Welcome to Overnight News Digest- Saturday Science. Since 2007 the OND has been a regular community feature on Daily Kos, consisting of science stories from around the world, sometimes coupled with a daily theme, original research or commentary. Editors of OND impart their own presentation styles and content choices, typically publishing each day near 12:00 AM Eastern Time.
Topics in this edition include:
- Celebrating Daylight Savings Time
- Native plants replacing grass
- California fracking phaseout proposed
- Green steel from red mud
- Twenty-one black rhinos relocated
- Hunter-gatherers avoided inbreeding
- Voyager I sending back incomprehensible messages
- Annoying hospital beeps causing over 500 deaths/year
- How to remove microplastics from tap water
Food Drink Life
by Gina Matsoukos
13 Spring Recipes to Celebrate Daylight Savings Time
Spring is finally here, bringing longer days and the perfect excuse to try out some fresh, seasonal recipes. From the zing of lemony asparagus salad to the comfort of a creamy carrot soup, we’ve got 13 dishes that’ll make the most of daylight savings time. Whether you’re in the mood for something light and refreshing or cozy and comforting, these recipes are sure to put a spring in your step.
The Cooldown
by Leo Collis
Homeowner shares progress photo three years after ditching grass: 'This is the dream'
One delighted gardener has taken to Reddit to show off their gorgeous front yard full of native plants.
"Year 3 of no front lawn. 100% native," they captioned the picture.
"This is the dream, thanks for the motivation," one Redditor said.
More and more homeowners are turning away from traditional monoculture lawns at their respective properties in favor of more biodiversity like that showcased by the OP.
The Hill
by Sharon Udasin
California proposes fracking phaseout, making good on Newsom’s pledge
California regulators have released official plans for phasing out fracking in the Golden State — nearly three years after Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) declared his intentions to do so.
The proposed regulation would amend the state’s Public Resources Code by including a clause “to phase out permits to conduct well stimulation treatments,” according to a notice from the California Department of Conservation’s Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM).
Well stimulation treatments are processes employed at oil and gas wells to boost production, including hydraulic fracturing — also known as fracking — as well as acid fracturing and acid matrix techniques.
“While these methods are highly effective at increasing well productivity, there has been significant public concern about their potential environmental and health effects,” an initial statement of reasons from CalGEM said.
Science Daily
by Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
Green steel from toxic red mud
The production of aluminium generates around 180 million tonnes of toxic red mud every year. Scientists at the Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung, a centre for iron research, have now shown how green steel can be produced from aluminium production waste in a relatively simple way. In an electric arc furnace similar to those used in the steel industry for decades, they convert the iron oxide contained in the red mud into iron using hydrogen plasma. With this process, almost 700 million tonnes of CO2-free steel could be produced from the four billion tonnes of red mud that have accumulated worldwide to date -- which corresponds to a good third of annual steel production worldwide. And as the Max Planck team shows, the process would also be economically viable.
Africa News
by AP
21 black rhinos relocated to Kenya's Loisaba Conservancy
Kenya has embarked on its biggest single rhino relocation project ever and began the difficult work Tuesday of tracking, darting and moving 21 of the critically endangered beasts hundreds of miles in trucks to a new home.
A previous attempt at moving rhinos in the East African nation in 2018 was a disaster as all 11 of the animals that were relocated died.
The latest project experienced early troubles, too, as a rhino targeted for moving on Tuesday was not subdued by a tranquilizer dart shot by a wildlife ranger from a helicopter.
Rangers attempted to restrain the rhino with a rope but it went into a stream and the team of rangers decided to release the animal to make sure it was not harmed.
Wildlife officials have stressed the project will be difficult and take time, likely weeks.
Live Science
by Kristina Killgrove
Europe's last hunter-gatherers had sophisticated societies that helped them avoid inbreeding
High-tech DNA analysis of skeletons buried 8,000 years ago in France reveals that the last hunter-gatherer groups in Europe likely developed cultural strategies to avoid inbreeding, a new study suggests.
An investigation into the genomes of 10 people who lived between 6350 and 4810 B.C. revealed few biological links among these small communities, according to a study published Feb. 26 in the journal PNAS.
Most of the individuals the researchers tested were buried at Téviec and Hoedic (also spelled Hœdic), two coastal archaeological sites in northwestern France that are notable for two reasons: They contain a large number of well-preserved human skeletons, and they date to the period when Western Europe was transitioning from foraging to farming.
[…]
Even though these prehistoric hunter-gatherer groups had a small number of people and did not mate with larger farming groups, "contrary to expectation, individuals buried together did not have close biological kin relationships," the researchers wrote in their study. In fact, most of the biologically related pairs they found had third-degree — such as cousin, half-uncle, great-grandparent — relationships.
The Byte
by Victor Tangermann
NASA CONCERNED AS VOYAGER 1 SENDING BACK INCOMPREHENSIBLE CODE
NASA's two Voyager spacecraft have spent almost half a century traveling through distant space.
The probes, which launched less than a month apart in the summer of 1977, have survived a lot, from dwindling power supplies and grimy thrusters to near-fatal software glitches.
Voyager 1, in particular, which is currently floating past the generally-defined edge of the solar system some 15 billion miles away, is looking worse for wear these days.
Most recently, scientists became worried after the lonely probe started sending nonsensical messages back to Earth — as if its senility was catching up with it.
New Atlas
by Paul McClure
Annoying hospital beeps are causing hundreds of deaths a year
Hospital workers hear up to 1,000 alarm noises per shift, and that sensory overload is costing hundreds of lives. New research suggests there's a fix that could make a significant difference – while also making key equipment far less annoying.
Anyone who’s been to a hospital, either as a patient or a visitor, knows how annoying incessant beeping alarms can be. Regardless of which area of the hospital you’re in, it’s difficult to escape the noise. I know. As a former ICU nurse, I've experienced the relentless blaring of alarms from patient monitors, IV pumps, ventilators, and dialysis machines first-hand. And, in accordance with Murphy's law, they tend to all go off at the same time.
Newsweek
by Pandora Dewan
Scientists Reveal Simple Trick to Reduce Microplastics in Your Tap Water
Microplastics are everywhere—in our food, our water and even the air. Scientists and engineers around the world have developed all sorts of creative strategies to attempt to filter our these tiny plastic particles, but new research has revealed a simple yet effective solution for cleaning drinking water, which is probably already sitting in your kitchen.
[…]
With so many of these tiny particles in the ocean, it is perhaps unsurprising that they have ended up in our drinking water too. But thanks to new research from Guangzhou Medical University and Jinan University in China, it may be possible to remove over 80 percent of these tiny plastics with the help of a simple kitchen appliance: a kettle and a simple water filter.
This is an open thread where everyone is welcome, especially night owls and early birds, to share and discuss the science news of the day. Please share your articles and stories in the comments.
I could use a little help this month. March has five Saturdays, and that last Saturday I will be riding the train from Syracuse, NY to Portland, OR and will not have consistent internet. I would appreciate someone volunteering to take responsibility for March 30th Saturday Science. Thank you!