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☆ Tiny backpacks reveal newfound species of the world’s largest hummingbird
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Now, new research has revealed that there are two distinct species of giant hummingbird in South America — the northern giant hummingbird that lives year-round in the Andes, and the migratory southern giant hummingbird — and they have been evolving separately for millions of years. A southern giant hummingbird is seen flying from its breeding grounds in central Chile. “We wanted to finally solve this mystery.”Designing backpacks for hummingbirdsGiant hummingbirds differ from hundreds of other hummingbird species in many other ways. A southern giant hummingbird is fitted with a tiny backpack-like geolocator tracking device in central Chile. “The two forms of giant hummingbird look almost identical — for centuries, ornithologists and birders never noticed that they were different.

Persons: Charles Darwin, Darwin, Chris Witt, ”, Jessie Williamson, “, ” Williamson, Emil Bautista, Williamson, Christopher Witt, birders, ” Witt, chaskis, “ I’m Organizations: CNN, HMS, National Academy of Sciences, National Science Foundation, Cornell, of Ornithology, Swifts, Centro, Biology, Museum of Southwestern, University of New Locations: New York City, Buenos Aires, South America, Chile, Ithaca , New York, Peru, Biodiversidad, Lima, Peruvian, Chilean, University of New Mexico, Inca

Two of three speakers at the engineering school’s ceremony disappeared abruptly from the school’s graduation website. A self-described “fourth-generation Trojan” from Pasadena, Ms. Blain, who has spent much of her life imagining her own U.S.C. Pro-Palestinian students tried to set up an encampment on campus days later, and university officials summoned the Los Angeles police. At the engineering school, where Ms. Tabassum, the valedictorian, will be graduating, professors were trying to resurrect her chance to speak. A university committee had picked Ms. Tabassum, who is Muslim and of South Asian ancestry, from about 100 undergraduates with near 4.0 grade point averages.

Persons: Kevin Feige, Liza Colón, Zayas, Tina, “, ”, Jaren Lewison, they’re, Ella Blain, Blain, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Biden, U.S.C, Asna Tabassum, Jon M, Chu, Marcia McNutt, Blain’s, Annette Ricchiazzi, Carol Folt, Missives, Sean Penn, —, Goodwin Liu, Merrill Balassone, Phil Chan, Pam Zhang, Safiya Umoja Noble, Lewison, Jane Coaston, Tabassum, Yannis C, Folt, Kevin Crawford Knight, Didi Global, Zohreh, Khademi, Knight, ” Hossein Hashemi, Hashemi, Dustin Jeffords Organizations: University of Southern, Angeles, Marvel Studios, Hollywood, Netflix, Dornsife, of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Los Angeles Memorial, School of Dramatic Arts, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor , Indiana University, Bloomington, Northeastern University, United Nations, University, Vermont’s, Columbia University, National Academy of Sciences, Los Angeles police, Community, Dodger, California Supreme, MacArthur, Rossier School, Education, Jewish, commencements, New York Times, Microsoft, Media, “ Locations: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Coast, Aude, Pasadena, Gaza, Ann Arbor ,, Boston, U.S, Israel, U.S.C, California, San Bernardino County

☆ Was the Stone Age Actually the Wood Age?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Franz Lidz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The basic chronology — Stone Age to Bronze Age to Iron Age — now underpins the archaeology of most of the Old World (and cartoons like “The Flintstones” and “The Croods”). Thomsen could well have substituted Wood Age for Stone Age, according to Thomas Terberger, an archaeologist and head of research at the Department of Cultural Heritage of Lower Saxony, in Germany. “We can probably assume that wooden tools have been around just as long as stone ones, that is, two and a half or three million years,“ he said. Of the thousands of archaeological sites that can be traced to the era, wood has been recovered from fewer than 10. The projectiles unearthed at the Schöningen site, known as Spear Horizon, are considered the oldest preserved hunting weapons.

Persons: Christian Jürgensen Thomsen, Thomsen, Thomas Terberger, “, Terberger, heidelbergensis Organizations: Department of Cultural Heritage, National Academy of Sciences Locations: Danish, Europe, Lower Saxony, Germany, Schöningen

☆ National Sciences Academy Asks Court to Strip Sackler Name From Endowment
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Christina Jewett | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The National Academy of Sciences is asking a court to allow it to repurpose about $30 million in donations from the wealthy Sackler family, who controlled the company at the center of the opioid epidemic, and to remove the family name from the endowment funds. The petition filed by the Academy in Superior Court in Washington, D.C., Thursday aims to modify the terms of the donations so the institution can use them for scientific studies, projects and educational activities. The move follows a report in The New York Times last year that examined donations from several Sackler members, including an executive of Purdue Pharma, which produced the painkiller OxyContin that has long been blamed for fueling the opioid crisis that has claimed thousands of lives. “The notoriety of the Sackler name has made it impossible for the Academy to carry out the purposes for which it originally accepted the funds,” Marcia McNutt, president of the National Academy of Sciences, said in a statement released on Thursday.

Persons: Sackler, ” Marcia McNutt Organizations: National Academy of Sciences, Academy, Washington , D.C, The New York Times, Sackler, Purdue Pharma Locations: Superior Court, Washington ,, The

☆ Opinion: Precious samples from Mars have been collected. Now it’s up to Congress to get them back
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Opinion Jonathan I. Lunine | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

He served on the NASA Mars Sample Return Independent Review Board in 2023. Within these tubes are priceless samples of Mars that hold the clues to when and how Mars went from Earth-like habitability to uninhabitable desolation. Mars Sample Return is among the most challenging and complex robotic missions ever attempted, requiring the largest lander ever put on Mars, which would carry a rocket to launch the samples off the surface into Martian orbit. Mars holds secrets about what makes it possible for a planet to support life, locked in the samples that await return to Earth. NASA must provide that plan to Congress as soon as possible so that Congress can move forward with adequate funding.

Persons: Jonathan Lunine, David C, Duncan, Jonathan I, Mars Organizations: Cornell University, NASA, CNN, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, JPL, Apollo, European Space Agency, US National Academy of Sciences, MSR, Planetary Science Locations: Washington, DC, China

☆ When Cicadas Emerge, Things Might Get a Little Wet
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Alla Katsnelson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

This spring, when the ground temperature hits 64 degrees Fahrenheit, trillions of cicadas will dig their way up from beneath the soil across the Southern and Midwestern United States. In a rare so-called double emergence, two distinct cicada broods — one on a 13-year life cycle and the other on a 17-year one — will take to the trees to sing, eat and mate. And though we may prefer not to think about it, considering their lodgings in the branches above, the cicadas will also eliminate waste in the form of urine. Despite their size, cicadas have an impressively powerful stream, scientists reported in an article published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The researchers adapted a fluid dynamics framework based on features like surface tension and the effects of gravity to map out how animals of different sizes, from mosquitoes to elephants, might pee.

Persons: Saad Bhamla Organizations: Southern, Midwestern, National Academy of Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology Locations: Midwestern United States

☆ Tiny fish can make noises louder than an elephant, says new study
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A small species of fish that measures no more than half an inch in length is capable of producing sounds louder than an elephant, according to a new study. Danionella cerebrum, tiny translucent fish that live in shallow waters off Myanmar, can make noises of more than 140 decibels, an international team of scientists report in a press release published Tuesday. Large animals tend to be capable of producing louder noises than small ones, with elephants able to make sounds up to 125 decibels with their trunks. There are also some fish species that make unusually loud noises, such as the male plainfin midshipman fish, which is capable of making mating calls up to 130 decibels, but Danionella cerebrum appears to be unique among fish. “No other fish has been reported to use repeated unilateral muscle contractions for sound production,” reads the study.

Persons: Danionella, ”, Ralf Britz, Danionella cerebrum Organizations: CNN, National Academy of Sciences Locations: Myanmar, Dresden, Germany

☆ The ‘Doomsday Glacier’ is rapidly melting. Scientists now have evidence for when it started and why
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

They have discovered it started retreating rapidly in the 1940s, according to a new study that provides an alarming insight into future melting. The Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica is the world’s widest and roughly the size of Florida. “Once an ice sheet retreat is set in motion it can continue for decades, even if what started it gets no worse,” he told CNN. While similar retreats have happened much further back in the past, the ice sheet recovered and regrew, Smith said. “Further events arising more from the warming climate trend took things further, and started the widespread retreat we’re seeing today,” he told CNN.

Persons: Antarctica’s, Thwaites, Joshua Stevens, Julia Wellner, that’s, ” Wellner, you’re, James Smith, “, ”, Smith, ” Thwaites, Jeremy Harbeck, NASA Ted Scambos, Martin Truffer, Truffer, — Organizations: CNN —, National Academy of Sciences, El, West, NASA, Observatory, University of Houston, CNN, British Antarctic Survey, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Alaska Locations: West Antarctica, Florida, Pine, Antarctica, University of Alaska Fairbanks, “

☆ A strange wall submerged in the Baltic Sea may be the oldest man-made megastructure in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Stone Age hunting wall was discovered in Europe's Baltic Sea. The wall was estimated to have been built more than 8,500 years ago to hunt reindeer. AdvertisementA Stone Age wall discovered in the Baltic Sea may be the oldest man-made megastructure in Europe. Researchers believe this particular hunting wall was used to catch reindeer, which used the region as a habitat 11,000 years ago, according to the article. It could also allow scientists to find other Stone Age walls submerged by water.

Persons: —, Jacob Geersen, Marlize Organizations: Service, Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research, Leibniz Institute, New, Stone, University of Johannesburg, National Academy of Sciences Locations: Baltic, Europe, Germany, Rerik

☆ Bay of Mecklenburg:Stone Age megastructure found submerged in the Baltic Sea wasn’t formed by nature, scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —A megastructure found in the Baltic Sea may represent one of the oldest known hunting structures used in the Stone Age — and could change what’s known about how hunter-gatherers lived around 11,000 years ago. The stones, which connected several large boulders, were almost perfectly aligned, making it seem unlikely that nature had shaped the structure. The team determined that the wall was likely built by Stone Age communities to hunt reindeer more than 10,000 years ago. Hunting sites around the worldThe discovery marks the first Stone Age hunting structure in the Baltic Sea region. The Lake Huron wall’s construction and location, which includes a lakeshore to one side, is most similar to the Baltic Sea wall’s, the study authors said.

Persons: ”, Jacob Geersen, Marcel Bradtmöller, . Hoy, J . Auer, LAKD, Bradtmöller, hasn’t, Geersen, it’s, ” Geersen, Jens Schneider von Deimling Organizations: CNN, Kiel University, Office for Culture, Stone, National Academy of Sciences, Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research, University of Rostock, ”, Marine Geophysics Locations: Baltic, Germany, Mecklenburg, Rerik, Vorpommern, Europe, United States, Greenland, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lake Huron, Michigan, The, Huron

☆ Scientists say hurricanes are growing so powerful that we need to add a Category 6. Here's what that would look like.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Jessica Orwig | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The researchers recommend adding a Category 6 to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which currently ranks powerful tropical storms based on wind speed starting at Category 1 (74 to 95 mph) up to Category 5 (157 mph or higher). The "or higher" for Category 5 storms is where scientists take issue. Category 6 would refer to hurricanes with sustained wind speeds of at least 192 mph — about the speed that NASCAR drivers go. Jan Pleiter/Getty ImagesA strong hurricane with 192 mph winds — which would qualify as a Category 6 — isn't unheard of. In fact, since 2013, five storms have reached or surpassed that, including Hurricane Patricia, Typhoon Haiyan, and Typhoon Meranti, the researchers reported.

Persons: Samantha Lee, Saffir –, Michael Wehner, James Kossin, Jan Pleiter, Patricia, Typhoon Haiyan, Meranti, Wehner, Haiyan, Haiya, NOEL CELIS, there's Organizations: Service, Simpson, Business, Saffir, National Academy of Sciences, NASCAR, Typhoon Locations: New York, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, Philippines, Samar

They propose a sixth category for storms with winds that exceed 192 miles per hour (309 kilometers per hour). Currently, storms with winds of 157 mph (252 kilometers per hour) or higher are Category 5. From time to time, experts have proposed a Category 6, especially since Typhoon Haiyan reached 195 mph wind speeds (315 kilometers per hour) over the open Pacific. Wehner said that as temperatures rise, the number of days with conditions ripe for potential Category 6 storms in the Gulf of Mexico will grow. “Perhaps I'll change my tune when a rapidly intensifying storm in the Gulf achieves a Category 6,” Corbosiero said in an email.

Persons: Michael Wehner, Brian McNoldy, Haiyan, Patricia, ”, Jim Kossin, Kossin, Wehner, Kerry Emanuel, Jamie Rhome, Simpson, McNoldy, Craig Fugate, Kristen Corbosiero, ” Corbosiero, ___ Read, Seth Borenstein Organizations: National Academy of Sciences, Associated Press, Lawrence Berkley National, University of Miami, dateline, NOAA, First Street Foundation . Pacific, MIT, National Hurricane Center, Emergency Management, University of Albany Locations: Philippines, Gulf of Mexico, United States, Australia, Jalisco, Mexico, Taiwan, China, Asia, Russia, of Mexico, Caribbean, Gulf, AP.org

☆ Skeletons with buckets on their feet and rings around their necks discovered in a Dark Ages graveyard, say reports
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-27 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewHuman remains found in a 1,000-year-old cemetery were ceremonially adorned with buckets on their feet and rings around their necks, archaeologists discovered, say reports. The mass grave holding over 107 skeletons in what is believed to be a pagan-era cemetery were discovered near Kyiv, Ukraine. AdvertisementResearchers Vsevolod Ivakin and Vyacheslav Baranov, who led the excavation, described the weapons typical for Kyivan Rus and northeastern Europe. Vyacheslav Baranov | National Academy of Sciences of UkraineA stone altar found at the site could have been used for pagan or early Christian rituals. AdvertisementThe ongoing research is a collaboration between several research centers, with funding provided by the German Research Foundation, alongside other organizations.

Persons: —, Vsevolod Ivakin, Vyacheslav Baranov, Baranov, Volodymyr the Great Organizations: Service, Business, National Academy of Sciences of, Archaeological Institute of America, Independent, Research, German Research Foundation Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, Roman, Italian, Rus, Europe, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Chicago, Pomeranian, Masovian, Baltics, Eastern Europe

☆ China’s EV players ramp up competition with Tesla using new tech
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

CNBC | Evelyn ChengBEIJING — Hot competition in China's electric car market is pushing local automakers to sell vehicles with fancy tech that Tesla doesn't yet offer in the country — and sometimes at lower prices. Tesla's cars don't come with those accessories, and Elon Musk's automaker only offers a limited version of its driver-assist tech in China right now. Xpeng 's G9 SUV, widely considered a leader in China for driver-assist tech on city streets, starts at 289,900 yuan. That's because electric car batteries and other parts aren't made in the U.S., which means American companies are already paying a premium for core components of the electric car, Li said. Traditional foreign auto giants like Volkswagen are struggle to adjust to the surge of electric cars in China, while domestic companies, including smartphone company Xiaomi and Geely-backed startup Zeekr, are rushing to release electric cars.

Persons: Evelyn Cheng, Tesla, Elon, Li Yi, Aito, Li Auto, Yiming Wang, Wang, Li, wasn't, Appotronics, aren't, BYD, Zhong Shi, Omer Ganiyusufoglu Organizations: CNBC, Elon Musk's, Huawei, HSBC, Consumers, China Renaissance Securities, Price, U.S ., U.S, China Automobile Dealers Association, BYD, Volkswagen, German's National Academy of Science, Engineering Locations: Evelyn Cheng BEIJING, China, Shenzhen, Europe, Shanghai, U.S, Tesla

☆ Men in medieval China were able to move up the social ladder as easily as male Baby Boomers in the US, study suggests
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Obtaining high status was likely as easy for men in the Tang Dynasty as for men in the modern US, a study suggests. It found that social mobility for men at the time could be compared to that of the 1960s in the US. AdvertisementMen in medieval China could gain high status in society as easily as male Baby Boomers in the US, according to a new study released on Thursday. Women, however, were unlikely to be part of the Chinese bureaucracy, and few would have taken the imperial exam, Hout said. But I wouldn't see a farmer's kid being able to pass the exam," Hout said.

Persons: —, Michael Hout, Hout, Du Zhong Liang, Wu Zetian, It's, they're Organizations: Service, Boomers, National Academy of Sciences, New York University, Business, National Library of China Locations: China, Tang, Europe

☆ 4 scientists said they're cutting back on bottled water after measuring the number of microplastics inside
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-08 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

About 10 to 100 times more nanoplastics than microplastics were discovered in bottled water, the study found. AdvertisementScientists said they're cutting back on bottled waterThe inside of an optical box reveals the components that organize the light from laser beams to identify nanoplastics, microscopic plastic pieces. Related storiesAll four co-authors interviewed said they were cutting back on their bottled water use after they conduced the study. Wei Min, the Columbia physical chemist who pioneered the dual laser microscope technology, said he has reduced his bottled water use by half. Previous studies looking for microplastics and some early tests indicate there may be less nanoplastic in tap water than bottled.

Persons: Naixin Qian, Mary Conlon, —, Qian, Phoebe Stapleton, microplastics, Wei Min, Stapleton, Beizhan Yan, there's, Jason Somarelli, Somarelli, Zoie Diana, Diana, Min, Yan, Kara Lavender, Denise Hardesty, Louis Organizations: Service, Business, Columbia, Rutgers, National Academy of Sciences, micron, WalMart, Water Association, American Chemistry Council, United Nations Environment, Duke University, University of Toronto, Kara Lavender Law, Sea Education Association Locations: Columbia, New Jersey, Australian, Boston, St, Los Angeles

☆ Virgin Atlantic plane will fly from London to New York with 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel. Experts say it’s not a fix
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —For the first time, a transatlantic flight operated by a commercial airline will be powered by 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) — a type of plane fuel that bears the promise of a much lower climate impact than traditional ones. The flight is the latest in a series of recent tests involving 100% SAF. Days earlier, business jet maker Gulfstream completed what it billed as the world’s first transatlantic flight using 100% SAF. Large twin-engine jets have performed flights using 100% SAF on both engines before, but these flights involved military aircraft. “One flight on 100% alternative fuel isn’t going to change the fact that 99.9% of aviation fuel is fossil fuel and there’s no great option for feedstock (raw materials) that can be scaled up sustainably,” she says.

Persons: Virgin Atlantic, Cat Hewitt, Hewitt, we’re, there’s, Giuseppe Cacace, Graham Hutchings, ”, “, ” Matteo Mirolo, ” Hewitt Organizations: CNN, Aviation Fuel, New York’s JFK, Virgin Atlantic, Boeing, Virgin, SAF, UK Civil Aviation Authority, Emirates, Airbus, Gulfstream, International Air Transport Association, Aviation Environment Federation, An, An Emirates Airbus, Getty, Royal Society, European Federation for Transport Locations: London Heathrow, New York’s, An Emirates, AFP

Many countries are working on them — and neither China, Russia, Iran, India or Pakistan have signed a U.S.-initiated pledge to use military AI responsibly. Another AI project at Space Force analyzes radar data to detect imminent adversary missile launches, he said. One urgent challenge, says Jane Pinelis, chief AI engineer at Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Lab and former chief of AI assurance in Martell’s office, is recruiting and retaining the talent needed to test AI tech. Testing and evaluation standards are also immature, a recent National Academy of Sciences report on Air Force AI highlighted. Might that mean the U.S. one day fielding under duress autonomous weapons that don’t fully pass muster?

Persons: —, Replicator —, Kathleen Hicks, ”, Gregory Allen, we’ve, Missy Cummings, George Mason, Lisa Costa, Wallace ‘ Rhet ’ Turnbull, Tom Siebel, Matt Visser, Palantir, Jack Shanahan, Maven, Mark Milley, Christian Brose, Paul Scharre, ” Anduril, Nathan Michael, Michael, Shanahan, Craig Martell, Martell, Jane Pinelis, “ Organizations: U.S ., Russia, Air Force, China, Pentagon, Department of Defense, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Navy, ” U.S . Space Force, Space Force, Space Systems Command, Blackhawk, ., U.S . Missile Defense Agency, Defense Counterintelligence, Security Agency, Third Infantry Division, NATO, Maven, National Geospatial - Intelligence Agency, U.S . Special Operations, ISIS, Command, Control, Chiefs, Armed Services Committee, U.S, Marines, Special Forces, Industry, BAT, Marine Expeditionary, Pentagon AI, LinkedIn, Johns Hopkins, Lab, National Academy of Sciences Locations: Md, Ukraine, U.S, China, Russia, Iran, India, Pakistan, ” U.S, Silicon Valley

☆ How Nobel economists spend their $1 million winnings
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Every year, researchers in economics are awarded the Nobel Prize, alongside a hefty sum in winnings. All you have to do is bag a Nobel Prize. Franco Modigliani, an MIT professor who nabbed the Nobel in economics in 1985 , got about $225,000 in winnings. But, ultimately, he wanted to spend his winnings according to his own research on people's saving and spending habits. So when he was asked how he'd spend what was, in 2017 dollars, around $1.1 million in winnings, Thaler told reporters : "I will try to spend it as irrationally as possible."

Persons: —, Alfred Nobel, Claudia Goldin, it's, Goldin, Lars Heikenstein, Franco Modigliani, Modigliani, I'm, Modigliani isn't, Elinor Ostrom, Oliver E, Williamson, Esther Duflo, Abhijit Banerjee, Michael Kremer, Sir Angus Deaton, Richard Thaler, he'd, Thaler Organizations: Service, Sveriges, Economic Sciences, Guardian, Nobel Foundation, MIT, Washington Post, Indiana University, National Academy of Sciences, Fund for Research, Development, Harvard University, Boston Globe, University of Chicago Locations: Stockholm, United States of America

☆ Start-Ups With Laser Beams: The Companies Trying to Ignite Fusion Energy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Kenneth Chang | More About Kenneth Chang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In December last year, after years of trying, the National Ignition Facility, or NIF, at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory reported that it had finally lived up to its middle name: ignition. For the first time anywhere, a laser-induced burst of fusion produced more energy than that supplied by the incoming lasers. “We’re really excited by the NIF results,” said Kramer Akli, who manages the fusion energy sciences program at the United States Department of Energy. A decade ago, a report by the National Academy of Sciences found much to like in the energy potential of laser fusion but recommended that the United States hold off major investments until ignition was achieved. The sun generates heat and light by jamming — fusing — hydrogen atoms together into helium.

Persons: We’re, ”, Kramer Akli, arth, ould Organizations: National Ignition Facility, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, United States Department of Energy, National Academy of Sciences Locations: United States

Debates about its efficacy abound, with the United States, Europe and several environmental groups speaking out about the opportunities and risks. Research has been conducted into other potentially less dangerous SRM technologies, including marine cloud brightening, which involves the spraying of seawater from ships to make clouds more reflective. One group of 60 scientists launched a global initiative last year aimed at persuading governments to ban outdoor solar geoengineering experiments. "Once you've committed to it, you've got to keep doing it," said Laura Wilcox, a climate expert at Britain's University of Exeter. "If you stop, then you're going to see all of that warming that you've missed, essentially on climate timescales overnight.

Persons: Luke Iseman, SO2, Benjamin Sovacool, Andrea Hinwood, you've, Laura Wilcox, David Stanway, Jake Spring, Pravin Organizations: REUTERS, U.S . National Academy of Sciences, Company, Reuters, Harvard University, Swedish Space Corporation, Research, Boston University, SRM, United Nations Environment Program, Britain's University of Exeter, Pravin Char, Thomson Locations: Baja California, Mexico, Handout, United States, Europe, China, England, Africa, Asia

☆ Brazil child cancer deaths linked to soy farming, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Ana Mano | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The U.S. researchers found a relationship between soy production and related community exposure to agrochemicals including glyphosate, a widely used weedkiller that some genetically modified soybean seeds are designed to tolerate. "We find a statistically significant increase in pediatric leukemia following expanded local soy production," the PNAS article said, based on Brazilian childhood cancer incidence and disease mortality data spanning 15 years. Specifically, the study found a correlation between soy farming and childhood blood cancers, especially acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common blood cancer in children. There were 123 additional deaths of children under age 10 from 2008 to 2019 from ALL following the expansion of soybean production in Brazil, the researchers found. That number would have been higher were it not for the country's high-quality cancer treatment centers, the researchers said.

Persons: Adriano Machado, Ana Mano, Nancy Lapid, Bill Berkrot Organizations: REUTERS, SAO PAULO, U.S . National Academy of Sciences, Thomson Locations: Luziania, Goias, Brazil, U.S, China, United States

☆ Humans have launched so much to space that it's actually polluting Earth's atmosphere, a new study found
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Sonam Sheth | Jessica Orwig | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Scientists have discovered evidence of various pollutant metals in Earth's stratosphere. They traced the metals back to rockets and satellites launched into space. The stratosphere contains the protective ozone layer. A team of researchers has found pollutant metals in Earth's stratosphere — the second layer of our atmosphere — and traced them back to rockets and satellites. When anything enters Earth's atmosphere, it's typically in a fiery blaze.

Persons: —, Dan Cziczo, Cziczo Organizations: Service, Purdue University, National Academy of Sciences

☆ Scientists propose sweeping new law of nature, expanding on evolution
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Evolution occurs, it holds, when these various configurations are subject to selection for useful functions. "We have well-documented laws that describe such everyday phenomena as forces, motions, gravity, electricity and magnetism and energy," Hazen said. The subsequent generation of stars that formed from the remnants of the prior generation then similarly forged almost 100 more elements. "Imagine a system of atoms or molecules that can exist in countless trillions of different arrangements or configurations," Hazen said. "Only a small fraction of all possible configurations will 'work' - that is, they will have some useful degree of function.

Persons: Charles Darwin, Darwin, Robert Hazen, Hazen, Michael Wong, Jonathan Lunine, Will Dunham, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Carnegie Institution for Science, National Academy of Sciences, Carnegie, Cornell, Thomson Locations: British

☆ AI was told to design a robot that could walk. Within seconds, it generated a 'small, squishy, and misshapen' thing that spasms.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Kai Xiang Teo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A group of researchers asked AI to design a walking robot. AdvertisementAdvertisementWhen a group of researchers asked an AI to design a robot that could walk, it created a "small, squishy and misshapen" thing that walks by spasming when filled with air. "We told the AI that we wanted a robot that could walk across land. The AI began with a small rubber block and modeled different shapes before arriving at the final design that could walk. AdvertisementAdvertisementKriegman said the researchers weren't quite sure why the robot had this peculiar shape — and why it was filled with holes.

Persons: —, Sam Kriegman, Kriegman, Mika Organizations: Service, Northwestern University, MIT, University of Vermont —, National Academy of Sciences, Boston Dynamics, Reuters Locations: Geneva

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