How tall is Mount Everest? Until now, it depended on whom you asked. China said it was 29,017 feet. Nepal said it was a little taller, at 29,028 feet. The countries have closed that 11-foot gap and reached an agreement. From a report: The world’s tallest peak this week will get a new, unified official height from the two nations it…
Tag: tibetan
Chinese Glaciers Melting At ‘Shocking’ Pace, Scientists Say
An anonymous reader writes: Glaciers in China’s bleak Qilian mountains are disappearing at a shocking rate as global warming brings unpredictable change and raises the prospect of crippling, long-term water shortages, scientists say. The largest glacier in the 800-kilometer (500-mile) mountain chain on the arid northeastern edge of the Tibetan plateau has retreated about 450 meters since the 1950s, when researchers…
Celebrate solstice sunrise at Stonehenge live online
This year, solstice celebrations at Stonehenge monument are canceled due to Covid-19. But for the 1st time, you can celebrate the 1st sunrise of summer from Stonehenge online. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/gallery-the-summer-solstice-as-seen-from-stonehenge…
Ancient never-before-seen viruses discovered locked up in Tibetan glacier
A new technique for studying ancient microbes in glaciers has led to the discovery of previously unknown viruses. Source: https://www.livescience.com/unknown-viruses-discovered-tibetan-glacier.html
China and Taiwan Clash Over Wikipedia Edits
Ask Google or Siri: “What is Taiwan?” “A state”, they will answer, “in East Asia”. But earlier in September, it would have been a “province in the People’s Republic of China.” From a report: For questions of fact, many search engines, digital assistants and phones all point to one place: Wikipedia. And Wikipedia had suddenly changed. The edit was reversed, but…
How TikTok Censors Videos That Do Not Please Beijing
According to leaked documents revealed by the Guardian, TikTok instructs its moderators to censor videos that mention Tiananmen Square, Tibetan independence, or the banned religious group Falun Gong. “The documents […] lay out how ByteDance, the Beijing-headquartered technology company that owns TikTok, is advancing Chinese foreign policy aims abroad through the app,” writes Alex Hern for the Guardian. From the report:…
Tibetan Mastiffs Bred with Mountain Wolves to Survive at Super-High Altitudes
Tibetan mastiffs are monstrous dogs that survive high in the mountains, and now we know that’s because of a little extra shot of wolf in their genes. Source: https://www.livescience.com/tibetan-mastiff-wolf-genes.html
Ruth Mace on human evolution and surviving the apocalypse with yaks
Anthropologist Ruth Mace talks about what motivates us, and how the Tibetan plateau is the best place to be if the apocalypse comes Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24232351-800-ruth-mace-on-human-evolution-and-surviving-the-apocalypse-with-yaks/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…