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Two astronauts will have to wait to set off for the International Space Station aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule, following a problem with the Atlas V rocket that caused the mission to be aborted before launch

Two astronauts are about to set off for the International Space Station aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule. If all goes well, Starliner will join SpaceX’s Dragon as a US shuttle into orbit

This is just to keep up with what different colleges are doing about their Encampments, and this is College #1, Harvard (or, as we used to call it when I was a grad student, “Schmarvard”). A while back, to prevent Encampments, they closed Harvard Yard to all but those who could present a Harvard ID, and just to walk through or go to their dorm.

Nevertheless, the Yard got entented; by the second day, it looked like this (from the Harvard Crimson). That’s a lot of tents. Note the green and white jobbies, but here we also see blue and orange ones. The similarity of colors among tents bespeaks a common funder, but we don’t know who.

(from Crimson): The Harvard Yard encampment expanded as it entered its second day. Despite the Palestine Solidarity Committee heavily promoting the demonstration on social media, the group insisted that they did not organize the encampment. By Frank S. Zhou

The reason wasn’t divestment, but this:

The organizers behind a pro-Palestine encampment in Harvard Yard insisted that the demonstration was not organized by the Palestine Solidarity Committee, a clarification that protesters made amid heightened concerns about the potential for disciplinary action against the PSC and its individual members.

Instead, Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine — an unrecognized coalition of pro-Palestine student groups — is responsible for staging the encampment, according to organizers.

Students established the encampment to protest the College’s decision to suspend the PSC on Monday, after the group allegedly violated the terms of its one-month probation by organizing an unregistered protest on Friday that was co-sponsored by unrecognized student organizations.

According to an internal University document obtained by The Crimson, the PSC did not complete the terms of their probation, despite meeting with the Dean of Students Office multiple times to clarify the College’s policies around organized protests.

But the reason for this post is simply to show you how the interim president of Harvard, Alan Garber (replacing Claudine Gay until they find her successor), responded. He let the Encampent stay for 12 days and then issued the statement below:

The upshot, then, is that Harvard’s been remarkably tolerant of the encampment, despite activities (like the famous Keffiyeh Encirclement that I experienced) that are disruptive and distressing. Harvard wants to have its graduation, which is in the Yard, without the tents and their obstreperous inhabitants, and is announcing that the camp will be dismantled. Garber mentions the reason why all these encampments are illegal: while they can be partly seen as expressions of free speech, they violate the “TPM” requirements (“time, place, and manner”) that the courts have said can be part of free-speech policies on campus.

The gist of Garber giving the Encampment the pink slip is summarized in the last sentence, “Our disagreements are most effectively addressed through candid constructive dialogue, building not on disruption but on facts and reason.”

It’s a good letter, and Schmarvard has indulged its Encampers long enough.

Veritas! Will the University of Chicago have the spine to do what Harvard says it will do?

Oh, and a tweet:

BREAKING: Harvard protestors have expanded their encampment to a second lawn where commencement takes place and given the university a deadline of Monday to begin negotiations.

Shut. It. Down. pic.twitter.com/KISf0Nedt4

— Steve McGuire (@sfmcguire79) May 3, 2024

Billions of years ago, Venus may have harbored as much water as Earth. Today, almost all of it has disappeared. A new study may help to explain why.

By using experimental electrochemical analyses, mass spectrometry, and computational quantum chemistry modeling, the researchers created an 'atomic-scale storyline' to explain how ozone is generated on NATO electrocatalysts. They identified that some of the nickel in NATO is probably leaching out of the electrodes via corrosion, and these nickel atoms, now floating in the solution near the catalyst, can promote chemical reactions that eventually generate ozone.

Researchers have developed a new vaccine technology that has been shown in mice to provide protection against a broad range of coronaviruses with potential for future disease outbreaks -- including ones we don't even know about.

Researchers have developed a new AI tool to that generate new drug candidates for cancer, which could help streamline the typically laborious drug discovery process.

Researchers have achieved the first controllable interaction between two hole spin qubits in a conventional silicon transistor. The breakthrough opens up the possibility of integrating millions of these qubits on a single chip using mature manufacturing processes.

Researchers have achieved the first controllable interaction between two hole spin qubits in a conventional silicon transistor. The breakthrough opens up the possibility of integrating millions of these qubits on a single chip using mature manufacturing processes.

Why 3,000 bars are needed to take a comprehensive look at a protein: Researchers present a new high-pressure spectroscopy method to unravel the properties of proteins' native structures.

New research finds that, while an increasing number of minors are using virtual reality (VR) apps, not many parents recognize the extent of the security and privacy risks that are specific to VR technologies. The study also found that few parents are taking active steps to address those security and privacy issues, such as using parental controls built into the apps.

New research finds that, while an increasing number of minors are using virtual reality (VR) apps, not many parents recognize the extent of the security and privacy risks that are specific to VR technologies. The study also found that few parents are taking active steps to address those security and privacy issues, such as using parental controls built into the apps.

Astronomers observed the elusive starlight surrounding some of the earliest quasars in the universe. The findings may shed light on how the earliest supermassive black holes became so massive despite having a relatively short amount of cosmic time in which to grow.

Bright, starry spiral arms surround an active galactic center in a new NASA Hubble Space Telescope image of the galaxy NGC 4951. Located in the Virgo constellation, NGC 4951 is located roughly 50 million light-years away from Earth. It's classified as a Seyfert galaxy, which means that it's an extremely energetic type of galaxy with an active galactic nucleus (AGN).

New discoveries about Jupiter could lead to a better understanding of Earth's own space environment and influence a long-running scientific debate about the solar system's largest planet.

Motorcycles are designed to accommodate the average-sized rider, leaving taller and shorter riders vulnerable to discomfort.

A team of scientists has developed a new AI software tool called 'BANKSY' that automatically recognizes the cell types present in a tissue, such as muscle cells, nerve cells and fat cells. Going a step beyond conventional AI tools which can group cells together into clusters if they contain similar molecules, BANKSY also considers how similar the cells' surroundings in the tissue are.

In the sports industry, player data collection aids in personalized training feedback. Researchers have now gathered a detailed dataset and laid the foundation for delivering coaching assistance and feedback through the same. Utilizing wearable sensors and machine learning, their dataset offers real-time feedback and optimized movement suggestions. With over 7,763 badminton swings analyzed, stroke quality assessment offers valuable insights, making badminton training more accessible and affordable.

In the sports industry, player data collection aids in personalized training feedback. Researchers have now gathered a detailed dataset and laid the foundation for delivering coaching assistance and feedback through the same. Utilizing wearable sensors and machine learning, their dataset offers real-time feedback and optimized movement suggestions. With over 7,763 badminton swings analyzed, stroke quality assessment offers valuable insights, making badminton training more accessible and affordable.

A robot that moves around by balancing on a ball could prove a better assistant for wheelchair users than humanoid robots that walk on two legs