Poll reveals climate change as most important issue for U.S. adults

A Harris Poll survey – conducted online in December on behalf of the American Psychological Association – reports that more than half of U.S. adults (56%) cite climate change as the most important issue facing the world today. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/poll-reveals-climate-change-as-most-important-issue-for-u-s-adults…

Will Punxsutawney Phil get it right in 2020?

Every February 2nd, a weather-prognosticating groundhog in Pennsylvania tells us if we should expect six more weeks of winter or an early spring. Should we believe him? Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/groundhog-day-punxsutawney-phil-accuracy…

Finding An Accessible Path to Impactful Health Work with Michigan’s Online MPH Degree

University of Michigan’s School of Public Health is ranked in the top five public health research institutions in the US and is taught by leaders in the field. In the Population and Health Sciences Master of Public Health program you’ll get hands-on practical experience with community public health issues and gain expertise in the issue […]
The post Finding An Accessible Path…

Nearly Half of Americans Didn’t Go Outside For Recreation In 2018

An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Colorado Sun: Outdoor businesses need people to get outside, but almost half of Americans don’t venture outdoors to play. The steady decline in participation threatens not just the bottom line but the outdoor industry’s mission to collectively steer policy on critical issues like climate change, environmental protection and public lands. While the Outdoor…

FCC Shuts New York Out of $20 Billion Broadband Fund, and Senators Are Angry

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: The Federal Communications Commission has unfairly shut New York state out of a planned $20.4 billion broadband-funding program, US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) wrote in a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai last week. ISPs in 48 states are eligible for funding in the FCC…

Chinese New Year 2020 falls on January 25

Chinese New Year 2020 falls on January 25 in Asia (January 24 in the west), beginning the Year of the Rat. China’s public holiday will be January 24-30. In Beijing this week, Chinese health officials expressed concerns about a coronavirus now spreading during this heavy travel season in Asia. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/chinese-new-year-lunar-new-year…

Could future moon homes be made of fungi?

For future homes on the moon, Mars, and other worlds, NASA is exploring technologies that would use mushrooms to grow self-repairing, self-replicating habitats. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/moon-homes-fungi-mushrooms-video-myco-architecture…

Gary Starkweather, Inventor of the Laser Printer, Dies At 81

Gary Starkweather, engineer and inventor of the first laser printer, died on December 26 at the age of 81. The New York Times reports: Mr. Starkweather was working as a junior engineer in the offices of the Xerox Corporation in Rochester, N.Y., in 1964 — several years after the company had introduced the photocopier to American office buildings — when he…

Streaming Services Reckon With Password-Sharing ‘Havoc’

In 2019, companies lost about $9.1 billion to password piracy and sharing. From a report: On Dec. 9, Charter Communications CEO Tom Rutledge took aim at the “content companies” entering the direct-to-consumer streaming business. The cable executive told a roomful of investment bankers in Manhattan that these new streamers are “creating havoc in the ecosystem.” Rutledge wasn’t talking about the proliferation…

Welcome To Walmart. The Robot Will Grab Your Groceries.

Walmart is testing back-of-store automated systems that can collect 800 products an hour, 10 times as many as a store worker. From a report: In the backroom of a Walmart store in Salem, N.H., is a floor-to-ceiling robotic system that the country’s largest retailer hopes will help it sell more groceries online. Workers stand on platforms in front of screens assembling…