Bill Gates Shares his List of Best Popular Science Books of the Year

1. 'The Song of the Cell' by Siddharth Mukherjee, an American oncologist of Indian origin. It is a popular science narrative about biology, the theory of evolution, and medicine. 2. 'Not the End of the World' - an exploration by data analyst Hannah Ritchie. She offers an original perspective on the ecological crisis based on statistical analysis. 3. 'Invention and Innovation' by Czech-Canadian scientist Vaclav Smil. Gates notes that he has read all 44 books by the author and has personally discussed questions of technological progress with him.

Fighting loneliness

The authorities of a Swedish city have called on residents to greet strangers in order to combat loneliness. According to research, nearly half of young people aged 16 to 29 in Luleå have experienced problems related to loneliness, which are further exacerbated by the habit of keeping distance. The new campaign aims to change this situation. The concept is simple: just warmly greet peers on the street with the word 'hej' - a common Swedish greeting.

Attractive People Have More Successful Careers

Researchers from Norway and Poland examined data from 11,583 individuals from a large-scale study on teenage health conducted in the United States, exploring the connection between attractiveness and social success. It turned out that women who were perceived as more attractive had a slight advantage in achieving career success compared to others. However, similar differences were even more noticeable among attractive men. They obtained better education and more prestigious and higher-paying job positions compared to others.

Street Artist JR and Daft Punk's Musician Transform Paris Opera into an Open-Air Stage

Street artist JR, choreographer Damien Jalet, and musician Thomas Bangalter from Daft Punk transformed the Paris Opera building into an open-air stage. In a grand dance show on the opera's facade, 153 dancers participated. During the performance, they repeated the phrase: 'Darkness preserves the grace of light.' JR expressed his desire to bring light back to people during a period of gloomy news from around the world.

The Largest Solar Power Plant in the World is Launched in the UAE

The largest solar power plant in the world has been put into operation in the UAE. Its capacity is 2 GW. Al-Dhafra will provide energy to 200,000 households and will annually prevent over 2.4 million tons of CO₂ emissions.

Adidas to release reusable rubber overshoe for sneakers

Adidas will release reusable rubber overshoe called Bubble Shells which will only fit the Superstar model. Apparently, Adidas has realized that wearing white sneakers can be challenging in many countries for most of the year and they have come up with this solution to the problem.

Eyed penguins recognize partners by their body spots

Eyed penguins have discovered their partners by the spots on their bodies. Italian biologists have found that eyed penguins can distinguish their own partner from other birds by the pattern of spots on their body. It is unique to each individual.

Blood of marine worms may become a new doping

French scientist Franck Zal concluded that the blood of marine worms can become a new form of doping. He has found that the hemoglobin of marine worms transports oxygen in the blood 40 times more efficiently than human hemoglobin. This means that it can enhance athletes' endurance and strength.

British scientists plan to revive the mammoth by 2028

British scientists are planning to revive the mammoth by 2028. Experts intend to reconstruct the mammoth's genome from the found samples, filling in the gaps using DNA from modern Asian elephants, which share 99.6% of their genome. They also need to find countries that would allow mammoths to be released on their territories.

First flying taxi lands in New York City

The first flying taxi has landed in New York City, reducing the travel time from Manhattan to Kennedy Airport to just 10 minutes, instead of the usual hour. The cost of this taxi should be approximately equal to the Uber Black fare. In this case, the passenger would pay around $200. It promises a maximum speed of over 320 km/h, 240 km of flight on a single charge, and noise level from the propellers no louder than street noise.

Maternal Depression Decreases Children's Chances of Higher Education

Maternal depression has been found to reduce children's chances of pursuing higher education, according to a study analyzing data from 8952 participants in the long-term Children of the 90s study. The comparison of this information with the academic performance of the participants revealed that children of mothers who repeatedly reported pronounced symptoms of depression were less likely to enroll in universities. Even after adjusting for socioeconomic factors, their probability of university education was 12% lower.

Banksy has revealed his name

BBC has published one of the artist's earliest interviews, in which he asked to be called Robbie. This moment did not make it into the final version of the interview in 2003, but it has now been made available to the public. This information supports the theory that Banksy is actually Robert Del Naja, the founder of Massive Attack.

Earth experiences record-breaking temperature increase

For the first time, the Earth has warmed by 2°C above pre-industrial levels. The hottest day on record occurred on November 17, 2023. The average global temperature was 2.06 degrees Celsius higher than it was in the period between 1850 and 1900. This marks the first time in history that the planet has warmed by more than two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

Tragedy at Taylor Swift's concert in Rio de Janeiro

A girl died from a heart attack caused by dehydration at Taylor Swift's concert in Rio de Janeiro. Organizers prohibited bringing water, despite the stadium reaching temperatures of up to 60°C. Approximately one thousand fainting cases were recorded, and 23-year-old Ana Clara Benevides was unsuccessfully resuscitated for 40 minutes.

Giant Shepherd Dog Yogi Conquers Social Networks

Giant shepherd dog Yogi has conquered social networks. Yogi's owners have shared that it costs them a pretty penny to maintain the dog - a year of training and socialization has cost them $5000, and not every specialist agrees to work with the little one.

Record-breaking Sale of The Macallan Whisky in London

A bottle of The Macallan Scotch whisky has been sold in London for a record price of 2.1 million pounds sterling. This marks the most expensive alcohol deal in Sotheby's history. It is reported that in 1986, only 40 bottles of The Macallan 1926 were produced after being aged in sherry casks for 60 years. This aging process gave the whisky its unique color.

Chinese scientists grow tobacco in artificial lunar soil

Chinese scientists have grown tobacco in artificial lunar soil by adding three types of bacteria to volcanic material. Agronomists planted tobacco in the soil, resulting in plants with stronger roots, longer stems, and larger leaves compared to other samples. This technology brings closer the possibility of growing food on the Moon, which will be necessary for long-duration missions as transportation costs of supplies are very expensive.

Napoleon's Hat Sold for Nearly 2 Million Euros in Paris

Napoleon's hat was sold for nearly 2 million euros in Paris. This is one of the 20 surviving headgears of the French emperor. The hat is in excellent condition, as it belonged to the same family for a long time - the descendants of the intendant Jean-Louis Nauzé, who worked in Napoleon's palace.

Interconnection Between Xiaomi and Apple Ecosystems

40% of smart gadget users from Xiaomi are owners of iPhone and iPad. 45% of iPhone and iPad users possess more than five smart devices from the Xiaomi ecosystem. Currently, there are 655 million registered devices in the Mija ecosystem, which means that 300 million of them were purchased by Apple product owners.

Pet Shower Machines: The Latest Innovation in China

In China, pet shower machines have been introduced. If your dog gets dirty during a walk, you can wash and dry it in these machines, bringing home a clean pet.