Freaky Phenomena

Scientists have discovered a way to surgically pause menopause, delaying it for up to 20 years, and several women have already paid thousands to have it done. While I think women should get to do whatever they want to their bodies, I also have to wonder if this is something humans should really be doing. 

For some women, particularly those who have terrible menopause symptoms and histories of complications in their families, I can see how it might be a godsend. I have a history of menstrual problems in my family and I know it can be difficult when others don't understand. That said, I can also see many women flocking toward any operation to stay young, which I don't find to be healthy in many ways. We are obsessed with youth and it seems like yet another way to sell it. 

What do you think of delaying menopause? Would you pay to do it?

When we were kids, I was fascinated with the various planets of our solar system, but I don't remember much focus on the weather patterns on each planet. That's why when my teen and I did a unit study on space and not only did I learn that, but that we have 13 planets, my mind was completely blown. We have such a constant news cycle that it's no wonder we miss so many important stories, like the fact that we have these planets.

If you've wondered about what the weather on Mars is like (and if you've seen enough space films, you probably already have at least an idea), this animation gives us a nice idea of what a dust storm might look like. From the volcanoes to the various weather patterns, the geography and climate of other planets is nothing short of fascinating. It also varies so widely that we can't even begin to guess about these factors on planets outside our own solar system.

Have you run across any other cool space news or stories? Share it in the chat!

NASA is sending a mission to Titan in search of life, and Dragonfly, the drone, looks pretty incredible. Saturn's moon Titan is an ocean world, and its conditions and organic material make it a likely host for some kind of life in the universe. There are seas of methane and equane on the planet, and even though the atmosphere there is four times denser than our own, that doesn't rule out the possibility of life. 

It would seem as if most people acknowledge that it's likely there is life elsewhere in the universe, which makes it kind of sad how people who've always believed in aliens were doubted and even ridiculed. It will be validating for them if NASA finds tardigrades on Titan (Titangrades?), not to mention the most incredible find in the universe. If they find an ant on the planet it will knock our socks off. 

Have you read about any other incredible science news today? Share it in the chat.

I'm in a lot of Leftbook groups, and we're always reading about some of our mods getting banned for doxxing people for bad behavior, or for "innapropriate content" that's not nearly as inappropriate as a lot of content that we see, and we tend to think of the Facebook Mods as these snotty little incels in their parents' basements, making these poor calls out of revenge on women. While I'm sure this still happens, because I've seen so much hate speech and violence towards women allowed while I know mods who get "Zucced" for saying things like "enmay are ashtray," I also think we might be too hard on them in general after reading about how they're treated.

It turns out that the people moderating for Facebook are poor, underpaid workers who sit too long, are routinely abused and have terrible jobs to the point of death. Former members of the military have even had a rought time working for the company. It's right up there with Amazon in terms of listing how many terrible things employees go through.

It just makes you wonder how on Earth they're able to even remain operational. Have you ever worked for a company like this? How do they even stay open?