Links for 2021-09-01
A new class of exoplanet very different to our own, but which could support life, has been identified by astronomers https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/new-class-of-habitable-exoplanets-are-a-big-step-forward-in-the-search-for-life (more here: Recent findings that made the Fermi paradox more puzzling (and scary) axisofordinary.substack.com/p/recent-findings-that-made-the-fermi)
Engineers create double layer of borophene for first time -- "Stronger, lighter and more flexible than graphene, borophene has the potential to revolutionize batteries, electronics, sensors, solar cells and quantum computing." https://phys.org/news/2021-08-layer-borophene.html
AlphaFold 2: what’s behind the structure prediction miracle https://www.blopig.com/blog/2021/07/alphafold-2-is-here-whats-behind-the-structure-prediction-miracle/
Report on the scope of Russian-Chinese collaboration in AI -- "Russia and China are growing closer in tech collaboration, including AI research and investment. But the scope of this partnership, based on our data, is relatively modest and *much* smaller than the investment and academic ties between US and China." https://cset.georgetown.edu/publication/headline-or-trend-line/
Is the mind-body distinction a Western invention? Maybe not. “In all sites, among both adults and children, cognitive abilities travelled separately from bodily sensations, suggesting that a mind–body distinction is common across diverse cultures and present by middle childhood." https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-021-01184-8
“In the United States, roughly 10% of agricultural land grows non-animal products eaten by people. The rest of agricultural land is for grazing, animal feed, biofuel, or industrial feedstocks.” https://web.archive.org/web/20210829064809/https://austinvernon.eth.link/blog/ruralfuture.html
"In the last three months as the Taliban swept across Afghanistan, the Pakistani military waved a surge of new fighters across the border from sanctuaries inside Pakistan ... It was a final coup de grace to the American-trained Afghan security forces." https://web.archive.org/web/20210827024838/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/26/world/asia/afghanistan-pakistan-taliban.html
What is C.1.2, the new Covid variant in South Africa, and should we be worried? https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/aug/31/what-is-c12-the-new-covid-variant-in-south-africa-and-should-we-be-worried