Meet Jeremiah Langhorne: The Dabney chef creates Mid-Atlantic flavors out of thin air

it's missing some vital ingredients, like fish sauce (which Langhorne will eventually make himself), ginger and scallions. "I'm glad I got started, but in retrospect it's definitely a mistake to start doing a bunch of stuff and fermenting vegetables in the middle of winter," Langhorne says, "especially when I only want to get vegetables from here." Langhorne is testing a number of vinegars, before he settles on those he wants for the Dabney. (Tim Carman/The Washington Post) On some black metal shelves, in a corner of Union Kitchen where the light shines only a couple hours a day, Langhorne has stored numerous containers filled with colorful liquids, a rainbow spectrum of vinegars in varying states of sourness. There's the rose-colored beet vinegar, the cantaloupe-tinted quince vinegar and the dark, inky beer vinegar made from Port City Porter, which looks like medicine when Langhorne dips a spoon into it. "All the beer ones are super easy, and that's why I've got so many of them going," says Langhorne. Unlike with fruit or vegetable vinegars, the chef doesn't have to convert beer into alcohol first before the liquid starts fermenting into acetic acid, otherwise known as vinegar. "I got, like, nine different beer vinegars going right now, just because I want to see which ones are best," he adds. Among the beers converting to vinegar: Porkslap pale ale, Stateside Saison from Stillwater Artisanal Ales, Killer Kolsch from Champion Brewing and another porter, this one from DC Brau. There's also a murky, opaque mixture in a container affixed with a bright blue strip of tape. It reads: Suicide beer vin. "This is just me not wanting to throw things away," Langhorne explains, laughing at his own frugality. "This is like the leftovers of all the different beers poured into one." If you peer closely into one of the vinegars, you'll see what looks like a small, faceless sea creature floating in it. That's the mother of vinegar, a gelatinous bacterial culture that ferments ethanol into acetic acid. In many cases, vinegar makers add pre-existing mothers to jump start the fermentation process. In Langhorne's case, he's creating mothers out of thin air, allowing wild airborne yeasts to acidify his liquids. [Why Langhorne wanted his restaurant located in Blagden Alley] Theoretically, the wild yeasts and the multi-colored liquids, built from local ingredients, will combine to create a distinctively Mid-Atlantic vinegar. This Washington-fostered fermentation will be


What makes roses smell so sweet?

Ahead of Valentine's Day, chemist Raychelle Burks explains why a rose smells sweet. With Valentine's Day nearly here, you might be running out to buy a big old bouquet of roses — or hoping to receive a few from your sweetie. But what makes those flowers smell so sweet? In her new series "Get to Know a Molecule" (sponsored by the American Chemical Society), chemist Raychelle Burks explains the fascinating chemistry of rose oxide. Rose oxide "Chemistry is full of these subtle differences," Burks says in the video. "Arranging atoms even slightly differently can mean that a rose by any other configuration doesn't smell as sweet." For flowers, scent production is a tricky business. From Scienceline: The creation of scent is a balancing act: plants must generate enough smell to induce insects to fertilize their flowers, but not so much that they waste energy and carbon. In fact, for many species, scent emission is not constant; snapdragons decrease scent production 36 hours after pollination. But humans can capture those insect-luring scents and turn them into people-luring perfumes. The Damask Rose is one of the most important flowers in perfumery, and perfumers submerge them in chemicals like benzene to dissolve the plant matter while leaving aromatic chemicals intact. Read More: Those ‘pheromone-laced’ products won't get you a Valentine The science behind champagne bubbly How much lead is in your chocolate? Why carrots taste sweeter in winter


Your healthy habits are eating into the packaged foods industry

earnings this quarter. Kraft has had some success adapting to these latest diet fads with products such as the P3 Portable Protein Pack, a combo of meat, cheese and nuts that it is marketing to millennial-generation men. The company says that product has helped boost sales in its refrigerated meals category. But Kraft saw sales fall 6.6 percent during the fourth quarter in its meals & desserts division, which includes legacy brands such as Kraft Mac & Cheese and Velveeta dinners. Kraft said the decline reflects “changes in consumer preferences,” which is likely a reference to the myriad studies that show millennials are hungry for fresh food and they are more concerned than previous generations with where their food comes from. In other words, a millennial looking for an on-the-go dinner might pass on the gloppy cheese and noodles wrapped in plastic, instead opting for a fresh salad assembled at their grocery store’s prepared food bar. (Or perhaps even a made-to-order burrito at Chipotle.) This emerging preference for freshness also helps explain the troubles at ConAgra’s Chef Boyardee brand of canned pasta dinners and its Healthy Choice line of frozen dinners. But the weakness at those two brands was not what led the company to trim its profit outlook. That move was largely based on weak profitability in its private brand business, which manufactures store brand pastas, snacks and other items for a variety of retailers. The company expects profitability in this division to suffer in part because of their own “execution shortfalls,” but also because the competition is getting ferocious. This, too, provides a window into in how we’re eating these days: Store brands are no longer viewed as second-tier offerings for people on a shoestring budget. Many shoppers are open to purchasing them; a recent Nielsen study found that 71 percent of global consumers say the quality of private label brands is improving. And so it stands to reason that competition to produce these goods is intensifying. ConAgra said Thursday it had named a new chief executive, Sean M. Connolly, who would take over in April for retiring leader Gary M. Rodkin. And Kraft’s new chief executive, John Cahill, who took the helm in December, announced he was shaking up the company’s top management. Perhaps these changes at the top will help these companies find ways to bring shoppers back to the center aisles of the grocery store.


The country’s last black-owned banks are in a fight for their survival

Capital Savings Bank, the first bank organized and operated by African Americans, was founded in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 17, 1888. (Library of Congress) Capital Savings Bank opened shop in Washington in 1888, making it the nation's first black-owned bank at a time when the mere notion of offering financial services to the African American community was a novel idea. Now black-run banks are in a fight for survival, even though many advocates argue that many African Americans remain starved for banking services. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. counted 25 black-owned banks remaining in the country last year, down from 48 in 2001. That decrease came even as the overall number of minority-owned banks increased slightly, going from 164 to 174. In addition, the majority of black-owned banks that remain open are on shaky ground and struggling to hold on in the face of the economic devastation that has ravaged many of their customers. Analysts say 60 percent of black-run banks lost money in 2013. "I would venture to say that [the vast majority of black banks] are in varying degrees of trouble," said Darrell Jackson, chief executive and president of Chicago's Seaway Bank, a black-owned bank celebrating its 50th anniversary. Black-run banks have been struggling for years, as mainstream institutions increasingly picked off their best-heeled customers. The increased competition came amid what some call a string of strategic blunders.The banks, historically headquartered in the heart of traditional black communities such as Chicago's South Side, New York's Harlem and Washington, D.C.'s Shaw, failed to modernize their services. Few offered the branch networks, computerized banking and other automated services that have come to dominate the business. And many of the banks failed to follow the African American middle class to the suburbs. Taken together, black banks control just $5 billion in assets, a tiny fraction of the size of the nation's banking behemoths, such as Wells Fargo, which by itself has some $1.7 trillion in assets. Black banks tend to be small even by the standard of minority owned banks, which as a group had some $181 billion in assets at the end of 2013, according a FDIC report. The economic shock continues to ripple through the black community, upending black business and even churches, which historically have been the best customers for black banks. Meanwhile, many black-owned banks are left with a lot of toxic loans in their portfolios. "This


Far fewer veterans use choice card and private health care than expected, VA says

falsification of appointment data and extensive treatment delays. The card gives veterans who have been waiting more than 30 days for appointments or who live more than 40 miles from a VA facility the chance to see a private doctor. The VA has been hiring tens of thousands of doctors and nurses to curb to fill shortages that they said contributed to the delays. They now say wait times are down. Nationally, VA completed more than 37 million appointments between May 1, 2014 and December 31, 2014. That’s an increase of 1.8 million more appointments than were completed during the same time period in 2013, a fact sheet by the agency said. Before the choice card, veterans could receive outside care for emergencies — wherever the closest hospital is, for instance — or for procedures the VA didn’t offer. And separate from the choice card, the VA made over 2 million authorizations for Veterans to receive care in the private sector from May 1, 2014, through January 31, 2015 — a 45 percent increase in authorizations when compared to the same period in the previous years, according to data from the department. But many veterans report that they often have to wait months and even years to be reimbursed for this care, and some say this issue could be one reason why veterans haven’t used their care cards. Frederick H. Nordhorn, a commissioner of the Prince George’s County Commission For Veterans and a former Army sergeant who served from 1973 to 1979 in Germany, said he has over 10 dings on his credit reports because of private medical bills the VA hasn’t paid. He spoke to McDonald directly about it, reaching him on his cell phone, which the secretary gave out to The Washington Post and on live television when he first took office with an agenda of reform. McDonald promised to help. And several members of his staff called Nordhorn after he spoke to the secretary. But the issue has yet to be resolved. “They put Robert McDonald in a swamp, and he’s up to his neck in alligators and snakes. And for extra fun they hung a few hornets nests,” Nordhorn said. “These are deep problem of dysfunction that need fixing that have been going on for decades. No wonder veterans aren’t sure if they should use or trust the choice card. They feel discouraged at every turn.”


It’s about time someone created a TV show about John Riggins and beer

(Via YouTube) Redskins legend John Riggins’s reputation as a lover of beer is well documented. The running back joked with Orioles Manager Buck Showalter about it on his TV show “Riggo on the Range” during a discussion of how he survived a 14-year NFL career. “Maybe when you’re in a constant state of lubrication, the joints stay nice and loose,” Riggins said. “I don’t know. There are those rumors about me I’m sure.” Riggins could be doing a lot more talking about beer if the pilot episode of “Brew Stories” is picked up. The show is the latest idea from 44 Outdoors, which also produces “Riggo on the Range,” and would take Riggins throughout the country on a quest to find the ultimate beer. The opening narration by Riggins in the five-minute pilot episode, which was shot at Port City Brewing Company in Alexandria, is predictably great: Beer, glorious beer. The very thought of this complex beverage conjures up so many different images. No wonder it’s the third-most popular drink in the world behind water and tea. Throughout world history, and at today’s cutting edge of technology, you will find beer. On the tables of the rich and the poor, in almost every human situation of note, you will find beer. I’m John Riggins, and I’ve always loved my beer. Beer is a thing we think we know, but do we really? Join me each week as we investigate the world of flavor, aroma art and science that is BEER. Brew Stories Pilot “The idea came about because breweries are kind of hot right now,” 44 Outdoors producer James Montgomery said. “John likes to drink beer and it was just kind of one of those things that was natural.” Breweries are kind of hot right now. In fact, 44 Outdoors executive producer Art Major is opening his own brewery — Escutcheon Brewing — in Winchester later this year. Montgomery said he and his coworkers only spent about one week producing the pilot last month in order to have the episode ready for the Realscreen Summit, an annual conference where representative from various production companies pitch ideas and screen pilots for unscripted and factual entertainment programming. Now, it’s a waiting game. If the show gets picked up, Riggins will visit breweries with a different celebrity guest each week. Montgomery said there were a few outtakes from filming at Port City that


NASA just released a video of the rocket that it says will take astronauts to Mars

crews building the rocket. And it also added a scene from a 2011 test of one of the three boosters giving an impressive display of its fire power at a Utah test range. Laying on its side, the rocket ignited with a concussive blast, then blasted a gush of fire out its tail at Mach 3, or three times the speed of sound. The great plume of smoke could be seen for miles. Take a look: NASA tests what it says are the most powerful solid rocket boosters ever built, which will be necessary for future missions to asteroids and to Mars on NASA's new rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS). Officials intend to use SLS to launch the new Orion space capsule on deep space missions, including to Mars. Orion recently went through an important test--flying on an unmanned 41/2-hour mission that sent a spacecraft designed for humans farther than any has gone in more than 40 years. But while NASA heralds the SLS as the "world's most powerful rocket," it also has some powerful critics. Members of Congress have taken aim at the program, which is still in development and isn’t expected to have its first test flight for another several years. (The recent Orion mission was aboard a Delta IV Heavy rocket built by the United Launch Alliance.) After its first test flight in 2018 — originally planned for 2017 but delayed because of funding issues — SLS is then expected to perform its first manned flight in 2021. But after that flight, “future mission destinations remain uncertain,” the GAO has said. And at a recent Congressional hearing, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) said it could cost at least $10 billion to develop “this monstrous rocket project” and called it a mistake. Marco Caceres, a senior space analyst with the Teal Group, has also raised questions about the program. "The SLS remains a big question mark -- both in terms of its development and funding, as well as political support," he wrote in a recent newsletter. "Without the SLS, Orion is like a Cadillac without wheels." But NASA has said the program is making significant progress, and has scheduled another booster test for March 11. If all goes according to plan, there would be another awesome display of fire and smoke and power. But it's not yet clear whether that will be enough to blow away the critics.


While U.S. politicians argue about climate change, British pols decide the debate is over

“one of the most serious threats facing the world today.” The statement, released early Saturday and brokered by the environmental think tank Green Alliance, binds the rivals to three specific pledges that would be inconceivable areas of agreement in American politics: - To seek a fair, strong, legally binding global climate deal which limits temperature rises to below 2°C. - To work together, across party lines, to agree on carbon budgets in accordance with the Climate Change Act. - To accelerate the transition to a competitive, energy efficient, low carbon economy and to end the use of unabated coal for power generation. The statement also describes action on climate change as “an opportunity for the UK to grow a stronger economy, which is more efficient and more resilient to the risks ahead.” Such rhetoric would be anathema to most congressional Republicans, who have blocked President Obama’s repeated efforts to pass climate change legislation on the grounds that it could hurt business. But for Cameron, a conservative who champions free enterprise and lower taxes, the battle against climate change is one he’s repeatedly embraced. He even dog-sledded across a shrinking Norwegian glacier and attached a wind turbine to his house to showcase his concern. By signing a joint pledge with Miliband, Cameron may be trying to neutralize what could otherwise be a line of attack for the Labor leader in what remains a too-close-to-call campaign. Despite Cameron’s rhetorical support for the climate change cause, he’s been criticized by environmentalists for falling short of what he had once promised would be the “greenest” government in British history. In an op-ed published by the Independent in December, Miliband accused Cameron of “dither and denial” on environmental issues, saying the prime minister deprioritized them when they became less “fashionable.” In the face of voter anger over rising energy bills, Cameron was even quoted telling aides to “get rid of all the green crap.” Downing Street disputed the language, though not the sentiment. Climate change does not rank high on the list of British voter concerns, with the economy, health care and immigration all taking featured billing. But action on climate change is broadly backed among the British public, and unlike in the United States, few dispute the science. By signing on to the same pledge as Miliband, Cameron may be trying to get back into voters’ green graces, with a laurel from perhaps the


Gourmet Symphony: Wining and dining a new audience for classical music

think this is an idea to make [the music] more attaintable,” she said. “This is about getting out into the community. I don’t think orchestras can survive if they just perform in the concert halls anymore.” The fresh idea brought many to the Atlas who are not typical classical music fans. “It’s cool, and there aren’t a lot of firsts in 2015,” said Dashon English, who surprised his wife, Tonya. “I was looking for something different, something cultural.” Gourmet Symphony launched a Kickstarter campaign last fall to fund the inaugural concert. The online fundraising drive exceeded its goal, and Saturday’s crowd was at capacity. The 30 musicians donated their time, a sign of their support. Organizers hope to present future events, but no specifics have been announced. In addition to performing segments of well-known works, the orchestra played the entire Beethoven symphony (while the audience enjoyed the main course, a very German Sauerbraten beef with herbed spaetzle). Still, most of the night was refreshingly unfamiliar. The pre-concert reception featured beats by DJ Enrico Lopez-Yanez, and wine and cocktails flowed as patrons mingled. From the podium, Devlin encouraged them to move around and to get up close to the musicians, who were arranged in the center of the room. The crowd obliged. They stood close enough to bassists Charlie Nilles and Alex Jacobsen to read the notes on their scores. They chatted with timpanist Donnie Johns. Many held up their phones for video and candids. A few snapped selfies. The musicians — members of the National Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra and freelancers — were jazzed. “The audience and performers were feeding off each other,” Nilles said after the performance. “We were having a lot of fun. It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done.” Clarinetist Evan Ross Solomon enjoyed the energy in the room and the diversity of age and race among those present. He said that rather than being distracted by the food and drink, the audience seemed more engaged. “By not being forced to sit and listen, they actually listened more,” he said. They applauded during the movements of the Beethoven — a no-no in the concert hall — but the musicians merely smiled. “The audience claps and there’s food, but the future of classical music is secured?” joked Solomon afterward. “I think musicians are all right with that.”


How the surprise President’s Day snowstorm of 1979 advanced forecasting

this quadrant. (Joseph Sienkiewicz, NWS Ocean Prediction Center) Looking ahead: The role of extratropical cyclones at the weather-climate interface Despite all of the advances the weather community has made in forecasting technology since the President’s Day Storm, we still have a long way to go. Ensemble forecast systems, especially for smaller scale events, need to be improved upon since they often lack enough spread and tend to cluster around their parent model. We need a better understanding of what governs the predictability of weather systems. Large scale features are easier to forecast than smaller scale ones, but what other factors govern predictability? The most extreme, high-impact storms now have good, advanced predictability in some cases up to eight days out (e.g. 1993 Storm of the Century and 2012 Superstorm Sandy) and, in most cases, up to two or three days in advance. Yet lower magnitude, moderate-impact storms remain problematic. Social scientists are needed to help the NWS understand the psychology of risk perception and to find better ways of conveying prediction uncertainty to the public. Another question that needs further study is what mechanisms drive atmospheric pattern or regime changes. Prior to the President’s Day Storm, the winter was extremely cold — even colder than our frigid winter of 2013-2014. However, the winter of 1979 very much ended with the blizzard. The bomb cyclone marked an abrupt transition from an anomalously cold and dry winter to a warm and wet regime across the East Coast. Bosart and grad students at SUNY Albany are studying the role of cyclones in climate regime connections. Bosart showed examples of extreme cyclone activity coinciding with major pattern changes across the Northern Hemisphere during the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 winters. For instance, a negative arctic oscillation (AO) preconditions for intense storm formation, or cyclogenesis, along the southern periphery of its arctic air mass. Once one or more intense storms develop along the East Coast or western Atlantic, they reinforce the strong Greenland blocking pattern, intensifying the negative phase of the AO. Or, a single cyclone can initiate a downstream block and negative AO onset. An example of how multiple East Coast cyclones reinforced the AO blocking pattern from Dec 31, 2009, to Jan. 8, 2010, is shown below. Example slide taken from Bosart’s presentation on how cyclones and large-scale flow regimes such as the AO/NAO strongly interact. (Lance Bosart) Climate regimes in the deep tropics are


It was meant to reduce wait times, but veterans say new choice cards are causing more problems

calling it a “complete non-starter, which I will not support.” Pete Hegseth, CEO of the conservative advocacy group Concerned Veterans for America, has told the media that veterans get the run-around when they call the VA for permission to use the choice card. “The VA is making a concerted attempt to undermine anything that looks like choice,” he said. Retired Lt. Col. Jack Martins, who has hearing loss from Vietnam, said that he couldn’t use his card because, even though his nearest facility in Virginia is 60 miles away, that mileage is using Google Maps, not “mileage in a straight line.” “I called twice, just to verify this information. Makes you wonder why they sent out the mailing before fixing this problem,” said Martins. Former Army private Ian Albright receives VA benefits and medical care, and his father, Tim Albright, is helping him access his care. He said veterans are scared to use the choice card for various reasons, including too much paperwork, delays getting approval by VA physicians and fear of never being reimbursed. “It all sounds like governmentese, for no one is going to approve payment of your care ahead of time. It’s a bunch of booby traps and trap doors,” he said. “There’s nowhere you can go to get quick answers from the VA. And I see this as a life-and-death dilemma for vets and family members who really have no clue how the system works.” While he has nothing but praise for the staff and management of the VA Medical Center in Saginaw, Mich., where his son receives treatment, he wishes getting to that treatment was easier. Albright worked for the federal government in Social Security for 34 years and offered a solution, which he e-mailed about and left a message on McDonald’s cellphone. The idea, he said,would involve issuing temporary Medicare cards to veterans who meet the “choice criteria.” The benefits of this plan include “little or no paperwork for veterans and the VA would save additional administrative and personnel expense since the Medicare claim system is already in place.” “How are private doctors going to send these choice card bills in? You are talking about training tens of thousands of people, but if you use Medicare — everyone knows how to handle Medicare,” he said. “All energy and efforts should be to provide immediate medical care to those in backlogs or on waiting lists.”


The Switchboard: The FAA proposes its long-awaited drone regulations

Jordi Mu–oz, co-founder and CTO of 3D Robotics, holds a prototype XLM multi-rotor UAV in the company's research and development facility on January 5, 2015 in San Diego, California, USA. (David Maung/Bloomberg) Published every weekday, the Switchboard is your morning helping of hand-picked stories from the Switch team. Apple studies self-driving car, auto industry source says. The shape of things to come. How “omnipotent” hackers tied to NSA hid for 14 years—and were found at last. FAA rules might allow thousands of business drones What exactly is an Apple Watch for? Want more? Follow @TheSwitch and our reporters -- @kansasalps, @b_fung and @htsuka -- for the latest tech news throughout the day.


READ IN: Snow Day Edition

the European Central Bank is to decide whether to continue its emergency lending program. Greece faces big loan repayment requirements in March. Both Greek and European negotiators raised hopes that they could try again to find common ground before the end of the week. (Reuters) -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will announce today that the Oregon chub, a three-inch-long minnow, will be the first fish formally removed from the Endangered Species List. FWS director Dan Ashe will make the announcement today in Corvallis, 22 years after the fish was put under ESA protection. (Associated Press) Giving hope to sage grouse fans everywhere. -- Labor Secretary Tom Perez arrives in San Francisco today to intervene in negotiations between dockworkers and an association of maritime companies that has slowed or stopped the passage of cargo through Western ports. Thirty-three ships are waiting to be unloaded in Los Angeles and Long Beach. (Associated Press) -- Stock futures are flat today after the Dow closed above 18,000 on Friday. Asian and European markets are mixed today. (CNN) C4: -- University of New Hampshire political scientists Dante Scala and Andy Smith will host a free online course on the history of the Granite State's first-in-the-nation primary. True political junkies, reserve your spot here. Paging David Yepsen... -- Of the more than 3,100 counties in the U.S., just 197 are named after former presidents. The vast majority of those, 129, are named for the first ten presidents. Washington alone has 31 counties named after him. Twenty four different presidents have county namesakes, including Chester A. Arthur, Warren Harding, Rutherford B. Hayes, William McKinley and John Tyler, all of whom have one. (NBC News) -- Headline of the Day, from columnist Dave Helling: "American tax policy has 50 shades of gray area." (Kansas City Star) Runner-up Headline of the Day: "Penguins: Tastefully attired, lacking in taste, study says." (Los Angeles Times) Attn Matt Drudge: -- Who's an anti-vaxxer now? A new Pew Research Center survey finds 83 percent of adults believe measles, mumps and rubella vaccines are safe for children. Ten percent of independents, 9 percent of Democrats and only 5 percent of Republicans say the MMR vaccine isn't safe. (Pew) Interestingly, the younger you are, the less likely you are to think it's safe: Just 4 percent of those over 65 say the vaccine isn't safe, compared with 15 percent of 18-29 year olds.


Mega-droughts, geoengineering, alien contact: Notes from AAAS

being, we finally got a little snow, but we’re not exactly resorting to cannibalism at this point. On a leisurely snow-day morning, please refer to the great Neely Tucker’s expose of the virtual hoax that is the “new Harper Lee novel.” The new novel is nothing more than an unpolished draft of “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Publishing shenanigans abound in this situation. I just got back to town from San Jose, where I attended the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). A reporter has to dash from one event to another, gobbling up good material. Think Lucy in the chocolate factory; the conveyor is going too fast. We learned that we’re entering an age of mega-droughts in the American Southwest and Great Plains (see the story by Darryl Fears). There was much talk about geoengineering — see my story from a week ago — and why it’s not a plausible fix for the climate problem (good story by the Merc’s Lisa Krieger, noting that there were anti-geoengineering protesters outside). Another big topic: Should we beam signals to alien civilizations, trying to engage them in conversation? I wrote about that Thursday. Some people say “Active SETI” is dangerous, akin to shouting in the jungle, but the bigger objection is that it’s simply bad form, bad manners — that it dares to speak for everyone on Earth and fundamentally alter a characteristic of our planet (our detectability from space). Frank Drake was on hand, and it was an honor for me to speak with the creator of the SETI field and the man who authored the Drake Equation. I also had a fascinating interview, which I will write up in a subsequent story, with Jill Tarter, the SETI pioneer, and science fiction writer and astrophysicist David Brin. On Sunday I participated in a panel discussion about science communication and the new Pew poll showing that the overwhelming number of scientists believe they should be involved in policy discussions rather than sticking purely to research. Unclear, however, is whether scientists think they should be policy-agnostic providers of information or actually prescriptive. I talked a bit about my new story on science doubt in National Geographic (a slightly shorter version ran Sunday in The Post). Lots of e-mails coming in; some of them I read out of the corner of my eye, ready to flinch. [more to come]


This praying mantis is terrifyingly good at pretending to be a flower

Incredible Disguise: Praying Mantis Mimics Flower | National Geographic The next time you stop to smell the flowers, just remember that you might be sniffing a terrifying carnivorous insect. Nature is horrifying, and it will eat you for breakfast (especially if you're a bee). Yeah, yeah, sometimes one kind of animal or plant will try to look like another kind of animal or plant. This is often impressive and sometimes adorable (we're looking at you, baby bird who pretends to be a caterpillar), but every once in a while this camouflage is so successful that a creeping sense of foreboding and horror is the only possible response. The aptly-named orchid mantis (Hymenopus coronatus) is actually the only insect known to imitate a plant as an offensive mechanism instead of a defensive one. Stick bugs and the like blend into the foliage in order to avoid predators; the orchid mantis uses its faux petals to ensnare prey of its own. Other animals hide themselves among foliage to accomplish the same feat, but the orchid mantis remains unique: It doesn't need to find a flower to hide in. It's the whole flower. Humans are quite easily fooled by this trickery -- in 1879, a journalist actually wrote about butterfly-devouring flowers he'd seen in Indonesia -- but scientists only recently found evidence that bugs are fooled as well. From National Geographic: The team found that from the perspective of a pollinating insect, the color of orchid mantises is indistinguishable from a large number of Malaysian flower species. Next, the research team observed live orchid mantises in the field, counting the number of insects that were attracted to the mantis “flower.” They compared this to the number of insects that inspected an actual flower in the same amount of time. Their hypothesis was right: They were surprised to find the mantises actually attracted more insects than the real flowers. Another interesting finding: The orchid mantis isn't actually mimicking any flower in particular. They just look like really big, pretty, generally welcoming flowers. To a bee brain, that's quite enough. And sometimes they're bright pink, which is somehow even better. Orchid Mantis - Super PINK! Read More: This college student is eating bugs for 30 days hoping you will too This sea slug steals plant genes to live like a leaf The scorpion fly’s newfound attraction to human remains could help solve murders Happy Darwin


Here’s what culture lovers need to know about Tuesday’s snow closings

Smithsonian employees Kelly Bloom and Jay Anderson get a close look at the iconic Spirit of St. Louis after it was lowered to the ground floor from the ceiling to be inspected at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall. The museum is open Tuesday. (Andrew Harnik for The Washington Post) Most of the District’s museums are closed Tuesday as a result of snow, including the National Gallery of Art, the Phillips Collection, the National Museum of Women in the Arts and most of the Smithsonian franchises. Still, a few are open for visitors. The National Air and Space Museum opened its facility on the Mall at 10 a.m., (although the Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia is closed), and the National Zoo will open at noon. For those needing an arts fix, the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery – housed in the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture – will open at 11:30 a.m. as usual. The Kennedy Center is closed, and all performances scheduled for Tuesday have been canceled.


Watch struggling marathon runner crawl across finish line in Austin

It takes determination and passion to run a marathon, but Hyvon Ngetich dug deep and tapped a different reservoir of grit when she found the going rough near the finish line of the Austin Marathon. The 29-year-old Kenyan who had led most of the race began struggling after about 23 miles Sunday. About one-fifth of a mile from the finish line she simply ran out of steam, but she refused all offers of help and crawled on all fours across the finish line, finishing just three seconds behind the second-place finisher in a time of 3:04:02. “For the last two kilometers, I don’t remember,” Ngetich told KEYE-TV. “Finish line, I have no idea.” Runner crawls to finish of Austin Marathon Medical personnel determined that Ngetich had dangerously low blood sugar, Race Director John Conley said, but receiving assistance on the course would have disqualified her and she wasn’t about to let that happen. Cynthia Jerop, the winner with a time of 2:54:21, got $3,000, with Hannah Steffan, the second-place finisher, getting $2,000. Ngetich would have stood to earn $1,000, but Conley was moved to do something unusual. “You ran the bravest race and crawled the bravest crawl I have ever seen in my life,” Conley told Ngetich, still sitting in a wheelchair, after the race. “You have earned much honor, and I am going to adjust your prize money, so you get the same prize money you would have gotten if you were second.” Ngetich, whose personal best is a 2:34:42 marathon, was pretty blase about her experience. “Running, always, you have to keep going, going,” she told Keye-TV. “You have to die running.”


Billy the Kid’s former hideout is on the market, and it’s adorably charming

MaryJoy Ford/Sotheby’s International Realty) “It’s a great, fun house,” said Dee Miller, who is selling the $545,000 house with her husband, Gary. “And we would hope that the next occupants would be someone who appreciates its history, and also the history of the community, and appreciates living there.” The home sits in the community of Lincoln, which holds a fairly important place in New Mexico history. On top of that hideout situation, part of the property was apparently once owned by Pat Garrett, the sheriff who fatally shot Billy the Kid. Its story has been passed down via oral history, the Millers say. Legend has it that one of Billy the Kid’s girlfriends lived there, and that the outlaw used to hide guns in the floorboards. (That floor is now covered by a carpet but, you know, carpet can be pulled up! Yeah, I checked.) [The mystery of the 132-year-old Winchester rifle found propped against a national park tree] Billy the Kid Here’s how listing agent MaryJoy Ford described her ideal buyer in a phone interview with The Washington Post: “Someone who appreciates the historical significance and wants to live in a quiet but interesting place. Someone who enjoys nature, being in nature. There are all sorts of hiking trails. In other words, it’s not a big city. Someone who would appreciate a small-town life, with history. With great history.” Ford says the property, which has been on the market since last summer, is a “special home for a special buyer.” If you need more convincing, this Yahoo story also notes: The home has also hosted a number of notable figures throughout the years, including New Mexico Gov. Gary Caruthers, actress Dana Delany, astronaut Harrison Schmitt, and John Grey, author of the epitomic ’90s relationship book “Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus.” None of those people are probably as cool as Billy the Kid, but it would be funny to casually bring up the dude who wrote “Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus” when discussing the extremely legit historical legacy of one’s home. Plus, regardless of its back-story, it is also just seems like an ace house. I mean just look at this place: (Courtesy of MaryJoy Ford/Sotheby’s International Realty) (Courtesy of MaryJoy Ford/Sotheby’s International Realty) (Courtesy of MaryJoy Ford/Sotheby’s International Realty) (Courtesy of MaryJoy Ford/Sotheby’s International Realty) (Courtesy of MaryJoy Ford/Sotheby’s International Realty) And —


Even better images of Ceres as NASA’s Dawn approaches

Two views of Ceres taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on Feb 12. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA) NASA's Dawn spacecraft is getting super close to its planned orbit of the dwarf planet Ceres. As they wait for the spacecraft's orbital entry on March 6, NASA researchers continue to enjoy unprecedented images of the mysterious dwarf. But instead of answering long-held questions, the scientists report, the improved images (taken on Feb. 12 from a distance of 52,000 miles) just raise more. "As we slowly approach the stage, our eyes transfixed on Ceres and her planetary dance, we find she has beguiled us but left us none the wiser," Chris Russell, principal investigator of the Dawn mission, said in a statement. "We expected to be surprised; we did not expect to be this puzzled." Here's a thing I made: Ceres growing in @NASA_Dawn's forward view http://t.co/JqLz3TINYg These latest images have a resolution of 4.9 miles per pixel -- the sharpest photos ever taken of Ceres, which is the largest body in our solar system's asteroid belt. By comparing Ceres with Vesta, a giant asteroid that takes the title of second-largest object in the belt, NASA scientists hope to learn more about how both objects formed. Dawn already explored Vesta in 2011, so researchers are eager to get their hands on data about Ceres. Much has been made of Ceres's mysterious white dot. In the new photos, we can see pock-marked details of the crater-packed planet, and its single white spot has turned into a multitude of such features -- but it's still not clear what makes parts of its surface so brilliantly reflective. Read More: New Horizons spots Pluto’s smaller moons The Hubble spotted this smiley face in space New images from Rosetta reveal the ‘fried ice cream’ surface of a comet Hubble catches a rare three-moon-parade in front of Jupiter Over nine years after its launch, New Horizons’ first images of Pluto have arrived


The NSA has reportedly found ways to avoid even the strongest security measures

inside a target system that could survive the hard drive being reformatted or an operating system being reinstalled, the report says. The code uncovered by Kaspersky suggests the malware was designed to work on disk drives of more than a dozen major manufacturers -- including those from Seagate, Western Digital, Toshiba, IBM and Samsung. But the report also notes that this particular technique seemed to be rarely deployed, suggesting that it was used only on the most valuable victims or in unusual circumstances. The Kaspersky report also said the group found ways to hide malicious files within a Windows operating system database on the targets' computer known as the registry -- encrypting and stashing the files so that they would be impossible to detect using antivirus software. Equation Group also found ways to infiltrate systems that were kept off the Internet for security purposes -- commonly known as "air-gapped" networks. Malware used by the hackers relied on infected USB sticks to map out such networks -- or even remotely deploy code on them, according to the report. The program would create hidden areas on an infected USB stick. If that stick was then connected to a computer that lacked Internet access, it would scoop up data about the system and save it in that hidden area. If reconnected to a computer with Internet access, it would send that information off to its controllers. Attackers could also run commands on air-gapped networks by saving code to the hidden part of the drive that would run when it was connected to a network without Internet access. Other malware thought to be developed by the U.S. government, including Stuxnet and Flame, used similar measures to bridge air gaps -- and previous reports detail even more ways the spy agency has circumvented security measures and practices. A 2013 story from the Guardian, ProPublica and the New York Times reported that the NSA had worked secretly to break many types of encryption, successfully exploiting the technology used to protect the privacy of online communications and working with tech companies to introduce weaknesses into commercial products that consumers thought to be secure. Snowden documents reported on by The Washington Post the same year showed the spy agency broke into the links connecting Yahoo and Google data centers -- bypassing security measures and potentially allowing the NSA to collect at will from hundreds of millions of users.


Kasich calls for boots on the ground to combat the Islamic State

his party's two poles on foreign policy, blending a hawkish impulse with an appreciation for the war-weariness that has seeped into some quarters of the GOP since George W. Bush's presidency. In the interview, Kasich acknowledged that he is not aligned with any particular wing of the Republican Party. “It's pretty hard to peg me,” he said. Speaking a day ahead of his visit to South Carolina, Kasich also touted his "18 years on the Armed Services Committee" while in Congress to underscore his knowledge of military and global matters. "I was dealing largely with military operations, as well as how you use them and when you use them," Kasich said. "I have been able to travel and get a pretty good understanding of a lot of things." In recent weeks, Kasich said he has had conversations that have touched on foreign policy with former House speaker Newt Gingrich, former New Hampshire senator John E. Sununu and former Pennsylvania congressman Bob Walker, among others. Hardly a consistent backer of increased military spending during his time on Capitol Hill, Kasich said he understands the concerns some Republicans have about various Pentagon projects, and recalled how he openly debated U.S. involvement in foreign crises, going back to Ronald Reagan's decision to send Marines to Lebanon in the early 1980s. "I voted against going to Lebanon as a young congressman and then for the Gulf War," he said. "I don't like the idea of getting involved in civil wars and I've always been a military reformer who is interested in special forces and using technology in better ways.” Turning to domestic issues, Kasich insisted he remains undecided on whether to enter already crowded race for the Republican presidential nomination, but said he does have a growing desire to go on the road to discuss his record and the need for fiscal discipline within the federal government. Whether these travels will eventually morph into a campaign is unclear, but Kasich is far from ready to rule it out and said he is actively thinking through his own political future. "I want to have a national role so I can tell people about how things worked in Ohio and how others can learn from it," said Kasich -- especially his efforts to "bring people out of the shadows." Kasich has angered some conservative Republicans with his policies, and his emphasis on compassion over ideological purity.


Why Notre Dame’s curriculum review raises far-reaching Catholic identity questions

is that those distinctive modes of learning are in danger of being diluted by well-intentioned but badly misdirected individuals within the university.” Some professors worry that requiring students to take a class from the Catholic intellectual tradition instead of from the theology department — such as a course on Catholic painters in the Renaissance period or a course on Dante in literature — could push them away from the theology and philosophy that are core to the university’s curriculum. There were 8,595 undergraduate students at Notre Dame in Fall 2013, according to the university, and of the freshmen in 2014 — members of the Class of 2018 — 82 percent are Catholic. Comments at a public university forum last week sounded alarm bells for some alumni, setting off responses with the hashtag #loveTHEOnotredame. My computer background for the past year. I read it in a 200 level theology class. #Augustine #loveTHEOnotredame http://t.co/ZBmMET7Oup Mark Roche, a professor of German language, literature and philosophy, who chairs a group that discusses Catholic mission, questioned whether theology and philosophy were the only “carriers of vision” for Notre Dame. According to a campus student newspaper — Irish Rover, which describes itself as being devoted to preserving the Catholic identity of Notre Dame — Roche argued that the university’s theology requirement could be developed and improved by having other disciplines teach courses that would count toward it. After listing learning goals for the core curriculum, Roche said: “I’m doubtful that only theology and philosophy could succeed in helping students reach these learning outcomes. I’d like to see us draw on faculty in other fields to enhance integration. A primary task of theology, after all, is to integrate advances in the individual disciplines, and to encourage those disciplines to ask deeper, even ultimate questions.” In an interview, Roche said theology rightly carries a special status at Notre Dame, but he said it’s appropriate to discuss learning goals for the university and not simply begin with the status quo. “Theology and philosophy were both traditionally oriented toward integration, the unity of knowledge across disciplines. However, both have become, in research and teaching, modestly specialized,” Roche said. “How do we still preserve the unity of truth across disciplines? It’s a challenge for any Catholic university.” Roche said the campus is in the middle of discussions and won’t make decisions anytime soon. “It may be dramatic, it may be an


MMA star Anderson Silva failed a second drug test

Both Anderson Silva, left, and Nick Diaz failed drug tests related to their Jan. 31 fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. (LE Baskow/Las Vegas Sun via Associated Press) Anderson Silva’s Jan. 31 win over Nick Diaz at UFC 183 had already taken on a farcical aspect, given the subsequent revelation that both fighters had failed drug tests administered at different times. On Tuesday, news broke that Silva also failed a second test out of the three he took around the time of the fight. Silva initially got popped for a Jan. 9 test, which revealed traces of Drostanolone, an anabolic steroid, in his system. That same drug came up in a test administered to Silva the night of the fight. The 39-year-old, considered by many to be the greatest fighter in MMA history, also was found to have Oxazepam, an anti-anxiety medication, and Temazepam, a sleeping aid, in his system in the second failed test. Both of those medications are banned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which administered all the tests, while fighters are at an in-competition stage. Diaz tested positive the night of the fight for marijuana. Between the failed tests on Jan. 9 and Jan. 31, Silva passed one given to him on Jan. 19. “I can’t speak for the [NSAC] Chairman nor can I speak for the commissioners,” NSAC executive director Bob Bennett told ESPN.com. “But something I find particularly concerning is that he tested positive on Jan. 9th and then he tested negative on Jan. 19th. If he took this orally, it only stays in your system 5-to-7 days. “So, obviously, he used it sometime around Jan. 9th and then he used it shortly before the night of the fight. Whether the commission finds this egregious — that he tested positive twice out of three times — is up to them. I certainly find it concerning and unacceptable. It gives an unfair advantage to the person on that. God forbid, a serious injury were to occur to an opponent when someone is on something.” Silva has denied taking any banned substances, but he faces a possible suspension and a fine, as well as having his win over Diaz changed to a no-contest. Both fighters, plus Hector Lombard, who also recently failed an NSAC drug test, were given temporary suspensions Tuesday by the commission.


The weird way that climate change could lead to new disease outbreaks around the world

diseases spread. The conventional wisdom (referred to as the “parasite paradox”) is that the host-pathogen relationship is so tightly adapted that pathogens have a hard time finding a new host species when things go wrong. Even with ecological change and habitat destruction, these pathogens would essentially have no place to turn, no “back up plan” if their hosts suddenly disappear as the result of changing habitats and ecosystems. The new thinking, known as the “Stockholm Paradigm” (not to be confused with the “Stockholm Syndrome”), combines four different ecological concepts – ecological fitting, the geographic mosaic theory of co-evolution, taxon pulses and the oscillation hypothesis – to conjecture that pathogens may not really have as hard of a time finding a new host as we thought. They may already have the “ancestral genetic capabilities” to switch to new hosts that are genetically close enough to the original hosts. Historical examples cited by the researchers Of course, there is bound to be a certain amount of skepticism when people (and especially scientists) claim that, “Well, things are different this time around.” There have always been variations in climate, and there have always been “habitat perturbations.” So what’s different this time around? The answer may be that climate change is happening more rapidly than it has in the past, upsetting biodiversity dynamics in a way that has never before been possible. In layman’s terms, Darwin never thought parasites could evolve this fast. Science naysayers So what can be done if we want to avoid the real-life remake of “Contagion”? One obvious answer might be to provide more funding and support to agencies that monitor and prevent outbreaks. This would help to prevent or minimize human contact with potentially infected animals. “We have to admit we’re not winning the war against emerging diseases,” Brooks said. “We’re not anticipating them. We’re not paying attention to their basic biology, where they might come from and the potential for new pathogens to be introduced.” Another approach that might be worth adopting, says Brooks, is studying the evolutionary relationships among species, in order to predict which species will take over as disease-carriers. He suggests that there should be greater coordination between the public and veterinary health communities and members of the “museum” community who classify species. In short, one of the best ways to prevent disease outbreaks such as Ebola in the future is to look way, way


Eschenbach’s NSO contract to end in 2017; will become conductor laureate

After 7 years as music director of the Kennedy Center and the National Symphony Orchestra, Christoph Eschenbach will conclude his tenure in 2017, the orchestra announced Wednesday. (Photo by Juana Arias for The Washington Post) The National Symphony Orchestra announced this morning that Christoph Eschenbach will become Conductor Laureate of the orchestra in the 2017-18 season. In other words, his contract, after what will have been seven seasons as music director of the orchestra and of the Kennedy Center, is not being renewed. “By 2017 I will have served as Music Director of American orchestras for almost 30 years,” said Eschenbach, who will turn 75 on Friday, said in a press statement, “and it makes sense to step away from these obligations.” The news means that the National Symphony Orchestra joins the New York Philharmonic in the search for a new music director for the 2017-18 season, after the departure of a music director — there, Alan Gilbert; here, Eschenbach — who was still relatively new to the job. “I am proud of the legacy I leave and I am deeply grateful to the musicians who have joined with me to create an internationally prominent and unified ensemble,” Eschenbach also said in his official quote. But the nature of that legacy is not entirely certain. In his five years thus far, Eschenbach has overseen the addition of 15 new orchestra members, as well as the ascension of two musicians who were already in the orchestra to first-chair positions. And he led two international tours, almost back to back: one to South America in 2012, and a critically acclaimed one to Europe in 2013, which seemed to promise a new and more prominent future for an orchestra that has always struggled with the perception of not being in the top tier of international ensembles. Yet it’s open to question whether Eschenbach has actually transformed the orchestra, redefined his post as music director of the Kennedy Center as well as of the NSO, or fully merited one of the highest conductor’s salaries in the United States. The NSO has turned in some fine concerts on his watch, but hasn’t fully shaken its issues with ensemble playing, and its occasional issues in the winds and brass. And the post of Kennedy Center music director seems, to an outside eye, to be somewhat nominal. He has given 11 recitals with the orchestra’s principals and


Nightlife Agenda: A new local gin, a bluegrass festival preview and Jay-Z’s sonic architect

potent new spirit at Boundary Road on Wednesday night. (Photo by Matt McClain for The Washington Post) Wednesday, February 18 Moon Boots Nightmares on Wax Thursday, February 19 Cider is more popular than ever at local bars, and we're not talking about Magner's and Crispin. Local cider makers, such as Bold Rock, Distillery Lane Ciderworks and Millstone Cellars, are attracting attention from bargoers with gluten issues looking for an alternative to beer. They also interest beer drinkers drawn to the funky, sometimes sour flavors, which are also found in the hottest beers of the moment. Millstone, located in Baltimore County, is on the experimental end of cider making, and 15 of Millstone's products will be available to taste at Brookland Pint this week, including a dry-hopped cask cider; a collaboration with acclaimed Maryland brewery Stillwater that includes smoked apples; and Gingerine, a blend of mead and fermented pears and nectarines infused with lemongrass and baby ginger. Tasting begins at 11 a.m., and will go all night. The D.C. Punk Archive's excellent series of free concerts at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library continues with a basement show featuring the blues/punk/jazz/metal melange of Laughing Man, supported by Maloso and Peoples Drug. This is one event worth blowing off happy hour for -- seriously, doors open at 6 p.m. and the music has to end by 8:30 so that the library can close on time. Friday, February 20 Saturday, February 21 The Kingman Island Bluegrass and Folk Festival returns to the shores of the Anacostia River on Saturday, April 25, with at least 38 artists and bands performing bluegrass, folk, Americana and country music across six stages. Organizers are set to reveal the headliners for the six-year-old festival this weekend at Gypsy Sally's, during a concert headlined by flatpicking guitarist Larry Keel and the Virginia-based bluegrass group Walker's Run, both of which will perform on Kingman Island this spring. Tickets are $15 in advance or $17 on the day of the show. Earlier this month, we told you about Hill Country's annual Chili Cookoff. The amateur chefs have been selected, and it's time to taste their recipes. A $10 donation to the food charity MicroGreens is good for tastes of 10 different chilis in Hill Country's Boot Bar, plus a vote in the Fan Favorite contest. The tasting runs from 1 to 3 p.m. and drink specials will be available. Fasching


D.C. restaurants are all over the list of James Beard Award semifinalists

Once again, D.C. restaurants have a strong presence on the James Beard Award semifinalist list. But it's still too early to say if any will take home the prestigious prize: The Beard Foundation likes to winnow down its large and comprehensive list of excellent restaurants around the country to a smaller list of finalists (announced March 24), and then winners, which will be presented in New York on May 4. WASHINGTON, DC-May 21: Fiola Mare restaurant on the Georgetown Waterfront in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Suchman/For the Washington Post) If you look back at last year's semifinalists, much of what follows are the same people and restaurants being nominated in the same categories. Marjorie Meek-Bradley has nabbed her second rising star chef nomination, and Jaleo is once again on the outstanding restaurant list. Both Komi and Marcel's snagged repeat nominations for their service, and Ashok Bajaj was recognized again as an outstanding restaurateur. All four of the best chef nominees are on the list for the second time in a row. WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 15: Restauranteur Mark Furstenberg in his latest establishment, Bread Furst, on January, 15, 2015 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post) But there are some newcomers, too -- most notably, baker Mark Furstenberg of Bread Furst in Northwest. Toki Underground's Erik Bruner-Yang has also been recognized as a rising star, and the elegant Fiola Mare is in the running for best new restaurant in the country. Check out the nominees below. Best New Restaurant: Outstanding Baker: Outstanding Bar Program: Outstanding Chef: Outstanding Pastry Chef: Outstanding restaurant: Outstanding Restaurateur: Outstanding Service: Outstanding Wine, beer or Spirits Professional: Rising Star of the Year: Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic:


New Horizons spots Pluto’s smaller moons for the first time

(NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute.) It's not exactly a clean shot, but it's certainly a timely one: 85 years to the day after Pluto's discovery, NASA has released fresh images from New Horizons that show two of its smaller moons. The long-exposure images, which were taken between Jan. 27 and Feb. 8 from a distance of 125 to 115 million miles, show Hydra and Nix -- moons too small to show up in previous shots. Hydra is enclosed in a yellow diamond with Nix in orange. The image on the right has been specially processed to reduce the center glare, a result of the over-exposure of Pluto and its tidally-locked (and largest) moon Charon. Hydra and Nix were only discovered recently (in 2005) and are probably between 25 and 95 miles in diameter. That's a lot of wiggle room, but scientists can't get more precise with the Hubble or other space telescopes -- they need New Horizons to keep saddling up towards Pluto and its moons so the spacecraft can figure out what's what. There are still at least two more known moons left to see: Styx and Kerberos may both be less than 10 miles across. You can see just how much the dwarf planet dwarfs its tiny moons at the Planetary Society's blog. New Horizons is expected to make a close encounter with Pluto on July 14. Read More: Over nine years after its launch, New Horizons’ first images of Pluto have arrived


Bald eagles are starting to flourish again — but hold the confetti

are being hit even harder. Before now, reservoirs that serve up a buffet of this plant were considered beneficial because they helped fuel the annual migration of coots from Canada to Florida and beyond, while also feeding eagles. But now the reservoirs are “death traps,” said Wilde, an assistant professor at the University of Georgia whose study of the topic was recently published in the journal Phytotaxa. In Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina, coots, shorebirds, ducks and eagles are dying by the dozens from the incurable lesions. “We’re attracting them to places where they’re going to die, and that’s not a good thing,” Wilde said. Eagles get top billing in the study because they’re the national symbol, arguably the most-recognized animal in America. But the bacterium and its toxin is devastating to plant-loving coots. The migration of coots is a spectacle that bird watchers flock to man-made reservoirs to see. Five thousand can descend at once on a single lake, noisy, splashing, feeding. University of Georgia researcher Brigette Haram captured two American coots, in a cove full of hydrilla, who had been neurologically impaired by avian vacuolar myelinopathy. Photo: Brigette Haram The only way to save the animals is to spend millions to eradicate a plant that was introduced to the United States in Florida about 60 years ago. It now grows in virtually every body of fresh water, from the southeast to California and Washington. It grows prolifically in the the Chesapeake Bay region, which is also full of bald eagles and visiting coots, a dark, plump, duck-like bird with a bright orange dot for an eye. Eagles don’t mess around when they dine on coots. Even the head is fair game. They leave nothing but the feet, Wilde said. She theorized that the bacterium enters eagles while they’re munching on the guts of their prey. “The only way we can tell a bird has it is they have a characteristic in the brain, a lesion,” she said. “There’s no damage to any other part of the body.” The eagle killer might hide on the underside of leaves because it prefers shade, but Wilde and her fellow researchers haven’t figured out why. It radiates outward in a circle with strange edges and spikes. “It looks like it would kill eagles,” she said. Bald eagles were removed from the federal endangered species list only seven years ago.


The term that actually makes climate change less political

things like reflecting sunlight to space with large mirrors or reflective aerosols or reducing carbon-dioxide levels in the atmosphere by sucking it out of the air with machines or planting a lot of trees. [Related: Short-term fixes for long-term climate problems? Not so fast] But geoengineering has environmental groups and many scientists concerned, as they argue that it’s akin to playing God with the climate and that some specific techniques could have nasty side effects. The National Academy of Sciences, meanwhile, suggests that we need to do more research into geoengineering before it’s ready for prime time. Dan Kahan at Yale University and colleagues wanted to know how geoengineering, alongside more traditional climate solutions, would affect people’s views of climate change. The researchers divided 3,000 people into three groups. Kahan and colleagues presented all three groups with the same information on the science behind climate change — namely that “irreversible climate changes” have already occurred because of human emissions and that society would face climate risks for 1,000 years even if we were to halt emissions today. But each group received different information on the policy implications of climate change: - One group was told that scientists recommended anti-pollution measures to address climate change. - A second group was told that scientists recommended investing more in geoengineering, which could potentially work better than emissions cuts. - A third, control group wasn’t given any specific policy recommendation. - Then, all participants were surveyed on their views about the scientific information they read, on their worldviews and on their general perception of climate change’s risks to society. Conventional wisdom might hold that telling people about geoengineering would make them less concerned about climate change’s risks by making them complacent about it; if geoengineering works, then maybe climate change isn’t such a big deal. But that’s not what the researchers found. The geoengineering group viewed climate change as posing a slightly higher risk than did the control group and a similar level of risk as did the anti-pollution group. But that finding doesn’t get at another equally crucial issue: polarization. Not surprisingly, the anti-pollution group was more polarized (i.e., the gap between liberals and conservatives was larger) than the control group was, both on the scientific information they read and on climate change’s risks more generally. With the geoengineering group, however, something different happened. The anti-pollution and geoengineering groups were still roughly equally


Why restaurants are putting bacon back on everything again

year we had record prices, and still consumers bought those products," said Steve Meyer, the president of industry researcher Paragon Economics and a consulting economist for the National Pork Board. "Given where pork prices are now, that's going to open some wonderful values for putting new kinds of bacon dishes in restaurants." American bacon sales have soared for five straight years, climbing 8 percent to an all-time high of $4.4 billion last year, data from Chicago-based market researcher IRI shows. More than 864 million pounds of bacon were sold last year at America's supermarkets, retailers, convenience stores, drugstores, military commissaries and dollar chains. That came during a year when the deadly pig virus, known as PEDv, devastated stock and drove hog farmers to slaughter, sending the average price for a pound of sliced bacon to around $6.10 last summer, a 30-year high, federal data show. Widespread vaccines and sanitized farms, coupled with efforts to quickly breed and feed more hogs, led to a rebound last year in pigs healthy and ready for sale, leading retail prices to fall ever since. "We've gone from 'We're going to run out of pork!' to 'What are we going to do with all of this meat?'" John Nalivka, president of agricultural-advisory firm Sterling Marketing, told the Wall Street Journal. A different kind of virality for bacon has long served food giants: its success as a social-media marketing tactic. Increasingly strange, limited-time-only stunt foods became a fast track for restaurants looking for national attention, and bacon, with its cult-like fandom, proved a versatile, time-tested star. You could get bacon in Burger King sundaes, Red Robin milkshakes, Ritz crackers and Pillsbury Toaster Scrambles. And that was just the food: You could also buy bacon air freshener, candles, toothpaste, vodka, shaving cream, perfume, soap and lubricant. Unlike other food fads, bacon proved to have incredible sticking power. Wendy's 970-calorie Baconator, launched to fanfare in 2007, got so old it had a son. Attention-grabbing bacon unveilings became so commonplace they seemed to backfire, but years of death watches for the bacon trend were routinely proven wrong ("The Bacon Mania has Gone Too Far," 2009; "I think we can pronounce the bacon trend officially dead," 2012). The bacon business has remained mostly protected from the consumer trend toward healthier cuisine. America's push for protein and trendy eating fads like the Paleo Diet have even helped; market researcher Technomic called


Goodbye potato chips, hello jicama chips? These six start-ups want to change how you eat.

a vegetable that has been overlooked up to this point,” Colella-Wang said. They bake the jicama slices, then add a light coating of olive oil. Seasoning is added for four flavors — sea salt, smoked BBQ, white cheddar and cinnamon sugar. “It’s a low-calorie, high-fiber, under 100 calories per serving with six grams of fiber. It is a tremendously more healthy alternative to a potato chip,” said Lauren Jupiter, a managing partner at Accel Foods. The healthy snack does come at an increased cost, a bag sells for about $5 now. Their desserts contain no dairy, gluten, cholesterol or soy. (Cows Gone Coconut) 3. Cows Gone Coconut: The flavor of ice cream without the downsides Of the 14 start-ups Accel Foods has invested in, three are based in Boulder, Colo., including Cows Gone Coconut. The area’s culture is focused on healthy living, making it a fertile ground for health-conscious start-ups to spring up. Cows Gone Coconut makes a creamy, non-dairy frozen dessert out of coconut milk and coconut water. The production process also leaves a smaller carbon footprint than traditional ice cream. The boring old rice cake is getting a makeover. (Element Snacks) 4. Element Snacks: Sweets that are better for you These guys sell rice and corn cakes that are covered with Italian chocolate and cream fruit. The aim is to create an indulgent food that’s healthier for you than a traditional dessert. “It’s really shaking up a category that hasn’t seen innovation in a long time,” Jupiter said. These granola bars are so fresh and free of preservatives that they must be refrigerated. (Fresh Bar) 5. Fresh Bar: The breakfast bar you refrigerate. The Minneapolis start-up Five Friends Food sells refrigerated granola bars with fresh fruits and nuts. “We think for the millennial consumer and for moms who are really focused on delivering nutrients and fresh food that doesn’t have stabilizers and that’s not been sitting on the shelf for a month, it’s tremendously innovative,” Jupiter said. The Podlife is similar to a mobile Keurig for protein shakes. (Podlife) 6. Podlife: Protein when you want it This start-up that launched in Australia is making it easy to get protein on the go. It sells a water bottle and small containers of protein. You insert a protein packet, fill the water bottle, shake it up and suddenly have a protein shake. It’s designed for millennials who prioritize convenience. Related:


Eight things we learned from Jeb Bush’s speech

to worry about a united Germany. I don’t know what George H.W. Bush would have thought or thinks now about the Islamic State or China’s cyberterrorism, nor does anyone else in the press. So how can we say Jeb is more like his father or more like his brother? If Jeb believes in a strong military, is it not that simply a function of mainstream conservative thinking rather than copying a relative? 4. The idea of “going to war to impose democracy” is a phony issue not matter how many times the phrase is parroted in the media. We went to war against Iraq in 2003, as Jeb said, because we falsely believed Saddam Hussein had a WMD program. No one is talking about a “war to impose democracy” now. We aren’t going to war against the Islamic State simply because they don’t respect freedom of religion. The issue, properly framed, is: How do we promote democracy among allies and put pressure on foes in a world with imperfect options and conflicting interests? As for Obama the question remains: Why did he shy away from use of force when there were humanitarian AND strategic interests (as existed when Obama foolishly refused to help remove Bashar al-Assad after saying the dictator must “go”). 5. Jeb Bush sure had Obama’s number when he bashed him for using “hashtag campaigns [to] replace actual diplomacy and engagement.” Yesterday afternoon, just hours after Bush’s speech the president gave one of his least coherent speeches on terrorism, arguing we shouldn’t call Islamic terrorists “Islamic” because they are terrorists and suggesting jobs and more interesting video entertainment can lure fanatical jihadists away from their activities. Sounding like a dopey public service announcement, Obama insisted, “ No religion is responsible for terrorism, people are responsible for violence and terrorism.” It was, candidly, an embarrassment to have the president talk about terrorists as if they were wayward youth in downtown Chicago. Even one brave Democrat and Chuck Todd were openly dismayed. (Todd: “The problem here — nobody is saying there is not extremism in every religion, but what is the acute issue at hand right now that the western world is dealing with? It is this group that is using Islam, a radical form of it, to try to recruit terrorists.”) As Charles Krauthammer put it: If you listen to the president today and his emphasis on Islamic grievances


6 innovations to cope with the threat of a megadrought

transform sludge into drinkable water for its soldiers in Afghanistan and relief workers in Haiti. 5. Citizens as water micro-entrepreneurs At a time when “paying the water bill” is something that doesn’t seem ripe for innovation, there are actually a handful of U.S. companies that are working on designing new data-driven software solutions for urban water users. California has already experimented with “behavioral water efficiency” techniques. In one scenario, water utility customers receive an individualized report on their water usage that compares how much they are using compared to their neighbors, and then gives recommendations on how to use less water. That reduces water demand, since nobody wants to be the neighborhood water hog. Push on this “behavioral modification” concept a bit, and you could imagine more extensive programs that fundamentally change the way people think about water. For example, America’s water utilities could rip a page from the playbook of the emerging world, where notions such as micro-loans for micro-entrepreneurs first took off. Using a similar approach, Drinkwell has pioneered a “micro-franchise” model for turning the rural poor in nations such as India, Laos and Cambodia into water micro-entrepreneurs. Water is no longer a “utility,” but simply a business model that can be franchised out to entrepreneurs. 6. Extreme weather modification Ever since Beijing used cloud seeding techniques to prevent rainfall over the city during the 2008 Summer Olympics, people have been fascinated by the idea of “weather modification.” China, in fact, was the first nation to create a Weather Modification Bureau. Currently, 24 countries practice some form of weather modification, including the United States, which has looked into ways to minimize the impact of hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico. Based on that initial work, Bill Gates and Richard Branson have championed new geoengineering techniques that go well beyond changes to the local weather and start to impact the earth’s climate. Researchers from Harvard and Stanford have already proposed geoengineering concepts for the earth’s atmosphere. Some of the ideas for dealing with droughts, admittedly, sound like something out of a science fiction movie — flooding Death Valley with seawater via a canal from the Pacific Ocean or wrapping Greenland with blankets to capture freshwater ice. Yet, there are some examples, such as China’s massive “grand canals,” that hint at how massive changes to the Earth may be the ultimate Hail Mary pass to bring water to parched regions.


U.S. embassies are going to measure other countries’ air quality. Surprise: Some don’t like it much

ex-pats and travelers informed about health threats. But Kerry acknowledged other benefits to providing local populations with reliable information about air quality. Traffic moves at dusk in New Delhi, India on Jan. 22. Heavy reliance on fossil fuels has transformed New Delhi into the planet’s most polluted capital and made India the third biggest national emitter of greenhouse gases, followed by the U.S. and China. (AP/Manish Swarup) “We’re not the only country in which this kind of awareness has led to action,” Kerry told reporters at a State Department news conference. The plan to install air monitors at embassies is an expansion of an EPA program called AirNow, which provides real-time data on smog and soot for U.S. cities through a Web site and a smartphone app. The new international program will focus on a single measurement of air quality — fine particulates, or microscopic particles that contribute to haze and trigger asthmatic attacks and other respiratory ailments. Bejing and other Asian cities frequently show unhealthy and even hazardous levels of particulates from diesel exhaust and smoke from coal-burning. Chinese officials, who previously dismissed concerns over what they called excessive “fog” in the country’s largest cities, have been compelled by improved monitoring to taking dramatic steps to combat air pollution, which Beijing Mayor Wang Anshun recently described as a “life-or-death” situation. U.S. and Chinese officials announced a landmark agreement in November to lower air pollution in both countries to improve health and fight a major cause of climate change. McCarthy said she was “not the most popular person” when she visited Beijing several years ago after the embassy’s air monitor was first installed. But eventually official attitudes began to change as local residents were able to call up air-quality data from the embassy on their cellphones, she said. The embassy’s air monitor, located in the heart of the capital, typically showed unhealthier air quality compared to official Chinese data. “What happened was that they took action,” she said of the Chinese government. “They realized there were things they could do.” She added that U.S. officials intend to offer practical help as well as raw data as they expand access to information about air quality to cities around the world. U.S. environmental groups hailed the administration’s step, though some said the White House could be doing more to improve air quality at home. The EPA is considering tighter rules on smog-causing


Stop eating so much meat, top U.S. nutritional panel says

(AP Photo/The Register-Guard, Kevin Clark) The country's foremost nutrition advisory panel is taking a stand against meat: Americans should eat less of it, top experts say, in order to protect the environment. The recommendation could have a significant impact on the amount of meat people eat --- as well as the environmental impact of a carnivorous nation. "We're not saying that people need to become vegans," said Miriam Nelson, a professor at Tufts University and one of the committee's members. "But we are saying that people need to eat less meat." The panel's findings, which were released to the public in the form of a 571 page report this afternoon, specifically recommend that Americans be kinder to the environment by eating more plant-based foods and fewer animal-based foods. The panel is confident that the country can align both health goals and environmental aims, but warns that the U.S. diet, as currently constructed, could improve. "Consistent evidence indicates that, in general, a dietary pattern that is higher in plant-based foods, such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds, and lower in animal-based foods is more health promoting and is associated with lesser environmental impact than is the current average U.S. diet," the report says. Americans, though they are eating less meat than they have in the past, are still eating too much. The problem, which the committee's findings reflect, is that all that meat eating is still having too much of an impact on the environment. Meat eaters have been linked to considerably larger carbon footprint than vegetarians. And the livestock industry has been associated with a considerably larger carbon footprint than any other food industry. The combination of those two realities, along with the committee's understanding that diets lower in meat consumption, especially red and processed meat consumption, tend to be more healthful, has forced the committee's hand. The group, which has been mulling a number of changes to the dietary guidelines, has traditionally advised the government about healthy eating choices which, until now, have only reflected what the group views as a diet that is healthy for humans. The new recommendations mark a major break from the past, and offer a glimpse into what the guidelines might look like in the decades to come. "If we're thinking about the foods that are culturally appropriate, we need to start thinking about what's sustainable," said Nelson,. "Other countries have


DC Brau to debut Crowlers, like growlers but in cans

DC Brau will soon sell Crowlers, 32-ounce aluminum cans that can be filled with draft beer. (DC Brau) DC Brau will be the first brewery in Washington to offer Crowlers: fresh, canned beer to go. Like growlers, typically 32- or 64-ounce glass jugs, Crowlers are empty, 32-ounce aluminum cans that can be filled with draft beer in minutes. DC Brau’s Crowler machine, which arrived Thursday afternoon, is a gift from Colorado’s Oskar Blues Brewery, the fruit of a collaboration between the two breweries. “Brewers Jeff [Hancock] and Chris [Graham] were out there and they dropped this bomb on them on the first night: ‘In honor of Chris’ birthday, we’d like to present you with this gift,’ ” DC Brau CEO Brandon Skall says. “It really sums up the spirit of that company, the spirit of craft beer that people always talk about.” Skall hopes to get the machine, which Hancock says is “super easy to use,” up and running sometime in March. They’re still figuring out pricing, but Skall expects fills will cost around the same as a 32-ounce glass growler, which runs from $5 to $8, depending on the beer. (Skall says he isn’t sure yet how much the Crowler cans themselves will cost.) Skall says Crowlers block sunlight better than glass growlers, are more portable, more lightweight and less likely to break. He recommends you drink a Crowler within three to four days of the fill date. “I really expect these to be a big hit with the people who ride their bikes to the brewery,” Skall says. “There’s also just the novelty of showing up to a party with it. … Cans are sexy, cans are cool. This is just a big can, which makes it even that much more cool.” The Crowler machine should be in use by the time DC Brau releases its collaboration with Oskar Blues, Smells Like Freedom. The 7-percent IPA — which is being brewed both at Oskar Blues and at DC Brau — is a nod to D.C.’s Initiative 71, the marijuana-legalization measure approved in November and expected to take effect next week. “It seemed to be a connection we had between the two [places],” Skall says, noting Colorado’s own marijuana legalization.“The idea was to make a beer that, obviously, does not have cannabis in it but sort of could emulate that flavor or aroma profile as closely as possible, being


8 things to do in the D.C. area on the weekend of Feb. 20-22

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 23: The DC DemonCats dance while taking laps as they are introduced prior to a match at the DC Armory in 2013. (Photo by Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post) FRIDAY: FRIDAY: FRIDAY: FRIDAY-MARCH 7: SATURDAY: SATURDAY: SUNDAY: SUNDAY: [Where to watch the Oscars on Sunday night]


Limited airborne transmission of Ebola is ‘very likely,’ new analysis says

and be inhaled by others, providing an unrecognized, if minor, pathway for the virus. This time Osterholm was joined by Gary P. Kobinger of Canada's Public Health Agency, Pierre Formenty of the World Health Organization's pandemic response unit and Clarence J. Peters, of the Galveston National Laboratory at the University of Texas Medical Branch, among many others. The paper, titled 'Transmission of Ebola Viruses: What We Know and What We Do Not Know," takes pains to note that respiratory transmission of Ebola is unproven and that contact with infected body fluids is by far the most common way that the virus is passed from one person to another. Indeed, as health experts and aid workers have persuaded West Africans to adopt safe burial practices and isolate people infected by the virus, the disease has virtually disappeared in Liberia, though it is still more prevalent in Sierra Leone and Guinea. As of Wednesday, Ebola had sickened 23,253 people, killing 9,380 of them, all but a handful in the three West African countries, according to the World Health Organization. As evidence, the research notes that Ebola virus has been found on the outside of face masks worn by health workers caring for victims of the disease. It also points out that the virus has been passed between animals via respiration. And the authors say that Ebola can infect certain cells of the respiratory tract, including epithelial cells, which line body cavities, and macrophages, a type of white blood cell that consumes pathogens. The paper notes that breathing, sneezing, coughing and talking can release droplets of fluid from the respiratory tract that travel short distances and most likely cause infection by settling on a mucous membrane. Those actions also release smaller airborne particles capable of suspension in mid-air that can be inhaled by others. Technically, both qualify as aerosols, the paper says. The debate has centered on whether Ebola can be transmitted via those smaller particles. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt Medical Center who did not take part in the study, praised it for raising the issues "in a thoughtful fashion" and predicted it would be "very, very widely read." He said he could imagine the possibility of respiratory transmission of Ebola from close-in contact, perhaps a distance of three or four feet. Even so, Schaffner said, it would be rare; as the study points out, it has never been


PM Update: Snow showers, bitter wind chill, and record-challenging cold; SchoolCast

38 mph, it felt more like the low single digits. The wind chill has fallen back into negative territory late this afternoon, just in time for the commute. Friday brings even more cold air with the potential to break a few records across the region. Only 8 days have had a colder high than today this late in season over the entire DC record to 1870s. Most recent: 2/27/1934. Through Tonight: Last time Washington,DC had a colder night than coming night this late in winter was February 28, 1934 at -1º #frigid #record [Friday’s cold will be record-challenging in D.C. area] Tomorrow (Friday): [Cold weather tips to protect yourself and your home] See David Streit’s forecast through the weekend. And if you haven’t already, join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter Does this photo make you feel cold? Great Falls on Wednesday evening during the snow squall. (Navin Sarma via Flickr) SchoolCast (Note some schools have already decided to delay or close: See list) - Frederick, Howard, Calvert, Charles, St. Mary’s, Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, Fauquier: (2 apples: Good chance of delay, 50-50 chance of closing. Do your homework to be safe) - The District: (1.5 apples: Slight chance of a delay) Updates on Thursday evening snow showers: 10:37 p.m. update: 10:26 p.m. update: .@capitalweather just spent an hour driving from Columbia to Arlington: 29, Beltway and GW parkway were mostly snow covered. (1 of 2) .@capitalweather at times it felt like I was driving in the twilight zone! Most cars were driving slowly. happy to be home! (2 of 2) 10:15 p.m. update: The snow is moving fast, but it’s leaving behind a good coating of snow on roads in its wake. Here’s what that area of snow over the western suburbs looks like at Dulles: @capitalweather Snow coming down at IAD http://t.co/MhVeB7rivs 10:00 p.m. update: Streets covered in tenleytown @capitalweather http://t.co/tCDCDfmfDd The showers are zipping through the Beltway quickly now, and another wave is moving through the near eastern suburbs. Caution is absolutely warranted if you’re going to be out on the roads this evening. Untreated roads, especially, could prove to be vey slick! 9:25 p.m. update: Flurries and light snow now impacting parts of the area. Focused near northern Beltway and back into Loudoun County. http://t.co/IRKkIKTXoX @capitalweather Snowing in Bethesda! Didn't see this coming. Not much coming down, but all sticking on 355. http://t.co/PYOkP5o9oR


How windy is a black hole? More powerful than a trillion suns.

Agency. In a study published in the journal Science on Friday, astronomers say they have calculated the speed, shape and size of the winds surrounding black holes, allowing them to figure out how these forces impact their galaxies. Contrary to popular depictions, black holes aren’t dark vortices of empty space. Rather, they are extremely dense collections of matter formed when stars collapse on themselves. Their gravitational pull is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape. Astronomers have long understood that black holes have an impact on the galaxies that surround them. Looking at galaxies is the only way they can even study the phenomena, since black holes can’t be directly observed. Past research shows that galaxies with large black holes will have a similarly large “bulge” at their center. But this new study demonstrates that the high-speed winds surrounding black holes, called quasar winds, also affect their galaxies. The winds intensify in proportion with the black hole’s growth, pushing gas outward. “Now we know quasar winds significantly contribute to mass loss in a galaxy, driving out its supply of gas, which is fuel for star formation,” lead author Emanuele Nardini said in a NASA press release. Scientists think that a black hole and its galaxy are engaged in a kind of astronomical balancing act — as a galaxy expands, the black hole at its center works to impede the growth and prevent new stars from developing. This plot of data from two space telescopes, NASA’s Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) and the European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) XMM-Newton, determines for the first time the shape of ultra-fast winds from supermassive black holes. (Courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/Keele Univ.) The study, which uses data from NASA’s Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array and the ESA’s XMM-Newton telescope, also gave scientists a better understanding of the behavior of quasar winds. Rather than emanating from a black hole in a single direction, the winds emerge from it in a spherical blast. PDS-456, the black hole at the center of this study, is a unique phenomenon in astronomy: close enough to Earth for a good look, but also unlike other bodies in our cosmic neighborhood. It’s a rare “supermassive black hole” — something much more common 10 billion years ago, not long after the beginning of the universe. “For an astronomer, studying PDS-456 is like a paleontologist being given a living dinosaur today,” co-author Daniel Stern said.


Street Smart: What to do in Upper Marlboro

This Maryland town was established as a tobacco port in 1706, and today the area’s market mainstay is municipal business as the county seat of Prince George’s. But scratch the surface of the approximately half-mile town and its unincorporated outskirts, and you’ll find a mix of familiar faces, atypical enterprises and tranquil settings. Dutch Village Farmers Market. Photo by Kris Coronado Dutch Village Farmers Market Grab a shopping cart - you'll need it. Opened in 2008, this bustling indoor Amish market features 13 vendors from Lancaster, Pa., selling a mind-boggling variety of wares, from jams and jellies to doggie bowls and rocking chairs. White-capped women hand-roll dough at Sadie Ann's Soft Pretzels & Ice Cream. Across the room at Stoltzfus Poultry, customers line up along a glass counter displaying fresh turkey legs and Cornish hens. Ginger Marcus of Holistic Dynamic. Photo by Kris Coronado Holistic Dynamic It's not every day one is invited to stand in a sound bowl, but that's just what Ginger Marcus (pictured) does for first-time visitors to her personal development studio. "Within about three strikes I've got your attention," she says, referring to the light taps she makes with a padded mallet against a metal bowl, creating gentle tones and soft reverberations. This is a glimpse of Marcus's five-year-old venture, Relax With Sound, in which the 38-year-old offers sound massage and meditation sessions to help clients decompress. Geese at School House Pond. Photo by Kris Coronado School House Pond In these shiver-shuddering temperatures, a 12-acre body of water may not sound enticing. Would-be anglers, however, should bookmark this destination for when warmer days arrive. The pond, annually restocked with trout, is a decent fishing spot (a Maryland fishing license and trout stamp are required). Sound too fishy? Take a stroll on a boardwalk that lines the water. Birders can be on the lookout for winged visitors, such as ospreys and herons. Darnall's Chance House Museum. Photo by Kris Coronado Darnall's Chance House Museum Don't mind the mannequins; they're about to head out. "They're ready to go to a party," museum director Susan Reidy says of the blank-faced quartet in 18th-century garb staged as if they're playing cards and drinking tea. The parlor is one of five rooms re-created within the former Georgian mansion - turned into a museum in 1988 - to appear as it would have in the mid-18th century, when Lettice Lee (a blood


Stop complaining about the weather for one second and watch these red pandas play in the snow

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden shared video of two of their red pandas frolicking in the snow. A polar vortex might be shattering record lows across the east on Friday, but these red pandas, playing in the snow at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden this week, will shatter even the coldest of hearts, including mine. Look at this red panda frolic. Look at it try to convince the nice person holding the camera that the best possible way to live life is to roll in the snow with a red panda. Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden Their names are Lin (a 2-year-old female) and Rover (a 9-year-old male), according to ABC. Cincinnati is in the middle of a record-low cold spell, with even more snow expected over the weekend. You may not need these red pandas in your life as much as I do right now, and that’s okay. While cute animal videos are more or less universal, not everyone ends up captivated by the same ones. What I’m saying, though, is that maybe your opinion about these red pandas is wrong. More reading: Winter storm to bring hazardous mix of snow and sleet to D.C. area on Saturday Dear people who run in the snow: What is your deal anyway?


Melt Shop does not leave us with warm, gooey feelings

When we saw that the District's first Melt Shop had opened, we were hoping it would make us feel like this: Modern English - I Melt With You (Official Video) We checked out the opening day of the New York import, a sandwich shop that specializes in grilled cheese and other melty fare, such as fried chicken sandwiches, BLTs and patty melts. Those can all be paired with tater tots (cheese and bacon toppings are optional), tomato soup, pickles, slaw and, for dessert, milkshakes. You can also order a salad, but who goes to a grilled cheese restaurant for a salad? Sandwiches and tots from Melt Shop (Maura Judkis/The Washington Post) Now, if you're a stickler about this sort of thing (like, ahem, me), you'll note that for a grilled cheese shop, there are only two true grilled cheeses on the menu, if we can agree that a a grilled cheese is defined as a sandwich that features cheese as the star ingredient. Everything else is a sandwich that probably has a different name. While we at The Washington Post love a good grilled cheese sandwich, our panel of tasters found the three Melt Shop sandwiches -- a fried chicken sandwich with slaw, a patty melt, and a grilled cheese with tomato and onion -- to be uniformly dry. A second taste test today confirmed that this was not a case of first-day jitters. Just had the most disappointingly dry, boring patty melt. I mean, shouldn't patty melts be legally required to make your day better? In the end, we were left gulping water, and hoping that the Melt Shop picks up a bit more melt. Melt Shop, 1901 L St. N.W. (Metro: Farragut West) A fried chicken sandwich from Melt Shop (Maura Judkis/for The Post)