Invention! Researchers develop a paper-thin loudspeaker

If you like music speakers, but don't like them big and bulky, here's something that will be perfect for you-  Paper thin speakers! They were developed at the Massachusetts Institute of  Technology. Here's the story and a video showing how it works! : 

(Image: MIT researchers have developed an ultrathin loudspeaker that can turn any rigid surface into a high-quality, active audio source. The straightforward fabrication process they introduced can enable the thin-film devices to be produced at scale. Credits  Image: Felice Frankel) 

Researchers develop a paper-thin loudspeaker 

The flexible, thin-film device has the potential to make any surface into a low-power, high-quality audio source.

MIT engineers have developed a paper-thin loudspeaker that can turn any surface into an active audio source.

This thin-film loudspeaker produces sound with minimal distortion while using a fraction of the energy required by a traditional loudspeaker. The hand-sized loudspeaker the team demonstrated, which weighs about as much as a dime, can generate high-quality sound no matter what surface the film is bonded to.

To achieve these properties, the researchers pioneered a deceptively simple fabrication technique, which requires only three basic steps and can be scaled up to produce ultrathin loudspeakers large enough to cover the inside of an automobile or to wallpaper a room.

Used this way, the thin-film loudspeaker could provide active noise cancellation in clamorous environments, such as an airplane cockpit, by generating sound of the same amplitude but opposite phase; the two sounds cancel each other out. The flexible device could also be used for immersive entertainment, perhaps by providing three-dimensional audio in a theater or theme park ride. And because it is lightweight and requires such a small amount of power to operate, the device is well-suited for applications on smart devices where battery life is limited.

 It can be used anywhere. One just needs a smidgeon of electrical power to run it,” says Vladimir Bulović, the Fariborz Maseeh Chair in Emerging Technology, leader of the Organic and Nanostructured Electronics Laboratory (ONE Lab), director of MIT.nano, and senior author of the paper.

Bulović wrote the paper with lead author Jinchi Han, a ONE Lab postdoc, and co-senior author Jeffrey Lang, the Vitesse Professor of Electrical Engineering. The research is published today in IEEE Transactions of Industrial Electronics.

The new loudspeaker simplifies the speaker design by using a thin film of a shaped piezoelectric material that moves when voltage is applied over it, which moves the air above it and generates sound.

HOW THEY MADE IT WORK

Most thin-film loudspeakers are designed to be freestanding because the film must bend freely to produce sound. Mounting these loudspeakers onto a surface would impede the vibration and hamper their ability to generate sound.

To overcome this problem, the MIT team rethought the design of a thin-film loudspeaker. Rather than having the entire material vibrate, their design relies on tiny domes on a thin layer of piezoelectric material which each vibrate individually. These domes, each only a few hair-widths across, are surrounded by spacer layers on the top and bottom of the film that protect them from the mounting surface while still enabling them to vibrate freely. The same spacer layers protect the domes from abrasion and impact during day-to-day handling, enhancing the loudspeaker’s durability.

HOW THEY BUILT IT

To build the loudspeaker, the researchers used a laser to cut tiny holes into a thin sheet of PET, which is a type of lightweight plastic. They laminated the underside of that perforated PET layer with a very thin film (as thin as 8 microns) of piezoelectric material, called PVDF. Then they applied vacuum above the bonded sheets and a heat source, at 80 degrees Celsius, underneath them. Because the PVDF layer is so thin, the pressure difference created by the vacuum and heat source caused it to bulge. The PVDF can’t force its way through the PET layer, so tiny domes protrude in areas where they aren’t blocked by PET. These protrusions self-align with the holes in the PET layer. The researchers then laminate the other side of the PVDF with another PET layer to act as a spacer between the domes and the bonding surface.

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/pABxdxTuAY8

FOR THE REST OF THE STORY: https://news.mit.edu/2022/low-power-thin-loudspeaker-0426?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email

Fun Challenge! 35 of the Best ‘Bookface’ Challenge Photos You’ll Ever See

If you love books like I do, here's something fun you can do on social media! A bookface challenge.

 

35 of the Best ‘Bookface’ Challenge Photos You’ll Ever See 

By Arnesia Young on April 11, 2022  MyModernMet.com 

Though it’s generally accepted that you’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, it’s hard to deny that some good book cover art can really make a difference. An eye-catching book jacket can make or break whether a reader snatches a volume off the shelf or passes it by as it sits collecting dust. And it’s not always about whether or not the book seems like an interesting read. In fact, some creative bookworms might simply be scouring the shelves in search of a distinctive cover to capture the perfect snapshot for what’s known as the “bookface” challenge.

For more incredible bookfaces check out Librairie Mollat’s Instagram or even give the hashtag a search. And if you’re inspired to try making a bookface of your own, all you need is a book, a camera, and perhaps a trusty sidekick.

MORE: https://mymodernmet.com/librairie-mollat-book-face-challenge/?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email&utm_placement=newsletter

Wonderful Police Dog Movie! Rescued By Ruby (5 of 5 stars)

This weekend we (finally) watched a movie on Netflix together- something we don't get to do often- and it was fantastic. It's based on a True Story of a Rhode Island police officer who gave a shelter dog an opportunity to be a K9 dog, and you'll need a box of tissues (well, if you're like me). We watched it on the couch surrounded by our three rescue dogs, Tyler, Dash and Cody... so it was the perfect setting. It stars Grant Gustin who plays the superhero "The Flash" in one of my favorite TV shows. It was Wonderful. 5 of 5 STARS. Here's the trailer and summary.

(Image: Grant Gustin as Daniel with Ruby (left) and another officer and dog (right): from Rescued by Ruby)

Rescued by Ruby: The true story behind The Flash star's Netflix movie

BY IAN SANDWELL17/03/2022 Digital Spy

Rescued by Ruby is now out on Netflix, telling the heartwarming true story of state trooper Dan O'Neil.

Dan (played by The Flash star Grant Gustin) dreams of joining the K-9 Search & Rescue team, but time is running out. It's the same for energetic shelter dog Ruby, who is on her last chance after several failed attempts to rehome her.

Fate brings Dan and Ruby together and their bond helps them overcome their toughest challenge yet. But we know what you're thinking. Adorable dog in a real-life movie? We're going to be heartbroken.

However, while the movie might move you to tears, it's not because the dog dies, so you're totally safe there. But how much of the movie is actually based on the real-life story of Dan O'Neil?

While the movie takes some creative license with the real-life story of Dan and Ruby, their 'origin story' (as it were) is true to what actually happened. Ruby (played in the movie by two rescue dogs, Bear and Shiloh) was adopted by five families in real life, but each of them returned her. It was down to the efforts of shelter volunteer Patricia Inman (played by Camille Sullivan in the movie) that Ruby wasn't put down.

TRAILER: https://youtu.be/-Pwxr307O4w

"She was a total knucklehead," Inman told the Miami Herald. "She jumped and bit her leash. She wouldn't sit or lie down. She just never stopped moving. She was special, and she needed a special person."

As we see in the movie, that "special person" turned out to be Dan O'Neil, who had been trying out for the K9 unit for years without success. Without the money to buy a dog, he adopts Ruby and starts training her up to join the K9 unit.

The reality was slightly different as Inman was working with the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RISPCA) to correct Ruby's behaviour. RISPCA investigator Joseph Warzycha (not featured in the movie) saw her potential and asked Matt Zarrella (played by Scott Wolf in the movie) to evaluate Ruby.

As a result, Zarrella thought that Ruby and Dan would make a good team, so he paired them up rather than it being a chance meeting as it was in the movie (via The Providence Journal).

It is true that Dan worked with Ruby to train her up to be ready for the K9 test, and she ended up passing it top of the class. Ruby became a certified state trooper with the Rhode Island State Police in 2012.

What's most remarkable though is that Rescued by Ruby's big finale, where Ruby helps to find a missing boy who then turns out to be the son of Patricia Inman, is something that genuinely happened.

The movie does add some creative flourishes, such as Ruby running away from Dan, and also moves the timeline forward to shortly after Ruby's training. In real life, the incident happened in 2017, five years into Dan and Ruby's work with the K9 unit.

However, everything else plays out in the movie as it did in reality. Ruby found the boy in a ravine and with Dan's radio and GPS out of range, it was Ruby's barking that led everybody else to the scene. Once the boy was safe, Dan and Ruby had their surprise reunion with the shelter worker who had saved Ruby's life.

"I said, 'Pat, this was her thank you for saving her life – she saved your boy's life'. And we both started to cry," O'Neil told the Miami Herald, with Inman adding: "I was so grateful. I was beside myself and overwhelmed. So many things had to fall into place for this to happen the way it did. The universe works in mysterious ways."

The rescue led to Ruby being named the American Humane Hero Dog's Search and Rescue Dog of the Year in 2018. As it says in the end credits, Dan and Ruby are still working together to this very day, with Dan now overseeing an 18-dog K9 unit at the Rhode Island State Police.

"There's no end in sight for her. She can still run around for hours and hours. She's just amazing. She just doesn't want to give up," O'Neil told People. "She's this little mutt that still is kicking butt today."

Rescued by Ruby is available to watch now on Netflix.

Idiots of the week: Indiana man accused of killing wife Wins Primary Race (Other idiots: The IN Voters)

 Wow- This is how low the supporters of the Republican party have sunk. They've voted to elected an accused murderer (currently behind bars, who Admitted it!) as their political representative. So, abortion in the case of rape and incest is horrible, but murdering your wife is okay.  

Republicans obviously think that it's better to vote in a Murderer than a Democrat- How twisted and sickening.   **Here's the story about this Deplorable idiot of the week who won the GOP Primary in Indiana.

(Image: Accused murderer Andrew Wilhoite, and his late wife. Credit; Fox 59)

Lebanon man accused of killing wife among winners in Indiana primary race

Sarah Nelson

Indianapolis Star,  May 5, 2022

A Lebanon man accused of killing his wife in March and dumping her body in a creek is among the candidates to advance in a local election after Indiana's primaries Tuesday.

Andrew Wilhoite, who’s suspected of fatally striking his wife with a gallon-sized concrete flower pot, secured a spot Tuesday as one of three Republican candidates in the race for a seat on the Clinton Township Board. 

The 40-year-old has been incarcerated in the Boone County Jail since March after police said he told investigators he threw a concrete flower pot at his wife, Nikki Wilhoite, the night before and dropped her body over the side of a bridge.  

Prosecutors charged Andrew Wilhoite with murder in his wife’s killing. His next court hearing is scheduled for May 27.

How can a candidate run for office while facing felony charges?

State election officials said it’s legal for people facing felony charges, such as Andrew Wilhoite, to run for local office. A person is only ineligible if they are convicted. (Well, he's got a hearing at the end of MAY, so maybe he'll get convicted and dropped from the race)

“Under our legal system, every person is innocent until proven guilty,” said Brad King, co-director of the Indiana Election Division. “If a candidate is ultimately convicted, then depending upon the timing of that conviction, the person can be replaced on the ballot by the political party that has a vacancy.”

King further noted that there's no law prohibiting a person who's incarcerated before trial from "exercising the duties of their office," should they get elected. 

"How that practically gets executed will depend on the facts," King said. 

Wife's death investigation

The Boone County Clerk’s office said election filings occurred at the beginning of January through the first week of February, before Andrew Wilhoite was taken into custody on his murder charge.

MORE details from Oxygen/TRUE CRIME: https://www.oxygen.com/crime-news/andrew-wilhoite-accused-killing-wife-elizabeth-wilhoite

VIDEO  REPORT: 

https://www.oxygen.com/crime-news/andrew-wilhoite-accused-killing-wife-elizabeth-wilhoite

Heroes of the Week: Boston Firefighters Rescue Window Washers on 42nd Floor!

 This week's heroes are firefighters who rescued two window washers dangling from a Boston skyscraper!  Here's the story from Boston.com - There's also a short video of the rescue taken from outside of the building... 

Boston firefighters rescue window washers from 42nd floor

Boston.com, April 8, 2022

Officials said that rescue crews popped out a window and brought both workers inside. According to a tweet, both workers were unharmed.

Two window washers were rescued by Boston firefighters on Thursday. David L. Ryan/Globe Staff

By Rosemary Ford

April 7, 2022

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Boston firefighters rescued two window washers stuck on a platform outside the 42nd floor of a Boston skyscraper Thursday afternoon, according to officials.

The Boston Fire Department tweeted about responding to a “tech rescue,” at 100 Sudbury St., near Government Center, at 12:49 p.m.

Officials said that rescue crews popped out a window on the 42nd floor and brought both workers inside. According to a tweet, both workers were unharmed.

“That seemed to be the safest way to get them in,” Deputy Chief Brian Tully told The Boston Globe. “We didn’t want to smash a window because now you’re dealing with fallen glass.”

Boston 25 News

@boston25

Take a look at this video of a high-angle rescue in Boston on Thursday. Two window washers had an issue with their platform some 42 stories up on Sudbury Street. They did not seem too worried, as you can tell from our Sky 25 video. VIDEO: http://bit.ly/3NV5ppd

Research! What color were the dinosaurs?

As a dinosaur enthusiast, I've read some research about colorations in dinosaurs, but this article from LiveScience provides a good summary of what's been discovered.

(Image: Borealopelta, a nodosaur dinosaur, looked like an armored tank, but it still needed countershading to elude predators during the Cretaceous period. (Image credit: Julius T. Csotonyi/Copyright Royal Tyrrell Museum)

What color were the dinosaurs? 

By Ashley Hamer LIVE SCIENCE April 25, 2022

So what colors were the dinosaurs, really? And how do we know? Some were iridescent, and others were camouflaged.

One scientist we have to thank for the answers to both questions is Jakob Vinther, an associate professor in macroevolution at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom. Ever since the first fossilized dinosaur feathers were reported in 1996, scientists had noticed round microscopic structures within them — structures that many had assumed were fossilized bacteria.

But as a doctoral student studying a completely different animal, Vinther realized that these structures might be something more.

"I was looking at fossilized ink in squid- and octopus-like ancestors," Vinther told Live Science. "It was remarkably well preserved.

"You can take ink from a squid you bought down at the fishmonger and put it under an electron microscope, and you see perfect little round balls," Vinther said. "And then when you take fossilized ink, it looks exactly the same: perfect little round balls."

Those balls are melanosomes — microscopic blobs of melanin, the pigment that colors hair, skin, feathers and eyes across the animal kingdom. These round structures turned out to be the same ones being mistaken for bacteria in dinosaur feathers.

Scientists had largely believed that pigment couldn't survive the fossilization process, but discoveries by scientists such as Vinther have shown not only that pigment survives but that it can tell us the actual colors of extinct animals. That's because melanin comes not only in "perfect little round balls" but also in many different shapes, each of which produces a different color.

"If you look at a person with black hair or a bird with black feathers, [those melanosomes] are sausage-shaped," Vinther said. "Whereas if you're ginger — if you're a North American robin with a ginger chest or you've got ginger hair like Carrot Top — they're shaped like little meatballs.

"So basically, you just look for sausages and meatballs, and then you can actually put colors on extinct animals," Vinther said.

Big, fat melanosomes indicate gray or blue pigment. Melanosomes that are long and skinny, flat or hollow are a sign of iridescence.

"That's actually generated by ordering melanin in a specific way inside the feather in order to create structures that can interact with light," Vinther said. The flat or hollow shape of the individual melanosomes helps them fit together in a way that creates the metallic sheen of iridescence.

Once you know the shape of the melanosomes in a fossil, you can learn all sorts of things about the animal. For example, some dinosaurs with fearsome reputations were incredibly showy.

"Many of the close relatives of Velociraptor — you know, that was chasing the kids around in the kitchen [in "Jurassic Park"]?" Vinther said. "First of all, that was covered in feathers. It was really bird-like, not like this naked thing that we see there. But furthermore, most of the relatives that we looked at that were close to it, they were iridescent. So they would have had a metallic sheen, like hummingbirds or peacocks." Other dinosaurs had complex camouflage. The first dinosaur Vinther ever studied was a small, bird-like animal called Anchiornis. Based on the melanosomes, Vinther and his team concluded that it had a gray body, white wing feathers with black splotches at the tips and a red crown like a woodpecker's.

Another dinosaur called Sinosauropteryx — the first dinosaur to be discovered with feathers — had a striped tail and a bandit mask, sort of like a raccoon. It also had countershading, a kind of natural camouflage in which the parts of an animal that would usually be in shadow have a lighter pigment than the parts that would usually be in sunlight. A classic example of this is the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), which has a white belly and a brown backside.

This coloring tells scientists about the creatures' habitat; if the countershading is sharp and high on the body, as it was in Sinosauropteryx, the animal probably lives out in the open. Countershading that's more gradual and low on the body suggests a forest environment where the light is more diffuse.

Camouflage also distinguishes predators from prey. The huge armored dinosaur Borealopelta markmitchelli seems like it would have had zero predators, but its countershading suggests otherwise.

"If you look at large animals today, they don't have any color patterns, like elephants [and] rhinos," Vinther said. "And that's because nobody messes with them."

"So, based on the fact that this animal was covered in armor, really huge, but it was countershaded tells us that 'Jurassic Park' would have been scary," Vinther said. "You're still vulnerable even if you're that big and that armored."

RESEARCH I can agree on: Exercise, even just a little bit, can help prevent depression

 Exercise has always been a way for me to feel better about myself. When I was 17 I was so skinny my brother called me "Rib." I wanted to look like a superhero, so I started exercising, and always have at least several times a week... and then daily starting 2 1/2 years ago. I've put on muscle, felt better about myself and am less prone to be depressed about something. Here's some pictures from us about exercise and the research! 

(Photo: I feel much better about myself since I've been working out daily for the last 3 years!- Rob /(Photo: Myrtle and Dash going for a walk) )   

Exercise, even just a little bit, can help prevent depression, study finds 

  BY MADELEINE LIST UPDATED APRIL 14, 2022  Miami Herald

 A new review from researchers at the University of Cambridge shows that those who exercise are less likely to develop depression, even if they exercise less than the recommended amount.

The Department of Health and Human Services recommends that adults engage in 2 ½ to 5 hours of moderate activity per week or one hour and 15 minutes to 2 ½ hours of vigorous aerobic exercise per week or some combination of the two.

Adults who took a brisk walk for what amounted to 2 ½ hours per week were less likely to develop depression than those who didn’t exercise at all, the study found. But even those who exercised less fared better than those who didn’t exercise at all, according to researchers. “In this study, relatively small doses of physical activity were associated with substantially lower risks of depression,” the study says.

The researchers analyzed 15 studies with nearly 200,000 participants. Those who did about half the recommended amount of physical activity per week had an 18% lower risk of depression compared with adults who did not exercise, the study says. Participants who exercised the recommended amount had a 25% lower risk of depression than those who did not. Exercising more than the recommended amount had little effect on depression risk, according to researchers.

Many aspects of exercise can lead to improved mental health; for example, working out can increase circulation to the brain and activate the central nervous system, leading to what many refer to as a “runners high,” the study says.

More exercise can also lead to improved physical health and a better body image, which can cause a person to be more social, researchers say. Nearly 5% of adults in the U.S. report regular feelings of depression, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among the study participants, researchers estimate that 1 in every 9 cases of depression might have been prevented had everyone met recommended exercise guidelines, the study says.

Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article260395962.html#storylink=cpy

Last Week: Federal informant in Trump probe found dead

Wouldn't you be suspicious if someone was mysteriously found dead who provided data that showed someone was doing illegal things? That's what happened.  A man who turned evidence against Trump with his shady dealings with Deutche Bank has mysteriously turned up dead at a high school. Put the puzzle pieces together yourself. There are no such things as coincidences. Here's the story from the Los Angeles Times on April 29th>>>

(Photo: Valentin Broeksmit (left) ; Trump (right); credit; Newsweek)

A year after disappearing, federal informant in Trump probe found dead 

 BY NATHAN SOLIS STAFF WRITER , Los Angeles Times /  APRIL 27, 2022 UPDATED 1:21 PM PT

Valentin Broeksmit, an informant who worked with federal authorities investigating former President Trump’s relationship with the German financial giant Deutsche Bank, was found dead Monday on a high school campus in the El Sereno neighborhood.

Broeksmit, 46, was reported missing by friends and family a year ago, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. He was last seen driving a red 2020 Mini Cooper around 4 p.m. on April 6, 2021, on Riverside Drive at Griffith Park. His car was found, but Broeksmit remained missing — until Monday, when the L.A. County coroner’s office identified his body.

Cleaning crews at Woodrow Wilson High School found Broeksmit’s body just before 7 a.m., according to Sgt. Rudy Perez with the Los Angeles School Police Department.

Perez said classes resumed while investigators isolated the scene. Broeksmit appeared to be homeless, according to Perez.

The coroner’s office did not reveal a cause of death pending an investigation.

There was no evidence of foul play or unusual circumstances, according to Capt. Kenneth Cabrera with the Los Angeles Police Department.

Broeksmit, the son of Deutsche Bank executive Bill Broeksmit, handed off a trove of confidential documents to federal authorities who were investigating the troubled financial institution, according to a 2019 profile in the New York Times. His father had killed himself in 2014, and Valentin Broeksmit went on to share his father’s files with numerous journalists and government investigators, including a trip to an FBI office in Los Angeles, the newspaper reported.

Forensic News Network journalist Scott Stedman said he was one of the journalists who received documents from Broeksmit, which highlighted the bank’s “deep Russia connections.” Broeksmit was reported missing in 2021, but Stedman said they talked in January.

“It is very sad,” Stedman wrote on Twitter. “I don’t suspect foul play. Val struggled with drugs on and off.”

Broeksmit was born in Ukraine and adopted by Bill Broeksmit, his mother’s second husband, according to the New York Times. As an adult, Valentin had a history of opioid abuse and was a member of an unsuccessful rock band. He referred to himself on Twitter as a “comically terrible spy.” The U.S. House Intelligence Committee subpoenaed him numerous times during its examination of Deutsche Bank and its relationship with Trump.

VIdeo: Architect Breaks Down “Bridgerton” Mansions (TV show)

 For those of you who watch the television show "Bridgerton," like Tom, here's a really cool look at the architecture of the buildings featured in the show... right from an architect!  Enjoy this 15 min. video from Architectural digest:

Regular viewers are well aware that the ornate locations and sets of "Bridgerton" are crucial to the show's transportative storytelling. Michael Wyetzner of Michielli + Wyetzner Architects joins AD to break down all the hidden design and architectural details you may have missed in the watching the hit Netflix series.

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/CHwGDjVdmNY

ABOUT ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST The leading international design authority, Architectural Digest features articles and videos of the best in architecture, style, culture, travel, and shopping.

After 22 Years! Stolen Darwin notebooks Returned

 22 Years ago, some thief walked off with irreplaceable notes from Charles Darwin (origin of species), and they were never found... until now. They really weren't found, they were returned to the library from where they were stolen. Here's the story. 

(Image: A photo provided by the Cambridge University Library in England shows one of the two notebooks of Charles Darwin that were anonymously returned 22 years after they went missing. Pictured is Darwin's famous tree of life drawing, which maps out how related species could diverge from a common ancestor. Cambridge University Library By Daniel Victor, New York Times Service)

Stolen Darwin notebooks that were missing for decades are returned 

April 5, 2022. Boston.com 

On March 9, outside the office of a university librarian, someone placed a bright pink gift bag in an area of the library with no cameras.

Twenty-two years after a pair of notebooks filled with Charles Darwin’s early musings went missing from the Cambridge University Library, they were anonymously returned in good condition last month along with a note to the elated librarian: “Happy Easter.”

“Happy” scarcely begins to describe the reaction of Jessica Gardner, the university librarian who spearheaded an international publicity blitz in 2020 to recover the notebooks. Filled with Darwin’s scrawled handwriting and sketches from 1837, including the famous “tree of life” drawing, the notebooks recorded his thought process as he began sketching out ideas that would later develop into world-famous theories still revered and studied today, including the theory of natural selection.

On March 9, outside her office in an area of the library with no cameras, someone placed a bright pink gift bag. Gardner and her colleagues first recognized the original blue box that had been taken from the archives. Then, inside a brown envelope, they found the notebooks they had long sought inside tightly wrapped cling wrap, along with the typed note wishing her a Happy Easter.

“I still feel shaky,” she said in an interview Tuesday, when the university announced that the notebooks had been recovered. “It’s really hard to express how overjoyed I am.”

(Image:  Original letters from Charles Darwin are displayed at the Herbaruim library in 2009, at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in London. Darwin wrote the letter, right, to his mentor Reverend John Henslow aboard HMS Beagle in April 1833 — writing two ways — as paper was expensive. (Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images/TNS) (Peter Macdiarmid/TNS)

After waiting a few days — the police, who are continuing an investigation, instructed the university to wait before removing the notebooks from the plastic wrap — the university’s conservation experts delicately unsheathed them. Along with a team of experts, they looked through every page of both books, searching for damage or missing pages.

Jim Secord, the director of the university’s Darwin Correspondence Project, which has assembled the scientist’s writings, was among those who handled the notebooks, having also handled them in the 1990s before they went missing. He said it was immediately apparent that they were genuine, and that they had been kept in good condition with no missing pages.

Forgery was not a concern, he said — it would have been far too difficult to forge the several types of ink, the aged paper or the clasps on the leather binding, let alone the box it came in from the archives.

“There’s no question, I think, they are the real notebooks,” he said.

The notebooks had been held in the library’s Special Collections Strong Rooms, where the rarest and most valuable items in its collection are stored. They were taken out to be photographed in September 2000. During a routine check a month later, the small box that contained the two notebooks was found to be missing, the library said. Years of fruitless searching led the library and national experts in cultural heritage theft to conclude that they had most likely been stolen.

The return of the notebooks brings relative closure to the academics eager to bring them home to the university’s treasured collection of Darwin’s correspondence. But it has done little to settle the many mysteries that remain: how the notebooks went missing, who took them, what happened in those 22 years, and why they were returned now.

The police in Cambridgeshire said in a statement that the investigation remained open, adding that “we share the university’s delight that these priceless notebooks are now back where they belong.”

Idiot of the Week: Tennessee GOP Senator Botched Basic U.S. History

This week's idiot is someone who was elected to public office to serve the interests of the citizens of Tennessee. How sad that she doesn't know the difference between what's in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. You would think that politicians who are supposed to uphold the Constitution, would know the basics. She's an idiot.

GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn Schooled After Botching Basic U.S. History 

The Tennessee lawmaker doesn't seem to know what's in the U.S. Constitution.

Mar. 24, 2022, Huff Post

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) tried to cite the U.S. Constitution on Twitter on Wednesday. March 23, 2022 4:23 p.m. EDT (Her Twitter) It didn’t go well.

Blackburn wrote: "The Constitution grants us rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness - not abortions."

Just one problem: The iconic line appears nowhere in the U.S. Constitution. As most students learn in fifth-grade social studies, it’s in the Declaration of Independence.

Blackburn has something of a history of constitutional screwups. Last year, she vowed: “We will never rewrite the Constitution of the United States,” seemingly ignoring the 27 times it’s been amended. Blackburn even co-sponsored resolutions in support of three potential amendments.

Her latest tweet caused the Declaration of Independence to trend on Twitter as her critics took her to school for botching basic American history.