A New Big Database of DNA From Indigenous Americans Shakes Up Scientists' Theories About Human Settlement of South America

I’m always fascinated by the fact that new discoveries can lead to new scientific concepts and update a long-held theory. 

Here’s another example of how indigenous people migrated between the Americas - and they did it in waves for various reasons is pretty remarkable. 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-new-big-database-of-dna-from-indigenous-americans-shakes-up-scientific-theories-about-human-settlement-of-south-america-180988628/

Namid Desert: Lost since 1533: This Renaissance merchant ship has resurfaced in the Namib Desert after 500 years | World News - The Times of India

So much to unpack in this story. It shows how ships were built. Unlocks some stories about how trad worked. Tells us a little about the human spirit. And of course creates new mysteries around how the ship wound up inland; probably through changing oceans? 

It’s always amazing what we can learn. 

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/lost-since-1533-this-renaissance-merchant-ship-has-resurfaced-in-the-namib-desert-after-500-years/articleshow/130574374.cms

Disneyland is now scanning your face at nearly every gate, sparking privacy concerns - Los Angeles Times

Oh dear. Privacy is basically a thing of the past, a quaint notion. 

Yeah, Disneyland is joining the fray of facial recognition. While they give the usual standby lines about need to protect itself and data being deleted in a short amount of time, it can be used in very many bad ways. 

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-04-28/disneyland-rolls-out-facial-recognition-at-park-entrances-heres-how-it-works

Walt Disney was an informant for the FBI. - History Facts

The attached is a very short summary of Walt's involvement with the DOJ, and more specifically the FBI.

Remember that Walt was a patriot (as defined in the 20s-60s) and believed in what this country stood for.  He was also a bit of an opportunist, so when it came time for WWII, he made propaganda cartoons and housed the military in his studios.

Walt was asked to join the House Unamerican Affairs Committee (which wanted to root out the evils of communism), and did so reluctantly and cautiously (by many accounts).  But he did have a few names to share with the committee.  One was a particular animator who "gave him trouble" and wanted to unionize, and apparently had maybe been engaged in some "subversive activity"

And because he was this sort of patriot and was beloved and well known, the house, the DOJ, and the FBI asked for any information he had going forward.

Was he an "informant?" Likely not.  Was he doing his part and staying in the good graces of the feds?  Almost certainly.

It was an interesting time, and Walt was savvy enough to know how to play the game (as it were)  

https://historyfacts.com/famous-figures/fact/walt-disney-was-an-informant-for-the-fbi/

Study links lung cancer to eating fruits and veg: What this means

Here’s a study that’s worth taking a look at.  Of course the headline itself is a little misleading.  The scientists break it down thoroughly in their study findings.  They studied people with healthy, plant-based diets and did discover the incidence of lung cancer was higher.

However, what they also discovered is that the reason wasn't the fruits and vegetables themselves, but rather the pesticides and remaining residue that people consumed on the plant matter.

Does that mean one shouldn't eat plants?  Of course not! It means that we need to find better ways to remove pesticides from them before ingestion (because we all know that the industry will not stop using pesticides; that is a losing battle!)

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/healthy-diet-higher-lung-cancer-risk-deciphering-surprising-link-study-pesticides-contraceptives

Archaeologists Found 115,000-Year-Old Human Footprints Where They Shouldn’t Be

This is  an interesting look at an archaeological find.  It shows a couple of things: (a) these appear to be homosaoiens, which tells us that these early humans wandered farther than we previously thought, (b) the reason for their wandering may have been related to the ice age, and (c) we really need to re-think what we think we know about our early ancestors.

And again, this underscores the beauty of science.  We have a notion of what early ancestors did, and where they traveled.  But, we can continue to learn and update those theories, because we gather more evidence,

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/archaeology/a71129594/archaeologists-discover-ancient-human-footprints-change-migration-history/

The thousands of tons of banana pseudostems left rotting after each harvest are now being transformed into tissue paper and packaging materials, while a simple process using sodium hydroxide at 230°F is achieving pulp yields of up to 44 percent in April 2026 trials

Here’s an interesting concept: use banana stems and pulp, that otherwise goes to waste, to create tissue paper and other materials. 

In early tests, it can be done fairly cheaply, so this definitely has some potential. 

 

https://www.ecoticias.com/en/the-thousands-of-tons-of-banana-pseudostems-left-rotting-after-each-harvest-are-now-being-transformed-into-tissue-paper-and-packaging-materials-while-a-simple-process-using-sodium-hydroxide-at-230/31049/