Chop Off This Worm’s Head and It Can Still Detect Light by JOANNA KLEIN

By JOANNA KLEIN Planarian flatworms can react to light when they lose their heads and brains, and gradually regain their ability to distinguish different hues as they regenerate their bodies. Published: July 30, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT Science http://nyti.ms/2wgenEV

On Justice Ginsburg’s Summer Docket: Blunt Talk on Big Cases by ADAM LIPTAK

By ADAM LIPTAK The most outspoken member of the Supreme Court avoided talking about President Trump, a subject that caused her grief last year, but remained candid in discussing the court. Published: July 30, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2vnoV8M

Campus Political Fights Come Home for the Summer by DANA GOLDSTEIN

By DANA GOLDSTEIN With boycotts and protests erupting at colleges across the country, politically active students find new debate partners: their parents. Published: July 30, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2vnJ9zm

Former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio Is Convicted of Criminal Contempt by RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA

By RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA Prosecutors said he defied a judge’s orders to stop targeting Latinos — including citizens and legal immigrants — in a pattern of discriminatory policing. Published: July 30, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2vneuSG

Apple’s Silence in China Sets a Dangerous Precedent by FARHAD MANJOO

Apple’s decision this weekend to give in to China’s demand to remove unregistered VPN apps is a blow for the liberties of its customers. By FARHAD MANJOO from NYT Technology

The Eclipse That Revealed the Universe by DENNIS OVERBYE

By DENNIS OVERBYE In 1919, British astronomers photographed a solar eclipse and proved that light bends around our sun — affirming Einstein’s theory of general relativity. Published: July 30, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT Science http://nyti.ms/2vh3HsC

NASA’s Voyager Spacecraft Still Reaching for the Stars After 40 Years

Humanity’s farthest and longest-lived spacecraft, Voyager 1 and 2, achieve 40 years of operation and exploration this August and September. Despite their vast distance, they continue to communicate with NASA daily, still probing the final frontier. from NASA https://go.nasa.gov/2tSItxk

NASA Awards $14.3 Million to Small Businesses, Research Institutions to Develop Innovative Technologies

NASA has selected 19 proposals from American small businesses and research institutions for Phase II of its competitive Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program, totaling $14.3 million in awards. from NASA https://go.nasa.gov/2vgDzhw

NASA Awards $14.3 Million to Small Businesses, Research Institutions to Develop Innovative Technologies

NASA has selected 19 proposals from American small businesses and research institutions for Phase II of its competitive Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program, totaling $14.3 million in awards. from NASA https://go.nasa.gov/2vgDzhw

Trump Removes Anthony Scaramucci From Communications Director Role by MAGGIE HABERMAN, MICHAEL D. SHEAR and GLENN THRUSH

By MAGGIE HABERMAN, MICHAEL D. SHEAR and GLENN THRUSH The decision to remove Mr. Scaramucci came at request of the new chief of staff, John Kelly, people close to the decision said. Published: July 30, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2f2x63r

Is This Dog Dangerous? Shelters Struggle With Live-or-Die Tests by JAN HOFFMAN

By JAN HOFFMAN A standard method for evaluating shelter dogs’ behavior — the results often meant the difference between adoption and euthanasia — is under scrutiny. Published: July 30, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT Science http://nyti.ms/2f2dZGH

Trump Says No ‘Chaos!’ at White House but Continues Threats by EILEEN SULLIVAN

By EILEEN SULLIVAN President Trump took to Twitter to demand credit for his achievements, as he continued to threaten Congress and insurance companies over his health care failure. Published: July 30, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2uNZGLj

Sunrise Through the Solar Arrays

On July 26, 2017, a member of the Expedition 52 crew aboard the International Space Station took this photograph of one of the 16 sunrises they experience every day, as the orbiting laboratory travels around Earth. One of the solar panels that provides power to the station is seen in the upper left. via NASA […]

A Divorce Report Caps Scaramucci’s Explosive First Week on the Job by KATIE ROGERS

By KATIE ROGERS News that the White House communications director and his wife were breaking up kept intrigue swirling during Anthony Scaramucci’s dramatic Washington debut. Published: July 30, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2veYnWr

Putin’s Bet on a Trump Presidency Backfires Spectacularly by DAVID E. SANGER

By DAVID E. SANGER If the sanctions passed by Congress last week sent any message to Moscow, it was that Mr. Trump’s hands are tied in dealing with Moscow, probably for years to come. Published: July 29, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2vkj3wX

Sage Advice From the ‘Gold Standard’ of White House Chiefs of Staff by PETER BAKER

By PETER BAKER James A. Baker III, who served under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush, says that chiefs of staff “who have focused on the ‘of staff’” have thrived. Published: July 29, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2vk5qho

Thousands Evacuate Outer Banks After Power Outage by JACEY FORTIN and LIAM STACK

By JACEY FORTIN and LIAM STACK A construction mishap severed a transmission line that brings electricity to Hatteras and Ocracoke, N.C., prompting officials to order evacuations. Published: July 29, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2vkgRpl

Hot Spot for Tech Outsourcing: The United States by STEVE LOHR

As some American companies pull back from hiring programmers a world away, new tech jobs are cropping up across the country. By STEVE LOHR from NYT Technology

David E.H. Jones, Scientist Whose Alter Ego Challenged Conventions, Dies at 79 by SAM ROBERTS

By SAM ROBERTS In columns and books and on TV, Dr. Jones’s clever fictional creation, Daedalus, tweaked laymen and scientists alike. Published: July 29, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT Science http://nyti.ms/2ub2zm9

Republicans Worry That White House Disarray Is Undermining Trump by ALEXANDER BURNS and MICHAEL D. SHEAR

By ALEXANDER BURNS and MICHAEL D. SHEAR A recent sequence of disappointments and blunders has rattled the president’s volatile governing coalition and threatens the G.O.P.’s policy agenda. Published: July 29, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2vdapzL

Apple Removes Apps From China Store That Help Internet Users Evade Censorship by PAUL MOZUR

The world’s most valuable company appears to have pulled down the apps amid China’s deepening crackdown on tools that evade internet controls. By PAUL MOZUR from NYT Technology

Word of the day for July 31, 2017

ha-ha , n : A laugh. Something funny; a joke. […] A ditch with one vertical side, acting as a sunken fence, designed to block the entry of animals into lawns and parks without breaking sightlines.

Gubby Allen

Gubby Allen (1902–1989) was a cricketer who captained England in eleven Test matches. Born in Sydney, Australia, on 31 July 1902, his family moved to London when he was six. In first-class matches, he played for Middlesex and Cambridge University. A fast bowler and hard-hitting lower-order batsman for England, Allen was appointed captain in 1936 […]

Picture of the day for July 31, 2017

Picture of the day on July 31, 2017: Golestan Palace is the former royal Qajar complex in Iran’s capital city, Tehran. The UNESCO World Heritage Site belongs to a group of royal buildings that were once enclosed within the mud-thatched walls of Tehran’s arg (“citadel”) and is one of the oldest of the historic monuments […]

A New Way for Therapists to Get Inside Heads: Virtual Reality by CADE METZ

Limbix, a start-up using Google headsets, helps psychologists expose patients to their anxieties in the safety of an office. By CADE METZ from NYT Technology

Uber’s Search for New C.E.O. Hampered by Deep Split on Board by MIKE ISAAC

The process for filling the ride-hailing company’s top job has been slowed by infighting and efforts by Travis Kalanick, who stepped down as chief executive last month, to stage a comeback. By MIKE ISAAC from NYT Technology

Trump Tells G.O.P. Senators Not to Be ‘Total Quitters’ on Health Bill by MAGGIE HABERMAN

By MAGGIE HABERMAN The president threatened to cut lawmakers’ health insurance and criticized the filibuster, even though the bill failed without the use of the tactic. Published: July 28, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2vi9Nd2

How Schumer Held Democrats Together Through a Health Care Maelstrom by JENNIFER STEINHAUER

By JENNIFER STEINHAUER Senator Chuck Schumer of New York has nurtured the unity of a disparate party coalition, even as he has promised to try to work with Republicans. Published: July 28, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2vhLZ8Z

Farhad’s and Mike’s Week in Tech: The End of the iPod, Plus Uber News by FARHAD MANJOO and MIKE ISAAC

In this week’s tech newsletter, Farhad and Mike discuss Uber’s C.E.O. search and their love of C-Span. By FARHAD MANJOO and MIKE ISAAC from NYT Technology

Giganotosaurus

Giganotosaurus (“giant southern lizard”) is a genus of theropod dinosaur that lived in what is now Argentina, around 99.6 to 97 million years ago. It was one of the largest known terrestrial carnivores, but the exact size has been hard to determine from the incomplete remains found so far. The holotype specimen, discovered in Patagonia […]

Word of the day for July 30, 2017

swank , n : A fashionably elegant person. Ostentation; bravado. American actor and producer Hilary Swank was born on this day in 1974.

Picture of the day for July 30, 2017

Picture of the day on July 30, 2017: Composite image of the central region of our Milky Way galaxy.

Trump Tries to Regroup as the West Wing Battles Itself by PETER BAKER

By PETER BAKER President Trump faces hurdles after a staff shake-up and rising defiance by his own party. Published: July 28, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2v9ZyXn

U.C. Irvine Rescinds Acceptances for Hundreds of Applicants by JACEY FORTIN

By JACEY FORTIN With too many applicants vying to enter the Class of 2021, the university had to rescind acceptance letters for 499 students. Dozens have appealed. Published: July 28, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2vhn9X1

Behind Legislative Collapse: An Angry Vow Fizzles for Lack of a Viable Plan by MATT FLEGENHEIMER, JONATHAN MARTIN and JENNIFER STEINHAUER

By MATT FLEGENHEIMER, JONATHAN MARTIN and JENNIFER STEINHAUER Voter anger turned Republicans against the Affordable Care Act, but amid the promises of repeal, the party never offered a viable alternative. Published: July 27, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2tMrvRp

Apple Removes Apps From China Store That Help Internet Users Evade Censorship by PAUL MOZUR

The world’s most valuable company appears to have pulled down the apps amid China’s deepening crackdown on tools that evade internet controls. By PAUL MOZUR from NYT Technology

Taking the Pulse of the ‘Near Threatened’ Platypus Is a Tricky Task by JOANNA KLEIN

By JOANNA KLEIN With indications that populations are declining, Australian scientists have embarked on an initiative to see how the platypus is faring. Published: July 27, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT Science http://nyti.ms/2uHrNMi

John Kelly, New Chief of Staff, Is Seen as Beacon of Discipline by RON NIXON and MICHAEL D. SHEAR

By RON NIXON and MICHAEL D. SHEAR President Trump’s decision to bring the homeland security secretary to the White House could impose new order. Published: July 27, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2tRBzwx

The Riches of Jeff Bezos by PUI-WING TAM

The Amazon chief executive was briefly the richest person in the world, by one reckoning, but then the company issued a disappointing earnings report. By PUI-WING TAM from NYT Technology

Trump Fuels Intrigue Surrounding a Former I.T. Worker’s Arrest by NICHOLAS FANDOS

By NICHOLAS FANDOS Speculation by conservative news outlets and a presidential retweet have given the capital something new to talk about this summer. But is it anything more than an overblown Washington story? Published: July 27, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2tQSTSx

Lawmakers Have Bipartisan Health Ideas. Now to Persuade Their Leaders … by ROBERT PEAR and THOMAS KAPLAN

By ROBERT PEAR and THOMAS KAPLAN The professions of a desire for cooperation on changing the Affordable Care Act were as profuse on Friday as the short-term outlook for tangible results was grim. Published: July 27, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2tR3Za0

You Talkin’ to Me? Trump’s White House Gets Some New York Attitude by MARK LANDLER

By MARK LANDLER Anthony Scaramucci joins a long list of people from the New York area who occupy prime real estate near President Trump and are shaking up Washington. Published: July 27, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2tRqawQ

Scientists Give a Chrysanthemum the Blues by JOANNA KLEIN

By JOANNA KLEIN There are few true blue flowers in nature, but plant geneticists are determined to create them anyway. Published: July 27, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT Science http://nyti.ms/2tR8hhv

Isidor Isaac Rabi

Isidor Isaac Rabi (1898–1988) was an American physicist and Nobel laureate. Born on 29 July 1898 into a traditional Jewish family in what was then part of Austria-Hungary, Rabi came to the United States as a baby and was raised in New York’s Lower East Side. In collaboration with Gregory Breit, he developed the Breit-Rabi […]

Word of the day for July 29, 2017

tertiary , adj : Of third rank or order; subsequent. (chemistry) Possessing some quality in the third degree; especially having been subjected to the substitution of three atoms or radicals. (ornithology) Of quills: growing on the innermost joint of a bird’s wing; tertial.

Picture of the day for July 29, 2017

Picture of the day on July 29, 2017: The Skaftafellsheiði plateau, Vatnajökull National Park, Iceland, provides a picturesque view of Skaftafellsjökull, a glacier terminus of the Vatnajökull, the adjacent glacier lake below, and River Skeiðará originating from it.

Relocating an iTunes Library by J. D. BIERSDORFER

If your media collection has taken over your computer’s hard drive, you can move your iTunes files to another location. By J. D. BIERSDORFER from NYT Technology

NASA’s Randy Bresnik, Crewmates Arrive at International Space Station

After a six-hour spaceflight, NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik, Sergey Ryazanskiy of Roscosmos and Paolo Nespoli of ESA (European Space Agency) arrived at the International Space Station at 5:54 p.m. EDT Friday to continue important scientific research in the orbiting laboratory. from NASA https://go.nasa.gov/2hawqtm

Reince Priebus Pushed Out After Rocky Tenure as Trump Chief of Staff by PETER BAKER and MAGGIE HABERMAN

By PETER BAKER and MAGGIE HABERMAN A six-month tenure as President Trump’s top aide failed to impose order on an unruly and fractious White House. Published: July 27, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2eVg6Mu

NASA’s Randy Bresnik, Crewmates Arrive at International Space Station

After a six-hour spaceflight, NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik, Sergey Ryazanskiy of Roscosmos and Paolo Nespoli of ESA (European Space Agency) arrived at the International Space Station at 5:54 p.m. EDT Friday to continue important scientific research in the orbiting laboratory. from NASA https://go.nasa.gov/2hawqtm