Brandon A. Weber

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6 great inventions from the Civil War

The massive number of casualties and injuries created during these battles necessitated some quick, creative ideas... some of which we still have today.

In one coal state, renewable energy is set to win by 2028

Indiana ranks 3rd in coal consumption, but a primary energy utility there just declared the end of coal by 2028

MIT scientists propose giant laser beacon to attract alien attention

The concept was likened to a porch light in our little neighborhood of the galaxy.

NASA scientists are developing rocket fuel made from Martian soil

Scientists at NASA are currently developing methane-creating robots to overcome this challenge.

NASA spots perfectly rectangular icebergs in Antarctica

Geometric or tabular icebergs are a thing, and they're kinda beautiful.

Raising minimum wage to $15 an hour reduces costly turnovers, new study finds

As it turns out, the effects of the minimum wage increase are more nuanced than previously espoused.

The original 'Big Bird' puppeteer is leaving Sesame Street

He was recruited by Jim Henson himself in 1969.

Canada has legalized marijuana. Here's why they did it.

The tax coffers for the entire country will be growing rapidly, and citizens of Canada will be able to access what they need.

Jeff Bezos defends spending billions on rockets over, say, poverty

At what point does spending billions on rocket technology seem irresponsible to those suffering on Earth?

Retail apocalypse continues as Sears files for bankruptcy

142 more stores to close, but that might be just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

9 heartbreaking Hurricane Michael photos remind us of nature's power

It's the first time a Category 4 hit this region. Ever.

Mount Vesuvius eruption boiled people's blood, made skulls explode

The eruption quickly killed those caught in its intense wake.

The Pine Island Glacier is about to calve another monster iceberg

This is doubly worrisome on the heels of the recent UN climate change report, which gave humanity an urgent deadline to cut carbon emissions: just 12 years.

Meteorite used as doorstop for decades worth $100,000

It had a role in that old farmhouse...

Amazon dumps "stealth tax" on unsuspecting warehouse workers

Amazon raised its minimum wage for US workers to $15 per hour. Then, it took a bunch of other benefits away in what's being called a "stealth tax."

Scientists blow up their lab after creating strongest magnet ever

It's a record magnetic field, but... yeah. That didn't last long.

Found: edited draft of Galileo's argument for a heliocentric model

At least he wasn't burned at the stake, right?

Major study: Drug overdoses over a 38-year period reveal hidden trends

It's just the current cycle that involves opiates, but methamphetamine, cocaine, and others have caused the trajectory of overdoses to head the same direction

Early Halloween in this Greek town: 1,000-foot spiderweb

It happens every few years. Not just in Greece, but also parts of the United States.

British Satellite, RemoveDEBRIS, to clean up space junk

It deploys nets to capture useless space junk.

An aspirin a day keeps the heart attack away? Not so much.

It's been de rigueur for at least 50 years that a daily, small dose of aspirin helps prevent heart attacks. However...

What is the 'pure carnivore diet'?

It's all the rage right now after the Paleo and keto diet sensations took the world by storm. But is it healthy?

How NASA's ICESat-2 will track ice changes in Antarctica, Greenland

Using advanced laser technology, scientists at NASA will track global changes in ice with greater accuracy.

In Turkey, Darwin is being removed from textbooks

Some parts of the world are going backward right now. Where will it leave us?

Neil deGrasse Tyson's new book explores the symbiotic relationship between science and the military

In a new book co-authored with Avis Lang, Neil deGrasse Tyson explores the morally complicated, symbiotic relationship between science and the military.

Behold, a rocket launch seen from space

The perspective on this is quite novel.

The Sahara Desert might become a place where solar and wind power can change the world

A new study asks the question: can a massive solar and wind farm be implemented in the Sahara? According to at least one of the authors, it's possible to create these solar and wind farms with technology available right now.

Twice the size of Earth, planet 503b has just been discovered

About twice the size of Earth, 503b orbits its own star every six days.

Bernie Sanders' BEZOS Act will make mega corporations pay fair wages

Bernie Sanders introduces an act to Congress named for the uber-wealthy head of Amazon aiming to make wealthy companies pay for any employees receiving public assistance.

Can you turn CO2 on Mars into sugar? NASA will give $1 million to the person who can.

Calling all enterprising scientists who are dying to retire ... or just put some cool cash into the bank.

Colin Kaepernick is the new face of Nike's 'Just Do It' campaign

"Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt"

Colin Kaepernick collusion case against the NFL is cleared to head to a hearing

It now moves to a full hearing in front of the arbitrator.

LEGO builds life-size, drivable Bugatti Chiron. Watch it go!

LEGO folks built an actual, full-sized replica of the Bugatti Chiron—and drove it. What's next, a Mars rover?

California just ended its bail bond system, but there are some serious problems with the law

The state joins Washington, D.C. in eliminating a predatory system that preys upon low-income people and favors the wealthy.

Elizabeth Warren’s ‘Accountable Capitalism Act’ aims to restore what we once had in this country

An interesting take on "fixing" the rampant corporate supremacy of the last 40 years.

Remember Windows 95? Now you can download it on most OS systems, for free.

Microsoft Windows 95 was launched exactly 23 years ago today, selling for the tidy sum of $209.95. Now you can download it for free on almost any device. Go ahead. You know you want to.

IBM files patent for coffee-delivering drones that can sense your mood

"Hang on, Mom. My coffee just flew in." IBM just filed a patent for drones to deliver coffee to people that they “sense” need it.

Microsoft detects and disables 6 new Russian attacks ahead of U.S. midterm elections

A group affiliated with the Russian government has been found by Microsoft to have created at least six 'spear phishing' websites targeting U.S elections, and it's certain there there will be more before November.

35% of all known exoplanets are 'water worlds', researchers find

The coming few years should really tell us a lot more about them.

From Harlem to the Moon: What Aretha Franklin meant to America

Accomplishments? Yes, Aretha Franklin had them.

NYU School of Medicine: 'Free tuition for all students.'

Citing increasing student debt and the desire to see more family and pediatric physicians, the school might have started a trend.

Space mining is officially a thing, and now there are classes in how to do it

Want to go to school to learn how to mine in space? Now you can.

Scientists have created a carbon-trapping mineral in a lab

It’s still only in the lab at this stage, and then there’s the problem of where, exactly, to store the carbon-impregnated magnesite.

‘Buddy, can you spare $70,000?’ Great Recession cost us all that much over a lifetime.

A publication from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco says that the Great Recession that happened 10 years ago will cost us all $70K over a lifetime because of lost GDP.

Did an 11-year-old kid hack the Florida Secretary Of State voting website?

The short answer is that an exact copy of the website was hacked, yes. In just 10 minutes. By an 11-year-old kid.

Australians discover evidence of 25-million-year-old mega shark

This is an extremely rare find; only three similar fossils have been found in the world.

NASA's Parker Solar Probe launched today. Its mission? 'Touch' the sun.

The Parker Solar Probe is the first time a spacecraft will ever get this close to the sun.

YouTube now displays facts below conspiracy theory videos

Global warming, the MMR vaccine, UFOs, and more are in the spotlight so far. But will it work?

The tipping point where the planet becomes a 'Hothouse Earth' is terrifyingly real

"Hothouse Earth" is basically a self-sustaining engine of warming and carbon. Ummm...

Economists: Second-longest economic boom in US history ends in 2020 … with a recession.

This would be the end of one of the longest economic booms since the 1990 Dot Com bubble.

Coming to a night sky near you: The Perseid meteor shower!

The Perseid meteor shower during this weekend's new moon should be fabulous.

LeBron James' public school is the education model America needs

Charter schools and the privatization of education have an adversary in Akron. And in the NBA.

Sci-fi and fantasy readers may be more romantically mature, study finds

It's all about having mature ideas about how romantic relationships work.

Heads up! Mars makes its closest, brightest approach in 15 years.

No, it won't be as big as the moon, as some have claimed. Still, it will be a nice show for the next month or so.

A new study claims ‘Medicare For all’ would ruin the USA financially. It's not true.

'Medicare for all', also known as Single Payer Health Care, will be hotly debated this year, and more and more U.S. voters support the idea.

North Korea just delivered the remains of 55 U.S. soldiers to South Korea

Exactly 65 years after the end of the Korean war, these soldiers are headed home.

A star and a black hole: Einstein’s general theory of relativity gets magnificent proof

A massive black hole at the center of the Milky Way and a single star did it.

Scientists detect an underground lake at Mars' Southern pole. But it's c-c-c-o-l-d.

If confirmed by future observations, this would be the most significant discovery of liquid water on Mars yet.

Physicists create a quantum rotor that makes 60 billion revolutions per minute

Built in a vacuum, this little dynamo is challenging the boundaries of physics.

Where to see this Friday's blood moon, the longest lunar eclipse of the century

It is projected to last for more than 100 minutes, and begins Friday July 27.

9 candid photo "outtakes" from the Apollo 11 moon landing

The images are being collected on a Flickr page dedicated to the Apollo missions.

For the first time, scientists observe "devouring of planet" by young star

It will take further study to confirm the star's iron influx came from a planet or two, but the initial theory is quite compelling.

Study: When Trump tweets about Muslims, hate crimes increase

"We find that Trump’s anti-Muslim tweets are highly correlated with the number of anti-Muslim hate crimes, particularly where Twitter usage is high, but only after the start of his presidential campaign."

12 new moons discovered around Jupiter; one of them could spell trouble

Scientists just discovered 12 new moons orbiting the planet Jupiter, and they’re… interesting.

A new telescope shows the center of the Milky Way in dazzling, fiery detail

MeerKAT is producing brilliant images of the super massive black hole that is at our galaxy’s center.

Way to go! The U.K. has passed 1,000 hours of coal-free power in 2018.

One of the leading countries in the world in getting off coal and ramping up renewables.

The infamous case of the racist murder of Emmett Till is being reopened

It was officially closed in 2007, but has just been reopened.

This 17-year-old could be the first human on Mars in 2033

When asked if she'll be ready for the 2033 mission, she replied, "Definitely."

How SCOTUS nominee Brett Kavanaugh dissented on the 'Blackfish' SeaWorld case

The killer whale involved in the incident, Tilikum, has been involved in three deaths of humans while in captivity.

New airline AURA offers private jet travel for economy prices

Aura will attempt to become a frequent flyer's go-to airline.

76 years ago today, a Jewish family went into hiding when they couldn’t immigrate to the USA

Desperation made their family, and others, try to escape their home country.

Is the USA the best place to work in the world? OECD study says …

The 2018 OECD Employment Outlook of 2018, released on July 4, has some alarming news for residents of some of the key countries involved—especially for the good ol’ U. S. of A.

Electrical brain stimulation can reduce violent impulses by more than 50%

In a fascinating and somewhat unexpected result, mild electrical stimulation of the prefrontal cortex part of the brain can reduce violent urges and even raise moral awareness.

For the first time ever, a study finds out what CEOs actually do

CEO time has never been studied in this kind of detail.

New study: Seeing the same doctor for years means lower death rates

The death rate cut in half for people who kept the same doctor.

New study: Wind power will work on Mars. This is a game-changer.

Wind power on Mars makes it possible for any rover or other craft to collect power at the poles or other areas on the planet that don't get constant sunlight.

Scientists study tattooed corpses, find pigment in lymph nodes

It turns out, that tattoo ink can travel throughout your body and settle in lymph nodes.

Supreme Court ruling upholds Trump's travel ban

"We express no view on the soundness of the policy," Justice Roberts wrote in the Trump v. Hawaii Supreme Court ruling.

Survey: Millennials tip the least of any generation

Millennials are the first generation on track to make less than their parents. Of course, there was that whole Great Recession starting in 2008...

How Buzz Aldrin took the first selfie in space

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin captured the first selfie in space, and he doesn't want kids these days to forget it.

NASA unveils 3 ways it will defend Earth from catastrophic asteroids

The chances of an asteroid large enough to be a threat to areas where human beings are concentrated are small. Still, it's what's known as a "high impact" result.

Artificial intelligence wins a debate against a human—twice

Please tell me that Internet trolls didn't just get a huge leg up.

Brandon A. Weber

Brandon Weber has been writing and creating viral joy on the Innerwebz for over 7 years at Upworthy, The Progressive, Big Think, and more. His book on forgotten histories of unions, working people, veterans, and other marginalized people is available on Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Powell's.

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Author posts

Eureka!

It's a public health crisis, experts say.

The massive number of casualties and injuries created during these battles necessitated some quick, creative ideas... some of which we still have today.

It increases their brains' gray matter volume.

The end of the world is the main focus of his new book.

Some hope for those who are struggling with the disease.

Indiana ranks 3rd in coal consumption, but a primary energy utility there just declared the end of coal by 2028

The impact of abusive comments is "significant."

The concept was likened to a porch light in our little neighborhood of the galaxy.

Scientists at NASA are currently developing methane-creating robots to overcome this challenge.

The "Women's Walk" (as Google has named it) will occur in response to how the company handled sexual misconduct claims against one of its executives.

Geometric or tabular icebergs are a thing, and they're kinda beautiful.

It's a little scary out there, folks.

As it turns out, the effects of the minimum wage increase are more nuanced than previously espoused.

Her husband died in 2009 of the disease.

He was recruited by Jim Henson himself in 1969.

The tax coffers for the entire country will be growing rapidly, and citizens of Canada will be able to access what they need.

At what point does spending billions on rocket technology seem irresponsible to those suffering on Earth?

142 more stores to close, but that might be just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

It's the first time a Category 4 hit this region. Ever.

The eruption quickly killed those caught in its intense wake.

This is doubly worrisome on the heels of the recent UN climate change report, which gave humanity an urgent deadline to cut carbon emissions: just 12 years.

Most of us will still be alive then. Maybe.

It had a role in that old farmhouse...

Amazon raised its minimum wage for US workers to $15 per hour. Then, it took a bunch of other benefits away in what's being called a "stealth tax."

The field they work in is quite cutting edge.

Political pressure works, y'all!

It's a record magnetic field, but... yeah. That didn't last long.

Here's the link to watch it live.

Hello, tipping point.

It should get people talking ...

At least he wasn't burned at the stake, right?

It's just the current cycle that involves opiates, but methamphetamine, cocaine, and others have caused the trajectory of overdoses to head the same direction

It happens every few years. Not just in Greece, but also parts of the United States.

It deploys nets to capture useless space junk.

It's been de rigueur for at least 50 years that a daily, small dose of aspirin helps prevent heart attacks. However...

It's all the rage right now after the Paleo and keto diet sensations took the world by storm. But is it healthy?

Using advanced laser technology, scientists at NASA will track global changes in ice with greater accuracy.

Some parts of the world are going backward right now. Where will it leave us?

In a new book co-authored with Avis Lang, Neil deGrasse Tyson explores the morally complicated, symbiotic relationship between science and the military.

The perspective on this is quite novel.

A new study asks the question: can a massive solar and wind farm be implemented in the Sahara? According to at least one of the authors, it's possible to create these solar and wind farms with technology available right now.

About twice the size of Earth, 503b orbits its own star every six days.

Bernie Sanders introduces an act to Congress named for the uber-wealthy head of Amazon aiming to make wealthy companies pay for any employees receiving public assistance.

Calling all enterprising scientists who are dying to retire ... or just put some cool cash into the bank.

"Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt"

It now moves to a full hearing in front of the arbitrator.

LEGO folks built an actual, full-sized replica of the Bugatti Chiron—and drove it. What's next, a Mars rover?

The state joins Washington, D.C. in eliminating a predatory system that preys upon low-income people and favors the wealthy.

The impact is significant.

An interesting take on "fixing" the rampant corporate supremacy of the last 40 years.

Microsoft Windows 95 was launched exactly 23 years ago today, selling for the tidy sum of $209.95. Now you can download it for free on almost any device. Go ahead. You know you want to.

"Hang on, Mom. My coffee just flew in." IBM just filed a patent for drones to deliver coffee to people that they “sense” need it.

It’s a start. More to come?

A group affiliated with the Russian government has been found by Microsoft to have created at least six 'spear phishing' websites targeting U.S elections, and it's certain there there will be more before November.

The coming few years should really tell us a lot more about them.

Accomplishments? Yes, Aretha Franklin had them.

Citing increasing student debt and the desire to see more family and pediatric physicians, the school might have started a trend.

Want to go to school to learn how to mine in space? Now you can.

It’s still only in the lab at this stage, and then there’s the problem of where, exactly, to store the carbon-impregnated magnesite.

A publication from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco says that the Great Recession that happened 10 years ago will cost us all $70K over a lifetime because of lost GDP.

The short answer is that an exact copy of the website was hacked, yes. In just 10 minutes. By an 11-year-old kid.

This is an extremely rare find; only three similar fossils have been found in the world.

The Parker Solar Probe is the first time a spacecraft will ever get this close to the sun.

Global warming, the MMR vaccine, UFOs, and more are in the spotlight so far. But will it work?

"Hothouse Earth" is basically a self-sustaining engine of warming and carbon. Ummm...

This would be the end of one of the longest economic booms since the 1990 Dot Com bubble.

The Perseid meteor shower during this weekend's new moon should be fabulous.

Charter schools and the privatization of education have an adversary in Akron. And in the NBA.

It's all about having mature ideas about how romantic relationships work.

No, it won't be as big as the moon, as some have claimed. Still, it will be a nice show for the next month or so.

'Medicare for all', also known as Single Payer Health Care, will be hotly debated this year, and more and more U.S. voters support the idea.