Common Sense
In honor of Thomas Paine and other Founders & Immigrants. In memory of my daddy Horst Bingel and my mom Irma Bingel
Wednesday, March 18, 2026
Children and adults shaped clay 15,000 years ago, long before pottery or farming, archaeologists find
Faecal transplants boost immunotherapy
Spaceflight supercharges anti-bacterial viruses thanks to microgravity
Georg Hackl: „Bananenrepublik“ Deutschland – BRD
A new children’s book called Goodnight Light
Several ally countries rejected President Trump's request to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz
This is pretty lousy by these allies! Shame on them!
That Germany and the UK are among them is particularly despicable!
An ally may disagree with Trump's war on Iran, but to refuse to assist protecting the Strait of Hormuz with any navy ships etc. when asked by the US is very bad!
E.g. it should be in every NATO member's best interest to make sure one of the most important shipping lanes in the world is safe to pass for ships! Especially when a country run by an Islamist theocracy threatens the save passage!
Argentina formalizes withdrawal from World Health Organization
Disclaimer
I am currently blogging from behind the Great Firewall of China.
My Internet service in China is very spotty. Thus, I am not able to blog as usual.
Image of the day
This hot pink cricket is no mutant/Arota festae’s unusual hue may help it blend in with immature plants
Tuesday, March 17, 2026
Very old loom found on the Iberian peninsula about 3450 years old
US Senate Minority Leader Schumer (D): SAVE America Act 'Despicable,' Trump Wants to 'Cheat' in Midterms. Really!
Why some moments endure: Episodic memory encoding fluctuates with brain's theta rhythms
Toward autonomous self-organizing biological robots with a nervous system
Nordrhein-Westfalen will Braunkohletagebau permanent fluten
Only 5 minutes needed to charge an EV with Chinese automaker BYD’s updated “Blade” battery
Amazon adds 1-hour and 3-hour delivery options in 2000 US cities
Near-earth asteroid contains all five DNA, RNA bases and Vitamin B3, boosting origin of life theories
Labels like “Proudly Human” and “AI-Free” are popping up on various products, marketing materials and websites
Monday, March 16, 2026
Wind- und Sonnenenergie verschlingen weiter Milliarden Euros in Subventionen
Parthanatos pathway behind neuron loss in multiple sclerosis identified
Germany became the first major ally to publicly decline Trump’s call for warships in the Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei Secretly Flown to Moscow for Treatment
Largest Drone Raid Since Full-Scale War with over 250 drones Hits Moscow, Oil Depot Burns in Krasnodar
Chinese researchers say they’ve created the first pure samples of hexagonal diamond, Known as the ultimate semiconductor
Deltaviruses Use a Trojan Horse Method to Spread via a previously unrecognized transmission mode
Wenn Windparks die Strömungen der Nordsee langfristig bremsen
A brain-computer interface allowed people with paralysis to type with their minds
Sunday, March 15, 2026
US homicides are way down in 2025
Iranians were promised regime change. Many of them feel betrayed. Really!
The US Federal Aviation Administration has announced a set of pilot projects for eVTOLs
Good news!
"The US Federal Aviation Administration has announced a set of pilot projects for a new species of aircraft. Most will test eVTOLs, or small, electric, drone-like aircraft that take off and land vertically rather than using a runway. The program will let companies such as Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation trial passenger flights, cargo delivery, and emergency services while regulators gather data." (Source)
More farmers in more countries are planting genetically modified crops
Good news! However, only 31 countries is still too few countries!
"More farmers in more countries are planting genetically modified crops, which help raise crop yields and farmer incomes and often reduce the need for agrochemicals.
According to a recent industry report, genetically modified crops were planted on 218.7 million hectares of cropland in 2024 across 31 countries, up from 181.5 million hectares and 28 countries a decade earlier." (Source)
The Trump administration ordered the restart of offshore oil operations in California
Notes on Any Detector Can Detect Anything
Saturday, March 14, 2026
Antarctic sea ice rebounds in 2026, nearing average after four years. Really!
The cellular switch that explains why humans aren’t nocturnal
How the cell Nucleus Made its Great Debut
Friday, March 13, 2026
AI Data Centers Go Off the Grid
- xAI bypassed the grid to power data centers in 2024, when the company built data centers in Memphis to house its Colossus and Colossus 2 supercomputers. The facilities are powered by a private collection of dozens of temporary, mobile gas turbines despite a ruling by the Environmental Protection Agency that they were being used illegally.
- Meta, in addition to building private power stations in the short term, is pursuing a long-term strategy to build nuclear power plants, which are scheduled to come online in the early 2030s. The company committed to help build new reactors and to purchase electricity from older reactors. These deals are expected to supply more than 6 gigawatts.
- Alphabet, Amazon, and Microsoft have entered into smaller agreements to obtain nuclear energy. Alphabet is working to reopen a disused nuclear plant in Iowa, Amazon invested in the reactor developer X-Energy, and Microsoft agreed to buy 10.5 gigawatts of new renewable energy capacity between 2026 and 2030 for an estimated $17 billion.