Research roundup: 7 cool science stories we almost missed
Double-detonating supernova, Roman liquid gypsum burials, biomechanics of kangaroo posture, and more.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/01/research-roundup-7-cool-science-stories-we-almost-missed-2/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

My mom asked me to help her with a problem with her WordPress (.com) site, and oh boy. It's been a while since I've seen a UI that frustrating. The new theme editor is a sluggish nightmare. It took me by surprise too, was originally trying to troubleshoot an issue with her original theme, switched to another, suddenly the theme editor is completely different, previous theme nowhere to be found.

Happy new year! We made it!

@Dendrobatus_Azureus @arstechnica Yeah, that tracks. If the machine’s air-gapped, a lot of the usual Windows concerns just… disappear. Win10 is still pretty good at the boring, tedious stuff that can feel like extra work on BSD or Linux. Sometimes “it just works and I already know it” is the right tool.

https://youtu.be/hRRtuZrDZus?si=L0lkaifc1qeUALxu

https://waronchlorinedioxide.com/

Christmas also celebrated by many non-Christians https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2013/12/23/christmas-also-celebrated-by-many-non-christians

@arstechnica I'm still with W10.

@mxe @Gargron Yeah, If you’re not used to subtitles or foreign pacing, anything unfamiliar can feel like friction instead of texture.

So adaptations sand that down preemptively.

What gets lost isn’t just jokes, it’s the assumption that the audience will meet the work halfway. I

I wonder if that habit ever reverses, or if platforms just keep optimizing for the lowest adjustment cost.

@Gargron I barely watch awards shows, but it always feels like U.S. adaptations smooth things out for a wider audience, even when that costs some bite. That tradeoff shows up everywhere, not just in comedy.

Do you think that’s about network pressure, or just different expectations from viewers?

If Christmas is meant to pause everything, why do searches for what’s open spike every year?

#Christmas #SearchData #ConsumerBehavior #ModernLife

https://open.substack.com/pub/abelbitez/p/what-searches-for-stores-open-on?r=pqmnm&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Embark on a visual voyage of art inspired by black holes
Art and science converge in Lynn Gamwell's book, Conjuring the Void: The Art of Black Holes
https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/12/embark-on-a-visual-voyage-of-art-inspired-by-black-holes/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

@Gargron Same to you .

@Gargron Same to you .

https://brainapps.io/blog/2025/05/overcoming-distraction-for-effective-self-development/

When shared experiences become unaffordable for the middle, how does that reshape culture, connection, and who gets to belong over time?

https://www.buzzfeed.com/lizmrichardson/expensive-things-that-used-to-be-affordable?utm_source=dynamic&utm_campaign=bfsharecopy

#affordability #economy #prices #groceries #luxury

@natecochrane.bsky.social That kind of reckoning only works if it’s evidence-based and applies rules consistently, not selectively.

Otherwise it turns into a purge instead of accountability, and institutions don’t get rebuilt, they just lose trust again under a different name.

@Nonilex Yeah, that’s the part a lot of people miss. Once loans hit default, wage garnishment isn’t hypothetical anymore, it’s an administrative process.

And the credit damage often lingers long after payments restart, even if you’re trying to get back on track.

Land shapes housing before design.

In cities like NYC and Tokyo, high land costs and zoning limits push apartments smaller.

Micro-apartments aren’t a trend, they’re a pressure response.

When zoning loosens, supply adapts; when land stays scarce, density is the only option.

So are micro-apartments the problem, or a signal of land policy at work?

#microapartments #landacquisition #zoning #urbanplanning #housingpolicy #realestate #housingcrisis #affordability #cities

@ketanjoshi.co Europe’s EV growth isn’t uniform, it’s incentive driven. Norway’s taxes, charging density, and energy mix make EVs cheaper and easier than ICE, so Tesla competes on fundamentals there.

In most of Europe, subsidies faded, prices rose, and hybrids stayed practical, so demand shifted.

It’s less virtue signaling and more basic economics.

What happens when incentives align everywhere instead of just in a few markets?