See ‘Diamond Planet,’ Exploding Star and Black Hole In Smithsonian VR Experience

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See ‘Diamond Planet,’ Exploding Star and Black Hole In New Smithsonian VR Experience (Maria)

The author writes, “On the exoplanet Janssen, heat from its host star and immense pressure have made the world something of a hellscape, with the potential for lava flowing across its surface. But amid the fiery chaos, astronomers think there may be some spots of glimmering beauty: diamonds. ‘We know it’s hot enough and dense enough that diamonds could form on the surface,’ says Randall Smith, associate director for science at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. … People can now see what it might look like to stand on Janssen in a new virtual reality experience called Smithsonian Starstruck.”

New Billionaire Jared Kushner Is Mired in Conflicts of Interest as ‘Peace Envoy’ (Reader Jim)

From Truthout: “‘Kushner is now a billionaire,’ proclaimed Forbes in September 2025 of Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. While just over half of Kushner’s wealth — $560 million — comes from his family’s real estate empire, what’s catapulted Kushner into billionaire status is the growth of his private equity firm, Affinity Partners, formed in 2021. … Kushner is not an experienced investment manager. His key clients are Gulf state sovereign wealth funds — hugely wealthy state-owned coffers that invest revenue generated by fossil fuel sales — overseen by the same regimes with whom Kushner is now involved diplomatically as a US ‘special envoy for peace.’ That Kushner personally profits from, and is currently trying to raise billions from, the same actors he’s negotiating with, raises code red-level alarms over potential conflicts of interest.”

A Woman’s Hypothermia Death in Pittsburgh After Her Release From ICE Custody Is Ruled a Homicide (DonkeyHotey)

From the AP: “A medical examiner has ruled the death of a Haitian asylum seeker after being released from federal custody a homicide. An attorney representing her family said he expects her relatives to sue Immigration and Customs Enforcement in connection with her death. Daphy Michel, 31, died March 2. She was found at a bus shelter in Pittsburgh. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office found her cause of death to be hypothermia and ruled the manner a homicide, ‘indicating the death was caused by the actions of another individual’ and should not be interpreted as a declaration of criminal guilt, the office said in a statement. … Michel was a native of Haiti who was seeking asylum in the US after arriving at the southern border in 2022, said Joseph Patrick Murphy, her family’s attorney. She was granted humanitarian parole based on urgent humanitarian need, but she did not live to see a hearing scheduled for two weeks after she died.”

The US Is Pulling Up a $386 Million Climate Ocean Sensor Network. The Blind Spot Arrives as a Very Strong El Niño Forms (Dana)

The author writes, “The timing is what makes the move particularly costly. On Wednesday, NOAA’s National Weather Service officially declared an El Niño with a 63 percent probability of becoming a very strong event by November — only the fifth such event since 1950. The subsurface ocean is where an El Niño’s energy is stored and from which it is released. The OOI’s Pacific array off Oregon and Washington was, until this summer, one of the few year-round U.S. observing platforms capable of catching the heat-content signal as it propagated north along the West Coast. The marine heatwave that is forecast to recur in the Northeast Pacific later in 2026 will, if it arrives, do so without that direct measurement.”

Matchmakers Are Being Paid $25K to Find Trad Wives for Rich Men (Sean)

From Wired: “The matchmaker Blaine Anderson, who runs the high-end dating service Dating by Blaine, receives a lot of hyper-specific requests from her wealthy male clients, many of which she documents on her popular social media accounts. But no one was more difficult than the man she refers to as Daniel. Daniel was in his early forties and had never been married, but was looking to start a family, according to Anderson. Like most of her clients, he’s fabulously wealthy, a successful tech founder who’d sold his company a few years prior. But Daniel had, as Anderson recounts, ‘very, very, very specific requests.’ He wanted to date a younger woman who prioritized getting married and having children. He wanted a woman from the Midwest (even though he, himself, did not live in the Midwest) and who worked in a caregiving profession — but she couldn’t be a doctor, ‘because that would mean she was too focused on her career.’”

Researchers Say AI Chatbots May Blur the Line Between Reality and Delusion (Mili)

The author writes, “A new study suggests AI chatbots may do more than spread misinformation — they can actively strengthen a user’s false beliefs. Because conversational AI often validates and builds on what users say, it can make distorted memories, conspiracy theories, or delusions feel more believable and emotionally real. Researchers warn that AI companions may be especially risky for isolated or vulnerable people seeking reassurance and connection.”

‘Hey, This Box Stinks’: The Weird Work of Intercepting Trafficked Wildlife in Alaska (Reader Steve)

The author writes, “Chris Andrews was working the belt at the Anchorage airport last fall, watching international cargo arrive. ‘An employee said, ‘Hey, this box stinks, Chris,’ Andrews recalled. The box was labeled ‘car parts.’ Other stinky boxes came down the belt. When opened, Andrews found they were filled with thousands of shark fins headed to Hong Kong, likely intended for shark fin soup. Eventually, officers confiscated 1,600 pounds of shark fins — from nearly 17,000 sharks — around the country. It was a major case, all linked to those first boxes Andrews found in Anchorage. ‘We wouldn’t have gotten that shipment if it didn’t stink,’ he said. Andrews is a wildlife inspector for the US Fish and Wildlife Service. He and his team are in charge of intercepting trafficked wildlife. They enforce international conservation treaties that protect more than 40,000 species and national laws like the Marine Mammal Protection Act.”