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Cloud Eraser | Chickadee Memoree | Enhanced Rocks

Issue #147

What if I told you the best part of Monday’s solar eclipse isn’t the sun or moon? Here in our own atmosphere, clouds will put on a magic show detailed below.

Let me know where you’re watching the eclipse/magic from!

-Steve

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Cloud Eraser

Some clouds totally disappear during a solar eclipse, and now we know why!

  • Clouds vanish rapidly as soon as the sun is 15% blocked

  • Primarily shallow cumulus clouds

  • Caused by lack of warm updrafts as the ground cools

Clouds reflect sunlight and help cool the Earth, so we’re glad they reappear after the eclipse. Researchers will continue to study this phenomenon to prevent weather-related disasters due to future climate engineering. And to save the clouds that look like puppies.

Quick! (vote)

Favorite eclipse?

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Check out last week’s results in “Unnatural Selection” below

Chickadee Memoree

Even birds track their inventory. Black-capped chickadee memory works similar to human bar code scanners.

  • Brain probes inserted into 5 chickadees

  • Food caches get their own neural combination

  • Acting as an index connecting inputs to unique memories

Indexing explains the lack of “place cell” activation in chickadees, aka how you’ll remember where you learned about this 😉. Further research will help us understand how memory works across species. If only my password memory was this good.

Enhanced Rocks

Sprinkling rock dust on crops boosts yields AND reduces greenhouse gases. Agricultural gains add to already understood climate benefits of enhanced rock weathering.

  • 12-16% higher crop yields

  • Increases plant’s micro and macro nutrient content

  • Annually removes ~3-4 tonnes of CO2 per ~2.5 acres

Once scaled, enhanced rock weathering could offset combined aviation and shipping CO2 emissions. Reducing greenhouse gasses by ironically requiring plants to grow outside of greenhouses. We need a new name for indoor farming outdoors!

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Clickables

🌙 We’re getting a new time zone - the moon

🤖 Watch this one-wheeled robot defy gravity

📆 Plan ahead - next 15 total solar eclipses

Unnatural Selection

Last week: “Would you eat a mold-burger?”

88% yes, 12% no

Some of you smartly suggested changing the name from “mold-burger” for better marketing. Now we can all eat “Mmm-Possible Burgers”!

Make sure you vote up top for next week’s “Unnatural Selection”!

st3v on site

Sentient Rock Filter

st3v talks to his sentient pet rock

Enhanced rocks are cool, but st3v’s sentient enhanced rocks are cooler. And soon the Earth will be, too!

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