🐤 Wrap it up

🏦 Markets: The jobs market remains incredibly strong, as evidenced by a new report that surfaced on Friday. It sent the unemployment rate down even further to 3.4%, which is the lowest it’s been in more than half a century.

Of course, this isn’t necessarily good news for those who are trying to contract the economy to tackle inflation, and Wall Street reacted with a down day amid concerns that the Federal Reserve will have to keep raising interest rates.

🎈 I spy: The U.S. was on high alert this week after people began spotting a high-flying balloon in the sky over Montana. Subsequent updates indicated that it was part of a surveillance mission by China. While officials opted against shooting the balloon out of the sky after weighing its perceived capabilities against the potential for property damage or injury to those on the ground, the Biden administration is clearly taking the situation seriously. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who had been expected to visit China in the near future, has reportedly nixed those plans indefinitely. A senior agency spokesperson called the Chinese mission “unacceptable,” adding: “After consultations with our interagency partners, as well as with Congress, we have concluded that the conditions are not right at this moment for Secretary Blinken to travel to China.”

⛓️ Zoo news: As we noted in yesterday’s newsletter, the Dallas Zoo has been hit with a series of troubling incidents in recent days — including the apparent theft of two emperor tamarin monkeys that were later discovered in an abandoned home. The zoo offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of whoever was responsible, and a suspect was reportedly arrested on Thursday. Police say 24-year-old Davion Irvin is facing six counts of cruelty to nonlivestock animals and further charges could be added. Fortunately, the recovered monkeys did not seem to be physically injured and have been returned to their habitat.

🎮 SEC settlement: Game developer Activision Blizzard has agreed to a $35 million settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission as part of a probe into allegations that it didn’t provide sufficient protections for victims of harassment. CEO Bobby Kotick was reportedly aware that there had been serious whistleblower claims of sexual misconduct within the company and failed to respond in a manner consistent with applicable federal regulations. It’s worth noting that the settlement doesn’t include any admission by the company that it did anything wrong, although a spokesperson confirmed that “we have enhanced our disclosure processes with regard to workplace reporting and updated our separation contract language.” Activision Blizzard previously reached a settlement with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission following an investigation that it retaliated against employees who complained of sexual harassment.

❄️ Chillin’: Get ready for another cold snap that will send the mercury plummeting across much of the United States. Areas of the Northeast will be particularly hard hit as Maine is set to reach temperatures as low as 60 degrees below zero. The governor of that state has already issued a dire warning and a spokesperson for the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention advised: “Frostbite and hypothermia are real risks when temperatures are this extreme.” Forecasts indicated that the state could see some of its coldest weather on record. As of Thursday evening, more than 16 million Americans were under a wind chill warning.

The mummified remains entombed across Egypt have been the source of endless speculation regarding the significance of the burial process as well as how ancient civilizations perfected the specialized preservation techniques.

According to a new report, mummification relied on a sort of embalming prior to burial. When researchers discovered 31 jars believed to be about 2,500 years old, they identified substances used to preserve the bodies of deceased individuals.

A combination of ingredients

While the necropolis of Saqqara has been explored in the past, the ancient containers were found in an underground chamber believed to have been used as an embalming room. Using the latest technology, scientists were able to determine that the jars were filled with various materials including oils, fragrances, resins, and tars.

Searching far and wide

Writing on the outside of the jars seemed to correspond with what was contained inside them.

Making the process even more interesting, according to one of the report’s authors, is that some of the ingredients — like Elemi oil and the resin from the Dammar tree — were “very exotic” and “only native to rainforests in Asia and partially Africa.”

This discovery serves to emphasize how seriously ancient Egyptians took the process and the lengths to which they would go in order to achieve the desired results.

A connection to the hereafter

Historians believe that the mummification technique was seen by ancient civilizations as a way to prepare the dead for another realm of existence. This might explain why they were willing to devote so much time and effort to the process — after all, they believed that the afterlife was at stake.

Egyptology American University professor Salima Ikram lauded the researchers for providing “insight into the whole process of mummification and the logistics of it that we did not have until today.

While many of us frequently long for a little peace and quiet, too much quiet isn’t peaceful at all. In fact, an anechoic chamber at Microsoft’s headquarters in Washington is so off-putting that no one has been able to spend more than an hour inside.

The world record holder

One of the various achievements that the Guinness Book of World Records has recognized is the quietest place on Earth. And Microsoft’s chamber achieved that distinction all the way back in 2015.

Let’s put the quietness of this room into some perspective. Even places that we think of as especially quiet are almost always above the zero-decibel threshold that represents a human ear’s capacity to hear. This chamber, however, measures at an unbelievable -20.35 dBA, which is a decibel measurement related to the level of sound pressure.

What happens when you’re inside?

While you might not initially think that being in such a quiet place would be all that bad, a few minutes in this chamber would dispel such a notion. Although you can’t hear external noises, your ears will begin picking up the sounds from inside your body that are typically drowned out by other sounds.

Here’s what those who have ventured inside report:

• First, you’ll start to hear the beating of your own heart.
• Soon thereafter, the sound of your blood flowing starts to become audible.
• Around the same time, you can even hear your bones grinding.
• Pretty soon, the ringing in your ears becomes too much to bear.

Quiet competition

This and other anechoic chambers are created with vibration-dampening wedges that absorb sound waves. While Microsoft currently holds the record, Orfield Laboratories in Minnesota thinks it should regain the crown it previously earned.

Designer Steven Orfiled claims “a legitimate measurement” of the room was -24.9 dBA.

Although nuclear power has been a controversial topic due to the potential of accidental leaks or intentional misuse of the volatile radioactive components, there’s no disputing the fact that it can create a lot of energy.

Now, NASA is teaming up with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to determine whether it would be feasible to send astronauts to space in a nuclear-powered spacecraft.

Possible benefits

According to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, the partnership with DARPA could result in “advanced nuclear thermal propulsion technology as soon as 2027.”

In addition to a shorter projected timeline than any other viable method of fueling such a mission, there are some other reasons that the agencies are focusing on nuclear fission, including:

• Faster travel: Since a nuclear thermal rocket could reach Mars more quickly, the risk to those on board would be lower.
• Increased efficiency: Nuclear power can be more than three times as efficient as standard propulsion, leaving more room for equipment.
• More power: Aided by the increased supply of energy, astronauts would be able to power a larger number of instruments and communication systems.

Building on the past

Throughout its history, NASA has considered the potential of nuclear thermal propulsion. More than half a century ago, the space agency launched its Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Application project. Although that did not directly result in a spacecraft propelled by nuclear energy, it serves as the backdrop for this ambitious undertaking.

NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate Associate Administrator Jim Reuter explained: “With this collaboration, we will leverage our expertise gained from many previous space nuclear power and propulsion projects.”

He went on to refer to the research and developments in the field over the past several years as “a new era for space nuclear technology.”