Under Pressure: Deep-Sea Elasmobranchs Experience High Mortality and Stress in a Crustacean Trawling Fishery

Crustacean bottom trawling in southern Portugal is a an economic and culturally important fishing activity but may result in considerable bycatch of deep-sea elasmobranchs (DSE). Due to DSE life-history strategies, at-vessel mortality (AVM)

What to know about Lesotho, the country Trump said 'nobody has ever heard of'

JOHANNESBURG — In his Tuesday night address to Congress, President Trump defended his administration's humanitarian aid cuts to countries around the globe, including one nation he joked "nobody has ever heard of." It is the southern African

The founders of Bitcoin were transhumanists

The Extropy Institute was a think tank and ideas market for the future of social change brought about by consequential technologies.  Extropians were transhumanists and it was from a group of extropians that Bitcoin was born, according to a

Meet the Syrians behind the music that inspired a revolution

A flag with a photo of Abdel Basset al-Sarout is seen in Homs, Syria, on Jan. 31. Yahya Nemah for NPR hide caption HOMS, Syria — His face is ev

UK House of Lords has opened an inquiry into the Starmer’s agreement with Zelensky

The House of Lords has opened an inquiry into the agreement the UK government has signed with Ukraine.  To this end, the House of Lords’ International Agreements Committee is currently calling for evidence seeking answers to various questio

The meaning of Lent is limits

It is Ash Wednesday. In the Christian calendar, this day inaugurates the fasts of Lent. This is holy time, a period of 46 days of cleansing and purging the body and soul before the celebration of Easter. The time echoes the 40 days Jesus sp

In the Shadow of Mount Nyiro

Navigating northwards from the town of Isiolo within The Rift Valley of Central Kenya, some of our East African partners and myself quickly found ourselves off the tarmac and using dirt roads traversing from village to village, which are fe

The Wheels Are Falling off Alberta’s Gas-Powered AI Data Centre Proposal

Northern Alberta’s Wonder Valley development seems somewhat less wonderful lately. Celebrity investor Kevin “Mr. Wonderful” O’Leary recently hyped the $70 billion AI data center proposal to be powered by “200 trillion cubic feet of sweet na

Dr. Willie Soon: Sea levels are the lowest they’ve been in 500 million years

In a short fun video, Dr. Willie Soon demonstrates how the sea level today is the lowest it has ever been.  To do this he uses descriptions of the landscape of historical events and then looks at the same landscape today. Let’s not lose tou

The Banks We Deserve: Excerpt

Ed note: This excerpt is taken from From The Banks We Deserve by Oscar Perry Abello. Copyright © 2025 Oscar Perry Abello. Reproduced by permission of Island Press, Washington, D.C. The Banks We Deserve: Reclaiming Community Banking for a Ju

The Muskovites Are at the Gates: Is the Republic Doomed?

The tectonic truth is that Donald Trump and Elon Musk could stop their chainsaw rampage through the federal government, foreign alliances, and the US Constitution immediately, and it would take years to undo the cumulative damage they’ve al

Hall of Mirrors

The shock being experienced in Washington D.C. since January 20 is exposing gaping holes in the fantasies we told ourselves were rock-solid truths—lasting for whole (gasp) generations!. It is also important to admit that this is democracy w

A look at the human toll of the construction of the Panama Canal : Code Switch

Author Cristina Henriquez next to the cover of her new novel, The Great Divide Brian McConkey/Ecco hide caption Author Cristina Henriquez next to the cover of

China's parliament opens with confidence about the economy despite tariffs, headwinds

Chinese President Xi Jinping, center left, chats with his Premier Li Qiang as leaders and delegates prepare to leave after attending the opening session of the National People's Congress held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on We

Mexico and Canada React to U.S. Tariffs; Ukraine Adjusts to Losing U.S. Support : State of the World from NPR

The flags of Mexico and Canada fly near the Ambassador Bridge, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Detroit. Paul Sancya/AP hide caption The flags of Mexic