Paris’ poopy river is now swimmable

Plus, how Stone Agers fought their inner demons. See the world through a new language »]( [StackSkills]( [StackSkills]( [StackSkills]( [Advertise]( | [Talk To Us](mailto:letschat@getthefuturist.com) | [Shop]( | [Unsubscribe]( [The Futurist is your daily tech, cosmic, and science (both weird or otherwise) newsletter with articles and content curated just for you.]( [/absurd] [From scummy to (maybe) swimmable, the Seine River cleanup is a symbol of the Paris Olympics’ ambitions … and its challenges | Yahoo Sports]( [From scummy to (maybe) swimmable, the Seine River cleanup is a symbol of the Paris Olympics’ ambitions … and its challenges]( “For all of the Seine’s well-deserved accolades as a beautiful, evocative river, only the truly foolish would actually venture into its waters. Because until very recently, the Seine was so toxic that the city didn’t even permit swimming. Too filthy to support much marine life, it’s largely been, in effect, a picturesque garbage dump. Now, with the Olympics just days away, Paris officials are reaching the end of a years-long plan to clean the river, which will host the Opening Ceremony and, later, several Olympic swimming events. Early Wednesday morning, in an effort to show how clean the river is, Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo and others took a dip in the river's still-murky waters. … But, like most Olympic plans, the cleanup of the Seine is a brash, audacious, expensive endeavor, and like so many Olympic plans, it might well collapse under the weight of its own vast ambitions.” [// Yahoo Sports »]( [/lifehack] [Babbel - Traveling this summer? Here’s how to not be that tourist | [Partner] ]( [Traveling this summer? Here’s how to not be that tourist]( There’s nothing more embarrassing than going to France and ordering a “crescent” or asking an Italian barista for an “expresso”. Big, big cringe. And there’s nothing more stressful than not knowing how to hold a basic conversation in a foreign language: Think of all the wrong turns and misordered meals that come from simple communication gaps. After all, tourists get a bad enough rap as it is, so you don’t want to add to it by butchering a place’s native tongue. That’s where Babbel comes in. They use fun mini-lessons and smart speech tech to get you actually speaking like a local in as little as three weeks. All it takes is just 10 minutes a day and a commitment to practicing guttural sounds and rolling Rs. Get 55% off a Babbel subscription for a limited time. [Ad] [// Start learning »]( [/discover] [Gallery: Rare glimpses of nature from far-flung isle | New Atlas]( [Gallery: Rare glimpses of nature from far-flung isle]( “Now in its eighth year, the Beaker Street Festival's Science Photography Prize tells the story of one of the more remote places on Earth, Australia's southern island state of Tasmania, and the 12 finalists for 2024 have captured the beauty and diversity of this far-flung region.” [// New Atlas »]( [/innovation] [Is this the craziest sneaker you have ever seen? | The New York Times]( [Is this the craziest sneaker you have ever seen?]( “The shoe was created from a single semi-translucent synthetic monofilament almost a mile long that was extruded by a robot arm, engineered to fit to Ms. Obiri’s feet to help her run in the most effective way and then heat-fused to a foam rubber and carbon-fiber sole. It is called the Cloudboom Strike LS — LS stands for LightSpray, the trademarked name of the technology — and it weighs a mere 170 g, or about 6 oz. It has 75% less impact on the environment than a traditional sneaker, according to On. And when it comes to style, it has more in common with an alien bedroom slipper than any running shoe. Think of it as the Tesla of the sneaker world.” * Article requires free sign-up to read [// The New York Times »]( [/gear] [StackSocial - Still using your iPhone camera…? | [Partner] ]( [Still using your iPhone camera…?]( Using an iPhone to capture epic travel, landscape, nature, and lifestyle shots is the equivalent of accidentally covering a photo with your thumb. It’s low-quality and screams: “I don’t really know what I’m doing”. The Kodak PIXPRO harnesses all the power that your phone’s camera lacks, giving you tools like superior image stabilization, optical zoom, and 22 preset scene modes for professional-grade photos. Get a new-condition open-box model for just $70, and let your phone go back to the calling and texting it was made for. [Ad] [// Snap better pics »]( [/trippy] [Neolithic Europeans walked around with 5.5 cm holes in their skulls | IFLScience]( [Neolithic Europeans walked around with 5.5 cm holes in their skulls]( “Life in the Stone Age was hard enough without a bunch of ghosts hanging out inside your skull and messing with your brain. Fortunately, ancient neurosurgeons had a cure for haunted heads, leaving thousands of patients with enormous exit holes – some up to 3.9” wide – drilled into their noggins. Known as trepanation, the practice of boring a hole into the skull was a common surgical procedure in prehistoric times, with examples discovered at archaeological sites around the world. After analyzing the cavities in 41 Neolithic crania from France, the authors of a new study have shed new light on the nature of this crude procedure, revealing just how invasive and un-subtle it really was.” [// IFLScience »]( [/bites] [// Mid-summer check-in: how are those plants doing? Revive and let ‘em thrive with this plant identifier and care app »]( [// Fool locals into thinking you’re one of them. After a few weeks of practicing languages with Babbel, you’ll fit right in wherever you go »]( [// Games are fun. Cheating is even funner. Start winning your games and unlocking cool features with 27K+ trainers for 6K+ PC games »]( [/explore] [@retroscifiart on Instagram]( [@retroscifiart]( Interested in having one of your social posts featured in The Futurist? [// Get in touch »](mailto:letschat@getthefuturist.com) Powered by StackCommerce 73 Market Street | Venice, CA 90291 Copyright © 2023 StackCommerce All rights reserved [Unsubscribe.]( [View this email in your browser.](