Abstracts: Science in Britain, Sinking in Beijing, and More

• Britain is considered a science superpower, but its exit from the European Union could mark the end of its scientific prowess. (The Atlantic)

China’s capital, Beijing, is pumping out so much groundwater that the city is sinking at a rate of four inches annually. (Visual by Alexander Mueller/Flickr)

• A new study shows that Beijing is sinking about four inches every year, as groundwater is extracted in increasingly greater volumes and the dried up soil left over compacts. (CNN)

• The city of Buenos Aires is closing down its zoo, shipping the animals to nature preserves and turning the area into an ecopark. One anthropologist thinks that U.S. zoos should think about doing the same. (Pacific Standard)

• In order to teach science best, more educators should be bringing their students outside. (Orion)

• Yellow fever has killed hundreds in Angola, and the spread doesn’t look to be slowing down. (Washington Post)

• Hong Kong officials seized 4.4 tons of scales from pangolins, which are the most trafficked animals in the world. The scales were disguised as plastic. (National Geographic)

• Artificial Intelligence has to be programmed by someone, but when all of those programmers are men, we may be limiting our AI’s potential. (Bloomberg)

• And finally, Caltech’s main glassblower is retiring, leaving many to wonder about the future of their scientific instruments. (LA Times)