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New research has linked higher plasma levels of the healthy fats omega-3 and omega-6 to a reduced risk of developing particular types of cancer. The study adds to the on-again/off-again relationship that exists between scientists and the common supplements. · Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, usually found in fish supplements, have enjoyed their time in both the (scientific) sun and the cold, cold shade. On the one hand, studies have found that…

The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month was the moment when hostilities ceased on the Western Front in 1918, following the signing of an armistice. · The signing of the armistice between the Allies and Germany was celebrated in many cities and towns around New Zealand. Enthusiasm was dampened, however, by the ongoing impact of the influenza pandemic that was ravaging the country. A premature report of an armistice published on 8…

Noisy environments pose a challenge to deaf people, particularly when they're trying to discern what a specific person within such a setting is saying. AirCaps glasses are designed to help, by providing real-time captioning to the wearer. · The glasses were developed by a team of engineers and designers from several universities, including Cornell University computer science student Nirbhay Narang. The technology is now being commercialized via…

The truth is that for all its failings, America has provided more opportunity, security, and freedom to a group of people more diverse than any other nation in history. It is not because America is systemically rotten; but because it is foundationally good. Justice for all calls for those foundations to be defended, not destroyed. · The following essay is occasioned by the question, can there be a conservative revolution? I am aware, as I…

In the middle of the night, on 10 November 1868 around 100 men, 60 on horseback, forded the Waipāoa River and moved quietly towards Matawhero. By dawn, they had killed about 60 people of all ages in the Pākehā settlement and adjacent kāinga (Māori settlements). Some were shot, but most were bayoneted, tomahawked or clubbed to avoid alerting their neighbours. · Most of those who escaped the slaughter ran to Tūranganui (Gisborne), 6 km away,…

On 9 November 1769, James Cook helped his astronomer Charles Green observe the transit of Mercury at Te Whanganui-o-Hei (Mercury Bay), Coromandel Peninsula. · When the planets Mercury and Venus pass across the Sun, they are visible as small black dots. Timing these ‘transits’ from different locations was the first accurate way to determine the distance between Earth and the Sun. · After observing the transit of Venus from Tahiti, Cook sailed…

In an unmarked cemetery in northern Poland, a young woman was laid to rest centuries ago in a manner both unique and grim: with an iron sickle pressed to her throat and a padlock on her foot.  · Her burial spoke of a community steeped in fear, eager to prevent what they saw as an evil resurrection. Known now as “Zosia,” she was one of several “vampire” burials from the time, each steeped in a potent mix of local lore and superstition. · Zosia…

In a recent rally in Wisconsin Tim Waltz, the Democratic nominee for Vice-President, called Elon Musk a ‘dip-shit' and mocked the billionaire's appearance with Donald Trump. · Pictures of Musk manically cavorting on stage oblivious to Trump's apparent side-eye, quickly ‘meme'd' their way around the internet. It's easy to ridicule the awkwardness of the world's richest person, but treating Musk like a clown only distracts from the real danger he…

More than 2.6 million people visited the New Zealand Centennial Exhibition, which ran for six months at Rongotai, Wellington from November 8th 1939. It was the centrepiece of the centennial of the signing of the Treaty of the Waitangi. · The exhibition covered 55 acres (22 ha) of land between Wellington’s airport and Rongotai College. Architect Edmund Anscombe designed the centennial fair to illustrate the progress of the country. His striking…

Some might argue that George Washington should hold the record for the greatest margin of victory of any American president. In the very first presidential election in 1789, Washington won 100 percent of the electoral college—all 69 votes. Washington had a distinct advantage, though. He ran unopposed. · Here are seven landslide American presidential elections with the greatest margins of victory, ranked from smallest to largest. · 1. Lyndon…