We don’t know about you, but the changing of the seasons has us wishing for a cozy window seat to curl up on. “I’m into comfy things, and a window seat really hits that,” Zoë Feldman, a Washington, D.C.-based interior designer, told The New York Times. “Who doesn’t want to sit near a window on a super-comfy piece of furniture and read a book, snuggle with family, do homework, or talk to friends? It ticks every box.” Read tips from her and other designers on how to craft the perfect window-side nook.
Vincent Van Gogh’s Brushstrokes Captured Turbulence in “Starry Night”
VCG Wilson/Corbis via Getty Images
We likely all know Vincent Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” and its whirling vortices, flowing colors, and glowing lights. It’s long been surmised that this swirling scene represents the painter’s tumultuous state of mind, but now, physicists are suggesting the scene also captures “hidden turbulence” in the sky. Yet another example of the connection between art and science. “The scale of the paint strokes played a crucial role,” lead study author Yongxiang Huang said in a statement. “With a high-resolution digital picture, we were able to measure precisely the typical size of the brushstrokes and compare these to the scales expected from turbulence theories.” After examining the shapes, scale, and luminance in the piece, researchers concluded the brushstrokes align with two different laws of physics — a “rare” occurrence that may shed light on Van Gogh’s knowledge of the physical world. “It reveals a deep and intuitive understanding of natural phenomena,” Huang said. “Van Gogh’s precise representation of turbulence might be from studying the movement of clouds and the atmosphere or an innate sense of how to capture the dynamism of the sky.”
2024’s Best Hearing Device Offers Clarity Beyond Compare
Imagine this: You’re in a crowded restaurant with friends, family, or colleagues — take your pick. There’s music playing, people all around, and it’s not super easy to hear the conversation. What do you do? You could lean in, try to read lips, ask for repeats, or — hear us out — you could give hear.com’s Horizon IX hearing aid a shot. The bestselling device is making conversation effortless, even in loud spaces, and the clarity is beyond compare, thanks to dual processing technology.
Scientists Discover New Blood Group System, Addressing Rare Condition
Jacob Wackerhausen/ iStock
Scientists recently cracked the mystery of why some blood is missing a key antigen called AnWj, a discovery 20 years in the making that has resulted in a completely new blood grouping system. “Resolving the genetic basis for AnWj has been one of our most challenging projects,” Nicole Thornton, one of the study authors, said in a press release. AnWj is present in the vast majority of the population, but Thornton gives a ballpark estimate that there are tens of thousands of people without it worldwide. “There’s probably more than we realize, but it’s still super, super rare,” she told WIRED. For these people, knowing they don’t have the antigen can be life-saving. If they ever require a blood transfusion in a hospital, they need compatible blood, “otherwise there’s a high likelihood that they will have a transfusion reaction that could be fatal,” Thornton explained. This group of individuals now belongs to the new blood system, dubbed MAL. “The genetic background of AnWj has been a mystery for more than 50 years, and one which I personally have been trying to resolve for almost 20 years of my career,” another author, Louise Tilley, said in a statement. “It represents a huge achievement, and the culmination of a long team effort, to finally establish this new blood group system and be able to offer the best care to rare, but important, patients.”
Environment
Brazilian Surf Community Secures Legal Personhood for Ocean Waves, a World-First
Nitro/ IUCN
In April, we shared the news that Indigenous leaders in Polynesia were seeking to extend personhood to whales. In the same vein, the Brazilian city of Linhares recently passed a first-of-its-kind law granting legal personhood to ocean waves. This move comes after the tight-knit local surf community noticed changes in the waves due to a dam collapsing. The dam failure also polluted the waters, affecting everything from fishing to tourism, Hakai Magazine reports. Advocates hope that giving the waves legal rights will help conserve Linhares’ coastline — the law includes provisions that require the protection of the river that feeds into the ocean and of the water’s chemical makeup. The city also appointed three guardians to watch over the waves and represent them in public decision-making. Vanessa Hasson, an environmental lawyer and executive director of a Brazilian NGO promoting the country’s rights-of-nature movement, said the goal is to change mindsets and create a ripple effect far beyond Linhares: “When you recognize a little bit of space of the ocean, like these waves, you are reaching the whole ocean.”
In Other News
Thecountdown is on! A NASA probe is just weeks away from launching to Europa, an icy moon of Jupiter that might have signs of life.
“Our goal is to democratize biology.” Stanford undergrads createdan affordable gene-editing kit so high schoolers can conduct CRISPR experiments in the classroom.
Flavonoid-rich foods, like certain berries and teas, were found in a recent study to lower the risk of dementia.
Leaf peep from afar: This drone footage captured the very beginnings of Vermont’s fall foliage season.
Inspiring Story
A gift85 years in the making
In 1939, Gus and Emma Thompson, a Black couple, rented and then sold a house to the Dongs, a Chinese American family, at a time when others wouldn’t. Over eight decades later, the Dong family is selling the house and donating $5 million to the Black Resource Center at San Diego State University in honor of the Thompsons.
Photo of the Day
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Tuesday was Constitution Day, marking 237 years since the historic document was signed. As per tradition, hundreds of naturalization ceremonies, like the one pictured above in New Jersey, are being held across the country this week to honor the 17,000 people becoming United States citizens. Welcome to all!
The Horizon IX Hearing Aid Is Small But Mighty
Hear.com’s Horizon IX hearing aids are so small and inconspicuous, it would be easy to assume the technology lags behind. But that assumption would be wrong. They feature dual processing technology, meaning they can process speech and background noise independently, then recombine them for unparalleled, crystal clear sound.
