Month: November 2023

Health

Free at house Covid exams accessible beginning Monday

Post author By Mans Life Daily
Post date November 21, 2023

Free at home Covid tests available starting Monday

COVID-19 home test kits are pictured in a store window during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., January 19, 2022.

Carlo Allegri | Reuters

The Biden administration on Monday said it is offering another round of free at-home Covid tests to U.S. households ahead of the holiday season, when more people gather indoors and the virus typically spreads at higher levels.

Starting Monday, Americans can use COVIDtests.gov to request four free tests per household. Those who have not ordered any tests this fall can now place two orders for a total of eight tests, according to the website.

The administration in September allowed people to request an initial round of four free tests through the site, resuming a federal program that temporarily shut down during a political fight over Covid funding.

At-home tests are a critical tool to protect against the virus, especially now that lab PCR tests — the traditional method of detecting Covid — have become more expensive and less accessible since the government ended the public health emergency in May.

But demand for tests, along with Covid vaccines and treatments, has plummeted over the last year as cases and public concern about the virus dwindled from earlier in the pandemic.

More CNBC health coverage

Only a small share of Americans appear to be worried about Covid disrupting their holiday plans this fall and winter.

About 3 in 10 Americans said they are concerned they will get seriously sick from Covid or will spread the virus to people close to them over the holidays, according to a poll released Friday by health policy research organization KFF.

Less than half were concerned about the potential for another Covid surge during the winter, which has occurred in previous years of the pandemic, the poll said.

Still, signs of a winter Covid wave are emerging.

More than 16,200 Americans were hospitalized in the week ending Nov. 11, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That marks an 8.6% increase from the previous week.

Don’t miss these stories from CNBC PRO:

Science

DLR Curiosities • Watts Up With That?

Post author By Mans Life Daily
Post date November 20, 2023

Guest Post by Willis Eschenbach.

The CERES dataset continues to yield new insights. My joy is to graph different relationships and then see what I can learn and find out from the graph.

Inter a lot of alia, the CERES dataset allows us to calculate the amount of the very poorly named “greenhouse radiation”. This is the downwelling longwave (thermal) radiation from the atmosphere. It’s commonly called “DLR”, which stands for downwelling longwave radiation.

(NOTE: This is not a thread for disputing the existence of downwelling longwave radiation from the atmosphere. DLR exists, it’s measured both manually and automatically all over the planet every day, and it doesn’t violate the 2nd Law. Get over it.

If you wish to dispute that, fine, I encourage you to do so … but this thread is not the place to do it. There are dozens of threads on the subject, the web is a large place, pick one and go. Please, don’t test me on this. I don’t want to have to snip comments claiming no DLR or that the “greenhouse effect” violates the 2nd Law, but I sure will … END NOTE.]

As first proposed by Ramanathan, the downwelling longwave greenhouse radiation (DLR) can be measured from satellite and ground measurements. It’s the amount of upwelling longwave surface radiation absorbed by the atmosphere. It’s calculated as the upwelling longwave radiation from the surface minus the upwelling longwave radiation measured at the “top of atmosphere” or TOA, meaning in this case at the satellite.

The CERES dataset has values for all-sky and clear-sky radiation. The difference between those is the effect of the clouds.

Now, the amount of downwelling longwave radiation changes over time. And in theory, part of this change is from an increase in CO2. We can calculate the theoretical change in DLR resulting from the change in CO2.

Putting all of that together, we get the following plot of the changes in downwelling “greenhouse” radiation since the turn of the 21st century.

Figure 1. Changes in downwelling “greenhouse” radiation by source.

Now, there are several things of note in this graph.

First, the total change in greenhouse radiation is more than three times the change due to CO2. Presumably, this must be from a combination of changes in water vapor, latent/sensible heat loss, atmospheric solar absorption, and increased surface temperature.

Next, CO2 is the minor player in the greenhouse DLR game. Non-CO2 clear-sky DLR increase over the 2000-2022 period was ~ 3.2 W/m2. Cloud DLR decrease was ~ 1 W/m2. But the CO2 change was only 0.7 W/m2, the smallest of the three.

Next, I theorized a couple of decades ago that thunderstorms, clouds, and other emergent phenomena act to oppose temperature changes and thereby stabilize the temperature. Since then, I’ve provided a variety of evidence to back up that claim. Here, in Fig. 1 you can see that while greenhouse DLR from CO2 and from water vapor are increasing, to the contrary, the greenhouse DLR from the clouds is decreasing. This is evidence in favor of my theory.

In fact, the change in the clouds over the period has more than offset the change due to CO2 … who knew?

Finally, we can compare the change in greenhouse DLR to the change in temperature. This gives us the “TCR”, the transient climate response to a change in DLR.

In this case, the TCR is 0.2°C per W/m2, which would be equivalent to 0.7°C per doubling of CO2. This is markedly smaller than the usual value for the TCR, which is on the order of 1.5W/m2 per 2xCO2 or so. Looking at Figure 1 we can see why that is so. The total change in observed greenhouse DLR is ~ three times the theoretical change from CO2. Since the change is larger, the sensitivity to the change perforce must be smaller.

And since TCR values are typically about 55% of the equilibrium climate sensitivity (ECS), that would make this estimate of the ECS about 1.4°C per 2xCO2.

Finally, there’s been little change in total greenhouse DLR since ~ 2016 … another unsolved mystery of the sea.

Best to all,

To Avoid Misunderstandings: When you comment please quote the exact words that you are discussing.

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Sport

What PFL buy of Bellator means for MMA fighters and followers

Post author By Mans Life Daily
Post date November 20, 2023

What PFL purchase of Bellator means for MMA fighters and fans

Nov 20, 2023, 02:54 PM ET

The PFL announced the long-rumored acquisition of Bellator MMA on Monday, with PFL chairman Donn Davis writing on the social media platform X that the purchase creates a “new MMA global powerhouse.”

What does this deal mean for Bellator, which since being founded in 2008 has grown to be the second-biggest MMA promotion, behind the UFC? The PFL has challenged that No. 2 position in recent years, and with this massive transaction there now is a clear alternative to the top-dog UFC.

Davis’ announcement noted that Bellator will not cease to exist, but instead will be relaunched in a “reimagined” form: a Bellator International Champions Series. What will that look like? How will the promotions operate side by side under a common ownership? Will Bellator fighters compete in the PFL and vice versa?

Brett Okamoto and Marc Raimondi address the questions raised by the purchase of Bellator, laying out the facts they know and also speculating what might or should happen with the future of Bellator and the PFL.

What will Bellator look like now?

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Okamoto: Bellator will be a bit of a shell, if we’re just being honest. The PFL is going to poach the best parts, as it obviously should. Any athlete with intrigue or promotional value is likely going to move into the PFL cage. It’s fundamentally the same thing that happened when the UFC purchased Strikeforce over a decade ago.

It sounds like the PFL will lean on an international roster, with the formation of a Bellator International Champions Series. It’s a place for the PFL to satisfy a variety of contracts and keep international talent busy, and if someone pops with the fans, great. The series can still be used as a promotional tool in the bigger picture. But in reality, it’s something of a hybrid international/developmental league. The best and most recognizable Bellator fighters will not be fighting here. And the PFL announcement did not even specify where Bellator fights would be televised, with Showtime getting out of combat sports.

What are the most appealing fights that now can be made?

Okamoto: Cris Cyborg vs. Kayla Harrison is the most appealing. There is a narrative there to push. Ever since Harrison transitioned into MMA after winning two Olympic gold medals in judo, this has been a potential matchup. Yes, Harrison lost to Larissa Pacheco in the 2022 PFL lightweight finals, and if Pacheco wins the 2023 featherweight final this Friday, she deserves to fight Cyborg, the Bellator featherweight champ, when the PFL puts on the champ-vs.-champ event that Davis promised for 2024. But Cyborg vs. Kayla is the bigger fight, and I would expect the PFL to run with that one.

Davis said as much when the PFL chairman spoke to ESPN on Monday. He said Cyborg vs. Harrison will “100% happen.” Nothing is ever 100% in MMA, but this is the most marketable fight the PFL can make with this merger and the company do its best to make it.

Beyond that, some of the most intriguing matchups include Bellator heavyweight champ Ryan Bader against PFL’s newly acquired Francis Ngannou, Bellator lightweight champ Usman Nurmagomedov vs. the winner of Friday’s PFL final between Olivier Aubin-Mercier and Clay Collard, and Bellator light heavyweight champ Vadim Nemkov vs. 2022 PFL champ Rob Wilkinson. And getting away from champions for a moment, Bellator names such as AJ McKee and Aaron Pico are going to be very interesting to watch against PFL featherweights and lightweights.

Cris Cyborg is among the Bellator stars who could be matched up with the PFL’s best. Lucas Noonan/Bellator MMA

How does the consolidation of the PFL and Bellator affect the balance of power in MMA?

Raimondi: This acquisition gives the PFL a broad, deep roster of extremely talented fighters across weight classes. There are endless excellent fights the brand can now make, involving the likes of Cyborg, McKee, Patricio “Pitbull” Freire, Johnny Eblen, Vadim Nemkov and more. The quality of talent the PFL now has at its disposal is the greatest assemblage of fighters a non-UFC promotion has had — maybe ever. At least since the heyday of Pride. It will have more depth than Strikeforce.

There’s also the Saudi Arabia element. When news broke in August that deep-pocketed Saudi Arabia had acquired a minority stake in PFL, the stock prices for Endeavor and WWE both went down. (This was before the official merger of the UFC and WWE into TKO.) That was demonstrative of what the market thought of Saudi Arabia having influence over a UFC competitor. So, fans might not see the combination of PFL and Bellator catching up to the UFC, but Saudi Arabia being involved with this level of talent will surely catch the market’s attention.

What challenge does the PFL face with this influx of talent?

Raimondi: The biggest question now is if the PFL can pinpoint who the biggest potential stars are on this roster and build them into legitimate box-office brands. Despite an abundance of gifted athletes at its disposal, the PFL still doesn’t have a major pay-per-view draw or someone who sells a ton of tickets. Bellator’s ratings weren’t exactly tearing the house down on Showtime, and the PFL isn’t the hottest live ticket in town, either. Ngannou should be able to move the needle, but he could end up boxing for the foreseeable future. And then there’s Jake Paul. If he does fight MMA in the PFL, it would draw a lot of eyes.

All of that means it will remain to be seen if this fresh, new PFL can really make a run at the UFC. Maybe in the future, the PFL will be in position to sign top free agents leaving the UFC. But those opportunities are scarce.

“I think their cap table and their investors are just too smart to f— up,” one high-profile MMA agent told ESPN recently, under condition of anonymity. “I don’t think they’ll ever be the No. 1, but I think they’ll be competitive.”

How is PFL’s season format impacted?

Okamoto: As for now, and this could always change by spring 2024 when the season launches, the plan is for the regular season to still consist of six weight classes. The weight classes could change from what they are in 2023, but there is not a plan in place as of now to expand into more weight classes. The biggest impact will be the depth of the classes. The PFL has done a good job in recent years of signing free agents to make their weight classes look different from season to season, but at the same time, some of the matchups had grown stale. We were starting to see some similarities from year to year. With the injection of Bellator’s roster, these weight classes are going to be exponentially better.

Will this attract high-profile free agents to the PFL?

Okamoto: Money attracts free agents. Athletes are going to go where they can make the most money, and the PFL has a proven track record that in certain situations, it is willing to be the highest bidder. In general, the PFL has become an attractive promotion simply because it’s getting more recognition. It’s becoming more credible with each passing year. Adding this level of Bellator talent, and this much of it at once, only continues that trend. The PFL is not on an equal playing ground to the UFC, there is no question about that, but it’s a realistic, viable platform for the top talent in the world. And again, most importantly, it has shown that it is willing to pay for the top talent in the world.

Will this deal have implications for the class-action antitrust lawsuit against the UFC?

Raimondi: Potentially. The messaging that PFL has already put out there, that “our fighter roster [is] equal to UFC,” will almost surely be used by UFC attorneys in the case to demonstrate that the promotion is not a monopsony (a company that is the sole buyer in a market) and does not have a stranglehold on the MMA market. The UFC’s attorneys have asked for further discovery, specifically information from other MMA promotions showing they have market freedom, before a potential April 2024 start date for the trial.

The court doesn’t seem to be too keen on extending that beginning date, but a development like this could change things. In any event, the UFC could look to immediately use the news of PFL acquiring Bellator as part of its case. Don’t be surprised if the UFC’s attorneys also mention that the Saudis have a minority stake in PFL and now in Bellator, too. That is absolutely useful information for the defendants in the antitrust lawsuit. Now, none of this might convince a court of law that the UFC is not a monopsony, but it could be a boon for the UFC’s case.

Entertainment

Tommie Lee Noticed With Tamar Braxton’s Ex Jeremy Robinson

Post author By Mans Life Daily
Post date November 20, 2023

Tommie Lee Spotted With Tamar Braxton’s Ex Jeremy Robinson

Last month, Tamar Braxton and her former fiance, Jeremy Robinson, took to social media to confirm they were broken up. The ‘Love & War’ singer met Jeremy while filming the dating series ‘Queens Court.’ Fast forward to a few weeks later, Jeremy took his talents from the ‘Queen’s Court’ to an actual court, with Tommie Lee by his side. Tommie and Jeremy sat court side together, while watching the Atlanta Hawks play.

RELATED: Tamar Braxton Addresses Her Split With Jeremy Robinson

In the clip shared from Tommie’s Instagram story, you can see Tommie looking over a stat sheet that Jeremy is holding. The second frame is a selfie video, featuring the pair.

Interestingly enough, the timing of their outing comes on the heels of both Tommie and Tamar reportedly exchanging online jabs. The Jasmine Brand reports the pair had a war of words recently after Tamar addressed the Chrisean Rock incident.

Tommie Lee Shares Snippet Of New Music

Sitting court side isn’t the only thing Tommie has been up to. The reality star seems to also be in the studio working on new music. In a clip she shared to Instagram, Tommie is rapping along to her own song.

After posting the song on The Shade Room, the comment section was VERY vocal about the song snippet:

“Everybody wanna be artist y’all don’t wanna go to school to be doctors or lawyers nomo?? 😭” – niyah_dabrat19

“Tommie can rap , this beat just ain’t for her” – snowsimonnie

“Tell her to apologize to us now for making us listen to this 😂” – definitelypaid

It’s not even bad , yah just saying that because it’s TOMMIE ! – the.official_lauren

Tommie Responds To Online Feedback About Her New Song

Tommie must have been in the comment section right with y’all, because she uploaded a video responding to the unsolicited feedback.

RELATED: Tommie Lee Prepares For Boxing Match With Natalie Nunn (Video)

Technology

World-first CRISPR gene-editing remedy accepted in UK

Post author By Mans Life Daily
Post date November 20, 2023

World-first CRISPR gene-editing therapy approved in UK

The UK has become the first country in the world to approve CRISPR gene-editing therapy. The landmark biotech decision involves the treatment of two specific blood dieseases, but also opens the door for the use of the technology in treating many other genetic disorders.

Regulators approved the use of CRISPR for the treatment of inherited diseases sickle-cell anaemia and β-thalassaemia on Thursday. The former affects the shape of red blood cells of 20 million people worldwide and can cause debilitating pain.

People with the latter need to receive regular blood transfusions to counteract a reduced production of haemoglobin, which in turn reduces levels of oxygen in the body. About 80 to 90 million people carry some version of β-thalassaemia worldwide.

CRISPR stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats. These are repetitive DNA sequences in the genomes of organisms such as bacteria. The bacteria transcribe these double stranded DNA elements to single-stranded RNA upon a viral infection. This then guides what is called a nuclease — a protein that “cuts” DNA — to the viral DNA to protect the bacteria.

CRISPR therapy is like precise genetic surgery. Doctors can perform it inside the body by injecting a guide RNA system that matches what is going wrong in the DNA code. This system carries the protein that acts like scissors (Cas9) and cuts out the faulty bit of code. The cell can then rewrite the code as it fixes the cut. The “surgery” can also happen outside of the body, where doctors edit the cells first and then put them back.

Company founded by Nobel Prize winner

The approval from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) follows promising results from a clinical trial developed by Vertex Pharmaceuticals in Boston, Massachusetts, and CRISPR Therapeutics in Zug, Switzerland. CRISPR Therapeutics was co-founded by Emanuelle Charpentier, who won the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2020 for repurposing CRISPR into the tool for gene editing.

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The specific product from the trials is Casgevy. While the treatment itself is a one-off, patients may need to spend some time in the hospital for related procedures, such as preparing the bone marrow to receive the edited cells.

“Patients may need to spend at least a month in a hospital facility while the treated cells take up residence in the bone marrow and start to make red blood cells with the stable form of haemoglobin,” the MHRA said in a statement.

The companies behind Casgevy have yet to disclose the price of the therapy. However, it will most likely be somewhere between $1mn and $2mn, something that will naturally limit accessibility. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is reportedly also reviewing the treatment for both diseases.

Health

Moderna (MRNA) Q3 earnings report 2023: Covid vaccine losses

Post author By Mans Life Daily
Post date November 20, 2023

Moderna on Thursday posted a steep loss for the third quarter as it recorded a large write-down due to unused doses of its Covid vaccine, its only marketable product, and unveiled plans to scale back production of the shot.

Shares of Moderna closed 6% lower on Thursday.

Moderna’s total revenue for the period topped Wall Street’s expectations, even amid plummeting demand for its shot. Its outlook for next year, however, came in lower than what analysts were projecting.

Here’s what Moderna reported for the third quarter compared with what Wall Street was expecting, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG, formerly known as Refinitiv:

Loss per share: $9.53. That may not be comparable to the $1.93 per share expected by analysts.
Revenue: $1.83 billion vs. $1.40 billion expected

Moderna posted a net loss of $3.63 billion, or $9.53 per share, for the quarter. That compares with net income of $1.04 billion, or $2.53 per share, reported during the year-ago period.

The company said the loss was primarily driven by $3.1 billion in mostly non-cash charges related to tax allowances and changing its manufacturing footprint. The resizing, which resulted in $1.4 billion in charges during the third quarter, aims to make the company’s Covid vaccine profitable in 2024 and beyond, Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said in a statement.

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Moderna’s stock has fallen sharply this year.

The effort includes reducing manufacturing capacity and commitments with several third-party vendors and cutting back on purchase commitments for raw materials for products, Moderna CFO Jamey Mock said during an earnings call Thursday.

“During the pandemic, we were obsessed about scaling up manufacturing to make as many doses as we could to help as many people as we could. And now that we’re moving into an endemic setting, it is important to resize the company,” Bancel said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Thursday.

Cost of sales for the quarter came in at $2.2 billion. That included a $1.3 billion charge for vaccines that have exceeded their shelf life and a contract manufacturing wind-down cost of $500 million, among other costs.

The biotech company generated third-quarter sales of $1.83 billion, with sales of its Covid shot dropping 44% from the same period a year ago. Total revenue plummeted from the $3.36 billion Moderna recorded in the third quarter of 2022, when Covid cases still trended higher in the U.S.

Moderna reiterated its current full-year outlook of at least $6 billion in Covid vaccine sales, but did not provide a range for that forecast. In August, Moderna said it expected its shot to rake in $6 billion to $8 billion in revenue in 2023.

Covid vaccine questions

Nikos Pekiaridis | Lightrocket | Getty Images

The company said its guidance assumes Covid vaccine trends will be consistent with last fall, but noted that U.S. vaccination rates are still the “largest remaining variable to sales for the year.”

“We believe that this season seems to be – and we have to be careful with December – but seems to be on track with last year. A little bit ahead of last year if you look at the weekly data,” Bancel told CNBC.

Notably, Moderna said its Covid vaccine has won 45% of the U.S. market share so far this fall, up from the 36% market share it captured in 2022.

Bancel added that company expects the U.S. market for Covid shots to be at least 50 million doses this fall, which is consistent with last year and is “something we repeat again in 2024.”

“Our assumption is everyone who has gotten their booster in 2023 will at least get their booster also in 2024 and beyond,” Moderna CCO Arpa Garay said during the earnings call. Garay added that the company expects to see “some increase in the overall Covid market” as patients become more understanding of annual vaccine recommendations.

Moderna expects roughly $4 billion in sales in 2024, mostly in the second half of the year, mainly due to global Covid shot sales and the launch of its vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. Wall Street analysts had expected $6 billion next year.

Mock said the company expects 2024 sales to be the “low point” for the company. Moderna expects to return to organic sales growth by 2025.

Moderna and its rivals Pfizer and Novavax have all seen sales of their Covid-related products plummet as much of the world moves on from the pandemic and depends less on protective vaccines and treatments.

Moderna is hoping to shift investor focus away from Covid toward a pipeline of new vaccines. The company is developing shots targeting other respiratory diseases and has said it hopes to offer a slew of new jabs targeting cancer, heart disease and other conditions by 2030.

“We’re talking up to 15 products in the next five years and quite a number of them in ’24 and ’25,” Bancel told CNBC. “That’s how we drive growth again, the products.”

The lineup includes Moderna’s experimental vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. The company in July filed for full approval of the shot for adults ages 60 and older and expects a decision from regulators in 2024.

Moderna is also hoping to win approval for its combination vaccine targeting Covid and the flu in 2025. That shot recently showed positive initial results in a mid-stage clinical trial and is expected to deliver greater convenience to patients and health care providers.

The pipeline also includes Moderna’s personalized cancer vaccine, a highly anticipated shot being developed with Merck to target different tumor types, along with a flu vaccine.

Science

NASA Assessments a Prototype Europa Lander

Post author By Mans Life Daily
Post date November 19, 2023

In 2024, NASA will launch the Europa Clipper, the long-awaited orbiter mission that will fly to Jupiter (arriving in 2030) to explore its icy moon Europa. Through a series of flybys, the Clipper will survey Europa’s surface and plume activity in the hopes of spotting organic molecules and other potential indications of life (“biosignatures”). If all goes well, NASA plans to send a follow-up mission to land on the surface and examine Europa’s icy sheet and plumes more closely. This proposed mission is aptly named the Europa Lander.

While no date has been set, and the mission is still in the research phase, some significant steps have been taken to get the Europa Lander to the development phase. This past August, engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California tested a prototype of this proposed landing system in a simulated environment. This system combines hardware used by previous NASA lander missions and some new elements that will enable a mission to Europa. It also could be adapted to facilitate missions to more “Ocean Worlds” and other celestial bodies in our Solar System.

Since the 1970s, when NASA’s Voyager 1 and 2 probes flew past Jupiter and its system of moons, scientists have been eager to get a closer look at Europa. Several missions have visited Jupiter since, including the NASA-ESA Ulysses probe, which flew past the system in 1992 and 2004. This was followed by the Cassini–Huygens probe that made a flyby in 2000 on its way to Saturn and the New Horizons mission that buzzed the system on its way to the Trans-Neptunian region. However, only two missions have traveled to the system and remained there to study Jupiter and its satellites: the Galileo (1995-2003) and Juno space probes (2016-present).

Thanks to data obtained by the Voyager probes, scientists began to speculate that a liquid ocean might exist beneath Europa’s icy shell. Using planetary models, they further theorized that Europa (and the other Galilean Moons) experienced tidal flexing in its interior resulting from interactions with Jupiter’s powerful gravity. This, they speculated, could lead to hydrothermal activity at the moon’s core-mantle boundary, providing the necessary heat and chemical energy for life. Subsequent missions have only reinforced this suspicion by detecting plume activity, carbon dioxide, and mineral salts on the moon’s surface.

Creating a Europa Lander that can navigate the challenging terrain requires an advanced approach, which NASA engineers are addressing by adapting elements that have worked in the past. This includes the architecture used for the “sky crane” landing system used by NASA’s Curiosity and Perseverance rovers, which relied on parachutes and retro rockets to slow their descent and a pulley system to lower them onto the surface. This system was tested in a simulated environment at NASA’s JPL at Caltech on August 17th and 18th, the highlight of which can be seen in the video above.

The JPL engineers created a simulated propulsive descent stage for their prototype that kept the Europa Lander steady as four bridles lowered it. The Lander has four legs, each of which has a four-bar linkage mechanism that controls the leg’s pose before and during landing. Each leg is preloaded downward with a constant force spring to help them rearrange and compress the surface they encounter as they slowly touch down on the surface. This allows the legs to conform passively to whatever terrain they encounter while providing extra traction and stability during and after the landing event.

The underside of the Lander has a belly pan (similar to a skid plate on an automobile) that resists sheer motion and protects the Lander from potentially harmful terrain. Once the belly pan contacts the surface, sensors trigger a mechanism that locks the legs’ rotary joints. At this point, the legs become responsible for maintaining stability and keeping the lander level as the bridles are unloaded. If the belly pan does not encounter terrain during touchdown, sensors in each leg can also declare touchdown. In this case, the belly pan will be suspended above the terrain, and the Lander will be supported only by its four legs.

Artist’s concept of a proposed Europa lander spacecraft. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

What was not filmed is the phase after the bridles are offloaded, which consists of the bridles being cut and the hovering propulsive stage flying away. Although this landing architecture was developed with Europa in mind, it can be adapted for use on other moons and celestial bodies with challenging terrain. This will come in handy as NASA and other space agencies contemplate sending missions to other “Ocean Worlds” in the Solar System that also have oceans beneath their icy crusts (and might harbor life within).

In the meantime, scientists eagerly anticipate the arrival of the ESA’s JUpiter ICy moon Explorer (JUICE) mission, launched from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guyana on April 14th, 2023. When it arrives at Jupiter in July 2031, it will spend the next three and a half years of its primary mission studying Callisto, Ganymede, and Europa, the three Galilean Moons thought to have oceans in their interior. The Europa Clipper is scheduled to launch on October 10th, 2024, and will arrive in the Jupiter system in April 2030, ahead of JUICE.

The data provided by these orbiter missions will pave the way for the Europa Lander mission, which will include surface analysis, monitoring plume activity, and the selection of landing sites and potential science objectives.

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Entertainment

Beneath $25 Vacation Decorations For No matter Model You are After

Post author By Mans Life Daily
Post date November 19, 2023

Under $25 Holiday Decorations For Whatever Style You're After

We independently selected these deals and products because we love them, and we think you might like them at these prices. E! has affiliate relationships, so we may get a commission if you purchase something through our links. Items are sold by the retailer, not E!. Prices are accurate as of publish time.

Just like your zodiac sign, the way you decorate your home for the holidays says a lot about your personality. Whatever your personal style is when it comes to decorating for the holidays, you don’t have to spend a lot to achieve it. In fact, you can find unique and affordable pieces you’ll need to create whatever holiday style you’re after for under $25.

Are you into a classic Christmas complete with nutcrackers and calendar countdown pillow? Maybe your decorations are inspired by the nostalgia of holidays past or perhaps you’re a minimalist kind of gal that prefers neutral tones. Or even a moody and elegant vibe filled with rich hues and sparkly accents. Whatever your style, scroll on for a list of the best holiday decorations under $25 that’s sure to get you in the spirit.

Sport

Joe Burrow wrist harm: Can Bengals nonetheless make playoffs?

Post author By Mans Life Daily
Post date November 19, 2023

Ben Baby, ESPN Staff WriterNov 17, 2023, 05:40 PM ET

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CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is out for the season with a torn ligament in his throwing wrist, the team announced Friday. The news is a shock to an organization that entered the season with Super Bowl aspirations after consecutive trips to the AFC Championship Game following the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

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This is not the first time this year the Bengals have had to navigate a Burrow injury. Two days into training camp, Burrow suffered a right calf strain that kept him out of action for the preseason. He started the season opener — a 24-3 loss at the Cleveland Browns — and struggled early before finding his best form the past few weeks and putting the Bengals back on a playoff track.

Friday’s news, however, puts a serious dent in the Bengals’ postseason hopes and all but ends their title aspirations.

According to ESPN BET, the Bengals were +375 to win the AFC North prior to Thursday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens, in which Burrow exited because of the injury in the second quarter. They were 25-1 Friday morning and jumped to 75-1 after the Bengals announced Burrow would miss the remainder of the season. Their Super Bowl odds fell from 12-1 to 22-1 to 150-1 in that same span.

But while Cincinnati’s immediate future might appear grim, the Bengals aren’t out of the playoff picture just yet. Here are three reasons why they will — and won’t — reach the postseason.

Burrow exited Thursday’s game against the Ravens after a second-quarter touchdown pass to Joe Mixon. AP Photo/Terrance Williams, File

THE CASE FOR …

Cincinnati has a strong receiving trio

Backup quarterback Jake Browning steps into a situation that should help him succeed. The Bengals have built one of the better receiving units in the NFL.

Ja’Marr Chase has reached the Pro Bowl in his first two seasons and commands double-teams weekly. Tee Higgins accumulated more than 3,000 receiving yards in his first three seasons and showed good form before missing the past two games with a hamstring injury. Tyler Boyd has been one of the NFL’s most dependable slot receivers. Throw in Trenton Irwin, who has proved to be a capable No. 4 receiver when pressed into action, and Browning will have no shortage of options.

“I’ve been doing scout teams for a while,” Browning said after Thursday’s game. “You are running the worst play against the worst look, so it was nice to go run some plays and I have all these people open.”

Tanner Hudson has also burst onto the scene in recent weeks. In five games, he has 18 catches for 175 yards, numbers that show why he was moved from the practice squad to the active roster on Nov. 1.

Browning isn’t short on confidence

Even in a daunting situation — facing the NFL’s No. 2 defense in a divisional showdown Thursday night, Browning wasn’t fazed. After all, this is someone who set California prep records for passing yards (16,775) and touchdowns (229) and then broke records in those same categories at the University of Washington (12,296 yards, 94 TDs).

“I’ve got a lot of confidence in myself,” Browning said after the loss to the Ravens. “I think I’m borderline delusional when it comes to optimism — like, ‘Hey, I’m going to go win the game.'”

That bravado is something Bengals coaches and teammates admire, including Burrow. Burrow said Browning’s even-keeled demeanor is one of the reasons they’re such good friends. And Boyd said if his quarterback feels good, it instills belief in those around him.

“As long as that quarterback is confident, he’s sitting back there and he’s ready to make magic and do everything he got to do to help us win and lead us, I’m always going to follow behind him and do what I can to help him,” Boyd said.

Just gotta believe!

After the Ravens game, Boyd noted that other backup quarterbacks have succeeded in recent years. Examples include the San Francisco 49ers’ Brock Purdy and the Minnesota Vikings’ Joshua Dobbs, who is on his third team this season and recently played a key role in the Vikings’ win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 10.

Burrow has meant everything to the franchise since being drafted No. 1 overall in 2020. But in the aftermath of his injury, the Bengals are proclaiming a belief that they can still be a playoff contender.

“We’ve got a lot of talent on this roster and this season is far from over,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said Friday. “I’m excited to see how the guys respond next week.”

Bengals backup Jake Browning is expected to take over for Burrow the rest of the way. Sam Greene-USA TODAY Sports

THE CASE AGAINST …

The team has struggled without Burrow

The numbers are not in Cincinnati’s favor when Burrow hasn’t been on the field. Since 2020, the Bengals are 2-5 when Burrow hasn’t started. When previous Burrow backups Ryan Finley and Brandon Allen took over, Cincinnati averaged 1.33 points per drive and had a touchdown rate of 14.7%, according to ESPN Stats & Information. When Burrow is starting, those numbers jumped to 2.15 points per drive and touchdowns on 24.5% of drives.

The offense will operate with Browning as it did under Burrow, Taylor said. Cincinnati has to bank on Browning’s experience with the coaches and players that dates back to 2021 translating into yards and points.

“I’ve been preparing like I’m going to be the guy for 2½ years here now in the same offense,” Browning said Friday.

The defense has taken a step backward

Even if Burrow were healthy, the defense poses a massive threat to Cincinnati’s postseason hopes. Burrow’s $275 million contract extension and a looming extension for Chase means there hasn’t been as much spending on the defense, which has resulted in young players in important roles.

While players such as cornerback DJ Turner and safety Dax Hill have shown glimpses, the unit has been porous as a whole. Cincinnati has allowed the second-most yards per play (6.1) and is 23rd in points allowed per drive.

Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo’s unit has been a primary reason for Cincinnati’s postseason success over the past two seasons. But the current iteration of the defense is too reliant on turnovers to get stops.

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The schedule is still one of the toughest in the NFL

Cincinnati has faced the NFL’s toughest schedule to date and the slate doesn’t get much easier. According to ESPN Analytics, as of Friday, the Bengals have the eighth-toughest remaining schedule. And the numbers shifted heavily against Cincinnati after Burrow’s injury.

Cincinnati is projected to be the underdog in six of its final seven games, according to ESPN Analytics. The exception is a Week 14 home game against the Indianapolis Colts. The Bengals still have to play the Jacksonville Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs on the road and have three remaining AFC North games, including two against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Even if Burrow had finished the Ravens’ loss healthy, Cincinnati was going to be outside looking in on the playoff picture.

Having already played Thursday, the Bengals will try to take advantage of the extra rest as they prepare for a home game against the Steelers on Nov. 26. “Obviously, this longer weekend comes at a good time for us,” Taylor said Friday. “It’s a chance to regroup and get healthy and come back next week ready to attack Pittsburgh.”

Science

“In Lower than 5 Years, Even the Worst Skeptics Will Be Believers” • Watts Up With That?

Post author By Mans Life Daily
Post date November 18, 2023

Reader Jason S writes:

Hey Anthony,
I set my calendar to remind me of this story. It’s been 5 years since Governor Brown made this statement! One for the failed predictions pile!
Thanks again for all you do,
Jason

I’m not sure how to create a list of the “Worst Skeptics” but I assume Anthony Watts is on it as well as Steve Koonin, Richard Lindzen, John Clauser, Alex Epstein, the 1600 or so signatories of the the Clintel Declaration, every conservative pundit, and a whole bunch I can’t think of at the moment.

This will be added to the Failed Predictions Timeline.

Thank you Jason.

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