RIP Freeman Dyson: The super-boffin who applied his mathematical brain to nuclear magic, quantum physics, space travel, and more – The Register

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Video Freeman Dyson, the eminent British-American physicist and mathematician best known for his theoretical work in quantum electrodynamics, died today. He was 96.

His death was announced by his daughter Mia Dyson via Maine public television and the Institute of Advanced Study (IAS) the top research hub in Princeton, New Jersey, once home to Albert Einstein, John von Neumann, J. Robert Oppenheimer, and other giants of science and technology.

Mia said her father accidentally fell on Wednesday during one of his regular visits to his office at the IAS, where he had worked from 1953 until 1994. He died from his injuries at a hospital on Friday morning.

No life is more entangled with the onstitute and impossible to capture architect of modern particle physics, free-range mathematician, advocate of space travel, astrobiology and disarmament, futurist, eternal graduate student, rebel to many preconceived ideas including his own, thoughtful essayist, all the time a wise observer of the human scene, said Robbert Dijkgraaf, the Director and Leon Levy Professor at the IAS. His secret was simply saying 'yes' to everything in life, till the very end.

Dyson was born on December 15, 1923 in Berkshire, England, and read mathematics at Trinity College, University of Cambridge, aged 17. During the Second World War, he was pulled from academia to work as a scientist helping Blighty's Royal Air Force target German aircraft. After the war, he returned to Cambridge to complete his degree.

In 1947, he moved to the United States to obtain a PhD at Cornell University, studying alongside Hans Bethe, one of the pioneering nuclear physicists who played a crucial role in America's top-secret atom-bomb-building lab in Los Alamos, New Mexico.

"I came to Cornell to work with Hans Bethe, who was one of the greatest physicists in the world," Dyson said in a wide-ranging interview in 2008.

"He was right there at Cornell. He had been second-in-command at Los Alamos. It was just an ideal situation. In addition to Hans Bethe, there were many other Los Alamos veterans, who were then only about thirty years old, Feynman, and Phil Morrison, and Bob Wilson. Bob Wilson was chief of experimental physics, Bethe was chief of theoretical physics, and Phil Morrison was actually the fellow who carried the plutonium core to Tinian for the Nagasaki attack, so he was deeply involved in the business. Phil Morrison also visited Hiroshima very soon after it was destroyed.

"So there were those three people who were leading lights, who had been deeply involved at Los Alamos. I learned everything right from the horse's mouth."

And with that knowledge, Dyson soon disapproved of nations stockpiling nuclear weapons, noting:

You can watch the full interview below...

Youtube Video

Dyson applied his mathematical wizardry in many areas in science, from particle physics and astrophysics, to space travel, biology, and tackling climate change sans hysteria. He earned a ton of awards, almost too many to list, and was a professor emeritus at Princeton, and a member of various scientific organizations.

His biggest contribution, in this vulture's mind, was uniting mathematical formulations describing interactions of subatomic particles with the squiggly lines of Feynman diagrams. He also came up the additive number theory technique dubbed Dyson's transform, star-harvesting Dyson spheres that featured in Star Trek, and more.

"You could tell that the world was a beautiful place through his eyes, and somehow understanding all the formulas and the natural laws and all the mysteries he had plumbed through the study of physics, that is only grew more and more beautiful, the more he understood," Mia Dyson said today.

Dyson leaves behind his wife of 64 years, Imme, and six children.

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RIP Freeman Dyson: The super-boffin who applied his mathematical brain to nuclear magic, quantum physics, space travel, and more - The Register

Space tourism could spur the next Space Race | Opinion – The Daily Collegian Online

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Picture your ideal vacation destination.

If youre imagining the dark and cold vacuum of space, then Elon Musks SpaceX tourism is just for you!

Ah yes, Elon Musk, the guy known for laughing at a deer at the bottom of a swimming pool and for making a meme of his Tesla Cybertruck reveal when a demonstrator accidentally broke the trucks unbreakable windows.

Oh, and he founded his own NASA.

Jokes aside, Musks space exploration company, SpaceX, could be the saving grace for astronomy during a quiet time of NASA launches. SpaceX recently signed a deal with Space Adventures to make the stars above us the newest tourist hot spot; it plans to send four people in a spaceship as early as the end of next year.

Late 2021 may sound like an optimistic timeline, but it is actually a realistic one. Space Adventures has already run eight tourism trips to the International Space Station, and Musk started what CNN called the new Space Age when he flew a Tesla Roadster near Mars in the worlds most powerful rocket in 2018.

NASA apparently recognized SpaceXs potential as well, having given $2.6 billion in 2014 for the development of the Crew Dragon, the spacecraft that will be used to propel tourists into space.

Although tourism is only an afterthought next to SpaceXs endgame of Mars colonization, the commercialization of space travel could be what scientists need to spur the next Space Race. Space travel is expensive and time-intensive, and it can seem frivolous to invest in when there are more immediate concerns closer to home here on Earth.

Science needs a push to put stakes in space exploration. After all, a push is what put a man on the moon.

The U.S. government believed it was impractical to grant the $152 billion that was spent on the moon landing until Russias launch of the Sputnik satellite upped the pressure.

SpaceX changes the game by opening up possibilities for space travel that are not solely reliant on the government; its founded by a car company CEO and is recruiting non-astronaut civilians. Just as the U.S. broke grounds in research in the face of competition from Russia, commercialized space travel could prompt competition, resulting in reduced costs, increased efficiency, faster timelines and groundbreaking expeditions.

Space tourism will probably remain exclusive to the wealthy, but it could reignite global interest in astronomy and motivate trailblazing research into space exploration.

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Space tourism could spur the next Space Race | Opinion - The Daily Collegian Online

Brownsville aiming to become Space City by 2030 – KVEO-TV

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BROWNSVILLE, Texas The effort continues to name Brownsville the next space city. Currently two cities in the U.S. have that title, Houston and Cape Canaveral. Now Brownsville wants in. It is a title that exists only by name, but with SpaceX getting ready a for launch in 2020, the community excitement and interest are expected to grow.

The South Texas Astronomical Society hosting a panel to begin discussions on what it means to have a space program in our back yards.

Richard Camuccio, Cristina V. Torres Memorial Observatory, Assistant Director, Theres this interest that is there that needs to be tapped. I see it that it will happen. Its an inevitability. Its not if but when.

Its not the first time the idea has been floated around. In 2019 staff from NASA spoke about Brownsvilles potential to become a space city. Referring to the creations of new industry jobs, both directly and assisting with space travel. Academic focus on the sciences and engineering.

Right now SpaceX makes up a major bulk of space exploration in South Texas, but the goal is to have a regional effort in schools, the general public, and local business.

Victor De Los Santos, South Texas Astronomical Society, When we do become the space city, its the culture and its the people and were all a part of it. its not just big corporations coming in and doing all the work.

Marija Jette, South Texas Astronomical Society, Getting all these forces together and multiplying the effect. Really making a name for Brownsville as the place to do research and create new exciting business and technologies.

One of the many big space projects for SpaceX in the future involves travel to Mars.

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Brownsville aiming to become Space City by 2030 - KVEO-TV

Ask Ethan: Does The Aether Exist? – Forbes

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Both photons and gravitational waves propagate at the speed of light through the vacuum of empty... [+] space itself. Despite the fact that it isn't intuitive, there's no evidence that there's a physical medium, or aether, required for these entities to travel through.

All throughout the Universe, different types of signals propagate. Some of them, like sound waves, require a medium to travel through. Others, like light or gravitational waves, are perfectly content to traverse the vacuum of space, seemingly defying the need for a medium altogether. Irrespective of how they do it, all of these signals can be detected from the effects they induce when they eventually arrive at their destination. But is it really possible for waves to travel through the vacuum of space itself, without any medium at all to propagate through? That's what Wade Campbell wants to know, asking:

Back in the late 1800s, an "aether" was proposed as the medium that light travels through. We now don't believe that is the case. What is the evidence and/or proof that no aether exists?

It's an easy assumption to make, but a difficult assertion to disprove. Here's the story.

Whether through a medium, like mechanical waves, or in vacuum, like electromagnetic and... [+] gravitational waves, every ripple that propagates has a propagation speed. In no cases is the propagation speed infinite, and in theory, the speed at which gravitational ripples propagate should be the same as the maximum speed in the Universe: the speed of light.

Back in the earliest days of science before Newton, going back hundreds or even thousands of years we only had large-scale, macroscopic phenomena to investigate. The waves we observed came in many different varieties, including:

In the case of all of these waves, matter is involved. That matter provides a medium for these waves to travel through, and as the medium either compresses-and-rarifies in the direction of propagation (a longitudinal wave) or oscillates perpendicular to the direction of propagation (a transverse wave), the signal is transported from one location to another.

This diagram, dating back to Thomas Young's work in the early 1800s, is one of the oldest pictures... [+] that demonstrate both constructive and destructive interference as arising from wave sources originating at two points: A and B. This is a physically identical setup to a double slit experiment, even though it applies just as well to water waves propagated through a tank.

As we began to investigate waves more carefully, a third type began to emerge. In addition to longitudinal and transverse waves, a type of wave where each of the particles involved underwent motion in a circular path a surface wave was discovered. The rippling characteristics of water, which were previously thought to be either longitudinal or transverse waves exclusively, were shown to also contain this surface wave component.

All three of these types of wave are examples of mechanical waves, which is where some type of energy is transported from one location to another through a material, matter-based medium. A wave that travels through a spring, a slinky, water, the Earth, a string, or even the air, all require an impetus for creating some initial displacement from equilibrium, and then the wave carries that energy through a medium towards its destination.

A series of particles moving along circular paths can appear to create a macroscopic illusion of... [+] waves. Similarly, individual water molecules that move in a particular pattern can produce macroscopic water waves, and the gravitational waves we see are likely made out of individual quantum particles that compose them: gravitons.

It makes sense, then, that as we discovered new types of waves, we'd assume they had similar properties to the classes of waves we already knew about. Even before Newton, the aether was the name given to the void of space, where the planets and other celestial objects resided. Tycho Brahe's famous 1588 work,De Mundi Aetherei Recentioribus Phaenomenis, literally translates as "On Recent Phenomena in the Aethereal World."

The aether, it was assumed, was the medium inherent to space that all objects, from comets to planets to starlight itself, traveled through. Whether light was a wave or a corpuscle, though, was a point of contention for many centuries. Newton claimed it was a corpuscle, which Christiaan Huygens, his contemporary, claimed it was a wave. The issue wasn't decided until the 19th century, where experiments with light unambiguously revealed its wave-like nature. (With modern quantum physics, we now know it behaves like a particle also, but its wave-like nature cannot be denied.)

The results of an experiment, showcased using laser light around a spherical object, with the actual... [+] optical data. Note the extraordinary validation of Fresnel's theory's prediction: that a bright, central spot would appear in the shadow cast by the sphere, verifying the absurd prediction of the wave theory of light.

This was further borne out as we began to understand the nature of electricity and magnetism. Experiments that accelerated charged particles not only showed that they were affected by magnetic fields, but that when you bent a charged particle with a magnetic field, it radiated light. Theoretical developments showed that light itself was an electromagnetic wave that propagated at a finite, large, but calculable velocity, today known asc, the speed of light in a vacuum.

If light was an electromagnetic wave, and all waves required a medium to travel through, and as all the heavenly bodies traveled through the medium of space then surely that medium itself, the aether, was the medium that light traveled through. The biggest question remaining, then, was to determine what properties the aether itself possessed.

In Descartes' vision of gravity, there was an aether permeating space, and only the displacement of... [+] matter through it could explain gravitation. This did not lead to an accurate formulation of gravity that matched with observations.

One of the most important points about what the aethercouldn't be was figured out by Maxwell himself, who was the first to derive the electromagnetic nature of light waves. In an 1874 letter to Lewis Campbell, he wrote:

It may also be worth knowing that the aether cannot be molecular. If it were, it would be a gas, and a pint of it would have the same properties as regards heat, etc., as a pint of air, except that it would not be so heavy.

In other words, whatever the aether was or more accurately, whatever it was that electromagnetic waves propagated through it could not have many of the traditional properties that other, matter-based media possessed. It could not be composed of individual particles. It could not contain heat. It could not transfer energy through it. In fact, just about the only thing left that the aether was allowed to do was serve as a background medium through which things like light were permitted to travel.

If you split light into two perpendicular components and bring them back together, they will produce... [+] an interference pattern. If there's a medium that light is traveling through, the interference pattern should depend on how your apparatus is oriented relative to that motion.

All of this led to the most important experiment for detecting the aether: the Michelson-Morley experiment. If aether really were a medium for light to travel through, then the Earth should be passing through the aether as it rotated on its axis and revolved around the Sun. Even though we only revolve at a speed of around 30 km/s, that's a substantial fraction (about 0.01%) of the speed of light.

With a sensitive enough interferometer, if light were a wave traveling through this medium, we should detect a shift in light's interference pattern dependent on the angle the interferometer made with our direction of motion. Michelson alone tried to measure this effect in 1881, but his results were inconclusive. 6 years later, with Morley, they reached sensitivities that were just 1/40th the magnitude of the expected signal. Their experiment, however, yielded a null result; there was no evidence for the aether at all.

The Michelson interferometer (top) showed a negligible shift in light patterns (bottom, solid) as... [+] compared with what was expected if Galilean relativity were true (bottom, dotted). The speed of light was the same no matter which direction the interferometer was oriented, including with, perpendicular to, or against the Earth's motion through space.

Aether enthusiasts contorted themselves in knots attempting to explain this null result.

All of these possibilities, despite their arbitrary constants and parameters, were seriously considered right up until Einstein's relativity came along. Once the realization came about that the laws of physics should be, and in fact were, the same for all observers in all frames of reference, the idea of an "absolute frame of reference," which the aether absolutely was, was no longer necessary or tenable.

If you allow light to come from outside your environment to inside, you can gain information about... [+] the relative velocities and accelerations of the two reference frames. The fact that the laws of physics, the speed of light, and every other observable is independent of your reference frame is strong evidence against the need for an aether.

What all of this means is that the laws of physics don't require the existence of an aether; they work just fine without one. Today, with our modern understanding of not just Special Relativity but also General Relativity which incorporates gravitation we recognize that both electromagnetic waves and gravitational waves don't require any sort of medium to travel through at all. The vacuum of space, devoid of any material entity, is enough all on its own.

This doesn't mean, however, that we've disproven the existence of the aether. All we've proven, and indeed all we're capable of proving, is that if there is an aether, it has no properties that are detectable by any experiment we're capable of performing. It doesn't affect the motion of light or gravitational waves through it, not under any physical circumstances, which is equivalent to stating that everything we observe is consistent with it's non-existence.

Visualization of a quantum field theory calculation showing virtual particles in the quantum vacuum.... [+] (Specifically, for the strong interactions.) Even in empty space, this vacuum energy is non-zero, and what appears to be the 'ground state' in one region of curved space will look different from the perspective of an observer where the spatial curvature differs. As long as quantum fields are present, this vacuum energy (or a cosmological constant) must be present, too.

If something has no observable, measurable effects on our Universe in any way, shape or form, even in principle, we consider that "thing" to be physically non-existent. But the fact that there's nothing pointing to the existence of the aether doesn't mean we fully understand what empty space, or the quantum vacuum, actually is. In fact, there are a whole slew of unanswered, open questions about exactly that topic plaguing the field today.

Why does empty space still have a non-zero amount of energy dark energy, or a cosmological constant intrinsic to it? If space is discrete at some level, does that imply a preferred frame of reference, where that discrete "size" is maximized under the rules of relativity? Can light or gravitational waves exist without space to travel through, and does that mean there is some type of propagation medium, after all?

As Carl Sagan famously said, "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence." We have no proof that the aether exists, but can never prove the negative: that no aether exists. All we can demonstrate, and have demonstrated, is that if the aether exists, it has no properties that affect the matter and radiation that we do observe.

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Ask Ethan: Does The Aether Exist? - Forbes

Out of this world: Should sex technology be launched into space? – The Independent

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The 2018 movie A.I. Rising explores how machines could fulfil desires and support humans during space travel. Lo and behold, it might contain the solution to problems related to space exploration. Astronauts, despite their rigorous training, remain humans with needs. For space exploration and colonisation to succeed, we need to overcome taboos, consider human needs and desires and provide concrete, realistic solutions based on science rather than conventional morality.

Can humans thrive for prolonged periods of time in small groups and in closed, isolated environments? Can humans contend with limited possibilities of relationships, intimacy and sexuality? Sex tech might have the answer. As researchers exploring human-machine erotic interactions, we are interested in their implications and potential applications for human wellbeing even beyond our home planet.

Sharing the full story, not just the headlines

Space exploration and colonisation is one of humanitys greatest endeavours, but it comes with challenges. One of them is to make the space journey human-compatible, that is, physically and psychologically viable. Given that intimacy and sexuality are basic needs, they become central issues for human-space compatibility.

How will humans have sex in space? Can we propagate the species beyond Earth? What will intimate relationships look like aboard spaceships and settlements? As of now, Nasa and other space agencies have denied that any sexual activity has ever occurred during a space mission. Either sex in space hasnt happened, or no one is talking about it. Nonetheless, imminent prolonged human missions to the moon and Mars raise concerns regarding the future of intimacy and sexuality in space.

Mystic Mountain, a pillar of gas and dust standing at three-light-years tall, bursting with jets of gas flom fledgling stars buried within, was captured by Nasa's Hubble Space Telelscope in February 2010

Nasa/ESA/STScI

The first ever selfie taken on an alien planet, captured by Nasa's Curiosity Rover in the early days of its mission to explore Mars in 2012

Nasa/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Death of a star: This image from Nasa's Chandra X-ray telescope shows the supernova of Tycho, a star in our Milky Way galaxy

Nasa

Arrokoth, the most distant object ever explored, pictured here on 1 January 2019 by a camera on Nasa's New Horizons spaceraft at a distance of 4.1 billion miles from Earth

Getty

An image of the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy seen in infrared light by the Herschel Space Observatory in January 2012. Regions of space such as this are where new stars are born from a mixture of elements and cosmic dust

Nasa

The first ever image of a black hole, captured by the Event Horizon telescope, as part of a global collaboration involving Nasa, and released on 10 April 2019. The image reveals the black hole at the centre of Messier 87, a massive galaxy in the nearby Virgo galaxy cluster. This black hole resides about 54 million light-years from Earth

Getty

Pluto, as pictured by Nasa's New Horizons spacecraft as it flew over the dwarf planet for the first time ever in July 2015

Nasa/APL/SwRI

A coronal mass ejection as seen by the Chandra Observatory in 2019. This is the first time that Chandra has detected this phenomenon from a star other than the Sun

Nasa

Dark, narrow, 100 meter-long streaks running downhill on the surface Mars were believed to be evidence of contemporary flowing water. It has since been suggested that they may instead be formed by flowing sand

Nasa/JPL/University of Arizona

Morning Aurora: Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly captured this photograph of the green lights of the aurora from the International Space Station in October 2015

Nasa/Scott Kelly

Mystic Mountain, a pillar of gas and dust standing at three-light-years tall, bursting with jets of gas flom fledgling stars buried within, was captured by Nasa's Hubble Space Telelscope in February 2010

Nasa/ESA/STScI

The first ever selfie taken on an alien planet, captured by Nasa's Curiosity Rover in the early days of its mission to explore Mars in 2012

Nasa/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Death of a star: This image from Nasa's Chandra X-ray telescope shows the supernova of Tycho, a star in our Milky Way galaxy

Nasa

Arrokoth, the most distant object ever explored, pictured here on 1 January 2019 by a camera on Nasa's New Horizons spaceraft at a distance of 4.1 billion miles from Earth

Getty

An image of the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy seen in infrared light by the Herschel Space Observatory in January 2012. Regions of space such as this are where new stars are born from a mixture of elements and cosmic dust

Nasa

The first ever image of a black hole, captured by the Event Horizon telescope, as part of a global collaboration involving Nasa, and released on 10 April 2019. The image reveals the black hole at the centre of Messier 87, a massive galaxy in the nearby Virgo galaxy cluster. This black hole resides about 54 million light-years from Earth

Getty

Pluto, as pictured by Nasa's New Horizons spacecraft as it flew over the dwarf planet for the first time ever in July 2015

Nasa/APL/SwRI

A coronal mass ejection as seen by the Chandra Observatory in 2019. This is the first time that Chandra has detected this phenomenon from a star other than the Sun

Nasa

Dark, narrow, 100 meter-long streaks running downhill on the surface Mars were believed to be evidence of contemporary flowing water. It has since been suggested that they may instead be formed by flowing sand

Nasa/JPL/University of Arizona

Morning Aurora: Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly captured this photograph of the green lights of the aurora from the International Space Station in October 2015

Nasa/Scott Kelly

One important concern is that space exploration and colonisation will limit peoples opportunities for relationships, intimacy and sexuality for long periods of time. In the very near future, human missions will only include small crews and settlements. Fewer people mean fewer opportunities for intimacy making it difficult to find partners to connect with and potentially increasing tension between crew members. For instance, it might be difficult to find partners that fit our personality, preferences and sexual orientation. And when a relationship ends, people are stuck on a ship with an ex-partner possibly impairing a crews mood and the teamwork necessary to survive in dangerous environments.

While some people might be able to withstand a policy of total abstinence, it might be detrimental to the physical and mental health of others especially as larger groups venture into space. Yet Nasa seems afraid of tackling issues of intimacy and sexuality in space. In 2008, Bill Jeffs, spokesperson for Nasas Johnson Space Center in Houston, said: We dont study sexuality in space, and we dont have any studies ongoing with that. If thats your specific topic, theres nothing to discuss.

Might human-machine sex be a step too far in our relationship with technology? (Getty)

Given what we know about human sexuality, this position seems irresponsible. It prevents research from examining basic questions about sexual health and wellbeing in space. For instance, how do we deal with hygiene and the messiness of human sex in zero gravity? How will we maintain a crews psychological wellbeing if people must endure long periods lacking in erotic stimulation and affection? Is imposed abstinence a reasonable solution, based on empirical evidence?

One solution could be to make erotic technologies available to crews and settlers in space. This could include sex toys any object used for sexual enhancement or stimulation which could be used for sexual pleasure and gratification. But sex toys do not address the social dimensions of human erotic needs. This is where erobots come in.

The term erobots characterises all virtual, embodied and augmented artificial erotic agents and the technologies that produce them. Examples include sex robots, erotic chatbots and virtual or augmented partners. Erobotics is the emerging transdisciplinary research studying human-erobots interactions and related phenomena. Unlike previous technologies, erobots offer the opportunity of intimate relations with artificial agents tailored to the needs of their users. Erobotic technologies polarise public and academic discourses: some denounce them as promoting harmful norms, while others defend their potential benefits and health, education and research applications.

Erobots represent a practical solution to tackle the inhuman conditions of space exploration and colonisation. Moreover, erobotics could enable us to approach questions of intimacy and sexuality in space from scientific, relational and technological perspectives. Erobots could provide companionship and sexual pleasure to crew members and settlers. Beyond the capabilities of sex toys, erobots can incorporate social dimensions into erotic experiences. They could help with loneliness and the inevitable anxieties borne out of solitude. They could act as surrogate romantic partners, provide sexual outlets and reduce risks associated with human sex.

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Erobots could also provide intimacy and emotional support. And finally, erobots sensors and interactive capabilities could help monitor astronauts physiological and psychological health acting as a complement to daily medical exams. Erobots can take many forms and be made of light material. They can manifest through virtual or augmented reality and be combined with sex toys to provide interactive and immersive erotic experiences. The same technology could also be employed to enact erotic experiences with loved ones back on Earth.

To harness erotic technologys potential for human space missions, we must build collaborations between academia, governmental space programs and the private sector. Erobotics can contribute to space research programs. As a field grounded in sexuality and technology positive frameworks, it recognises the importance of intimacy and sexuality in human life and promotes the development of technology geared towards health and wellbeing. And ultimately, we must shed our taboos regarding technology and sexuality as we journey to the final frontier.

Simon Dubeis aPhD candidate in psychology atConcordia University and Dave Anctil is a researcher atUniversite Laval. This article was first seen on The Conversation

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Out of this world: Should sex technology be launched into space? - The Independent

How Commercialized Space Travel is Expected to Advance During the 2020s – The Future of Things

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Image by Stefan Keller from Pixabay

Since NASA ended its shuttle program back in 2011, flight enthusiasts have been looking to commercial companies to take up the mantle and make space transportation a reality for the general public. While there has been talk about colonizing Mars and supporting a space tourism industry in recent years, commercial travel is still very much in its infancy. How is it expected to advance and evolve in the 2020s?

The 2010s saw commercial space travel take a giant leap forward. Prior to 2012, the International Space Station (ISS) was solely the domain of government-operated vehicles, but that changed when Elon Musks company, SpaceX, arrived with its Dragon cargo capsule. This marked a shift from a private space industry centered on tech areas such as defense and aviation.

Secure World Foundations director of program planning Brian Weeden recently noted that the government was pretty much the sole driver of funding and activity under the old model. He added: Almost all the money would come from the government, and the government would have almost complete control over what was built.

SpaceX personifies the new age of commercial space, where a number of launch providers have tried to make travel into the unknown more accessible. These companies include Rocket Lab, founded in New Zealand, and the Washington-based Blue Origin.

The competition has been a key driver for innovation, and expert Bill Roberson believes that it has kick-started the space race after a few decades of relative stagnation. This points to an exciting decade, especially as the number of average weekly orbital launches from the US, as well as China, Russia and Japan, continues to increase.

Roberson notes: Private, commercial spaceflight. Even lunar exploration, mining, and colonization its suddenly all on the table, making the race for space today more vital than it has felt in years.

The renewed interest and competition in space has also made it a smart outlet for investment, which could spur further advances and milestones in both the burgeoning commercial sector and national security arena. Voyager Space Holdings, headed by founder and CEO Dylan Taylor, is a holding company that focuses specifically on acquiring and supporting hi-tech space companies.

Taylor believes that his philosophy centered on bringing the best capabilities of different companies under one banner will provide a platform for innovation to flourish. Being able to work at scale will also finally enable smaller companies to compete with bigger competitors, which is potentially transformative for space travel in general.

A major event on the horizon for commercialized space travel is the first-ever tourist voyage to the Moon, which is planned by SpaceX in 2023. Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa will be the first civilian passenger to venture near the location where Neil Armstrong once uttered his One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind speech more than 50 years ago.

Maezawa, a 44-year-old fashion mogul, recently set up a planned match-making event with the view to sharing the experience with a significant other. The event is sure to garner huge publicity, both in the run-up to launch and during the trip, which will take place in the SpaceX Starship. The success of that event will surely have some impact on how commercialized space travel develops during the remainder of the decade.

Boeing also plans on shaping the industry during the coming years as it now has the capacity for space travel after receiving a contract from NASA. The aerospace giant recently unveiled its Fewest Steps to the Moon program, with the aim of building a lander on the Moon in order to shuttle humans back and forth. It wants these plans to come to fruition by 2024.

NASA recently announced that private individuals would be able to visit the ISS for the first time in 2020 in another move that appears to herald the start of space tourism in earnest. It is unlikely to be affordable for the masses in the foreseeable future though as just a single days visit to the ISS is rumored to cost around $35,000 per day.

Those high costs and uncertainty about whether commercial space can really hit the mass market mean that it will probably be hard to judge its success before the mid-2020s. Richard Branson once said that flying tourists would be commonplace by 2008, but the dates for commercial flights continue to be pushed back.

It is an exciting time for the commercial industry, especially with visionaries such as Taylor, Musk and Jeff Bezos buying into space travel, and it certainly has the potential to come on leaps and bounds during the next decade. However, the success of planned flights and other factors will be a key determining factor in how exactly everything unfolds before 2030.

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How Commercialized Space Travel is Expected to Advance During the 2020s - The Future of Things

Its so violent: Scientists propose revolutionary new kind of engine for space travel, theres just one small catch (VIDEOS) – RT

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Researchers at the University of Washington have announced early findings on a potentially revolutionary new type of rotating detonation engine which could help produce cheaper, lighter spacecraft. Theres just one small catch.

While the research is only in its infancy, the fuel-efficient rocket would, theoretically at least, be easier and cheaper to build than current space-faring rockets, paving the way for more space travel at a lower cost to the environment. For instance, it currently takes about 3.5 million pounds of fuel to send NASAs space shuttles into space.

A conventional rocket engine burns propellant and forces it out the back using a vast array of machinery and control nozzles to create thrust and launch the rocket skyward, without any unforeseen detours.

In the rotating detonation engine, however, the shockwave does all the work, without the need for complicated machinery in the engine to direct the thrust, after which a number of secondary combustion pulses follow to launch the beast skyward. At least thats the theory.

The problem is, for the time being anyway, the engine is too unpredictable to use.

Its made of concentric cylinders. Propellant flows in the gap between the cylinders, and, after ignition, the rapid heat release forms a shock wave, a strong pulse of gas with significantly higher pressure and temperature that is moving faster than the speed of sound, said lead author James Koch, a UW doctoral student in aeronautics and astronautics.

The downside of that is that these detonations have a mind of their own. Once you detonate something, it just goes. Its so violent.

Koch and his team conducted a series of 0.5-second experiments captured using high-speed cameras at 240,000 frames per second to show exactly what happens when such engines fire, so they could then begin crunching the numbers and figure out how to replicate the power and efficiency minus the chaos.

The researchers have since developed a mathematical model which they are poring over to begin the process of developing a functioning prototype engine which wouldn't plaster a crew against the rear of the spaceship.

Now I can take what Ive done here and make it quantitative. From there we can talk about how to make a better engine, Koch concludes.

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Its so violent: Scientists propose revolutionary new kind of engine for space travel, theres just one small catch (VIDEOS) - RT

My God, Its Full of Stars! Two Auckland art shows on bodies colliding with space – The Spinoff

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Visiting the Audio Foundation and the Michael Lett Gallery, both just off Aucklands K Road, Tulia Thompson finds herself considering the galaxy and what it means to be human.

You have to imagine you are viewing these on a stifling hot February afternoon. There is a cacophony of men and machines, orange road cones and iron mesh-wire. Karangahape Rd is being dug up for the new transport hub.

I head through St Kevins Arcade, down the wide steps to the green lip of Myers Park, and around the corner. The Audio Foundation is an interesting find, both a leading space for experimental music and a gallery. You descend into the space down a long flight of concrete stairs with paint peeling from the metal railing, concrete walls painted in cream, mint and red. It feels properly abandoned. Theres no one at the reception, so when I slip into the first room, into near darkness, it feels like I could lie on the cool, concrete floor to observe the piece if I wanted to.

Sarah Callesens show Drawing, Synopsis and Song is a quiet exploration of our relationship with space, making visible the contribution of 17th century astronomer and mathematician Maria Cunitz. She was considered the most learned woman in astronomy since Hypatia of Alexandria.

Sarah Callesen Retrograde

Retrograde consists of three rotating thin wooden rods lit by a single stage-light on the floor; they remind me of meter rulers. Rotating slowly counter-clockwise; windmills come to mind as they make slow, whirring circles. Callesen intended them to turn retrograde, like Venus, but the low-fi AC motors freestyle. So this is the rotation of planets, in honour of a bright queen.

At times the outside enters again, a rhythmic pounding of bass, and the high-pitched screeching of machines as Karangahape Road is torn up and reordered.

In the next room, a projector close to the wall projects the Moon. A small black spot with a blur of red and green travels across it in a straight line. It reaches the end, the image shudders, disappears, blinks and begins again. The dots travel marks the Transit of Venus.

From Sarah Callesens Drawing, Synopsis and Song

A large black rectangle of card on the floor has names and distances written diagonally across it in white: Polina 21.6 Km. Pasha 7.2 Km. Qulzhan 7.9 Km. If you stand back and let your eyes blur it makes a pattern of uneven fretwork. I discover this because I kneel down by it and then stand up too quickly. I panic that I cant find a way in. I cant find supporting material to orient me. This piece is the sort of thing that makes some people hate artists their obscure provocations can feel exclusionary. But then I remind myself that I am, after all, an eccentric person who puts obscure references in her own writing. Im probably invoking a curse from the female gods, possibly Venus.

I chat to a lovely chap, Sam, who explains that these names and diameters are craters on Venus. Those with diameters greater than 20km are named after women who make outstanding contributions to their fields, under 20km are given female first names. All of these craters are named for women, by men. Fascinating! One of the craters is called Cunitz, and I wonder whether she would be delighted, or pissed off that she didnt do the naming. There is an iPad plugged into the wall showing images of the craters next to biographic information about the women they are named after. These pairings are strange and effective.

New Zealand poet Helen Rickersbys recent, brilliant poetry collection How to Live has a poem about philosopher Hipparchia in which Rickersby writes: Silence isnt always not speaking. Silence is sometimes an erasure. We dont know much about her, but we know she spoke. The erasure of women, both through institutional sexism and the retellings of history, still feels pervasive. We are back observing bodies colliding with uninhabitable spaces. Theres something potent about observing the silencing of women extended into space.

From Sarah Callesens Drawing, Synopsis and Song

There is an almost mechanical noise in this room; a sound recording taken in 1982 on Venus by Russian spacecraft Venera 14, looped with the sound recording from an earlier version of Retrograde. How strange that celestial bodies make sound. Not angelic chiming, but disorienting noises like wind and fierce waterfalls. The sounds are abrasive like an industrial site or furnace. At times I cant decipher the audio loop from the street sounds.

Callesens art is often visually stunning; beautiful, strange images sometimes paired with sound. So, I would have liked more aesthetically from her engagement with Maria Cunitz. I got the sense she was searching for her uncovering the imprints of her data, dusting it off from the invisibility accorded to it by men. But I didnt feel like she had found her; Maria herself remains fractal and diffuse. Maybe that is the point.

How disturbing that humankind has even extended its sexist ideas into space. What stayed with me was an impression that our mappings of space, and consideration of other bodies, are a partial, emotive picture of our own limited humanness.

Zac Langdon-Pole, Cleave Study (ii), 2019, anatomical human tongue cross-section, Xenophora shell

Up the road at Michael Lett Gallery is Zac Langdon-Poles Interbeing. The cool of the gallery is a welcome contrast to the pressing heat outside. The airy room has pristine white walls and warm wooden floors. On the left-hand wall, in Cleave Study (ii), a plastic, anatomical human-tongue meets a seashell. The shell has other small shells and bits of rock attached. Xenophora sea snails glue foreign objects to their shells for camouflage. My first thought are the tacky shell ornaments my grandmother had in the 70s.

Cleave Study (ii) also reminds me of that famous line from theorists Deleuze and Guattaris A Thousand Plateaus:an electron crashes into a language. Deleuze and Guattari were interested in how assemblages of disparate objects confound our imposed, rigid meanings. In contrast to the view language was our inescapable lens, Deleuze and Guattari argued that the materiality of the physical world was also creative and could disrupt language. So, the Xenophora shell is not just a metaphor for human art; Xenophora shells are their own art machines.

On the one hand, a human tongue here is cleaved to a pearlescent surface, but on the other its still plastic. There is something disturbing about plastic being made human meeting shell. I cant not think of ghostly plastic bags and sea-turtles. The tongue is a visceral metaphor for language, but tongues are also true to shell (the tongue of the oyster, say, or the tongue-like muscular foot of the Xenophora).

Langdon-Poles strength is the exquisite poetry he creates through assemblage quietly placing found objects together in a way that is both resonant and jarring. To cleave is both to join and sever. Cleave Study (ii) sets up the tension between human and nonhuman that pervades this collection.

Standing in the centre of the room, the first impression is that Majuro Atoll, Te Whanganui-A-Hei/ Cooks Beach, and Treptower Park, Berlin present stars in night-sky. I think of camping up north over Christmas, looking up to the glitter of the Milky Way. The expanse of it reorders your own perception of freedom. Yet as you adjust your eyes, you realise these images are not stars, that the spaces between are not star-like. Indeed, the images are enlarged prints of sand photograms, named for the beach that the sand has come from.

Zac Langdon-Pole, Te Whanganui-A-Hei / Cooks Beach 12.06.2019, 2019, sand photogram (1000% enlarged), made with sand from Te Whananui-A-Hei / Cooks Beach, Aotearoa New Zealand, archival hahnemhle fine art print.

The most impressive is Te Whanganui-A-Hei/ Cooks Beach where, enlarged 1000%, the light flares of the sand particles show shadowed depths and have a painterly quality.

Zac Langdon-Pole, Assimilation Study (detail), 2020, painted wooden shape-sorter blocks, hand carved Campo del Cielo meteorite, artist designed display case, acrylic, mdf, paint.

In Assimilation Study wooden sorting blocks, including a green star, are scattered in a display cabinet. One piece is slightly larger, a metallic triangle that is actually a hand-carved meteorite. It looks as if God has a toddler. If Langdon-Poles intention is that the meteorite is juxtaposed with the mundane, it looks too pristine to achieve it. But it is visually arresting. Im thinking about galaxies again.

I walk down white-painted concrete stairs into the narrower, cellar space of the building. Three prints show sand photograms at a one-to-one scale, making you wonder about the production of these images. They are made from putting sand on top of photograph paper. The place names as titles seem almost idiosyncratic, but then I think about Langdon-Pole travelling between these places. Did he go around collecting buckets of sand? Apparently, curator Andrew Thomas tells me, he gathered small handfuls from each place. Thomas notes previous works stemmed from the flightpath of migratory birds.

Sand is ground rock or shell. A quick look at the NIWA website tells me that the density and grain size is determined by the source. The process of becoming sand takes hundreds of thousands of years. So sand is already in motion, moved by tide across expanse. It is a journey that is immense, already glittering and star-like. And these images trace an alternate journey, via Zac Langdon-Poles pockets and transposed through exposure to light, that make me rethink our part in it; the grand scale of time and space confounds us.

Zac Langdon-Pole, Orbits (Cast Dandelion, Rainbow Obsidian), 2019, anatomical orbital human eye models; resin-embalmed dandelion paperweight; rainbow obsidian sphere; screws.

In Orbits, a dandelion paperweight is fixed into the socket of a plastic, anatomical model of an eye. Other versions use rainbow obsidian or petrified sequoia-wood, which creates an inky iris, an almost anime look. They are both grotesque and beautiful.

Langdon-Poles work manages to have a trueness to the ideas he explores while also being beautiful. I dont think art should have to be aesthetically pleasing, but there is a real joy in this marriage of substance and form.

Thinking of the materiality of space data in Callesens work and the travels of materiality in Zac Langdon-Poles, I would say that both displace humanness the way we think we are the centre of everything. But theres a strange doubling back of what it means to be human through examining our limitations. A meteor becomes a childs block, the ancient journey of sand is reordered into human memory, and planetary data is transformed into art object

But still, this universe, writhing alongside us. Theres a poem called My God, Its Full of Stars! by Tracy K. Smith from her stunning Pulitzer-winning collection Life of Mars where she grapples with her fathers work building the Hubble telescope.

We saw to the edge of all there is

So brutal and alive it seemed to comprehend us back.

Sarah Callesens Drawing, Synopsis and Songand Zac Langdon-Poles Interbeingare both on until Saturday February 29.

The Spinoff Weekly compiles the best stories of the week an essential guide to modern life in New Zealand, emailed out on Monday evenings.

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My God, Its Full of Stars! Two Auckland art shows on bodies colliding with space - The Spinoff

The Mystery of Warren Buffett’s Missing Crypto is Solved – Cointelegraph

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The mystery that has haunted the crypto community for years days is finally resolved.

We may never know the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, but we just cracked the second greatest mystery in the history of Bitcoin (BTC): what happened to the Bitcoins that Justin Sun supposedly gifted to Warren Buffet?

Justin Sun claimed that during his much-discussed lunch with Warren Buffet, he presented the crypto-skeptic with a Galaxy Fold phone which contained some cryptocurrency including Bitcoin and Tron (TRX).

However, in a recent interview with CNBC, not only did the Oracle of Omaha reiterate his negative stance towards cryptocurrency, he also flat-out denied owning any crypto whatsoever and further stated that he will never own it.... because it is worthless.

Subsequently, some in the crypto community started to question the veracity of Justin Suns statement. If indeed he had given some cryptocurrency to Warren Buffet, how could it be possible that Mr. Buffett doesnt own any?

Luckily for Mr. Sun, Buffett could be rebuffed. All Sun had to do was point to the blockchain-based evidence to defend himself:

Of course, all that the blockchain can prove is that some amount of cryptocurrency resides at a certain address. It cannot prove that an individual named Warren Buffet is the rightful owner of this cryptocurrency unless that individual chooses to prove his ownership by moving some coins or signing a message with a private key controlling it.

And as we have learned from the greatest Bitcoin mystery of all time, this can be no easy task for some individuals.

Justin Suns detractors seemed to have an upper hand in this deeply-contested conundrum until a good Samaritan stepped in to save the day (and Suns reputation).

Becky Quick, the CNBC reporter who inadvertently started this controversy, has now put an end to it:

No word yet on how Justin Sun feels about Warren Buffett regifting his generous present.

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The Mystery of Warren Buffett's Missing Crypto is Solved - Cointelegraph

Crypto currency goes showbiz: Bitcoin makes guest appearance on The Simpsons – Express

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The skit even teases a tantalising twist in the form of a subliminal message which appears to boast that the shows creators know the identity of the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto the enigmatic inventor of bitcoin.Fans of The Simpsons and cryptocurrency enthusiasts have been sent wild with anticipation over the appearance of a singing ledger book explaining how crypto will be the future of money. The excitement stems largely from the script-writers remarkable track record in making uncanny predictions.

The crooning accounts book tells viewers: Each day Im closer to being the cash of the future, not in your wallet Im in your computer!

A clandestine message then briefly pops up on the screen which, intriguingly, reads: Using the word cryptocurrency repeatedly while defining cryptocurrency makes it seem like we have a novices understanding of cryptocurrency.

Well, that is a total pile of cryptocurrency. In this system, rules are defined for the creation of additional units of cryptocurrency. They can be generated by fiat like traditional currency or just thrown around randomly or all given to LeBron.

It adds: But for some reason, these crypto guys are really into computers. So we have big buildings full of energy-gobbling, air-conditioned computers solving useless math problems. But now we cant have straws?!

Pausing the scene, viewers would be able to digest the whole message where the bombshell last line has caused a stir throughout the cryptocurrency community.

Also, we know who Satoshi is, but were not telling, it declares.

While many within the industry have claimed to know or even be Satoshi Nakamoto, very few are taken seriously. However, given The Simpsons previous form for weirdly accurate clairvoyance, this sudden foray into digital finance is being given the nod of approval.

The Simpsons most notable act of prophecy was depicting Donald Trump as US President in 2000 a full 16 years before the billionaire businessman took office.

Earlier, a 1993 episode featured magicians Siegfried & Roy where one of the entertainers is savagely mauled by a white tiger during their act in Las Vegas.

Ten years after the show aired, Roy Horn suffered life-changing injuries after being attacked on stage by one of the acts famous white tigers.

In 1995, the animated comedy showcased smartwatches 20 years before Apple launched them.

Also in 1995, a trip to the UK by Lisa Simpson featured a mystery building in the London skyline that looked strikingly similar to The Shard.

Fourteen years later, construction work on The Shard began in exactly the same location where it had appeared in the Simpsons.

Coin Rivetis a website bringingnews, information, analysis, opinion and insight from the fast-moving blockchain world.

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Crypto currency goes showbiz: Bitcoin makes guest appearance on The Simpsons - Express

CoinGeek London: When Bitcoin SV came of age – CoinGeek

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The whole Internet can work this way, said Twetch CEO Josh Petty in his presentation at the CoinGeek London conference. It was a typically bullish sentiment from the two days in which dozens of speakers demonstrated their confidence in the momentum building around Bitcoin SV (BSV).

Superficially, that momentum was felt in the more than doubling of the number of attendees since the last conference in Seoul six months ago. Even more superficially, it was seen the extraordinary width and clarity of the screen at the back of the stagedesigned to be viewed by creatures with at least three eyes.

More importantly, it was noticeable in the way BSV technology and businesses were discussed on stage. Petty announced new features for Twetch, taking the social media app to a slicker, more user-friendly form: Everything you touch and feel is going to be a microtransaction, he said, with no more swipe.

Familiar faces from previous conferences spoke with new certainty about what they were doing and had new achievements to report and announcements to make. Jack Liu of the RelayX wallet provided a moment of drama when he unveiled the new look of his appwhich is essentially a blank screen, the idea being that your camera opens to scan a QR code. More broadly, users will access Relay through other apps, making the integration of money functions almost invisible for users.

Newcomers, such as Thomas J. Lee, from Fundstrat, endorsed and elaborated themes previously only heard from those inside the Bitcoin SV tent. With detailed financial graphs, he predicted a parabolic moment when institutions get serious about cryptosimilar to the effect on Teslas share price when Wall Street started paying attention to its potential (below):

Lees colleague David Grider summarised from Fundstrats recent report on BSV, highlighting BSVs transaction growth and the potential of its nascent businesses. He singled out the coming Maxthon browser, the Baemail, email service and True Reviews as examples of more than 400 projects building on BSV, with more in prospect using the increased functionality provided by the Genesis fork.

The first day ended with a rousing speech by Dr. Craig Wright, which provided a laser-focused summary of his original intentions for Bitcoin as Satoshi Nakamoto and his present-day assessment of the prospects for BSV from microtransactions.

On Friday, there was more. Jeff Chen, the founder and CEO of Maxthon talked about his BSV browser. With his long track record of successful Internet browsers, this is no pipe dream, but a solid business proposition in development.

If you thought BSV innovation was limited to the world as seen through a computer screen, Stephan Nilsson and Ken Hill took us out into the real world. Hill described EHR Data, a new business that plans to revolutionise health information, putting patients in charge. And Nilsson, of UNISOT, demonstrated his app to track an item through a complex supply chain in this case, a haddock.

Finally, at the end of the second day, the veteran economist and technology commentator George Gilder, another newcomer to BSV gatherings, put Satoshis ideas into perspective. He was confident that BSV solves the two-fold scandal in the world economy, namely Internet security and the excesses of global currency trading.

Were now engaging in forging a new system of the world, he said. Its a system to replace the failed economic model of Google. In an information age, economies can change as fast as minds. Were moving to a world in which security comes first, everything is correctly valued and nothing is free.

Gilder gave an account of how he had been persuaded that Dr. Craig Wright is Satoshi. Sitting next to him in the final session of the day, he said, to applause that I think you can safely celebrate Craig. It was a fitting tribute to the man who had already changed the lives of everyone at CoinGeek London, all of whom are convinced that the best is yet to come.

New to Bitcoin? Check out CoinGeeksBitcoin for Beginnerssection, the ultimate resource guide to learn more about Bitcoinas originally envisioned by Satoshi Nakamotoand blockchain.

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CoinGeek London: When Bitcoin SV came of age - CoinGeek

Scientists Want to Feed Old Bread to Microbes Heres the Plan – SciTechDaily

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Researchers have developed a secret sauce for using waste bread as a medium to grow bacteria, yeasts, and other microorganisms for fermented food production.

As much as a third of food produced for human consumption is wasted or lost globally every year. New research published inFrontiers in Microbiologysuggests one way to take a big bite out of food waste is to use bread destined for the dumpster as a medium for cultivating microbial starters for the food industry.

While exact numbers regarding the amount of bread that is thrown away are hard to estimate, it is believed hundreds of tons are wasted daily worldwide from spoilage and other factors, including consumer preferences for products like crustless loaves.

The authors write that bread waste creates both economic loss and environmental impacts, as most of the waste ends up in landfills that emit greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane. The researchers propose repurposing all that discarded dough to feed the very microorganisms needed to kick start fermentation in food industries like bakeries, dairy, and wine-making.

We believe that the introduction of innovative bioprocessing technologies might be the key to unravel the burden of food waste [and] improving sustainability of the agro-food system, said team coordinatorDr. Carlo G. Rizzelloat the University of Bari Aldo Moro in Italy.

Rizzello and his colleagues experimented with more than 40 different kinds of growing conditions to find the best combination for various bacteria, yeast and other microorganisms used in food fermentation. This involved discovering the right recipe of bread amount, enzymes and supplemental ingredients, as well as the ideal time and temperature for incubation.

The goal was to create a wasted bread medium (WBM) that would match or beat current production methods that rely on raw materials. And, in fact, the scientists did formulate a secret sauce using 50 percent waste bread that was appetizing to a wide variety of microorganisms, including bacteria used in yogurt production. Crucially, they estimate that the production cost of WBM is about a third that of conventional media.

The protocol we were able to set up combines both the need for disposing of the huge amount of bread waste with that of cheap sources for media production, while fitting for the cultivation of several food industry starters, and it is patent pending, Rizzello said.

The idea is that the WBM protocols could be easily adopted by industrial bakeries, which currently rely on other companies to provide the starters. These businesses would benefit by using their own waste to produce the medium and propagate the cultures, without modifying [or] adding any equipment to the existing technology, said lead authorMichela Verni, who was responsible for the experimental design of the work.

The strength of our study strictly relies on how easily applicable the protocol is, and proof of its feasibility is indeed the fact that the process is already scaled up at industrial level, she added. Nevertheless, WBM offers a possibility for sustainable starter production to all the food industries working in the field of fermented foods and beverages.

Rizzello said WBM has applications beyond simple microbial cultivation. For example, it could be used as a food ingredient itself with a few tweaks to the WBM recipe and fermentation with different starters. Or it could serve as a substrate to feed microbes that produce specific compounds used in food supplements or cosmetics.

While WBM appears to be an effective medium for growing lactic acid bacteria and yeasts, Rizzello said further study is needed to determine if certain components or lack of some micronutrients might affect microbial metabolism in some significant way

Reference: Wasted Bread as Substrate for the Cultivation of Starters for the Food Industry by Michela Verni, Andrea Minisci, Sonia Convertino, Luana Nionelli and Carlo G. Rizzello, 28 February 2020, Frontiers in Microbiology.

DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.00293

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Scientists Want to Feed Old Bread to Microbes Heres the Plan - SciTechDaily

What is vitamin D deficiency: causes, symptoms, and treatment – Insider – INSIDER

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Vitamin D is an essential vitamin that plays a role in your immune system and helps your body absorb calcium. Yet, many people don't get enough vitamin D, particularly if you don't live in a sunny climate. Here's how to make sure you're getting your daily dose.

Our bodies produce vitamin D with help from the sun. When you are exposed to the ultraviolet rays in sunlight, specific cholesterol molecules in your skin, called 7-dehydrocholesterol, turn into vitamin D.

Therefore, it's hard to get enough vitamin D if you don't live in a sunny climate. For this reason, many foods in the US are fortified with vitamin D, including milk, yogurt, orange juice, and cereal. There are also a few foods naturally rich in vitamin D including eggs and fatty fish like tuna and salmon.

Even with the food fortification efforts, however, an estimated 40% of US adults are vitamin D deficient. This means that many of us may be at risk for serious health problems like bone disease. That's because you need vitamin D to absorb calcium, an important mineral that helps build bone density and keeps your bones strong. In fact, without adequate amounts of vitamin D, you absorb half as much calcium.

In addition to the lack of sunlight, other risk factors for having a vitamin D deficiency include obesity and avoiding dairy. Moreover, historically, scientists believed that people with darker skin are at greater risk for vitamin D deficiency, but there has been some controversy over whether this is true. Some experts have reported that vitamin tests may not accurately show how much vitamin D is active in the body and give falsely low results for African Americans.

A 2016 study on vitamin D levels responded to this controversy by including additional measures of vitamin D that factored in racial differences. This study showed that black Americans do have lower levels of vitamin D than whites and that they benefit just as much from taking vitamin D supplements, though they say that more research is still needed.

The average adult needs around 600 international units (IU) of vitamin D a day. For reference, a serving of salmon contains roughly 400 IU.

However, if you don't eat a lot of fortified foods or go out in the sun every day, you may want to look out for the symptoms of vitamin D deficiency.

One of the most important changes you can make to raise your vitamin D levels is to get more sunlight. "Try to get at least 5-10 minutes outside 3 times a week without sunscreen," Springer says. This is most effective when your skin is directly exposed to the sun and not covered by clothing.

If you aren't able to get much sunlight, you can also make dietary changes as well. "During the winter months, try consuming foods that contain vitamin D or taking a supplement," Springer says.

You can also boost your vitamin D using a UV lamp, much like the type used for indoor tanning. This is particularly helpful for people with certain medical conditions who can't absorb vitamin D from supplements.

When choosing a supplement, Springer recommends that most people should aim for 600 units per day, while older adults are recommended to have 800 units per day. Moreover, the Mayo Clinic says that you can safely take 1,000 to 2,000 IU per day from supplements.

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What is vitamin D deficiency: causes, symptoms, and treatment - Insider - INSIDER

Pet Supplements and Nutraceuticals Market Major Players Revenue all Growing with Positive Stance|Diamond Pet Foods, WellPet – The Market Journal

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The Latest research study released by HTF MI Global Pet Supplements and Nutraceuticals Market with 100+ pages of analysis on business Strategy taken up by key and emerging industry players and delivers know how of the current market development, landscape, technologies, drivers, opportunities, market viewpoint and status. The research study provides estimates for Global Pet Supplements and Nutraceuticals market Forecasted till 2025*. Some of the Major Companies covered in this Research are BASF, DSM Nutritionals, Nestle Purina PetCare, Kemin Industries, Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health, Blue Buffalo, Total Alimentos, Mars Petcare, Nutramax Laboratories, Diamond Pet Foods, WellPet, ALC INovators, Robinson Pharma, Diana Pet Food, Symrise AG, Roquette Freres, Darling International Inc, Archer Daniels Midland Company & Novotech Nutraceutical etc.

Click here for free sample + related graphs of the report @:https://www.htfmarketreport.com/sample-report/2513229-global-pet-supplements-and-nutraceuticals-market

Browse market information, tables and figures extent in-depth TOC on Pet Supplements and Nutraceuticals Market by Application (Dog,Cat,Bird,Fish), by Product Type (, Product Type Segmentation, Nutraceuticals & Supplements), Business scope, Manufacturing and Outlook Estimate to 2025.

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Customization of the Report: The report can be customized as per your needs for added data up to 3 businesses or countries or 40 analyst hours.On the basis of report- titled segments and sub-segment of the market are highlighted below:Global Pet Supplements and Nutraceuticals Market By Application/End-User (Value and Volume from 2019 to 2025) : Dog,Cat,Bird,Fish

Market By Type (Value and Volume from 2019 to 2025) : , Product Type Segmentation, Nutraceuticals & Supplements

Global Pet Supplements and Nutraceuticals Market by Key Players:BASF, DSM Nutritionals, Nestle Purina PetCare, Kemin Industries, Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health, Blue Buffalo, Total Alimentos, Mars Petcare, Nutramax Laboratories, Diamond Pet Foods, WellPet, ALC INovators, Robinson Pharma, Diana Pet Food, Symrise AG, Roquette Freres, Darling International Inc, Archer Daniels Midland Company & Novotech NutraceuticalGeographically, this report is segmented into some key Regions, with manufacture, depletion, revenue (million USD), and market share and growth rate of Pet Supplements and Nutraceuticals in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), covering China, USA, Europe, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia & South America and its Share (%) and CAGR for the forecasted period 2019 to 2025.

Informational Takeaways from the Market Study:The report Pet Supplements and Nutraceuticals matches the completely examined and evaluated data of the noticeable companies and their situation in the market by plans for different clear tools. The measured tools including SWOT analysis, Porters five powers analysis, and assumption return debt were utilized while separating the improvement of the key players performing in the market.

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Some of the important question for stakeholders and business professional for expanding their position in the Global Pet Supplements and Nutraceuticals Market :Q 1. Which Region offers the most rewarding open doors for the market in 2019?Q 2. What are the business threats and variable scenario concerning the market?Q 3. What are probably the most encouraging, high-development scenarios for Pet Supplements and Nutraceuticals movement showcase by applications, types and regions?Q 4.What segments grab most noteworthy attention in Pet Supplements and Nutraceuticals Market in 2019 and beyond?Q 5. Who are the significant players confronting and developing in Pet Supplements and Nutraceuticals Market?

For More Information Read Table of Content @:https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/2513229-global-pet-supplements-and-nutraceuticals-market

Key poles of the TOC:Chapter 1 Global Pet Supplements and Nutraceuticals Market Business OverviewChapter 2 Major Breakdown by Type [, Product Type Segmentation, Nutraceuticals & Supplements]Chapter 3 Major Application Wise Breakdown (Revenue & Volume)Chapter 4 Manufacture Market BreakdownChapter 5 Sales & Estimates Market StudyChapter 6 Key Manufacturers Production and Sales Market Comparison Breakdown..Chapter 8 Manufacturers, Deals and Closings Market Evaluation & AggressivenessChapter 9 Key Companies Breakdown by Overall Market Size & Revenue by Type..Chapter 11 Business / Industry Chain (Value & Supply Chain Analysis)Chapter 12 Conclusions & Appendix

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Pet Supplements and Nutraceuticals Market Major Players Revenue all Growing with Positive Stance|Diamond Pet Foods, WellPet - The Market Journal

How to boost your immune system: 5 ways to fend off cold and flu symptoms – Real Homes

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Looking for advice on how to boost your immune system? Whether you find yourself coming down with colds more often than you'd like, or you are (understandably) worried about the Coronavirus, now is a pretty good time to give your immune system a bit of TLC. Late winter is a particularly common time for people to catch cold and flu because our immune systems have been depleted over the harsh winter months. Follow these steps to build up your immune defences and (hopefully) avoid catching anything.

For more health and beauty advice, visit out hub page.

Getting more sleep is probably the single best thing you can do for your health in general, and your immune system in particular. Even a single night of poor sleep or not enough sleep makes you more vulnerable to viruses and infections, to say nothing of chronic sleep deprivation.

Find our how to sleep well in our in-depth guide.

Food is another basic building block of your immune system: we need a varied diet not just to survive, but to keep healthy over time. Eating more vegetables, fruit, lean protein, and fibre has multiple health benefits, including strengthening the immune system. try to avoid processed and fas food as much as you can it's nutritionally poor and doesn't give your body enough of the vitamins and minerals it needs to function optimally.

If you're able to, try cooking at home more check our our food hub page for simple and inspiring recipes, most of which can be made in about half an hour.

While supplements cannot replace a healthy diet (you'll read this on every bottle and packet of vitamins), there are a couple of supplements that have been proven to improve your immune system. One of them is vitamin D, which the NHS recommends we all take between late autumn and early spring if we live in the Northern hemisphere.

The other is vitamin C but in order to get the real benefits, you might need to invest in more than fizzy vitamin C tablets. Look for Liposomal vitamin C instead it won't cure a cold that's already there, but it has been clinically proven to improve your immune system (and your skin, which is a bonus).

It is important not to rely on multivitamins to protect your from colds and flu, though sadly, it really doesn't seem to work that way.

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Yes, drinking more water boosts your immune system. It does so by improving your kidney function, allowing your kidneys to work more efficiently to flush out toxins from your body, making you less likely to fall ill. Water also helps increase blood supply to the brain, which in turn improves melatonin production that is essential for sleeping well.

There no need buy water for hydration, either tap water is perfectly fine and safe for you to drink. Just remember to refill your reusable water bottle.

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Ted Baker Glass Water Bottle...

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Aerobic exercise exercise that quickens your breath and increases your heart rate has been proven to boost your immune system by immunoglobulin (infection- and virus-fighting antibodies) levels in your blood. You should aim to do some form of exercise that makes you slightly out of breath every day. This doesn't have to mean going to the gym daily, but can include fast walking, swimming, gardening, and even cleaning.

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How to boost your immune system: 5 ways to fend off cold and flu symptoms - Real Homes

The Invisible Man, A Horror Movie For The #MeToo Era, Appears At Just The Right Time Post Weinstein Verdict Box Office Preview – Deadline

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Its not as if Universal and Blumhouse anticipated the opening of its gaslight thriller The Invisible Man to coincide with the guilty verdict handed down this week to movie mogul Harvey Weinstein in his sexual misconduct trial. But the Leigh Whannell directed and written feature arrives in cinemas at a moment when the #MeToo movement again occupies center stage.

Tracking has been seeing this R-rated thriller starring Elisabeth Moss in the mid-$20 million range for quite some time, but coming away from the ravenous response of Mondays Hollywood premiere, its clear that Universal and Blumhouse have another socially conscious genre film on their hands that could hit a nerve and send this film into Get Outbox office territory. That Jordan Peele Oscar-winning blockbuster opened to $33.37M. Interestingly enough, Invisible Manis opening in the same final February weekend spot asGet Outdid three years ago.

Moss plays a woman in an abusive relationship with a wealthy optics engineer who is the best in his field. She flees from him in the middle of the night. Weeks later she learns that he took his own life. But is he really dead? Quite simply, his presence haunts her like a ghost, tormenting her and those around her but no one believes her. Off 32 reviews to date, Invisible Man has already clocked 90% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, which is plenty to encourage average moviegoers outside the genre faithful to head to the cinema.Get Outfinaled its RT score at 98% certified fresh.

Previews for Invisible Man start Thursday at 7 PM. Well be watching with bated breath to see whether the film, which cost a net $7M off Australian tax credits, overperforms as its truly one of those old fashioned word of mouth movies. Dont be shocked if Moss is in the Best Actress conversation during awards season later this year: Deadline Pete Hammond writes in his review that Invisible Man is more than most films in the horror genre. This one feels comfortably in line with something Hitchcock would have loved, a film that also has something in common with terrifying thrillers like Julia Roberts Sleeping With the Enemy,a movie I thought about while watching it. ButThe Invisible Manmarches to its own beat in the end, and a lot of the success belongs with Moss, who nails this role of a woman under siege, both mentally and physically, with such skill I do not think it is too early to say this is first Oscar-worthy performance of 2020.

Universal shot Get Outout of cannon as the secret movie at Sundance back in 2017, creating immediate buzz that carried it for more than a year into the Oscars with four noms, including Best Picture and a win for Peele in Original Screenplay. The marketing campaign here for Invisible Man has been mostly standard for a genre film, though with a longer lead promo time going back to December with TV spots hitting broad audiences during NBA Christmas games, not to mention the pregame slot of the Super Bowl as well as The Masked Singerthat followed the game. Spots forInvisible Manalso aired during the Grammys, and hit TV series like The Walking Dead, This Is UsandModern Familyas well as the finale of the highest-rated telenovela on Spanish-language television, El Seor De Los Cielos.Currently, the movie is tracking well with males over 25 and females under 25 as well as African American and Hispanic audiences.

While genre movies are traditionally frontloaded with their highest grosses on a Friday during their opening weekends (thats including previews), you know if one is hitting the zeitgeist when Saturdays numbers exceed Friday. That will be a big sign if Invisible Manis being discovered by the masses; i.e., Get Outsaw a 17% spike on its first Saturday from Friday, while Universal/BlumhousesSplitrose 13% over the same period on its way to a fantastic $40M stateside start.

WhileInvisible Manstands alone as the only major studio wide release this weekend, opening today in 1,200 locations is Funimations animeMy Hero Academia: Heroes Rising.The movie already made $15M in Japan back in December and will follow a varying daily theater count pattern much like Funimations niche hit last year Dragon Ball Super: Brolywhich opened to an eye-raising first day of $7M at 1,250 locations, on its way to a $20.2M five-day total and overall domestic of $30.7M. My Hero Academia: Two Heroesdebuted at 513 theaters in 2018, and ultimately made $5.75M.

After making a shocking amount of dough with close to $2.9M through yesterday, WarnerMedias truTVs Impractical Jokers: The Movie will expand from 357 to 1,800 locations. The question on many rival distribution executives minds is how much more meat is left for this comedy, or did all the fans already come out last weekend?

Deadlines Dino Ramos will have more on this weekends specialty releases which include Searchlights alternative Peter Pan take Wendyfrom two-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker Benh Zeitlin, Sony Pictures Classics Michael Winterbottom-directed comedy Greedin NY and LA, John TurturrosBig Lebowskispinoff The Jesus Rollsfrom Screen Media, and Roadside Attractions BMX champ movieThe Ride.

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The Invisible Man, A Horror Movie For The #MeToo Era, Appears At Just The Right Time Post Weinstein Verdict Box Office Preview - Deadline

3 roles of Elisabeth Moss & how they speak to the zeitgeist – Entertainment.ie

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"[Art] tends to start to reflect what we're talking about" Elisabeth Moss has taken on some fascinating roles of late that are really speaking to the times we're living in.

Commencing her career in the 90s, some of Elizabeth Moss's early roles included 'Girl Interrupted' and 'The West Wing'. But she really came to the forefront playing Peggy Olson in 'Mad Men'.

Since then she has starred in such highly acclaimed movies and shows as the satirical 'The Square', horror movie 'Us' and mystery drama 'Top of the Lake'. Indeed the latter sees her play adetective who specialises in sexual assault and who was the victim of gang rape as a teen. Three of her more recent roles have similarly involved playing women victimised by abusers who take charge and get back.

Last year's 'The Kitchen' would be a prime example of one such role wherein Moss plays Claire Walsh, a timid woman who is beaten by her husband, Rob. When he goes to jail, she and two other women (played by Melissa McCarthy and Tiffany Haddish) continue to operate and eventually take over their husbands' rackets.

Claire is not only inspired to leave her husband, she also takes a lover inGabriel O'Malley (Domhnall Gleeson). She learns to shoot and cut up and dispose bodies from him. She becomes an enforcer for the gang alongside Gabriel and even kills her husband. However she is eventually killed off by a young gang member after a hit is put out on her.

Moss's most recent movie is 'The Invisible Man', in cinemas on Friday. In it, she plays the victim of an emotionally and physically abusive partner who continues to haunt her even in death.

'The Invisible Man' has been read as a fresh take on gaslighting and domestic abuse. Generally it's something of a conventional horror which ends with the 'final girl,' a la Ellen Ripley or Sarah Connor, confronting the "monster" head-on.

Then there's of course 'The Handmaid's Tale' which would be up there among the best shows of the 2010s. It depicts a totalitarian society named Gilead where fertile women, called "Handmaids" are forced into child-bearing slavery.

Moss plays its protagonist, June, who continually rebels against the system in big and small ways. She smuggles her baby out instead of giving it to her "parents"; she also helps her friend leave and in her latest act of revolt, helps dozens of children escape Gilead.

Having been the continuous victim of emotional and sexual abuse, she maintains incredible strength and dignity, though you wonder how it could all pan out for her in season four.

Elsewhere in 2019 there were action movies with strong, kickass women who don't take any sh**, like 'Captain Marvel', 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker', 'Alita: Battle Angel', 'Charlie's Angels' and 'Terminator: Dark Fate'. But Moss's roles signify a very different woman, one who is weak, vulnerable, fearful and fragmented. She is initially lost and trapped in a world run by controlling, abusive men, and fighting for survival. But she takes back control, and asserts herself in a decision she makes alone.

We got an opportunity to ask Elisabeth Moss about the similarities of her characters in this respect, and she reflected: "For sure. It does seem like a lot of that, doesn't it?"

She continued: "I think our film and television, and art in general, whether it's music or literature or whatever it is, tends to start to reflect what we're talking about, right? It starts to reflect what we're feeling.

"And I think as women we are exploring that right now because it's what we're thinking and we're talking about. I started it in 'Mad Men' in a different kind of way. But 'The Handmaid's Tale' kind of coincided with a political movement obviously in my country; and then [there was] Me Too and Time's Up so we are sort of talking about it a lot. I feel like the projects that I am attracted to right now are kind of a part of that conversation."

There was a step forward for Me Too and Time's Up this week with the news that disgraced Hollywood mogulHarvey Weinstein was convicted in court, having been the subject of dozens of sexual harassment and assault claims. The women were thanked for their bravery in coming forward.

It leads us again to that age-old question of does art imitate life or vice versa. In any case, this spiritual threequel of performances from Moss has caught on the zeitgeist, speaking volumes to our current era.

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Cadbury set to launch vegan chocolate bar, as trend steals the show at ISM2020 – ConfectioneryNews.com

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The future is plant-based read the sign above the Katjes' booth at this years ProSweets/ISM conference in Cologne, perfectly illustrating the main trend at the sweets and snacks fair and also capturing the wider zeitgeist of a worldwide consumer movement in confectionery.

Irina Beule, insights & innovation manager at Innova Market Insights, told ConfectioneryNews it is describing the trend as the plant-based revolution.

Plant-based is already here, but now it is really taking off, consumers are preferring plant-based, but vegan is growing as fast, especially with younger consumers who want a more healthy lifestyle, but also with a lot of other generations, who want to do something good for the planet, she said.

Katjes, a German sugar confectionery firm, made its debut in 2019 in the chocolate category with the launch of Katjes Chocjes, a vegan chocolate bar in two flavours (Original and Hazelnut) made from oat milk instead of cows milk.

At ISM 2020, it launched four new vegan flavours and attracted thousands of visitors to its booth a clear indication that vegan chocolate is on the rise.

Alex Cramer, brand manager at Katjes, said the new category had been a great development for the company and that plant-based is the future and that chocolate also tastes good without cows milk theres lots of dairy alternatives and we have chosen oatmilk because it is the most sustainable alternative.

Commenting on the launch of its vegan chocolate, Katjes CEO Tobias Bachmuller said: With the expansion of our product line through the launch of Chocjes, we are strengthening our commitment to create great things. Obviously Katjes is an expert at vegetarian fruit jelly sweets. But with Chocjes, we are also catering to a growing consumer audience that is seeking out alternatives to cows milk.

The latest major brand to jump on the vegan bandwagon is Cadbury, announcing it is launching a new plant-based version of its Dairy Milk chocolate bar.

Although owner Mondelz International has not yet confirmed a launch date, ConfectioneryNews understands it has spent two years developing the bar.

We are very aware of the rise in consumer interest towards vegan products. We have a brilliant R&D team who are focused entirely on new products and innovation to enable us to offer more great-tasting choices to consumers. We only launch products when we have achieved the best taste and texture that consumers expect from Cadbury, and there are lots of exciting developments in the pipeline, a spokesperson said.

The ISM trade fair was held at beginning of February, a month after Veganuary, a global organisation encouraging people to adopt a vegan lifestyle in January and beyond. Organisers said this years response has been astounding and over 400,000 people signed-up, compared to 250,000 in 2019, far exceeding the groups 2020 target of 350,000.

In his Oscar-winning acceptance speech, A-list actor Joaquin Phoenix championed veganism and also highlighted the movement at The Golden Globes. February was also the month that Ben & Jerrys launched a trio of new vegan ice creams, while along came RAR from passionate challenger brand Froneri, who also introduced a brand new plant-based ice cream suitable for vegans.

Tiia Morsky, an ingredients research team leader at market analysts Campden BRI, told ConfectioneryNews: The rise in veganism and flexitarian diets requires products to be free from animal-based ingredients. The food industry is responding by seeking to develop or reformulate products with plant-based protein ingredients, but this is no easy task. Manufacturers can become confused about which plant-based proteins are available to them, which are most suitable for their product and how they will function during new product development.

Cocoa and chocolate supplier Barry Callebaut also chose ISM2020 to launch its new 'Plant Craft' range that spans chocolate, cocoa, nut products, fillings and decorations to cater for dairy-free and vegan trends.

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Cadbury set to launch vegan chocolate bar, as trend steals the show at ISM2020 - ConfectioneryNews.com

‘My God, it’s chaos’: Lush’s founder on why he is so downcast – The Guardian

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The badge on the lapel of Lushs co-founder, Mark Constantine, does the talking for him today as his beauty retail empire is buffeted by one crisis after another.

A potential pandemic is closing half the bloody world, he explains, as his lapel badge reads: Fuck, fuck, fuckity fuck.

At the moment I have got no shops open in Hong Kong or Milan. Venice is shut, the 67-year-old adds. A couple of months ago half of bloody Spain was shut down [due to the Barcelona riots]. The fires in California and Australia provided another expletive, while the end of freedom of movement is the fuckity bit, he explains. I keep a neurosis top 10 but Ive got to the point where things that were number one or two a year ago are number nine.

This week Lush stepped up to the plate on the coronavirus, opening its doors for passersby to walk in and wash their hands for free with its soap as government advice flagged the role of basic hygiene in keeping viruses at bay. The simplest thing you can do to not get a virus is to regularly wash your hands, so were saying people can come in off the street and wash their hands for free.

The Poole-based retailer, best-known for its fragrant bars of soap and bath bombs, has run diverse campaigns with subjects ranging from the targeting of activists by undercover policemen to preventing the extinction of hen harriers (a subject close to the heart of bird fanatic Constantine).

But these days UK retailers are becoming an endangered species, with store closures rife and established chains struggling to absorb cost increases as sales move online. Rivals such as Boots, he suggests, are shortchanging customers with tired stores after owners banked profits and failed to invest in store refurbishments.

When I go into Boots Im pissed off, he says. I go to the new concept shop in Covent Garden and I think, well yes, that looks like you invested a bit of money into Boots. I want all my Boots shops to look like that.

Lush, which turns 25 this year, has 446 stores around the world and a turnover of 545m, although the business is twice that size once joint ventures and other overseas tie-ups are taken into account. In 2018 the company made an operating loss of 4m but remained in the black making a pre-tax profit of 23.4m thanks to its share of business partners profits. The company, which has more than 12,000 staff, will show a further decline in profits for the year to June 2019 when its accounts are published next month.

The sales disruption caused by the coronavirus outbreak has added to costs stemming from Brexit. Defaulting to World Trade Organization tariffs would cost it 2.6m a year, and Lush has set up a new German plant which it hopes will alleviate some of the business upheaval. The economics of the business have also been affected by the decision to pay UK staff the independently verified living wage, which costs 10m a year more than the legal minimum wage, at a time when its annual business rates bill has also gone up by 1m.

Constantine appears perplexed that his ethical approach to capitalism is not bearing fruit. A perfect situation for me would be, make a profit, pay your tax, give plenty to charity, and make sure youre paying a proper living wage, he explains. So Im not really getting on very well with my perfect virtuous circle.

Lush is the biggest private-sector employer in the Dorset seaside town where it is based. It has 14 manufacturing sites as well as several offices including a trendy set-up reserved for digital-focused staff where hot-deskers can work in a leafy central atrium or overlooking yachts bobbing in the harbour.

Constantine has been an ethical retail crusader for decades and was part of the early success of The Body Shop. He met the late Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop, when he was in his early 20s and became an important supplier to her business, concocting popular products such as peppermint foot cream and cocoa butter body lotion. A tenth of Lush is now owned by staff. The companys founders who include Constantines wife, Mo promise to sell shares to the trust with the ambition that employees will eventually own 35%.

He is confident profits will recover but downhearted that the retailers finances are strained at a time when Lushs business model is in tune with the zeitgeist. I feel very much like Ive been preparing for this moment all my life: where climate change becomes obvious, where excessive packaging is understood, where a sustainable supply is vital and regeneration is important, he explains. But my God, its chaos.

With department stores in the frontline of the retail downturn, Constantine sees scope to commandeer empty stores and turn them into giant soap emporia where shoppers can stock up on shower gel and moisturiser before getting their hair done or having a facial. All 23 Beales outlets including the prominent store in Poole are closing after the department store chain went bust, adding to the growing number of empty stores around the country.

Lush has invested in a 1,390 sq metre (15,000 sq ft) store in Liverpool that the businessman hopes will impress landlords. Perhaps they would like to pop round and have a look? he says. They would have to help me though because Ive spent all me bleedin money doing the big stuff.

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Sundance 2020: Duke alums feature prominently in this year’s festival – Duke Chronicle

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Duke alumni made a splash at Sundance this year many of the films in competition were acted, directed and produced by Duke graduates now working in the industry. Duke has one of the largest networks of alumni in the arts and entertainment industries in Los Angeles and New York, one that rivals even the University of Southern Californias. With so many graduates out in Hollywood, many have found success as actors or producers and have even worked on projects that have gone on to win awards.

This year, producers Clarence Hammond (Trinity 08) and Niel Creque Williams (Trinity 06), actress Angela Zhou (Trinity 14) and documentary director known for Ask Dr. Ruth, Ryan White (Trinity '04), each pemiered their projects at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, many having worked alongside major names in Hollywood. Hammond, a producer at Will Smiths production company, Overbrook Entertainment, is no stranger to Sundance. He was a producer on Minhal Baigs film Hala, which was quickly picked up by Apple after the 2019 festival.

Hammonds most recent film, Charm City Kings, is a poignant coming of age story that follows a boy who wants to join a dirt bike gang that rules the streets of Baltimore. It stars Meek Mill and Jahi Di'Allo Winston, and Moonlight director Barry Jenkins is among the credited writers. Charm City Kings was awarded the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Outstanding Ensemble at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.

Zhou, an actress and member of the Screen Actors Guild of America, is featured in the Emerald Fennell-directed, Margot Robbie-produced and Focus Features-distributed film Promising Young Woman, the story of a womans trauma and revenge against the men that sexually assaulted her best friend. Among the New Zealanders co-stars are Carey Mulligan, Laverne Cox, Bo Burnham and Alison Brie. The Chronicle interviewed Hammond and Zhou about Sundance, their Duke experiences and their respective projects.

Interview with Clarence Hammond (Trinity 08)

The Chronicle: You mentioned this project took six years to bring to life. What was the story like initially and what did the team want it to be?

Clarence Hammond: We always loved the idea of centering it around a young boy whos trying to grow up even though he's so young, so small, so mousey, we were drawn to that type of story, about a boy who needs to become a man. With that in mind, we needed to consider, "What's the journey?" Coming of age stories are always about collateral damage. You try to rail against everything you've known, lie to your mom and sneak out, but many of those actions have big life changing consequences.

TC: There were four writers involved in creating the story for Charm City Kings. Could you describe the initial stages of developing the script and at what stage each writer came on board?

CH: Once we figured out the story, we went to writers Kirk Sullivan and Chris Boyd. Their sample added a great youthful, fun voice to the children they wrote. After two or three drafts of their version, almost randomly, I was linked up with Barry [Jenkins] this is before Moonlight became what it is now. What I love about Barry's voice is that he added lyricism and sensitivity to the story. Sherman [Payne]s part was to take the foundation that Kirk, Chris and Barry built. Hes the one who decided how to build the world and paint its walls. He added a lot of commercial and group dynamics while holding on to the sensitivity that Barry brought to the story.

TC: Often production companies are unwilling to invest in stories from underrepresented voices in the industry, but things have been rapidly changing with inclusion in Hollywood. Where have you personally begun to notice a change in this mindset?

CH: There are many angles to it. As my generation grew up in the industry, we came in as a diverse assistant body, and in the decades since, we've become coordinators, executives, writers, directors and producers. Now, people are more inclined to tell the stories of their own experiences. As we come into these positions, the content we create is reflective of our diversity. We are also fortunately at a time where diversity is becoming more commercial of profitable films like Black Panther, for example, are starting to have such a following and success that will lead to a more diverse box office landscape in the years to come.

TC: What would you say is the importance of festivals like Sundance for independent filmmakers and producers?

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CH: Sundance has a pretty discerning power. There's the pressure of it, the excitement of it; it's almost like "the beginning of the school year" for the industry it gets the conversation started and sets the tone for what's to come. For us, it was great that we were already attached to Sony Pictures Classics, so being at Sundance this year meant beginning to promote the film's release. We needed to make sure Charm City Kings first appearance to the world was as successful as possible, and it couldn't have been better; there were people laughing, crying and jumping at the premiere.

TC: Is there anything you could say about your Duke experience that helped you arrive at this moment of premiering films at major festivals?

CH: My Duke experience helped teach me the value of understanding differing perspectives. My Political Science major, English minor and certificate in film gave me three drastically different experiences and allowed me to develop three different work approaches; Duke really taught me that and helped me broaden my horizons. For students at Duke now, it is important to cultivate your tastes and try to consume as much content as possible whether that be a podcast, play, documentary at Full Frame or screening at Duke, whatever you can do to soak up as much content will help you in telling your own stories.

Interview with Angela Zhou (Trinity 14)

The Chronicle: What stood out to you about the script for Promising Young Woman and why did you decide to pursue this project?

Angela Zhou: One big thing that stood out was that [Emerald Fennell] could mix your classic cute romantic-comedy moments with more dark humor and serious elements. Reading the script was like a roller coaster, you could go up at one moment, and then right back down to where it felt like the worst was happening. Just when you think nothings going to go right, [the script] gives you this crazy victorious feeling. I dont think Ive ever read a script thats given me such a sense of victory before.

TC: Without spoling too much, Promising Young Woman deals with themes of trauma and sexual assault. Could you speak to the timeliness of this film and its relevance to the Me Too movement?

AZ: The film is definitely timely, especially with the Me Too movement, and that was another part of what drew me to the script. There has been a lot of talk about Me Too, but no movies have broken through to discuss it until now. Its such a tough topic, because you want to tackle the situation with the right amount of nuance. The characters in the movie are all multidimensional, and the movie recognizes the shades of grey the issue [of sexual assault] is never black and white. When you see an amazing script thats one thing, but [Promising Young Woman] was not only new and fresh but in the zeitgeist of the moment.

TC: What was it like working with Emerald Fennell and a team that has been working to make womens voices heard in the industry?

AZ: Emerald is great in the sense that shes also an actor, so she knows exactly how to give direction in a way that an actor can actually understand and process. I think its an exciting time in the industry, especially with women like Emerald Fennell and Phoebe Waller-Bridge leading the way. They are my complete idols because they get to make their own narratives and do whatever they want and nobody stops them. They get to write, act, direct and produce, so it really is their own individual voices coming through in a way that is entirely unapologetic.

TC: Is there anything about your Duke experience that helped you reach this point in your career?

AZ: I dont think I ever couldve had a career in this business if I hadnt gone to Duke. I came from New Zealand, and when I fell in love with performance and storytelling, I didnt know how to translate that into a career. But, through the connections at Duke, my internships allowed me an idea of what the industry is and who the different players are. I am really grateful to all of the Duke alumni who took the time to meet with me and give me advice. Thats what really gave me my entryway into the industry.

Charm City Kings comes out in select theaters April 10 and nationwide April 17. Promising Young Woman hits theaters April 17.

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Sundance 2020: Duke alums feature prominently in this year's festival - Duke Chronicle