Not Just Fun and Games

The Stars Could Help Unify Us

Share this on WhatsApp As an astronomer, I am accustomed to observing the cosmos in quiet places. But since the start of self-isolation, it’s so quiet that my own heartbeat is the only background noise. I observe galaxies in the deep universe, in places so far away that their light takes billions of years to […]

Hacker Attack on Essential Pipeline Shows Infrastructure Weaknesses

Share this on WhatsApp A crucial U.S. fuel pipeline operator recently announced it had been hit by ransomware, a type of cyberattack in which hackers encrypt important data so their owners cannot access them—unless the owners pay the criminals to unlock the information. Colonial Pipeline, a private company that transports nearly half of the U.S. […]

New COVID Antiviral Cuts Hospitalizations in Half

Share this on WhatsApp The pandemic is not over, despite some proclamations to the contrary. The good news is that we now have some effective therapeutics that are helping drive fatality rates down. Chief among these is Paxlovid, which significantly reduces the risk of hospitalization and death and was first granted an emergency use authorization […]