In the two months following the incident in the Middle East‚ there have been more than 2‚000 anti-Semitic incidents reported‚ according to the Anti-Defamation League. This represents a 337% increase in anti-Semitic rhetoric since the beginning of the conflict.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Some tenants residing in an Illinois apartment building claimed that they were trapped inside their units after the condemned property was abruptly boarded up on Friday‚ WLS-TV reported.An apartment complex in Harvey‚ a south suburb of Chicago‚ was recently boarded up after the city deemed the property uninhabitable‚ citing unsafe living conditions. The complex has also reportedly become an epicenter for criminal activity.In late August‚ the city's building inspection found structural concerns‚ WGN-TV reported. A follow-up inspection in December revealed imminent safety risks‚ including extensive deterioration of balconies and stair risers‚ city officials told the news outlet.James Williams‚ whose 73-year-old mother lived in the building‚ told WLS that he "fell through the stairs."According to the city‚ the owner of the building received notice to vacate the property by October 28‚ 2023. The City of Harvey also stated that it was the owner's responsibility to inform tenants that they would need to move out by the specified date.On Friday‚ a crew arrived at the apartment and began boarding up the units‚ videos posted on social media revealed. Rudolph Williams‚ a tenant‚ told WLS that he was still inside his apartment when crews boarded up his unit with plywood."I opened the door‚ and here's this big piece of plywood right there‚" Williams said‚ stating that he was "wondering how I was going to get out."Mary Brooks‚ a tenant of the property‚ told WGN that she only received a letter on December 14 notifying her that she needed to leave her apartment by December 29.Many residents‚ including Brooks‚ are on Section 8 housing vouchers and fear they cannot quickly find alternative accommodations."On Section 8‚ there is a 30-day minimum window‚ and the apartment you choose has to be inspected‚" Brooks told the news outlet. "I can't just jump up and move."Another one of the building's tenants‚ Genevieve Tyler‚ told WMAQ-TV that she did not receive a notice to move out of the apartment and was shocked to find workers boarding up the property.The apartment building was boarded up at the property owner's request‚ not the city's‚ and no tenants were trapped inside‚ Tyrone Rogers‚ 6th Ward Alderman‚ told WGN."That's a total exaggeration‚" Rogers stated. "Nobody's been boarded up inside any of the apartments. I know for a fact. I spoke with the police chief. Nobody has been boarded up inside any apartment.""I repeat: The City of Harvey would never do that. The City of Harvey does not have the right to do that‚" he added.In a statement‚ the city said‚ "Contrary to recent claims‚ the city did not evict anyone from these properties but has communicated with the property owners regarding the unsafe conditions of the buildings and need to immediately rectify the dangerous living conditions."The property owner has not responded to requests for comment from WLS and WGN.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!