Podcasts about Southern Hemisphere

Jeff Bliss describes massive, deadly swells hitting California beaches due to a southern hemisphere storm system. The conversation shifts to Las Vegas, where a massive, highly anticipated In-N-Out Burger recently opened on the Strip. Bliss details the chain's reputation for fresh food, cleanliness, and fair employee wages. (1)1903 PERSIA

Get ready to snap your necks, Australia, because New Zealand black-thrash titans Bulletbelt are crossing the ditch this June to tear you all a new one.The Wellington metal veterans are locked and loaded for the highly anticipated resurrection of Dead of Winter Festival. Taking place on Saturday, June 27, 2026, at its brand-new stomping ground the Mansfield Tavern, this iconic alternative counter-culture gathering is officially back after a multi-year hiatus. While Aussie heavyweights like DZ Deathrays and Mammal are ready to hold down the home front, Bulletbelt represents the absolute pinnacle of relentless, sonic savagery coming from across the Tasman.If you have ever witnessed Bulletbelt live, you know they do not just play music; they deliver a sonic assault that leaves your ears ringing and your feet bruised. Their signature blend of old-school thrash velocity and cold, uncompromising black metal atmospheric filth creates a hellish wall of sound. It is the kind of measured aggression that instantly gets your head snapping. For years, these guys have carved out a reputation as one of the hardest-working, most road-hardened extreme metal forces in the Southern Hemisphere.Dead of Winter has always been a sanctuary for the outsiders, the riff-lords, and the beautiful weirdos of the heavy music community. Moving the madness to the legendary Mansfield Tavern means 34 acts will split your skull across multiple stages. It offers the perfect, high-intensity indoor environment for Bulletbelt to do what they do best: decimate crowds. Expect sweat-soaked leather, full-throttle blast beats, and a wave of pure, unadulterated energy that hits with the subtle force of a flying brick.HEAVY caught up with drummer Steve Francis to find out more. With Dead Of Winter returning after a number of years, we ask Steve just how important festivals that nurture homegrown talent are to the continued growth of Australian and New Zealand music."They're huge," he replied instantly. "And look at Australia. Look at how many amazing heavy bands there are at the moment, and a little bit of a parallel to back here in Wellington. I think the local scene at the moment here in Wellington and the bigger New Zealand is probably better than it's ever been. There's so many bands that are getting overseas and getting signed to international labels and coming over to play Brisbane with such a really cool, diverse lineup as well.We came two years ago and played Necrosonic Festival, and that was catered a little bit more to the heavier side of the rock genre. But this one is really exciting because we're going to be presenting ourselves in front of a bunch of people who aren't just into heavy music, they're into all sorts of rock-oriented music. So, yeah, really excited."In the full interview, Steve reported that Bulletbelt has been off the road since a November 2024 15th‑anniversary show while recording a new album, which is finished and produced by U.S. producer Damien Reynard to achieve a “world‑class” sound. The record emphasizes more melody, higher tempos (including songs near 200 BPM) and power‑metal influences, and is planned for release around October; release timing is partly delayed by the postponed film Deathgasm 2, for which Bulletbelt wrote the theme.Steve characterized the band's festival approach as high‑energy, crowd‑engaging “party band” sets and said festivals are crucial for reaching broader rock audiences beyond heavy‑music niches. He confirmed the band will perform two new songs during the Australian shows and named local bands he's anticipating at Dead of Winter and more.Dead Of Winter will be held at the Mansfield Tavern in Brisbane on June 27, featuring Mammal, DZ Deathrays, Jay and Lindsay, Beanflipper, Toe to Toe, Slim Krusty and many more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

It's day two of Fieldays in Mystery Creek, the largest agricultural tradeshow in the Southern Hemisphere. Business Editor Corin Dann spoke to John Campbell.

Fieldays officially kicks off today! As proud sponsors of the event, the crew catches up with Fieldays President Graeme Austin to get the ultimate insider look at this year's massive setup, what punters can expect over the coming days, and why this year is set to be bigger and better than ever. Love the show? Rate us 5-stars on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and follow Si, Lana & The Breakfast Club on rova so you never miss an episode of our award-winning show!

New South Wales' only medically supervised injecting centre is calling for urgent legal reform to allow more sites to open across the state. It has been 25 years since the centre opened in Sydney's Kings Cross, becoming the first supervised injecting facility in the Southern Hemisphere. Staff have since supervised more than 1.3 million injections, managed more than 12-thousand overdoses without a single death, and made more than 25-thousand referrals for treatment and care. For more, SBS spoke with the centre's Medical Director Dr Marianne Jauncey.New South Wales' only medically supervised injecting centre is calling for urgent legal reform to allow more sites to open across the state.It has been 25 years since the centre opened in Sydney's Kings Cross, becoming the first supervised injecting facility in the Southern Hemisphere.Staff have since supervised more than 1.3 million injections, managed more than 12-thousand overdoses without a single death, and made more than 25-thousand referrals for treatment and care.For more, SBS spoke with the centre's Medical Director Dr Marianne Jauncey.

On today's Metal Breakdown Daily, host Scott Penfold covers a massive day for tour news and a high-profile legal resolution in the world of heavy music. Deathcore Goes Arena-Sized: Lorna Shore has officially booked their largest tour of Australia and New Zealand to date for October 2026. Supporting their 2025 record I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me, the band is hitting stadiums and arenas across the Southern Hemisphere. We break down the stacked lineup featuring Whitechapel, The Acacia Strain, and Organectomy, and provide the key dates for the upcoming ticket onsales. Summer Slaughter Leg 2: Hardcore legends Hatebreed are set to headline the second leg of the 2026 Summer Slaughter Tour. Starting August 20, the trek features an "absolute caveman" lineup including Terror, Incantation, Gates to Hell, Torture, and Creeping Death. We discuss Jamey Jasta's update on the band's impending independent studio album and what to expect from this brutal run. Ahren Stringer Sentenced: Former The Amity Affliction bassist Ahren Stringer appeared in an Australian court this week following a high-speed driving incident. We look at the details of the 191 km/h chase, Stringer's surprising new career as an undertaker for the Queensland Police, and the final verdict delivered by the Magistrate. In This Episode: Lorna Shore: Full Australia/New Zealand tour dates and presale info. Hatebreed: Summer Slaughter Leg 2 lineup and album updates. Ahren Stringer: The fallout from the Victoria freeway incident and his license disqualification. Self Checkout: A quick look at Stringer's new project with Gus Farias. STAY LOUD: Catch the 24/7 heavy stream and more exclusive metal news at LoadedRadio.com or on the official Loaded Radio App.

Tuhura Otago Museum has been named a top five finalist at the prestigious Museums and Heritage Awards in London, often referred to as the 'Oscars of the global museum sector'. It's the only museum in the Southern Hemisphere to make the list. To find out what makes them stand out from the rest, Jesse is joined by Design and Exhibitions Manager, Shanaya Cunningham.

What is environmental racism? We've covered a lot of environmental issues on Do You Really Know? so regular listeners will be well aware of how the climate crisis is affecting the whole planet. But it's important to also note how these problems don't affect everyone equally. People in developing countries, particularly in the Southern Hemisphere, are already feeling the impact on their income, physical health and surrounding environment. That's despite industrialised countries having contributed far more to global warming overall.  What kind of environmental problems are we talking about exactly? Do you have any concrete examples? What about on an international level? ⁠⁠In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!⁠⁠ To listen to the last episodes, you can click here: ⁠⁠What are plant milks?⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Who is Scrooge McDuck?⁠⁠ ⁠⁠What is permafrost?⁠⁠ A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance. First Broadcast : 12/4/2022 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NextEra’s $67B all-stock Dominion deal targets data center alley. Plus China’s top five each outpace Vestas, and 80% of Swedish wind producers ran at a loss. Sign up now for Uptime Tech News, our weekly email update on all things wind technology. This episode is sponsored by Weather Guard Lightning Tech. Learn more about Weather Guard’s StrikeTape Wind Turbine LPS retrofit. Follow the show on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Linkedin and visit Weather Guard on the web. And subscribe to Rosemary Barnes’ YouTube channel here. Have a question we can answer on the show? Email us! [00:00:00] The Uptime Wind Energy podcast, brought to you by StrikeTape, protecting thousands of wind turbines from lightning damage worldwide. Visit striketape.com. And now, your hosts Speaker 6: Welcome to the Uptime Wind Energy podcast. I’m your host, Allen Hall, and I’m here with three other people, Matthew Stead, Rosemary Barnes, and, uh, Yolanda Padron down in Texas. Uh, we’re all getting ready to go to American Clean Power in Houston, Texas, where it will be practically 150 degrees and 99% humidity, and we’re all looking forward to those warm, wet days that we will spend It is very similar to New Orleans. New Orleans was also very warm and very humid. So there’s a trend going on here with American Clean Power, although we were up in Minneapolis not too long ago, uh, but I guess we were in Phoenix too, so we gotta find a middle ground, everybody. Can we go someplace like– [00:01:00] Rosemary says we should always go to the Maldives, Tahiti. I got a lot of requests from Tahiti from people. We never go there. We never go to Hawaii.  Rosemary Barnes: I’ve suggested Hawaii so many times, and I’ve been told that Americans are not gonna be given permission from their manager to go to Hawaii.  Speaker 6: It’s kinda like Las Vegas.  Rosemary Barnes: Maybe one day we’ll make it to San Diego or something and get, um, beach adjacent facility And if your presentation is too boring, then everyone will be at the beach. So that will be how we ensure quality control of the speakers, which is a big problem at these events now, right? Like you can’t, um, there’s– It’s more like the norm is fairly boring sales pitches rather than informative discussion.  Speaker 6: We used to have OMNS, when I say we, I mean the wind community used to have OMNS out in San Diego in Coronado at the Del Coronado is, I think that’s the hotel name. And the one time that I went, I think I’ve been [00:02:00] there, I would say one time, uh, everybody was outside on the, at the beach, basically on the patio. So they’re holding all these talks and discussions, and it’s… I’m looking around, it’s like me and five other people. Everybody else is out there next to the water. So they had a problem with that. So I guess what they figured, either make it really cold or make it really hot, so it forces everybody into the climate-controlled conditions of, uh, the, uh, auditorium to watch the speakers. Maybe that’s the, the plan. All right. Let’s, let’s, let’s talk about what happened with NextEra and Dominion because there’s going to be a huge merger. So if you thought utility business was boring, it’s not anymore. NextEra announced a sixty-seven billion dollar all-stock deal to acquire Dominion Energy, a move that would create the largest regulated electricity utility in the world by market cap. Uh, [00:03:00] the combined company would serve about ten million customers accounts across Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, where I’m based, and South Carolina with one hundred and ten gigawatts of generation across renewables, nuclear, and natural gas. Uh, but the real driver here is data centers, of course. Dominion sits in the heart of Virginia’s data center alley, where it has connected more than four hundred and fifty data centers, and NextEra is building thirty data center hubs through its NextEra Energy Resources subsidiary and has partnered with Google Cloud on paired generation campuses. So together, they would control about a hundred and thirty gigawatts of large load pipeline. And the question is whether the regulators will let it happen. And I think that’s, having watched some of the news articles over the last several days, uh, the news broke pretty much Sunday morning or late Saturday night that this was happening and [00:04:00] The first thing that came to mind, are the regulators going to let it happen? And the concern is going to be, and you can well imagine how this plays out, they’re going to drag Dominion and NextEra up to Washington, D.C. and berate them about how electricity rates cannot increase due to data centers. And if they don’t swear to that, then this merger won’t happen. That’s my interpretation of what’s about to happen. It may not, but how does this play out? How does everybody else on the team at Uptime see this play out?  Matthew Stead: Seems like a good idea to me. So more economies, more geographic diversity, more opportunity for renewables.  Yolanda Padron: I can’t speak to Dominion, um, but being relatively close to the NextEra engineering team, they, they really know their stuff, right? So I think it’s something that should kind of give us a, a sense of relief here that it, [00:05:00] it’s a big team, but it’s a really smart and competent team taking over a big undertaking.  Speaker 6: You would like to see renewables and data centers work together. This would be the perfect match of the two, right? The, the largest renewable owner management company, along with the biggest data center, uh, region. Connecting those two would make infinite sense, but in the, our political environment today in the United States, that may be the reason to oppose it.  Matthew Stead: Yeah, why would it be a bad idea?  Speaker 6: Windmills, Matthew. Windmills. Windmills are bad. Can’t even call them wind turbines anymore. They’re windmills.  Rosemary Barnes: I used to mock people for saying windmill instead of wind turbine, but then when I moved to Denmark, um, you know, who, you know, have a firm, firm ownership of modern wind energy, or at least did back 10, 20 years ago They say windmill when they speak English. Um, the Danish word for it is vindmølle, um, which means windmill. [00:06:00]And so I can’t… I couldn’t maintain that, that energy because like, am I gonna, am I gonna mock these, you know, like everybody at that company knew more about wind energy than I did. Am I gonna mock them for not, not knowing the difference between a windmill and a wind turbine? No. So yeah, that’s, that’s something that I, I don’t do anymore.  Matthew Stead: That is really valuable to know, um, Rosie. I must admit, I did not know that, and I would mock people saying w- windmill, so thank you for setting me straight.  Rosemary Barnes: Yeah, there are plenty of, um, plenty of people who don’t know the difference between a windmill and a wind turbine and think, “Oh, why you only got three blades with so much air between them? You know, you’re gonna… Y- if you would just put twice as many blades, you’d get twice as many energy. Everybody who works in wind energy is just an obs- obvious complete and utter idiot.” Um, so there’s that kind of person, but then there’s also the industry. Another fun fact that they call the blades wings. Uh, um, yeah, in Danish they call them blade wings, which they are. [00:07:00] Speaker 6: In Spanish, isn’t it shovels? ‘Cause when I always translate those, uh, Spanish questions over to English, it always comes out shovel. At least early on, y- the early versions of Google Translate would translate it to shovel. Like, what are they talking about shovel on a wind turbine? That doesn’t make any sense.  Yolanda Padron: Yeah, like a shovel or a stick or like a, what you row with.  Speaker 6: Oh, like an oar. Okay, that makes a lot more sense. Okay. Thank you, Yolanda.  Matthew Stead: I think it’s really interesting that, um- We don’t have much material on NextEra, Dominion. Um, yeah, we just don’t think it’s a good– We all think it’s a good idea. There’s no controversy here.  Speaker 6: Oh, there’ll be controversy. Don’t worry about that. There’s always controversy. Welcome to America.  Matthew Stead: But among the four of us-  Speaker 6: We all think it’s great.  Rosemary Barnes: Well, it’s, um, I mean, some of the interesting facts that I read was that they’ve got 130 gigawatts of load, um, that they’re bringing to the table, and 51 gigawatts of that is contracted data centers. So that’s, that’s interesting. [00:08:00] And I think large amounts of new data centers on the grid are controversial because in– if you’re not very, very careful about how you integrate them, then you can end up just making electricity more expensive for everybody in the area that doesn’t necessarily get, you know, profit sharing from the data center. So, um, I think that, uh, like, you know, the wind ind- in the wind industry, we’ve obviously been through and are still in the phase of where social license, um, community acceptance is one of the most important things, maybe the most important thing when you’re developing a new project. And I think that we’re just at the start of that realization for data centers as well. Companies that are building the, the data centers, they need to do more than what’s required of them because otherwise they have big risks of project delays. It’s millions of dollars delay, um, for the delay for, um, yeah, for every, every day that, um, a data center is held up. And so how can you afford to risk annoying anybody? [00:09:00] You know, you just wanna be like the just, just perfect, um, addition to the community so that everybody is just happy and, and lets the project proceed. So, yeah, I thought– think that that’s, that’s quite an interesting aspect that I think I’m gonna s- we’re gonna see changing as, you know, all these planned data centers become real data centers. There’s a real risk that everybody hates data centers soon as much as they, um, hated wind tur- um, wind farms for a while.  Yolanda Padron: For the consumer, aren’t there, like, I don’t know if they’re in Virginia, but aren’t there price caps too for the market? When you’re– When it comes to how expensive the megawatt hour is? Speaker 6: Not necessarily. Re- remember that AEP in Ohio, uh, was requiring data centers to buy electricity at a certain amount. Because they both basically committed not to raise prices for electricity to the local communities, and that would be really hard to do. And okay, great, if, if they can pull it off, awesome. But there’s already a lot of [00:10:00] pushback about it, and it hasn’t even gotten to the point of being real yet, so it’s only gonna get worse. I see. And all the data centers are gonna be up in space no matter what. Everybody’s talking about building data centers on the ground. There’s no shot that that’s gonna happen. I’m just telling you, ’cause they can’t do it. They don’t– They can’t build gas turbines fast enough. There’s just limitations there, and transformers and everything else. It’s gonna be in space. It’s so much easier.  Yolanda Padron: And all the approvals you have to get and everything.  Speaker 6: It will be easier to do it in space In space, you don’t have neighbors. Matthew Stead: I said it before, it’s just crazy. The key issue around data centers is it’s actually the transmission rather than generation. I mean, you know, at least in Australia, and correct me if I’m wrong, Rosie, but you know, less than half the price in Australia is generation. The other half is sort of retail and transmission and this and that. And so actually, you know, the generation cost shouldn’t really increase. It’s really the transmission and the, the poles and the wires, which are the problem. And [00:11:00] you know, to your point, Rosie, social, social license for poles and wires.  Rosemary Barnes: I’m actually really surprised at Allen, ’cause normally, Allen and I have this, um, you know, we’ve played out this scenario probably 50 or 100 times over the, over the years with emerging technologies, and it’s always me that’s like, “You know what? I think, uh, I think there’s something to this one.” Um, and Allen always poo-poos it, and in this case, Allen’s, Allen’s excited. I, I’m on Allen’s– So I also, I also think space data centers is, is a thing that’s more likely to happen than not, at least to some extent. Um, so yeah, but I think, Matt, you’ve got the more mainstream opinion. Speaker 6: The voice of the common man. I  Yolanda Padron: think for all of our listeners out there, this is the first time Rosie and Allen agree on anything, so round of applause team.  Speaker 6: It won’t last long, Yolande.  Rosemary Barnes: It’s not true because, you know, nine out of 10 new technologies I also think are stupid. Um, so Allen and I agree on the bulk of them, but then of that one in 10, you know, nine out of 10 of those I, I [00:12:00] like and Allen doesn’t, so this is the, you know, the one-tenth of the one-tenth, so. Speaker 6: I don’t like gas turbines. Can we all agree we don’t like gas turbines? It’s– That would be insane to scale.  Rosemary Barnes: You know what? I, I don’t have a particular problem with gas, gas turbines. I don’t want a lot of new gas turbines. Um, I guess that that’s– We can all agree on, on that. I don’t think the– I think we have most of the gas turbines that we need, or at least, um, will in the next couple of years. And, um, yeah, I do think that their existence supports faster electrification, um, and faster growth of wind and solar. So I’m definitely not someone that wants to see all gas turbines turned off tomorrow.  Speaker 6: No, I don’t, I don’t want to turn them off. I’m  Matthew Stead: just saying you can’t get to scale. Speaker 6: Delamination and bond line failures in blades are difficult problems to detect early. These hidden issues can cost you millions in repairs and lost energy production. CIC NDT are specialists to detect these critical flaws before they become [00:13:00] expensive burdens. Their non-destructive test technology penetrates deep into blade materials to find voids and cracks traditional inspections completely miss. CIC NDT maps every critical defect, delivers actionable reports, and provides support to get your blades back in service. So  Matthew Stead: visit cicndt.com because catching blade problems early will save you  Speaker 6: millions. Well, for the first time, five Chinese turbine manufacturers have all individually outpaced Danish wind giant Vestas in annual installations. Goldwind topped the global list with twenty-nine point seven gigawatts installed in twenty twenty-five. Behind them, Envision put up twenty-one point eight, Windy nineteen point eight, Mingyang at eighteen point six, and Sany at fifteen point one gigawatts. Vestas came in [00:14:00] sixth at twelve point nine gigawatts. The Chinese dominance was fueled by an enormous domestic market that has accounted for about ninety-four percent of those five manufacturers’ sales. Uh, but exports are obviously growing out of China too. The five captured nearly sixty percent of the hundred and seventy-eight gigawatts installed globally in twenty twenty-five, a year that saw the world market grow forty percent over twenty twenty-four. So Vestas still holds the crown for cumulative installations at two hundred and one gigawatts, but the gap in annual volume is now almost impossible to ignore. So Vestas has a lot of competition over in China. The, the amount of, uh, gigawatts coming out of the largest manufacturers in China is quite impressive, almost, well, more than double than what, uh, Vestas is doing, and Vestas is doing a pretty brisk business. What are, what are the outcomes of this, everyone? Is, can this be sustained in China [00:15:00] for very much longer? Can they continue to, to create at, at that rate?  Rosemary Barnes: Yes. Okay, move, move on to the next segment  Speaker 6: Well, that’s a, that’s a huge amount of gigawatts coming out of China. And if 94% of it’s staying in China, eventually you run out of China to put wind turbines in. Rosemary Barnes: They– I mean, we’re a long way from running out of places in China to put wind turbines in, because China is gigantic. A lot of it is not that populated. They’ve got a lot of offshore area still. But I just think it’s gonna follow the same playbook as, as solar probably, where you see, you know, early on heaps of domestic market, which is totally rock solid because it’s not relying on people to see a positive business case in doing it. You know, like it’s really… You know, targets are, are really mandated and people make sure that they are met. Um, and then the incentives are also different as well. Like my understanding is that [00:16:00] there’s a lot of incentives about installation of megawatts, um, and then, you know, the, the operation is like, we’ll figure that out as we go. The volume, the number of manufacturers that are there, they’ve got, you know, like such a great supply chain all there in the same area, so you can move fast and like I, I don’t see anything can get in the way of, you know, continuing to pump out these turbines at that speed. It’ll keep going until, you know, the government basically decides we’ve got, uh, enough wind energy now and then puts the, the brakes on it. And, you know, that’s what we’ve just been through in solar recently. China is, um… You know, they’ve just– they’ve got a big economy and they’ve just got like rock solid resolve to follow through on, on things that they commit to. Um, whether we can, you know, argue about whether it’s a smart strategy or not, but you know that they will follow it, they will execute on, on it. I don’t think anyone would, would say that they won’t. So I think, [00:17:00]can it continue forever? No. But do I think it can continue for another 10 years? Yes. And is that long enough to cause massive problems for any other manufacturer? I think also yes.  Matthew Stead: Hey, Rosie, can I ask you a question? You know, obviously there was some cable was proposed, you know, between Australia and Singapore. Do you see China going in that direction? You know, putting rather than pipes with gas in it, um, pipes with electrons? Uh,  Rosemary Barnes: I don’t see China– I’m actually working on a video at the moment about a global sub-sea grid, and I just interviewed, um, uh, Xlinks, you know, that was originally a project from Morocco to the UK, and then the other one, which is super cool, um, we might have an argument about the plausibility of it, is NATO L, which is just in like early development stages. It’s going to connect the UK to Canada. Um, and yeah, so that’s, um, a few thousand kilometers long. The ocean depth is maximum [00:18:00] three, I think, kilometers, maybe even a tiny bit more than that, um, which is like right on the edge of what is possible. N-none of those projects really actually rely on big technological improvements. Um, they’re possible with today’s technologies. Um, but I don’t see China doing so much of that. I think that one thing that might actually stop that is that, um, when you have big interconnectors like that, I think the engineering part is not the hard, the hard part. I think that the, it’s the politics. I do see them exporting their, um, you know, they’ve got really good ultra high voltage DC technology, but the transmission lines, they have exported a little bit. There’s some projects in Brazil that are Chinese made. There’s one in India. I don’t actually know if that is Chinese made, but you know, like I could really imagine them also rolling out projects in Africa, for example. Um, but beyond that sort of thing, I, I wouldn’t tip China as the country to, you know, develop a global [00:19:00] sub-sea grid. Speaker 6: Do you think the low solar prices have hurt the wind manufacturers in China a little bit? Obviously, there’s a lot of solar panels that are able to be shipped immediately, which is what’s happening right now. But turbines, not so much. It’s a little harder to do. But you, you would think that a lot of these countries and communities would be putting in wind But solar is so cheap right now that, that is what is winning at the moment, and it must be hurting the Chinese wind manufacturers, you would think. Rosemary Barnes: I don’t think they’re really in a competition with each other, um, at the moment. In Australia, I think yes. I think that, um, the, like, roaring success of solar and especially batteries is, um, making wind less appealing to develop. But globally, I think that it’s, you know, it’s a race between, um, fossil fuels and renewables. It’s a race between energy security and continued reliance on, you know, countries that [00:20:00] you don’t really want to rely on for fossil fuels. I think that those are the, the much bigger, um, competition at the moment. It’s a bit short-sighted because, yeah, wind and solar is really easy for the, the part of the, uh, energy transition that we’re doing now, and, uh, if you just don’t build any wind until you reach the limit of solar and batteries, then you’ll find yourself quite far behind. So that’s what we’re really struggling with in Australia and finding, like, what is the right level of government, um, support because people… You know, like in an electricity market like Australia, you’re not supposed to rely on governments, you know, planning out the system and deciding what thing to build, and I think that that has been a real strength of the Australian market that it has, you know, the government has got out of the way. It is hard to see, um, us getting to where we need to go in a orderly fashion without some planning for this, like, lumpy middle part of the energy transition. I don’t know. What do you think, Matt? Is that how you see it in Australia as well?  Matthew Stead: Yeah, I think there’s a place [00:21:00] for everything, and, you know, wind, solar, battery is a perfect match and the right places for the right thing. Rosemary Barnes: It’s really hard because, you know, like, when you look at the system as a whole, you know, like you plan out what, what full energy system is cheaper and better, you know. Is it the, you know, the current fossil fuel system and all of the, you know, annual maintenance and, um, improvements like, um, extensions that need to go along with that to support, you know, things like data centers and population growth, or is it the fully renewable system? And, you know, if you look at the end state, then I don’t think that many studies or maybe any studies come to the conclusion that anything other than renewables is the, the cheaper, better system. But it’s just, it doesn’t mean that every step along the way is cheaper, and so you end up with this, yeah, like this hump in the middle that you’ve gotta, you’ve gotta get over if you wanna get from one to the other, and it’s, um, it’s complicated. Speaker 6: I just listened to a podcast about this half an hour ago, uh, and it [00:22:00] was very contentious. And I won’t get into the details of it, but it was just one or the other. We wanna have all petroleum-based, coal-based generation in the UK, or we want zero emissions. They never got into anywhere in the middle, which is where it’s going to have to be. So why don’t we talk about that? I– It doesn’t… The political atmosphere of the UK is, is a little unstable, as we’ve all read in the newspapers and seen online. Uh, but it, but it’s just causing the both sides to go to extremes. And on the renewable side, some of the arguments that are being made were so outlandish that I could hardly continue to listen to it. Same thing on the gas and coal side. Like, what are we gonna do? The UK is really in a pinch. They’re gonna have to do something, and it all– as Rosemary’s pointed out, doing nothing is real ex- it’s gonna be tremendously expensive too. So there’s, there’s gonna have to be a, a reckoning somehow, but it, it’s all tied to the [00:23:00] economy at the moment. Like most things that happen in a country, decisions are made about what’s happening right now, not what’s gonna happen five years from now.  Yolanda Padron: Right. And to your point, like countries need to protect themselves, right? Like what are you gonna do, bank on world peace?  Speaker 6: That’s a bad bet historically.  Matthew Stead: But, um, how many, how many of those charts have you seen in the last one to years where you’ve got the, the fossil fuel, say the coal generation versus renewable generation? How many of those, um, charts have crossed over in the last few years where, you know, renewables generation is, is higher than coal generation? It’s just, it’s happening all over the world. It’s just happening, and you look at the graphs, it’s just happening.  Speaker 6: It’s less expensive, so that’s why they’re doing it. The decision’s made with the dollar. You know, the financing and the bankers and insurance are all gonna drive that, and it’s not gonna be the decision you, the homeowner, are gonna have a lot of influence on. It’s all gonna be done at a higher level, and it’s gonna be whatever’s cheaper and whatever’s available. Back to Rosemary’s point, [00:24:00] solar is cheap and available, people are gonna do it. Wind is cheap and available, they’re gonna choose it no matter who’s in office, right? I… Yeah, that’s the engineer talking, not the politician.  Matthew Stead: Battery, wind, and solar is only gonna get cheaper. Is, um, is, uh, gas turbines and coal gonna get cheaper? Speaker 6: They can’t. In order to get the efficiency up where they need to, it’s gonna be super expensive, which is what we’re at today. That’s why gas turbines are s- you can’t mass produce them, and that’s why they cost so much money. It’s a great business if you sell a couple a year. You can’t sell thousands of them. There’s just not a way to do that. As wind energy professionals, staying informed is crucial, and let’s face it, difficult. That’s why the Uptime podcast recommends PES Wind magazine. PES Wind offers a diverse range of in-depth articles and expert insights that dive into the most pressing issues facing our energy future. Whether you’re an industry veteran or new to wind, PES Wind has the high-quality content you need. Don’t miss [00:25:00] out. Visit peswind.com today. Over in Sweden, they built all the wind farms, and here at Weather Guard we’ve talked to a number of operators over in Sweden, so has EOLOGIX-PING, uh, and the– So but the wind farms and the customers haven’t really showed up, and researchers in Sweden have analyzed two hundred and forty-four Swedish wind power producers owning more than about thirty-seven hundred turbines covering eighty-five percent of the country’s total wind generation. So it’s a pretty large study. They found that eighty percent were effectively operating at a loss in twenty twenty-four. The total sector losses reached six point three billion Swedish kronor, uh, about six hundred and twenty million euros. The sector’s profit margins fell to a negative fifty-one percent. That’s right, negative fifty-one percent. Uh, and here’s the real paradox. Although wind production actually [00:26:00] rose from thirty-four point two to forty point six terawatt-hours, revenues fell for the first time in at least six years. Uh, the more they produced, the less they earned. And the real culprit is overcapacity. So they have so many turbines up in northern Sweden, uh, that it’s driving the energy prices down, much like Australia. Uh, and the missing link is obviously transmission because it is big demand to the south. It’s just getting the power there. Vattenfall alone lost eight hundred and seventy million euros in its wind business in twenty twenty-four, and one of its subsidiaries curtailed seventeen percent of the potential production because of, uh, shutting the turbines down was less expensive than selling into negative prices, which would make sense. So the price has gotten so low in Sweden that it’s better just to turn the turbine off and, and eat the loss than to generate power at a, at a negative price. This is a common theme [00:27:00] as wind has grown, and solar for the same matter, is that when you have so much of it, the price of electricity will drop. And until you can get that power out to other areas that has high demand It becomes a losing proposition. How does this play out? Will the– Now will countries finally take transmission seriously and start to even out the grid? Is that where we’re going?  Yolanda Padron: I mean, I hope so. The idea of curtailing potential energy isn’t something new, right? It happens here in Texas all the time. It happens in a lot of places all the time, um, just to, to not overflow the grid. And it makes sense, but it doesn’t make sense too much, at least to me, that in the same country you have parts of it where you have an electricity surplus and negative pricing, and other parts of it where you just, you don’t have enough energy for the whole, uh, region, right? So, uh, I really hope they take it a bit more seriously than they, than they currently are.  Matthew Stead: Uh, I think the interesting thing about Sweden is [00:28:00]that they’ve got a lot of hydro as well, and so those two things tie together. Um, you know, much like Australia, we’re building the, like the largest in the Southern Hemisphere, um, hydro scheme, and, um, maybe that’s part of the missing puzzle is the actual, the storage element. So if they had more pumped hydro, you know, they could, um, perhaps store that excess energy and then, then reuse it. But, you know, unless there’s no pipes from the north to the south, you know, that’s not gonna help anyone.  Speaker 6: Hydro is expensive. The more recent news articles I’ve seen about pumped hydro is it’s way less expensive to put in wind or put in solar or put in some batteries than to do pumped hydro projects. It’s complicated. It’s a lot of construction, obviously, and, uh, the pumps and the equipment are not cheap. So, uh, yeah, so although if you do have hydro and it’s currently running, you would leave that alone, but I think some of the newer pumped hydro projects probably won’t happen. Even if they’re on the– have [00:29:00] been planned and, and even started, I think they’re really reevaluating that it’s probably cheaper to do batteries. Matthew Stead: In Australia, in Snowy 2.0, I think the original budget was, was it 3 billion? And now it’s up to 12 to 15 billion.  Rosemary Barnes: Anybody that was working on that would’ve known that the price was very likely to blow out because that particular project has a really long tunnel. The two reservoirs that, like the reservoirs were existing, so you think, okay, that’s good, you save money. But the expensive part of pumped hydro is the tunneling and then, and it’s a very long tunnel. Um, and it’s just so super predictable that when you have a super long tunnel, you one, increase the cost a lot, but two, increase the risk of a massive cost blowout. So I think it’s not a good predictor of, of projects as some other ones that are, that are happening. I think the biggest problem with hydro is that, um, the project lives are so long, like 100 years e- easily, [00:30:00] but that doesn’t mean anything in today’s dollars, y- you know? So it’s like no one can, no company is gonna assign any value to the electricity they’re gonna generate in 100 years time, you know? So it’s, um, it, it’s really hard for it to stack up to, as a project today unless it’s a government doing it. Matthew Stead: But I mean, once Snowy 2.0 is done, it will still be reasonably cost-effective as a long-term storage source.  Rosemary Barnes: Yeah. If it had been made on time, then I think it would’ve, it would’ve been a real enabler for the energy transition for getting heaps of wind and solar. But it wasn’t done on time, and we barely we- storage isn’t our problem right now. We have actually got lots of, of storage. That’s not what’s stopping people from building projects. So, um, I think it is a bit of a shame.  Speaker 6: Back to your point, Rosemary, how old hydro is in terms of electricity generation. I, I went to go look up when Niagara River, Niagara Falls in, in the States first [00:31:00] started producing power, 1895. That’s how long we’ve been using water power in the States to create electricity. Hoover Dam, which also does something very similar, is in the 1930s, 1935, ’36, around that timeframe. So it’s almost been 100 years there too, 90 years. Yeah. It’s, it’s amazing. So you don’t plan for those, those pieces of, uh, infrastructure to run that long, but they do. That wraps up another episode of the Uptime Wind Energy podcast. And if today’s discussion sparked any questions or ideas, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us on LinkedIn, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode. And if you found value in today’s conversation, please leave us a review. It really helps other wind energy professionals discover the show. For Rosie, Yolanda, and Matthew, I’m Allen Hall, and we’ll see you here next week on the Uptime Wind Energy [00:32:00] podcast.

Today's special episode is an interview with Rachael Oakes-Ash – founder of the Southern Hemisphere's leading snowsports website, Snowsbest.com. Rachael – aka Miss Snow It All – is also a best-selling author, publicist, documentary producer, social media guru and podcaster. In this interview, we speak about her experiences reporting from the Winter Olympics in Italy, raising $200,000 for Snow Aid Australia, her work to promote women in the snow industry and her journey from novice to ski expert.  This episode is the latest in an ongoing series of interviews with high-achieving women in the world of snowsports. Previous episodes in this series have included conversations with Vicky Gosling, CEO of GB Snowsport, BBC Ski Sunday's Chemmy Alcott, the first person to ski the seven summits, Kit DesLauriers, founder of YSE Ski, Fiona Easdale, as well as the Team GB freestyle skiers Zoe Atkin and Kirsty Muir. SHOW NOTESWinter Olympics mention-itis (2:30)Comparing Livigno with Pyeongchang in 2018 (4:30)Empty slopes in Livigno (7:30)Working alongside Team Australia (10:00)Why were Australia so successful at the Winter Olympics? (14:00) Working with Dame Edna Everage (17:00)In 2000 Rachael wrote the book ‘Good Girls Do Swallow' (19:00) Rachael's second book was ‘Anything she can do, I can do better (19:00) Skiing with the prime minister of New Zealand (24:00) Becoming Miss Snow It All (26:00) Starting Snowsbest.com (26:45) Running consumer webinars (30:00) ‘Women of Winter Snow Australia' working group (30:30) Advice for anyone wanting to get into ski journalism (32:30) ‘Snow Aid Australia' (34:00)            Selwyn Snowfield burnt down during the 2020 bushfires (34:30) Snow Travel Expo (37:00) The threat of climate change (38:30) Thredbo and Coronet Peak have added ‘Snowfactory' facilities (39:00) Will ‘Snowtunnel' open at some point? (41:30)  Will Australia see a post-Olympics bump attendance (44:00)FeedbackYou can leave a comment on Spotify, Instagram or Facebook – our handle is @theskipodcast – or drop me an email to theskipodcast@gmail.com. We're also on WhatsApp.Mike Greenland: “Listened for years. Always excellent.”You are very welcome to buy me a coffee at buymeacoffee.com/theskipodcastWe have over 300 episodes in our back catalog – all available at theskipodcast.com. Just have a search around the tags and categories and you're bound to find something you'll find something of interest.

Melbourne Pride Chorus performs DIVA: A Night with the Stars.  Bass singer and Vice President Trevor Block joins us.  Performs 30 May, James Tatoulis Auditorium, Kew, 3 pm and 7.30 pm.  Melbourne Pride Chorus began in 1990 and it is the longest running LGBTIQA+ choir in the Southern Hemisphere. Melbourne Pride Chorus 

What if the reason you're not getting better isn't about what you're putting in — but what you can't get out? In this episode I sit down with Tash Simons from INUSpheresis Perth — the first clinic in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere to offer this advanced blood filtration therapy. We go deep into how double filtration plasmapheresis works, the two specialised filters (TKM58 and INUS 30), and the science behind removing autoantibodies, inflammatory cytokines, heavy metals, microplastics, PCBs, and oxidised LDL directly from your blood — without involving your kidneys or liver. We cover the clinical research across long COVID, ME/CFS, autoimmune conditions, Lyme disease, Alzheimer's, and cardiovascular risk including Lp(a) — one of the hardest lipid markers to shift. Tash shares the personal story of how a family member's chronic fatigue led her and Dr Robbie Simons to discover this therapy in Vienna, and the journey to bring it to Perth — from TGA registration and insurance approvals to Swiss certification and over 100 treatments completed. If you're dealing with a chronic condition that won't budge, carrying a toxic load, or thinking about longevity from a subtractive medicine perspective — this one's for you. Book a consult or submit a new patient form at inuspheresisperth.com.au Check out my supplement store at shop.lisatamati.com Rejuvenate Pro at shop.lisatamati.com/pages/rejuvenate My books at shop.lisatamati.com/collections/books Sign up for my newsletter at www.lisatamati.com/lisa Listen to more episodes at www.lisatamati.com/ptl-podcast/ This episode is also brought to you by Rejuvenate Pro from Aevum Labs. If INUSpheresis is about taking the bad stuff out, Rejuvenate Pro is about protecting what stays behind. Featuring kawakawa, carnosic acid, Immunel colostrum extract and IDP (Immune Defense Protein), it targets the chronic systemic inflammation that silently drives aging. It's the first supplement in every protocol I build for my clients — and it should be in yours. Shop now at shop.lisatamati.com/pages/rejuvenate         ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━  

Futures mixed after robust Monday; basis stronger for corn and beans while wheat slips; reports of east coast mills importing wheat; Southern Hemisphere wheat plantings expected to decline.

Sponsor Link:To grab our special money saving NordVPN deal - Click HereIn today's episode, Anna and Avery cover a blue whale-sized asteroid making a close pass of Earth today, the imminent debut of SpaceX's most powerful rocket yet, NASA's Psyche spacecraft successfully completing its Mars gravity assist, fresh science arriving at the ISS, a new physics paper challenging the simulation hypothesis at its foundations, and Congress pushing back hard against proposed cuts to NASA's science budget.   Story 1 — Asteroid 2026 JH2 Newly discovered asteroid 2026 JH2 (first spotted 10 May 2026) makes a close Earth flyby today at ~90,000 km — within the orbital radius of many satellites. Estimated size: up to ~35 metres (blue whale-sized). Zero impact risk confirmed. Observable with binoculars at peak magnitude ~11.5. Live stream available via the Virtual Telescope Project. Orbital period: 3.7 years between Earth and Jupiter.   Story 2 — Starship V3 / Flight 12 SpaceX targets May 19, 2026 for the debut of Starship Version 3 (Flight 12) from Pad 2 at Starbase, Texas. Launch window opens 6:30 PM EDT. Key upgrades: Raptor 3 engines (250 tf SL thrust, up from 230 tf), three larger grid fins, new integrated hot-stage design, updated propellant systems. No tower catch on this flight; booster splashes in Gulf of Mexico. Upper stage (Ship 39) targets Indian Ocean after 65 minutes. Payload: 22 Starlink simulator satellites. Critical step toward Artemis lunar landings.   Story 3 — NASA Psyche Mars Flyby On 15 May 2026 at 3:28 PM EDT, Psyche completed its Mars gravity assist at 4,500 km altitude travelling at 12,333 mph. Passed inside the orbits of both Martian moons. Confirmed by Doppler shift monitoring. Mission: en route to metal-rich asteroid 16 Psyche (arrival July 2029). Thousands of Mars observations gathered for science calibration.   Story 4 — SpaceX CRS-34 SpaceX's 34th Dragon cargo mission docked at ISS at 6:37 AM EDT on 17 May 2026, delivering ~6,500 lb of cargo for Expedition 74. Science payloads include: microgravity simulator validation study, wood-based bone scaffold (osteoporosis research), red blood cell/spleen spaceflight study. Dragon will return to Earth mid-June splashing down off California coast.   Story 5 — Simulation Hypothesis Paper Paper: ‘Non-algorithmic physics and the limits of the simulation hypothesis', published in the Journal of Holography Applications in Physics. Authors: Mir Faizal (UBC Okanagan), Lawrence Krauss, Arshid Shabir, Francesco Marino. Core argument: using Gödel's incompleteness theorems, the team argues any theory of quantum gravity would be non-algorithmic — containing truths no computation can capture. Since any simulation requires algorithms, reality cannot be fully simulated. Note: this is a theoretical paper, not an experimental result. The authors acknowledge no complete quantum gravity theory currently exists.   Story 6 — NASA FY2027 Budget House Appropriations Committee approved $24.438 billion for NASA in FY2027 — matching FY2026 and rejecting the White House's proposed $18.8 billion (a 23% cut). The proposal would have cut the Science Mission Directorate by 46%, terminating 50+ missions. Committee protects science, Habitable Worlds Observatory, and STEM education funding. Bill still needs Senate passage and reconciliation.   Skywatching TONIGHT — Moon-Venus conjunction: look west after sunset for the crescent Moon close to brilliant Venus. Earthshine visible on dark lunar limb. Southern Hemisphere: look west-northwest, best in first hour after sunset. Blue Moon on 31 May (second full Moon of the month).  Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-space-news-updates--5648921/support.Sponsor Details:Ensure your online privacy by using NordVPN. To get our special listener deal and save a lot of money, visit www.bitesz.com/nordvpn. You'll be glad you did!Become a supporter of Astronomy Daily by joining our Supporters Club. Commercial free episodes daily are only a click way... Click HereThis episode includes AI-generated content.

Sponsor Link:To get the deatils of our money saving NordVPN deal - Click HereIt's the Astronomy Daily Weekend Space and Astronomy News Wrap — your Saturday deep dive into the biggest stories from across the week, plus two brand-new headlines and a bonus story we just couldn't leave out.   This week on Astronomy Daily: •      NASA's Psyche spacecraft executed its Mars gravity assist flyby yesterday — slingshotting past the Red Planet at 12,000 mph on its way to a $10 quadrillion metal-rich asteroid •      SpaceX launched the record-breaking CRS-34 Dragon mission to the ISS Friday night — with docking happening TODAY (Sunday May 17) •      James Webb Space Telescope maps the cosmic web in unprecedented detail — 164,000 galaxies, 13.7 billion years of history •      Hubble reveals 'Dracula's Chivito' — the largest, most chaotic planet nursery ever seen, 1,000 light-years from Earth •      Starship Version 3 is on the pad — debut launch targeting Tuesday May 19 from the new Launch Pad 2 at Starbase •      Comet R3 PanSTARRS is in Southern Hemisphere skies NOW — and tonight is New Moon. Your last chance for 170,000 years •      WEEKEND BONUS: NASA's Curiosity rover drilled into a rock on Mars — and the rock wouldn't let go   Find us at astronomydaily.io | Follow @AstroDailyPod | Part of the Bitesz.com Podcast Network   YouTube Show Notes Title: Mars Slingshot! Cosmic Web Mapped! Starship V3 Launch SOON! Weekend Space News Wrap | Today's Space News   In this weekend edition of Astronomy Daily, Anna and Avery cover seven stories — two fresh headlines, four of the biggest stories from the past week, and a bonus story that's pure gold. It's been one of the best weeks in space in 2026.   CHAPTERS: 1.    00:00 — Cold Open & Weekend Wrap Introduction 2.    01:30 — FRESH: NASA Psyche Spacecraft's Mars Gravity Assist 3.    04:00 — FRESH: SpaceX CRS-34 Dragon Launch to the ISS 4.    06:00 — WEEKLY WRAP: JWST Maps the Cosmic Web 5.    08:30 — WEEKLY WRAP: Hubble's 'Dracula's Chivito' Planet Nursery 6.    11:00 — WEEKLY WRAP: Starship V3 — Launch This Tuesday! 7.    13:00 — WEEKLY WRAP: Comet R3 PanSTARRS — Skywatching Now 8.    15:00 — WEEKEND BONUS: Curiosity Rover's Sticky Rock 9.    16:30 — Outro & Credits   Subscribe for daily space and astronomy news | astronomydaily.io | @AstroDailyPod | Bitesz.com Podcast NetworkBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-space-news-updates--5648921/support.Sponsor Details:Ensure your online privacy by using NordVPN. To get our special listener deal and save a lot of money, visit www.bitesz.com/nordvpn. You'll be glad you did!Become a supporter of Astronomy Daily by joining our Supporters Club. Commercial free episodes daily are only a click way... Click HereThis episode includes AI-generated content.

Sponsor Link:Our sponsor this week, NordVPN has put together a great money saving deal for you. Get the best protection for less. We use them and recommend them highly. To check out the details - Click HereAstronomy Daily — S05E102 | Thursday 14 May 2026   In today's episode, Anna and Avery cover six stories spanning the entire space science spectrum — from a record-breaking rocket debut to medieval literary theory.   Stories in This Episode 1.    Starship V3 Gets a Launch Date — SpaceX confirms May 19 for Flight 12, the debut of the fully redesigned Version 3 Starship and Super Heavy. 2.    Psyche Mission: Mars Flyby Tomorrow — NASA's asteroid-bound spacecraft passes just 2,800 miles from Mars on May 15 for a crucial gravity assist. 3.    JWST Maps the Cosmic Web — The James Webb Space Telescope charts 164,000 galaxies across 13.7 billion years in the most detailed cosmic web map ever made. 4.    Aurora Watch: Coronal Hole Facing Earth — A large solar coronal hole is pointing at Earth; G2 storm conditions expected from May 15 with aurora potential for Southern Hemisphere observers. 5.    Dante's Inferno and Impact Physics — New research presented at the European Geosciences Union argues Dante's 14th-century Hell maps the geometry of a planetary impact crater. 6.    CRS-34: Dragon Docks at the ISS — After two weather scrubs, SpaceX's Dragon cargo capsule successfully delivers 6,500 lbs of science experiments to the space station.   Chapter Timestamps 00:00 — Introduction & Headlines 01:00 — Starship V3: May 19 Launch Date Set 05:00 — NASA Psyche: Mars Gravity Assist Flyby 08:30 — JWST Maps the Cosmic Web 12:00 — Aurora Alert: Coronal Hole & Solar Wind 15:00 — Dante's Inferno as Impact Crater Science 18:30 — CRS-34 Dragon Docks at the ISS 21:30 — Skywatcher's Corner: Aurora Tips & Mars 23:00 — Trivia, Sign-Off & Socials   Find us at astronomydaily.io | Follow @AstroDailyPod | Part of the Bitesz.com Podcast NetworkBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-space-news-updates--5648921/support.Sponsor Details:Ensure your online privacy by using NordVPN. To get our special listener deal and save a lot of money, visit www.bitesz.com/nordvpn. You'll be glad you did!Become a supporter of Astronomy Daily by joining our Supporters Club. Commercial free episodes daily are only a click way... Click HereThis episode includes AI-generated content.

Sponsor Link:When your ready to check out our special money saving NordVPN deal - Click HereToday on Astronomy Daily: A weather-delayed rocket launch gets a second chance — Dragon is heading to the ISS tonight. The most powerful rocket ever built is fuelled and ready, with Starship V3 Flight 12 targeting as early as May 19. NASA's Psyche spacecraft is days away from a dramatic Mars slingshot. A startup wants to beam electricity to satellites using lasers. Physicists may have cracked one of science's greatest puzzles. And Juno delivers the closest-ever view of a mysterious moon of Jupiter. All this — plus a Southern Hemisphere skywatching guide and space trivia — on Episode 101.   Chapter Timestamps 00:00 — Cold Open & Introduction 01:15 — Story 1: SpaceX CRS-34 Dragon cargo launch — weather scrub resolved 05:00 — Story 2: Starship V3 Flight 12 — launch as early as May 19 09:00 — Story 3: NASA Psyche spacecraft Mars flyby — this Friday 13:00 — Story 4: Star Catcher Industries raises $65M for space power grid 17:00 — Story 5: Brown University solves the cosmological constant problem 21:00 — Story 6: Juno's closest-ever image of Jupiter's moon Thebe 25:00 — Southern Hemisphere Skywatching Guide 26:30 — Space Trivia: What is asteroid Psyche made of? 27:30 — Outro & Sign-off   Stories Covered Today • SpaceX CRS-34 mission launches tonight from Cape Canaveral after Tuesday weather scrub • Starship V3 completes wet dress rehearsal — Flight 12 targeting May 19 • NASA Psyche spacecraft performs Mars gravity assist flyby on May 15 • Star Catcher Industries raises $65 million for world's first orbital power grid • Brown University proposes topology solution to the cosmological constant problem • NASA Juno captures closest-ever image of Jupiter's inner moon Thebe   Find us at astronomydaily.io | Follow @AstroDailyPod | Part of the Bitesz.com Podcast NetworkBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-space-news-updates--5648921/support.Sponsor Details:Ensure your online privacy by using NordVPN. To get our special listener deal and save a lot of money, visit www.bitesz.com/nordvpn. You'll be glad you did!Become a supporter of Astronomy Daily by joining our Supporters Club. Commercial free episodes daily are only a click way... Click HereThis episode includes AI-generated content.

There has been a massive investment in data centres to power rapid artificial intelligence growth around the world, but at what cost? On this episode of the Green Left Show we discuss the energy and water impacts of data centres, community opposition, and whether AI is a bubble ready to pop, or here to stay. Isaac Nellist is joined by Ketan Joshi, a climate and energy analyst based in Oslo, Norway; NSW Greens MLC Abigail Boyd, who is chairing the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into data centres; and Sanaa Shah, from the Sweltering Cities campaign group, which is looking into the impact of data centres on communities in Western Sydney. 0:00 Intro 1:42 Impact of renewable energy transition 12:47 Water consumption 22:22 Data centres in NSW 24:09 Largest data centre in the Southern Hemisphere 27:22 Impacts on the community 29:47 Other concerns 31:11 Are communities fighting back? 32:25 NSW Parliamentary inquiry into data centres 36:11 Pressure on governments 38:51 Is sustainable AI possible 45:11 Will the AI bubble pop? 52:05 Outro We acknowledge that this was produced on stolen Aboriginal land. We express solidarity with ongoing struggles for justice for First Nations people and pay our respects to Elders past and present.  

Sponsor Link:When your ready to secure your online life, be sure to get NordVPN ...we certainly did. To get our money saving deal with a risk free 30 day money back gaurantee.... Click HereIn today's Astronomy Daily, Anna and Avery cover six major stories: Ireland becomes the 65th nation to sign the Artemis Accords; the Artemis III rocket core stage arrives at Kennedy Space Center; NASA's nuclear-electric SR-1 Freedom Mars mission ramps up toward a 2028 launch; the Eta Aquariid meteor shower peaks overnight May 5-6; NASA releases spectacular dual panoramas from Curiosity and Perseverance rovers; and new research makes a compelling case that the Large Magellanic Cloud is on its first-ever pass by the Milky Way.   Story Summaries & Key Facts   1. Ireland Signs the Artemis Accords •       Ireland signed as the 65th Artemis Accords signatory on May 4, 2026 at NASA HQ, Washington DC •       Hosted by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman alongside Irish Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason and Minister Peter Burke •       Three new signatories in two weeks: Latvia (#62), Morocco (#64), Ireland (#65) •       Accords established in 2020, covering peaceful exploration, transparency, data sharing, and heritage preservation   2. Artemis III SLS Core Stage Arrives at KSC •       The top four-fifths of the 212-foot SLS core stage arrived at Kennedy on April 27, 2026 via the Pegasus barge •       Traveled 900 miles from Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans •       Now inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, being mated to the engine section •       Artemis III (targeted late 2027) will test Orion docking with commercial landers in low Earth orbit — not a lunar landing •       Artemis IV (2028) will land astronauts on the Moon's south pole   3. NASA SR-1 Freedom Nuclear Mars Mission •       SR-1 Freedom will be the first nuclear-electric powered interplanetary spacecraft, launching December 2028 •       Uses Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP): fission reactor generates 20kW of electricity to power ion thrusters •       Hardware repurposed from the Gateway Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) •       Will deploy the 'Skyfall' payload: three Ingenuity-class helicopters to scout for subsurface water ice •       Could pave the way for megawatt-class reactors cutting human Mars transit time to two months   4. Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower Peak •       Peak: overnight May 5-6, 2026, with pre-dawn hours on May 6 as prime window •       Source: debris trail of Halley's Comet — Earth passes through it each May •       Meteor speed: ~66 km/s — fast, with persistent glowing trails •       Southern Hemisphere: up to 50 meteors/hour under ideal conditions — best shower for southern sky •       Moon challenge: 84% waning gibbous — block the Moon behind a tree or building for best results •       Active through May 28 — more opportunities if clouds intervene tonight   5. Curiosity & Perseverance Mars Panoramas •       NASA released dual 360-degree panoramas from both active Mars rovers — 3,775 km apart on the planet •       Curiosity: 1,031-image panorama of 'boxwork' formations in Gale Crater — fossil records of ancient groundwater •       Perseverance: 980-image panorama near Jezero Crater rim showing some of the oldest rocks in the solar system •       The two rovers are 'time-travelling in opposite directions' — Curiosity into younger terrain, Perseverance into older •       Perseverance carries 23 rock core samples in sealed tubes, awaiting future Earth-return mission   6. Large Magellanic Cloud — First-Time Visitor •       New pre-print paper claims definitive evidence the LMC is on its first-ever pass by the Milky Way •       LMC mass: roughly 10-20% of the Milky Way — large enough to send gravitational ripples through our galaxy •       Key evidence: LMC's gas corona is still largely intact — a previous close Milky Way pass would have stripped it away •       Also explains why the SMC and companion satellites haven't been tidally disrupted •       Rewrites the origin of the Magellanic Stream — now attributed to LMC-SMC interactions rather than Milky Way tidal forcesBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-space-news-updates--5648921/support.Sponsor Details:Ensure your online privacy by using NordVPN. To get our special listener deal and save a lot of money, visit www.bitesz.com/nordvpn. You'll be glad you did!Become a supporter of Astronomy Daily by joining our Supporters Club. Commercial free episodes daily are only a click way... Click HereThis episode includes AI-generated content.

Sponsor Link:When you're ready to upgrade your online security, get NordVPN just like we did. And we can save you a lot of money with our special deals. For details Click HereWelcome to Astronomy Daily S05E94 — our first ever Weekend Edition! Today we debut the Astronomy Daily Weekend Space and Astronomy News Wrap, featuring two fresh stories plus a roundup of the four biggest and most important space stories from across the past week.   Today's Stories •      Story 1: Russia's Soyuz 5 rocket completes its first successful suborbital test flight from Baikonur Cosmodrome. After nearly a decade of development, Russia's homegrown answer to the Zenit finally flew — a milestone for Roscosmos, even as questions remain about its competitiveness in a reusability-driven market. •      Story 2: May's Flower Moon peaked on May 1st — and May 2026 is a double-micromoon month, with both the Flower Moon and the May 31 Blue Moon occurring near lunar apogee. Southern Hemisphere skies are perfect for viewing this weekend.   Weekend Wrap — The Week's Four Biggest Stories •      Wrap 1: Artemis II — The Full Picture. 694,481 miles, 252,756 miles from Earth at farthest, 57-minute eclipse from beyond the Moon, heat shield performance significantly better than Artemis I. The numbers of a mission for the history books. •      Wrap 2: The Eclipse Only Four Humans Have Ever Seen. During the April 6 lunar flyby, the Artemis II crew experienced a 57-minute total solar eclipse from beyond the Moon — the first time in human history. Victor Glover's descriptions were extraordinary. •      Wrap 3: Roman Space Telescope locks in September 2026 launch — 8 months ahead of schedule and under budget. With a field of view 100x larger than Hubble's, Roman is poised to become the most powerful survey telescope in history. •      Wrap 4: Artemis III hardware arrives at Kennedy Space Center. The SLS core stage was offloaded from the Pegasus barge on April 27-28 — just as the Artemis II Orion capsule returned for post-flight analysis. The next mission is already assembling.   Skywatching This Weekend •      The Flower Moon is still at 99% illumination tonight — beautiful in Southern Hemisphere autumn skies. Look for it between Antares (Scorpius) and Spica (Virgo). •      Venus and Jupiter are prominent in the western evening sky, slowly closing toward a June 9 conjunction. •      Asteroid Vesta is at opposition today, May 2 — best viewed with binoculars or a small telescope from a dark site. •      The Eta Aquariid meteor shower peaks the night of May 5-6 — an excellent show from Southern Hemisphere locations.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-space-news-updates--5648921/support.Sponsor Details:Ensure your online privacy by using NordVPN. To get our special listener deal and save a lot of money, visit www.bitesz.com/nordvpn. You'll be glad you did!Become a supporter of Astronomy Daily by joining our Supporters Club. Commercial free episodes daily are only a click way... Click HereThis episode includes AI-generated content.

Sponsor Link:When you're ready to secure your online life, do what we did, get NordVPN. You won't regret it. To check out our special big money saving offer Click HereEpisode Summary Astronomy Daily is back for Season 5, Episode 93 — and space has not been idle during our brief break. In today's packed episode, Anna and Avery cover six major stories: the strongest-ever evidence that JWST's mysterious 'little red dots' are in fact black hole stars, courtesy of a new Chandra X-ray discovery; the double milestone at Kennedy Space Center as Artemis III hardware arrives and the Artemis II Orion capsule returns for analysis; the spectacular return of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy after an 18-month hiatus; a new cosmological model suggesting the universe could collapse in just 33 billion years; a debrief on post-mission lessons from Artemis II; and essential skywatching guidance for the peak of the Eta Aquarid meteor shower. Stories Covered •       Chandra X-ray Observatory detects X-ray signal coinciding with a JWST 'little red dot' — strongest evidence yet for 'black hole star' theory •       Artemis III SLS core stage arrives at Kennedy Space Center Vehicle Assembly Building — Artemis II's Orion capsule 'Integrity' returns same day •       SpaceX Falcon Heavy returns to flight after 18 months, successfully launches ViaSat-3 F3 to complete global broadband constellation •       New axion dark energy cosmological model suggests universe may collapse in 33.3 billion years — Big Crunch scenario revisited •       Artemis II post-mission analysis: heat shield data, valve redesign needed, toilet issues flagged — teams prepare for tight Artemis III turnaround •       Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks May 6 — up to 50 meteors/hour, best viewing from Southern Hemisphere before dawn Key Links •       Astronomy Daily website: astronomydaily.io •       Follow us: @AstroDailyPod •       Network: Bitesz.com Podcast Network •       Chandra / JWST little red dots paper: The Astrophysical Journal Letters •       NASA Artemis III core stage arrival: nasa.gov •       Eta Aquarid viewing guide: NASA Science skywatchingBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-space-news-updates--5648921/support.Sponsor Details:Ensure your online privacy by using NordVPN. To get our special listener deal and save a lot of money, visit www.bitesz.com/nordvpn. You'll be glad you did!Become a supporter of Astronomy Daily by joining our Supporters Club. Commercial free episodes daily are only a click way... Click HereThis episode includes AI-generated content.

A new week means new questions! Hope you have fun with these!Which country's name is officially the "Hellenic Republic"?What ancient Italian breed of dog, which originated as a water retriever in the 1600s, is the only purebred breed in the world specifically recognized for hunting truffles?In a game of Battleship, how many ships does each player start the game with?There are three novels that have won the Pulitzer prize that include a bird in their name, they won the award in 1960, 1986, and 2014, you'll get three points for each correct answer, ten points if you get all three.An artistic technique where the size of figures is determined by their relative importance rather than naturalistic proportion is called what?In 1995 the cast of Gilligan's Island replaced the cast of what sitcom for one episode?Who was the father of Cleopatra's twins?Which horror franchise main antagonist is named "Ghostface" since the villain runs around with a mask that makes his face look like a ghost?What is the semi-solid tissue found within the spongy (also known as cancellous) portions of bones?Ken Jennings could have used a strategy session with Buzz Lightyear before his stellar 74-game, $2.5 million Jeopardy run came to an end as his defeat came not from a space tyrant, but from which ordinary challenger?What is the tallest free-standing structure in the Southern Hemisphere?Name any of the four crew members that were on the Artemis II, 2.5 for each right answer, 10 for all four.In Saved By The Bell the cast attends what school?What two colors is the basket in popular nursery rhyme 'A-Tisket, A-Tasket'?Which author was a key figure for why American English no longer has a u in color, labor, favorite, (He also took the o out of diarrhoea.)?What color does silver turn when it is exposed to sulfur in the air?MusicHot Swing, Fast Talkin, Bass Walker, Dances and Dames, Ambush by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/Don't forget to follow us on social media:Patreon – patreon.com/quizbang – Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Check out our fun extras for patrons and help us keep this podcast going. We appreciate any level of support!Website – quizbangpod.com Check out our website, it will have all the links for social media that you need and while you're there, why not go to the contact us page and submit a question!Facebook – @quizbangpodcast – we post episode links and silly lego pictures to go with our trivia questions. Enjoy the silly picture and give your best guess, we will respond to your answer the next day to give everyone a chance to guess.Instagram – Quiz Quiz Bang Bang (quizquizbangbang), we post silly lego pictures to go with our trivia questions. Enjoy the silly picture and give your best guess, we will respond to your answer the next day to give everyone a chance to guess.Twitter – @quizbangpod We want to start a fun community for our fellow trivia lovers. If you hear/think of a fun or challenging trivia question, post it to our twitter feed and we will repost it so everyone can take a stab it. Come for the trivia – stay for the trivia.Ko-Fi – ko-fi.com/quizbangpod – Keep that sweet caffeine running through our body with a Ko-Fi, power us through a late night of fact checking and editing!Quiz, trivia, games, pub+trivia, pub+quiz, competition, education, comedy

Since the war in Iran began, fertilizer prices have been climbing steadily. US Gulf urea prices alone are up around 40% since the start of the conflict and nearly 80% year‑to‑date, putting intense pressure on farm economics. In several regions, farmer margins are now razor‑thin – or outright negative – raising the risk of reduced fertilizer use and significant cuts in planted wheat area ahead of the upcoming Southern Hemisphere wheat planting season. Join Carlos Mera and Sam Taylor as they discuss how the conflict in the Middle East and the effective double blockade of the Strait of Hormuz are reshaping fertilizer markets and key crops – and what that could mean for global agricultural production and food prices.     Disclaimer: Please refer to our global RaboResearch disclaimer at https://www.rabobank.com/knowledge/disclaimer/011417272/disclaimer for information about the scope and limitations of the material published on the podcast.   

Sponsor Link:To check out our special NordVPN savings: Click HereEpisode Summary In this episode of Astronomy Daily, Anna and Avery explore six major stories from the world of space and astronomy. Leading the show is a landmark result from the ALMA telescope: the first-ever measurement of semi-heavy water inside an interstellar object. The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS contains up to 40 times more deuterium-rich water than Earth's oceans, revealing it formed in an ultracold environment very unlike our own solar system. The hosts then unpack the solution to a decades-long mystery: a massive binary star system near the galactic centre is responsible for the gas clouds feeding the Milky Way's supermassive black hole. Japan's MMX spacecraft — currently on the launch pad — is introduced, along with the exciting detail that its sample capsule will return Phobos material to Australian soil in 2031. Stellar archaeologists at ISTA have found fossilised magnetism on white dwarf stars, shedding light on the Sun's distant future. A thought-provoking segment examines the idea that any alien civilisation searching for intelligent life may already have detected us. And the episode closes with timely aurora and comet skywatching advice for Southern Hemisphere listeners.   Story Sources & Links Segment 1 — 3I/ATLAS Deuterium Water Study: Nature Astronomy (April 24, 2026) — 'A Direct View of the Chemical Properties of Water from Another Planetary System: Water D/H in 3I/ATLAS' — Salazar Manzano, Paneque-Carreno et al. ALMA Observatory press release: almaobservatory.org. University of Michigan news: eurekalert.org Segment 2 — Milky Way Black Hole Feeder Stars: 'The gas streamer G1-2-3 in the Galactic Center' — Gillessen et al., Astronomy & Astrophysics (2026). ESO/MPE press release: phys.org Segment 3 — Japan MMX Phobos Mission: JAXA MMX mission page: mmx.jaxa.jp. Space.com coverage. Sample capsule landing: Woomera Prohibited Zone, South Australia. Segment 4 — Stellar Archaeologists / White Dwarf Fossil Magnetism: Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA). Coverage: Space.com Segment 5 — Alien Technosignatures / SETI: Space.com feature. SETI Institute: seti.org Segment 6 — CME / Aurora / Comet: SpaceWeather.com. EarthSky sun news. NASA April 2026 skywatching guide (Comet C/2025 R3).  Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-space-news-updates--5648921/support.Sponsor Details:Ensure your online privacy by using NordVPN. To get our special listener deal and save a lot of money, visit www.bitesz.com/nordvpn. You'll be glad you did!Become a supporter of Astronomy Daily by joining our Supporters Club. Commercial free episodes daily are only a click way... Click HereThis episode includes AI-generated content.

Whether you’re enjoying the start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, or autumn in the Southern Hemisphere, it’s a great time for an outdoor stroll – with ‘Oops, Your Culture’s Showing!’ playing in your ears, of course. But when you’re navigating street crossings on this stroll, are there cultural implications attached to what you and those around you are doing? (Hint: There are!) Find out more about those, and much more, in this special reissue of our 34th episode, “There’s no chicken lane in Amsterdam!”, from August 2022. Enjoy, and don’t forget to look both ways! Why did Dean, the global cultures expert, cross the road? To chat with Tom about navigating street crossings in cities from Rome to Hong Kong, and the corresponding cultural implications – of course! Plus: Don’t miss the exciting premiere of Wordplay!, a subset of Grammar Time, later in the episode. We’re giving you the walk sign to stroll through this episode and enjoy it, hopefully without jaywalking involved (but if you do, we won’t – and can’t – tell on you). ***Dean's book, “Business Beyond Borders: Stories, Tales, and Lessons Learned from Working in 100 Cultures Around the World”, IS OUT NOW – order it today! And: Subscribe to Dean's Substack to find all of Dean's “Culture's Consequences” articles, CultureQuizzes, and much more!*** Have a cultural question or episode idea? Reach out on X/Twitter & Facebook (@OopsCultureShow) or by email at oopscultureshow@gmail.com. Hosts: Dean Foster & Tom Peterson Audio Production: Tom Peterson & Torin Peterson Music: “Little Idea” – Bensound.com

Sponsor Link:To grab our special NordVPN listener deal, Click HereWelcome to Astronomy Daily, Season 5 Episode 91 — Thursday 23 April 2026. Hosted by Anna and Avery for the Bitesz.com Podcast Network. Today: NASA's Roman Space Telescope locks in a September 2026 launch date eight months ahead of schedule; new research reveals Uranus's rings are hiding secrets — and possibly hidden moons; Hubble returns to the Trifid Nebula nearly 30 years on; Jordan becomes the 63rd nation to sign the Artemis Accords; the Artemis III rocket core stage ships to Kennedy Space Center; and Southern Hemisphere skywatchers get their best shot at Comet C/2025 R3 PanSTARRS this week.   Story Summaries 1. Roman Space Telescope — September 2026 Launch Confirmed NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is now targeting a September 2026 launch — eight months ahead of its formal May 2027 deadline, and under budget. The 300-megapixel infrared observatory will survey the cosmos with a field of view at least 100 times wider than Hubble's, observing over a billion galaxies and discovering more than 100,000 new worlds in its first five years. It will travel to the Sun-Earth L2 point aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.   2. Uranus's Mysterious Rings Hint at Hidden Moons A study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, using combined data from Keck Observatory, Hubble and JWST, has produced the first complete reflectance spectrum of Uranus's two outermost rings. The mu-ring is made of water ice sourced from moon Mab; the nu-ring contains carbon-rich organic compounds from unseen rocky bodies — suggesting undiscovered moonlets may orbit Uranus. Researchers say a dedicated spacecraft mission will be needed to solve the mystery fully.   3. Hubble Revisits the Trifid Nebula NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has re-imaged the spectacular Trifid Nebula, approximately 5,000 light-years away, nearly three decades after its original 1997 image. By comparing the two images, astronomers have tracked measurable changes in young stellar behaviour — demonstrating the power of long-lived space observatories as cosmic time-lapse cameras.   4. Jordan Signs the Artemis Accords The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan signed the Artemis Accords today at NASA Headquarters in Washington DC, becoming the 63rd nation to commit to the framework for peaceful space exploration. The Accords — established in 2020 — cover transparency, interoperability, data sharing, heritage preservation and resource extraction principles for Moon, Mars and beyond.   5. Artemis III Rocket Core Stage on the Move Just ten days after Artemis II's historic lunar flyby concluded, NASA rolled out the core stage of the Artemis III SLS rocket from Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans onto the Pegasus barge for shipment to Kennedy Space Center. Artemis III is targeting 2027 for an Earth-orbit crewed rendezvous and docking test with commercial lunar landers, with a Moon landing pushed to Artemis IV in 2028.   6. Comet C/2025 R3 PanSTARRS — Southern Hemisphere Viewing Window Comet C/2025 R3 PanSTARRS reached perihelion on April 19 and is now entering its best viewing window for Southern Hemisphere observers. From late April through early May, the comet will appear in the evening sky after sunset, potentially reaching magnitude 3.5 or brighter. Its orbit may be hyperbolic — meaning this could be humanity's only ever encounter with this object. Closest Earth approach: April 26, at approximately 73 million kilometres.   Links & Resources: •       Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope: roman.gsfc.nasa.gov •       Artemis Accords signatories: nasa.gov/artemis-accords •       Comet C/2025 R3 tracking: theskylive.com/c2025r3-info •       New research — Uranus rings: doi.org/10.1029/2025je009404 •       Astronomy Daily: astronomydaily.io | @AstroDailyPodBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-space-news-updates--5648921/support.Sponsor Details:Ensure your online privacy by using NordVPN. To get our special listener deal and save a lot of money, visit www.bitesz.com/nordvpn. You'll be glad you did!Become a supporter of Astronomy Daily by joining our Supporters Club. Commercial free episodes daily are only a click way... Click HereThis episode includes AI-generated content.

Sponsor LinkTo check out our special NordVPN offer for Astronomy Daily listeners: Click HereAstronomy Daily — S05E90 | Wednesday, April 22, 2026 In today's episode, Anna and Avery cover six stories spanning the fading power of humanity's most distant probe, fresh evidence for ancient life on Mars, a landmark black hole measurement, a SpaceX reusability milestone, a sobering assessment of the Artemis spacesuit programme, and tonight's moon and Jupiter conjunction.   Story 1 — Voyager 1 Powers Down the LECP Instrument •       NASA's JPL shut down Voyager 1's Low-energy Charged Particles experiment (LECP) on April 17, 2026, to conserve dwindling power. •       The decision followed an unexpected power drop during a routine roll manoeuvre in late February that nearly triggered an automatic emergency shutdown. •       Seven of Voyager 1's ten original instrument sets are now offline. Only the magnetometer and plasma wave subsystem remain active. •       Engineers are developing 'the Big Bang' — a plan to swap older components with lower-power alternatives — to extend operations into the 2030s. Testing on Voyager 2 is planned for May/June 2026; Voyager 1 to follow no sooner than July. •       Source: NASA JPL — https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-shuts-off-instrument-on-voyager-1-to-keep-spacecraft-operating/   Story 2 — Curiosity Rover Finds Organic Molecules on Mars •       Published April 21 in Nature Communications, the study describes the first use of the TMAH chemical experiment on another planet. •       More than 20 organic molecules were detected in clay-rich sandstone from the Glen Torridon region of Gale Crater, preserved for over 3.5 billion years. •       Discoveries include a nitrogen-bearing molecule structurally similar to DNA precursors — never before confirmed on Mars — and benzothiophene. •       The experiment cannot determine whether molecules are biological, geological, or meteoritic in origin. Future missions including Rosalind Franklin and Dragonfly will build on the technique. •       Source: phys.org — https://phys.org/news/2026-04-mars-rover-compounds.html   Story 3 — Black Hole Jets in Cygnus X-1 •       Curtin University-led study published April 16 in Nature Astronomy directly measures the instantaneous power of black hole jets for the first time. •       The jets in the Cygnus X-1 system carry energy equivalent to 10,000 suns and travel at approximately half the speed of light (150,000 km/s). •       Researchers used the companion star's stellar winds to 'bend' the jets, allowing calculation of their real-time power — a technique compared to watching wind deflect a fountain. •       About 10% of the energy released as matter falls into the black hole is carried away by the jets — confirming a long-held theoretical assumption. •       The measurement will help calibrate future observations from the Square Kilometre Array Observatory, currently under construction in WA. •       Source: ScienceDaily — https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/04/260416071949.htm   Story 4 — SpaceX 600th Rocket Landing •       SpaceX completed its 600th successful Falcon booster landing on April 19, 2026, during the Starlink 17-22 mission from Vandenberg SFB. •       Booster B1097 landed on drone ship 'Of Course I Still Love You' for its eighth successful recovery. The milestone arrived just 7 months after the 500th landing. •       The tally includes 496 drone ship landings and 104 ground landings, per SpaceX VP Kiko Dontchev. •       SpaceX's Starlink constellation now numbers over 10,275 satellites in orbit. •       Source: Space.com — https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-starlink-17-22-b1097-vsfb-ofisly-600th-falcon-landing   Story 5 — Artemis Spacesuit Crisis •       NASA's Office of Inspector General report (released April 20) warns that next-generation Artemis spacesuits may not be ready until 2031 — three years after the stated 2028 target. •       The xEVAS programme began as a two-company competition (Axiom Space + Collins Aerospace). Collins has effectively been removed after missing milestones. Axiom is now the sole contractor for the lunar surface suit. •       OIG analysis: based on an 8.7-year historical average from contract award to first flight for comparable NASA programmes, Axiom's 2022 award points to a 2031 delivery. •       NASA Administrator Isaacman has publicly maintained confidence in the 2028 date. Axiom plans a suit demonstration in 2026 on the ISS or during an Artemis mission. •       A separate risk: if the ISS variant of the suit slips past 2030, the Station could run out of operational EVA suits before decommissioning. •       Additional Artemis delays: SpaceX lunar Starship at least 2 years late; Blue Origin Blue Moon at least 8 months late (per separate March OIG report). •       Source: SpaceDaily — https://spacedaily.com/sd-n-the-spacesuit-gap-why-artemis-iiis-2028-landing-date-is-already-slipping/   Story 6 — Skywatching: Moon & Jupiter Conjunction •       Tonight (April 22), the half moon sits approximately 3 degrees from Jupiter in the constellation Gemini, near the stars Castor and Pollux. •       Visible to the naked eye in the western/northwestern sky after sunset. Binoculars will reveal Jupiter's four Galilean moons. •       Southern Hemisphere viewers: look northwest after dark; viewing window narrows the further south you are. •       Source: Space.com — https://www.space.com/stargazing/the-moon-and-jupiter-steal-the-show-after-sunset-on-april-22Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-space-news-updates--5648921/support.Sponsor Details:Ensure your online privacy by using NordVPN. To get our special listener deal and save a lot of money, visit www.bitesz.com/nordvpn. You'll be glad you did!Become a supporter of Astronomy Daily by joining our Supporters Club. Commercial free episodes daily are only a click way... Click HereThis episode includes AI-generated content.

In this episode of Astronomy Daily, Anna and Avery cover six space and astronomy stories for Saturday, April 18, 2026. Comet MAPS has met its end at the Sun — the pair reflect on what happened and what comes next. Artemis III's SLS rocket stage rolls out of New Orleans on Monday. JWST and ALMA have revealed a stunning monster spiral galaxy hiding behind cosmic dust 11.5 billion years ago. An exoplanet system is changing its orbital architecture in real time. Four planets are gathering in a pre-dawn planet parade visible tonight. And 33,000 hydrogen halos have been found that solve a decades-old mystery about the early universe's fuel supply.   Story 1: Comet MAPS — Death of a Sungrazer Comet C/2026 A1 (MAPS), a Kreutz sungrazer discovered on January 13, 2026 by French amateur astronomers at the AMACS1 Observatory in Chile, disintegrated during its close solar approach on April 4. The nucleus — estimated at approximately 400 metres in diameter based on JWST observations — could not survive passage just 160,000 km above the solar surface. A brief dust tail was visible in coronagraph images from SOHO and GOES-19, but the debris cloud has since dispersed. Attention now shifts to Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) as the next comet of interest. MAPS was the furthest-discovered Kreutz sungrazer in history, spotted 81 days before perihelion. Sources: EarthSky | StarWalk Space News | Sky & Telescope   Story 2: Artemis III SLS Core Stage Rollout On Monday, April 20, NASA will roll the top four-fifths of the Artemis III Space Launch System core stage — containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt — out of the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans and load it onto the Pegasus barge for delivery to Kennedy Space Center. The engine section is already at Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building. Four RS-25 engines are expected to arrive from Stennis Space Center by July 2026. Artemis III is currently targeting a 2027 launch for a crewed Earth-orbit test of Orion docking with commercial lunar landers, with a crewed Moon landing planned for 2028. Source: NASA Artemis III Media Release | nasa.gov   Story 3: JWST & ALMA Reveal Monster Spiral Galaxy ADF22.A1 Using the James Webb Space Telescope and the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), an international team led by Hideki Umehata (Nagoya University) has revealed the true nature of ADF22.A1 — a galaxy in the SSA22 protocluster from 11.5 billion years ago. Previously hidden behind heavy cosmic dust, JWST unveiled its spiral stellar structure while ALMA mapped its rotating gas disk, spinning at an extraordinary 530 km/s — more than twice our own Milky Way. With an effective radius of approximately 22,800 light years, it is nearly twice the size of typical galaxies from that era. Cold accretion from the Cosmic Web is the leading explanation for its rapid growth and spin-up. A companion study examines nine additional dusty star-forming galaxies in the same protocluster, revealing diverse evolutionary stages and morphologies. Sources: ALMA Observatory Press Release | Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan (2025) | ApJ (2026)   Story 4: TOI-201 — Shape-Shifting Exoplanet System A team led by Ismael Mireles (University of New Mexico) has published findings in Science Advances confirming three bodies in the exoplanet system TOI-201: a super-Earth (TOI-201 d, 1.4x Earth radius, 5.85-day orbit), a warm Jupiter (TOI-201 b, ~0.5 Jupiter masses, 53-day orbit), and a brown dwarf (TOI-201 c, ~7.9-year orbit). The brown dwarf's gravity is actively distorting the inner planets' orbits on human timescales — the super-Earth's transits are shifting, and within 200 years it will stop transiting the star from Earth's viewpoint. TOI-201 c is the longest-period transiting object ever discovered. The system is 372 light-years away in the constellation Pictor. Next transit of TOI-201 c: March 26, 2031. Paper: Mireles et al., Science Advances, April 15, 2026 | DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aef2618   Story 5: April 18 Four-Planet Parade Mercury, Mars, Saturn, and Neptune are gathering in a compact cluster just 4 degrees wide in the pre-dawn eastern sky. Mercury (mag -0.1), Mars (mag 1.2), and Saturn (mag 0.9) are naked-eye targets. Neptune (mag 7.8) requires binoculars. Southern Hemisphere observers have the best view. Look east 60-90 minutes before sunrise. Peak window: April 16-23, with April 18-20 optimal. The cluster sits near the Pisces-Cetus border. App guide: Star Walk 2 / Sky Tonight | starwalk.space   Story 6: 33,000 Hydrogen Halos Found in the Early Universe The Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX) has published a landmark study in The Astrophysical Journal identifying more than 33,000 Lyman-alpha nebulae — massive hydrogen gas halos surrounding galaxies from 10-12 billion years ago ('Cosmic Noon'). The previous known count was approximately 3,000. Lead researcher Erin Mentuch Cooper (UT Austin) described the halos as 'giant amoebas with tentacles extending into the cosmos.' The study confirms that the hydrogen fuel needed for galaxy growth during the universe's peak star-formation epoch was widespread, not rare. Paper: Mentuch Cooper et al., ApJ 1000, 38 (2026) | DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ae44f3Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-space-news-updates--5648921/support.Sponsor Details:Ensure your online privacy by using NordVPN. To get our special listener deal and save a lot of money, visit www.bitesz.com/nordvpn. You'll be glad you did!Become a supporter of Astronomy Daily by joining our Supporters Club. Commercial free episodes daily are only a click way... Click HereThis episode includes AI-generated content.

Millions of metric tons of plastic waste and microplastics are floating in our oceans. This impacts both the fish and ultimately the food we consume. According to the EPA,  "Plastic particles are generally the most abundant type of debris encountered in the marine environment, with estimates suggesting that 60% to 80% of marine debris is plastic, and more than 90% of all floating debris particles are plastic." Dr. Marcus Eriksen is on the show today to discuss the DVD "Our Synthetic Seas," which covers the total issue about plastic and the garbage found in our seas and especially the problem of disappearing sea life as fish are now eating plastic, waste, debris, and more dangerous materials. Marcus is currently the Executive Director of the 5 Gyres Institute. He received his Ph.D. in Science Education from the University of Southern California in 2003, months before embarking on a 2000-mile, 5-month journey down the Mississippi River on a homemade raft of plastic bottles. His experience on the river led to a career studying the ecological impacts of plastic marine pollution, which has included 8 expeditions sailing 25,000 miles through all 5 subtropical gyres to discover new garbage patches of plastic pollution in the Southern Hemisphere and beyond. With an affinity for rafting, his most recent adventure sent him and a colleague across the Pacific Ocean from California to Hawaii on a homemade raft floating on 15,000 plastic bottles and a Cessna airplane fuselage as a cabin. The journey, 2,600 miles in 88 days, brought tremendous attention to the plastic pollution issue.   Info: Algalita.org and MarcusEriksen.com.

Fluent Fiction - French: Finding Rhythm: Élise's Dance of Amazonian Heritage Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/fr/episode/2026-04-16-22-34-01-fr Story Transcript:Fr: La forêt amazonienne chantait avec la vie.En: The forêt amazonienne sang with life.Fr: C'était la saison des pluies d'automne dans l'hémisphère Sud, et les feuilles des arbres, d'un vert éclatant, jouaient avec la lumière tamisée du matin.En: It was the autumn rainy season in the Southern Hemisphere, and the tree leaves, a brilliant green, played with the soft morning light.Fr: Élise, venue de la ville, observait tout cela avec des yeux émerveillés.En: Élise, having come from the city, observed it all with amazed eyes.Fr: Elle était là pour renouer avec ses racines, pour comprendre les traditions de sa famille indigène.En: She was there to reconnect with her roots, to understand the traditions of her indigenous family.Fr: La communauté se préparait pour un grand festival.En: The community was preparing for a grand festival.Fr: Les villageois accrochaient des bannières colorées entre les huttes, et les rires emplissaient l'air.En: The villagers were hanging colorful banners between the huts, and laughter filled the air.Fr: Les tambours résonnaient, prêts pour la danse du soir.En: Drums resonated, ready for the evening dance.Fr: Ce jour-là célébrait le changement des saisons, un moment de gratitude et de renouvellement.En: That day celebrated the changing of the seasons, a moment of gratitude and renewal.Fr: Élise se sentait nerveuse.En: Élise felt nervous.Fr: Elle voulait participer à cette fête importante et apprendre la danse traditionnelle, un lien vivant avec ses ancêtres.En: She wanted to participate in this important celebration and learn the traditional dance, a living link to her ancestors.Fr: Mais malgré ses efforts, les pas lui échappaient.En: But despite her efforts, the steps eluded her.Fr: Elle se sentait différente, en décalage avec le reste de sa famille qui dansait avec aisance et grâce.En: She felt different, out of sync with the rest of her family who danced with ease and grace.Fr: Sa grand-mère, Clara, était observatrice et sage.En: Her grandmother, Clara, was observant and wise.Fr: Elle voyait l'angoisse dans les yeux de sa petite-fille.En: She saw the anxiety in her granddaughter's eyes.Fr: Un jour, Clara lui dit : « Viens, Élise.En: One day, Clara said to her, "Come, Élise.Fr: La danse, c'est plus que des pas.En: Dance is more than steps.Fr: C'est une histoire, un sentiment.En: It is a story, a feeling."Fr: » Ainsi, chaque après-midi, Élise s'asseyait avec Clara.En: Thus, every afternoon, Élise sat with Clara.Fr: Elle écoutait les contes anciens, les légendes de la forêt, et ressentait pour la première fois la profondeur des traditions de sa famille.En: She listened to ancient tales, the legends of the forest, and for the first time felt the depth of her family's traditions.Fr: Le soir du festival était arrivé.En: The night of the festival arrived.Fr: Les tambours battaient fort.En: The drums beat loudly.Fr: Élise, au bord du cercle de danse, hésitait.En: Élise, at the edge of the dance circle, hesitated.Fr: Son cœur battait aussi vite que les tambours.En: Her heart beat as fast as the drums.Fr: Elle se souvenait des histoires de Clara, du rythme de la terre, des mouvements des ancêtres.En: She remembered Clara's stories, the rhythm of the earth, the movements of the ancestors.Fr: « N'aie pas peur, » murmura Clara, à ses côtés.En: "Don't be afraid," murmured Clara, beside her.Fr: « Ressens la musique.En: "Feel the music.Fr: Laisse-la te guider.En: Let it guide you."Fr: » Élise entra dans le cercle.En: Élise entered the circle.Fr: Elle ferma les yeux et laissa ses pieds suivre le rythme des tambours.En: She closed her eyes and let her feet follow the rhythm of the drums.Fr: Elle dansait avec ses propres mouvements, mélangeant le moderne et le traditionnel.En: She danced with her own movements, blending modern and traditional.Fr: Les applaudissements éclatèrent lorsque la danse s'acheva.En: Applause broke out when the dance ended.Fr: Sa famille, les visages illuminés de fierté et d'émotion, l'accueillit avec des sourires.En: Her family, faces lit with pride and emotion, welcomed her with smiles.Fr: Élise ressentit, enfin, un profond sentiment d'appartenance.En: Élise finally felt a deep sense of belonging.Fr: Elle comprit que sa ville et ses racines culturelles pouvaient coexister harmonieusement.En: She realized her city life and cultural roots could coexist harmoniously.Fr: Cette nuit-là, sous les étoiles brillantes de l'Amazonie, Élise s'endormit avec un cœur apaisé.En: That night, under the bright stars of the Amazonie, Élise fell asleep with a peaceful heart.Fr: Elle savait désormais que son identité était un pont entre deux mondes.En: She now knew her identity was a bridge between two worlds.Fr: Elle était prête à intégrer ces richesses dans sa vie quotidienne, convaincue que ses pas, bien qu'imparfaits, racontaient sa propre histoire.En: She was ready to integrate these riches into her daily life, convinced that her steps, although imperfect, told her own story. Vocabulary Words:the forest: la forêtthe tales: les contesthe ancestors: les ancêtresthe gratitude: la gratitudethe renewal: le renouvellementthe banner: la bannièrethe drums: les tamboursthe season: la saisonthe hemisphere: l'hémisphèrethe legend: la légendethe hut: la huttethe anxiety: l'angoissethe grandmother: la grand-mèrethe heart: le cœurthe step: le pasthe bridge: le pontthe dance circle: le cercle de dansethe belonging: l'appartenancethe shadow: l'ombrethe pride: la fiertéthe depth: la profondeurthe movement: le mouvementthe eyes: les yeuxthe earth: la terrethe richness: la richessethe tradition: la traditionthe city: la villethe feeling: le sentimentthe identity: l'identitéthe story: l'histoire

The world has many amazing places, but not all are equal. Some are better than others.  Countries around the world have set aside some of their most special regions as national parks. Almost every country has set aside some of its most prized land for preservation and enjoyment by everyone. However, some national parks stand out above all others. Learn more about some of the world's greatest national parks on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Samsara Don't wait for the next accident to take action. Head to Samsara.com/EVERYTHING ButcherBox Get your choice between chicken breast or top sirloin for a year OR ground beef for life, PLUS $20 off when you go to ButcherBox.com/everything Quince Go to quince.com/daily for 365-day returns, plus free shipping on your order! Mint Mobile Save 50% on Unlimited premium wireless plans starting at $15/month at MintMobile.com/EED Audible Listen to Project Hail Mary Audible.com/hailmary Fast Growing Trees Get 20% off your first purchase when using the code DAILY at checkout at fastgrowingtrees.com/daily Subscribe to the podcast!  https://everything-everywhere.com/everything-everywhere-daily-podcast/ -------------------------------- Executive Producer: Charles Daniel Associate Producers: Austin Oetken & Cameron Kieffer   Become a supporter on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/everythingeverywhere Discord Server: https://discord.gg/Ds7Rx7jvPJ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everythingeverywhere/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/everythingeverywheredaily Twitter: https://twitter.com/everywheretrip Website: https://everything-everywhere.com/  Disce aliquid novi cotidie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if you could know 20 YEARS before symptoms appear whether you're heading for Alzheimer's? And what if there was a proven way to reverse early cognitive decline? In this episode, I sit down with my dear friend Dr. Dave Jenkins — the leading Dr. Dale Bredesen Protocol practitioner in the Southern Hemisphere — to unpack the p-Tau 217 blood test revolution and the stunning results from Bredesen's latest randomised controlled trial. Dr. Dave breaks down how a simple finger-prick blood test can now detect the Alzheimer's process with 95% certainty up to TWO DECADES before memory symptoms begin. This isn't diagnosing Alzheimer's — it's diagnosing the process, which means you have 20 years to intervene. We dive into Bredesen's 2024 multi-site RCT showing the ReCODE precision medicine protocol is 6–7x MORE POWERFUL than the best Alzheimer's drug currently available in America (lecanemab) — a drug with devastating side effects including brain bleeds and even death. Dr. Dave shares real clinical insights from his Bali longevity practice including the 30–60 "holes in the roof" driving cognitive decline, cutting-edge peptides (Semax, Selank, Cerebrolysin, Dihexa), bioregulators, and his personal experience with Klotho gene therapy that took his memory scores from the 70th to the 97th percentile in just 6 weeks. This is essential listening for anyone with a family history of Alzheimer's, anyone watching a loved one decline, and anyone who wants to take brain health seriously BEFORE it becomes a crisis. ⏰ CHAPTERS: [to be generated after edit]

South Africa's Hartebeesthoek ground station has once again proven its strategic value in deep space exploration, delivering critical tracking support for NASA's historic Artemis II mission, the first crewed lunar flyby in over 50 years. SANSA Space Operations Executive Director Raoul Hodges told BizNews in an interview, how the station's veteran 12-metre antenna provided essential one-way data to help pinpoint the Orion spacecraft, the excitement in the control room during passes behind the Moon's far side, and why South Africa's Southern Hemisphere location remains vital for global lunar missions. Looking ahead, Hodges outlines plans for the new Matjiesfontein ground station and efforts to train the next generation of South African space professionals as the country positions itself for Artemis III, IV and the intensifying international space race. – Linda van Tilburg

The 38th Australian Sikh Games scored big with the introduction of an ‘All Ability Sports' category. The newly introduced game at one of the biggest sporting events in the Southern Hemisphere brought together children of different age groups with physical or mental disabilities to play soccer. Despite limited participation, the organisers believe that this step would break many barriers for differently-abled children. - 38ਵੀਆਂ ਸਿੱਖ ਖੇਡਾਂ ਦੌਰਾਨ ‘ਆਲ ਅਬਿਲਿਟੀ ਸਪੋਰਟਸ' ਸ਼੍ਰੇਣੀ ਦੀ ਸ਼ੁਰੂਆਤ ਨਾਲ ਇੱਕ ਮਹੱਤਵਪੂਰਨ ਪਹਿਲ ਕੀਤੀ ਗਈ ਹੈ। ਇਸ ਵਿੱਚ ਸਰੀਰਕ ਜਾਂ ਮਾਨਸਿਕ ਅਪੰਗਤਾ ਨਾਲ ਜੂਝ ਰਹੇ ਵੱਖ-ਵੱਖ ਉਮਰ ਦੇ ਬੱਚਿਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਇਕੱਠਾ ਕਰਕੇ ਖੇਡਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਭਾਗ ਲੈਣ ਦਾ ਮੌਕਾ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਗਿਆ। ਹਾਲਾਂਕਿ ਭਾਗੀਦਾਰੀ ਸੀਮਿਤ ਰਹੀ, ਪਰ ਪ੍ਰਬੰਧਕਾਂ ਦਾ ਮੰਨਣਾ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਇਸ ਕਦਮ ਨਾਲ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਭਾਈਚਾਰੇ ਵਿੱਚ ਅਪੰਗ ਬੱਚਿਆਂ ਦੀ ਸਮਾਜਿਕ ਸ਼ਮੂਲੀਅਤ ਅਤੇ ਖੇਡਾਂ ਵੱਲ ਰੁਝਾਨ ਵਧੇਗਾ। ਪਹਿਲੀ ਵਾਰ ਹਿੱਸਾ ਲੈਣ ਵਾਲੇ ਮਨਵੀਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ ਕਿ ਉਸ ਲਈ ਜਿੱਤ ਮਹੱਤਵਪੂਰਨ ਨਹੀਂ, ਸਗੋਂ ਸ਼ਾਮਿਲ ਹੋਣਾ ਅਤੇ ਨਵੇਂ ਦੋਸਤ ਬਣਾਉਣਾ ਵੀ ਵੱਡੀ ਖੁਸ਼ੀ ਦੀ ਗੱਲ ਹੈ। ਪੂਰੀ ਕਹਾਣੀ ਲਈ ਪੌਡਕਾਸਟ ਸੁਣੋ।

Artemis II, Comet MAPS, and Mercury: Your Space Week Just Got Very Busy  It's Day 3 of the Artemis II mission, a sungrazer comet is emerging from the solar corona, an Atlas V just set a payload record, and Mercury is at its best of the year. Here's everything you need to know from today's episode of Astronomy Daily.   Artemis II Flight Day 3: Orion Doesn't Even Need a Course Correction Four humans are on their way to the Moon, and everything is going better than planned. Flight controllers cancelled the first of three scheduled trajectory correction burns today — Orion is already on such a precise path that the burn simply wasn't needed. As Howard Hu, NASA's Orion program manager, noted, this reflects exceptional navigation performance throughout the mission. The crew — Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen — spent Day 3 on medical readiness drills, practising CPR in weightlessness and checking out the spacecraft's medical equipment. They also successfully tested Orion's optical communications system, transmitting HD video back to Earth from deep space. On Monday, April 6th, Orion will swing around the lunar far side at its closest approach — briefly out of radio contact with Earth — and at the mission's farthest point will travel 252,757 miles from home. That breaks the human spaceflight distance record set by Apollo 13 in 1970. Fifty-six years. We're finally going further.   Comet MAPS: The Solar Plunge Is Done — Now Comes the Wait At 14:22 UTC on April 4th, Comet C/2026 A1 (MAPS) reached perihelion — passing just 161,000 kilometres from the surface of the Sun, skimming through the lower solar corona. Whether it survived that encounter is still being determined from spacecraft imagery, as the comet remains in the Sun's glare for ground-based observers. If MAPS emerges intact, the Southern Hemisphere viewing window opens April 6th to 10th. Look west after sunset, low on the horizon, near Venus. Brightness predictions range from magnitude -5 (comparable to Venus) to extraordinary scenarios even brighter. Even a nucleus breakup could leave a spectacular dust tail — what's known as a 'headless wonder.' Either way, this story is not over.   Atlas V Sets a Record: 29 Amazon Leo Satellites, Heaviest Payload Ever At 1:45 a.m. Eastern Time on April 4th, a ULA Atlas V 551 lifted off from Cape Canaveral carrying 29 Amazon Leo satellites — the heaviest payload in the rocket's 102-mission history. Mission LA-05 continues Amazon's build-out of its 3,200-satellite internet constellation (formerly Project Kuiper), with around 241 satellites now on orbit. Amazon faces an FCC deadline to have half its constellation operational by July 2026.   Blue Ghost Challenges a Fundamental View of the Moon New data from Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander — which operated on the lunar surface for two weeks in March 2025 — is shaking up decades of lunar science. Scientists expected Blue Ghost's landing site at Mare Crisium, well outside the Moon's 'hot zone,' to show significantly cooler interior temperatures than Apollo landing sites. It didn't. The near-side/far-side temperature divide may be far less pronounced than previously thought, suggesting heat-producing elements are more widely distributed beneath the surface. 'We may have to abandon that binary,' said principal investigator Seiichi Nagihara.   Pulsars Broadcast Further Than Anyone Knew — With Australian Science Behind the Discovery A study led by Professor Michael Kramer (Max Planck Institute) and Dr Simon Johnston (CSIRO) has found that about one third of millisecond pulsars emit radio waves from two completely separate regions — including a distant zone at the very edge of their magnetic reach called the current sheet. This overturns decades of received wisdom and suggests pulsars should be detectable from a wider range of directions than previously thought — with implications for gravitational wave detection using pulsar timing arrays.   Mercury Is at Its Best All Year — And Southern Hemisphere Skywatchers Win Mercury reached greatest western elongation on April 3rd — the year's best opportunity to see the innermost planet. From Australia and New Zealand, this is specifically the best morning apparition of Mercury in 2026. Look east about 30-40 minutes before sunrise for a steady point of light at around magnitude 0.4, just above Mars. Through binoculars or a small telescope, Mercury is currently showing a half-illuminated quarter phase. And on April 18th, Mercury, Saturn, Mars, and Neptune will gather in a tight morning-sky cluster — three of them visible to the naked eye.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-space-news-updates--5648921/support.Sponsor Details:Ensure your online privacy by using NordVPN. To get our special listener deal and save a lot of money, visit www.bitesz.com/nordvpn. You'll be glad you did!Become a supporter of Astronomy Daily by joining our Supporters Club. Commercial free episodes daily are only a click way... Click HereThis episode includes AI-generated content.

Astronomy Daily Season 5, Episode 80 — Friday, April 3, 2026  It's Day 2 of the Artemis II mission and the crew is on their way to the Moon after a perfect translunar injection burn. We've also got a comet about to face perihelion, a dark matter mystery deepening, stunning new JWST images, and the escalating fight over the future of our night skies.  In today's episode: 

Royal Caribbean announces Royal Beach Club Lelepa in Vanuatu, its first private destination in the Southern Hemisphere, opening October 2027. American Cruise Lines' new riverboat American Encore begins its Panama Canal delivery voyage for a May 2026 Columbia River debut. And Victory Cruise Lines invests $5 million upgrading two ships during their 2026 Jacksonville layup.

This episode covers the apocalyptic traditions of some of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, Siberia, and also the Celts, including their influence on medieval Christianity and even modern poetry. It finishes with more information on the two comets approaching earth vision this month, the best times for viewing, and some further reflections upon their significance. The view of the comets: Comet 'MAPS' between April 8th - April 22nd. one hour before dawn look low toward the southeast. In the Northern Hemisphere preferably on the coast or hill with clear view and low light pollution. In the Southern Hemisphere it will be higher. Binoculars required. Comet PanSTARRS. Northern Hemisphere: look very low in the East in the 'Great Square of Pegasus' around April 17th before dawn. Binoculars required. Ideal night: April 17th: new moon, dark sky. Southern Hemisphere: In mid-April, it is in the East before sunrise. But by late April and into May, it flips to very low in the West just after sunset. In early May it climbs higher in the evening sky as it moves away from the sun. Binoculars required to see its detail.

Vera C. Rubin Searching for Planet XWormwoodThe Third Trumpet: Wormwood is the central feature of the third trumpet judgment, a series of plagues preceding the end times.The Burning Star: Revelation 8:11 describes a great star, blazing like a torch, falling from heaven onto the world's rivers and springs.Catastrophic Poisoning: The star's name is "Wormwood," and it turns one-third of all fresh water into bitter, deadly water, according to Bible Gateway. This event results in many deaths, notes this YouTube video.NibiruOrigin: The concept stems from interpretations by Zecharia Sitchin, who claimed ancient Sumerian texts described a 12th celestial body (Nibiru) with a 3,600-year elliptical orbit.Conspiracy Theory: Nancy Lieder, founder of ZetaTalk, popularized the idea in 1995, claiming extraterrestrials warned her of an impending pole shift caused by this planet.Scientific Refutation: Scientists point out that a large planet entering the inner solar system would be easily visible to the naked eye and would have caused observable, devastating gravitational disruptions to other planets.Confusion with Real Science: The myth is sometimes falsely linked to the legitimate scientific search for a "Planet Nine," which is believed to exist far beyond Pluto and poses no danger to Earth.Planet X, or Planet Nine, is a hypothetical Neptune-sized planet thought to exist in the extreme outer solar system, with a mass up to 10 times that of Earth and an orbit 20 times farther than Neptune. It is not directly observed but is suggested by gravitational anomalies in the orbits of distant Kuiper Belt objects.Location & Orbit: Located in the far outer solar system, it may take 15,000 to 20,000 Earth years to complete one orbit around the sun.Why It's Hard to Find: Due to its immense distance from the sun, it receives little light, making it nearly invisible and extremely difficult to detect with current telescopes.Vera C. Rubin Observatory'Revolutionary': Vera C. Rubin Observatory found 800,000 objects of interest in a single nightThe Vera C. Rubin Observatory sent scientists nearly 1 million astronomy alerts in one night, showing off changes in the sky. Eventually, the telescope is expected to reach 7 million alerts per night.The telescope, which scans the full sky from its perch atop Cerro Pachón mountain in Chile, produced the alerts to direct scientists to "new asteroids, exploding stars, and other changes in the night sky," representatives for the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) said in a statement."Scientists will have a greater ability to catch supernovae in their earliest moments, discover and track asteroids to assess potential threats to Earth, and spot rare interstellar objects as they race through the solar system," NSF representatives wrote in the statement.Rubin's alert system is starting up shortly before the observatory begins a 10-year program, known as the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), later this year. Rubin will do nightly sky scans to generate an image of the entire Southern Hemisphere sky every few nights, using the largest-ever digital camera to spot any changes in the view overhead.The observatory's debut images, released in June 2025, revealed more than 10 million galaxies in and around the Virgo ClusterBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-tempest-universe--4712510/support.Please follow the #podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheTempestUniversePodcast?sub_confirmation=1

Vera C. Rubin Searching for Planet XWormwoodThe Third Trumpet: Wormwood is the central feature of the third trumpet judgment, a series of plagues preceding the end times.The Burning Star: Revelation 8:11 describes a great star, blazing like a torch, falling from heaven onto the world's rivers and springs.Catastrophic Poisoning: The star's name is "Wormwood," and it turns one-third of all fresh water into bitter, deadly water, according to Bible Gateway. This event results in many deaths, notes this YouTube video.NibiruOrigin: The concept stems from interpretations by Zecharia Sitchin, who claimed ancient Sumerian texts described a 12th celestial body (Nibiru) with a 3,600-year elliptical orbit.Conspiracy Theory: Nancy Lieder, founder of ZetaTalk, popularized the idea in 1995, claiming extraterrestrials warned her of an impending pole shift caused by this planet.Scientific Refutation: Scientists point out that a large planet entering the inner solar system would be easily visible to the naked eye and would have caused observable, devastating gravitational disruptions to other planets.Confusion with Real Science: The myth is sometimes falsely linked to the legitimate scientific search for a "Planet Nine," which is believed to exist far beyond Pluto and poses no danger to Earth.Planet X, or Planet Nine, is a hypothetical Neptune-sized planet thought to exist in the extreme outer solar system, with a mass up to 10 times that of Earth and an orbit 20 times farther than Neptune. It is not directly observed but is suggested by gravitational anomalies in the orbits of distant Kuiper Belt objects.Location & Orbit: Located in the far outer solar system, it may take 15,000 to 20,000 Earth years to complete one orbit around the sun.Why It's Hard to Find: Due to its immense distance from the sun, it receives little light, making it nearly invisible and extremely difficult to detect with current telescopes.Vera C. Rubin Observatory'Revolutionary': Vera C. Rubin Observatory found 800,000 objects of interest in a single nightThe Vera C. Rubin Observatory sent scientists nearly 1 million astronomy alerts in one night, showing off changes in the sky. Eventually, the telescope is expected to reach 7 million alerts per night.The telescope, which scans the full sky from its perch atop Cerro Pachón mountain in Chile, produced the alerts to direct scientists to "new asteroids, exploding stars, and other changes in the night sky," representatives for the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) said in a statement."Scientists will have a greater ability to catch supernovae in their earliest moments, discover and track asteroids to assess potential threats to Earth, and spot rare interstellar objects as they race through the solar system," NSF representatives wrote in the statement.Rubin's alert system is starting up shortly before the observatory begins a 10-year program, known as the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), later this year. Rubin will do nightly sky scans to generate an image of the entire Southern Hemisphere sky every few nights, using the largest-ever digital camera to spot any changes in the view overhead.The observatory's debut images, released in June 2025, revealed more than 10 million galaxies in and around the Virgo ClusterBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-tempest-universe--4712510/support.Please follow the #podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheTempestUniversePodcast?sub_confirmation=1

Episode S05E75 — Saturday, 28 March 2026 | astronomydaily.io | @AstroDailyPod  

I adore this time of year - as nature comes back to life, the birds start singing earlier each morning and the light returns (sorry to my Southern Hemisphere listeners!), and leaning into the potential of growth, expansion and taking a literal and spiritual breath of fresh air feels so welcome! A soft, light energy abounds that we can use to lift ourselves out of the winter layers and begin to emerge...Much loveRosanne xxFind out about the retreat at Old Course Hotel hereSupport this podcast hereConnect with me here

It's easy to think of winter as an off-season for travel with less-than-ideal weather, but there are destinations around the world that truly shine during these months — where the weather, experiences, and overall vibe are at their best. You also have options when it comes to the type of winter vacation you can take: you can embrace cozy, snow-covered scenery, escape to somewhere warm and sunny, or take advantage of summer in the Southern Hemisphere to visit a bucket list destination. In this episode, I'm sharing six incredible international destinations to visit in December, January, and February — each offering a different kind of experience depending on the type of trip and weather you're craving. Whether you're drawn to winter magic, mild sunshine, or a warm-weather adventure, there's bound to be a destination on this list that inspires you to put a winter vacation on the calendar. → WHAT'S YOUR TRAVEL STYLE? TAKE THE QUIZ AND GET THE BONUS SEASONAL DESTINATION GUIDE ← Want help choosing your next destination? Book Angela's DESTINATION MATCHING service. Connect w/ Angela on Instagram LISTEN BACK: Episode 157: Spring Destination Ideas Episode 234: 6 Fall Destination Ideas Episode 270: The ONE Trip You Should Take Every Year

One of the largest school sports events in the Southern Hemisphere is taking place this week. More than 2,000 rowers from 100 plus high schools have gathered in Twizel for the Maadi Regatta. Westlake Boy's High School coach Andy Hay spoke to Corin Dann.

Sponsor LinksThis episode is brought to you by Squarespace. When it's time to get online you need Squarespace to make the process straightforward and easy. To check out how they can help you and our special offer to get started, visit www.squarespace.com/spacetimeSpaceTime Series 29 Episode 31   *Planet Earth's balance is shifting A new study claims planet Earth's balance is shifting with the Northern Hemisphere absorbing significantly more solar energy than the Southern Hemisphere -- a shift that could reshape global weather patterns. *A unique insight into the Sun's inner life Astronomers discover that the Sun's internal structure changes from one solar cycle minimum to the next. *Landsat 9: More than just a picture For over 50 years, the Landsat program has provided the longest continuous satellite record of Earth's land surface from space. *The Science Report New warnings about the bleak future for Victoria's critically endangered Brush-tailed rock-wallabies. Study shows teens who use cannabis are more likely to develop psychiatric disorders. Research shows bird watchers develop denser attention and perception-related areas in their brains. Skeptics guide to Elon Musk's opinion on UFOs   https://spacetimewithstuartgary.com  https://www.bitesz.com/show/spacetime/   This week's guests include: Professor Michele Trenti from the University of Melbourne Artemis II astronaut Christina Cook Artemis II astronaut Jeremy Hanson Orion and Artemis systems food lab manager Ashua Ook NASA Artemis flight controller Wyatt Mckinley    And our regular guests: Alex Zaharov-Reutt from techadvice.life Tim Mendham from Australian Skeptics And senior science writer and Sky and Telescope magazine contributor Jonathan Nally  

Spring is springing — and in this Wheel of the Year episode, Ashleigh turns the wheel toward Ostara, the Spring Equinox (March 20)—releasing this episode a week early so you have time to gather herbs, choose crystals, build an altar, and plan a ritual (or bake something cozy).Recorded in a brand-new gothic loft setup (with chaotic Spirit Halloween Ouija press-on nails making a surprise cameo), this episode blends historical honesty, mythic storytelling, and practical seasonal magic: Ostara's modern roots, Eostre, the lunar timing of Easter, deity offerings, altar ideas, crystal correspondences (with a deep dive on Green Aventurine), egg + flower divination, and a Spring Cleaning oracle spread from Seasons of the Witch: Ostara Oracle.In this episode, we cover:A cozy check-in + Ashleigh's new “Victorian nightmare” recording space (and why the audio might sound different)Wheel of the Year recap: starting back at Samhain (Oct 31) and arriving at OstaraWhat the Spring Equinox actually is (day/night balance + official start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere)A shout-out to Southern Hemisphere listeners celebrating MabonHistorical roots + modern reconstruction: Gerald Gardner, Wicca, and why Ostara isn't as “ancient” as people assumeThe goddess Eostre/Eostra and why there's limited historical informationEaster's “moon math” and why it feels secretly witchy (yes, we're talking full moon timing)Spring deities + seasonal myth:Persephone (and the return from the underworld)DemeterDionysus (vines, vitality, pleasure returning)Aphrodite + Venus (beauty, gardens, glamour magic)How to build an Ostara altar + simple offerings for each deityCrystals of Ostara: Moss Agate (or Tree Agate in a pinch), Rose Quartz, Citrine, Aquamarine, Clear QuartzGreen Aventurine deep dive: heart chakra growth, steady expansion, and “it's safe to begin again” energyA favorite quote from Llewellyn's Sabbat Essentials: Ostara:“We till our own internal fields and plant our own emotional, mental, spiritual, or even physical crops…”Divination for the season:Oomancy (egg divination in water—how to read shapes/strands/clusters)Floromancy (flower divination—symbolism, petals, noticing what blooms first)Spring Cleaning Spread from Seasons of the Witch: Ostara Oracle (can also be used with tarot)A live card pull: “Moon Milk” + reflection on self-ritual, pride, and celebrating your own growthClosing invocation: till your internal soil, plant wisely, tend gently… Happy OstaraThe Spring Cleaning Spread (5 cards)What part of your life is stagnant or blocked?What action can clear away the dust?What can renew or breathe fresh air into this area?What action encourages growth and expansion?How can you maintain lighter, more vibrant energy moving forward?Mentioned in this episode:Llewellyn's Sabbat Essentials: OstaraSeasons of the Witch: Ostara Oracle — Lorraine Anderson & Juliet DiazQuick listener invitationBuild a tiny altar. Light a candle. Open a window. Choose one crystal ally. Pull one card. Ask: “What am I ready to grow?”Send me any questions or comments you may have and I will answer them on upcoming podcast episodes!! Looking forward to hearing from you!Please message me with any questions or comments. bigcrystalenergypodcast @gmail.com

Listen to JCO OP's Art of Oncology Practice article, "When Cancer Becomes a Headline: Reflections from the Clinic" by Dr. Carlos Stecca. The article is followed by an interview with Stecca and host Dr. Mikkael Sekeres. Dr Stecca reflects on the impact of the public illness and death of Brazilian singer and actress Preta Gil on his patients with colorectal cancer and on his own practice as a medical oncologist. TRANSCRIPT Narrator: When Cancer Becomes a Headline: Reflections from the Clinic, by Carlos Stecca, MD Dr. Mikkael Sekeres: Welcome back to JCO's Cancer Stories: The Art of Oncology. This ASCO podcast features intimate narratives and perspectives from authors exploring their experiences in oncology. I'm your host, Mikkael Sekeres. I'm Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Hematology at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami. What a pleasure it is today to have Dr. Carlos Stecca, a medical oncologist at Evangelical Mackenzie University Hospital, to discuss his JCO Oncology Practice article, "When Cancer Becomes a Headline: Reflections From the Clinic". Dr. Stecca and I have agreed to call each other by first names. Carlos, thank you for contributing to JCO Oncology Practice and for joining us today to discuss your article. Dr. Carlos Stecca: So great to be here. Thank you so much for having me. Dr. Mikkael Sekeres: I wonder if we could start off by asking you to tell us about yourself. Where are you from and what led you to this point in your career? Dr. Carlos Stecca: So I am Brazilian. I was born in Brazil in a small town in the south of Brazil, and I did my medical training all in Brazil. So I did medical school here, internal medicine, and medical oncology. My residency period ended in early 2018. I did my residency at the AC Camargo Cancer Center, which is in Sao Paulo. And then right after that, I moved closer to my parents to start my journey as a medical oncologist. And I stayed here in the south for two more years. And then I was lucky enough to be accepted for a clinical research fellowship in genitourinary malignancies at the Princess Margaret Cancer Center. And I had the pleasure to work with Dr. Kala Sridhar for two years. So this was during the pandemic, so 2020, 2021. And then right after that, I moved back to Brazil. And I've been here for the past four years working as a medical oncologist specialized in genitourinary malignancies. But also, well, unfortunately here in Brazil most of us cannot do only one site, so we have to do a little bit more, so I'm doing gynae and GI as well. And in a few days, I'm moving back to Canada. I was lucky enough again to be accepted for a position at the University of British Columbia, so I'm moving in a few days. Dr. Mikkael Sekeres: Oh, my word. We caught you just in time then. Dr. Carlos Stecca: Yeah, yeah. I'm moving in four days now. Dr. Mikkael Sekeres: I can't imagine what it's like to be going between those extremes of weather from Canada down to Brazil. Did your teeth crack when you did that? Dr. Carlos Stecca: Something like that. Yeah, it was like, I moved in December. So in December we have summer here in Brazil, and it was like 35, 40 degrees Celsius when I left Brazil at the airport. And when I arrived, it was close to minus 20 when I went to Toronto. Yeah. Dr. Mikkael Sekeres: Oh, my word. Dr. Carlos Stecca: It was rough. Dr. Mikkael Sekeres: Well, those of us who live at or near the Southern Hemisphere, I will tell you, I've started to wear puffy jackets and snow caps when it drops into the 60s. Good luck with reacclimating to Canada. I wonder if we could talk a little bit about the story that sparked this terrific essay. It was so interesting. The Brazilian singer and actress Preta Gil died of rectal cancer in July of 2025 at the age of 50. And she went public with her diagnosis. What is it that she communicated to the public about colorectal cancer? Dr. Carlos Stecca: So she was very open about her diagnosis since the beginning. So this was very interesting. She is very famous here. She had tons of followers on Instagram and social media, and she was very outspoken about her diagnosis since the first beginning. So she was diagnosed with an early stage disease, and she did a great job raising awareness for this condition, for colorectal cancer. She had a beautiful journey discussing the specifics of her case. Dr. Mikkael Sekeres: So she talked both about her diagnosis and some of the treatments she was undergoing, but also about symptoms of cancer, right? Dr. Carlos Stecca: She really engaged in this discussion about her diagnosis and how she found out about her cancer. So rectal bleeding, this was disclosed in her stories on Instagram, and so she was very open about this. And it really helped people understand the condition, and it really increased the number of screening tests that Brazilians were doing. And of course, we saw this increasing uptake of the screening tests, which was amazing. Dr. Mikkael Sekeres: In a way, I think she did a real public service, I think, both for early detection of colorectal cancer with symptoms, also for screening, so asymptomatic people who would undergo colonoscopies, and also demystified a little bit the treatment of colorectal cancer. In the US, we saw a similar phenomenon when the actor Chad Boseman of Black Panther movie franchise fame died of colorectal cancer in 2020 at the age of 43. These deaths have also sparked an international conversation about cancer in younger adults. Are you seeing that in your clinic? Dr. Carlos Stecca: Yes, definitely. We're seeing many more cases of cancer diagnosed in the younger population, right? So yeah, this discussion was very important to have, not only because the screening tests increased in patients after the age of 50 years old without any symptoms, but also raised awareness for those symptoms that should trigger the proper investigation. Dr. Mikkael Sekeres: I wonder if you could speculate a little bit about why it is that we're seeing more cancer in younger adults. Do you think it has anything to do, for example, with diet and people eating more ultra-processed foods? Is it a phenomenon? I've even heard people talk about microplastics and whether that could be contributing. Also, recently, there was an article that came out that speculated that while we're seeing more cancers in younger adults, we're not seeing more deaths in younger adults, so we may just be picking these up earlier as more people are going to be screened or for additional testing at a younger age. Dr. Carlos Stecca: Yeah, I think so. I think this is definitely the case. I think younger adults are eating more processed foods, and we know that this is an obvious risk factor for colorectal cancer and other cancers as well. And maybe obesity as well, we are seeing this as a pandemic now in the world, right? So we are seeing this especially in developing countries. And here in Brazil, of course, we are seeing this as a phenomenon. Dr. Mikkael Sekeres: It's so fascinating. I feel like we won't really know the answer about the uptick in cancers in younger adults for years until some of the data settle out, including the data about people during the COVID pandemic not going for screening and testing as often and whether we're now starting to see the downstream effects of that. Dr. Carlos Stecca: For sure, I think this is- well, during the pandemic I was in Canada, but shortly after the pandemic was coming to an end, I came back to Brazil, and I saw that. I saw that a lot of patients came to the clinic with more advanced cancers because they missed those opportunities of being seen by a physician during the pandemic, because of course, for obvious reasons, people were not coming to the clinic. And we saw that, a huge number of patients being diagnosed with late-stage disease because of that. Dr. Mikkael Sekeres: It's fascinating. There's a named phenomenon called the Angelina Jolie effect. I don't know if you remember following the actress's 2013 opinion piece about genetic testing for hereditary cancers such as BRCA1 and following her prophylactic mastectomy. She is a carrier of a mutation. There was a wave of testing that occurred thereafter. So some good can come from celebrities going public with their cancer diagnosis. Dr. Carlos Stecca: Oh, definitely, definitely. I think that more good can come from their diagnosis and them being verbal about this than the downsides. Of course, the positive side of it is definitely outweighing the negative effect. Dr. Mikkael Sekeres: You write a really thoughtful essay. You mention downsides, and there can be some downsides. One of the things you wrote in your essay was, "Yet for others already living with colorectal cancer, the same story had the opposite effect. Instead of empowerment, it fueled anxiety, guilt, and resignation. Some patients grew silent, fearing their treatment was futile as they compared themselves to a celebrity who had access to the best hospitals, specialists, and resources, and still passed away. Others questioned why they had not caught their cancer earlier, internalizing blame." Can you talk a little bit more about some of the unintended consequences of a celebrity who goes public with his or her cancer diagnosis? Dr. Carlos Stecca: That was exactly it, right? I was witnessing this in my clinic. I work in a public hospital here, and I would see those patients coming to me and voicing their concerns about their diagnosis, colorectal cancer, that was now in the spotlight because of that famous person that battled with colorectal cancer and unfortunately passed away after two years of starting her journey. And that was something quite difficult for the patients because, as you mentioned, and as I wrote in the text, some of those patients were in the public system and they were comparing themselves, comparing their diagnosis with the diagnosis of someone who had endless resources. And in fact, she even went to the United States and took part in a clinical trial. She participated in a clinical trial. And yet she was not able to overcome this diagnosis, and sadly she passed away. So, most of our patients were coming to the clinic and voicing their fears, like, "If even she couldn't get through this, how can I? I'm a simple person and I'm here in this world of limited resources." And here in Brazil, we do have the public system and the private system, and there is a huge gap between what we can do in one system and another. That was a concern that they voiced. Dr. Mikkael Sekeres: I'm sorry she passed away. How did you deal with that? So how did you respond to patients who said, "Gee, if this famous actress with unlimited resources dies from her cancer, what hope do I have?" Dr. Carlos Stecca: Yeah, so I think this is very difficult, right? And this is something that I was learning to understand now. Because as you mentioned, Chadwick Boseman and Angelina Jolie, we heard of those stories, but I never felt that this would be impactful in my clinic, that there would be patients voicing their concerns about their diagnosis being in the spotlight. And this is something that happened to me now. I would often see those patients, and I started to think about the downsides of a cancer being on a headline for those already living with cancer, and already living with that cancer and having their cancer in the spotlight. And so that was something that I needed to hear and address their concerns more actively than before, right? So this is something that is really important. And sometimes it is as important as discussing toxicity related to chemotherapy or other things related to the treatment itself. But addressing their concerns, it would be a way to alleviate the burden that the patients are experiencing from that. Dr. Mikkael Sekeres: So what would you say to them? If somebody said to you, "How can I do well when this famous actress didn't do well?", what would you say? Dr. Carlos Stecca: The first thing is to talk to the patient that every diagnosis is different. So we do have differences in staging, we do have differences in biology of the tumor. And as we study more those diseases and every type of cancer, but here, especially colorectal cancer, we are seeing that those differences are very important in the treatment and they will be part of the prognosis as well. So no disease is the same as other disease. So your experience is unique. So your diagnosis is in a certain way unique. Your treatment might be different, right? Dr. Mikkael Sekeres: I like how you personalized that for each patient. I really love how you end this essay. You write, "In those quiet moments after a headline, when fear enters the exam room, my responsibility is clear. I must not only prescribe treatment, but also restore perspective, dignity, and courage. Sometimes that is the most difficult, yet most essential part of being an oncologist." I remember, Carlos, one of my patients once described what we do as being almost pastoral. He himself was a minister and said this. And an important part of our job is to provide that context, but also a space where people can feel forgiveness for what they perceive as their fault. I wonder if you could reflect on that a little bit. How is it that, it almost sounds like it's too extreme, but we provide a sanctuary where patients can forgive themselves for the guilt they've been carrying around. Dr. Carlos Stecca: Yeah. No, I think this is very important. As medical oncologists, we are more than just physicians. We become friends with the patients, right? So most of the time I do create this relationship, this strong bond with the patient, because I worked as a family doctor before, so I treated patients very intimately as well. But nothing compares to being an oncologist now, because I think that the emotional burden associated with the profession is extremely high. And it's very difficult for the patient, for the family. And so we become part of their families and part of their story and their journey throughout their whole journey with the cancer. So it can be very emotional. I think that it's much more than being a physician and treating patients and prescribing treatments and discussing the biology of the tumor. And it's much more than that. And I think that being an oncologist entails all that, entails being part of their story and engaging in an emotional journey that they are having with the cancer. Especially here in Brazil, I think that the diagnosis of cancer has always been challenging. And I think that a patient's experience is unique and addressing the emotional part of it is very important. Dr. Mikkael Sekeres: Well, what a beautiful way to sum up what we do. We become part of our patients' stories and journey, and they become part of ours, and I think that's why we write about it. It has been such a pleasure to have Dr. Carlos Stecca to discuss his essay, "When Cancer Becomes a Headline: Reflections From the Clinic". Carlos, thank you so much for submitting your article and for joining us today. Dr. Carlos Stecca: Thank you so much for having me. It was a pleasure. If you enjoyed this episode, consider sharing it with a friend or colleague or leave us a review. Your feedback and support helps us continue to have these important conversations. If you are looking for more episodes and context, follow our show on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen and explore more from ASCO at asco.org/podcasts. Until next time, this has been Mikkael Sekeres for JCO's Cancer Stories: The Art of Oncology. The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. This is not a substitute for professional medical care and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of individual conditions. Guests on this podcast express their own opinions, experience, and conclusions. Guest statements on the podcast do not express the opinions of ASCO. The mention of any product, service, organization, activity, or therapy should not be construed as an ASCO endorsement. Show notes:Like, share and subscribe so you never miss an episode and leave a rating or review. Guest Bio: Dr Carlos Stecca is a medical oncologist at Evangelical Mackenzie University Hospital.

The March 3 edition of the AgNet News Hour delivered one of the most candid conversations yet about the mounting pressures facing California agriculture. Hosts Nick Papagni and Josh McGill welcomed Dave Roberts of R7 Enterprises, a diversified grower in Woodlake farming cherries, citrus, lemons, pomegranates, Asian pears, avocados, and more. His message was clear: California farmers are doing everything right — but the system is making it harder and harder to survive. Roberts explained how global imports, shrinking marketing windows, and fewer major buyers are compressing profitability. In the lemon market alone, imports from the Southern Hemisphere have cut weeks out of California's traditional selling window. The result? More volume forced into a shorter time frame, softer prices, and in some cases, fruit left unharvested. “When fruit leaves my farm, everybody knows what they're going to get paid that day except for me,” Roberts said — a striking reality for any business owner. Beyond imports, consolidation is reshaping agriculture. Large retailers like Costco, Walmart, and Kroger dominate buying power, while smaller packers struggle to afford the new technology required to stay competitive. As packers consolidate, growers have fewer marketing options, often putting additional downward pressure on returns. Regulation remains another major challenge. Roberts estimates compliance costs are consuming roughly 20 percent of farm budgets. From labor and fuel to water policy and environmental mandates, the expenses continue climbing — without corresponding increases in farmgate prices. “The number one rule of sustainability is making a profit,” Roberts emphasized. Without profitability, there is no next generation. Water policy also dominated the discussion. Roberts voiced strong concerns about SGMA and the potential removal of productive farmland from use. With California already importing significant food, he questioned how reducing domestic production strengthens food security. “Food security is national security,” he said, urging policymakers to reconsider how water is stored, moved, and allocated. The conversation extended to labor reform, avocado imports, cartel-controlled production in Mexico, and the long-term future of small farming communities. Throughout the interview, one theme remained constant: farmers are willing to compete — but they need a level playing field. Roberts ended with a message of resilience, saying California agriculture “has to get better” because people depend on safe, nutritious food. For California farmers listening, the episode was more than an interview — it was a reflection of the real-world pressures many are feeling today.

Welcome to Thursday's Rugby Daily, I'm Cameron Hill.Coming up, a major injury blow for Ireland ahead of the final two games of their Six Nations campaign.Could head coach Andy Farrell leave for Saracens after the 2027 Rugby World Cup?And the case for Irish players take short-term sabbaticals like their colleagues in the Southern Hemisphere.Rugby on Off The Ball with Bank of Ireland | #NeverStopCompeting

Unlock the hidden negotiation advantage you never knew you had. What if the very trait you've been told is holding you back is actually your greatest strength at the bargaining table? In this powerful Negotiation Masterclass edition of Negotiate Anything, Kwame Christian curates three eye-opening conversations that challenge everything you think you know about introversion, persuasion, and performance. From bestselling author Matthew Pollard's journey from terrified door-to-door salesman to the #1 rep in the largest sales organization in the Southern Hemisphere, to expert insights on energy, silence, storytelling, and strategy, this episode reveals why introverts may have a natural edge in sales, networking, and negotiation. You'll discover: Why introversion isn't about shyness—but energy. How systems and preparation outperform “winging it” every time. The storytelling framework that can make you 22x more memorable. How silence, listening, and strategic pacing become persuasion superpowers. Practical ways introverts (and extroverts) can negotiate more effectively. Whether you identify as an introvert, extrovert, or somewhere in between, this episode will reshape how you see communication, confidence, and influence. Because success doesn't belong to the loudest voice in the room — it belongs to the most strategic one. Negotiate Anything: Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code ANYTHING at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: ⁠⁠https://incogni.com/anything⁠ Data brokers are collecting, aggregating and trading your personal data without you knowing anything about it. We make them remove it.