Featured Links - January 29, 2023

Links to things I found interesting but didn't want to do a full blog post about.

Old and new

• 500,000 years ago was 15 times bigger than record-breaking Tonga eruption. "A 500-foot-thick layer of pumice rock on the Mediterranean seabed indicates Santorini volcano ejected 15 times more material than Hunga-Tonga during a previously unknown eruption." It was even bigger than the eruption that led to the collapse of the Minoan civilization. 
• Are induction stoves that much safer than gas? We tested them. "Scientists’ best answer, at the moment, to whether you should ditch your gas stove is: We’re not sure yet." I would get one if it didn't mean replacing most of our cookware. 
• The Oxygen Bottleneck: Astronomers Find Huge New Problem For Alien Civilizations. "Some aliens may be cursed with intelligence, but unable to progress technologically." This is the first time I've heard of this idea and it's rather upsetting me. 
• How to Use Google’s Fact Check Explorer to Verify Claims on the Web. "True? False? Somewhere in between? Google's online tool will tell you."
• What would the late heavy bombardment have done to the Earth’s surface? "Early in Earth's history, bombardment by enormous asteroids was common." Geologists have been able to find traces of impacts as far back as 3.5 billion years. 
• Welcome to Reactor! Here’s Where Everything Went and How to Use It. Reactor is the rebranded website of Tor.com, the pre-eminent online publisher of science fiction and fantasy. 
• We Need Your Email Address. 404 Media are asking people to provide their email address before they can read articles on their site. Why? Because they are being ripped off by AI bots cloning their site. The article explains what is happening and it's horrifying.