The Pima Animal Care Center (PACC) just announced on Wednesday, October 16, that they’re willing to pay anyone who is willing to foster a large dog from their shelter for two weeks. In an effort to reduce the animal shelter’s space crisis and to give their dogs’ a break from the stressful shelter environment, the Pima Animal Care Center launches the “Foster for Five” incentive. According to the animal shelter, if you foster a 40lb dog or larger for two weeks, you are eligible to earn $5 a day, letting any person earn up to $70. Furthermore, fosters will receive a free crate for the dog, provided by Petco Love, a non-profit organization dedicated to animal welfare. “We’re aiming to reduce stress for our dogs in the shelter and send 150 dogs to foster homes starting this Friday,” the animal shelter reveals. The offer will run from October 18 to November 03. And Pima County residents or those with a valid Pima County address who are 18 years of age or older are eligible for the foster incentive. Pima Animal Care Center’s director, Monica Dangler, said she was hopeful that the monetary incentive and crate will make it a lot easier for people to give fostering a try. Dangler said, “I’m so grateful that we have partners willing to assist us in creative ways to incentivize fostering.” “I’m convinced that once people realize how rewarding fostering a pet can be, they’ll be hooked. You really can’t put a price tag on the joy of helping an animal in need,” she continues. If fostering for two weeks is not an option, the animal shelter has provided a few ways for people to help in their initiative. They said donating, spreading the word on the urgent need for adoption, keeping pets safe, volunteering, and participating in some of the shelter’s pet support projects will “make a huge impact without taking a pet home“. Studies have found that long-term shelter stay causes extreme stress to dogs. There have been many cases of shelter dogs’ health deteriorating due to the stress they feel for being in shelters for years. With the Pima Animal Care Center’s “Foster for Five” incentive, you are not only helping these dogs get adopted faster, but you are also making sure they stay healthy.

X-37B is about to perform a series of “novel maneuvers".

NASA has announced that the Sun has reached the peak of its 11-year solar cycle, an event that signals an increase in geomagnetic storms and auroras in the coming months. Solar cycles, observed since the early 19th century, are marked by periods of calm and activity, during which the number of sunspots ranges from zero to more than twenty groups. These sunspots are areas of intense magnetic fields—up to 2,500 times stronger than Earth’s. They serve as indicators of solar activity and are harbingers of various cosmic phenomena. “Sunspots aren’t just pretty pictures; they’re important indicators of our nearest star,” said NASA Space Weather Program Director Jamie Favors. “As solar activity increases, we have a unique opportunity to study the Sun, but it can also affect our planet and the entire solar system.” According to forecasts, we can expect more geomagnetic storms and auroras in the coming months. These phenomena occur when coronal mass ejections interact with Earth’s magnetic field, creating mesmerizing light displays in polar regions. Previously, experts had predicted that the solar maximum would not occur until 2025, but recent data has changed those expectations. A teleconference organized by NASA and NOAA revealed that we have already entered the solar maximum, which may last into next year. “While we have reached the solar maximum, that doesn’t mean we’ve seen the peak of activity,” said NOAA Space Weather Operations Director Elsayed Talaat. “It could be months or even years before we know when the true peak occurs.” The solar magnetic field changes throughout the cycle, becoming more complex during the maximum. This creates conditions for the formation of active regions and increases the likelihood of solar flares. Lisa Upton, co-chair of the Solar Cycle Prediction Group, noted that sunspot activity in the current cycle has exceeded expectations. “Despite some large eruptions, they haven’t been as powerful as we might expect during the peak phase of the cycle,” she added. With months of heightened solar activity ahead, scientists will have ample opportunities to study the Sun and observe the aurora borealis. This promises to be a period of significant scientific interest, as well as a visually stunning time for skywatchers. The post Sun Reaches Its Peak: Geomagnetic Storms and Auroras on the Horizon appeared first on Anomalien.com.

A recent study using automatic wildlife cameras across three continents has shed light on how the moon’s phases affect the behavior of tropical forest mammals. Half of the species studied altered their activity levels or timing, or both, in response to the full moon. The findings suggest that even in some of the darkest places on earth – the floors of tropical forests – the moon’s phases can influence animal behavior. This impact could be even more pronounced in degraded and fragmented forests. “Imagine playing hide-and-seek in a dark room, and then somebody lights a candle,” says Richard Bischof, professor at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU). “The light, even if it is weak, may make it easier for you to find your way around the room.” “But if you are the one hiding, you suddenly become a lot easier to detect.” In the same way, extra light changes the conditions for predators and their prey inhabiting tropical forests. But the stakes are much higher. In the study, an international team of researchers have analyzed 2.1 million images from wildlife cameras from 17 protected forests on three continents. The wildlife images are collected by the Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring Network. In total, 86 mammal species were recorded. Twelve species displayed strong avoidance of moonlight during night, while only 3 species exhibited a strong attraction to moonlight. “These were the species with the most pronounced reactions,” Bischof explains. “However, half of all the species responded to lunar phases. Either by changing their nocturnal habits, altering their overall activity levels, or both.” Avoidance of the full moon was more common, exhibited by 30% of all species, compared to 20% of species that showed attraction. Nocturnal species, especially rodents, were over-represented among species that avoided the full moon. But surely moonlight is a natural phenomenon? Why should we worry about how animals respond to it? “The key takeaway from our research is that light affects animal behavior,” Bischof says. “It raises further questions about how changes in illumination affect species activity.” Other conditions that increase light levels at forest floors include changes in canopy cover due to logging, and artificial illumination, such as road lights and buildings. Tropical forests, which harbour a substantial portion of earth’s biological diversity, are being cleared, fragmented, and degraded at an alarming rate. This not only results in direct habitat loss and modification but also in reduced canopy cover. “Areas affected by artificial illumination due to urbanization also continue to increase.” Despite humanity’s massive impact on the globe, we still know remarkably little about the implications of illumination on the activity of most mammals. The higher prevalence of avoidance of the moon in the study suggests there may be more losers than winners when illumination increases in tropical forests. Moreover, almost all species that responded negatively to moonlight did so at least in part by reducing their overall activity during periods with full moon. “If these results extend to artificial light, loss of dark nights could curtail the amount of time animals invest into foraging and other important activities,” Bischof comments. “There is a risk that we are fundamentally altering both species composition and species interactions in tropical forest communities through light conditions alone.” Halloween is just around the corner; and as it turns out, the moon’s influence extends beyond spooky tales and into the dark midst of our tropical forests. Recognizing this can help us shape more effective conservation strategies for the future. The post Moon’s Phases Directly Influence Animal Behavior, New Study Shows appeared first on Anomalien.com.

Samsung has just announced a new GDDR7 memory chip that could make the rumored 24GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 a reality. The company’s new 24Gb DRAM gives you 3GB on a single chip, rather than the usual 2GB, meaning a graphics card could accommodate 50 percent more memory without needing a new layout, or indeed a wider memory bus. One prime candidate for this new memory is the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080, which is rumored to be coming with 16GB of VRAM in its first guise, but with a 24GB RTX 5080 coming later. However, unlike the originally-mooted RTX 4080 12GB and 16GB, this 24GB card is rumored to have the same core spec as the 16GB RTX 5080, just with more memory, and this new Samsung chip would make that possible. Continue reading A 24GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 gaming GPU is now more likely, thanks to Samsung MORE FROM PCGAMESN: GeForce RTX 4070 Super review, DLSS explained, Best graphics cards

Baldur’s Gate 3 was a welcome reminder of just how special the best RPGs can be; that freedom to create and customize your squad, making meaningful choices that dramatically affect major and minor aspects of your characters’ lives and the world around them. The magical steampunk world of New Arc Line is the next setting I’m eager to explore and impact. Developer Dreamate has built a bustling universe combining BioShock style steampunk with the classic fantasy of Dungeons and Dragons, and you can get a proper taste for yourself right now thanks to a free demo for Steam Next Fest. Continue reading New Arc Line is a steampunk RPG we can’t wait to play, and you can try it now MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best RPG games, Best story games, Best upcoming PC games

Well, here’s a nice surprise for us all. Perhaps the greatest RTS series in PC history - other than Command and Conquer - a new Age of Empires game just arrived and it’s available to play, in full, right now. AoE 2 will probably always be the best one, but with Civilization 7 still a ways off, any fresh installment in the medieval strategy saga is very welcome indeed. This isn’t a complete Age of Empires sequel. Age of Empires 5, for now, remains a distant dream. But even though it’s on mobile, it’s still AoE, and certainly worth a look. Continue reading A new Age of Empires game has just been released, but there’s a catch MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best RTS games, Best strategy games, Best 4X games

Scratch 'Joy,' Time to Push FEAR: The Hill Claims J.D. Vance Is Even WORSE Than Donald Trump

The strategy game set in Ancient Rome, featuring three layers: city building, exploration, battles and trade, and the gods is available on Steam for PC. This is a full release version including complete campaign with 10 historical levels, Sandbox Mode and a complete editor that allows players to create and share new cities, territories and even complete campaigns.

Junah is the first party member in Metaphor: ReFantazio, who doesn't automatically become a Bond through the main story.