Today is the official beginning of the Winter season….and do I have a bunch of stuff to pass on to you guys.

Breaking News–as if on cue the Congress passed the spending bill and avoided the looming government shutdown (as if there was any doubt)…be thankful Congress got its pay raise and all is well.

Locally–weather has been a bit warm even for this time of the year….mid-70s daytime and mid-60s night and no rain to speak of just lots of fog.

Personally–the radiation is done (for now) and the doctor is promoting immunotherapy (to me that means $$$$ for the treatments) that should begin after the holidays.  So far my energy levels have not bounced back but I guess it will take time.

I apologize to my readers for not being as prompt as I once was….these cancer treatments o not like me…..hopefully things will get better, for now, for I have about 3 weeks off.

Since my cancer diagnosis I have been watching for research into the disease and any positive signs it may produce.

Tiny robots thinner than a human hair could revolutionise cancer treatment by delivering drugs directly to tumours, scientists have discovered.

The breakthrough involves special 3D-printed microbots that measure just 30 microns in diameter – a fraction of a millimetre.

These microscopic machines can transform between solid and liquid states and are designed to survive stomach acid.

The innovative robots have already shown promise in reducing bladder tumour size during mouse trials.

https://www.gbnews.com/health/cancer-treatment-tiny-robots-smaller-human-hair-revolutionary

It is that time of the year….all the predictions for the new year are starting to make news….

Psychic World’s mystics, fortune tellers and astrologers have predicted the “start of the most significant global paradigm shift in three decades” for next year.

Their daring 2025 forecasts include the onset of a potential pandemic, dramatic leadership changes across Europe, and advancements in space travel.

And if that wasn’t enough, they’re also predicting an evolution in artificial intelligence much like the one world leaders and “tech bros” such as Elon Musk warned us about.

Psychic World predicts these could result in a “move away from centrist, traditional socio-democratic parties”. Saturn’s journey through Aries may back “brave, reformist leaders who challenge the status quo”, while Uranus in Taurus advocates for economic innovation and change.

Germany is expected to undergo its most substantial reforms since 1991 to regain its position as a leading manufacturing powerhouse.

https://www.irishstar.com/news/us-news/new-pandemic-covid-prediction-warning-34338129

More troubling news from the world of science….

Science run amok is a prominent fixture in post-apocalyptic fiction. Disease, interdimensional monsters, and AI are all examples of widespread death courtesy of some misguided scientific venture. But every once in a while, debates and worries about potentially world-ending research spill out into the real world. And now, 38 prominent biologists are raising the alarm of a new threat: mirror life.

No, this is not some “Spock with a beard” scenario. Instead, it’s the purposeful creation of proteins and DNA that take on the exact mirror chirality—or handedness—of typical biology found in all living things on Earth.

For example, DNA is made mostly of sugar, which can have left- or right-handed molecules. But, for whatever reason (scientists don’t know exactly), life selected right-handed molecules to form DNA—which is why the double-helix curves toward the right. Proteins, on the other hand (no pun intended), use left-handed amino acids. This is not only true of humans, but all life on Earth.

Of course, the seemingly arbitrary decision to arrange life in this way led to an irresistible question—what if life’s handedness formed in the mirror direction? Now, a 299-page report—along with a commentary published in the journal Science—suggests that maybe pursuing this particular path of knowledge isn’t the best idea.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/a63208690/mirror-cells-could-end-life-on-earth/

From the tech world….since I am not the biggest techno nerd I find somethings fascinating….like this story….

Sensor-equipped wearables like smartwatches, fitness bands, rings, and even some internet connected clothing have lurched their way into mainstream acceptance in recent years. Though many of the devices have become more compact over successive iterations, almost all still need some sort of battery to hold power. Batteries can add weight and need to be charged which can present issues with certain healthcare wearables where constant, uninterrupted monitoring of a user’s vitals are crucial. 

Researchers from the Queensland University of Technology in Australia believe they may have come up with a solution: a thin, flexible, and cost-effective film that converts body heat into power. That energy source, the researchers argue in a study published today in Science, could then be used in lieu of batteries to power next generation wearable tech. The study builds off other recent research showing how small thermoelectric devices can essentially turn the human body into a mini geo-thermal reactor to power wearbels. It’s still early, but researchers are hopeful the film, if scaled properly, could help bring about more useful smart clothing and longer lasting wearable medical devices that could potentially function without batteries.

“Flexible thermoelectric devices can be worn comfortably on the skin where they effectively turn the temperature difference between the human body and surrounding air into electricity,” Queensland University Zhi-Gang Chen and paper lead author said in a statement.

https://www.popsci.com/technology/body-heat-power-source/

More bad news for us coffee drinkers….

The overheating of our planet is putting coffee bean crops at risk, and it’s not just the people who rely on a morning caffeine boost who will be affected.

According to Inside Climate News, coffee prices reached an all-time high in late November as the impact of drought began to take hold of the industry. 

Brazil and Vietnam — two of the largest coffee-producing countries on the planet — have dealt with drought during 2024, dramatically reducing yields and increasing the prices of supplies that remain. 

As ICN observed, scientists have pointed to human-caused global heating and the impact of El Niño — a climate pattern that occurs once every few years — as reasons for the increasingly dry conditions.

The drought has also been made worse by deforestation activity in Brazil, which the Washington Post noted changes rainfall patterns and reduces soil’s ability to hold water. 

Meanwhile, VOA reported that Vietnam saw its worst drought in nearly a decade, while ICN said the impact of Typhoon Yagi in September has also affected crop production.

Coffee companies issue serious warnings after beans become nearly impossible to grow — here’s what’s going on

Dammit!  Eggs, butter and now coffee….where does this stop?

Scientists have found yet another solution to our growing microplastics problem.

Microplastics are everywhere, which is why scientists have been dedicating a lot of time to trying to figure out a way to safely extract them. Now, it seems a super sponge-like foam that borrows the soaking skills of cotton and squid may be a promising candidate, as it was found to remove 98 to 99.9 percent of microplastics from water samples studied.

What’s more, the foam is sustainable and environmentally adaptable, without carrying the neuston-zone-destroying risks of some ocean-hoovering approaches. As well as targeting microplastics already in the environment, it could be used to treat water at factories before it gets released, working to both reduce the microplastics already in nature and those being leaked into it.

“Microplastics entering terrestrial and aquatic habitats are anticipated to continuously increase for thousands of years, due to the alarming volumes of plastic waste in the environment (~4.6 billion metric tons) and the difficulty of degradation under natural conditions,” wrote the study authors.

https://www.iflscience.com/new-sponge-like-biomass-foam-found-to-soak-up-999-percent-of-microplastics-77223

Is there anything useful about a roach?

How do you create an army of cockroach cyborgs? Why, you enrol the robots, of course. That’s the direction a new preprint study has taken in equipping cockroaches with little backpacks in under 68 seconds using an automatic assembly method, something they’ve termed the “Cyborg Insect Factory”.

It sounds like nightmare fuel, but it’s actually a smart approach to search and rescue that’s being explored in a few ways. We’ve already looked into robotic snakes and living rats, so why not try a cyborg cockroach?

There have been a few models of cyborg roaches already, including ones with their antennae attached to their backpacks, while others had jazzy solar-powered packs. This latest project stands out in focusing on a means of scalable creation, since given their size, you’re probably not going to be able to achieve a lot with one wee cockroach in a big search and rescue operation.

What if, say, you could create an automatic system capable of equipping the cockroach with its little electric backpack in a little over a minute? Would it then be possible to create a scalable operation of mini cyborg-roach soldiers?

https://www.iflscience.com/new-automated-machine-equips-roaches-with-backpacks-creating-an-army-of-cyborgs-77275

Growing up I was part of a hunting family…..we went out for food for the freezer and I was taught that a respect for the animal was a must.

Ever year the ‘American Sportsman’ kills other hunters or a cow or some other non-game animal in there blood lust and finally there was a reckoning.

A hunter is dead after a freak hunting accident in Virginia last week. Around 9:50am on December 9, authorities say a group of hunters chased a bear into a tree in Lunenburg County, and one hunter shot the bear as the group was retreating from under the tree, USA Today reports. The bear fell, striking a 58-year-old man who was about 10 feet from the tree. Another hunter administered first aid until emergency responders arrived, and the man was taken to a nearby hospital but did not survive. He died Friday. No charges are being pursued, police say.

Personally it was a cowardly act to shot a treed animal…at least the bear took one of the cowards with him.

This does it for me on this Wintery day….if you are up to last minute shopping  then Be well and Be Safe….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”