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Chelsea Manning has been released from prison – for now
Chelsea Manning has been released from prison following the 62-day confinement term for failing to give evidence to a grand jury (BBC News). She was asked to testify in secret in relation to the case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, to whom she leaked hundreds of thousands of incriminating US military documents.
She says that she will never testify, describing grand juries as "outdated tools used by the federal government to harass and disrupt political opponents and activists in fishing expeditions." However, a new subpoena has already been served against her, which could see her back in court - and then jail - as soon as May 16.
Jeff Bezos reveals Blue Origin's moon lander
Jeff Bezos and his spaceflight firm Blue Origin have announced the Blue Moon lunar lander, designed to carry 3.6 tons of scientific hardware and other cargo to the Moon's surface, expansible to a crew-ready 6.5 ton payload (Ars Technica).
Bezos revealed the lander during an impassioned speech about humanity's future among the stars, in which he envisioned using the Moon and asteroids' mineral resources to get humanity off Earth and into vast space habitats. Blue Origin will be bidding for the lunar descent vehicle part of Nasa's planned 2024 lunar return mission.
England's flood planners prepare for 4 degree temperature rises
The Environment Agency has launched a new flood resilience strategy in anticipation of global temperature increases of as much as 4 degrees Celsius (The Guardian). The strategy, currently open for consultation, suggests measures including the use of natural flood barriers and relief systems such as floodplains and wetlands as well as resilient home building techniques such as flood doors and stone floors.
Surveys indicate that we're having less sex
Sex, scientifically-speaking, is generally a good thing. People who enjoy an active sex life tend to be fitter and happier (WIRED). While we still know little about the quality of people’s sexual encounters, in a recent national survey 34,000 British men and women were asked to report how many times they had sex in the past month. For people over 25 and those who were married or living with a partner, the odds of having sex 10 or more times in the last month halved between 1991 and 2012.
Feline social intelligence is getting new scientific attention
Long presumed to be either lacking in social intelligence or temperamentally unsuited to research, cats – and their ability to bond and communicate with humans – are begin to receive meaningful scientific attention (Science). New approaches to testing involving pet cats' familiar caretakers and recognising that cats are more likely to explore when at ease have revealed that felines are capable of meaningful understanding of their human companions, although lack of research funding still impedes progress.
The controversial Caster Semenya verdict
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This article was originally published by WIRED UK
