4:49 profiling several people whose lives and jobs have been directly impacted and improved because of the ocean cleanup project. 5:06 A silkworm farmer has increased his yield 30%.
Here are some youtube videos, or articles that caught my eye - from the New York Times, Consumer Reports, Popular Science etc.
Sunday, May 3, 2026
An experiment where genetic change happens in a single generation
https://youtu.be/J9-Ov-_KcWk?si=daw6ps41f_mCsOy8
Mice exposed to almond scent when shocked will grow more almond-sensing neurons - in their offspring.
World's largest organism
A few contenders:
By area: The largest living organism by area is a Posidonia australis seagrass meadow in Western Australia's Shark Bay, covering 180 square kilometers (about 69 square miles).
By weight/mass, it's a tie — 1) the "Humongous Fungus" (Armillaria ostoyae) in Oregon, which spans 3.4 square miles.
(The best defence against it is to 5:50 plant tree species that can survive the infection.)
or Pando, a 106-acre aspen grove in Utah.
It weighs 13 million pounds. It's in Fishlake National Forest. The immature sprouts being 3:27 eaten, or browsed, by animals unopposed by traditional predators, and the older trees are near the end of their life span. So 5:12 they're fencing off the young plants.
Saturday, May 2, 2026
Fixers vs hopeless catastrophizers
https://youtu.be/ZtOxCJqEHjY?si=xYz-MuzoSTkgOew_
2:14 it's a learned relationship with uncertainty 3:34 uncertainty doesn't sound like a verdict to them is a starting point.*
0:41 self-efficacy...you are capable of handling what's in front of you
1:01 this belief changes how long someone pressure at a problem before giving up
2:17 internal locus of control...do better at fixing things...don't get depression...cope better with stress... They sense that their effort matters (which is a protective psychological trait)
5:51 spending time around people like that is one of the most recalibrating things you can do.
*This reminds me of the podcast "Sitting with uncertainty" on Hidden Brain.
Flashing sediment out of a dam
https://youtu.be/_pad4MAV1H0?si=KN5YFOhlSKRkaQdY
[Preparing to flush segment buildup] 3:21 requires detailed planning and coordination.
Before flushing begins:
Reservoir levels are carefully monitored.
Weather and inflow forecasts are analyzed.
Downstream safety alerts are issued.
Power generation units may be reduced or temporarily shut down.
Instrumentation systems are checked for structural monitoring.
Engineers ensure that the dam structure, galleries and monitoring instruments remain within safe operational limits.