Slash and Burn Civilization

A new study by the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution has revealed that people in Europe used slash-and-burn methods to make land usable for agriculture during the Mesolithic period.

The team took core drill samples in the Ammer Valley in Germany and reconstructed the paleoclimate through a pollen analyses on micro and macro charcoal remains. The study, published in the “Journal of Quaternary Science” reveals that the samples date from around 10,100 and 9,800 years ago and suggests that the open and moisture-rich vegetation at the time was dominated by natural fires.

The Mesolithic began with the Holocene, a climate change that saw a warm period about 11,700 years ago which also brought about reforestation of pine, birch and hazel. The herds of ice-age steppe animals such as reindeer or mammoth were replaced by forest animals such as deer and wild boar.

“Typical for the Mesolithic are so-called microliths – small flint implements, which at the beginning of the Mesolithic were mostly made in a triangular and later a quadrangular fashion. Numerous artefacts of this type have been recovered from the Mesolithic scattered finds of Rottenburg-Siebenlinden near Tübingen, Germany,” explains Shaddai Heidgen, a PhD student at S-HEP.

The landscape of the Ammer Valley changed during the Mesolithic period, creating favourable conditions for Mesolithic settlements such as the ones found in Rottenburg-Siebenlinden. The fires created attractive sites for herbivores as well as pioneer vegetation such as hazelnuts.

According to the study, the people of that time began to use the slash-and-burn methods specifically for their own purposes, starting 9,500 years ago.Heidgen said: “Our charcoal and pollen analyses show that the frequent fires in a landscape increasingly dominated by deciduous trees were controlled by Mesolithic hunter-gatherers. Moreover, the archaeological horizons of the Mesolithic settlement area coincide with the rather weak but frequent fires.”  READ MORE...

Turtles

 

The Fuel of Evolution

Darwinian evolution is the process by which natural selection promotes genetic changes in traits that favor survival and reproduction of individuals. How fast evolution happens depends crucially on the abundance of its "fuel": how much genetic difference there is in the ability to survive and reproduce. 

New research by an international research team with participation of the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) has now discovered that the raw material for evolution is much more abundant in wild animals than previously believed. The findings were published in Science.

Darwin thought of the process of evolution as something slow, visible only over geological ages. However, researchers have since discovered many examples of evolution occurring in just a few years. 

One such example is that of British populations of the peppered moth, where the abundance of two color morphs changed dramatically in only a few decades, as the result of evolution by natural selection favoring different morphs depending on the level of air pollution. It was unclear however how fast animals with longer lifespans such as birds and mammals can evolve and adapt to environmental change.

Led by Dr. Timothée Bonnet from the Australian National University, a team of 40 researchers from 27 institutions addressed this question and measured how much of the "fuel of evolution" exists overall in wild populations of birds and mammals. 

The answer: many populations of birds and mammals can evolve surprisingly fast—their amount of genetic difference in the ability to survive and reproduce being two to four times higher than previously thought.  READ MORE...

Protecting Gas

 

Demcracy and its Freedoms

 What is it about a DEMOCRACY that gets everyone excited?

Is it the freedoms that a DEMOCRACY provides?

Or, is it the freedoms that the DEMOCRACY of the United States of America provides?

And, do we really have the freedoms that those living outside the USA think that we have?

• We are only as free as our internal laws allow us to be...
• We are only as free as the enforcement of our internal laws allow us to be...
• We are only as free as our businesses and industries allow us to be...
• We are only as free as our leaders allow us to be...
• We are only as free as the media allows us to be...
• We are only as free as our education allows us to be...
• We are only as free as the WEALTHY allow us to be...

IT IS THE WEALTHY THAT ALLOW US TO BE AS FREE AS THEY WANT US TO BE...

• The wealthy control the economy
• The wealthy control the laws
• The wealthy control the media
• The wealthy control the jobs
• The wealthy control education
• The wealthy control the environment
• The wealthy control law enforcement
• The wealthy control l free speech
• 
  

THE WEALTHY DON'T CARE WHAT MINORITY OR MAJORITY YOU ARE...

THE ONLY THING THAT THE WEALTHY CARES ABOUT IS THAT YOU CONTINUE TO SPEND YOUR MONEY IN AREAS THAT WILL INCREASE THEIR WEALTH...

• buy gasoline
• buy music
• buy concert tickets
• buy clothes
• buy cars
• buy computers
• buy homes
• buy food
• go on vacation
• go to restaurants
• buy airline tickets

BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY...  YOU NEED TO BE CONVINCED TO BUY STUFF YOU DON"T REALLY NEED...  THAT's WHAT REALLY MAKES THEM WEALTHY...

Americans are addicted to buying stuff...

Harnessing the Collective Will of Americans

According to Lawrence Torcello, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Rochester Institute of Technology:

In classical Athens, the birthplace of democracy, the democratic assembly was an arena filled with rhetoric unconstrained by any commitment to facts or truth. So far, so familiar.

Aristotle and his students had not yet formalized the basic concepts and principles of logic, so those who sought influence learned from sophists, teachers of rhetoric who focused on controlling the audience’s emotions rather than influencing their logical thinking.

There lay the trap: Power belonged to anyone who could harness the collective will of the citizens directly by appealing to their emotions rather than using evidence and facts to change their minds.

Does the above remind you of anything that is currently going on the the USA presently?  This is not a rhetorical question but a question about which you should seriously ponder your answer...   I would submit to you that both the liberals and the conservatives are currently trying to appeal to our emotions rather that use evidence and facts to change our minds...  although they do, from time to time, sprinkle their cereal comments with the sugar of truth, evidence, and facts...

Ironically, the liberals are trying to create a bureau of misinformation so that this bureau will be the sole provider or truth...  how controlling is that?

If our society in 2022 really wanted to hear the truth, why does mainstream media only print and promote one side of the story...  cases in point:

• the russian collusion hoax
• the hunter biden hoax
• the real reason for inflation
• the conservative voice canceled on college campuses
• illegal drugs coming across our southern border
• the covid pandemic being caused by the Chinese
• voting laws that claim minority suppression

BOTH SIDES appealing to our EMOTIONS...

Can you imagine what might happen if the general public stampeded through a town like  a herd of buffalo?

Can you imagine what might happen at a beach resort if college students stampeded against the local police?

A DEMOCRACY is the rule of the MAJORITY even when the MAJORITY is WRONG...

How does a majority convince itself that it is right and the minority is wrong???

Majorities govern through self-fulfilling prophecies...

A Beginner's Guide to Female Led Relationships

The female led relationship (FLR) has become more common than ever, as women are increasingly viewed as equal, powerful, and able to take on a formerly masculine role.

In this comprehensive beginner’s guide, I’ll share everything you need to know about female led relationships, including:

• Identifying the FLR
• The importance of boundaries in FLRs
• The different types of FLRs
• The perks of FLRs
• The drawbacks of FLRs
• How to deal with problems in an FLR
• How to decide if you’re ready for an FLR
• Identifying the Female Led Relationship

Key factors to ponder when considering a female led relationship are the goals, needs, and desires of each partner. Lots of women prefer to be the chief decision-maker, and many men are happy—and even relieved—to forfeit their previous dominant role.

By making a conscious decision to reject societal norms, these couples are able to adapt their relationships to fit their dominant or submissive personas. While it may not be for everyone, this role reversal can lead to increased harmony and happiness for many duos.

It’s important to note that every relationship dynamic is different, so one female led relationship may look entirely different than another. The best part? You and your partner are able to build a partnership that works for you, both individually and collectively. There’s no need to conform to society’s ideal, because you make the rules.

The Importance of Boundaries in a Female Led Relationship
Speaking of rules, it’s essential to establish boundaries when entering or transitioning to a female led relationship. Although you and your partner will want to create relationship rules that work for your unique situation, the following guidelines should help:

1. Communicate Openly and Honestly
In any relationship, it’s important that both partners’ voices are heard, and a female led relationship is no exception. Effective communication fosters trust while warding off uncertainty and conflict. Relationships change and grow over time, so ongoing communication is essential as your partnership evolves.

2. Find a Comfortable Balance
Female led relationships are often misunderstood, as some folks believe the woman has 100% of the control. While this may be the case for some couples, the majority of FLRs involve shared decision-making and responsibilities. It’s up to each couple to determine how this dynamic plays out within the relationship.

3. Discuss Your Expectations
As mentioned previously, communication is the driving force in any healthy relationship. Along with deciding who will take on individual responsibilities, couples should discuss what they are unwilling or unable to do. Some dominant females provide a list of tasks they prefer their partner to take on, such as cooking, cleaning, or other traditional female roles.

When beginning or transitioning to an FLR, women should make their expectations clear, and men should mention any concerns right away. This open dialog will ensure both parties are satisfied with their expected roles.

Types of Female Led Relationships
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to female led relationships. There are different levels, and only you and your partner can decide which is right for you. Some relationships progress to higher levels of dominance over time, while others strike more of a balance as each partner’s needs evolve.

Below, I outline each FLR level and what it typically entails:  TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT FLRs, CLICK HERE...

Racing

Grown in Moon Dirt

This thale cress seedling sprouted from a seed potted in lunar dirt collected during some of the 

Apollo missions.     TYLER JONES, IFAS/UF

That’s one small stem for a plant, one giant leap for plant science.

In a tiny, lab-grown garden, the first seeds ever sown in lunar dirt have sprouted. This small crop, planted in samples returned by Apollo missions, offers hope that astronauts could someday grow their own food on the moon.

But plants potted in lunar dirt grew more slowly and were scrawnier than others grown in volcanic material from Earth, researchers report May 12 in Communications Biology. That finding suggests that farming on the moon would take a lot more than a green thumb.

“Ah! It’s so cool!” says University of Wisconsin–Madison astrobotanist Richard Barker of the experiment.

“Ever since these samples came back, there’s been botanists that wanted to know what would happen if you grew plants in them,” says Barker, who wasn’t involved in the study. “But everyone knows those precious samples … are priceless, and so you can understand why [NASA was] reluctant to release them.”

Now, NASA’s upcoming plans to send astronauts back to the moon as part of its Artemis program have offered a new incentive to examine that precious dirt and explore how lunar resources could support long-term missions (SN: 7/15/19).

The dirt, or regolith, that covers the moon is basically a gardener’s worst nightmare. This fine powder of razor-sharp bits is full of metallic iron, rather than the oxidized kind that is palatable to plants (SN: 9/15/20). It’s also full of tiny glass shards forged by space rocks pelting the moon. What it is not full of is nitrogen, phosphorus or much else plants need to grow. So, even though scientists have gotten pretty good at coaxing plants to grow in fake moon dust made of earthly materials, no one knew whether newborn plants could put down their delicate roots in the real stuff.  READ MORE...

Dog Jumps

 

Stashed Inside the Pyramids

The pyramids of Giza are grand monuments, but what's inside them and the other ancient 

Egyptian pyramids? (Image credit: Ratnakorn Piyasirisorost via Getty Images)

When British archaeologist Howard Carter cracked open King Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922, he reported seeing "wonderful things." Tut's tomb was filled with extraordinary treasures, including the golden death mask of Tutankhamun, a golden throne and even gold sandals. But did all royal tombs in ancient Egypt have such plush grave goods?


The answer is no. While the Great Pyramid of Giza and other ancient Egyptian pyramids are incredible monuments, the burial goods inside them were likely relatively modest compared with those buried in the tombs of later pharaohs, such as Tutankhamun.


"The burials in the biggest pyramids might have looked quite simple in comparison to Tutankhamun," Wolfram Grajetzki, an honorary senior research fellow at University College London in the U.K. who has studied and written extensively about ancient Egyptian burial customs and burial goods, told Live Science in an email.

Pyramids were used as Egyptian pharaohs' tombs from the time of Djoser (reign circa 2630 B.C. to 2611 B.C.) to Ahmose I (reign circa 1550 B.C. to 1525 B.C.). Most of these pyramids were plundered centuries ago, but a few royal tombs have remained relatively intact and provide clues about their treasures, Grajetzki said.


For instance, Princess Neferuptah (who lived around 1800 B.C.) was buried in a pyramid at the site of Hawara, around 60 miles (100 kilometers) south of Cairo. Her burial chamber was excavated in 1956 and "contained pottery, a set of coffins, some gilded personal adornments and a set of royal insignia that identify her with the Underworld god Osiris," Grajetzki said.


King Hor (who lived around 1750 B.C.) was buried with a similar set of objects, although he wasn't buried in a pyramid, Grajetzki said. "The body of [Hor] was wrapped in linen, the entrails placed into special containers, called canopic jars," Grajetzki said. "His face was covered with a mummy mask."  READ MORE...

Fast Fish

 

Alien Invasion

Image Credit: Rick_Jo/Getty

An alien species is headed for planet Earth and we have no reason to believe it will be friendly. Some experts predict it will get here within 30 years, while others insist it will arrive far sooner. Nobody knows what it will look like, but it will share two key traits with us humans – it will be intelligent and self-aware.

No, this alien will not come from a distant planet – it will be born right here on Earth, hatched in a research lab at a major university or large corporation. I am referring to the first artificial general intelligence (AGI) that reaches (or exceeds) human-level cognition.

As I write these words, billions are being spent to bring this alien to life, as it would be viewed as one of the greatest technological achievements in human history. But unlike our other inventions, this one will have a mind of its own, literally. And if it behaves like every other intelligent species we know, it will put its own self-interests first, working to maximize its prospects for survival.

AI in our own image
Should we fear a superior intelligence driven by its own goals, values and self-interests? Many people reject this question, believing we will build AI systems in our own image, ensuring they think, feel and behave just like we do. This is extremely unlikely to be the case.

Artificial minds will not be created by writing software with carefully crafted rules that make them think like us. Instead engineers feed massive datasets into simple algorithms that automatically adjust their own parameters, making millions upon millions of tiny changes to their structure until an intelligence emerges – an intelligence with inner workings that are far too complex for us to comprehend.

And no – feeding it data about humans will not make it think like humans do. This is a common misconception – the false belief that by training an AI on data that describes human behaviors, we will ensure it ends up thinking, feeling and acting like we do. It will not.  READ MORE...

Horse Kiss

It Is All OUR FAULT

 What are you currently experiencing?

• Increasing gasoline prices
• Increasing food prices
• Increasing inflation
• Increasing illegal immigration
• Increasing crime
• Increasing violence
• Increasing drug overdoses
• Increasing availability of illegal drugs

Why are you currently experiencing this?

Because of our current President...

Who elected our current President?

WE DID...

Therefore, it is all OUR FAULT...

The current administration blames all the problems on:

1. the previous president
2. the covid pandemic
3. the invasion of Ukraine by Russia
4. the businesses who are raising prices
5. the truckers who don't want to work
6. all the Americans who don't want to work
7. conservative values and policies

But, who voted for Biden?

Who are you going to blame for the way that you cast your vote?

THERE IS NO ONE TO BLAME BUT YOU...

Democracy Falls Short

We have forgotten all about Socrates’s salient warnings against democracy. We have preferred to think of democracy as an unambiguous good – rather than a process that is only ever as effective as the education system that surrounds it.

The education system that surrounds USA Democracy is flawed and has been flawed ever since it was created in 1635 in Boston, Massachusetts...  Our educational system lays the foundation for us to follow more and more education rather than teach us to be financially, economically, and politically aware...  assuming that pursuing a college and graduate degrees is the only viable course of action to take in this country...   THIS IS A FALSE PREMISE...

As a result of this false premise, the average American is less intelligent in 2022 than the average American was in 1822...  

What exactly am I trying to say here?

The 1800s America knew how to farm, build, repair, and the value of the dollar, was family-oriented, in touch with their own faith, and was keenly aware of all the people who were governing them.  They understood wisdom, value, quality, integrity, truth, and honesty and expected those who governed them to understand them as well.

Not many people in the 1800s had what we know call BOOK KNOWLEDGE.

Socrates was also concerned that in a democracy people would begin to care more about earning money (wealth) and buying assets rather than caring about one's fellow man...

Think about this for a minute?  Roll it around in your consciousness...  and reflect upon the ramifications that the concerns of Socrates have already generated in 2022 America...

Everything that surrounds us...  pushes us in a direction to want more and more...  earn more and more...  buy more and more...  WHY?  And, more importantly, why do we need all this shit?

What did you know about Trump when you elected him President?

What did you know about Biden when you elected him President?

What did you believe that other people were telling you about these two people?

How much research did you do yourself?

If you did not do much research...  why not?

WHY DO YOU NOT REALLY CARE ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE GOVERNING YOU?

America Will Never Be An Equitable Democracy

 ...EQUITABLE

 MEANS BEING 

FAIR 

AND 

IMPARTIAL...

Does this image really explain the difference between equity and equality in all situations?

That is completely impossible in the USA...

Why?

Because that is not how we are born...

• Some of us are beautiful
• Some of us are butt ugly
• Some of us are tall
• Some of us are short
• Some of us are intellectually gifted
• Some of us are intellectually handicapped
• Some of us have photographic memories
• Some of us suffer from CRS

I would think that by now, you have gotten my point...  We are not equal so there can never be equity in ALL THINGS...

I read an article several years ago that scientifically stated that black men had skulls that were more sturdy than the skulls of Caucasians, therefore, blacks made for better football players and boxers...  Bear in mind that there is always an exception.

The sooner that we come to terms with this concept, the better off our future will be and hopefully we will stop trying to put a square object in a round hole...

Target Practice

The Revolutionary World of Quantum Computers

The inside of an IBM System One quantum computer.  Bryan Walsh/Vox

A few weeks ago, I woke up unusually early in the morning in Brooklyn, got in my car, and headed up the Hudson River to the small Westchester County community of Yorktown Heights. There, amid the rolling hills and old farmhouses, sits the Thomas J. Watson Research Center, the Eero Saarinen-designed, 1960s Jet Age-era headquarters for IBM Research.

Deep inside that building, through endless corridors and security gates guarded by iris scanners, is where the company’s scientists are hard at work developing what IBM director of research Dario Gil told me is “the next branch of computing”: quantum computers.

I was at the Watson Center to preview IBM’s updated technical roadmap for achieving large-scale, practical quantum computing. This involved a great deal of talk about “qubit count,” “quantum coherence,” “error mitigation,” “software orchestration” and other topics you’d need to be an electrical engineer with a background in computer science and a familiarity with quantum mechanics to fully follow.

I am not any of those things, but I have watched the quantum computing space long enough to know that the work being done here by IBM researchers — along with their competitors at companies like Google and Microsoft, along with countless startups around the world — stands to drive the next great leap in computing. Which, given that computing is a “horizontal technology that touches everything,” as Gil told me, will have major implications for progress in everything from cybersecurity to artificial intelligence to designing better batteries.

Provided, of course, they can actually make these things work.

Entering the quantum realm
The best way to understand a quantum computer — short of setting aside several years for grad school at MIT or Caltech — is to compare it to the kind of machine I’m typing this piece on: a classical computer.

My MacBook Air runs on an M1 chip, which is packed with 16 billion transistors. Each of those transistors can represent either the “1” or “0” of binary information at a single time — a bit. The sheer number of transistors is what gives the machine its computing power.

Sixteen billion transistors packed onto a 120.5 sq. mm chip is a lot — TRADIC, the first transistorized computer, had fewer than 800. The semiconductor industry’s ability to engineer ever more transistors onto a chip, a trend forecast by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore in the law that bears his name, is what has made possible the exponential growth of computing power, which in turn has made possible pretty much everything else.  READ MORE...

Skateboard