The Story of America: Benjamin Franklin

Recommendable!

(4) The Story of America: Benjamin Franklin - YouTube

Inside the Nakashima Workshop in Pennsylvania Full of the World’s Rarest Wood

Very recommendable!

(233) Inside the Nakashima Workshop Full of the World’s Rarest Wood | Architectural Digest - YouTube

Flight 93 National Memorial

On the 25th anniversary of 9/11 let's not forget the heroes of flight 93!

"A common field one day, a field of honor forever. We honor the passengers and crew of Flight 93 who perished in a Pennsylvania field on September 11, 2001. Their courageous action will be remembered forever.

— Congressional Gold Medal"

"Passengers and crew began making phone calls to officials and family members starting at 09:30 using GTE airphones and mobile phones. Altogether, the passengers and crew made 35 airphone calls and two cell phone calls from the flight. Ten passengers and two crew members were able to connect, providing information to family, friends, and others on the ground. ..." (Wikipedia)

Flight 93 National Memorial | National Park Foundation

UA 93's flight path from Newark, New Jersey, to Stonycreek Township, Pennsylvania

Mayday calls

Passengers calling their loved ones

Flight 93 crash site

Flight 93 National Memorial

When individual privacy protection collides with the public's interest to know (about e.g. infectious diseases)

Were these two individuals e.g. illegal immigrants or e.g. from the Amish community? If from the Amish community, how did these two individuals get infected with measles?

Currently, public debates about the pros and cons of vaccination have become more common since the beginning of the second term of President Trump.

"... marking the first U.S. measles deaths in 2026 ..."

"... Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen. “Because measles was largely eliminated in the Commonwealth for more than three decades, people are not familiar with this disease and don’t fully understand the potential severity of the illness. We want to ensure every Pennsylvanian has the information they need to protect themselves [???], their loved ones and their communities. As a physician, I want to make sure that people understand that the MMR vaccine is safe and provides the best protection we have against measles.”

DOH confirmed both individuals were unvaccinated residents of Lancaster County. To protect the privacy of the individuals and their families,"

Pennsylvania Department of Health Confirms Two Measles-Associated Deaths | Department of Health | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania "The deaths mark the first losses related to the highly contagious virus in Pennsylvania in 35 years."

Credits: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: Global Health NOW

Thunderquakes to image the Earth's subsurface

Amazing stuff!

"... the powerful acoustic waves from thunder can ripple the Earth, the resulting seismic signals have long been too difficult to parse. Now, researchers have turned the so-called “thunderquakes” into a useful tool for probing inside Earth.

To interpret thunderquakes, researchers turned to a technique called distributed acoustic sensing. It involved turning a 4-kilometer-long fiber-optic cable, more commonly used for internet and phone services, into a string of more than 2100 sensors that measured vibrations in the ground. In two years, the team identified 458 high-quality thunderquakes.

Since seismic waves travel at different speeds at different depths, the team used the thunderquakes to map the ground below, down as deep as 100 meters. In Pennsylvania, where the cable is located, researchers spotted weak zones and areas where the ground is sinking, both geological features that can cause sinkholes or groundwater contamination if left unaddressed. ..."

"... Using existing fiber-optic telecommunication cables buried just a few feet below the ground under Penn State’s University Park campus, the researchers developed a new way to use distributed acoustic sensing technology, or DAS, to better understand how atmospheric acoustic waves transfer energy into the ground. They also demonstrated how this coupling can be used in seismic imaging. ..."

From the abstract:

"Thunder generates atmospheric acoustic waves that couple into the ground, producing seismic signals called “thunderquakes.” Although widely observed, this atmosphere-solid Earth conversion has rarely been exploited for imaging because the coupled wavefield is complex and its governing physics are poorly constrained.

Here, we show that thunderquakes recorded by preexisting telecommunication fiber-optic cables using distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) contain coherent air-coupled Rayleigh waves that can serve as seismic energy sources for near-surface tomography.

We validate this mechanism using three-dimensional spectral-element simulations and dispersion modeling of thunderquakes.

We analyze 2.5 years of continuous DAS data and a catalog of 458 high-fidelity thunderquakes validated by lightning records.

Cross-correlation virtual-source interferometry and stacking yield dispersed surface waves from which we invert shear-wave velocity structure to ∼100-meter-depth beneath an urban karst setting. The resulting tomographic image reveals several previously undetected weak zones, some coinciding with surface deformation measured by Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar.

The tomographic results are further validated by independent borehole logs and engineering surveys.

Our results establish that thunder energy can be converted into dispersive seismic wavefields in the solid Earth and that thunderquakes can act as novel, meteorologically driven sources for seismic imaging in regions with limited access to traditional seismic sources."

ScienceAdviser

Thunderquakes: A new way to image the Earth’s subsurface (original news release) "Thunderstorms detected by underground fiber-optic cables can be a source for seismic imaging, especially in places where earthquakes are uncommon, researchers report"

Imaging Earth’s subsurface with thunderstorm-generated seismic waves (open access)

Fig. 1. Thunderquake raypath diagram.

Fig. 6. Subsurface tomography results.

The 'First Salute' exhibition explores how Jews in the Caribbean helped to shape the American Revolution

Recommendable!

"In November 1776, a small Caribbean island fired a cannon at an American ship — and in doing so, made history. The exchange, known as the “First Salute,” marked the first international recognition of the United States. Now, a new exhibition at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia is bringing that moment, and the often-overlooked role of Jewish merchants and Caribbean trade networks in the American Revolution, back into view. 

The exhibition, “The First Salute,” which will run until April 2027, traces how the American fight for independence extended far beyond the colonies, relying on global trade networks and unlikely allies. Drawing on newly displayed artifacts — from a 250-year-old cannon recovered from St. Eustatius to letters tied to the movement of revolutionary supplies — it tells the story of how Jewish merchants, many with ties across the Atlantic, helped funnel goods, information, and support to the Patriot cause. ...

At the center of that network was the small Caribbean island of St. Eustatius, then one of the busiest ports in the Atlantic. By the late 18th century, its harbor had become a critical waypoint for goods moving between Europe, the Caribbean, South America, and the American colonies, including weapons and gunpowder, often disguised as ordinary trade goods, that the Continental Army desperately needed.

Because Jews had often been pushed into finance, trade, and mercantile work in Europe ... they developed the Atlantic-world connections that later made them valuable to the Patriot cause. By the time revolutionaries needed weapons, gunpowder, and supplies, “history placed Jews exactly in the right places, with the right skills, the right connections.”

Jewish merchants, who made up 30% of the European population on St. Eustatius at the time, played an outsized role in that system. Many had roots in the Iberian Peninsula, having fled persecution in Spain and Portugal during the Spanish Inquisition, and later built extensive commercial ties across the Atlantic. As a Dutch colony, St. Eustatius offered Jews more religious freedom than in most of Europe. The population grew, and by 1739 had become established enough to build a synagogue, Honen Dalim. By the time of the Revolution, that community was deeply embedded in the commercial networks that made St. Eustatius so valuable to the American cause. ..."

"... For centuries, the story of how a small community of Jews living in America and on a tiny Caribbean island helped tip the scales of the Revolutionary War was largely forgotten — it’s the story of swashbuckling, patriot Jewish pirates who smuggled gunpowder into America.

The Jewish merchants on the lush, windswept island of St. Eustatius, who supplied Washington’s army with the critical contraband, were members of the first international entity to recognize the United States. Their allegiance to the American cause cost them dearly. Targeted for abuse by the British, they were stripped of their homes and wealth, torn from their families and exiled, and had their graves plundered. ..."

The 'First Salute' explores how Jews shaped the American Revolution "The "First Salute" exhibit reveals how Jewish merchants helped fuel the American Revolution and secure its first international recognition."

The First Salute exhibition "The First Salute: An Untold Story of the American Revolution is the first-ever major museum exhibition to explore the little-known story of a small group of Jewish merchants in the Caribbean whose outsized contributions to the cause of American Liberty tipped the scales in the fight for American Independence."

A reimagined Jewish Museum tells the forgotten story the Jews who helped win the Revolution

Penn Museum: Ancient Egypt & Nubia Galleries – Opens Dec. 2026

Recommendable!

Researchers create world's smallest programmable, autonomous microrobots at submillimeter dimensions

Amazing stuff! Not all robots are humanoid! 😊

"... Barely visible to the naked eye, each robot measures about 200 by 300 by 50 micrometers, smaller than a grain of salt. Operating at the scale of many biological microorganisms, the robots could advance medicine by monitoring the health of individual cells and manufacturing by helping construct microscale devices.

Powered by light, the robots carry microscopic computers and can be programmed to move in complex patterns, sense local temperatures and adjust their paths accordingly. ..."

From the abstract 1 (emphasis added):

"Although miniaturization has been a goal in robotics for nearly 40 years, roboticists have struggled to access submillimeter dimensions without making sacrifices to onboard information processing because of the unique physics of the microscale. Consequently, microrobots often lack the key features that distinguish their macroscopic cousins from other machines, namely, on-robot systems for decision-making, sensing, feedback, and programmable computation.

Here, we take up the challenge of building a robot comparable in size to a single-celled paramecium that can sense, think, and act using onboard systems for computation, sensing, memory, locomotion, and communication.

Built massively in parallel with fully lithographic processing, these microrobots can execute digitally defined algorithms and autonomously change behavior in response to their surroundings.

Combined, these results pave the way for general-purpose microrobots that can be programmed many times in a simple setup and can work together to carry out tasks without supervision in uncertain environments."

From the significance and abstract 2 (emphasis added):

"Significance

Electrokinetic propulsion offers speed, simplicity, and reliable operation at the microscale, but, despite decades of research, current micromotors cannot incorporate on-board systems for sensing and information processing, limiting their usefulness.
Here, we point a way forward by demonstrating electrokinetic microrobots whose propulsion is directly controlled by onboard electronics, namely photovoltaic cells.

Although incorporation of complex circuits is reserved for future work, these initial demonstrations simplify design and control of electrokinetic microrobots, decoupling the chemical environment from the propulsive electric field, and operate in new environments like those with high conductivities or that lack specialized fuels. Long term, these actuators could enable fast, robust sub-millimeter robots that use onboard electronics to sense, think, and act all on their own.

Abstract

Semiconductor microelectronics are emerging as a powerful tool for building smart, autonomous sub-millimeter robots.

Yet a number of existing microrobot platforms, despite significant advantages in speed, robustness, power consumption, or ease of fabrication, have no clear path toward electronics integration, limiting their potential for intelligence.

Here, we show how to upgrade a class of self-propelled particles into electronically integrated microrobots, reaping the best of both platforms in a single design.

Inspired by electrokinetic micromotors, these robots generate electric fields in a surrounding fluid, and by extension propulsive electrokinetic flows.

The underlying physics is captured by a model in which robot speed is proportional to applied current, making design and control straightforward.

As proof, we build basic robots at the 100-micron scale that use rudimentary, on-board photovoltaic circuits and a closed-loop optical control scheme to navigate waypoints and move in coordinated swarms at speeds of up to one body length per second.

Broadly, the unification of micromotor propulsion with on-robot electronics invites future work to realize robust, fast, easy to manufacture, electronically programmable microrobots that remain operationally viable for months to years."

Researchers create world's smallest programmable, autonomous robots

Microscopic robots that sense, think, act, and compute (open access, 1)

Electrokinetic propulsion for electronically integrated microscopic robots (open access, 2)

Fig. 1 Fig. 1. Overview of the microrobot circuits.

Fig. 1 Electrokinetic propulsion for microrobots. 

The Witness movie of 1985 and the Amish people

When I saw this movie with Harrison Ford, I was about 14 years old. 

It was probably the most important trigger for my lasting interest in the Amish and Mennonite people living in America (here Lancaster county, Pennsylvania).

I was left speechless in disbelief about the simple life of the Amish people in America. I was very impressed! It was one of my motivations to immigrate to the US from Germany in 1995.

Let the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia ring! "Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants thereof"

The Amish and the Mennonites are an expression of American Exceptionalism! Or only in America!

Source [Unfortunately, neither Google nor Bing found better photos depicting this movie]

The History of Medical Museums

Recommendable!

Beer yeast waste spun into a promising sustainable yarn 50% stronger than wool and sold as "zero hunger"

I toast to that! Let's have another round of beer please! 😊 Or is this a case of being drunken with environmental virtue signalling?

I have my doubts whether this is cost effective and competitive.

Invented by students of the Pennsylvania State University. How many beers did they have before the light bulb went on?

"Yeast waste from breweries have been spun into textile fibres at a cost that could be affordable for clothing. A group in the US has reported that the fermented yeast proteins can be extracted and spun into a fibre stronger than wool. ...

at Pennsylvania State University, and his group have created an enzymatic process that breaks down cell walls in brewer’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and converts the released proteins into insoluble aggregates. It taps a commercial enzyme mix used in food processing. ...

After the enzyme treatment, the protein pulp was dissolved, along with cellulose, in the aqueous organic solvent, N-methyl morpholine N-oxide. This is used in the industrial lyocell process that converts forestry pulp into fibres for more sustainable textiles. ..."

From the significance and abstract:

"Significance

“Zero Hunger” [???] requires innovative solutions that address the intricate relationships between food, water, and land use. One promising approach is to replace plant-based fibers, such as cotton, with fermentation-based fibers. By leveraging biomanufacturing, we can produce sustainable, high-performance fibers that do not compete with food crops for land, water, or nutrients. This shift would free up arable land for food production, enhance crop yields, and promote more efficient use of water resources. Moreover, fermentation-based fibers offer a reduced environmental footprint, lowering greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating the impact of textile production on ecosystems. By embracing biomanufacturing, we can make significant strides toward achieving the “Zero Hunger” goal, ensuring everyone can access nutritious food while promoting sustainable development goals.

Abstract

Biomanufactured fibers produced through fermentation processes provide a promising pathway to decouple textile production from agricultural land. This would free up arable land for food cultivation and contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger [???].

Protein fibers from natural sources such as cocoon silk, collagen, and soy have attracted attention since the last century. However, commercial production declined with the rise of cheaper synthetic fibers and competition for food crops. Recently, renewed interest in protein fibers has emerged as a means to minimize plastic pollution, fueled by advances in fermentation, even though challenges related to yield, costs, and industrial spinning persist.

Here, we studied a lyocell-based technique for spinning protein fibers using yeast biomass purified through an enzymatic method. We demonstrated that the enzymatic approach produces insoluble proteins that can be continuously spun for over 100 h of production time.

Pilot-scale production exhibited stable spinning behavior with high viscosity and consistency quality. We achieved fiber fineness between 1.7 and 2.2 dtex, with strength values reaching 23 cN/tex, which is 50% higher than those of natural protein fibers such as wool.

Life cycle assessment indicates that fermentation-based protein fibers require significantly less land and water [???] than natural fibers while providing a reduced environmental footprint.

Techno-economic analysis indicates a cost of $6 per kilogram at a production rate of 6,750 t annually. Adopting biomanufacturing-based protein fibers marks a significant advancement toward a future where fiber needs are fulfilled without compromising the planet’s capacity to nourish its growing population."

Brewery waste yeast spun into affordable textile fibres stronger than wool | Chemistry World

Fermentation waste used to make natural fabric (original news release) "Fermented fibers could help reduce world hunger, fashion waste, researchers find"

Impact of biomanufacturing protein fibers on achieving sustainable development (no public access)

Beer waste to cover her waist! 😊 (Pardon my bad taste!)

"The yeast-based textile has a similar appearance to wool and clothes made from it are already being sold under the Sonachic brand"

Surrealism is better known for its strangeness than the radical politics and revolutionary ambitions of its creators

Recommendable! Surrealism one hundred years later! Fascinating!

"A large-scale exhibition of surrealism that first opened in Paris in 2024 will have its sole American iteration, “Dreamworld: Surrealism at 100,” at the Philadelphia Art Museum from Nov. 8, 2025, through Feb. 16, 2026. ..."

Surrealism is better known for its strangeness than the radical politics and revolutionary ambitions of its creators

Dreamworld: Surrealism at 100

The publication of André Breton’s ‘Manifesto of Surrealism’ in 1924 is considered the birth of the surrealist movement. 

The Secret Double (detail), 1927, by René Magritte

William Penn Was America's First Great Champion for Liberty and Peace

Very recommendable! Very impressive historical figure!

William Penn Was America's First Great Champion for Liberty and Peace

Credits: Prometheus newsletter

Climate Alarmist scientist Michael Mann reposted Charlie Kirk 'Head of Trump's Hitler Youth' and retracted quickly when caught

So this phony, activist scientist is nasty too! Seems, he has learnt little from his controversial hockey stick scandal (Mann omitted the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age).

"... After facing heavy backlash, the UPenn professor deleted his post, claiming he “overlooked” the hateful smear. ...

In additional posts, Mann, who earlier this year called for citizens to take up arms and form a militia against President Trump, downplayed Kirk’s horrific and gruesome assassination by bizarrely referring to it as “white on white violence” that has “gotten out of hand.”

The climate professor‘s repost also falsely claimed that Kirk had “direct involvement in Jan 6 planning and incitement.” ..."

UPenn Stands by Climate Alarmist Michael Mann, Who Called Charlie Kirk 'Head of Trump's Hitler Youth' "The University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) is standing by one of its prominent professors, climate alarmist Michael Mann, who shared a post calling Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk the “head of Trump’s Hitler youth” after his assassination."

The infamous hockey stick chart from 1999!

Does Philadelphia’s Mütter Museum have to return old specimen to Native Americans?

These specimen were collected a very long time ago as I suspect!

The ideology of racism at work! When political correctness goes to far!

What about the grandfather rule?

"... The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, the oldest private medical society in the U.S. and the group that oversees the Museum, released an official human remains policy earlier this month. The policy, the product of a two-year-long “Postmortem Project” to review the collection and speak with communities implicated within it, outlines ethical guidelines for the museum going forward. Key points include that the museum will aim to add context and biographical details to more of its specimens and that further human remains will only be accepted if donated by a living person or offered by their descendants.

The museum will also work to reverse the lasting effects of medical racism [???] by returning specimens to communities that may not have given their consent in the medical process or acquisition of remains. This includes Native American communities, to whom roughly 50 museum specimens are connected and may be returned in accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. ..."

From the Human Remains Policy:

"... 1.5 Indigenous Americans

1.5A Repatriation of materials associated with Indigenous Americans will be conducted in accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), Pub. L. 101-601, 25 U.S.C. § 3001 et seq., 104 Stat. 3048 (1990). ..."

ScienceAdviser

Mütter Matters (College of Physicians of Philadelphia news release)

Engineers Turn Toxic Fungus into Anti-Cancer Compound killing leukemia cells

Good news! Cancer is history (soon)!

"... After isolating a new class of molecules from Aspergillus flavus, a toxic crop fungus linked to deaths in the excavations of ancient tombs, the researchers modified the chemicals and tested them against leukemia cells. The result? A promising cancer-killing compound that rivals FDA-approved drugs and opens up new frontiers in the discovery of more fungal medicines. ...

The therapy in question is a class of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides, or RiPPs, ... The name refers to how the compound is produced — by the ribosome ... and the fact that it is modified later, in this case, to enhance its cancer-killing properties.

“Purifying these chemicals is difficult,” ... While thousands of RiPPs have been identified in bacteria, only a handful have been found in fungi. ...

After purifying four different RiPPs, the researchers found the molecules shared a unique structure of interlocking rings. The researchers named these molecules, which have never been previously described, after the fungus in which they were found: asperigimycins. 

Even with no modification, when mixed with human cancer cells, asperigimycins demonstrated medical potential: two of the four variants had potent effects against leukemia cells. ..."

From the abstract:

"Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) are a promising source of new pharmaceuticals, yet the therapeutic potential of fungal RiPPs remains largely underexplored.

Here we report asperigimycins as a distinct class of fungal RiPPs, featuring a unique heptacyclic scaffold consisting of a benzofuranoindoline core and three additional macrocycles, primarily assembled by six distinct fungi-specific DUF3328 oxidases.

Inspired by the enhancement of anticancer activity through the N-terminal pyroglutamate in naturally occurring asperigimycins C and D, we chemically modify the inactive asperigimycin B with a series of lipid substitutions at its N-terminus.

A derivative with a C-11 linear fatty acid, 2-L6, achieves nanomolar anticancer potency comparable to that of clinically approved antileukemia drugs.

High-throughput CRISPR screening identifies the SLC46A3 transporter as a critical factor mediating 2-L6 cellular uptake into human cells.

Our findings highlight the promise of engineering asperigimycins as therapeutic leads for cancer treatment."

Fungus from King Tut's tomb may fight leukemia

Penn Engineers Turn Toxic Fungus into Anti-Cancer Compound (original news release)

A class of benzofuranoindoline-bearing heptacyclic fungal RiPPs with anticancer activities (no public access)

Adding lipids to the newly discovered chemicals helped the asperigimycins enter cells.

Greg Kelly: 'People are lying' at the Secret Service

Recommendable! How much did the Secret Service screw up in Butler, PA? Too much!

These SS agents are only suspended for a few day? What!!!

Trans swimmer Lia Thomas stripped of titles after Penn University caves to Trump administration

Good news! Bravo! About time!

As a female swimmer I would have refused/boycotted to compete against this biological male. It is astonishing to me that to this day so few if any female athletes don't do that!

The UnitedHealthcare CEO killer was arrested in Altoona, PA and the office of his attorney is located in Altoona, PA

What a strange coincidence! Or was it planned by the killer?

Life is stranger than fiction!

I blogged here about the killer's arrest in Altoona, PA.

"Meet Thomas Dickey, the freewheeling small-town attorney representing Luigi Mangione.

The Altoona, Pa., lawyer has practiced criminal law for 40-plus years, and he’s one of the few private attorneys in the area with experience defending clients accused of murder and other violent crimes, colleagues said. Mangione was arrested Monday at a local McDonald’s after a nationwide manhunt; he faces firearm, forgery and other charges in Pennsylvania. In New York, Mangione is charged with second-degree murder in the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Mangione is fighting extradition."

The Wall Street Journal What's news

Thomas M. Dickey, Tom Dickey Law Offices, P.C. 308 Orchard Avenue, Altoona, PA 16602

A McDonald’s employee in Altoona, Pa., saw the UnitedHealthcare CEO killer suspect eating and called police

Good news! Bravo! I hope, the employee will be handsomely rewarded!

"Police arrested a person of interest in the killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO after a dayslong manhunt.

A McDonald’s employee in Altoona, Pa., saw Luigi Mangione eating and called police, the NYPD said. The 26-year-old was arrested on firearms charges (🔐 read for free). Mangione had a firearm suppressor, a ghost gun, a fake ID that matched the one the suspect used to check into a New York City hostel and a handwritten document showing “ill will toward corporate America,” police said. Brian Thompson was fatally shot Wednesday outside a Manhattan hotel. While searching for the gunman, authorities faced an unanticipated challenge: an outpouring of popular sympathy for him."

The Wall Street Journal What's news