Monthly Archives: January 2023

India Predicted XI vs New Zealand: Will Prithvi Shaw be roped in for IND vs NZ 3rd T20I? – Republic World

Posted: January 31, 2023 at 5:07 pm

India Predicted XI vs New Zealand: Will Prithvi Shaw be roped in for IND vs NZ 3rd T20I? Republic World

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FIRE Movement: What It Is And How It Works – NerdWallet

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What is the FIRE movement?

Financial Independence Retire Early (FIRE) is a movement that prioritizes saving and investing 50% or more of your income so you can retire before youre in your 60s. You can say youve reached the FIRE finish line once your savings can cover your expenses post-retirement, with inflation factored in.

The goal of FIRE is to achieve financial freedom so investors can choose how to spend their time.

It's basically having the financial flexibility to have the ultimate life flexibility, says Rachael Burns, a certified financial planner at True Worth Financial Planning, based in Folsom, California.

The term FIRE came from a 1992 book called "Your Money or Your Life," written by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin. The book discusses changing your relationship with money to achieve financial independence, and live a life that aligns with your goals and values.[0]

Financial independence might look like taking a pay cut to pursue work you love, working part time so you can take more naps during the day, or it might mean not working at all. And its a popular goal: 22% of millennials hope to retire before they clock 60, according to Fuel for the F.I.R.E., a 2021 Vanguard Digital Advisor survey.[0]

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How does FIRE work?

People who use FIRE to retire early do so by drastically reducing their expenses, looking for ways to increase their income, and investing the money they save in a mix of tax-advantaged accounts as well as regular brokerage accounts.

But FIRE retirement does come at a cost that not everyone can afford. It often requires cutting down expenses to the bare minimum so you have more income to invest. As mentioned above, FIRE followers could be saving 50% of their income or more, and thats not possible for everyone, Burns says.

"Some people are not able to live as simply, maybe because they have a family.

The rule of 25 and 4% rule

Followers of FIRE often consider two things: the 25x rule and the 4% rule.

Rule of 25

The rule of 25 says you need to save 25 times your annual expenses to retire. To get this number, first multiply your monthly expenses by 12, and then youll have your annual expenses. You then multiply that annual expense by 25 to get your FIRE number, or the amount youll need to retire.

So, for example, if your monthly expenses are $6,000, you multiply that by 12 to get an annual expense of $72,000. Multiply that by 25 and youll have your FIRE number of $1.8 million.

If a FIRE number seems too ambitious, some people explore ways to increase their income and then invest that extra money.

The 4% rule

The 4% rule says that retirees can withdraw 4% of their savings the first year, and then adjust for inflation in future years if necessary, and not run out of money in retirement.

The 4% rule assumes a 30-year retirement goal, so if you plan to retire earlier than that, this may not work for you.

And Burns says investors should be cautious about following advice designed for masses, especially when it comes to determining a FIRE number.

I see a lot of people saying, Oh, you need to have this much money and then you can retire, or You can safely withdraw 4.5%. These rules of thumb are really big generalizations, but really like any of that financial advice, it's never one size fits all, Burns says.

The right savings rate

If youre interested in early retirement, think about how much money you plan to save and invest annually to reach your goal.

Figure out a savings rate that matches the speed at which you want to go, says Paris Woods, New Orleans-based author of The Black Girl's Guide to Financial Freedom and a FIRE supporter.

If your goal is to achieve financial independence in 10 years or less, Woods suggests saving about 70% of your income.

The magic of compound growth

Because of inflation, physical cash saved in a bank account probably wouldnt be enough to sustain you for the next 40 years.

However, saving and investing money in tax-advantaged retirement accounts can help you prepare for retirement, thanks to compound interest.

Both IRAs and 401(k)s are accounts you can use to invest for retirement. Roth IRAs require you pay taxes up front, but your investments grow tax-free and you can withdraw your money tax-free in retirement. Accounts such as traditional IRAs and 401(k)s are subject to taxes when you withdraw money in retirement, but you still enjoy the benefits of tax-free growth and compounding returns.

There are annual contribution limits for both IRAs and 401(k)s. So what happens if youve maxed out all of your retirement accounts? Where do you save and invest next?

Invest as much money as you want in a regular brokerage investing account, Burns says. There's no limit to how much you can add to that.

In terms of what to invest in, be that stocks, bonds, or funds such as ETFs, it just depends on your risk tolerance.

It does need to be invested fairly aggressively, and aggressive means something different to everyone, she says.

Tax-efficient strategies

A question you should ask yourself when devising a strategy is how much money youll need between your goal retirement age and the age you can start withdrawing from your retirement accounts penalty-free, which is usually around 59.

Once you come up with a number, you could consider saving that amount in your regular brokerage account. That way, if you do want to retire early, you don't run out of cash before youre eligible to start taking qualified distributions from your retirement accounts.

While youll still have to give Uncle Sam a piece of your pie when withdrawing from a regular brokerage account, you wont have to pay early withdrawal penalties. You will have to pay taxes when your investments earn dividends and interest, as well as when you sell investments for more than what you bought them, Burns says.

There's no way to get around paying taxes its just part of the game, and if you're paying taxes, it probably means you're making money. So it's kind of a good thing, but we obviously don't want to pay more taxes than we need to.

Types of FIRE

Some people assume FIRE means you have to avoid splurging. But there are various forms of FIRE; some are extreme, while others are milder.

These are popular FIRE approaches:

Lean FIRE

Those who believe in minimalist lifestyles and can live off very little tend to fall into the lean category. They may save more than half of their income to achieve financial independence faster.

For those people who care really deeply about liberating themselves from needing to go to work every day, I think it would be compelling to take this lean FIRE approach, Woods says.

Fat FIRE

If your motto is to live a little, fat FIRE may be for you. The goal of fat FIRE investors is to save a large amount of money so they can live it up in retirement. For instance, if you live on $200,000 annually and would like to continue living on that amount in retirement, youll need to save and invest a larger amount than someone who plans to live on $50,000.

Barista FIRE

Individuals who do barista FIRE arent necessarily trying to escape work; the focus is on saving up enough to retire, but then work less or part time. To do this, barista FIRE investors save enough so that they dont need to earn huge amounts of money from work to fund their lifestyles. Some people are drawn to barista FIRE because its a way for them to focus on work that matters to them, as Woods says she is doing.

I think I might find myself in the category of folks who are doing work that is meaningful and see working as playing some role in their lives for the foreseeable future, but want the freedom to only do work that is meaningful and accept roles that meet their personal requirements, Woods says.

Limitations of FIRE

Retiring early might sound appealing, but there are risks, and its not for everyone.

For instance, if you stop working, youll have to foot your own medical expenses until Medicare kicks in around age 65, and your investments may not perform as well as you thought. Either one of those scenarios could have consequences such as having to raise your withdrawal rate or needing to re-enter the workforce.

FIRE requires getting pretty strict with your spending, Burns says, as some people save 50% or more of their income, which is not doable for all investors.

If you dont earn enough to cover your basic needs and save aggressively for early retirement at the same time, FIRE may not be for you, Burns says. Lacking an emergency fund or owing high-interest debt may be other reasons that FIRE may not be attainable.

If someone's making minimum wage, this is not going to be doable for them, Burns says. But if their income is high enough to where they're like, OK, I can, I can comfortably live off of half of this and just sock away the rest, then that's, that's how you get started.

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FIRE Movement: What It Is And How It Works - NerdWallet

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FIRE: Financial Independence, Retire Early Forbes Advisor

Posted: at 5:05 pm

Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.

The FIRE movementfinancial independence, retire earlyhas gained wide exposure in recent years. FIRE adherents are often portrayed as people who take extreme measures to save for early retirement, leading many people to dismiss the movement as a fringe concept. But theres more to FIRE frugality and deprivation, and it hardly a one-size-fits-all journey.

For many practitioners of FIRE, the goal isnt the retire early end of the acronym but rather the financial independence part. They aim to save enough money to given them the freedom they want and avoid depending on a regular job to pay the bills.

In its most extreme versions, of course, FIRE adherents minimize expenses by giving up all the small comforts in life, from turning on the heat or air conditioning to buying a cup of coffee. But there are plenty of folks for whom the journey more moderate sacrifices. In this version of FIRE, its about living within ones means while saving for the future.

Jackie Cummings Koski accomplished her goal of saving 25x her yearly expenses in 2018. With enough savings tucked away, she believed that she had the means necessary to quit her job as a sales manager in Dayton, Ohio but has in fact chosen to keep working. Knowing that she can quit when she wants is liberating, she says.

Koski started working toward financial independence after getting divorced in 2003. During the process of splitting their assets, she realized her ex-husband had $120,000 in his retirement accountsabout six times as much as she had saved. For Koski, it was an eye-opening moment.

I vowed from that day that I was going to pay close attention to my finances and do things to put me on a better financial trajectory, she recalls. I didnt want to be the stereotype of a divorced single mom, especially being African American, so I did everything I could to turn it around.

FIRE practitioners aim to save 25x their annual expenses. This strategy is based on two common retirement strategies: The 25x Rule and the 4% Rule, each of which help people set up safe rates of withdrawal from their retirement savings.

But as noted above, FIRE isnt a one-size-fits-all goal. Some, like Koski, are looking to be financially independent, while others really are focused on beating the standard timeline and retiring very early. Individual interpretations of FIRE are affected by how much people are willing to save each year, and what they plan to do and how they want to live in retirement.

There are three broad approaches to FIRE:

The three factors that go into financial independence include your savings rate, investment returns and withdrawal rate. Heres how that works.

First, determine what percentage of your income you can save. Savings can and should include all retirement contributions, any employer matching contributions and money set aside outside of retirement accounts in a taxable brokerage account.

Second, take the portion of your current income you spend and multiply that number by 25. For example, someone who spends $50,000 a year would need to accumulate 25 times this amount, or $1.25 million to achieve FIRE.

Finally, calculate how long it will take you to accumulate your FIRE number based on the amount you save each year. This will require you to make an assumption about investment returns. The higher the rate of return, the faster you achieve FIRE. You can use this calculator to try this for yourself.

Take somebody who earns $70,000 a year, with zero saved for retirement. If this person wanted to pursue a FIRE strategy, they could save 10% of their income, or $7,000 a year. Applying the 25x rule, they would need to save around $1.58 million (25 x $63,000). Given these assumptions, plus an 8% annual return, it would take this person about 37 years to reach financial freedom.

Heres another scenario: A person who earns an annual income of $70,000, with zero saved. But in this case, the person is pursuing FIRE by saving 30% of their income. Assuming the same 8% return, it would take them about 22 years to save the same 25x amount to reach financial independence.

The more you save, the sooner youll reach financial independence. If you budget wisely and choose to save 50% of your income under the same scenario, youd hit financial independence in about 14 years.

People pursue FIRE for a variety of reasonsnot everyone wants to be financially independent just so they can stop working. Koskis decision stems from experiences she had as a child growing up poor.

Koski and her five brothers were raised by their father, a single parent who worked at a factory in Augusta, Georgia. Koski says they never went withouttheir father worked multiple jobs to make ends meet, and they got free lunch at schoolbut they were living below the poverty line. She recalls how she and her brothers always knew it was almost payday: the fridge was empty.

At the time, I didnt realize it, but we were very much living paycheck to paycheck, Koski recalls. The experience made her want to cultivate a very different life..

Some say FIRE is only possible for individuals who are ready to forgo comfortable lives now to retire early in the future. But Koski doesnt believe shes sacrificing her current lifestyle to achieve financial independence. Im not a minimalist. I buy the things that I value and that I like. And my daughter, she had a good life, too, says Koski.

She builds her budget around the money that is left after maxing out contributions to her 401(k), Roth IRA and health savings account (HSA), a practice she started in 2008. Koski has enough money for everything she wants to do, because she is strategic about spending. She uses an app called GasBuddy to find the cheapest gas near her, for example.

I dont mind spending money, but I want to know if Im getting the best deal and making sure that Im careful with the way that I spend my money, says Koski

Part of what has fueled interest in the FIRE movement is a growing discontentment with life in corporate America. Some FIRE followers say instead of being miserable sitting at a desk for most of their lives, theyd rather travel the world or do work they actually find fulfilling. But not everyone pursuing FIRE hates their job.

Koski may already have 25x her yearly expenses saved, but she still heads to the office Monday through Friday. Theres other things that I would like to do, but I like my job, Koski says. I like my boss. I work at a great company. I feel good about what Im doing at work, so Im not running from my job.

Theres little reliable information on who identifies with the FIRE movement. But its clear that the dream of achieving financial independence isnt only for high earners.

In 2018, TD Ameritrade conducted a survey of 1,503 U.S. adults aged 45 and older with more than $250,000 in investable assets, including 753 individuals who said they are financially independent or plan to be. Around a third of respondents who were already financially independent had incomes between $50,000 and $99,900a stark contrast from the idea that FIRE is only attainable for people making six figures.

Still, there are obvious barriers to the most ambitious FIRE goals, like retiring at 35 or 40. A big one is student debt. Over half of young adults who attended college have student debt, with the typical monthly payment reaching between $200 and $299 per month, according to the Federal Reserve.

Student loans may slow down the process of becoming financially free, but paying off student loans doesnt have to be seen as a permanent barrier, says Tanja Hester, author of Work Optional and a leading figure in the FIRE community.

Its just another savings goal, Hester says. In order to do something like retire early, youre going to have to go through several financial milestones. Its understandable why you might see it as a hurdle, but its just another thing to figure out, just like figuring out how youre going to fund your early retirement years, how youll fund your traditional retirement years or how youre going to get health care.

Related: Best Credit Cards 2023

Some critics argue that the FIRE concept carries big risks. Saving 25x yearly expenses is based on the traditional 4% rule, which is considered as a safe withdrawal rate for a 30-year retirement. An individual retiring at age 40, rather than the expected retirement age of 65, could easily outlive their savings.

Some individuals pursuing FIRE try to mitigate this risk by investing in passive income streams, like rental properties, to help boost their annual cash flow. Others choose income producing activities that are meaningful to them, such as running profitable blogs or starting businesses built on their passions.

David Blanchett, head of retirement research at Morningstar, says that while wanting to retire at 30 is unrealistic for most Americans, the general principle of financial independence is something everyone should be striving for.

My concern with what Ive heard about FIRE is mostly about outliers in an impossible situation, so it doesnt really connect well and isnt realistic, Blanchett says. But the concept of saving more is one thing as a society that we need to do. People really need to ask themselves, what is really important to me? And then build financial goals around it.

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9 Pros and Cons of Vaping to Know Before Starting – Vaping360

Posted: at 4:54 pm

Vaping gets a lot of bad press. Although we hear occasional positive reports about the health benefits of electronic cigarettes, theyre generally overwhelmed by coverage of hypothetical risks and exaggerated dangers. Its not easy to find the facts about vaping.

Recently, 15 past presidents of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) co-authored a paper in the American Journal of Public Health arguing that vapings potential positive effect on public health is being ignored or twisted by powerful interests and lobbying groups.

Even top scientists and researchers in relevant fields are ignored when their research doesnt align with the popular message (that vaping is just as bad smoking, if not worse). That makes things really confusing!

This article can bring some clarity and simplicity to the topic with a healthy dose of real-world advantages. So what are the actual pros and cons of vaping? Lets get to it.

1. Its safer than smoking: The British Royal College of Physicians and Public Health England, and American National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, all agree that vaping is safer than smoking cigarettes. PHE says vaping is at least 95% less harmful. Because there is no combustion in vaping, there is no smoke, and smoke is what creates the tar and carbon monoxide that lead to most of the long-term health damage from smoking. The health benefits of being smoke-free include improved lung and heart function, and even better senses of smell and taste.

2. No noxious odors: One of the biggest advantages of vaping is that you and your clothes, house and car wont smell of smoke anymore. Vaping has an aroma, but its a long way from the smell of stale smoke and cigarette butts. In fact, even tobacco-flavored vapes dont smell anything like burning tobacco. To a lot of people, the smell of vapor is barely noticeable. You might even get compliments!

3. Control over nicotine intake: Vaping gives you full control over your nicotine dosage. E-juice is available in a variety of strengths, ranging from nicotine-free to high-strength nicotine. You can choose exactly how much nicotine is in your vapeor use no nicotine at all. Most vapers tend to start off with high nicotine levels and gradually work their way down to lower strengths, or even eliminate nicotine completely.

4. Control over vapor output: Vaping gives you control over the amount of vapor you exhale, which is a major part of the experience. Some vapers prefer smaller devices like pod vapes for convenience and low vapor volume, and others like high-powered mods for cloud chasing. Adjusting the power output, airflow, and coil type lets you further fine tune your vapor volume, which affects the flavor too. You can be subtle and stealthy, or as showy as you like, depending on how you choose to vape.

5. Flavors for every palate: There are virtually endless flavor options to choose from in e-juice. Some of the most popular flavor categories are fruit, desserts, beverages, mint and menthol, and tobacco. And if you dont like whats available commercially, you can make your own vape juice!

6. Instant satisfaction: Although advanced vapes may require initial tinkering, there are lots of simpler products that come prefilled and ready to use. Either way, once the vape is ready, taking a hit is as simple as pushing a button or drawing on the device (some have an automatic draw). While all vaping devices need a charged battery and e-juice to continue working, the average vape can sustain you throughout the day with no maintenance or upkeep.

7. Price points for every wallet: The vaping market is large and competitive. There are lots of products in every price rangefrom 10 dollars to hundredsthat can suit almost any user. Whether you want a simple disposable e-cig, or a sophisticated vape mod and premium e-liquid, theres a vape out there that you can start using today.

8. No experience needed: Sure, you can make a hobby of collecting vaping gear or learning how to build your own coils, but you can also have a great vaping experience immediately as a beginner. Between beginner starter kits and simple pod vapes, there are lots of quality vaping products that require no previous experience.

9. Access and availability: These days, you can find good vapor products in vape shops, convenience stores, gas stations, and even smoke shops. There are also online vape shops that will ship vaping products right to your front door.

1. Too many choices: To a new vaper, or a smoker considering a change, the endless options presented by the vaping market can be overwhelming. With cigarettes, you choose a brand and light up, but with vaping there are literally millions of possible choices. Thats why its best to point the vape-curious toward easy-to-use products with simple instructions to get started, and then to good sources of further information (vape shops, forums, experienced vapers) as new vapers learn the finer points.

2. The vape learning curve: Maybe the biggest danger for a new vaper is buying a product that requires specialized knowledge. Often they wind up confused and frustrated, and regret trying to switch to vaping. Again, there is no need for a long learning curve! Simple starter products are almost always the best first choice.

3. Potential health risks: Its true that vaping is too new for us to understand every potential risk it could pose. But if youre using vaping to stay off cigarettes, you can rest easier knowing that youve distanced yourself from the well-documented dangers of smoking. The substances in cigarette smoke that make it uniquely harmful are either entirely absent from e-cig vapor or only present in tiny amounts. That makes it much safer for vapers, and also for bystanders subject to secondhand vapor.

4. Vapers face smoking stigma: For almost 60 years, tobacco control has focused on smoking denormalization, which is just a fancy word for stigmatizing smoking and smokers. Now the same drug war-style campaign to dehumanize people who smoke is being turned against vapers too. Because vaping looks like smoking to people who do neither, smokers who switch to safer vaping products are often disheartened to discover they face the same stigmatization, rooted in ignorance, fear and intolerance.

5. Vaping is perceived as a youth problem: Because of the endless news stories about a teen vaping epidemic, older smokers may shy away from vaping as a way to quit smoking. The fact is that adults of every age vapeand the legal age to buy vapes is 21but for those coming to e-cigarettes now, soon after the JUUL panic era, it may not be easy to separate the harm reduction benefits of vaping from the adolescent fad perception.

6. Nicotine misinformation: Nicotine is probably as misunderstood as any drug in the world. Its really just a mild stimulant that has effects similar to caffeine. But because its history is inevitably tied to smokinga highly dangerous delivery mechanismnicotine has a terrible reputation. Nicotine doesnt cause cancer or heart disease, but many people mix up the effects of nicotine and smoking, including doctors that regularly treat lifelong smokers. Nicotine actually can offer health benefits for many users.

7. Restrictive laws and rules: Based mostly on the vaping epidemic promoted by anti-vaping organizations, vaping has become a ripe target for laws and regulations that reduce vaping choices, availability and cost. More than half of American states have taxes on vaping products, and Congress recently passed a law banning U.S. Postal Service delivery of vaping products. Some states have banned vape products in flavors other than tobacco.

8. FDA regulations may eliminate vaping choices: The biggest government threat to vaping may be the Food and Drug Administrations Premarket Tobacco Application (PMTA) process. Manufacturers wishing to keep their products on the market were forced last fall to submit complex applications to prove the products are appropriate for the protection of public health. Experts believe the FDA will use the PMTA process to wipe many of the best vaping products off the market. (Cigarettes were grandfathered onto the market without having to submit PMTAs, by the way.)

9. Finding the truth about vaping isnt easy: Vaping is a disruptive technology that threatens the tobacco industry, but it also threatens the powerful anti-smoking industry. It can be very hard for a smoker or new vaper to separate the lies from the truth about vaping, since these powerful foes advance their narratives in every kind of news outlet and even through allied federal agencies. Because there are lots of frightening stories about vaping. Its easy to get scared away.

By now you should have a better understanding about the pros and cons of vaping. There are a number of points on both sides. But if you consider that vaping is an alternative to smoking, it should be obvious that its the best choice of the two. Although vaping is not the only way to combat cigarette addiction, all the other choices have pros and cons as well.

Vaping is successful because it offers nicotine and a smoking-like experience, but without the combustion products that make smoking deadly. But vaping isnt perfect, and its not the answer for everyone. Whatever you decide, at least do it with a clear sense of the benefits and the downsides of vaping.

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Can vaping damage your lungs? What we do (and dont) know

Posted: at 4:54 pm

The rising popularity of vaping has been dramatic, especially amongteenagers. According toa 2019 study, about 37% of high school seniors reported vaping in 2018, up from 28% the year before. An estimated 2.1 million middle school and high school students reported using e-cigarettes in 2017; that numberjumped to 3.6 million in 2018. A more recent survey found that among high school seniors, more than 40% had tried e-cigarettes. Certainly, age restrictions its illegal to sell e-cigarettes to anyone under 21 (18 or 19 in some states) arent preventing use among teens and young adults. And more than nine million adults 18 or older use e-cigarettes, according toa 2020 survey by the CDC.

E-cigarettes use a battery-powered device that heats a liquid to form vapors or, more accurately, aerosol that the user can inhale (thus "vaping"). These devices heat up various flavorings, nicotine, marijuana, or other potentially harmful substances. Nicotine is addictive, of course. And while that fact is prominently displayed in advertising, we know from experience with regular cigarettes that warnings dont always work!

You may have seen news reports of sudden and severe lung problems, including deaths, linked to vaping. This condition is called e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury, or EVALI.

According to the CDC:

Its not entirely clear how often vaping might lead to lung trouble or who is at highest risk. For example, are lung problems more common among vapers who already have breathing problems (such as asthma) or who smoke other substances, such as regular cigarettes or marijuana? Is it more common among younger individuals?

The tragic and alarming cases of severe lung disease are clearly cause for concern. A number of other health effects are also worrisome:

How vaping affects ouroverallhealth is uncertain. However, there appears to be ample evidence that vaping is not "95% less harmful than smoking" as some have claimed.

In addition to whatever enjoyment vaping brings, some evidence suggestsvaping helps some people stop smoking (though other evidence suggests otherwise). How it compares to a nicotine patch or other methods of smoking cessation is not clear. So far, the FDA has not approved vaping as a method of smoking cessation. And many smokers who vapecontinue to use both cigarettes and e-cigarettes.

The true balance between the benefits and risks of vaping remains impossible to assess. We dont always know whats in e-cigarettes. The FDA, which is responsible for authorizing or approving tobacco products, authorized marketing of a few e-cigarette products in 2021 and has denied many others; but, as noted by the agency, these actions "do not mean these products are safe or FDA approved." And, there is no information available about their long-term health impact.

Perhaps vaping should be viewed as a "lesser of evils" for current cigarette smokers. Still, its clear that there is a lot about vaping we dont know. One way well learn more is by people reporting possible vaping-related health problems to the FDA you canlet them knowif youve had such problems.

Until we know more, think twice about vaping. Federal and state authorities recommend avoiding all vaping until more is known. If you do decide to vape, avoid e-cigarettes bought "off the street" and stick with brand name e-cigarette products without modification (such as adding marijuana or other drugs).

These cases of severe lung disease among people who vape raise important questions about the safety of vaping. Perhaps we shouldnt be surprised that lung problems might develop in people who vape: our lungs were meant to inhale clean air and nothing else. It took many years to recognize the damage cigarettes can cause. We could be on a similar path with vaping.

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Can vaping damage your lungs? What we do (and dont) know

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Vaping vs. Smoking Weed: Is One Safer? – Healthline

Posted: at 4:54 pm

The safety and long-term health effects of using e-cigarettes or other vaping products still arent well known. In September 2019, federal and state health authorities began investigating an outbreak of a severe lung disease associated with e-cigarettes and other vaping products. Were closely monitoring the situation and will update our content as soon as more information is available.

Over the past decade, marijuana laws have continued to change across the United States.

What was once vilified as a potentially dangerous gateway drug is now being recognized by many states (33 plus Washington, D.C., to be exact) as having medicinal properties that can help manage a range of health conditions, from anxiety and cancer to chronic pain and more.

Marijuana is now also recreationally legal in 11 of those 33 states. (Note that marijuana is still classified as illegal by the U.S. federal government.)

In states where marijuana is legal, its being sold mostly in three different ways:

If you live in a state where marijuana is legal, you might be wondering how best to consume it, especially in light of recent federal investigations into the safety of vaping.

Heres what we know.

For decades, health experts warned the public about the dangers of inhaling tobacco smoke from cigarettes, cigars, and pipes.

For marijuana, some research suggests some compounds in it, known as cannabinoids, may have a few benefits.

One of the more well-known cannabinoids is called CBD. For this reason, some people believe smoking marijuana is less dangerous than smoking tobacco.

Cannabinoids, such as CBD, are different from tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the chemical in marijuana that gets a person high.

Inhaling smoke of any kind whether its cannabinoid-containing weed or tobacco or another substance is bad for lung health, according to the American Lung Association.

Most marijuana users hold smoke in their lungs longer than tobacco smokers, putting them at greater risk for exposure to tar which is harmful to the lungs.

Some negative health effects associated with chronic weed smoking include:

Vaping marijuana involves inhaling heated oil through a vaporizing device, often referred to as an e-cigarette. Vaping marijuana can also refer to using a vaporizer, such as a Volcano, to produce vapor from dried plant material.

Some people believe vaping is safer than smoking because it doesnt involve inhaling smoke. But the reality is, when it comes to vaping marijuana, theres much less known about the negative health effects.

The most recent research suggests vaping THC oil could be quite harmful to lung health. The greatest concern at the moment is the severe effects of inhaling vitamin E acetate. This additive chemical has been found in many vaping products that contain THC.

As of Dec. 27, 2019, nearly 2,561 cases of lung injury (EVALI) caused by inhalation of vitamin E acetate, or popcorn lung, have been reported in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and two U.S. territories (Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands) and have led to 55 deaths during that time, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Some of the people affected by vaping illnesses include children.

The CDC recommends people avoid using e-cigarettes and vaping products, particularly those containing THC oil, because theyre likely to contain vitamin E acetate.

Early research shows vaping liquids and oils even once can harm your lungs. Because vaping is new and hasnt been well studied, there could be harmful effects of vaping that arent yet known.

Some states with legal marijuana are proactively warning marijuana users that vaping liquids has been known to cause severe lung injuries and death.

To stay up to date on the latest vaping-related illness news, check the CDC website for regular updates.

There are several ways to smoke marijuana:

When people vape, they consume concentrated marijuana. It seems to be a much more potent delivery system than smoking. In other words, youll get more high from vaping than from smoking.

Researchers have determined that the effects of vaping marijuana are much stronger than smoking.

In one study, researchers found that first-time and infrequent marijuana users were more likely to experience adverse reactions from the enhanced delivery of THC caused by vaping when compared to smoking.

Both smoking and vaping have an almost immediate effect on the body. Their effects peak within 10 to 15 minutes.

Most experts recommend starting vaping or smoking very slowly, taking in a small amount at first and waiting 20 to 30 minutes before having more.

Because the harmful effects of smoking are well known and the health effects of vaping are unknown (and possibly very serious), its understandable that you might want to seek an alternative way to use marijuana.

If youre looking to consume marijuana in the least risky way, ingesting it might be the way to go.

Edible marijuana products, or edibles, can be any food or beverage. They include, but arent limited to:

Keep in mind that ingesting marijuana doesnt have an immediate effect. Having too much can lead to adverse physical and mental reactions, such as:

But when eaten in moderation, edibles seem to have no apparent harmful health effects.

Eating raw marijuana wont have the same effects on the body as consuming marijuana-based products prepared correctly. Marijuana has to be heated in order for its chemical compounds to be activated. Cooking it can do that.

It can take up to 2 hours for the effects of ingested marijuana to hit and around 3 hours for them to peak. Effects are often long lasting anywhere from 6 to 8 hours.

For this reason, its important to start slowly. Consume a very small amount if youre ingesting marijuana for the first time. For example, a common dose for edibles is 10 milligrams of THC. If youre just starting out, opt for 2 to 5 milligrams of THC.

If you seek the purported beneficial health effects of marijuana without the high, you may want to seek out CBD oil and products that contain it. Note: the CDC does not recommend vaping any liquid, including CBD oil.

Note, however, that CBD products arent regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. If you do buy them, its important to do so from a reputable distributor.

While more research on the effects of consuming marijuana is needed, it appears we can conclude that smoking any substance including marijuana is generally not good for you.

New research suggests vaping liquids may also be detrimental to health and can cause serious problems, including death. So, it seems the least harmful way of consuming marijuana may be to eat it.

However, researchers note that long-term marijuana use and THC exposure may increase the risk of psychosis and mental health disorders.

If you want to get the health benefits of marijuana with the least amount of risks, it seems CBD products might be the way to go though you wont get high from using them.

Is CBD legal?The 2018 Farm Bill removed hemp from the legal definition of marijuana in the Controlled Substances Act. This made some hemp-derived CBD products with less than 0.3 percent THC federally legal. However, CBD products containing more than 0.3 percent THC still fall under the legal definition of marijuana, making them federally illegal but legal under some state laws. Be sure to check state laws, especially when traveling. Also, keep in mind that the FDA has not approved nonprescription CBD products, and some products may be inaccurately labeled.

Vaping vs. Smoking Weed: Is One Safer? - Healthline

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Federalist papers | History, Contents, & Facts | Britannica

Posted: January 30, 2023 at 2:27 am

Federalist papers, formally The Federalist, series of 85 essays on the proposed new Constitution of the United States and on the nature of republican government, published between 1787 and 1788 by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in an effort to persuade New York state voters to support ratification. Seventy-seven of the essays first appeared serially in New York newspapers, were reprinted in most other states, and were published in book form as The Federalist on May 28, 1788; the remaining eight essays appeared in New York newspapers between June 14 and August 16, 1788.

All the papers appeared over the signature Publius, and the authorship of some of the papers was once a matter of scholarly dispute. However, computer analysis and historical evidence has led nearly all historians to assign authorship in the following manner: Hamilton wrote numbers 1, 69, 1113, 1517, 2136, 5961, and 6585; Madison, numbers 10, 14, 1820, 3758, and 6263; and Jay, numbers 25 and 64.

The authors of the Federalist papers presented a masterly defense of the new federal system and of the major departments in the proposed central government. They also argued that the existing government under the Articles of Confederation, the countrys first constitution, was defective and that the proposed Constitution would remedy its weaknesses without endangering the liberties of the people.

As a general treatise on republican government, the Federalist papers are distinguished for their comprehensive analysis of the means by which the ideals of justice, the general welfare, and the rights of individuals could be realized. The authors assumed that peoples primary political motive is self-interest and that peoplewhether acting individually or collectivelyare selfish and only imperfectly rational. The establishment of a republican form of government would not of itself provide protection against such characteristics: the representatives of the people might betray their trust; one segment of the population might oppress another; and both the representatives and the public might give way to passion or caprice. The possibility of good government, they argued, lay in the crafting of political institutions that would compensate for deficiencies in both reason and virtue in the ordinary conduct of politics. This theme was predominant in late 18th-century political thought in America and accounts in part for the elaborate system of checks and balances that was devised in the Constitution.

The authors of the Federalist papers argued against the decentralization of political authority under the Articles of Confederation. They worried, for example, that national commercial interests suffered from intransigent economic conflicts between states and that federal weakness undermined American diplomatic efforts abroad. Broadly, they argued that the governments impotence under the Articles of Confederation obstructed Americas emergence as a powerful commercial empire.

The authors were also critical of the power assumed by state legislatures under the Articles of Confederationand of the characters of the people serving in those assemblies. In the authors view, the farmers and artisans who rose to power in postrevolutionary America were too beholden to narrow economic and regional interests to serve the broader public good. Of particular concern to the authors was the passage by state legislatures of pro-debtor legislation and paper money laws that threatened creditors property rights. Unlike most Americans of the period, who typically worried about the conspiracies of the elite few against the liberties of the people, the authors were concerned about tyrannical legislative majorities threatening the rights of propertied minorities. The Articles of Confederation, in their view, had provided no safeguards against the vices of the people themselves, and the American Revolutions enthusiasm for liberty had diminished popular appreciation of the need for good governance. The Federalist papers presented the 178687 insurrection of debtor farmers in western MassachusettsShayss Rebellionas a symptom of this broader crisis.

The authors of the Federalist papers argued for an increase in the energy of the federal government to respond to this crisis. However, the national governments increased power would have to be based in republican principles and retain a federal distribution of power; there would be no return to monarchical rule or consolidation of central authority.

In one of the most notable essays, Federalist 10, Madison rejected the then common belief that republican government was possible only for small states. He argued that stability, liberty, and justice were more likely to be achieved in a large area with a numerous and heterogeneous population. Although frequently interpreted as an attack on majority rule, the essay is in reality a defense of both social, economic, and cultural pluralism and of a composite majority formed by compromise and conciliation. Decision by such a majority, rather than by a monistic one, would be more likely to accord with the proper ends of government. This distinction between a proper and an improper majority typifies the fundamental philosophy of the Federalist papers; republican institutions, including the principle of majority rule, were not considered good in themselves but were good because they constituted the best means for the pursuit of justice and the preservation of liberty.

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Human – Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Posted: at 2:25 am

A human is a member of the species Homo sapiens, which means 'wise man' in Latin.[3] Carolus Linnaeus put humans in the mammalian order of primates.[1] Humans are a species of hominid, and chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas and orangutans are their closest living relatives.

Humans are mammals. They are also social animals. They usually live in groups. They help and protect each other. They care for their children. Humans are bipedal, which means they walk on two legs.

Humans have a complex brain, which is much larger than that of the other living apes. They use language, make ideas, and feel emotions. This brain, and the fact that arms are not needed for walking, lets humans use tools. Humans use tools far more than any other species.

Humans first came from Africa. There are humans living on every continent.[4][5] As of 2022, there were over 7900 million people living on Earth.[6] Overpopulation is a problem.

Humans have a long period of development after birth. Their life depends less on instinct than other animals, and more on learning. Humans are also born with their brains not so well developed as those of other mammals. This makes for an unusually long childhood, and so makes family life important. If their brains were better developed at birth, their head would be larger, and this would make birth more difficult. In birth, the baby's head has to get through the 'birth canal', the passageway through the mother's pelvis.

Many animals use signs and sounds to communicate with each other. But humans have language. It lets them express ideas by using words. Humans are capable of making abstract ideas and communicating them to others. Human language can express things which are not present, or talk about events that are not happening at that time.[7] The things might be elsewhere, and the events may also have occurred at another place or time.[8]

No known animals have a system of communication that is as elaborate as human language. By using words to communicate with each other, humans make complex communities with laws, traditions and customs. Humans like to understand the world around them. They try to explain things through myth, science and philosophy. Wanting to understand things has helped humans make important discoveries.

Humans are the only species living today known to build fires, to cook their food and wear clothes. Humans use more technology than any other animal on Earth ever has. Humans like things that are beautiful and like to make art, literature and music. Humans use education and teaching to pass on skills, ideas and customs to the next generations.

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Humans are part of the animal kingdom. They are mammals, which means that they give birth to their young, and females feed their babies with breast milk. Humans belong to the order of primates. Apes like gorillas, orangutans, chimps, and gibbons are also primates.

The closest living relatives of humans are the two chimpanzee species: the common chimpanzee and the bonobo. Scientists have examined the genes of humans and chimpanzees, and compared their DNA. The studies showed that 95% to 99% of the DNA of humans and chimpanzees is the same.[9][10][11][12][13]

Biologists explain the similarity between humans and other hominoids by their descent from a common ancestor. In 2001, a hominid skull was discovered in Chad. The skull is about 7 million years old, and has been classified as Sahelanthropus tchadensis. This skull may show that the date at which humans started to evolve (develop differently) from other primates is 2 million years earlier than scientists had previously thought.[14]

Humans are part of a subfamily called the Homininae (or hominins), inside the hominids or great apes.

Long ago, there used to be other types of hominins on Earth. They were like modern humans, but not the same. Homo sapiens are the only type of hominins who are alive today.[15] The earliest known fossils of genus Homo have been called Homo habilis (handy man). The first fossils of Homo habilis were found in Tanzania. Homo hablilis is thought to have lived about 2.2 to 1.7 million years ago.[16] Another human species thought to be an ancestor of the modern human is Homo erectus.[17] There are other extinct species of Homo known today. Many of them were likely our 'cousins', as they developed differently than our ancestors.[18] Different species of plants and animals moved from Africa to the Middle East, and then elsewhere. Early humans may have moved from Africa to other parts of the world in the same way.

The first truly modern humans seem to have appeared between 300,000,[19] and 200,000 years ago in East Africa.[20][21][22] In paleontology, 200,000 years is a "short" time. So, scientists speak of a "recent single origin" of humans. Some of these early humans later moved out from Africa. By about 90,000 years ago they had moved into Eurasia. This was the area where Neanderthals, Homo neanderthalensis, had been living for a long time (at least 350,000 years).

By about 42 to 44,000 years ago Homo sapiens had reached western Europe, including Britain.[23] In Europe and western Asia, Homo sapiens replaced the neanderthals by about 35,000 years ago. The details of this event are not known.

At roughly the same time Homo sapiens arrived in Australia. Their arrival in the Americas was much later, about 15,000 years ago.[24] All these earlier groups of modern man were hunter-gatherers.

Early human history is commonly divided into three ages. The time periods are labeled with the material used for tools.

The "Stone Age" is commonly subdivided into the Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic periods.

Up to about 10 thousand years ago most humans were hunter-gatherers. They did not live in one place, but moved around as the seasons changed. The start of planting crops for food, called farming made the Neolithic revolution. Some people chose to live in settlements. This also led to the invention of metal tools and the training of animals. About 6000 years ago the first proper civilizations began in places like Egypt, India, and Syria. The people formed governments and armies for protection. They competed for area to live and resources and sometimes they fought with each other. About 4000 years ago some states took over or conquered other states and made empires. Examples include ancient Greece and the Roman Empire.

Some modern day religions also began at this time such as Judaism and Hinduism. From the Middle Ages and beyond humanity saw an explosion of new technology and inventions. The printing press, the car, the train, and electricity are all examples of this kind of invention. As a result of the developments in technology, modern humans live in a world where everyone is connected, for example by telephone or by internet. People now control and change the environment around them in many different ways.

In early times, humans usually settled near to water and other natural resources. In modern times if people need things they can transport them from somewhere else. So basing a settlement close to resources is no longer as important as it once was. Since 1800, the number of humans, or population, has increased by six billion.[25] Most humans (61%) live in Asia. The rest live in the Americas (14%), Africa (14%), Europe (11%), and Oceania (0.5%).

Most people live in towns and cities. This number is expected to get higher. In 2005 the United Nations said that by the end of that year, over half the world would be living in cities. This is an important change in human settlement patterns: a century earlier in 1900 only 14% of people lived in cities, in 2000 47% of the world's population lived in cities. In developed countries, like the United States, 80% of the population live in cities.[26]

Humans have a large effect on the world. Humans are at the top of the food chain and are generally not eaten by any animals. Humans have been described as super predators because of this.[27] Because of industry and other reasons humans are said to be a big cause of global climate change.[28]

Human body measurements differ. The worldwide average height for an adult human male is about 172cm (5ft 7+12in), and the worldwide average height for adult human females is about 158cm (5ft 2in). The average weight of an adult human is 5464kg (119141lb) for females and 7083kg (154183lb) for males.[29][30] Body weight and body type is influenced by genetics and environment. It varies greatly among individuals.

Human hair grows on the underarms, the genitals, legs, arms, and on the top of the head in adults of both genders. Hair will usually grow on the face of most adult males, and on the chest and back of many adult males. In human children of both genders, long hair grows only on the top of the head. Although it might look like humans have fewer hairs than most primates, they actually do not. The average human has more hair follicles, where hair grows from, than most chimpanzees have.[31] Human hair can be black, brown, red or blond.[32] When humans get older hair can turn grey or white.

Human skin colors vary greatly. They can be a very pale pink all the way to dark brown. There is a reason why people in tropical areas have dark skins. The dark pigment (melanin) in the skin protects them against ultraviolet rays in sunlight. The damage caused by UV rays can and does cause skin cancer in some people. Therefore, in more sunny areas, natural selection favors darker skin color.[33][34] Sun tanning has nothing to do with this issue, because it is just a temporary process which is not inherited. In colder climates the advantage of light-coloured skin is two-fold. It radiates less heat, and it absorbs more sunlight. In weaker sunlight a darker body produces less vitamin D than a lighter body. The selection for lighter skin is driven by these two reasons. Therefore, in less sunny areas, natural selection favours lighter skin colour.[35][36][37]

Humans are not as strong as other primates of the same size. An average female orangutan is at least three times as strong as an average human.[38]

The average human male needs 7 to 8 hours sleep a day. People who sleep less than this are generally not as healthy. A child needs more sleep, 9 to 10 hours on average.

The human life cycle is similar in some ways to most other mammals. However, there are some differences. The young grow inside the female mother for nine months. After this time the baby is pushed out of the woman's vagina, with its brain only half developed.

Unlike most other mammals, human childbirth is somewhat dangerous. Babies' heads are large, and the mothers pelvis bones are not very wide. Since people walk on two legs, their hips are fairly narrow. This means that birth can be difficult. Rarely, mother or baby may die in childbirth.[39] The number of mothers dying in childbirth is less in the 21st century. This is because of better medication and treatment. In many poor countries the number of mothers dying is higher. Sometimes it is up to 10 times as many as richer countries.[40]

In the human female, her fertile period in the oestrous cycle is hidden, and mating can take place at any time. That is quite unusual. In mammals generally the fertile period is very noticeable. Mating only takes place when the female signals her fertility. Think about cats, for example. The human cycle is unusual, and it is thought that there is a reason. Humans band together in tribes which have many people. It helps the tribe if the father of a child is not known for certainty. Men live together and work together in much larger groups than do chimpanzees (our nearest living relatives). They have a collective interest in the tribe. It is thought that the human mating system helps this.[41][42]

The average human baby weighs 34 kg at birth and is 5060 cm tall. Babies are often smaller in poorer countries,[43] and may die early because of this.[44]

Humans have four stages in their lives: childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age.

Life expectancy is how long you are expected to live. This depends on many things including where you live. The highest life expectancy is for people from Monaco, 89.52 years. The lowest is for people from Chad where life expectancy is only 49.81 years.[45]

Psychology is the study of how the human mind works. The human brain is the main controller of what a person does. Everything from moving and breathing to thinking is done by the brain. The human neocortex is huge compared with other mammals, and gives us our thinking ability, and the ability to speak and understand language.

Neurology is the study of how the brain works, psychology is the study of how and why people think and feel. Many aspects of life are also influenced by the hormone system, including growth and sexual development. The hormonal system (especially the pituitary gland) is partly controlled by the brain.

Human behaviour is hard to understand, so sometimes psychologists study animals because they may be simpler and easier to know. Psychology overlaps with many other sciences including medicine, biology, computer science and linguistics.

Language at its most basic is talking, reading and writing. The study of language is called linguistics. Humans have the most complicated languages on Earth. Although almost all animals communicate, human language is unique. Its use of syntax, and its huge learnt vocabulary are its main features.[8][46] There are over 7,300 languages spoken around the world. The world's most spoken first language is Mandarin Chinese, and the most spoken language is English.[47] This includes speakers of English as a second language.

Art has existed almost as long as humans. People have been doing some types of art for thousands of years as the picture on the right shows. Art represents how someone feels in the form of a painting, a sculpture or a photograph.

Music has also been around for thousands of years. Music can be made with only your voice but most of the time people use instruments. Music can be made using simple instruments only such as simple drums all the way up to electric guitars, keyboards and violins. Music can be loud, fast, quiet, slow or many different styles. Music represents how the people who are playing the music feel.

Literature is anything made or written using language. This includes books, poetry, legends, myths and fairy tales. Literature is important as without it many of the things we use today, such as Wikipedia, would not exist.

Humans often categorize themselves by race or ethnicity. Modern biologists know that human gene sequences are very similar compared to many other animals.[48][49][50] This is because of the "recent single origin" of modern humans.[22] That is one reason why there is only one human race.[51][52]:360

Ethnic groups are often linked by linguistic, cultural, ancestral, and national or regional ties. Race and ethnicity can lead to different social treatment called racism.

Religion is a belief of faith in a higher being, spirit, or any system of ideas that a group of people believe in. To have faith in a belief is to have the belief without proof that it is true. Faith can bring people together because they all believe in the same thing. Some of the things religions talk about are what happens after death, why humans exist, how humans came to exist (creation), and what is good to do and not to do (morality). Some people are very religious. Many people believe in one all-powerful god; some people believe in more than one god; some people are atheists, who do not believe in a god; and some people are agnostics, who are not sure if there is a god.

Technology are the things and methods which humans use to make tasks easier. Science is understanding how the universe and the things in it work. Technology used to be quite simple. It was passed on by people telling others, until writing was invented. This allowed technology to develop much quicker. Now people understand more and more about the world and the universe. The use of the telescope by Galileo, Einstein's theory of relativity, lasers, and computing are all scientific discoveries. Technology is of great importance to science, to medicine, and to everyday life.

A war is a lethal fight between large groups of people, usually countries or states. A war involves the use of lethal weapons as both sides try to kill the other. It is estimated that during the 20th century, between 167 and 188 million humans died because of war.[53] The people who fight for a state in wars are called soldiers. The people who fight in wars, but not for a state, are usually called "fighters".

Modern wars are very different from wars a thousand or even a hundred years ago. Modern war involves sabotage, terrorism, propaganda, and guerrilla warfare. In modern-day wars, civilians (people who are not soldiers) are often targets. An example of this is the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II. The bombs killed as many as 140,000 people in Hiroshima and 80,000 in Nagasaki by the end of 1945,[54] about half on the days of the bombings. Since then, thousands more have died from wounds or illness because of exposure to radiation released by the bombs.[55] In both cities, the overwhelming majority of the dead were civilians. In Germany, Austria, and Great Britain, conventional bombs were used. About 60,595 British,[56] and 550,000 German,[57] civilians were killed by planes bombing cities.

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NASA Looks Down at Mars, Sees Adorable Bear Face Staring Back

Posted: at 2:14 am

This story is part of Welcome to Mars, our series exploring the red planet.

Is that you, Smokey? NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter snapped a view of Mars that should trigger your pareidolia instincts. Pareidolia is the human tendency to see familiar objects in random shapes. In this case, it's totally a bear.

The University of Arizona runs the HiRise (High Resolution Imaging Experiment) camera on board MRO. It featured the bear-like formation as a HiRise image of the day on Wednesday.

The "face," captured by MRO in December, is bigger than your average bear. Aversion of the image with a scale shows it stretches roughly 2,000 meters (6,560 feet) across.

Since we've established this isn't a real bear's face or even bear art made by Mars' nonexistent intelligent aliens, what is it? "There's a hill with a V-shaped collapse structure (the nose), two craters (the eyes), and a circular fracture pattern (the head)," the HiRise team said. "The circular fracture pattern might be due to the settling of a deposit over a buried impact crater." The nose might be formed by a volcanic or mud vent, so the material deposited over the crater could be lava or mud.

HiRise has a knack for finding imaginative faces on Mars. There's the Happy Face Crater, Beaker from The Muppet Show and, oddly enough, Ed Asner. So spotting a bear's mug is just another day on the red planet. Said the HiRise team, "Maybe just grin and bear it."

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NASA Looks Down at Mars, Sees Adorable Bear Face Staring Back

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Nasa to test nuclear rockets that could fly astronauts to Mars in …

Posted: at 2:14 am

Nasa has unveiled plans to test nuclear-powered rockets that would fly astronauts to Mars in ultra-fast time.

The agency has partnered with the US governments Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) to demonstrate a nuclear thermal rocket engine in space as soon as 2027, it announced on Tuesday.

The project is intended to develop a pioneering propulsion system for space travel far different from the chemical systems prevalent since the modern era of rocketry dawned almost a century ago.

Using a nuclear thermal rocket allows for faster transit time, reducing risk for astronauts, Nasa said in a press release.

Reducing transit time is a key component for human missions to Mars, as longer trips require more supplies and more robust systems.

An additional benefit would be increased science payload capacity, and higher power for instrumentation and communication, according to the agency.

Nasa, which successfully tested its new-era Artemis spacecraft last year as a springboard back to the moon and on to Mars, has hopes of landing humans on the red planet some time in the 2030s as part of its Moon to Mars program.

Using current technology, Nasa says, the 300m-mile journey to Mars would take about seven months. Engineers do not yet know how much time could be shaved off using nuclear technology, but Bill Nelson, the Nasa administrator, said it would allow spacecraft, and humans, to travel in deep space at record speed.

With the help of this new technology, astronauts could journey to and from deep space faster than ever - a major capability to prepare for crewed missions to Mars, Nelson said.

Nuclear electric propulsion systems use propellants much more efficiently than chemical rockets but provide a low amount of thrust, the agency says.

A reactor generates electricity that positively charges gas propellants like xenon or krypton, pushing the ions out through a thruster, which drives the spacecraft forward.

Using low thrust efficiently, nuclear electric propulsion systems accelerate spacecraft for extended periods and can propel a Mars mission for a fraction of the propellant of high-thrust systems.

In a statement, Darpas director, Dr Stefanie Tompkins, said the agreement was an extension of existing collaboration between the agencies.

Darpa and Nasa have a long history of fruitful collaboration in advancing technologies for our respective goals, from the Saturn V rocket that took humans to the moon for the first time to robotic servicing and refueling of satellites, she said.

The space domain is critical to modern commerce, scientific discovery and national security. The ability to accomplish leap-ahead advances in space technology will be essential for more efficiently and quickly transporting material to the moon and, eventually, people to Mars.

Nasas Artemis 2 mission, which will send humans around the moon for the first time in more than half a century, is scheduled for 2024. The subsequent Artemis 3 mission, which could come the following year, will land astronauts, including the first woman, on the moons surface for the first time since 1972.

The image caption was amended on 25 January 2023. An earlier version said that Nasa hoped to land humans on the moon in the 2030s; this should have been Mars.

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Nasa to test nuclear rockets that could fly astronauts to Mars in ...

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