Ancient nomadic warrior women may have inspired the Mulan legend

Skeletal markings show that some women who lived on the Mongolian steppe 1850 years ago appear to have been warriors, perhaps providing inspiration for the famous Ballad of Mulan Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2240449-ancient-nomadic-warrior-women-may-have-inspired-the-mulan-legend/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…

What is the gegenschein?

The sun’s counterglow – or gegenschein – is kind of a stargazers’ legend. What is it, and how can you see it? Erwin Matys and Karoline Mrazek of Project Nightflight explain. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/definition-what-is-the-gegenschein…

Giant paw print sparks Australia big cat debate

The discovery of a large feline print in the Blue Mountains has reignited speculation of a mystery big cat. For many years, the legend of the Blue Mou… Source: https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/335076/giant-paw-print-sparks-australia-big-cat-debate…

Did ‘The SImpsons’ Accurately Portray STEM Education and the Gig Economy?

Long-time Slashdot reader theodp writes:
On Sunday, The Simpsons aired The Miseducation Of Lisa Simpson, an episode in which Marge — with the help of a song from John Legend (“STEM, it’s not just for dorks, dweebs and nerds / It’ll turn all your dumb kids to Zuckerbergs”) — convinces Springfield to use a windfall the town reaped by seizing shipwreck treasure…

February birthstone is the amethyst

Are you a February baby? Here’s some cool info about your birthstone, the amethyst. Plus pics! Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/february-birthstone-amethyst…

How Accurate Are Punxsutawney Phil’s Groundhog Day Forecasts?

As legend goes, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow on Groundhog Day, you should expect six more weeks of winter; if he doesn’t, plan for spring. Life’s Little Mysteries investigates the accuracy of Phil’s predictions. Source: https://www.livescience.com/32974-punxsutawney-phil-weather-prediction-accuracy.html

Goldilocks stars best for alien life?

A new research study suggests that K-type dwarf stars (smaller and cooler than our sun) are the best place to search for alien life. These stars are not too hot, not too cool, and not too violent for life to evolve. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/goldilocks-stars-g-k-dwarfs-best-for-alien-life…

‘We’re Approaching the Limits of Computer Power — We Need New Programmers Now’

Ever-faster processors led to bloated software, but physical limits may force a return to the concise code of the past. John Naughton: Moore’s law is just a statement of an empirical correlation observed over a particular period in history and we are reaching the limits of its application. In 2010, Moore himself predicted that the laws of physics would call a…