The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

ACHOO Syndrome: A Strange Reflex That Causes Sneezing in the Sun - The photic sneeze reflex—also called autosomal dominant compelling helio-ophthalmic outburst (ACHOO) syndrome - affects almost a fourth of people worldwide.

They’re smaller than dust, but crucial for Earth’s climate - Coccolithophores, tiny planktonic architects of Earth’s climate, capture carbon, produce oxygen, and leave behind geological records that chronicle our planet’s history.

An E.U. Plan to Slash Micropollutants in Wastewater Is Under Attack - Earlier this year, a European Union directive mandated advanced treatment of micropollutants in wastewater, with the cost to be borne by polluters. But the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries, which are responsible for most of those contaminants, are now pushing back.

Researchers Crack the Lost Origins of an Ancient Egyptian Temple - In a 4,000-year-old creation myth from ancient Egypt, god manifested as high ground that rose out of watery chaos. New research suggests this myth of the primeval mound may have inspired the first temple to Amun-Ra at Karnak, a site in the religious capital of Thebes that over the course of millennia became one of Egypt’s most important complexes. Across the entire Theban area, the land on which the Amun-Ra temple was built was the only high ground permanently surrounded by water. Its connection to the creation myth would have been apparent as the Nile floodwaters rose and receded each year, creating the illusion of the mound rising out of the river.

Ancient bathhouse unearthed in Türkiye's Olympos reveals life of Byzantine bishop - The bathhouse was not only for the bishop’s private use. It had entrances both from the main street and from the house. On certain days of the week, the bishop allowed ordinary townspeople to use it free of charge, both for hygiene and for health purposes.

Hawaii Hits Milestone in Rooftop Solar - Hawaii has the highest rate of rooftop solar power adoption in the US, on a per capita basis. Rooftop solar has hit 44% penetration among single-family homes on Oahu, the state’s most populated island.

The remarkable rise of eBird – the world’s biggest citizen science project - In the month of August this year, 123,000 birders submitted 1.6 million lists of sightings. It has now hit a total of 2 billion bird observations since inception. The data is showing in sobering detail how the abundance of many species is changing, almost always downwards.

Electricity Use Is Becoming More Common for Residential Heating in USA - An increasing share of U.S. households are using electricity for heating, although natural gas remains the most common heating fuel. In 2024, 42% of U.S. households reported that electricity was their main space heating fuel, according to annual estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. Natural gas was the main heating fuel in 47% of homes last year, a decline from 49% in 2010.

Scientists suggest the brain may work best with 7 senses, not just 5 - The memory of humans and other living beings is an enigmatic phenomenon tied to the property of consciousness, among other things. Advancing the theoretical models of memory will be instrumental to gaining new insights into the human mind and, perhaps, recreating humanlike memory in AI agents.

For the First Time, Renewables Supplying More Power Globally Than Coal - In the first half of this year, renewable energy grew faster than power demand, leading to a small drop in the consumption of coal and natural gas. In a first, renewables generated more electricity globally than coal, fulfilling a 2020 prediction by the International Energy Agency, which saw clean energy surpassing coal this year.

My daughter and I headed to Hot Springs, Arkansas after visiting my dad in Dallas. It was a 2-day vacation in celebration of Mother’s Day. There are lots of things to do in the area; we chose to focus on two: the national park and Garvan Woodland Gardens. This is the first blog post about our trip.

There are eight bathhouses that are the historic core of Hot Springs National Park. Only one (the Buckstaff) still functions as a traditional bathhouse. The Fordyce functions as the park’s visitor center. It has many restored features – stained glass skylights, tile floors, a gym, elaborate baths. The changing cubicles seemed very small; there must have been fewer obese people when they were designed!

The Quapaw has been renovated as a modern spa.

We had lunch at the Superior – which is now a brewery. I enjoyed their root beer that is made with water from the springs and sweetened with honey.

My daughter and I spent the most time at the Buckstaff – enjoyed the Traditional Bathing Package: whirlpool tub, sitz bath, vapor cabinet, hot packs, and full body massage. The bathtubs and equipment are original to when the bathhouse opened in 1912! It’s a great way to experience history. One of the learning experiences: how to wear a sheet to be securely and completely covered.

Across the street there is a row of shops – appealing to tourists. I noticed the top of one of them looked like it might be painted tin (I learned to look for it in old buildings when I was in London, Ontario in 2022). There are also murals painted on the sides of buildings.

There are magnolias that line the street in front of the bathhouses. They were beginning to bloom.

There were mushrooms coming up near one of them and I couldn’t resist some macro pictures of the magnolia bark and the view into the top of one of the trees.