Mapped: The Drainage Basins of the World’s Longest Rivers

Written by visualcapitalist.com

Image: Count Zapolai

Most of the earth’s surface is covered in water, but less than 1% of it is the fresh water that makes up the rivers and lakes we’re familiar with. The water we encounter in life is moving through the stages of the water cycle. And even though rivers make up a tiny portion of all fresh water, they’re still one of the most visible parts of that cycle, especially for the billions of people who live in cities and towns built alongside them.

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Some insights into Carbon Dioxide

Written by Geoff Duffy

CO2 in the atmosphere went up slowly from 1870 to 1970 (290 parts per million, ppm to 320ppm). It then rose a further 70ppm to about 390ppm in 2010. But while CO2 was increasing slowly over that total period, global mean temperatures actually went down twice in that period (1870 to 1915, and 1940 to 1970).

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Facts About the element Rhodium

Written by livescience.com

78 grams of rhodium (Image credit: Alchemist-hp / Creative Commons)

Rhodium is a silver-white metallic element that is highly reflective and resistant to corrosion. It is considered the rarest and most valuable precious metal in the world — well above gold or silver. The name rhodium comes from the Greek word “rhodon,” meaning rose, named for the rose-red color of its salts.

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‘Typhoid Mary’ and how the sick are deemed ‘unclean’

Written by nih.gov

Mary Mallon was born in 1869 in Ireland and emigrated to the US in 1884. She had worked in a variety of domestic positions for wealthy families prior to settling into her career as a cook. As a healthy carrier of Salmonella typhi her nickname of “Typhoid Mary” had become synonymous with the spread of disease, as many were infected due to her denial of being ill.

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Guess what we just learned about Sweden and COVID

Written by Tom Woods

According to Reuters, “Sweden, which has shunned the strict lockdowns that have choked much of the global economy, emerged from 2020 with a smaller increase in its overall mortality rate than most European countries, an analysis of official data sources showed.”

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Drone Captures Amazing Footage of Volcanic Eruption in Iceland

Written by coasttocoastam.com

Fagradalsfjal volcano in Iceland. Image: BBC

A daring drone photographer in Iceland captured breathtaking footage of an unfolding volcanic eruption by flying his UAV over the top of the active crater as lava burst forth high into the air. The amazing footage was reportedly filmed by Bjorn Steinbekk last Friday as the Fagradalsfjall volcano sprung to life following a series of small earthquakes in the country.

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NJ governor Phil Murphy ‘cannot conceive’ of ending mask mandate

Written by Tom Woods

You’d think Phil Murphy, governor of New Jersey — which has the worst COVID death rate of any American state — would have the decency to keep his mouth shut on the subject. Well, you’d be wrong. When asked about Texas’ decision to repeal its statewide mask mandate, Murphy replied that he was “stunned” and that he “couldn’t conceive of lifting a mask mandate inside.”

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