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Inverse Daily: 2020 election sends huge marijuana message

Budding change

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It's been a wild week in politics, with everyone's eyes glued to turnout in a few crucial counties across the country. We're keeping close tabs on the election (you'll see some related stories below), but we also want to offer you a look at how science continues to shape our world, even if all the eyeballs are elsewhere.

Our question of the week is about bringing people together: What's your favorite Star Wars-related viewing experience? It could be everything from watching Episode I in theaters to Zooming with friends to catch the latest season of The Mandalorian. Shoot us an email at newsletter@inverse.com and we'll publish our favorite results!

This is an adapted version of the Inverse Daily newsletter for November 5, 2020. Subscribe for free and earn rewards for reading every day in your inbox.

Patchwork Prawn — A weird, ancient shrimp has changed scientists' understanding of evolution

During the Cambrian period, the world’s oceans were teeming with strange, swimming, segmented creatures.

Over the course of millions of years, these elongated, millipede-like animals would eventually evolve to become modern arthropods: crustaceans like crabs, arachnids like scorpions, and insects like bees and ants.

But some 500 million years ago, these aquatic Cambrian beasts were more experimental when it came to their physical traits and body plans than their more familiar descendants. And one newly discovered animal truly shows how strange the animals of ancient Earth would look today. Enter the Kylinxia zhangi.

Can a shrimp rewrite history?

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Spacercize — To survive in space, humans need to work out

For 20 years, humans lived in an orbiting complex flying 254 miles above Earth's surface: the International Space Station. Living in space is the definition of unnatural, and human bodies need upkeep more than ever when there's no gravity.

Microgravity makes lifting weights and resistance exercises a lot easier than on Earth. So all the equipment has to be modified to make sure that the astronauts are still getting the workout they need.

The extreme measures needed to get buff in space →

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Zap! — Scientists confirm the source of mysterious radio bursts in the Milky Way

On April 28, space observatories detected a burst of activity from the center of the Milky Way that lasted for a fraction of a second.

The blip was a fast radio burst, a strong radio signal that lasts mere milliseconds. Although fast radio bursts are frequently detected coming from outside our own galaxy, their sources remain a mystery. But a team of astronomers believe they have identified the source of the first such radio burst detected in the Milky Way — a kind of hyper-magnetized star.

A very special burst

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Believe it or not, 2020 is almost over and the holiday season is upon us. For the gamer in your life, an Xbox Series X might be at the top of the list. But is it worth it? Check back with Inverse tomorrow for our review of Microsoft's latest entry into the console wars.

Air condition — This environmental policy is a threat to coronavirus survival rates — study

Even when we can't see it, the air we breathe profoundly shapes our health. Breathing dirty air can damage the lungs and heart; it may also worsen chances of surviving Covid-19.

That revelation stems from a "pathfinding" new study that compared air pollution levels and Covid-19 death rates of 3,089 US counties. The researchers discovered that relatively small increases in bad air were linked with troubling Covid-19 outcomes.

Covid doesn't exist in a vacuum

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Budding change — The 2020 election sends a huge signal about marijuana legalization

It’s still not clear who America wants to be its president. (The election results are inconclusive as of publishing.) Instead, the close of the polls on November 3 signals that America does want one thing.

Legal marijuana.

From sea to shining sea, legalizing it is no dream. →

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And that's today's Daily! Thanks for checking us out. And if you're looking for more, check out the best action movie leaving Hulu this month. It's shaken, not stirred. (Or does that even matter?)

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