Biomechanics at the US Naval Academy

F**k trump.

Iran Answers Trump’s Blockade With a LEGO Diss Track In this video, Iran responds to Donald Trump’s blockade in the most unexpected way possible — with a LEGO-style AI diss track.Using animation, satire, and ra...

The US Naval Academy injected creationism into class. Trampling on science will only make the country weak.

The titan arum (Amorphophallus titanum) flower rarely blooms, but when it does, the sight—and smell—can be utterly breathtaking. This plant’s giant bloom can grow up to 9 ft (2.7 m) tall and emits a powerful perfume that resembles the stench of rotting flesh. Why? To some insects, it’s a seductive scent, luring potential pollinators toward the female parts of the flower, where they can pick up pollen and carry it off to fertilize other flowers. This spectacular display is short lived, occurring for only about three days once every two or three years. You can spot a model of a co**se flower in the Museum’s exhibition Life at the Limits: Nature’s Superheroes!

Photo: Yash Bhagwanji, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist

1 in 4 Americans reject evolution, a century after the Scopes monkey trial spotlighted the clash between science and religion (The Conversation) — One hundred years after the Scopes trial, the culture war over evolution and creationism remains intense.

The National Science Foundation tilted heavily toward computer science—and ignored the life sciences—in selecting its latest round of 500 graduate research fellows from a pool of 3000 students given honorable mention status in the first round.

Learn more: https://scim.ag/46fnppP

Hey all, Isotope here coming out of semi-reclusion for a Special I hoped I wouldn't need to provide...

Despite all the noise about "destroying" Iran's nuclear capability, we need to step back and reconsider what was attacked. Fordow and Natanz were concentrating the amount of Uranium 235 (the isotope that supports a chain reaction) found in natural uranium ore -- Fordow is reportedly able to create close to 90% U-235 material, what's generally considered "weapons-grade." Isfahan had facilities for turning yellowcake (processed ore) into a uranium/fluoride compound that is most easily enriched. Isfahan also did a lot of research and production of turning enriched uranium into fuel, and yes, that capability could also create bomb components.

There are multiple reports of visible damage at all three sites. But where are the reports of damage to actual enriched uranium storage, never mind potential weapons-grade material? I know the International Atomic Energy Agency is reporting a lack of elevated radiation levels, but that means very little when we're discussing enriched uranium that hasn't been in a reactor. Bombing that stuff just makes enriched uranium dust, not a nuclear reaction, and even the dust isn't going very far.

So from my admittedly poorly informed perspective, the strikes have likely ended (for now) Iran's ability to process and enrich MORE uranium. What's left unsaid is whether Iran already moved its EXISTING highly-enriched stuff anywhere before hostilities began, and whether the attacks had any short-term effect on Iran's ability to turn that material into a weapon.

We can probably rule out a nuclear response for now. But for anyone who thinks near-term non-nuclear retaliation is unlikely, let's remember that Iranian drones were somewhat effective in the Ukranian active war zone against sophisticated defenses. There are LOTS AND LOTS of pieces of critical infrastructure on the U.S. coast that lack any antimissile defense whatsoever. Please stop and consider ship-launched drones as at least one avenue of reprisal.

(image of Fordow via Institute for Science and International Security)

Fulbright Board Quits, Accusing Trump Administration of Political Interference The board of the prestigious program told the State Department it had no right to cancel scholarships for nearly 200 American professors and researchers.

The Silence of the Generals As President Donald Trump crossed a dangerous line at Fort Bragg, the Army’s brass failed to speak out in its defense.

The chair of the Naval Academy History Department resigned after reportedly being ordered by the academy’s superintendent to remove a previously approved paper from the list of those to be presented at an upcoming symposium.

The chair, Tom McCarthy, cited the removal of a paper “for reasons having nothing to do with scholarship. Read more: https://bit.ly/4ehMhj3

📸: Paul W. Gillespie, The Capital Gazette

The Authoritarian War on Science What the Rise of Lysenkoism Reveals About America’s Political Assault on Scientific Institutions