The post Smithsonian ecologist John Parker discusses his work with white-tailed deer and invasive plant species appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

What does it take to care for a pride of lions? Go behind the scenes with Great Cats Curator Craig Saffoe as he works with animal keepers and veterinarians to prepare the National Zoo's frisky lion cubs for their public debut. For more about the Zoo's growing pride and to watch them on live webcams: http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GreatCats/default.cfm?cam=LC4

The post Great Cats curator Craig Saffoe discusses his work caring for the National Zoo’s seven frisky lion cubs appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post Roland Kays, curator of mammals at the New York State Museum, discusses a new Smithsonian Website for sharing camera-trap images of wild animals appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post Smithsonian geologist Liz Cottrell discusses the March 11, 2011 Japan earthquake and its mechanics appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

As enjoyable as scientific work can be, says entomologist Dave Roubik, its greatest satisfactions are often long delayed. He gives the best example from his career: a seventeen-year study that finally helped to change our understanding of the notorious "killer bees."

The post Long-term killer bee study in tropics yields unexpected discovery: invasive killer bees are good for the native bees appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Tom Crouch, Senior curator in the National Air and Space Museum's Aeronautics Division, discusses Thaddeus Lowe and the birth of American aerial reconnaissance during the Civil War. This presentation was recorded on May 11, 2011 on the National Mall.

The post Tom Crouch, Senior curator in the National Air and Space Museum’s Aeronautics Division, discusses Thaddeus Lowe and the birth of American aerial reconnaissance appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Kari Bruwelheide, forensic anthropologist at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, discusses how she came to work at the museum, the power of human remains and the information that bones can contain. She and her colleagues continue to discover new ways to interpret evidence from bones and burials.

The post Kari Bruwelheide, forensic anthropologist at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, discusses the power of bones. appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post The Space Shuttle Discovery, mounted atop a 747 jet, is delivered to the Smithsonian on April 17, 2012 appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post Museum Conservation Institute research scientist Ed Vicenzi discusses his work analyzing daguerreotypes appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Amateur paleontologist, Ray Stanford, describes his experience of discovering the impression of a dinosaur and determining that it was a new species. This video is […]

The post What is it like to discover a new dinosaur? appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Yesterday, we heard about the hyper-loop, a system that could get you from L.A. to San Francisco in about 30 minutes without losing your eyeballs.

Steve Julian: Business analyst Mark Lacter, that might come in handy given how crowded California's air corridor has become...

Mark Lacter: We'll talk about the hyper-loop in a moment, Steve, but yes, the L.A.-to-San Francisco air route is the busiest in the U.S., and it's already the most competitive.  We're talking about more than 50 flights a day, which - if you spread them out between six in the morning and 10:30 at night - there'd be one flight every 20 minutes.  But, Delta obviously thinks there's room for more because it's announced an hourly shuttle between the two cities.  That's another 14 daily flights beginning September 3.  The airline will be using a somewhat smaller jet, and it sounds as if the focus will be on the business traveler, with free newspapers, wine, and beer.

Julian: How much will it cost, do we know?

Lacter: As usual, it's a lot cheaper if you make an advance purchase, but if you're buying your tickets at the last minute - which is what a lot of business travelers do - roundtrip runs a hefty $430.  Actually, this Bay Area shuttle is just the latest effort by Delta to expand out of LAX, which is different from other major airports in that it doesn't have any one airline that dominates (United has a slight edge in market share over American, with Delta about three percentage points behind).  American also has been adding flights out of LAX.

Julian: Sounds like the airline business is improving...

Lacter: That's what happens when you pack planes to the absolute max, which is bad news for travelers being crammed into coach seats.  But it's good news for LAX, which continues to be the airport of choice among airlines looking to add service - matter of fact, domestic passenger traffic was up almost 8 percent in June compared with a year earlier.  Some of those gains might be at the expense of service elsewhere - most especially Ontario Airport, which has seen a big exodus among airlines and passengers.  Ontario city officials have been trying to regain control of the airport, which has been operated by the city of Los Angeles.

Julian: Back to the hyper-loop - is this kind of transport possible?

Lacter: Well, it's the brainchild of billionaire Elon Musk, and you never say never with this guy.  He started the electric car company Tesla and the private space company Space X.  The hyper-loop is a high-speed system of passenger pods that would travel on a cushion of air (think of air hockey table).  The pods would travel at more than 700 miles per hour, but they wouldn't result in sonic booms that severely restricted the Concorde aircraft.  Of course, anything that promises super-speed travel is bound to get people talking - and, from what the physics professors are saying, the Musk idea seems feasible.

Julian: How would its cost compare to the bullet train?

Lacter: He says a lot cheaper.  The price tag on the train is $70 billion at last check; Musk says he can do his for $6 billion.  But, the issue isn't so much the cost or even the technology, but the politics.  As a rule, governments do not think outside the box, and that's what a project like this is all about.  Already, you have bullet train supporters saying that the hyper-loop is impossible, but what they're really saying is we have a lot riding on the train, and we don't want this guy to mess it up.

Julian: But, how much demand is there for high-speed transport?

Lacter: You'd think there would be a lot, but when Boeing came up with a nifty idea for a souped-up plane that would shave almost an hour from L.A. to New York, the airlines said no because it would require more fuel - and that would mean raising fares.  Musk says his system would be a lot cheaper than traveling by plane, which could be a game changer in the attitudes about going places.  But, those attitudes won't change until the thing is actually built, and that can't realistically happen until attitudes change.  That's the ultimate problem.

Julian: Hence, why we're content to squeeze into coach.

Lacter: Yep.

Mark Lacter is a contributing writer for Los Angeles Magazine and writes the business blog at LA Observed.com.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

The Weeping Goldsmith, written as a first-person narrative, follows Botanist John Kress through nine years as he surveys Myanmar’s teak forests, bamboo thickets, timber plantations, rivers and mangroves to document its incredible botanical biodiversity.

The post Smithsonian botanist writes book on his discoveries in the secret land of Myanmar appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Flowers are usually associated with butterflies, but not the Dutchman’s Pipe (Aristolochia grandiflora). This deciduous vine, native to Brazil, has large flowers that emit an odor of decaying flesh, which attracts flies and beetles.

The post Video: Smithsonian horticulturalist Janet Draper discusses the pollination of the pelican flower appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Fulcaldea stuessyi is a newly discovered member of the Barnadesioideae, a subfamily of the Compositae, or sunflower family of flowering plants. It was found in northeastern […]

The post Fulcaldea stuessyi is newly discovered member of the Barnadesioideae, a subfamily of the Compositae, or sunflower family of flowering plants, appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

People living along the coast of Peru were eating popcorn 2,000 years earlier than previously reported and before ceramic pottery was used there, according to a new paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The post Ancient popcorn discovered in Peru appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post Smithsonian paleobotanist Scott Wing discusses ancient global warming & what it portends for the future appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Exquisitely preserved in fossil sediments dating from the Middle Jurassic, the insect, newly named Juracimbrophlebia ginkgofolia, was discovered in 165 million-year-old deposits, as was the ginko-like tree, Yimaia capituliformis, the mimicked plant.

The post Insect mimic of ginko-like leaf discovered 165 million years after its extinction appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

South American rainforests thrived during three extreme global warming events in the past, say paleontologists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in a new report […]

The post Smithsonian scientists discover that rainforests take the heat appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A joint research initiative carried out by scientists from the Smithsonian Institution, Saint Louis University and the Universidad de Los Andes in Venezuela, has resulted in […]

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The hard rocklike material on which the living algae Clathromorphum compactum sits are layers of calcified crusts the algae deposit year after year. These “red […]

The post New climate ‘archive’ discovered in sub-Arctic appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

For centuries untold numbers of this tiny arachnid (cousin to spiders and ticks) have ended up in teapots, invisibly steeping alongside the leaves of the tea plant on which it lives.

The post Primitive, bizarre, beautiful: New mite species reveal a lost world awaiting discovery appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Invertebrate Zoology Scientists studying pollinators of the yellow poppy (Meconopsis integrifolia) in the highlands of southern China have discovered a striking new species of flower fly […]

The post New species of poppy pollinating fly discovered in China appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A global analysis raises the minimum estimated number of tropical tree species to at least 40,000–53,000 worldwide in a paper appearing in Proceedings of the […]

The post Analysis: Many tropical tree species have yet to be discovered appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Rattlesnake, zebra and peacock plants have a new wild relative, discovered by Rodolfo Flores, Panamanian botanist and intern at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). […]

The post Smithsonian Botanist Discovers New Ground-Flowering Plant in Panama appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

New results from a long-term Smithsonian study are providing strong evidence of the dramatic impact high numbers of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are having upon […]

The post Deer Discovery: Invasive Plants Get Boost from too Many Deer appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few years, you’ve doubtless caught at least a passing reference to the plight of the […]

The post Discovery: Rising CO2 depletes pollen’s nutritional potency, bees suffer appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Strategically placed honeybee hives can deter African elephants from raiding crops, but the hives must be actively managed by beekeepers to work, according to a […]

The post Study: Managed beehives can discourage crop-raiding elephants appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Smithsonian scientists have discovered two new gecko species—the Lenya banded bent-toed gecko (Cyrtodactylus lenya) and Tenasserim Mountain bent-toed gecko (C. payarhtanesnsis)—in the little-studied lowland forests […]

The post Smithsonian Scientists Discover Two New Gecko Species in Vanishing Myanmar Rainforest appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

For many Californians, last year’s wet winter triggered a case of whiplash. After five years of drought, rain from October 2016 to February 2017 broke […]

The post In San Francisco, one wet winter can switch up Bay’s invasive species appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Source: Peter Krauth for Streetwise Reports   05/05/2020

Gold has the wind in its sails. Its price in U.S. dollars is up an astounding 62% since late 2015, with a 33% gain in just the past year, outpacing all major assets.

And investors are only just starting to get interested.

The Covid-19 pandemic and its economic impact is a major catalyst. More than $8 trillion in global fiscal stimulus has already been committed to alleviate unemployment and support struggling businesses. But it's almost certainly not enough.

"That sets up the perfect storm for X-Terra, making it a Strong BUY. With its outstanding initial drill results at the Grog property and the remarkable potential at Troilus East, I can easily see XTT double its market cap in the next 6-12 months, perhaps sooner."

Near-zero interest rates combined with unprecedented money-printing are creating ideal conditions for the ultimate inflation hedge: gold. And that's making junior gold equities the go-to sector as the metal rapidly approaches its all-time high.

Amidst all this, one junior gold explorer with a nascent exploration breakthrough could soar as the gold bull market moves into its next phase.

New Brunswick Could Host Large New Gold System

Bona fide new discoveries with district potential are rare. Participating early in one could be a life-changing event.

That's what makes X-Terra Resources Inc. (XTT:TSX.V; XTRRF:OTCMKTS; XTR:FSE) such a compelling investment right now. XTT shares are a Strong BUY, with the potential to double in the next 6–12 months.

Here's my rationale…

Its top two projects are in neighboring Canadian provinces, both among the highest-ranking gold mining jurisdictions globally.

In early March, X-Terra completed its inaugural drill program over the Grog and Northwest Properties in the province of New Brunswick along the McKenzie Fault. It comprised 1,904 meters over 16 holes.

Initial results are in, and they're impressive.

Hole GRG-20-012 identified gold mineralization over a significant width. One interval averaged 0.41 g/t gold over 36 meters, including 0.46 g/t gold over 31 meters and 7.59 g/t gold over 0.6 meters. The company points out that 6 of the remaining holes returned mineralized intervals between 0.1 g/t gold and 0.35 g/t gold.

X-Terra President and CEO Michael Ferreira said, "This is a significant exploration breakthrough, and reinforces our expectations that a large epithermal system is present. While more in-depth geological work, which includes drilling is needed, it remains evident that the 11 holes (1570 metres drilled) only covered a very small fraction of the targeted environment. Reaching a significant mineralized interval this shallow (From 107 metres to 143 metres, in GRG-20-012) is a milestone we were relentlessly pursuing after completing the limited field exploration programs based predominately on roadside trenching. The information obtained in this program will allow the detailed follow up on the Grog Target but also allow the company to refine and generate more high priority targets carrying the same geological characteristics to that of the Grog target. This provides a monumental shift moving forward."

HIGHLIGHTS FROM HOLE GRG-20-012

The beauty of this impressive drill hole intercept is its signature, which contains a wide alteration halo associated with sulfidation and quartz veining. Based on the geophysical data, they will be able to track the gold bearing system at depth using an advanced data processing approach combined with their geological knowledge.

The exploration team can now use the signature to formulate similar drill targets elsewhere on the property, with the potential for similar results.

Clearly, X-Terra's diligent, methodical and scientific approach has begun to pay off. Experience combined with a skilled overlay of induced polarization, magnetic surveys, sampling and trenching helped achieve this recent success.

Back in 2017, the company discovered high grade gold occurrences. That was followed up with further work, which delivered extensive anomalies scattered over roughly 30 km along the McKenzie Gulch regional Fault.

Their geologists then engaged a quick exploration cycle over the next 18 months, starting with an orientation geophysics survey, followed by trenching and drilling. They now have an initial model in progress, which involves an extensive magmatic hydrothermal system, and the targets generated so far are pluri-kilometric.

X-Terra is contemplating that it could be onto a brand new regional gold trend.

Such outstanding recent drill intercepts make for an even more exciting outlook. That's because future exploration targets will be chosen with a better understanding of the geological sequence. And that should improve the odds of more successful drill results.

But perhaps the biggest takeaway from hole GRG-20-012 is the suggestion that it demonstrates real potential for a large epithermal system. And that could mean a whole lot of gold lies beneath, something further exploration will answer.

Quebec Offers Huge Promise Near Large Developing Gold Mine

Despite the exciting outlook offered by the Grog area located in New Brunswick, X-Terra is far from being a one-trick pony.

Also bursting with massive untapped potential is the Troilus East Property, located in north-central Quebec.

X-Terra's Troilus East project is immediately adjacent to Troilus Gold Corp.'s former producing gold-copper mine. Even after 15 years of historic production, the Troilus Gold Project currently boasts 4.71 million ounces of gold equivalent in the Indicated category, plus 1.76 million ounces of gold equivalent in the Inferred category.

Early last year, X-Terra announced the completion of a high-resolution magnetic survey on the Troilus-East property. Management continues to advance the project, using the same diligent and methodical scientific approach that has brought success to the Grog discovery. XTT will be using magnetic signatures to perform follow-up work, looking to identify geological contexts with characteristics similar to those of the Troilus gold-copper mineral deposit.

Since tripling its land position, X-Terra has locked up the largest adjacent land claims to Troilus Gold of any public company.

That's exciting, as Troilus Gold is considered by some as the largest—or at least one of the largest—undeveloped gold deposits in North America. And that could well make X-Terra a future target should Troilus Gold or other players look to lock up more of the adjacent land.

People and Projects Offer Massive Potential

As is often the case, people are as important to a junior explorer's success as its properties. As a former professional motorcycle racer, X-Terra President and CEO Michael Ferreira saw the potential of resource exploration to create immense value for shareholders. Now living full-time in the Quebec mining town of Rouyn Noranda, Ferreira has judiciously curated a winning team.

Dr. Michael Byron, Ph.D., P.Geo. and a company director, has thirty years of field work, research and senior management positions across gold, base-metals, diamond and gemstone exploration. He was instrumental in re-discovering Falco Resources' leading asset, the Horne 5 deposit.

A testament to the quality of management is XTT's rare combination of tight share structure and quality projects. On a fully diluted basis, there are just 80 million shares outstanding, with management's skin in the game representing 6% of ownership.

As I see it, X-Terra's combination of quality management with exceptional high potential projects is starting to bear fruit. Its New Brunswick-located Grog and Northwest project, along with its Troilus East project located in Quebec, are highly prospective.

Given that the global fiscal and monetary response to the coronavirus has generated a tsunami of money printing, the gold market is kicking into high gear.

That sets up the perfect storm for X-Terra, making it a Strong BUY. With its outstanding initial drill results at the Grog property and the remarkable potential at Troilus East, I can easily see XTT double its market cap in the next 6–12 months, perhaps sooner.

In my view these are the early days of a string of successful exploration results, making XTT.V radically undervalued, for now.

Peter Krauth is a former portfolio adviser and a 20-year veteran of the resource market, with special expertise in energy, metals and mining stocks. He has been editor of a widely circulated resource newsletter, and contributed numerous articles to Kitco.com, BNN Bloomberg and the Financial Post. Krauth holds a Master of Business Administration from McGill University and is headquartered in resource-rich Canada.

Disclosure:
1) Peter Krauth: I, or members of my immediate household or family, own shares of the following companies mentioned in this article: None. I personally am, or members of my immediate household or family are, paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: X-Terra Resources. My company has a financial relationship with the following companies mentioned in this article: None. I determined which companies would be included in this article based on my research and understanding of the sector.
2) The following companies mentioned in this article are billboard sponsors of Streetwise Reports: X-Terra Resources. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees. As of the date of this article, an affiliate of Streetwise Reports has a consulting relationship with X-Terra Resources. Please click here for more information. An affiliate of Streetwise Reports is conducting a digital media marketing campaign for this article on behalf of X-Terra Resources. Please click here for more information. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security.
3) Statements and opinions expressed are the opinions of the author and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The author is wholly responsible for the validity of the statements. The author was not paid by Streetwise Reports for this article. Streetwise Reports was not paid by the author to publish or syndicate this article. Streetwise Reports requires contributing authors to disclose any shareholdings in, or economic relationships with, companies that they write about. Streetwise Reports relies upon the authors to accurately provide this information and Streetwise Reports has no means of verifying its accuracy.
4) This article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. This article is not a solicitation for investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company mentioned on Streetwise Reports.
5) From time to time, Streetwise Reports and its directors, officers, employees or members of their families, as well as persons interviewed for articles and interviews on the site, may have a long or short position in securities mentioned. Directors, officers, employees or members of their immediate families are prohibited from making purchases and/or sales of those securities in the open market or otherwise from the time of the interview or the decision to write an article until three business days after the publication of the interview or article. The foregoing prohibition does not apply to articles that in substance only restate previously published company releases. As of the date of this article, officers and/or employees of Streetwise Reports LLC (including members of their household) own securities of X-Terra Resources, a company mentioned in this article.

( Companies Mentioned: XTT:TSX.V; XTRRF:OTCMKTS; XTR:FSE, )

The high rate of premature births in the United States constitutes a public health concern that costs society at least $26 billion a year, according to a new report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.

A new report from the Institute of Medicine finds suggestive but limited evidence that exposure to Agent Orange and other herbicides used during the Vietnam War is associated with an increased chance of developing ischemic heart disease and Parkinsons disease for Vietnam veterans.

A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine provides a comprehensive assessment of economic and demographic trends of U.S. immigration over the past 20 years, its impact on the labor market and wages of native-born workers, and its fiscal impact at the national, state, and local levels.

A single breakthrough discovery for managing citrus greening in Florida in the future is unlikely, says a new report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

To enable public transit agencies to engage in more rigorous and effective safety planning, their safety planning records should not be admissible as evidence in civil litigation, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

The National Academies Keck Futures Initiative (NAKFI) is pleased to announce the publication of Collaborations of Consequence - NAKFI’s 15 Years of Igniting Innovation at the Intersections of Disciplines.

When John L. Anderson, president emeritus and distinguished professor of chemical engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology, was first elected to the National Academy of Engineering almost 30 years ago, he remembers being deeply honored and excited about how the recognition would help his career.

The federal government should foster collaboration and decrease obstacles that can keep foreign atomic, molecular, and optical (AMO) physicists from working in the United States, if the nation is to maintain its position as leader in these fields, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

The National Academy of Sciences, in partnership with The Kavli Foundation and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, will host a symposium to consider the future of science in the U.S. and how it can best serve society in the 21st century.

Anthony Fauci and other panelists explored the status of the pandemic, research underway, and the key role of vaccines in bringing the pandemic to an end.

From N-95 masks that are protecting health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic to food packaging found in every aisle of the grocery store, plastics play an essential role in our lives.

The junior gold explorer with a nascent exploration breakthrough could soar on the back of a gold bull market, writes Peter Krauth.

Visit the aureport.com for more information and for a free newsletter

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, seen in February, has been released from the hospital after treatment for a gallbladder condition.; Credit: Patrick Semansky/AP

After being treated on Tuesday for a gallbladder infection at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was discharged on Wednesday.

"She is doing well and glad to be home," according to a Supreme Court press release.

The court said over the next few weeks Ginsburg will return to Johns Hopkins Hospital for follow-up outpatient visits, and for a nonsurgical procedure to remove the gallstone.

Ginsburg, 87, participated in a virtual Supreme Court hearing on Wednesday from her hospital room. The justices and lawyers held unique oral argument sessions by phone all week because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Last year Ginsburg underwent three weeks of radiation for a cancerous tumor on her pancreas, and in December she was operated on for lung cancer.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

When plastic debris meets coral

Sticky solution to the places on the body that are difficult to bandage up