Just finished V Rising. I really liked it. For those who don’t know and are curious, it’s one of those games where, if you can’t beat a boss, you just have to get better. There’s some small things that make a fight easier, but it basically comes down to you understanding the enemy and learning to play better.
No particular order, but it seems I hit quite a few different genres.
Fixed. Thank you.
Relevant Section on the genetics:
For the study, the researchers took blood from five of the cats, which had been adopted, and conducted a DNA test on four of the felines, which turned up no genetic mutations associated with white fur.
They then performed a whole genome sequencing for two of the cats, and this step turned up a deletion in what’s called the KIT gene, which can encode whether white will turn up in a feline’s coat (scientists have also connected variations in the KIT gene to piebald patterns in various animals like horses and mice.)
“In summary, comparative data from other species and genotype segregation analysis support the newly discovered KIT region deletion as potentially being a cause of salmiak coat color in cats,” the researchers conclude.
My understanding is that some of the benefits China would get from invading Taiwan is the control of Taiwan’s world-leading semiconductor industry. So making it public knowledge that any invading force (i.e. China) would not be able to take over their production capabilities is a small deterrent.
Good news we are increasing the percent from renewables. The pace leaves something to be desired though:
23 years to increase 12% (2000 to 2023, 18% to 30%)
12 years to increase 10% (2011 to 2023, 20% to 30%)
6 years to increase 5% (2017 to 2023, 25% to 30%)
Based on the charts and write up, it seems like China is the main driver of us even making significant progress.
I’d like to be optimistic but 6 years to go 5% will have us totally renewable in 84 years (2023+[6x14]=2107).
To add on to what NegativeInf said and linked, “0.25” is a weird way to say a quarter of a day. It makes more sense, to me, that the zero at the front was left off and it should read “0.25-6 hr per day”.
A bit disappointing, was hoping for a bigger milestone but this is still a positive.
Relevant Text:
California has set a benchmark for renewable energy, with wind, solar, and hydro providing 100% of the state’s energy demand for 25 out of the last 32 days (and counting).
Added context is that it isn’t for the full day, only needs to be part of the day (ex. 15 minutes), where renewables provided all of the electricity needs for the state.
Mods, perhaps a weekly post like this would be beneficial? Lowering the bar to entry with some available support and helping to keep converts.
From the article:
What alternatives to plastic are coming?
Here are a few new ideas headed to the produce aisle:
Bags from trees. An Austrian company is using beechwood trees to make biodegradable cellulose net bags to hold produce. Other companies offer similar netting that decomposes within a few weeks.
Film from peels. Orange peels, shrimp shells and other natural waste is being turned into film that can be used like cellophane, or made into bags. An edible coating made from plant-based fatty acids is sprayed on cucumbers, avocados and other produce sold at many major grocery stores. They work in a way similar to the wax coating commonly used on citrus and apples.
Clamshells from cardboard. Plastic clamshells are a $9.1 billion business in the United States, and the number of growers who use them is vast. Replacing them will be an enormous challenge, particularly for more fragile fruits and vegetables. Plenty of designers are trying. Driscoll’s has been working to develop paper containers for use in the United States and Canada. In the meantime, the company is using more recycled plastic in its clamshells in the United States.
Ice that feels like gelatin. Luxin Wang and other scientists at the University of California, Davis, have invented reusable jelly ice. It is lighter than ice and doesn’t melt. It could eliminate the need for plastic ice packs, which can’t be recycled. After about a dozen uses, the jelly ice can be tossed into a garden or the garbage, where it dissolves.
Boxes with atmosphere. Broccoli is usually shipped in wax-coated boxes packed with ice. The soggy cartons can’t be recycled. Iceless broccoli shipping containers use a mix of gases that help preserve the vegetable instead of chilling it with ice, which is heavy to ship and can transmit pathogens when it melts. Other sustainable, lighter shipping cartons are being designed to remove ethylene, a plant hormone that encourages ripening.
Containers from plants. Rice-paddy straw left over after harvests, grasses, sugar cane stalks and even food waste are all being turned into trays and boxes that are either biodegradable or can be composted.
The transmogrifier has been in the last week of posts (starting March 23rd). I’m not familiar with which strip you are asking about but my guess would be it’s in the last 7 posts.
From the article:
The last coal producers in New England will shutter their doors permanently under an agreement reached with environmental groups and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday.
Two plants in New Hampshire, Schiller and Merrimack, will voluntarily cease operations in 2025 and 2028, respectively, said Jim Andrews, president and CEO of Granite Shore Power.
By closing the plants, Granite Shore Power — the company that operates them — resolved litigation brought by the Conservation Law Foundation and the Sierra Club, which alleged they violated the Clean Water Act.
The region’s coal-free status comes as part of a larger pledge by the U.S. to phase out coal power plants through the Powering Past Coal Alliance. The U.S. joins 56 other nations in committing to no new coal plants and the closing of existing operations.
The U.S. has not named a target date for completing the transition, but the Biden administration, through other works, has indicated a plan aimed at no coal by 2035.
New Hampshire will become the 16th coal-free state in the nation, according to a statement by the Sierra Club.
Facilities like Merrimack have fallen short of emissions requirements in the past, exceeding one emissions limit by 70 percent in 2023, according to reporting from New Hampshire Public Radio. Previous failures to meet requirements did not inform the company’s decision, Andrews said.
He has said that new “renewable energy parks” of solar arrays and storage facilities will be developed.
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