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The fire also produced a pyrocumulonimbus, a towering fire-generated cloud that can ignite further blazes, creating its own winds, lightning and, in some cases, tornadoes.
France's national firefighters federation said the phenomenon had never previously been recorded in the country.
France's national firefighters federation said the phenomenon had never previously been recorded in the country.
THE STRANGE NEW ORGANISMS SCIENTISTS ARE BEGGING EACH OTHER NOT TO BUILD – BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE
https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/mirror-life-experiment-dangers
Many biochemicals (DNA, proteins and sugars – the most basic components of life) can exist in two mirror-image forms, but more complex living organisms (cells, for example) overwhelmingly exist in only one form. Since the dawn of time, life began working in a certain ‘chirality’ and has stuck with it. It’s as if complex living structures are all ‘right-handed’, but the simpler components – the ingredients – that combine to make them can be either right- or left-handed.
Given that our immune systems have never been exposed to anything like mirror life before, we could be extremely vulnerable to infection by a mirror microorganism – a bacterium, say – should it ever be created and released.
https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/mirror-life-experiment-dangers
Many biochemicals (DNA, proteins and sugars – the most basic components of life) can exist in two mirror-image forms, but more complex living organisms (cells, for example) overwhelmingly exist in only one form. Since the dawn of time, life began working in a certain ‘chirality’ and has stuck with it. It’s as if complex living structures are all ‘right-handed’, but the simpler components – the ingredients – that combine to make them can be either right- or left-handed.
Given that our immune systems have never been exposed to anything like mirror life before, we could be extremely vulnerable to infection by a mirror microorganism – a bacterium, say – should it ever be created and released.
Arch-Technocrat Elon Musk is obsessed with "humanity’s multi-planetary future amongst the stars,” even as he is wrecking our planet here. Jeff Bezos is right behind him. Why do they want to put data centers in space? Because they can. Both have a twisted notion that we can escape the "big blue marble" to fulfill our destiny in outer space. This is insanity, and insane people never ask permission to do insane things.
Space datacenters proposed by Musk and Bezos ‘catastrophic’ for planet, experts warn
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jul/23/space-datacenters-bezos-blue-origin
Space datacenters proposed by Musk and Bezos ‘catastrophic’ for planet, experts warn
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jul/23/space-datacenters-bezos-blue-origin
ChatGPT starts blocking direct requests to copy an author's style
https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/07/chatgpt-stops-cloning-famous-writers-voices-but-may-capture-a-similar-feeling/
New behavior capturing a writer’s “broad qualities” could have legal implications.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT is now refusing requests to generate text that directly mimics the style of famous authors. When asked to do so, the popular LLM instead offers a response that draws on the “broad qualities” of those authors “while remaining distinct in its own voice,” for example.
https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/07/chatgpt-stops-cloning-famous-writers-voices-but-may-capture-a-similar-feeling/
New behavior capturing a writer’s “broad qualities” could have legal implications.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT is now refusing requests to generate text that directly mimics the style of famous authors. When asked to do so, the popular LLM instead offers a response that draws on the “broad qualities” of those authors “while remaining distinct in its own voice,” for example.
This biodegradable textile is alive and can host engineered microbes that can change its color or add UV protection
In December 1942, Enrico Fermi's team pulled the cadmium control rods from a stack of graphite bricks and uranium slugs and watched the world's first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction hold steady for 28 minutes
https://nuclearpowerdaily.com/np-in-december-1942-beneath-the-abandoned-squash-court-under-chicagos-stagg-field-enrico-fermis-team-pulled-the-cadmium-control-rods-from-a-stack-of-graphite-bricks-and-uranium-slugs-and-watched-the-w/
t 3:25 p.m. on December 2, 1942: in a converted squash court beneath the west stands of Stagg Field, physicist George Weil pulled a cadmium-plated control rod out of a lattice of graphite bricks and uranium slugs, and for 28 minutes the pile behind him ran as the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction in history. There was no flash. No bang. Just the quickening click of a boron trifluoride counter and 49 people standing very still in a cold room in Hyde Park.
THE PILE PRODUCED ABOUT HALF A WATT OF POWER. LESS THAN A FLASHLIGHT BULB. IT WAS ENOUGH TO CHANGE THE CENTURY.
https://nuclearpowerdaily.com/np-in-december-1942-beneath-the-abandoned-squash-court-under-chicagos-stagg-field-enrico-fermis-team-pulled-the-cadmium-control-rods-from-a-stack-of-graphite-bricks-and-uranium-slugs-and-watched-the-w/
t 3:25 p.m. on December 2, 1942: in a converted squash court beneath the west stands of Stagg Field, physicist George Weil pulled a cadmium-plated control rod out of a lattice of graphite bricks and uranium slugs, and for 28 minutes the pile behind him ran as the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction in history. There was no flash. No bang. Just the quickening click of a boron trifluoride counter and 49 people standing very still in a cold room in Hyde Park.
THE PILE PRODUCED ABOUT HALF A WATT OF POWER. LESS THAN A FLASHLIGHT BULB. IT WAS ENOUGH TO CHANGE THE CENTURY.
Eclipse solar total põe Portugal de olhos no céu para ver fenómeno raro
https://www.cmjornal.pt/sociedade/detalhe/eclipse-solar-total-poe-portugal-de-olhos-no-ceu-para-ver-fenomeno-raro
É a primeira vez em quase cem anos que a Península Ibérica vai testemunhar um eclipse solar total. No próximo dia 12 de Agosto, quando forem 18h30 em Portugal continental (17h30 nos Açores), o Sol começará a ser tapado pela Lua. O pico acontecerá pelas 19h30 e, pelas 20h30, terá terminado. Devido ao adiantar da hora, será mais visível em pontos altos, orientados para oeste e, de preferência, desobstruídos.
Apesar de ser visível em todo o território (incluindo nas ilhas), é no Parque Natural de Montesinho, na região de Bragança, que se poderá ver o sol totalmente ‘tapado’ pelo satélite natural da Terra, causando o chamado ‘anel de fogo’. É, aliás, um dos poucos locais em toda a Europa (juntamente com algumas cidades do norte de Espanha) onde, durante 26 segundos, o Sol desaparecerá completamente.
https://www.cmjornal.pt/sociedade/detalhe/eclipse-solar-total-poe-portugal-de-olhos-no-ceu-para-ver-fenomeno-raro
É a primeira vez em quase cem anos que a Península Ibérica vai testemunhar um eclipse solar total. No próximo dia 12 de Agosto, quando forem 18h30 em Portugal continental (17h30 nos Açores), o Sol começará a ser tapado pela Lua. O pico acontecerá pelas 19h30 e, pelas 20h30, terá terminado. Devido ao adiantar da hora, será mais visível em pontos altos, orientados para oeste e, de preferência, desobstruídos.
Apesar de ser visível em todo o território (incluindo nas ilhas), é no Parque Natural de Montesinho, na região de Bragança, que se poderá ver o sol totalmente ‘tapado’ pelo satélite natural da Terra, causando o chamado ‘anel de fogo’. É, aliás, um dos poucos locais em toda a Europa (juntamente com algumas cidades do norte de Espanha) onde, durante 26 segundos, o Sol desaparecerá completamente.
Massive galaxies? Dusty black holes? Black hole stars? Scientists have raised a lot of theories around what the crimson blobs in James Webb data might be.
Os incêndios florestais em França criaram "nuvens de fogo" capazes de gerar o seu próprio clima
Os incêndios florestais que assolam o sudoeste de França são tão extremos que criaram o seu próprio clima, segundo as autoridades de combate aos incêndios.
As nuvens de fogo, ou "pyrocumulonimbus", são nuvens gigantescas formadas por incêndios florestais particularmente intensos.
Funcionam assim: incêndios florestais de grandes proporções geram calor na atmosfera, tornando-a mais leve e permitindo que suba rapidamente para a atmosfera mais fria. Ao subir, o ar arrefece e pode condensar-se em imponentes nuvens de tempestade capazes de gerar o seu próprio clima: produzindo chuva, vento e até relâmpagos.
Estas nuvens de fogo são perigosas pois não só podem fazer com que as chamas que se encontram por baixo se propaguem mais rapidamente, como os raios produzidos podem iniciar novos incêndios. Podem também tornar os incêndios menos previsíveis e mais difíceis de combater.
É um fenómeno “que nunca vimos em França”, disse Mark Vermeulen, chefe do Corpo de Bombeiros da região de Gironda, numa conferência de imprensa no domingo.
Os incêndios florestais que assolam o sudoeste de França são tão extremos que criaram o seu próprio clima, segundo as autoridades de combate aos incêndios.
As nuvens de fogo, ou "pyrocumulonimbus", são nuvens gigantescas formadas por incêndios florestais particularmente intensos.
Funcionam assim: incêndios florestais de grandes proporções geram calor na atmosfera, tornando-a mais leve e permitindo que suba rapidamente para a atmosfera mais fria. Ao subir, o ar arrefece e pode condensar-se em imponentes nuvens de tempestade capazes de gerar o seu próprio clima: produzindo chuva, vento e até relâmpagos.
Estas nuvens de fogo são perigosas pois não só podem fazer com que as chamas que se encontram por baixo se propaguem mais rapidamente, como os raios produzidos podem iniciar novos incêndios. Podem também tornar os incêndios menos previsíveis e mais difíceis de combater.
É um fenómeno “que nunca vimos em França”, disse Mark Vermeulen, chefe do Corpo de Bombeiros da região de Gironda, numa conferência de imprensa no domingo.
Certain types of severe wildfire can create pyrocumulonimbus - something that Nasa calls the "fire-breathing dragon of clouds".
AI COMPANIES ARE BULK-BUYING RARE BOOKS AND SHREDDING THE ORIGINALS
https://x.com/HedgieMarkets/status/2081534588485296565
Al companies are bulk-buying rare books, scanning them through high-speed machines that cut the spines off, and shredding the originals. A service called ISBNdb facilitates orders of up to a million books and keeps buyers anonymous.
Pre-2022 books are premium because they're free of Al-generated text. A federal judge ruled the practice is fair use because eliminating the original means only one copy exists at a time. Anthropic hired the former head of Google Books partnerships to obtain "all the books in the world."
This got to me. A bookseller told 404 Media that rare books with almost no surviving copies are being fed into this pipeline. Books that survived wars, fires, and centuries of handling are being shredded so an Al can learn to write a better marketing email.
https://x.com/HedgieMarkets/status/2081534588485296565
Al companies are bulk-buying rare books, scanning them through high-speed machines that cut the spines off, and shredding the originals. A service called ISBNdb facilitates orders of up to a million books and keeps buyers anonymous.
Pre-2022 books are premium because they're free of Al-generated text. A federal judge ruled the practice is fair use because eliminating the original means only one copy exists at a time. Anthropic hired the former head of Google Books partnerships to obtain "all the books in the world."
This got to me. A bookseller told 404 Media that rare books with almost no surviving copies are being fed into this pipeline. Books that survived wars, fires, and centuries of handling are being shredded so an Al can learn to write a better marketing email.
FROM SANCTIONS TO MARTIAL LAW AND A STATE OF EMERGENCY
https://forumgeopolitica.com/article/from-sanctions-to-martial-law-and-a-state-of-emergency
Sanctions are an instrument of power used to advance economic interests, political power, and cultural hegemony.[1] They can affect international relations, economic relations, criminal law, the labor market, or everyday violations of rules.
Today, however, they do not serve to uphold democratic values or prevent human rights violations. Rather, they are a weapon for securing the neo-imperialist dominance of the West and its leading power, the United States. They serve not only to force the subjugation of states beyond the use of direct military force, but also to eliminate domestic political opposition through extrajudicial, arbitrary measures and to enforce preemptive obedience among the general population by instilling fear.
https://forumgeopolitica.com/article/from-sanctions-to-martial-law-and-a-state-of-emergency
Sanctions are an instrument of power used to advance economic interests, political power, and cultural hegemony.[1] They can affect international relations, economic relations, criminal law, the labor market, or everyday violations of rules.
Today, however, they do not serve to uphold democratic values or prevent human rights violations. Rather, they are a weapon for securing the neo-imperialist dominance of the West and its leading power, the United States. They serve not only to force the subjugation of states beyond the use of direct military force, but also to eliminate domestic political opposition through extrajudicial, arbitrary measures and to enforce preemptive obedience among the general population by instilling fear.
FROM SANCTIONS TO MARTIAL LAW AND A STATE OF EMERGENCY
https://forumgeopolitica.com/article/from-sanctions-to-martial-law-and-a-state-of-emergency
Sanctions are an instrument of power used to advance economic interests, political power, and cultural hegemony.[1] They can affect international relations, economic relations, criminal law, the labor market, or everyday violations of rules.
Today, however, they do not serve to uphold democratic values or prevent human rights violations. Rather, they are a weapon for securing the neo-imperialist dominance of the West and its leading power, the United States. They serve not only to force the subjugation of states beyond the use of direct military force, but also to eliminate domestic political opposition through extrajudicial, arbitrary measures and to enforce preemptive obedience among the general population by instilling fear.
https://forumgeopolitica.com/article/from-sanctions-to-martial-law-and-a-state-of-emergency
Sanctions are an instrument of power used to advance economic interests, political power, and cultural hegemony.[1] They can affect international relations, economic relations, criminal law, the labor market, or everyday violations of rules.
Today, however, they do not serve to uphold democratic values or prevent human rights violations. Rather, they are a weapon for securing the neo-imperialist dominance of the West and its leading power, the United States. They serve not only to force the subjugation of states beyond the use of direct military force, but also to eliminate domestic political opposition through extrajudicial, arbitrary measures and to enforce preemptive obedience among the general population by instilling fear.
From the Digital Services Act to economic sanctions, by way of hate speech laws, Europe has quietly erected a sprawling apparatus of surveillance and censorship.
Around 3,200 years ago, multiple civilizations in and around the Mediterranean fell, an event known as the Late Bronze Age (LBA) Collapse. It has not escaped historians’ notice that the events thought to have inspired Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey probably occurred around the same time.
Subsequent generations looked back at the pre-collapse period as a golden age, worthy of commemoration in heroic tales, but it was probably brought undone not by warring gods and stolen wives, but by extended drought. New work explains the underlying causes.
Bronze Age technologies made the transportation of large amounts of food difficult, so when natural disasters struck, hunger and war formed a vicious cycle that could end entire civilizations. Archaeologists have often found signs of drought preceding the fall or great cities, but have seldom known why a period was dangerously dry.
Subsequent generations looked back at the pre-collapse period as a golden age, worthy of commemoration in heroic tales, but it was probably brought undone not by warring gods and stolen wives, but by extended drought. New work explains the underlying causes.
Bronze Age technologies made the transportation of large amounts of food difficult, so when natural disasters struck, hunger and war formed a vicious cycle that could end entire civilizations. Archaeologists have often found signs of drought preceding the fall or great cities, but have seldom known why a period was dangerously dry.
1953: Korean War hostilities end
https://apnews.com/today-in-history/july-27
On July 27, 1953, the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed at Panmunjom, ending three years of fighting on the Korean peninsula that killed an estimated 4 million people.
https://apnews.com/today-in-history/july-27
On July 27, 1953, the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed at Panmunjom, ending three years of fighting on the Korean peninsula that killed an estimated 4 million people.
O santo com cabeça de cachorro: por que São Cristóvão foi representado como figura antropozoomórfica
O santo com cabeça de cachorro: por que São Cristóvão foi representado como figura antropozoomórfica
https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/articles/cx27r0km0yro
Mártir da Igreja Católica celebrado como protetor dos viajantes, e depois da invenção do automóvel, também dos motoristas, São Cristóvão é comumente representado como um brutamontes que leva o menino Jesus sobre os ombros.
Existe, porém, uma versão menos conhecida do santo: o chamado São Cristóvão Cinocéfalo, com tronco e membros humanos e cabeça de cachorro. Com essas feições, o mártir foi cultuado desde o final do século 5º, da Ásia Menor até os Bálcãs e a Rússia.
https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/articles/cx27r0km0yro
Mártir da Igreja Católica celebrado como protetor dos viajantes, e depois da invenção do automóvel, também dos motoristas, São Cristóvão é comumente representado como um brutamontes que leva o menino Jesus sobre os ombros.
Existe, porém, uma versão menos conhecida do santo: o chamado São Cristóvão Cinocéfalo, com tronco e membros humanos e cabeça de cachorro. Com essas feições, o mártir foi cultuado desde o final do século 5º, da Ásia Menor até os Bálcãs e a Rússia.
Chinese company Unitree reveal their "all terrain" dog.
ITALIAN CON ARTIST JAILED FOR BUILDING 'WORLD'S OLDEST AND LARGEST AMPHITHEATRE' TWENTY YEARS AGO
https://www.euronews.com/culture/2026/07/27/italian-con-artist-jailed-for-building-worlds-oldest-and-largest-amphitheatre-20-years-ago
In Italy, a structure promoted for years as an "ancient Roman amphitheatre" has turned out to be a fake, constructed recently using modern materials.
A man has been jailed in Italy for fraud after charging tourists €40 to visit a fake Roman amphitheatre he built himself twenty years ago.
Franco Malosso 'von Rosenfranz', 69, claimed to have discovered the site, known as the Berico Maritime Amphitheatre in the north-eastern city of Vicenza, after a landslide in 2005.
According to Italy's Correiere della Sera, Malosso told visitors the site was one of the world’s "oldest and largest amphitheatres" and dated back to AD 393.
https://www.euronews.com/culture/2026/07/27/italian-con-artist-jailed-for-building-worlds-oldest-and-largest-amphitheatre-20-years-ago
In Italy, a structure promoted for years as an "ancient Roman amphitheatre" has turned out to be a fake, constructed recently using modern materials.
A man has been jailed in Italy for fraud after charging tourists €40 to visit a fake Roman amphitheatre he built himself twenty years ago.
Franco Malosso 'von Rosenfranz', 69, claimed to have discovered the site, known as the Berico Maritime Amphitheatre in the north-eastern city of Vicenza, after a landslide in 2005.
According to Italy's Correiere della Sera, Malosso told visitors the site was one of the world’s "oldest and largest amphitheatres" and dated back to AD 393.
Greece's Mount Olympus Secures UNESCO World Heritage Status in Historic Decision - GreekReporter.com
MOUNT OLYMPUS SECURES UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE STATUS
https://greekreporter.com/2026/07/26/mount-olympus-secures-unesco-world-heritage-status-greece/
Mount Olympus, the mythical home of the ancient Greek gods and one of Greece’s most important natural environments, has secured UNESCO World Heritage status following a historic unanimous decision.
The World Heritage Committee added the wider Mount Olympus area to UNESCO’s World Heritage List as a mixed cultural and natural property during its 48th session in Busan, South Korea.
The designation recognizes the mountain’s Outstanding Universal Value by combining its central role in Greek mythology, religion, and literature with its exceptional landscapes and biodiversity.
Moreover, the decision concludes a nomination process that began in 2014 and places Mount Olympus among the world’s most significant cultural and natural landmarks.
https://greekreporter.com/2026/07/26/mount-olympus-secures-unesco-world-heritage-status-greece/
Mount Olympus, the mythical home of the ancient Greek gods and one of Greece’s most important natural environments, has secured UNESCO World Heritage status following a historic unanimous decision.
The World Heritage Committee added the wider Mount Olympus area to UNESCO’s World Heritage List as a mixed cultural and natural property during its 48th session in Busan, South Korea.
The designation recognizes the mountain’s Outstanding Universal Value by combining its central role in Greek mythology, religion, and literature with its exceptional landscapes and biodiversity.
Moreover, the decision concludes a nomination process that began in 2014 and places Mount Olympus among the world’s most significant cultural and natural landmarks.