NewsFusion for September 2026
Science...
- DNA dictates many personality traits | Nature
- Young scientists are changing their career plans | Phys.org
- Boston Dynamics' huggable robots | Fortune
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NewsFusion for August 2026
Science...
- The extraordinary engineering behind Narwhal tusks and collaboration with Indigenous communities | CBC
- Views of August 2026 solar eclipse captured from space | Space.com
- Unitree founder says "ChatGBT moment" is 10 years away for robots | CNBC
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NewsFusion for July 2026
Science...
- Using AI in wildlife conservation | The Wildlife Society
- First exomoon discovered? Or is it another exoplanet? | Sky & Telescope
- Robots are coming, but not everywhere | MIT Sloan Review
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NewsFusion for June 2026
Science...
- Euclid looks at center of Milky Way and sees 60 million stars | ESA
- Perceverance rover finds "organic detections" on Mars | Space.com
- Memory is the next big thing in robotics | Forbes
- With Pharrell Williams, Louis Vuitton's Spring/Summer 2027 collection catches a wave | Vogue Adria
- Bamboo scaffolding, ancient technology being used in modern construction | CNN
- 1980s mall reimgined as creative space in Plano | Interior Design Magazine
- Puyallup Tribe all-in on welcoming the world to the 2026 World Cup events in Seattle | Puyallup Tribe
- The Junior Class shines brightest at the 106th Kamehameha Schools Song Contest | Hawaii News Now
- Remains of seven Ainu ancestors repatriated to Japan from London's Natural History Museum | Museums Association
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NewsFusion for May 2026
Science...
- NASA to begin Moon base construction in 2029 | NBC News
- Startup Canopii building small-scale urban robotic farms | Geekwire
- AI helps reduce tracking time in wildlife conservation | WSU Insider
Design...
- Thélonious Goupil and Campeggi's ‘Bienvenue’ offers pop-up guest room | Wallpaper
- Ferrari's first fully electric vehicle | The Verge
- Art, design, health, and technology on display at UC Davis graduate exhibition | UC Davis
Culture...
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NewsFusion for March 2026
Science...
- NASA shares plans for Moon and Mars | CNN
- Turns out, cloning has limitations | Nature
- String Theory may still be the best answer for explaining the universe | Quanta Magazine
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NewsFusion for January 2026
Science...
- New CRISPR technology can activate genes without cutting DNA | Science Daily
- WIRED's CES Live from 2026 in Las Vegas | WIRED
- Cornell receives grant from Bezos Earth Fund for using AI in wildlife conservation | Cornell Chronicle
Mod Fireplace Loops
When the vibe calls for a fireplace and you don't have one...don't fret. We've got you covered. We keep our eyes out for great modern fireplace videos and loops to play in the background. Below you'll find some our recent favorites. Whether its for a cocktail party, a holiday get-together, or just ambient background audio for yourself to read or study to, these pics are sure to do the job.
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NewsFusion for November 2025
Science...
- Moss survives in space for 9 months | Live Science
- Sunday Robotics' Memo robot makes coffee and cleans up the house | Wired
- AI is transforming wildlife conservation | Yale E360
SeanChron | Farewell Dr. Jane Goodall
I was greatly saddened yesterday to hear the news that Dr. Jane Goodall had crossed over. She was an inspiration and a role model for countless people around the world in the field of wildlife conservation and many others. She worked tirelessly to educate us about the challenges faced by Chimps (and many other species) and how we could help address those challenges in creative ways. She is one of the primary reasons I studied and worked in the field of conservation biology.
This letter from Dr. Goodall is from July 15, 1994 in response to a letter I had sent her about my animal behavior senior thesis on zoos of the former Soviet Union. She had visited some of the zoos so I was seeking recommendations on zoos to visit and individuals to contact. I had met her on several occasions at this point and she knew my Mother well too because the zoo in Albuquerque had Chimps, Orangutans, and Gorillas and Dr. Goodall would often give lectures on Chimp conservation at zoos. She shared a lot of information in the letter and then after my trip inquired about how it went and my thoughts. I did connect with her every now and then since that time as well. I read her books (and got a few signed) and attended lectures whenever I could. She was a true inspiration and role model for me and why I am still so involved with understanding and addressing how human activity impacts human health and the environment.
I happened to be on the Seattle campus today so took this photo right outside of the Psychology building where this letter arrived so many years ago. Being a big Star Wars fan, I imagine her being like Obi-Wan now for all of us conservation biologists, looking out for us and rooting us on in current and new challenges.
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NewsFusion for September 2025
Science...
- Artemis II astronaughts prepare for mission to Moon | BBC
- Tiny vibrations and technology could help with earlier earthquake warnings | NBC News
- Astronomers haven now identified over 6,000 exoplanets | Wired
- If you love design, it's time to visit Detroit | Architectural Digest
- Giorgio Armani honored at CNMI sustainable fashion awards | Vogue
- Copenhagen collaborative Other Circle engages creatives from across design industries | Monocle
- Queens Arts & Culture Map showcases diverse arts and culture across the borough | Flushing Town Hall
- Indigenous-owned Alaskan Dream Cruises features culture as it's unique selling point | Travel Agent Central
- Culture and technology digital art installations in Prague and Bucharest this October | Travel and Tour World
Cocktail Astronomy | The Trifid and Lagoon Nebulae
Here at Future-ish, we love astronomy and we love cocktails. So to prep our fans (and ourselves) for those stellar weekend cocktail conversations, we are pleased to offer a Cocktail Astronomy post on Fridays.
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory just keeps giving us more and more star candy. It recently gave us a new photo of two great friends, the Trifid and Lagooon Nebula located in the constellation Saggitarius around 4,000 to 6,000 light years from Earth. It's actually possible to see these BFFs without any aids, but binoculors or a telescope will certainly give you an even better look at these showy neighbors.
Some extras with these two: the Lagoon Nebula has an hourglass shaped nebula within it and the Trifid Nebula has become known for being a major star nursery.
Cocktail pairing: we went for two tasty drinks for this efferfescent duo, something pink and something blue so you can toast your BFF. We have Bon Appétit's Rosé-Aperol Spritz and Silver Factory's Lavendar Sky (via Bon Appétit).
Seattle Design Festival
Cocktail Astronomy | New Dwarf Planet Ammonite
Here at Future-ish, we love astronomy and we love cocktails. So to prep our fans (and ourselves) for those stellar weekend cocktail conversations, we are pleased to offer a Cocktail Astronomy post on Fridays.
What's better than the new black in Paris? The newest world in our solar system. Astronomers have recently found evidence to support the existence of a new dwarf planet at the edge of our solar system, 2023 KQ14, nicknamed "Ammonite". One of several such objects recently discovered, Ammonite has a long and eliptical orbit around the sun and is believed to be very icey. Cheers to new dwarf planets, darling!
Cocktail pairing: we looked for something blue, icey, and out of this world. What could pair better than the Jack Frost from Delish? Cheers to new dwarf planets, darling!
More on Ammonite:
- Carter, J. (2025). Meet ‘Ammonite’ — A New World Just Found In The Solar System. Forbes.
- Chen, YT. et al. (2025). Discovery and dynamics of a Sedna-like object with a perihelion of 66 a. Nature Astronomy. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-025-02595-7
- Spivak, E. (2025). Astronomers discover new dwarf planet 'Ammonite' — and it could upend the existence of Planet Nine. Live Science.
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NewsFusion for July 2025
Science...
- Vera Rubin Observatory poised to find many more intersteller objects (Space.com)
- First robot soccer match was action (and AI) packed (Gizmodo)
- Synchron brings new functionality to brain-computer interface (WIRED)
Design...
- Shade in the city: heat waves inspire adding more shade to urban planning (Fast Company)
- Mediterranean gardens are trending in outdoor spaces (Veranda)
- Rezoning threatens NYC's garment district (Business of Fashion)
Culture...
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NewsFusion for June 2025
Science...
- Heatherwick Studio and Aurelia Institute offer visions of off-world agriculture (Wired)
- Infared contact lenses allow users to see at night (DW)
- Keeping robots charged up (The Conversation)
SeanChron | Event | Grit City Think & Drink - June 10, 2025
Yes indeed, I'm the presenter at the next Grit City Think & Drink in Tacoma. Here are the details:
"Future-ish: Exploring the Science, Design, and Culture Shaping our Future & Introduction to Future Studies"
Books available at the UW Tacoma Bookstore, $30. All proceeds go to wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House on the UW Seattle campus.
Date | June 10th, 2025
Time | 6:30pm-7:30pm
Location | 7 Seas, 2101 Jefferson Ave, Tacoma
Cost | Free and open to all ages
More Info | UW Tacoma Event Page
Grit City Think & Drink brings scholars and experts from various disciplines face-to-face with the public in a comfortable, lively atmosphere, either virtually or in person. The evening begins with a presentation or lecture (often interactive) followed by giveaways and a moderated Q&A. Grit City Think & Drink is free to the public and open to all ages. Hosted by UWT Associate Professor Jim Gawal.
Sponsors UW Tacoma School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences (SIAS) 7 Seas Brewing UW Tacoma Office of Community Parnterships
SeanChron | How Science Works
Although I'm a long way from my conservation biology days, I often get asked why science and scientists and never say that something is happening for sure or that something is causing something for sure? Doesn't science "prove" this or that? These are great questions and they usually come up over beer or a cocktail. So here is my having-a-beer-at-Munich-Oktoberfest response (which is actually one place these questions did come up).
Here's the T: science (and any knowledge system for that matter) can never prove anything, it can only disprove things. You can have a theory about something and gather more and more evidence that supports your theory and even get to the point in which you’ve gathered so much evidence that supports your theory that you might say that you're confident in your theory. But good science, and a good scientist, can never say that something is proven. You could say something like “we’re finding more evidence to support…” , “evidence continues to support…”, or even “evidence strongly supports…”. But even with overwhelming observations that support your theory, it cannot be said that anything is proven because you never know what tomorrow may bring.
For example, you might say “all crows are black”. Over time, you make observations that further support your theory, such as seeing more and more black crows over the course of your life. Then, on your 99th birthday you see an albino crow and your theory is now disproven…after all that time! At this point you could alter your theory and say “most crows are black” and still also be able to say that evidence “continues to support” or “strongly supports” your theory.
The fact that science can't prove anything can be frustrating for lots of folks, including policy makers, politicians, and probably your grumpy uncle who all want definitive answers on things. But once you understand how it all works, you become more comfortable with why science and scientists always use the cautious language around science "proving" things.
The next step in understanding how science and scientists can very comfortably say things like "there is strong evidence to support..." comes from probability and statistics. I offer an example below, but it might be more valuable to do an internet search for videos or visuals to understand probability and statistics, especially if you're a visual person.
Our Friends, Probability & Statistics
Using our crow example, we now know that all crows are not black...but we do think that most crows are black. We can use probability (the likelihood or possibility of something happening) to think about the likelihood of finding mostly black crows in our observations. The more observations that are made, the more those inform our probability calculations.
If we want to get even more formal about things, we can actually use statistics to test our theory. If we were to say that the if crow coloring were up to chance, 50% or less of crows observed would be black. The alternative to this would be that more than 50% of crows are black. Luckily, we don't have to count every crow in the world for this, we just need to get to what we (and math) tell us is a good representative population of crows to start testing our theory. If crow coloring (black vs. some other color) were actually up to chance, you'd expect that your observations would mostly land around that 50% of the population realm. Actual observations might fall a bit above or below this too since chance can also produce that outcome. For example, a coin toss should produce 50% heads and 50% tails, but in actuality, it can be a little off from that the more rounds of observations you do. This overall outcome of observations falling mostly around that 50% mark forms a bell-curve of outcomes with the peak of the bell being at the 50% line. So now you gather all your observations (in real life or perhaps using a model) and have many outcomes in which more than 50% of the crows observed were black. You'll likely be able to reject the theory that 50% or less of crows are black, which is great. Mathematics give us a tools, tests, and a there should for a certain level of observations occurring that allow us to say that the likelihood of chance producing the outcome we're observing is very unlikely. When our observations or at the ends of the observed or expected bell-curve, that's when scientists will say that their observations are statistically significant.
In terms of the coin toss example. Let's say you do 100 rounds of flipping the coin 10 times. How many outcomes of that coin coming up heads 85% of the time would make you think that something is indeed up with the coin?
Once you find a statistically significant result in your work, you might refine your theory and do more research and observations, or perhaps re-analyze your own research or the research of others. So, you could come up with the theory that 95% of crows are black. This is all good and you may indeed have statistically significant results in your ongoing research.
An Island of White Crows
But then, an island off the coast of Greenland is found were almost all crows are white! Does this mean your theories have been wrong? No. Does this mean all the time and effort (and perhaps money) you've invested has gone to waste? No. It just shows once again that science can't prove anything, it can only disprove things. It can add more and more evident to support things, but one never knows when we might learn something new about the world that makes us rethink our theories of things. It may make us expand our theories or allow them to be more flexible. Science (and any knowledge system) is still a fantastic and valuable tool, it's not the tool that many people think it is.
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NewsFusion for May 2025
Science...
- Space debris is an ever increasing problem for space travel | SpaceNews
- Swiss and Italian researchers create RoboCake, a robot with edible parts and battery | New Atlas
- US FDA approves CRISPR pigs for food | Gizmodo
Miss Next Century 2025 - Jaedyn Janae Puahaulani Pavao
Jaedyn Janae Puahaulani Pavao is a Hawaiian registered nurse and Hula dancer under the direction of Kumu Hula Leinā‘ala Pavao Jardin of Hālau Ka Lei Mokihana o Leināʻala from Kalāheo on Kauaʻi. Pavao won the title of Miss Aloha Hula 2025 at the 62nd annual Merrie Monarch Festival that takes place in Hilo, Hawaii. The 23 year old was also recognized with the Hawaiian Language Award, an additional honor acknowledging her outstanding achievement in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language).
Pavao was named as our 15th Miss Next Century in 2025. Pavao is the 2nd Miss Aloha Hula to receive the Miss Next Century honor.
Social Media
Instagram: @jaedynpavao
LinkedIn: Jaedyn Pavao
Additional Reading
- Burnett, J. (2025). Kauai nurse Jaedyn Janae Puahaulani Pavao wins Miss Aloha Hula. Honolulu Star Advertiser.
- Osher, W. (2025). Miss Aloha Hula 2025 results: Jaedyn Janae Puahaulani Pavao of Kauaʻi wins title. Maui Now.
- Richardson, M. and Ancheta, D. (2025). Meet Miss Aloha Hula 2025 Jaedyn Janae Puahaulani Pavao. Hawaii News Now.
- University of Hawaii - Hilo. (2025). UH Hilo nursing alumna Jaedyn Janae Puahaulani Pavao captures Merrie Monarch’s Miss Aloha Hula title. University of Hawaii - Hilo.
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