Category: Innovation

Far, far away (in stellar terms).

Deep space is beyond anything we have ever known.

Like many other people, I am fascinated by the dark, clear, night sky. It appears to go on forever.

But this ‘foreverness’ is just our galaxy.

As is said in the following article: “…. if Earth were the size of a pea, the distance to Proxima Centauri would roughly equal the distance between New York and Sydney, Australia.”

The article shows how distant we are, how small we are, how irrelevant we are, in the vastness of the universe.

This article is republished courtesy of The Conversation.

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Could aliens ever visit Earth? An aerospace scientist unpacks the challenges of interstellar spaceflight

The universe is vast and teeming with stars – but if intelligent life exists, it may not be able to visit Earth. NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Rohan Naidu (MIT); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI), CC BY

Kai James, Georgia Institute of Technology

On May 22, 2026, the Pentagon released a second batch of previously classified photos and videos showing what appear to be unexplained flying objects. These file dumps were the culmination of a process that was set in motion back in July 2023, when a group of government whistleblowers testified before Congress that the U.S. government was secretly in possession of extraterrestrial spacecraft and suspected alien body parts.

That congressional hearing marked the beginning of a cultural shift in which UFO reports are increasingly treated as a matter for serious discussion, both within the government and the scientific community.

A grainy photo of a dark, blurry object in the sky.
The Pentagon released over 200 previously classified UFO files in May 2026. Department of Defense

But is this newfound legitimacy deserved? As an aerospace scientist who studies aircraft and spacecraft design, I approach this question using math, physics and the principles of engineering. To assess the plausibility of alien visitors, it’s necessary to understand the obstacles that an extraterrestrial vessel would need to overcome to reach Earth.

The tyranny of distance

There is no evidence of intelligent alien life in our solar system. So any extraterrestrial visitors would likely have to come from another star system within our Milky Way galaxy.

Proxima Centauri, the star closest to our Sun, is located 4.25 light-years (about 25 trillion miles or 40 trillion kilometers) away.

For perspective, if Earth were the size of a pea, the distance to Proxima Centauri would roughly equal the distance between New York and Sydney, Australia.

Even the stars closest to Earth are incredibly far away.

Since only a fraction of stars are thought to host intelligent life, the nearest alien civilization – if one exists – is surely much farther away than Proxima.

A need for speed

Given the scale of interstellar distances, it’s inevitable that any alien voyage to Earth would span many years and possibly several centuries. But as the time spent in transit increases, so does the risk of catastrophic accidents or system malfunctions that could jeopardize the mission. So it’s important to avoid an overly lengthy journey by traveling as fast as possible.

No object can reach or exceed the speed of light (roughly 186,000 miles or 300,000 kilometers per second). But well before approaching that threshold, engineering constraints begin to assert themselves. Limited fuel availability and the potential for structural damage will restrict the spacecraft’s peak velocity.

There is no universally accepted upper limit on interstellar flight speeds, but studies tend to converge around 19,000 miles per second (30,000 km/s) – 10% of the speed of light – as a realistic cruise velocity. At this speed, a journey of 10 light-years will take approximately 100 years to complete.

Fueling the dream

Finding a way to accelerate the ship to its target cruise speed is the central challenge facing any would-be alien explorers.

Interstellar space is unforgivingly vast, but the emptiness has some advantages. The lack of atmosphere means there is no aerodynamic drag. So when the ship reaches its cruise speed, it can shut down its propulsion system and coast toward the final destination. Unfortunately, the lack of atmosphere also means there is nothing to slow the ship down prior to arrival. So ideally, the propulsion system would be used for both acceleration at the start of the trip and deceleration at the end.

One of the more exotic propulsion strategies employs high-powered laser beams to push the ship through space. The beam is projected from a stationary array near the travelers’ home planet and directed toward a thin reflective sail attached to the ship. The beam’s photons exert radiation pressure on the sail, propelling the ship forward.

This approach has a major advantage in that it requires no onboard fuel. But the amount of energy and infrastructure needed to operate the laser would be staggering. Also, beamed propulsion provides no mechanism for deceleration. At best, this method could be deployed as part of a hybrid strategy that uses a separate system for deceleration.

A more practical approach is to use rocket propulsion. Rockets generate propulsive force, also known as thrust, by expelling high-velocity exhaust in a rearward stream. By reversing the direction of the exhaust, rockets can also be used to slow the ship down.

Their main disadvantage is that rockets must carry their own fuel in addition to carrying the passengers, the habitat and other life-sustaining systems. The extra load necessitates even more fuel. In other words, you need fuel to transport your fuel. The result is a costly snowball effect that can cause the total fuel requirement to balloon to absurd proportions.

Rocket propulsion can be divided into three broad categories.

Chemical propulsion uses chemical reactions – typically combustion – to extract energy from the bonds between atoms. All human space missions thus far have used chemical propulsion. The problem with this method is that it accesses only a tiny fraction of the energy contained within the fuel.

Consequently, using chemical propulsion on a spacecraft with a cruise velocity of 19,000 miles per second (30,000 km/s) would require more fuel than all the mass in the observable universe.

Antimatter propulsion is theoretically the most efficient option. When antimatter comes into contact with ordinary matter, the two undergo mutual annihilation and 100% of their combined mass is converted into energy. This makes it possible to achieve the same cruise velocity – one-tenth the speed of light – with fuel accounting for less than a quarter of the ship’s total mass. This is science fiction-level fuel efficiency, which makes antimatter an attractive option for interstellar propulsion.

The downside is that antimatter is extremely unstable and difficult to make. To date, particle physicists have produced less than 20 billionths of a gram of antimatter. Moreover, these particles had lifespans lasting only fractions of a second and a price tag in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Nuclear fusion offers a more viable alternative to antimatter. This approach harvests energy stored inside the nucleus of an atom using the same process that powers the Sun. With current technology, fusion engines remain aspirational, but they could, in theory, produce 10 million times more energy per kilogram than chemical rockets.

An illustration of a cylindrical spacecraft orbiting Earth
NASA has been working to develop nuclear propulsion. This artist’s impression shows what a nuclear-powered rocket could look like. John Frassanito & Associates/Wikipedia

Still, a fusion-powered ship with a cruise velocity of 19,000 miles per second (30,000 km/s) would require fuel equivalent to 150 times the mass of the ship itself.

A delicate balancing act

These numbers assume that our extraterrestrial visitors have figured out how to efficiently convert the energy released by their reactor – whether nuclear fusion or antimatter – into thrust.

Just as importantly, they must be able to create optimized fuel tank structures that are ultra lightweight yet highly secure. Designing the structure of the ship, from the fuel tanks to the hull, would be one of the biggest engineering challenges of the entire mission.

Interstellar space contains a sparse smattering of hydrogen atoms and microscopic grains of cosmic dust. At 19,000 miles per second (30,000 km/s), dust particles would smash into the ship’s hull with the energy of a .22-caliber bullet. The bombardment of hydrogen atoms would produce a violent cascade of radiation that could erode even the most resilient engineering materials.

Surviving the onslaught would require no less than a flying fortress with complex magnetic shielding. This would increase the total mass of the ship, which further drives up the demand for fuel.

This example is just one of the hundreds of delicate design trade-offs that would plague any interstellar vessel. Each individual design requirement acts as a filter, reducing the number of feasible solutions.

Finding a single system that simultaneously satisfies all the requirements is analogous to shopping for a car online. With each new filter you apply – four-wheel drive, black exterior, less than 10,000 miles on the odometer – the number of available options dwindles.

When design requirements are in tension with one another – for example, requiring a structure that is lightweight but also supremely durable – the number of feasible solutions can drop to zero.

No single law of physics prohibits an interstellar voyage to Earth. But the combined effects of hundreds of extreme, often conflicting engineering requirements may render it physically infeasible.

It’s also possible that alien civilizations have discovered novel technologies that outperform anything currently known to humans. But like the examples discussed here, any such technology will inevitably encounter its own engineering hurdles.

The trillion-dollar question

Ultimately, engineering challenges are just some of the many barriers to interstellar travel. Any prospective alien visitors must also have sufficient cognitive ability, technological maturity, physical resources, collective desire and proximity to Earth.

That said, if the stars were to align and an alien vessel made it to Earth intact, it would trigger a torrent of burning questions: Where are they from? What do they want? What are they made of?

But the question that would go furthest in shedding light on the deeper mysteries of the universe is, “How on Earth did they get here?”

Kai James, Professor of Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Kai James poses the unanswerable questions in the last two paragraphs. And how about this statement: “Consequently, using chemical propulsion on a spacecraft with a cruise velocity of 19,000 miles per second (30,000 km/s) would require more fuel that all the mass in the observable universe.“

An Internet Passport

This is a brilliant idea.

A Passport is a very important document. I have both a British and an American passport.

For most of my life there has been no World Wide Web (WWW). And being the age I am I do not pretend to know all the lastest advances in the WWW field. But my grandson is an avid user and, presumably, so are millions of other teenagers across the world.

Thus the idea of an Internet Passport is smart, extremely useful, and brilliant.

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The INTERNET PASSPORT Will Advance Civilization, Promote Democracy, Reduce Censorship, Save The Children And Fight Crime. What is There Not To Like?

Question: How could an internet passport, where the identity of an individual would be displayed, not improve security, safety of children, advance civilization, and even promote democracy if associated with completely constitutionally protected free speech?

The INTERNET PASSPORT would enable to control the age and granular exposure of children to the INTERNET. Presumably, the more than doubling of the suicide rate of girls is related directly to WRONGFUL INTERNET EXPOSURE. Not acting on the Internet Passport would be tantamount to complicity in the abuse and deaths of millions of girls.

If one enters a country, one is required by the authorities to produce a document called a PASSPORT informing them of our identity. Otherwise NO entry. The controls are stiffer if a child is involved, as they should: child trafficking is as old as humanity (and was outlawed by the European Queen Bathilde in 657 CE). So why not the same sort of control of who is entering, when entering the Internet?

A huge problem with the Internet has been too much access by children and access to age inappropriate content. Another bad problem has been the usage of the Internet by Organized Crime.

A simple way to prevent ILLEGAL INTERNET USAGE is to deliver INTERNET PASSPORTS. A law passed worldwide  would be impossible to access the Internet without an INTERNET PASSPORT  The passports would have a degree of security and control comparable to that of a passport to pass physical ports. I am sure China would have to approve.

Organized Crime, which profits from adopting the latest Internet tech faster than anybody else, will protest (and some politicians on its payroll will listen). It may be objected by individuals who claim to be good citizens, that the instauration of an INTERNET PASSPORT would introduce a worldwide police state. On a personal basis, I am very much against police states… If the policing goes beyond the law enforcement necessary and sufficient to make sure the constitutional laws are respected. But only then. I firmly believe that a substantial population is kept in check only through the knowledge of potentially efficient police action (I have been a victim of serious crimes more than a few times).

To make sure that the INTERNET PASSPORT does not bring a non constitutional dictatorship, PARRHEISIA and ISEGORIA which should be META CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLES ought to be enforced by arsenals of laws. 

Parrheisa and Isegoria basically ensure FREEDOM and EQUALITY of speech, not just by allowing them, and making them constitutional, but by making them CIVIC DUTIES.. Thus constitutional speech and expression and their dissemination would be protected…. Which is certainly NOT the case now.

The usual objections will be raised by the same ones who object to cameras: intrusion on private lives. But that is silly. My main outlet is wilderness exploration. If drones would follow me everywhere, I would feel safer. They can spy on me all day long, but I do nothing wrong, aside from calculated risk[1].

The argument, made for years by many of the world’s wealthiest individuals, like Meta’s Zuckenberg, has been a nebulous “People’s right to privacy”. There is no such a thing because the “Right to Privacy” gets ABROGATED BY THE RIGHT TO SURVIVAL (I learned the abrogation idea in my studies of Islamic law, ironically enough…) As the singularity technology evolves, so does the power of individuals: somebody evil could sneak in with, say, Ebola in a jar… But no doubt planning Mass Destruction would involve Internet usage and could be recognized by LAW ENFORCEMENT AI… As long as distinct sources can be identified.

***

Naturally this simple treatment of an Internet malady has not been suggested. Instead fake news media has insisted on applying censorship on sites they consider “violent”. But of course one of the main ways dictatorships achieve control is through censorship of (what they consider to be) “violence” (the coverup is that only the dictator can use violence to suppress what the dictator calls violence)..

Much of the “culture” that young people are exposed to today is violent and extremely divisive, instead of being informational and collaborative. Why? Well, the established plutocracy has always tried, for keeping in control, to divide (and conquer). The controlling plutocracy has always greater means to adopt the latest tech, as when Hitler adopted air travel and radio to get elected. So naturally, the plutocracy we enjoy adopted Internet control and directing it towards the children was particularly perverse.

Patrice Ayme 

[1] One of my fears is an accident which would leave me crippled and rescue would not arrive in time (I have occasionally been in absolutely gigantic landscapes with no one or no sign of human activity in sight; once in Nevada, a billionaire crashed his plane. Neither he nor the plane were ever found… It’s called Nevada for a good reason… Last year I broke an arm in the mountain consecutive to rock failure and subsequent fall; I took the decision to go down the mountain, waiting for rescue would have meant death from exposure. Being able to tell a drone to fetch rescue, or more precisely blankets and shelter would have been safer. Helis couldn’t fly.)  

***

[2] In 2026 CNN and other plutocratic serving media oligopolies pressured the UK government to shut down entire websites because those sites showed violence. Showing violence somehow causes violence according to CNN (does this theory make CNN into a terrorist organization?). Instead one should behave as if all was for the best in the best of all possible words. 

Paradoxically, the Internet Passport will force much greater democracy, because it could not be an improvement without Isegoria and Parrhesia. Those two are needed because the US First Amendment protects only aspects of free speech addressed to the government (and the situation is even worse in all other countries)…

Patrice Ayme

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Whether or not, governments across the world will implement these changes, this response to the online world we now live in, is terribly uncertain.

I regret that i am not holding my breath.

Starting your own business

And even better if it involves dogs.

Another wonderful article from Penny Martin.

Years ago I started my own business back in England. It was wonderful. It was very different to what I expected. It was exciting, and tiring. In the main, I worked seven days a week!

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How to Start a Successful Pet Treat Bakery Inspired by Your Dog

For beginner dog owners who feel calmer, more connected, and more themselves around their pups, the idea of launching a pet bakery can feel both exciting and out of reach. The tension is real: canine-inspired business ideas spark hope, but uncertainty about what’s “safe,” what’s realistic, and what dogs truly need can stop dog owner entrepreneurship before it starts. A pet treat bakery business can be more than a hobby when it’s built with care, clarity, and respect for the animals it serves. With the right mindset, launching a pet bakery becomes a grounded next step.

Quick Summary: Starting a Pet Treat Bakery

  • Start by researching the pet treat market to confirm demand and spot clear customer needs.
  • Start by building a simple business plan that maps products, pricing, and day to day operations.
  • Start by focusing on essential launch strategies that keep your bakery realistic and manageable.
  • Start by choosing funding options that fit your budget and help you grow steadily.

Build the Business Backbone: Budgeting, Leadership, and Management

Going back to school for a business degree can help you sharpen the fundamentals behind budgeting, leading, and managing day-to-day decisions, so your big-hearted dog treat dream has a sturdy backbone. A business degree can also teach practical skills in accounting, business, communications, or management that translate directly into running any small operation. And because online degree programs are designed for flexibility, it’s often easier to keep working full-time while staying on top of your studies. When you’re ready to explore options, learn more about accredited online business bachelor’s programs.

With that groundwork in place, you’ll be ready to walk through the step-by-step process of opening your pet treat bakery.

From Recipe Idea to First Pet Treat Sale

With that groundwork in place, here’s your path to action.

This process helps you turn your dog-inspired treat idea into a real, legal, sellable product. It matters because dogs model integrity so well: they are consistent, they listen for feedback, and they earn trust one small choice at a time, which is exactly how a good bakery is built.

  1. Step 1: Develop one “signature” recipe and test it
    Start with a simple base recipe using dog-safe ingredients, then make small, trackable changes one variable at a time (texture, size, bake time). Share samples with a few trusted dog-owner friends and ask for honest notes about smell, crumbiness, and how dogs react. Keep a mini “treat journal” so your results are repeatable, like your dog’s steady routines.
  2. Step 2: Choose your selling setup and confirm licensing
    Decide where you will produce treats (home kitchen, shared commercial kitchen, or a rented space) because that choice affects permits, inspections, and packaging rules. Write down your product list and how you plan to sell (online, markets, local shops), then call your city or county office to ask what you must file before you accept money. Build integrity early by doing this before you print labels or buy bulk supplies.
  3. Step 3: Source suppliers and price your treats clearly
    List your must-have ingredients and packaging, then get quotes from at least two vendors for each so you can compare quality, minimums, and delivery times. Set a price that covers ingredients, packaging, test batches, and your time, not just the flour and peanut butter. 
  4. Step 4: Build a brand that reflects your values
    Pick a bakery name, a short promise (for example, “simple ingredients, honest sourcing”), and 2 to 3 product names that are easy to remember. Create labels that match what you actually do, not what sounds impressive, and write a short origin story about what your dog taught you about consistency and care. Trust grows when your branding and your behavior line up.
  5. Step 5: Market, take pre-orders, and make your first sale
    Start small with a weekly batch schedule, a simple order form, and a clear pickup or shipping plan. Post behind-the-scenes photos of testing days, ingredient prep, and your dog “quality control,” and invite early customers to review honestly. 

Small, consistent steps earn loyal customers, just like your dog earns trust every day.

Pet Treat Bakery Questions Dog Owners Ask Most

Q: What rules do I need to follow before selling dog treats?
A: Start by calling your local business licensing office and your state agriculture or feed control agency to ask how pet treats are classified where you live. Requirements often include a business license, approved production space, labeling rules, and possible registration. Keep a simple compliance checklist and treat it like your dog’s “house rules”: clear, consistent, and non-negotiable.

Q: How do I keep my treats food-safe if I’m baking in small batches?
A: Write down a basic safety plan: clean and sanitize surfaces, separate allergens, date every batch, and store ingredients in sealed containers. Use a batch log so you can trace what went into each run if a customer has a concern. When in doubt, simplify ingredients and processes until you can do them the same way every time.

Q: Can I say my treats help with anxiety, allergies, or joint health?
A: Be careful with health claims because they can trigger stricter oversight and customer distrust. Stick to truthful, verifiable statements like ingredients, sourcing, and texture benefits, and encourage pet parents to consult their veterinarian for medical needs. Integrity in marketing protects both dogs and your business.

Q: How do I find my first customers without feeling salesy?
A: Lead with service: offer a small sampler box to a few dog-owning communities and ask for specific feedback and referrals. Share your story, your standards, and your consistency, because trust sells better than hype. 

Q: What’s the biggest risk that makes new pet treat bakeries stall out?
A: One common trap is making a “great” product that nobody buys. Reduce that risk by taking pre-orders, validating pricing early, and tracking repeat purchases instead of likes. Let your dog’s honesty guide you: listen to real behavior, not wishful thinking.

Keep it simple, stay truthful, and let trust grow one good batch at a time.

Turning Dog-Led Treat Ideas Into a Trustworthy Bakery Brand

Starting a pet treat bakery can feel like a tug-of-war between big dreams and the real-world rules that keep pets safe and customers confident. The path that holds up is entrepreneurial motivation guided by integrity in business, making careful choices, staying consistent, and letting care lead every decision. When that mindset becomes the foundation, long-term business success looks less like luck and more like steady trust, repeat orders, and word-of-mouth that grows through community engagement.

Build trust first, and the bakery grows from there. You can take one next step today by starting a simple conversation, ask a local pet group what they look for in treats and listen closely. That kind of care creates resilience, connection, and a healthier, steadier business life for inspiring pet bakery founders.

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Thank you, Penny, for another great article. As an ex-salesman of office software, running my own business, I can vouch for trust in yourself, your company, and, especially, keeping the customer happy, being the most important qualities.

As the say goes: “The customer is always right.”

An eclipse seen from space

This is beautiful.

I have always been interested in the space flights of the astronaughts. I am sure that I join millions of others who feel the same.

So this article by Deana L. Weibel, Professor of Anthropology at Grand Valley State University is terrific.

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Seeing an eclipse from Earth is awe‑inspiring – for astronauts seeing one from space, the scene was even more grand

During a total solar eclipse, the Sun is barely visible behind the Moon. Roger Sorensen

Deana L. Weibel, Grand Valley State University

The astronauts on Artemis II’s trip to the Moon in April 2026 didn’t just have an amazing journey through space. They also saw something extraordinary. They were the first humans to see a total solar eclipse from space.

A solar eclipse happens when the Moon moves in front of the Sun. In a total eclipse, the Sun’s central disc is covered completely.

From Earth, the circle of the Sun is about the same size as the circle of the Moon. With the bright circle blocked, you can see the undulating rays of the Sun’s corona, or outer atmosphere, that are normally too dim to be observed.

Moon covering most, then all, then most of the Sun
Composite image of moments before, during and after totality. NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

I’m a cultural anthropologist who studies awe-inspiring aspects of space exploration. I have been lucky enough to have seen two total solar eclipses. The first one was in Nebraska in 2017, the second in Indiana in 2024.

During my second total eclipse, the period of totality – that short span when you can remove your protective glasses and look directly at the eclipse – lasted close to 4 minutes. I saw waves of diffuse light snaking around an ink-black hole in the sky. It looked very wrong – almost alien.

On Aug. 12, 2026, there will be another total solar eclipse, visible only from Greenland, Iceland, Spain and the Balearic Islands of the Mediterranean. Some fortunate viewers in Spain and nearby islands may see the eclipse just before sunset, low on the horizon. The Moon illusion, a phenomenon where the Moon looks bigger when it’s near the horizon, might make this eclipse look unusually large.

Unusual eclipse perspectives

Astronauts will occasionally also have less common eclipse experiences. I interviewed one I call by the pseudonym “Jackie” in my research about astronauts’ experiences of awe. She was part of an astronaut training group that did a flight exercise during a total solar eclipse.

Jackie and her squad flew their jets in the shadow of the Moon. This lengthened their time in totality because they could follow and stay within the shadow. Jackie was most impressed with how the Sun’s corona seemed to shift and ripple.

“It’s not static … it’s alive,” she told me.

On April 6, 2026, the astronauts of NASA’s Artemis II mission saw another kind of unusual eclipse as they flew around the Moon. At one point during their flight, the Moon and the spacecraft aligned so that the Moon was directly between them and the Sun, blocking the Sun’s disk in a way that looks very different from what we see on Earth.

Astronaut Victor Glover said it felt like they “just went sci-fi.” https://www.youtube.com/embed/YLjPci5bo1k?wmode=transparent&start=0 ‘An impressive sight’: The Artemis II crew were the first humans to observe a solar eclipse from near the Moon.

The astronauts were so close to the Moon that the Moon looked bigger than the Sun and hid more of its bright circle. Earth was also in view, and sunlight reflected from the Earth onto the Moon in a phenomenon NASA calls “earthshine.” This dim light is very similar to the moonlight that shines on the Earth at night.

Imagine the Sun hidden behind the Moon, creating a hazy halo around the Moon’s edges. At the same time, faint light reflected from Earth softly illuminates the Moon, revealing mountains and craters in a dim twilight. Now imagine this striking scene lasting 54 minutes.

This sight was, without a doubt, one of the most unusual eclipses ever seen by human eyes.

Although Artemis’ astronauts are trained to think scientifically, this experience propelled them into a state of awe. They talked openly about how their brains were “not processing” what they observed. While NASA kept them busy with a variety of tasks, the sound of emotion and excitement in their voices as they broadcast live from their lunar flyby was unmistakable.

An eclipse visible from space - the Moon is shown shadowed with some sunlight visible behind it, and part of the Orion capsule shown off to the left.
The Moon during a solar eclipse on April 6, 2026, photographed by one of the Orion spacecraft’s cameras during Artemis II. Earth is reflecting sunlight at the left edge of the Moon, called ‘earthshine.’ NASA

The psychology of awe

Researchers have studied the effects of awe on the human brain, including awe felt during solar eclipses. Moments of wonder like these can transform how you feel and even how you think, making you more thoughtful and open-minded.

In my own work I’ve found these experiences can change how astronauts understand their own place in the universe.

One astronaut said she gained an awareness of the fragility of our planet that now shapes everything she does, while another described becoming more curious after returning to Earth. A third said the awe he experienced in lunar orbit changed his understanding of time and infinity.

Space travel creates many opportunities for awe, but a solar eclipse from behind the Moon, as Mission Commander Reid Wiseman put it, required “20 new superlatives.”

It’s an experience most of the earthbound eclipse-chasers heading to Greenland or Iceland or Spain this summer will only dream about. Whether eclipses happen in space or on Earth, though, close encounters with the grandeur of our universe can make you feel profoundly human.

Deana L. Weibel, Professor of Anthropology, Grand Valley State University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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In this difficuly world at present, this is a perfect article. As was written, “…. the awe he experienced in lunar orbit changed his understanding of time and infinity.“

Picture Parade Five Hundred and Twenty-One

More NASA images.

And what images.

NASA celebrates Hubble’s 36th anniversary with a new image of the Trifid Nebula, a star-forming region it first captured in 1997. The telescope leveraged almost its full operational lifetime to show us changes in the nebula on human time scales with an improved camera.
NASA, ESA, STScI; Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)

There is more information on the NASA website.

Now a YouTube video.

What terrific images from Hubble.

Technology and ageing

This article hits home!

I find it is very hard to keep current on new technological developments. I am well past being young but still fascinated by science and technology.

Thus, it seemed like one that I should publish.

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Constant technology changes throw seniors a curve – and add to caregivers’ load

Shifting interfaces and frequent updates challenge elders and increase the burdens on people who try to help them. Maskot via Getty Images

Debaleena Chattopadhyay, University of Illinois Chicago

This past Christmas, I helped my parents choose a water filter. The latest “smart” models all came with a smartphone app that promised to monitor filter life, track water quality and automatically request service. Yet my father, age 75, and mother, 67, were quick to reject them in favor of a nondigital model.

“Every time it updates or I forget how to use it, we’ll have to call you,” my dad said.

As an only child living 8,000 miles (12,875 kilometers) away, I didn’t need convincing. My parents are aging in place and don’t need traditional caregiving – they cook, drive and manage their home just fine. Instead, I provide what I call technology caregiving: helping them with their digital activities of daily living, from online banking to booking theater tickets.

But as the tech industry shifts toward artificial intelligence agents and generative user interfaces – promising to make devices smarter than ever – I am bracing for this invisible workload to become heavier, not lighter. In addition to being a technology caregiver, I’m a computer scientist who studies human-computer interaction.

Technology caregiving

Technology caregiving is the act of helping someone use digital tools. While this isn’t entirely new – people have long helped grandparents program VCRs and connect parents’ desktop computers to the internet – the stakes have changed.

Today, digitization is ubiquitous. Helping with these tools is no longer just occasional unpaid tech support – it is a form of continuous caregiving essential for maintaining independence. For example, even the simple act of clipping coupons has gone digital – marginalizing older adults who are unable to navigate store apps to access these discounts.

People often view older adults as resistant to technology, but recent years – particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic – have shattered that myth. While gaps in internet access and device ownership remain, they are no longer major barriers to technology access.

an older woman uses a laptop computer at a table
Today’s seniors are not tech-averse, but constant updates and interface changes make using technology more difficult for them. Jose Luis Raota/Moment via Getty Images

The emerging crisis is not about access, but effective use. Many older adults are now online and willing to use these tools, but they require frequent help from family, friends or communities.

The innovation tax

The problem isn’t just that devices and apps are getting complex; it’s that they are constantly changing. Frequent software updates and shifting interfaces can be frustrating for all users, but they turn familiar tools into foreign concepts for older adults.

This unpredictability is about to accelerate. Take generative user interfaces, which designers can use to dynamically generate an interface in minutes. Pair them with AI agents, and the system can assume the designer’s role, taking independent actions based on how it perceives a user’s intent or need.

If the “Pay Bill” button is in a different place every third time you open a particular app because an AI decided to optimize the interface, you might feel perpetually incompetent if you can’t quickly locate it. While the industry calls this personalization, for an older adult it is a moving target.

This relentless pace of change – even when intended to be helpful – is directly at odds with age-related cognitive changes. And this dynamic is continuing with the new generation of seniors. They may be more eager to adopt new tools than the last, but wanting to use technology is not the same as being able to use it when the rules are constantly changing.

To navigate a brand new or shifting interface, your brain relies on fluid intelligence: the ability to reason, solve novel problems and ignore distractions on the fly. Unlike the knowledge that people accumulate over time, fluid intelligence naturally declines with age.

When an app updates or an AI optimizes a layout, it forces the user to discard their hard-won mental models and start over. For an older adult, this isn’t just a minor inconvenience; it is a taxing job for their working memory.

As an older adult participant in a study my colleagues and I conducted put it:

“I had a computer on my desk in 1980, OK, when nobody else did. So this is not a foreign language, but the changes that are made with little to no explanation and then things that you knew how to do have either changed or disappeared completely, that is the stuff that absolutely drives me, and I will tell you, every other older adult in America nuts.”

Help the helper

I believe that the way forward is to stop treating tech support as an afterthought and start designing for the technology caregiver. Digital literacy training for seniors and encouraging designing technologies for all users are important but not enough; it’s important to build tools that share the burden.

Two promising paths are emerging. First, cognitive accessibility features – like AI assistants that find buried buttons or provide real-time tech support – can offload tasks from the caregiver. Second, tools for caregivers are beginning to move beyond simply controlling device feature access to capabilities such as allowing authorized access for banking as co-users, or recording personalized instructions.

These tools will also need to be tailored: Family caregivers need different tools than community helpers like libraries and senior centers.

In the age of AI, innovation shouldn’t be a tax on the aging brain – it should help bridge the digital divide.

Debaleena Chattopadhyay, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, University of Illinois Chicago

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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I like the idea of having a technology caregiver. I like the idea very much.

Guiding your pup through New Homes and New Faces.

… and New Routines.

Busy dog owners juggling moves, new jobs, breakups, new babies, or a new roommate often notice something unsettling: a dog who once seemed “fine” starts acting differently. These life changes affecting pets can quietly reshape household dynamics, disrupting routines that help dogs feel safe and understood. When a familiar schedule shifts, pet emotional well-being can wobble, and routine disruption may show up as clinginess, restlessness, accidents, barking, withdrawal, or other behavioral changes in pets. Knowing that these reactions are often signals, not “bad behavior”, gives dog owners a clearer, kinder way to respond.

Why Routine Keeps Dogs Feeling Secure

Dogs build comfort from repeated patterns like meal times, walks, and who comes and goes. When those patterns change, many dogs feel unsure, and their bodies switch into “alert mode.” That stress can look like pacing, panting, whining, hiding, barking, extra licking, stomach upset, or sudden accidents.

This matters because a disrupted routine can shake a dog’s emotional stability, even if nothing “bad” is happening. When you read these shifts as stress signals, you can respond with support instead of frustration. That protects trust and often prevents small issues from becoming long-term habits.

Think of a dog’s day like a familiar map. If the map suddenly changes, your dog may try different behaviors to find safety again, including sticking close or acting jumpy. With this lens, simple strategies can restore calm during moves, new family members, or schedule changes.

Use These 8 Transition Tactics to Keep Your Dog Calm

Big changes can make even a confident dog feel wobbly, because the predictable patterns they rely on suddenly shift. These tactics keep the message consistent: “You’re safe, and I’ve got you,” even when everything else looks different.

  1. Protect the “non‐negotiables” schedule: Pick 2–3 anchors that stay steady no matter what, usually breakfast, one walk, and bedtime. Cornell’s Riney Canine Health Center recommends you schedule your dog’s meals and other daily needs so your dog can predict what’s coming. If your life is chaotic during a move or a new baby, keep those anchors consistent and let the “flex” stuff (like extra play) vary.
  2. Pack and unpack in “scent-safe” zones: During moving week, choose one room as your dog’s calm base camp. Set up a bed, water, and a worn T‐shirt that smells like you, and keep that room off-limits to loud packing whenever possible. On arrival, unpack your dog’s things first so the new space immediately includes familiar smells and routines.
  3. Teach a comfort cue before you need it: Pick one simple cue such as “mat” or “settle,” then practice for 1–2 minutes a few times a day when things are calm. Reward your dog for lying on a blanket or bed while you sit nearby, then gradually add tiny distractions (standing up, opening a drawer). When life changes, you’ll have a practiced “go relax here” skill instead of trying to invent calm in the moment.
  4. Introduce new people with sideways bodies and short wins: For visitors, roommates, or a new partner, ask the person to ignore your dog at first, no reaching, no hovering, no face-to-face staring. Have them toss treats past your dog so your dog can approach and retreat without pressure. Keep the first few meetings to 5–10 minutes, then take a break before your dog gets overwhelmed.
  5. Run “baby practice” or “new family member” rehearsals: If a baby or new pet is coming, rehearse the sounds and movements now. Play baby noises softly during meals, walk around holding a doll or bundled blanket, and reward calm behavior. This kind of prep matters because how much they must learn during major transitions is easy for humans to underestimate.
  6. Buffer work-schedule changes with a mini routine: If you’re leaving earlier or coming home later, shift by 10–15 minutes every couple of days rather than all at once when you can. Add a predictable “departure ritual” (quick potty, 2 minutes of gentle play, food puzzle) and a predictable “reunion ritual” (calm greeting, then outside). This prevents your comings and goings from feeling random, one of the biggest routine disruptors.
  7. Use environmental enrichment to drain stress, not hype it up: Stress often looks like restlessness, pacing, or clinginess, so give your dog a job that uses their brain and nose. Try scatter-feeding in a snuffle spot, a simple cardboard “find it” game, or a frozen food toy during the loudest parts of the day. Choose calming enrichment over high-arousal games when your dog is already on edge.
  8. Aim for “slightly easier than your dog can handle today”: When your dog is anxious, progress is tiny and steady: one step closer to the new stroller, one extra minute in the new yard, one calmer greeting. If your dog freezes, hides, or won’t take treats, the challenge is too big, back up and make it simpler. That gentle pacing helps your dog rebuild trust in their environment, which makes it much easier to keep a steady week of routines going.
  9. Habits That Build Security During Big Life Shifts
  10. When change is unavoidable, consistency becomes communication. These practices help you read your dog’s behavior with more empathy, reinforce trust through predictable patterns, and build emotional resilience a little at a time.
  11. Three-Pillar Daily Check
  12. ● What it is: Do a 60-second scan of physical wellness, cognitive wellness, and nervous system wellness.
  13. ●  How often: Daily
  14. ●  Why it helps: You catch stress early and meet needs before behavior escalates.Predictable Decompression Walk
  15. ●  What it is: Take a low-key sniff walk with no training goals and lots of choice.
  16. ●  How often: Daily
  17. ●  Why it helps: Sniffing releases tension and helps your dog feel oriented.Two-Minute Connection Rep
  18. ●  What it is: Do two minutes of gentle play, grooming, or hand-feeding with full attention.
  19. ●  How often: Daily
  20. ●  Why it helps: Micro-bonding reduces clinginess and builds confidence in you.One New Thing, Then Easy
  21. ●  What it is: Add one small novelty, then follow with a familiar, simple activity.
  22. ●  How often: 3 times weekly
  23. ●  Why it helps: Your dog learns change predicts safety, not overwhelm.Adjustment Notes Log
  24. ●  What it is: Track sleep, appetite, and triggers during the adjustment period.
  25. ●  How often: Weekly
  26. ●  Why it helps: Patterns guide smarter tweaks to your routine and environment.Common Questions About Dogs and Big Life ChangesQ: How can moving to a new home affect my dog’s emotional well-being and daily routine?
    A:     A move can unsettle your dog’s sense of safety, so you may see whining, pacing, or accidents while they learn the new map of home. Many dogs may adjust within a few weeks, especially with familiar feeding, potty, and walk times. Next steps: track what seems to trigger stress and tighten the routine around those moments.Q: What are effective strategies to help my dog adjust when our household dynamics change, such as welcoming a new baby?
    A:     Your dog may become clingy or reactive because attention, sounds, and scents suddenly change. Keep key rituals steady, add a calm “safe zone,” and reward relaxed behavior near baby related items at a distance your dog can handle. Track triggers like crying or visitors, then adjust the daily plan in tiny, repeatable steps.Q: In what ways do changes in my work schedule impact my dog’s stress levels and behavior?
  27. A: Shifts in your hours can raise uncertainty, which often shows up as barking, restlessness, or door watching. Set predictable alone time practice, use a consistent pre departure cue, and increase enrichment that does not rely on you being home. If problems cluster at certain times, log them and reorganize exercise, potty breaks, and quiet time around that pattern.
  28. Q: What signs indicate that my dog is struggling with transitions, and how can I support them?
  29. A: Look for appetite changes, sleep disruption, increased startle, hiding, sudden accidents, or new shadowing behavior. Support starts with ruling out pain or illness, then simplifying the environment and rewarding calm choices. Your best two moves are to track triggers for a week and revise the routine plan based on what your notes reveal.
  30. Q: If I feel overwhelmed balancing pet care with pursuing a new healthcare career path, what resources can help me manage both effectively?
  31. A: Feeling stretched is common, especially when you are building a new identity and schedule. Create a short, written care checklist for mornings and evenings, then ask a trusted friend, family member, or qualified pet professional to cover specific tasks during peak stress weeks. For your own transition, consider flexible, structured learning options like this resource and time blocking so your dog’s essentials stay steady while you grow.
  32. Make One Gentle Routine Shift to Help Your Dog Adjust
  33. Big life changes can leave dogs confused, clingy, or out of sorts, even when everything looks “fine” on the surface. The steadier path is empathetic pet care: notice what your dog is communicating, keep support predictable, and focus on proactive pet well-being rather than waiting for stress to spiral. Over time, supporting pets through change this way often means fewer meltdowns, faster settling, and a calmer home for everyone. When life shifts, your dog needs clarity and kindness more than perfection. Choose one strategy to start this week, and stick with it long enough to see your dog’s body and behavior soften. That steady care strengthens the human-animal bond and builds resilience for whatever comes next.

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This is a guest post from Penny Martin. It is very comprehensive, especially for dog owners who are very busy people

Picture Parade Five Hundred and Twelve

In honour of July 4th and America’s 250th birthday.

(And they were to be shown on the 22nd February but the snowy scenes took priority.)

These are photographs of Mount Rushmore Natioanl Memorial.

They have not be taken by me and hopefully the photographers who did take them will allow me to republish them,

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Gutzon Borglum was the principal sculptor at Mt Rushmore

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Impressive!

Gutzon Borglum did an incredible work of sculpture. Just amazing!

A further insight into the human brain

A recent article in The Conversation prompted this post.

The human brain is quite amazing. Actually I would extend that statement to include the brains of all ‘smart’ animals.

As more and more research is undertaken, the discoveries learned about the human brain are incredible. Take this story:

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Your brain can be trained, much like your muscles – a neurologist explains how to boost your brain health

Research shows that the brain can be exercised, much like our muscles. RapidEye/E+ via Getty Images

Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse, University of Pittsburgh

If you have ever lifted a weight, you know the routine: challenge the muscle, give it rest, feed it and repeat. Over time, it grows stronger.

Of course, muscles only grow when the challenge increases over time. Continually lifting the same weight the same way stops working.

It might come as a surprise to learn that the brain responds to training in much the same way as our muscles, even though most of us never think about it that way. Clear thinking, focus, creativity and good judgment are built through challenge, when the brain is asked to stretch beyond routine rather than run on autopilot. That slight mental discomfort is often the sign that the brain is actually being trained, a lot like that good workout burn in your muscles.

Think about walking the same loop through a local park every day. At first, your senses are alert. You notice the hills, the trees, the changing light. But after a few loops, your brain checks out. You start planning dinner, replaying emails or running through your to-do list. The walk still feels good, but your brain is no longer being challenged.

Routine feels comfortable, but comfort and familiarity alone do not build new brain connections.

As a neurologist who studies brain activity, I use electroencephalograms, or EEGs, to record the brain’s electrical patterns.

Research in humans shows that these rhythms are remarkably dynamic. When someone learns a new skill, EEG rhythms often become more organized and coordinated. This reflects the brain’s attempt to strengthen pathways needed for that skill.

Your brain trains in zones too

For decades, scientists believed that the brain’s ability to grow and reorganize, called neuroplasticity, was largely limited to childhood. Once the brain matured, its wiring was thought to be largely fixed.

But that idea has been overturned. Decades of research show that adult brains can form new connections and reorganize existing networks, under the right conditions, throughout life.

Some of the most influential work in this field comes from enriched environment studies in animals. Rats housed in stimulating environments filled with toys, running wheels and social interaction developed larger, more complex brains than rats kept in standard cages. Their brains adapted because they were regularly exposed to novelty and challenge.

Human studies find similar results. Adults who take on genuinely new challenges, such as learning a language, dancing or practicing a musical instrument, show measurable increases in brain volume and connectivity on MRI scans.

The takeaway is simple: Repetition keeps the brain running, but novelty pushes the brain to adapt, forcing it to pay attention, learn and problem-solve in new ways. Neuroplasticity thrives when the brain is nudged just beyond its comfort zone.

Older women knitting together and socializing in a community space.
Tasks that stretch your brain just beyond its comfort zone, such as knitting and crocheting, can improve cognitive abilities over your lifespan – and doing them in a group setting brings an additional bonus for overall health. Dougal Waters/DigitalVision via Getty Images

The reality of neural fatigue

Just like muscles, the brain has limits. It does not get stronger from endless strain. Real growth comes from the right balance of challenge and recovery.

When the brain is pushed for too long without a break – whether that means long work hours, staying locked onto the same task or making nonstop decisions under pressure – performance starts to slip. Focus fades. Mistakes increase. To keep you going, the brain shifts how different regions work together, asking some areas to carry more of the load. But that extra effort can still make the whole network run less smoothly.

Neural fatigue is more than feeling tired. Brain imaging studies show that during prolonged mental work, the networks responsible for attention and decision-making begin to slow down, while regions that promote rest and reward-seeking take over. This shift helps explain why mental exhaustion often comes with stronger cravings for quick rewards, like sugary snacks, comfort foods or mindless scrolling. The result is familiar: slower thinking, more mistakes, irritability and mental fog.

This is where the muscle analogy becomes especially useful. You wouldn’t do squats for six hours straight, because your leg muscles would eventually give out. As they work, they build up byproducts that make each contraction a little less effective until you finally have to stop. Your brain behaves in a similar way.

Likewise, in the brain, when the same cognitive circuits are overused, chemical signals build up, communication slows and learning stalls.

But rest allows those strained circuits to reset and function more smoothly over time. And taking breaks from a taxing activity does not interrupt learning. In fact, breaks are critical for efficient learning.

Middle-aged woman sitting near her computer, rubbing her neck.
Overdoing any task, whether it be weight training or sitting at the computer for too long, can overtax the muscles as well as the brain. Halfpoint Images/Moment via Getty Images

The crucial importance of rest

Among all forms of rest, sleep is the most powerful.

Sleep is the brain’s night shift. While you rest, the brain takes out the trash through a special cleanup system called the glymphatic system that clears away waste and harmful proteins. Sleep also restores glycogen, a critical fuel source for brain cells.

And importantly, sleep is when essential repair work happens. Growth hormone surges during deep sleep, supporting tissue repair. Immune cells regroup and strengthen their activity.

During REM sleep, the stage of sleep linked to dreaming, the brain replays patterns from the day to consolidate memories. This process is critical not only for cognitive skills like learning an instrument but also for physical skills like mastering a move in sports.

On the other hand, chronic sleep deprivation impairs attention, disrupts decision-making and alters the hormones that regulate appetite and metabolism. This is why fatigue drives sugar cravings and late-night snacking.

Sleep is not an optional wellness practice. It is a biological requirement for brain performance.

Exercise feeds the brain too

Exercise strengthens the brain as well as the body.

Physical activity increases levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF, a protein that acts like fertilizer for neurons. It promotes the growth of new connections, increases blood flow, reduces inflammation and helps the brain remain adaptable across one’s lifespan.

This is why exercise is one of the strongest lifestyle tools for protecting cognitive health.

Train, recover, repeat

The most important lesson from this science is simple. Your brain is not passively wearing down with age. It is constantly remodeling itself in response to how you use it. Every new challenge and skill you try, every real break, every good night of sleep sends a signal that growth is still expected.

You do not need expensive brain training programs or radical lifestyle changes. Small, consistent habits matter more. Try something unfamiliar. Vary your routines. Take breaks before exhaustion sets in. Move your body. Treat sleep as nonnegotiable.

So the next time you lace up your shoes for a familiar walk, consider taking a different path. The scenery may change only slightly, but your brain will notice. That small detour is often all it takes to turn routine into training.

The brain stays adaptable throughout life. Cognitive resilience is not fixed at birth or locked in early adulthood. It is something you can shape.

If you want a sharper, more creative, more resilient brain, you do not need to wait for a breakthrough drug or a perfect moment. You can start now, with choices that tell your brain that growth is still the plan.

Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse, Associate Professor of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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That last section of the article is most powerful. I’m speaking of the section that is headed Train, recover, repeat.

The human brain notices when even small changes to our normal routine occur. Also that exercise strengthens the brain plus our brains stay adaptable throughout our lives. Amazing!