Short Takes – 3-27-25

Some measles patients in West Texas show signs of vitamin A toxicity, doctors say, raising concerns about misinformation. CNN.com article. Pull quote: “The Council for Responsible Nutrition, a trade association for dietary supplement and functional food manufacturers, issued a statement Wednesday warning parents against using high doses of vitamin A to try to keep their children from getting measles.” When a manufacturer’s group warns against overusing one of their supported products, people should listen.

A tardigrade protein helped reduce radiation damage in mice. ScienceNews.org article. Pull quote: “The duo and their colleagues used lipid nanoparticles — tiny particles composed of fat molecules that can carry chemicals — to deliver messenger RNA, or mRNA, with instructions for creating the Dsup protein directly into mouse cheek and rectum cells. Byrne and his colleagues discovered that when exposed to radiation, the DNA of mice producing Dsup proteins showed fewer signs of radiation-induced damage compared to the DNA of mice that couldn’t make Dsup.”

Cygnus mission to ISS scrapped after finding spacecraft damage. SpaceNews.com article. Pull quote: “NASA warned three weeks earlier of the potential for damage to the spacecraft after Northrop reported its module’s shipping contained was damaged in what the company called a “commercial shipping accident” during transit to the launch site. The agency said then it would adjust the cargo manifest for the next Dragon mission to the station, SpX-32, replacing some science investigations with crew supplies and station hardware in the event NG-22 was delayed.”

Bad mistake: Tulsi Gabbard just threw Iran a nuclear lifeline. TheHill.com commentary. Pull quote: Team Trump must reverse course. As we have warned before, we are past midnight in the Gardens of Armageddon and Israel will not wait forever before it acts to mitigate or destroy Khamenei’s nuclear weapons program.

NASA Planning Another Test Flight by Boeing's Starliner. Futurism.com article. Pull quote: “"What we’d like to do is that one flight and then get into a crew rotation flight," he [Steve Stich] said. "So, the next flight up would really test all the changes we’re making to the vehicle, and then the next fight beyond that, we really need to get Boeing into a crew rotation. So, that’s the strategy."”

The EPA wants to roll back a rule that’s essential for protecting you from chemical disasters. Grist.org article. Pull quote: “Refineries that use HF are regulated under the EPA’s Risk Management Program, or RMP, a regulation designed to improve chemical accident prevention at large petrochemical facilities — but for reasons that have little to do with knowhow and capacity, RMP regulations have been glaringly ineffective. Indeed, few regulations have been subject to the yo-yo of successive presidential administrations, and their political whims, like the RMP.”

Give me a break: TSA Minnesota stops passenger from bringing brake fluid on plane. TSA.gov blog post. Pull quote: “After Nidzgorski determined the substance was brake fluid, Supervisory Officer Nicole Wolfe, Manager Susanna Kleifgen and Supervisory Manager Shannon Takao made the appropriate notifications, putting the brakes on the passenger’s ill-advised plans to bring the potentially dangerous fluid past the checkpoint.”  NOTE: Brake fluid is a precursor chemical for an incendiary reaction.

The Leaked Signal Chat, Annotated. NYTimes.com article (free). Annotation by NYT correspondents providing background information. Pull quote: “President Trump has downplayed the inadvertent inclusion in the group of Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor in chief of The Atlantic, claiming that officials did not share classified information. The new revelations Wednesday, however, led to mounting calls by Democrats for Mr. Hegseth to step down, saying he behaved recklessly and could have endangered American troops.”

Curiosity Mars rover discovers largest organic molecules ever seen on Red Planet. Space.com article. Pull quote: “So Freissinet and Glavin modified the SAM procedure to search for larger organic molecules. In particular they and their team were looking for amino acids. They didn't find any, but they did find alkanes larger than any found on Mars thus far. These include decane (10 carbon atoms and 22 hydrogen atoms), undecane (11 carbon atoms and 24 hydrogen atoms) and dodecane (12 carbon atoms and 26 hydrogen atoms). Although dodecane is the largest alkane ever found on Mars, it is still dwarfed in comparison to the largest alkanes on Earth, which can feature over 150 carbon atoms.”

As many as 6 hurricanes forecast to strike US this season. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: ““Everyone needs to start planning and preparing for hurricane season. Climatology, weather patterns, water temperatures, and many other factors all point to yet another active Atlantic hurricane season with more tropical storms and hurricanes forming, compared to the historical average,” AccuWeather chief meteorologist Jonathan Porter said in a statement.”

EO 14245 - Imposing Tariffs on Countries Importing Venezuelan Oil. Federal Register.