Lifeboat Foundation

It’s official: the bomb cyclone is back.

The winter storm that the Weather Channel has dubbed “Riley” has been undergoing the rapid intensification process called “bombogenesis,” which means its central pressure is dropping quickly (an indicator of a storm’s strength).

In this case, the nor’easter still appears to be intensifying, but the central surface pressure of the storm system has already dropped by at least 24 millibars (mb) in 24 hours, which means it is undergoing bombogenesis (or “explosive bombogenesis”) and qualifies it as a weather bomb or bomb cyclone.

Continue reading “The nor’easter slamming the East Coast is undergoing the rapid intensification process known as ‘bombogenesis’” »

Researchers have amassed a family tree of 13 million people to trace the last 500 years of Western marriage and migration patterns. They also show that the genetic basis of longevity is lower than many have suggested.

In the store

Scientific American

Scientific American Volume 318, Issue 3

Continue reading “The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet” »

A rechargeable battery that works at −70° C could be used in some of the coldest places on Earth or other planets.

Your past would theoretically be obliterated and a strange new future would stand before you.

The belief that venturing into a black hole will lead to instant death, with one’s body being torn to pieces, is one that has long pervaded the scientific community, but now a new study by a Berkeley University physicist has suggested that it may actually be possible to fall into a black hole and survive.

Even more intriguing, once inside the black hole, a person may find that their past has been completely obliterated and they could have the opportunity to live many different and strange futures.

Continue reading “A New Study Suggests It May Be Possible To Fall Into A Black Hole And Actually Survive” »

Meanwhile in space: moon activity and satellites watching satellite launches.

China has tasked 60,000 soldiers to increase the country’s total forest coverage in an attempt to combat its serious air pollution problem.

A couple of years ago, researchers at NASA’s Johnson Space Centre discovered a thruster system which actually generates thrust, despite requiring absolutely no propellant. The implications of this discovery are far-reaching; applications for space flight and other technologies which require propulsion could one day become far cheaper, allowing space exploration to expand exponentially.

The existence of this technology also further validates the fact that energy can be derived from tapping into the quantum vacuum, also known as “zero-point.”

Researchers have identified a brain signal that indicates whether a person is comprehending what others are saying. The researchers have shown that they can track the signal using relatively inexpensive EEG (electroencephalography) readings taken on a person’s scalp.

During everyday interactions, people routinely speak at rates of 120 to 200 words per minute. For a listener to understand speech at these rates—and not lose track of the conversation—the brain must comprehend the meaning of each of these words very rapidly.