Short Takes – 2-24-25

The foundations of America’s prosperity are being dismantled. TechnologyReview.com article. Pull quote: “The Trump administration’s distaste for regulation will arguably be a boon in the short term for some parts of the tech industry, including crypto and AI. But the federal workers said the president’s and Musk’s undermining of basic science research will hurt American innovation in the long run. “Rather than investing in the future, you’re burning through scientific capital,” an employee at the State Department said. “You can build off the things you already know, but you’re not learning anything new. Twenty years later, you fall behind because you stopped making new discoveries.””

Guidelines for Air Monitoring Tactics for Emergency Response. OilSpillPrevention.org guide. Pull quote: “Air monitoring is important to safety, and organizing air monitoring resources quickly and effectively is important for a successful outcome—namely, preventing stakeholders involved in an accidental release of a chemical from being harmed. Managing chemical exposures requires a good understanding of the potential toxicity of the chemicals involved, as well as an effective strategy to measure exposure and to institute protective actions if warranted. The collection of quality air monitoring data is a key element to making these life-critical decisions.”

Asteroids to Power the Future? Space Mining Revolution Begins. SciMag.news article. Pull quote: “Thanks to advancements in space technologies, asteroid mining is drawing closer to reality, promising not just novel possibilities for resource extraction but also a transformation of our energy future.”

SpaceX Starship’s next test flight gets target date – Here’s when it could lift off. Teslarati.com article. Pull quote: “SpaceX has listed its launch window as starting on Wednesday, February 26, at 5:30 p.m. EST. The company will look to launch between then and on any of the various backup opportunities that will be available through Thursday, March 6.”

Earth safe from 'city-killer' asteroid 2024 YR4 'That's impact probability zero folks!' Space.com article. Pull quote: “"Asteroid 2024 YR4 has now been reassigned to Torino Scale Level Zero, the level for 'No Hazard' as additional tracking of its orbital path has reduced its possibility of intersecting the Earth to below the 1-in-1000 threshold," Binzel continued. "1-in-1000 is the threshold established for downgrading to Level 0 for any object smaller than 100 meters; YR4 has an estimated size of 164 feet (50 meters)."”

Latest Calculations Conclude Asteroid 2024 YR4 Now Poses No Significant Threat to Earth in 2032 and Beyond. NASA.gov blog post. Pull quote: “While this asteroid no longer poses a significant impact hazard to Earth, 2024 YR4 provided an invaluable opportunity for experts at NASA and its partner institutions to test planetary defense science and notification processes. The latest data on all known near-Earth asteroids that could pose an impact hazard to Earth will continue to be available at NASA’s automated Sentry page.”

A molecule is shown to produce cognitive improvement in rodents with early Alzheimer's disease. ScienceDaily.com article. Pull quote: “After testing the effect of the drug WIN55.212-2, which interacts with cannabinoid receptors, on rodents in the early stages of the disease, the team found "that they behaved in the same way as those without brain damage: they learned and remembered spatial orientation in the same way," explained Marta Moreno. "You could say that in some way the drug reversed the damage or protected the brain."”