A scalding hot ‘sand battery’ is now heating a small Finnish town | Live Science

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A small municipality in southern Finland recently installed the world’s largest “sand battery” to supply the town’s heating.

The new sand battery, designed by Polar Night Energy, is effectively a giant sandpit encased in a roughly 100 by 40 foot (30 by 12 meter) steel container.

The sand is heated using closed-loop heat transfer pipes, and this heat is trapped by two layers of steel sandwiching an insulation layer. The energy is then extracted by blowing cool air through the pipes, capturing the heat to generate hot water, steam, or hot air.

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Do humans and chimps really share nearly 99% of their DNA? | Live Science

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Chimpanzees, along with bonobos, are humans’ closest living relatives. In fact, you may have heard that humans and chimps share 98.8% of their DNA.

But is this actually true? And what does “similar DNA” actually mean?

The truth is that the frequently cited 98.8% similarity between chimp (Pan troglodytes) and human (Homo sapiens) DNA overlooks key differences in the species’ genomes, experts told Live Science.

Human and chimp DNA is made of four basic building blocks, or nucleotides: adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and thymine (T). The genomes of both species can be thought of as a “string of the letters A, C, G and T … about 3 billion letters long,” David Haussler, scientific director at the UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute, told Live Science in an email.

When scientists compare human and chimp DNA, they identify the letter (nucleotide) sequence in both genomes and look for stretches of DNA where there is a lot of overlap between the two genomes. Then, they count the number of matching letters in these regions.

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Cognitive Overload Symptoms: 15 Warning Signs & Solutions

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Picture this: You’re on a video call, nodding along while secretly checking emails, mentally calculating if you have enough pasta for dinner, and half-listening to your kids arguing about whose turn it is on the iPad. Sound familiar? You’re not alone and you’re not imagining that life feels more overwhelming than ever. These are classic cognitive overload symptoms that millions experience daily.

Here’s why: Back in 2008, researchers found Americans were already processing 34GB of information daily. Today? We’re swimming in an estimated 75-100GB of data every single day. That’s like downloading your entire brain’s storage capacity, twice. Our digital interactions have exploded from 298 daily touches in 2010 to a mind-boggling 4,909 expected by 2025. We’re consuming 105,000 words daily, roughly 23 words per second during every waking hour.

Your brain wasn’t designed for this. It’s like running fifty browser tabs on a computer built for dial-up internet. The result? Cognitive overload and it’s wreaking havoc on your focus, health, and happiness. In this article, I’ll walk you through the 15 warning signs of cognitive overload your brain is experiencing and share science-backed solutions to reclaim your mental clarity.

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Motivation vs Discipline: Why One Always Beats the Other (And It’s Not What You Think) | LifeHack

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The alarm goes off at 5 AM. My hand hovers over the snooze button, and for a split second, I’m back to that old familiar battle. The bed feels impossibly warm, especially on these cold mornings. My two sons won’t be up for another two hours. Every fiber of my being whispers, “Just ten more minutes.” But here’s the thing—I don’t wait for motivation to strike anymore. I swing my legs out of bed anyway.

This morning ritual has taught me something profound about success, both as a CEO and as a father. We’ve all been sold this idea that we need to feel motivated before we act. That we should wait for that surge of inspiration, that perfect moment when everything clicks. Meanwhile, life passes by while we’re still hitting snooze, waiting for a feeling that might never come. This is the fundamental flaw in the motivation vs discipline debate.

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Ann Arbor is reinventing the power company | Fast Company

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Most new renewable energy projects take the form of massive wind or solar farms. Ann Arbor, Michigan, is trying something different: a new city-owned utility is building a local power network within city limits, made up of solar microgrids and geothermal energy installed at homes and businesses.

“They’re creating a whole new model of energy delivery for a city,” says Mike Shriberg, a professor at University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability who lives in Ann Arbor.

The new utility won’t replace the area’s existing power company, DTE Energy. But it will help the city move much faster toward zero-carbon power.

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Texas banned cultivated meat. Now, cultivated meat companies are suing | Fast Company

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Cultivated meat—meat grown from cells, not from whole animals—isn’t yet a widespread option in grocery stores or restaurants. The innovation, which involves growing meat from real animal cells without raising or slaughtering any animals, is still relatively rare. But already, Texas lawmakers have decided to ban it.

Now, two cultivated meat companies are fighting back with a federal lawsuit that challenges the ban. The Institute for Justice, a nonprofit public interest law firm, along with cultivated meat startups Wildtype and Upside Foods, argue that the Texas law is an unconstitutional move to protect the agriculture industry from competition.

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8 Ways ChatGPT Can Make You a Better Writer | AllBusiness.com

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Writing can often feel like an intimidating endeavor, presenting the complex challenge of balancing multiple competing objectives. The craft demands a delicate nuance: one must sound professional yet authentic, creative yet clear, distinctive yet accessible. The process can seem overwhelming, particularly when faced with a blank page and the pressure of deadlines.

ChatGPT has emerged as a sophisticated writing companion, offering comprehensive support across the various stages of the writing process. Consider it a multifaceted tool that functions simultaneously as a brainstorming assistant, editor, idea generator, and writing coach.

This article, which uses research assistance from ChatGPT, will explore eight compelling strategies through which ChatGPT can transform your writing experience. We aim to address the inherent challenges of the writing process and demonstrate how technological assistance can make writing not just more manageable, but potentially more engaging and productive. Our goal is to illuminate the ways in which writers can leverage this innovative tool while maintaining their own voices and originality.

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Smart Strategies to Improve Your Time Management (With Help From ChatGPT) | AllBusiness.com

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Time management is a crucial skill that can influence productivity, reduce stress, and help individuals achieve their personal and professional goals. The ability to manage time effectively allows you to make the most of your day and avoid the overwhelming feeling of tasks piling up. Without a strategic approach to managing your time, it’s easy to become distracted, procrastinate, or lose sight of your long-term objectives.

In today’s fast-paced world, where work demands and personal commitments seem to grow every day, mastering time management is more important than ever. Effective time management doesn’t necessarily mean doing more things; rather, it’s about prioritizing tasks, focusing on what matters most, and eliminating distractions. With the right strategies, anyone can transform their approach to time management and start achieving their goals more efficiently.

This article will outline 6 practical tips to improve your time management, followed by a look at how ChatGPT can help optimize your workflow. These strategies, backed by both traditional time management principles and modern tools and developed with the research assistance of ChatGPT, can make a big difference in how you approach your day and manage your commitments.

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Shopify Simplifies Fulfillment with Unified Tools and Global Partnerships

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Small business owners know that the journey begins with a sale, but it doesn’t end there. The real challenge often lies in fulfillment—an area that can consume countless hours if managed inefficiently. In a recent announcement, Shopify has unveiled significant enhancements to its built-in fulfillment capabilities, aiming to simplify the shipping process for merchants. This shift is particularly beneficial for small businesses looking to streamline operations and enhance customer satisfaction.

Shopify is addressing a common frustration: the need to juggle multiple systems for fulfillment. According to Vibhor Chhabra, Director of Product at Shopify, “Shipping used to be a necessary evil that pulled focus from running your business. Now you get a unified system that streamlines fulfillment workflows, so you can deliver fast and earn customer loyalty at any stage of growth.” This new model promises to make fulfillment more efficient, freeing up time for small business owners to focus on growth and customer engagement.

The revamped fulfillment features come with a host of key benefits designed for small businesses:

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How to Write a Job Description: Expert Tips and Free Templates | Small Biz Trends

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Crafting an effective job description is crucial for small business owners seeking to attract and retain the right talent. A well-written job description not only serves as a communication tool between employers and job seekers but also helps streamline the hiring process and ensures that candidates understand their roles and responsibilities.

This article will guide you through the process of creating a compelling job description template to make your hiring process smoother and more efficient.

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