Though Mount Fuji isn’t showing any signs of an imminent eruption, one video warns that this disaster could strike “at any moment, without warning.”
“Abrupt changes” threaten to send the continent past the point of no return, a new study finds.
Designed to redefine what’s possible in all-mountain riding, Pivot has given its Shuttle AM a refresh, with refined geometry, an updated motor and a few fine details gaining the attention of its engineers.
The new Shuttle AM has 150mm of rear-wheel travel and the latest Bosch Gen 5 Performance Line CX or CX-R motor, for punchy power on the trail.
The bike is built to be ridden all day, with an efficient suspension platform that can still deliver on the descents and a large 800Wh battery for increased range. Add a 250Wh PowerMore range extender and you shouldn’t run out of juice.
The new Shuttle AM has a similar use case to Pivot’s non-assisted Switchblade and sits alongside the longer-travel Shuttle LT.
The Shuttle LT has a softer ride feel through the suspension, while the AM is more efficient under power.
As with most high-end electric mountain bikes, carbon is used throughout the frame.
Pivot tells us that around half the bike’s development time was spent on ensuring the carbon layup was just-so.
In reality, this means the engineers spent around two years working on the way the carbon sheets were laid, and what size and shape they needed to be.
One of their priorities was a bike that drops into, and holds, a corner nicely.
As such, each size bike has its own layup, with different tube profiles visible between the sizes.
Going further, the battery is decoupled from the down tube, with nylon mounts preventing the structure impacting on the frame’s flex.
It’s no surprise to see Pivot employing Dave Weagle’s DW-link suspension design – it’s one Pivot uses extensively throughout its full-suspension line-up.
The system employs two short links to join the front and rear triangles, creating a virtual pivot point.
During the launch presentation of the Shuttle AM, John Pentecost, from Pivot, told BikeRadar the DW-link delivers increased anti-squat (the force that resists pedal bob) when more power is added – something an eMTB does very well.
This increased anti-squat means less compression damping is required in the shock for it to remain stable under pedalling loads, freeing up the shock to work properly.
This is, according to Pentecost, different from a typical four-bar bike.
These perform well under braking, usually. However, increased power, especially on an eMTB, causes the suspension to squat more, sinking the rider down and back, and effectively shooting the bike forwards from underneath.
As such, this can necessitate increased low-speed compression damping on the shock to calm pedal inputs.
Bosch’s fifth-generation Performance CX motor is bolted into the belly of the bike, with the Pro and Team models receiving the CX-Race motor.
The motor has been updated, giving it 100Nm of torque and 750W of power – up from 85Nm and 650W previously.
The Race motor sees a weight reduction of around 100g, uses ceramic bearings and a titanium spindle, and has better heat management. There’s also the option to run up to a three-second overrun, should you wish.
So punchy is the power delivery in the Race mode, that Pivot advises getting used to the motor’s performance before using it on the trail. It’s quite the experience.
The Team and Pro bikes, with the CX-R motor, get Tour+, EMTB+, Turbo and Race modes, while the cheaper Ride build, with the standard CX motor, gets Tour+, EMTB, EMTB+ and Turbo modes.
The EMTB+ mode has a little more fine-tuning in its dynamic power delivery, with a goal of maximising traction on loose climbs.
The eBike Flow app allows plenty of customisation to power levels and modes.
All the bikes receive an 800Wh battery, with the option to run the 250Wh PowerMore range extender.
The Pro and Team build also feature the new Kiox 400C top-tube screen, which is full-colour, and has customisable data and ride navigation capabilities.
A new magnetic cap over the charge port adds sealing, and can be removed easily if the range extender cable is attached. The team at Pivot are particularly proud of it.
Four sizes will be offered, from Small to XL.
Key geometry figures include a head angle of 64.1 degrees, 76.5-degree seat angles, reach figures from 431mm to 496mm and a BB height of 345mm.
There is a geometry chip, which will steepen the angles by around 0.5 degrees, reduce the reach a touch and raise the bottom bracket, ideal for those riding technical climbs and in areas with lots of roots and rocks to get over.
While bikes will come as full 29ers, a 27.5in rear wheel can be fitted, with Pivot suggesting the geometry flip chip is placed in its ‘High’ position.
| Size | S | M | L | XL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reach (mm) | 431 | 461 | 476 | 496 |
| Stack (mm) | 632 | 642 | 651 | 660 |
| Head tube angle (degrees) | 64.1 | 64.1 | 64.1 | 64.1 |
| Seat tube angle (degrees) | 76.5 | 76.5 | 76.5 | 76.5 |
| Seat tube length (mm) | 378 | 399 | 432 | 470 |
| BB height (mm) | 345 | 345 | 345 | 345 |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 1217 | 1251 | 1270 | 1295 |
| Chainstay (mm) | 444 | 444 | 444 | 444 |
| Top tube (mm) | 599 | 631 | 649 | 671 |
| Standover (mm) | 677 | 676 | 682 | 687 |
The range starts with the Ride model.
This has, for the first time in Pivot’s history, a RockShox suspension package, featuring a Lyrik Select+ fork and Super Deluxe Select shock.
There’s a SRAM Eagle 70/90 Transmission mechanical drivetrain, DT Swiss alloy hoops and EXO+ casing Maxxis tyres.
The mid-spec Pro model also sees RockShox suspension, this time Ultimate-level Lyrik and Super Deluxe, while an X0 Transmission and Maven Silver brakes look after the bike’s stop-and-go capabilities.
eMTB-optimised DT Swiss HX1501 wheels are again wrapped in Maxxis tyres.
At the top end, the Team build has Fox Factory suspension – a 36 fork and a Float-X shock.
There’s a SRAM XX Transmission drivetrain and Maven Ultimate brakes, and the same wheel/tyre combo as found on the Pro. Fox’s Live Valve Neo system can be added, too.
It has a claimed weight of 21.5kg.
I’ve only had a very brief time on the Shuttle AM, in some incredibly dusty conditions, and I need more time on the bike before I can draw definitive conclusions.
However, the Shuttle AM climbs very well.
Bosch’s latest motor is an impressive unit, with plenty of power and torque on offer to get you up the steepest hills.
The delivery of both is impressive, especially in the EMTB+ mode, which seems to dole it out with almost perfect control.
While DJI and Mahle’s ebike motors have more sensors measuring wheel speed, giving them more clarity over what the wheel is doing at any one time, Bosch’s computing power has been put to good use.
Traction is impressive even on loose surfaces.
As Pivot warned, though, the Race setting is very, very punchy.
This all works well with the DW-link suspension. It’s stable under power, which helps give the bike plenty of zip, despite its weight of around 22kg.
Although it’s stable, the suspension remains active enough to soak up uphill hits.
On the way down again, the low and central weight, and modern geometry give the bike ample stability, even if it’s not quite as long and slack as the most radical rides out there.
It’s not quite as smooth as, say, the Shuttle LT.
The rear suspension, designed to be efficient for all-day rides, does a good job of dealing with the bigger hits, and tracks the ground well, but it’s not entirely isolating from the chunder.
It will, however, pick up speed and encourage you to push harder on more flowy terrain.
Cornering characteristics are pleasing, with a light-feeling, snappy attitude between the corners.
There’s still stability, though, on long, rough corners.
The Maven Silver brakes are punchy and powerful, and I’ve not had any wandering bite-point issues on this bike. I’ll admit to not being a huge fan of the Maxxis Minion DHF on the front, though, in dry and dusty conditions.
The tyre requires you to lean the bike right over for the shoulder tread to bite properly into the dirt. In summer conditions, an Assegai would be a better bet.
Researchers detected unusually tiny particles of carcinogenic hexavalent chromium that may be able to penetrate deeper inside the body.
What happens when an elite distance runner attempts an FTP test on Zwift? In this week’s top video, watch as a sub-elite marathoner tackles an FTP test.
Also included in this week’s top videos are tough Zwift races, the addition of native power to the KICKR ROLLR, a comparison between the different types of FTP tests, and a dream pain cave build.
Share the link below and we may feature it in an upcoming post!
Last week, a comment from an astute reader alerted me to a browser extension I’d never heard of: ZwiftPower ZRS.
Available for Chrome, Edge, and Firefox, the extension delivers a simple but useful upgrade to the ZwiftPower experience for racers by adding Zwift Racing Score results to event pages. Here how it works…
Installation is easy – just navigate to the ZwiftPower ZRS page for your browser (Chrome, Edge, or Firefox) and click to add it to your browser. Done! It will automagically function when viewing event results on ZwiftPower.
Visit any event results page on ZwiftPower to see the extension at work. Here’s one such page, the results for a race I wrote about losing just this week.
ZwiftPower ZRS adds a “ZRS” column to the results, as shown below:
The number in black is the ZRS result for the race, while the smaller superscript number tells you how much the rider’s score changed with this result.
If a rider’s score increased due to a power PR that resulted in a seed score boost, you’ll see an upward arrow ⇡. You may also see an up tack ⊥ next to the score, which indicates that the rider’s ZRS floor has been reached.
I reached out to the creator of ZwiftPower ZRS, who prefers to go by the nickname “int” for online anonymity. Here’s what they shared:
The project started when I noticed Sauce4Zwift showing ZRS scores in their app. At the time, it was a feature the racing community was really missing. I thought it would be great to have the same thing directly on ZwiftPower – the one website every racer already uses – so there’d be no need to check anywhere else just for ZRS.
Curious how they managed it, I checked their source code and discovered that ZRS data is actually accessible via the official Zwift API. The problem: even though I’m a software engineer, I had never built a browser extension before and barely knew JavaScript. Still, I figured someone had to do it (hence my nickname SomebodyHasToDoIt in the webstore). So I dove in, looked things up, and with a bit of AI help had a basic version working in about 3 hours.
I uploaded it to the Chrome Web Store, and while it was under review, I shared the source code in the Zwifties Discord #nerd-corner to gather feedback. A few people there offered great suggestions, which I quickly implemented.
Since then, the extension got approved and has only needed small fixes. I never promoted it anywhere, yet word spread – and today it’s used by around 200 people each week.
I’ve had requests to add more features (like a ZRS history graph), but I hesitated because of rumors that Zwift might replace ZwiftPower. Looking back, I kind of regret not expanding it further for the community – maybe your post will give the project new life.
Two quick facts:
We could discuss potential improvements to the ZRS algorithm all day long, but for this post, I want to stay focused on what the ZwiftPower ZRS extension does: make it easier to view ZRS information.
A ZRS column should already be built into ZwiftPower, of course. This extension, like other brilliant community projects over the years, just adds functionality Zwift should have already built!
I would also love to see the score change number showing up on the event results page at zwift.com as well (for example, at zwift.com/events/view/5061096).
And my bigger ask – which Zwift has said is coming – is some sort of historical view of a rider’s ZRS, as int mentions above. I want to see how my score has tracked over time, and I want to see that for others as well. Please make it so, Zwift!
Have you used this browser extension? Would you like Zwift to make ZRS information more available, and if so, how specifically? Share your thoughts below!
Knog has announced a recall of early production runs of its Blinder 900 and Blinder 1300 front lights following reports of potential battery issues that may cause the units to fail.
“Customer safety is our absolute top priority,” said Mal McKechnie, Knog’s chief operating officer in a statement sent to the media. “While a recall is never ideal, we’re acting proactively to prevent any additional product failures.”
The Blinder 900 and 1300 sit at the higher-output end of Knog’s range. The 1300 is our current pick as the best all-round light for road cyclists.
Knog is asking riders to check their batch code via its product recall portal. If a unit is affected, customers can submit a claim for a free replacement.
Once confirmed, the faulty light should be disposed of. Knog encourages affected riders to follow local regulations because its lights contain lithium batteries.
When you’re on the bike, it’s important to keep hydrated – we all know that. But what many of us don’t know is that water often doesn’t do a good a job as we want.
That’s where electrolytes come in. An electrolyte mix can help to replace the fluid and salts you burn through on long rides, supporting hydration and recovery.
And right now, Gut Wealth is offering up to 30 per cent off its Water Wealth mix, making it an affordable way to introduce electrolytes into your hydration routine.
Fight fatigue and cramps: 10% off one sachet or 30% off two
Sweat on the bike and you’ll lose essential minerals that your body needs to function at its best. Water is good, but it doesn’t contain the electrolytes that’ll keep you cycling at your peak and feeling good throughout the day.
Water Wealth tastes like summer fruit and contains a mixture of essential electrolytes (776mg of electrolytes per scoop), trace minerals and vitamins. That includes 50mg of Vitamin C and 100 per cent of your daily recommended amount of Vitamin B12. There’s also no added sugar or artificial sweeteners.
You simply mix one scoop into 500ml of water, give it a stir or a shake, and you’re good to go.
Gut Wealth, the company behind Water Wealth, is best known for its daily vitamin tablets, designed to aid gut health, particularly for those who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome.
Water Wealth is its foray into hydration, combining the brand’s expertise in gut health with hydration science.
Fight fatigue and cramps: 10% off one sachet or 30% off two
This week’s selections include a bit of everything… a memorial ride, two races, an endurance effort, and a banded ride. Pick what works for you, and Ride On!
BMTR LANDER Alpe Memorial Tribute Ride
Good Cause Big Climb Popular Ride
A recent Zwift update added an Alpe du Zwift memorial for Michael Lander, “Red Beacon extraordinaire for over five years in the C group for BMTR’s Flat 100 Event, who passed away suddenly last February at a far too young age.”
On Sunday, Zwifters will ride up the Alpe and pause for a minute of silence when reaching this tribute, before continuing to the top of the climb.
Two paces are offered: 2.6 W/kg and 2.2 W/kg. Read more about the tribute on the event description.
Sunday, August 24 @12:15pm UTC/8:15am ET/5:15am PT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/5082655
TNP Chase Race
Chase Race Popular Event
Join Team Not Pogi (TNP) for their second chase race, this time on Scotland’s BRAEk-fast Crits and Grits with a custom finish at 32.4km.
In a chase race, slower categories start earlier, with the goal of all riders coming together near the finish for an all-out battle to the line. Work with others in your category to stay away from chasers and catch those ahead, and you may just have a shot at the overall win!
Sunday, August 24 at 8am UTC/4am ET/1am PT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/5080528
Bikealicious Climbalicious
Banded Route Badge
This banded ride on Watopia’s challenge Muir and the Mountain (39.2km, 914m) lets you ride at whatever pace you’d like, while hanging with the group. Get some elevation in while enjoying the friendly and welcoming Bikealicious atmosphere!
Sunday, August 24 at 6pm UTC/2pm ET/11am PT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/5082750
Tour de HISP 2025 Stage 6
Popular Race Route Badge
The Spanish HISP club is midway through its popular Tour de Hisp, a grueling 14-day tour featuring 13 stages. This Saturday’s race features France’s newish Hell of the North route (20.2km, 241m). Even if you haven’t been taking part in the tour, you can jump in and try out this fresh route and get the route badge plus bonus XP!
Four timeslots Saturday, August 23
See events on ZwiftHacks
USMeS – Task Force 100 [E]
Endurance Challenge
This is the USMES team’s weekly 100km ride (except on the first Saturday of each month, when it becomes a 100 miler). This week’s ride is on Makuri Islands’ Makuri Pretzel.
The ride is paced at 2.2 W/kg average, but all abilities are welcome and stronger riders are free to fly off the front.
Saturday, August 23 @ 12:50pm UTC/8:50am ET/5:50am PT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/5081810
We choose each weekend’s Notable Events based on a variety of factors including:
In the end, we want to call attention to events that are extra-special and therefore extra-appealing to Zwifters. If you think your event qualifies, comment below with a link/details and we may just include it in an upcoming post!
The 2025 Vuelta a España starts on Saturday 23 August and finishes 21 stages and 3,151km later on Sunday 14 September.
This year’s route starts in Turin, with three stages in Italy and one that crosses from Italy into France, before arriving in Spain for a 24.1km time trial on stage 5 in Figueres. The route stays firmly in the north of Spain, making a traverse from east to west, before heading towards a second time trial on stage 18 in Valladolid and finishing in Madrid.
Last year’s win for Primož Roglič was his fourth at La Vuelta, equalling the record set by Spain’s Roberto Heras in the early 2000s. But having started both the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France this year, Roglič is skipping the race, as is his countryman Tadej Pogačar.
That leaves Jonas Vingegaard as a top contender, although he’ll be up against strong competition that includes Pogačar’s teammate João Almeida, who picked up a string of overall wins in shorter stage races this year, before crashing out of the Tour de France.
TNT Sports/Discovery+ will show live coverage of the Vuelta a España 2025 and, as usual, there’s an on-demand option. Coverage times are to be confirmed.
A TNT Sports subscription costs £30.99 per month. It’s available on a range of platforms including tablets, mobile, TV with Chromecast, or AirPlay, Android TV or Apple TV.
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is software that enables you to change your device’s IP address, making it appear as though you’re accessing the internet from another country.
As long as you adhere to your broadcaster’s terms and conditions, a VPN enables you to unblock your usual streaming services, no matter your location. Additionally, a VPN can improve playback speeds and significantly enhance your overall internet security.
There are many VPN options available, but we recommend NordVPN as the best choice. It offers strong streaming capabilities, robust security features and excellent value for money.
*At BikeRadar (published by Our Media Limited), we review VPN services to help you access online content and services securely while you’re on the go. This includes activities such as streaming your favourite TV shows, live web content or using apps from different countries (provided it’s okay with the service provider’s terms and conditions). It’s important to note: BikeRadar does not endorse or support the use of VPN services for illegal or malicious activities, such as accessing paid-for pirated content. Please ensure you enjoy online content responsibly.
Viewers in the US can enjoy daily coverage on NBC Sports and Peacock. You can watch NBC on demand, too – there’s no additional charge above your cable, satellite or telco TV provider’s subscription cost.
Peacock access requires a subscription to its premium tier, priced at $7.99 per month, or $79.99 for a year’s access.
SBS will be covering the Vuelta a España live and on demand. With live coverage of most stages starting around 11pm, this might be one to pick up on demand on the SBS Sport website.
The full schedule is here.
YouTube is a good option if you want shorter highlights and you don’t have on-demand access to any of the above sources. You can also watch short highlights videos on the Vuelta a España site.
Both are also good sources for highlights of previous editions to get you geared up for the racing.
See zwiftinsider.com/tiny for current Tiny Race details.
Your groupset is a pivotal part of your mountain bike, enabling you to put power down, change gear and even come to a stop in some cases.
While it can be overlooked, upgrading it can make a big difference to how your bike feels up and down the trails.
There are plenty of deals to be had at the moment, so we’ve had a sniff around to find some of the best for those looking to upgrade their groupset.
There are options from SRAM and Shimano on this list, so whatever your allegiance, there’s a groupset for you.
We’ve saved what we think is the best deal until last, so be sure to check it out.
Shimano’s XT M8100 groupset has been a benchmark for mechanical groupsets, and has continued to impress us since we first reviewed it at launch, giving it a 4.5-star rating.
While it’s not the latest Shimano XT groupset, with the electric M8200 Di2 released this year, it’s still a great performer for the price.
This deal at Merlin Cycles sees the groupset’s price slashed from £632 to £325, saving you 49 per cent.
SRAM XX T-Type Eagle AXS Transmission is one of the few products to receive our coveted 5-star rating, with its launch signaling a revolution in mountain bike drivetrains.
The groupset utilises SRAM’s UDH (Universal Derailleur Hanger) design, with the derailleur bolting directly to the frame and using reinforcement from the axle to add strength.
XX is SRAM’s top-of-the line groupset, and is targeted towards trail and cross-country riding.
We praised the groupset’s durability, ergonomics and ability to shift under load in testing, and it will make a great addition to any bike.
Just remember, you need a UDH-equipped bike for compatibility.
Shimano’s SLX groupset might not receive as much attention as XT and XTR, but it’s still classed as a performance mountain bike groupset in the brand’s hierarchy, borrowing tech from its siblings.
For those not wanting to spend loads on upgrading their groupset, £225 is an excellent price for all the parts you need to get your bike running smoothly again.
We tested this version of SLX when it was released, praising its performance and awarding it 4 stars.
X0 is SRAM’s enduro and trail Transmission, with near-identical performance to XX and a heavier-duty design for more challenging conditions.
Many of the best enduro mountain bikes feature the groupset, with its shifting among the best on the market.
If you’re looking to upgrade your mountain bike or electric mountain bike, SRAM’s X0 groupset should be on your shortlist, and with 29 per cent off, it’s even sweeter.
Like XX and X0, GX uses the same technology for its derailleur design, including X-SYNC and cassette mapping that creates timed shifts that help when changing gear under load.
While it’s slightly heavier than XX, the trade-off shouldn’t leave your wallet as light.
We’ve spent plenty of time on the groupset while testing bikes and found it to be nearly flawless.
If you’re looking to upgrade your groupset to a new shifting experience, this is one to consider.
On Tuesday, Zwift began rolling out Companion app v3.73 to iOS and Android devices.
This version includes two small but handy new features and one bug fix.
Zwift is making a big push toward their new fitness trends features in Companion, so it makes sense that they would make it easy to access those charts while you’re riding. You’ll now see “Home” and “Map” buttons at the bottom of your Companion app in iOS (Android users already have this option).
“Home” takes you to the default offline homescreen which includes Fitness Trends and more, while “Map” shows the live map you’re used to seeing while riding on Zwift.
Zwift took their Hammerhead integration live last week (read all about it here), but the only way to connect was through your profile page at zwift.com. Now with the new version of Companion installed, you can easily connect your Zwift account to Hammerhead.
Navigate to Settings>Connections and tap the Hammerhead +. Sign into your Hammerhead account, approve Zwift data sharing, and you’re ready to start getting credit for outdoor rides recorded on your Karoo!
Once you connect your Hammerhead account, the past 90 days of activities will be sent to Zwift for processing and integration into your fitness metrics.
Fixed an issue that caused the user’s profile page Activity Feed to not show private or outdoor activities.
Post below!
AerynOS 2025.08 ISOs are now available as the third release of the year for this innovative Linux distribution formerly known as Serpent OS…
“I’m still teaching at Princeton,” 83-year-old Brian Kernighan recently told an audience at New Jersey’s InfoAge Science and History Museums.
And last month the video was uploaded to YouTube, a new article points out, “showing that his talk ended with a unique question-and-answer session that turned almost historic…”
“Do you think there’s any sort of merit to Rust replacing C?” one audience member asked… “Or is this just a huge hype bubble that’s waiting to die down…?”
‘”I have written only one Rust program, so you should take all of this with a giant grain of salt,” he said. “And I found it a — pain… I just couldn’t grok the mechanisms that were required to do memory safety, in a program where memory wasn’t even an issue!” Speaking of Rust, Kernighan said “The support mechanism that went with it — this notion of crates and barrels and things like that — was just incomprehensibly big and slow. And the compiler was slow, the code that came out was slow…”
All in all, Kernighan had had a bad experience. “When I tried to figure out what was going on, the language had changed since the last time somebody had posted a description! And so it took days to write a program which in other languages would take maybe five minutes…” It was his one and only experience with the language, so Kernighan acknowledged that when it comes to Rust “I’m probably unduly cynical. “But I’m — I don’t think it’s gonna replace C right away, anyway.”
Kernighan was also asked about NixOS and HolyC — but his formative experiences remain rooted in Bell Labs starts in the 1970s, where he remembers it was “great fun to hang out with these people.”
And he acknowledged that the descendants of Unix now power nearly every cellphone. “I find it intriguing… And I also find it kind of irritating that underneath there is a system that I could do things with — but I can’t get at it!”
Kernighan answered questions from Slashdot readers in 2009 and again in 2015…
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
We may not have a date for Stardew Valley‘s next major update, but we have confirmation that it’s happening. Eric Barone, the developer behind the hit farming sim, announced that there will be a 1.7 update during the Stardew Valley Symphony of Seasons concert in Seattle, later confirming the news with a post on X. Barone, better known as ConcernedApe, didn’t reveal a release date, nor any teasers about content.
Considering the numbered update, we’re expecting more than just a patch and something similar to the fresh content added in the 1.6 update. The previous update released in March of last year and delivered a ton of free content, including the Meadowlands Farm, a new three-day festival, more crops and novel NPC interactions.
Fans will always welcome more content for Stardew Valley, but some expressed concern about how this will impact the release timeline for Barone’s upcoming title, Haunted Chocolatier. The developer revealed the standalone title in 2021 and told PC Gamer in April of this year that he wouldn’t work on any more Stardew Valley updates until he’s done with Haunted Chocolatier. To offer some reassurance, Barone replied on X that the 1.7 update “will not hinder Haunted Chocolatier development.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/stardew-valley-is-getting-yet-another-surprise-update-161805119.html?src=rss
“According to a new study, wearing the right kind of perfume or cologne can enlarge your brain’s gray matter,” writes ScienceAlert
Researchers from Kyoto University and the University of Tsukuba in Japan asked 28 women to wear a specific rose scent oil on their clothing for a month, with another 22 volunteers enlisted as controls who put on plain water instead. Magnetic resonance imaging ( MRI) scans showed boosts in the gray matter volume of the rose scent participants.
While an increase in brain volume doesn’t necessarily translate into more thinking power, the findings could have implications for neurodegenerative conditions such as dementia. “This study is the first to show that continuous scent inhalation changes brain structure,” write the researchers in their published paper. We’ve seen scents like this improve memory and cognitive performance, but here the team wanted to try a longer-term experiment to see how triggering our sense of smell might lead to measurable changes in brain structure…
It’s difficult to pin down exactly what’s causing this boost in gray matter. Another possibility raised by the researchers is that the rose scent is actually labeled as unpleasant by the brain, with the subsequent emotional regulation responsible for the PCC working harder and increasing in size. The researchers hope that the findings could be useful in the development of aromatherapies that boost mental health and brain plasticity…
The research was published in the Brain Research Bulletin.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
There’s something rare about a snail named Ned, reports CNN:
Ned’s shell spirals left, while almost all other snails have right spiraling shells. It’s a one in 40,000 genetic condition among the common corno espersum… “I was quite breathless for a moment,” says Giselle Clarkson, an author, illustrator and self-described ‘observologist’ who found Ned while digging in her garden in Wairarapa, just north of capital Wellington. “I was just pulling out this plant, and a snail tumbled into the dirt and I was just about to scoop it up and just chuck it off to the side, when I realized what I had,” Clarkson told CNN. It was a serendipitous moment for Ned, now named for Homer Simpson’s left-handed neighbor. Clarkson was aware of this rare asymmetry in snails from her work with the magazine New Zealand Geographic.
But “should Ned hope to mate one day, it will have to be with another very rare left-coiled snail,” notes the Washington Post (since, as CNN points out, this snail’s reproductive organs “don’t line up” with those of snails with right-spiraling shells). This has sparked a national campaign to locate a compatible snail — something that was last successfully attempted in 2016.
“If 40,000 people read this,” the campaign explains, “chances are, Ned’s dreams will come true.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
In the 1960s, meteorologist Edward Lorenz was running weather simulations on an early computer system when he realized that a small rounding difference led to extremely divergent weather predictions. He later called this idea the butterfly effect to communicate that small changes in initial conditions, like a butterfly flapping its wings in Nepal, could produce wildly different outcomes, like rain in New York.
But better understanding those initial conditions and how the biological world couples with the atmospheric one can provide better predictions about the future of the planet—from where umbrellas may be most needed in a given season to where electricity needs might sap the grid.
Today, computers are much more powerful than when Lorenz was working, and scientists use a special kind of simulation that accounts for physics, chemistry, biology, and water cycles to try to grasp the past and predict the future. These simulations, called Earth system models, or ESMs, attempt to consider the planet as a system made up of components that nudge and shove each other. Scientists first developed physical climate models in the 1960s and 1970s, and became better at integrating atmospheric and ocean models in subsequent years. As both environmental knowledge and computing power increased, they began to sprinkle in the other variables, leading to current-day ESMs.