In Greenland, ice cores revealed new traces of an extreme solar storm that hit Earth almost 2,700 years ago. Also called “solar proton events,” extreme solar storms occasionally bombard Earth with particles from the sun after phenomena such as solar flares. The storm that left the traces discovered by scientists occurred around 660 B.C. and likely temporarily degraded Earth’s ozone layer. If such a particle storm happened today, it would threaten modern technologies. (Gizmodo)
In northeastern Syria, a women-only community is helping Yazidi women heal. In 2014, the Yazidi city of Sinjar, Iraq, was invaded by Islamic State militants, who used genocidal tactics against the ethnic group. While Yazidi men were killed, many women were sold as slaves and sexually abused. As the Islamic State’s territory dwindled, thousands of captured Yazidis were left behind. In response, a local Kurdish administration established a commune called Jinwar. It offers a place for women to start over. There, they build houses, farm, cook, and plan for their future. (The Guardian)
In augmented reality, the company that created “Pokémon Go” is making a Harry Potter-themed game. Niantic’s “Pokémon Go” was a cultural phenomenon when it was released in July 2016. Public spaces were flooded with people using their smartphones to hunt for Bulbasaurs and other animated Pokémon characters rendered in real time across the world by the app. Now a similar augmented reality game based on the Harry Potter franchise is set to be released before 2020. It will feature a mystery-themed plot and characters from J.K. Rowling’s wizarding world. (CNET)
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