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☆ Cicadas 2024: What to expect from the 2024 periodical cicada emergence and how to prepare
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The insects will infiltrate a much bigger geographical area than similar occurrences in most years because they’re part of the dual emergence of two particular periodical cicada broods. Although the full-scale emergence isn’t underway yet, experts have some guidance on how to prepare for cicada season. A periodical cicada that has just shed its outer skeleton crawls among holes dug by emerging cicada nymphs on May 20, 2021, in Takoma Park, Maryland. A young tree in Takoma Park, Maryland, is draped in netting in May 2021 to protect its small branches from being damaged by periodical cicadas laying their eggs in them. It’s not clear why periodical cicadas evolved to emerge every 13 or 17 years.

Persons: Louis —, Chip Somodevilla, “, ”, Paula Shrewsbury, ” Shrewsbury, John Lill, sapling, Lill, Jason Whitman, Shrewsbury, They’re Organizations: CNN, Naturalists, Southern, University of Maryland, North, George Washington University, US Food and Drug Administration Locations: Chicago, Nashville, St, Northern Illinois, Takoma Park , Maryland, North America, United States

☆ Opinion | Why Aren’t We Saving the Urban Forests?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Margaret Renkl | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The volunteer black walnut sapling in our front yard arrived courtesy of a local squirrel. I had to mark it with a little flag to make sure my husband didn’t mow over it by accident. The baby Eastern red cedars and the baby black cherries and the baby red mulberries were all planted by birds. (The baby willow oak and the three baby shingle oaks that appeared two years ago have already fed the rabbits.) This black walnut won’t reach full maturity for another 150 years or so, and that’s if no one cuts it down — a bet I would not take.

Persons: didn’t mow

☆ Opinion | On the Wild Intoxications of Spring
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Margaret Renkl | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

I spied the first spring beauty of the year on Feb. 20, the same week a Northern flicker started drumming on our metal chimney, the week of budburst for our red maple sapling and our young red mulberries. The bluebirds often start house-hunting much earlier than they intend to nest, but the first flicker concert at dawn and the first spring beauty opening in the afternoon sun — they’re for real. Soon the crows will be stalking through the wild parts of the yard after a rain, collecting long, damp stalks of grass to line their nests with. This year spring beauties came a little late compared to last year (Feb. 16), but still very early compared to the year before that (March 20). Spring is here!

Persons: skinnier

☆ These 'unusual' 4 traits helped Jeff Bezos grow Amazon into a $1 trillion company, says current CEO
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Jeff Bezos built Amazon into a tech behemoth and "everything store" that's now worth $1.6 trillion. Jassy, Bezos' longtime deputy, took the company's reins after the Amazon founder stepped down in 2021. "There aren't too many other bigger thinkers than Jeff Bezos," Jassy said, adding: "He always had a way of getting teams to think bigger." Jassy nonetheless touted Bezos' approach for inspiring great work from employees that helped fuel Amazon's success. "[Bezos] had a way of having really high standards, and then having everybody really stretch and aspire to those standards."

Persons: Jeff Bezos, Andy Jassy, Fortune, Bezos, GeekWire, Jassy, Jeff, You've, it'll Organizations: Economic, Amazon, Pacific Science Center, Web Services Locations: Davos, Switzerland

☆ NASA's James Webb and X-ray telescopes found a primordial black hole growing in the early universe just after the Big Bang
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

NASA has discovered the most distant black hole ever, dating back nearly to the dawn of time. Don't worry: the growing black hole is located 13.2 billion light-years away. The supermassive black hole was detected in a rare state of infancy. AdvertisementAdvertisementNASA has discovered the most distant black hole ever detected, capturing it growing in a stage of never-before-seen infancy near the dawn of time. It also detected another of the earliest black holes and picked up lots of details Hubble wasn't able to capture .

Persons: —, James Webb, Chandra, JWST, Hubble, they've, Andy Goulding Organizations: NASA, Service, James Webb Space Telescope, Princeton University

☆ Most distant black hole discovered by Chandra, Webb telescopes
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Two powerful NASA telescopes have detected the oldest and most distant black hole ever found. “We needed Webb to find this remarkably distant galaxy and Chandra to find its supermassive black hole,” said lead study author Akos Bogdan, in a statement. Potential black hole theoryTypically, black holes located at the centers of galaxies only have about 0.1% the mass of the stars within their host galaxy. The unusual black hole could be an “Outsize Black Hole” that formed when a huge cloud of gas collapsed, as theorized in 2017 by Priyamvada Natarajan, a coauthor on both studies and the Joseph S. and Sophia S. Fruton professor of astronomy and professor of physics at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. “We think that this is the first detection of an ‘Outsize Black Hole’ and the best evidence yet obtained that some black holes form from massive clouds of gas,” Natarajan said.

Persons: Chandra, James Webb, Webb, ”, Akos Bogdan, “, ” Bogdan, Abell, they’ve, Andy Goulding, Priyamvada Natarajan, Joseph S, Sophia S, ” Natarajan Organizations: CNN, NASA, Telescope, Harvard - Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Chandra, telltale, Princeton University, Yale University Locations: Cambridge , Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Haven , Connecticut

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — For people around the world, the green leaves that sprouted from a scorched, 150-year-old banyan tree in the heart of devastated Lahaina symbolized hope following Maui’s deadly wildfire this summer. Before colonialism, commercial agriculture and tourism, thousands of breadfruit trees dotted Lahaina; the fire charred all but two of the dozen or so that remained. By contrast, researchers believe breadfruit and kukui nut — now the state tree of Hawaii — were among the many edible plants Polynesian voyagers brought around 1,000 years ago. Efforts to revive the banyan and other important surviving trees have included trucking in water, applying compost extract and testing soil. But replanting breadfruit in urban areas comes with challenges, said Steve Nimz, an arborist on Oahu who has been helping restore Lahaina’s trees.

Persons: landscapers, ”, Noa Kekuewa Lincoln, King Kamehameha, ulu, ” Kekona, Lahaina’s, replanting, Steve Nimz, “, Hokuao Pellegrino, ” Pellegrino, replant, Pellegrino, he's, reintegrating breadfruit, ___ Komenda Organizations: University of Hawaii, Development Locations: LAHAINA, Hawaii, Lahaina, ulu, Maui, Manoa, U.S, India, Lele, Hilo, Lincoln, Oahu, Waikapu, West Maui, “, Tacoma , Washington

Demand for carbon credits is on track to fall in 2023, according to two of the top data providers. Nestle, which has also not disclosed its spending on offsets, said it would stop using carbon offsets and was seeking other routes to net zero. Until this year, the voluntary carbon market had grown as more companies came under shareholder pressure to adopt net zero policies. SECOND THOUGHTSFor the carbon markets, another issue is that regulators and carbon market advisory bodies are limiting the scope of their use by companies. "You need to reduce emissions and that's how you will be judged in the market when you're disclosing your carbon emissions."

Persons: Elizabeth Frantz, Gucci, Renat Heuberger, Stephen Donofrio, certifier Verra, EasyJet, Jane Ashton, Ashton, Naomi Swickard, Verra, Zimbabwe's, Steve Wentzel, Wentzel, Kristian Rönn, Rob Hayward, Susanna Twidale, Sarah McFarlane, Barbara Lewis Organizations: New England Forestry Foundation, REUTERS, Nestle, Reuters, Marketplace, Shell, Boston Consulting, Offset, GEO, Verra, Carbon, Investments, United Nations, Voluntary, Initiative, EU, KLM, Companies, Thomson Locations: Hersey, New Hampton , New Hampshire, U.S, Kenya, Pole, Stockholm, Ghana

☆ The Maui Fire Spared Lahaina’s Banyan Tree - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Julia Flynn Siler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The historic Hawaiian port town’s massive Banyan tree — standing over 60 feet tall with a canopy that has grown to cover more than half an acre — has been the backdrop for endless selfies. Lahaina’s Ficus benghalensis, or banyan fig, burst into flames in the massive wildfire that killed at least 90 people and turned countless buildings into char. Weighed against the horrific loss of lives and the nearly complete destruction of a town, the potential loss of a single, gigantic tree may seem trivial. But this magnificent specimen, believed to have been the largest tree in the Hawaiian Islands, has touched the hearts of many in Hawaii and elsewhere. The fact that the tree is charred but still standing offers us the hope of both the tree and the town’s eventual revival.

Persons: It’s Locations: Lahaina, Hawaiian, Hawaii

☆ Tiny tech bank defies US massacre of the minnows
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( John Foley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

One example is $1 billion Live Oak Bancshares (LOB.N), which flouts many preconceptions about what it means to be a tiny U.S. bank. But if those failures demonstrated that rapid growth brings escalating risk, Live Oak is a counterexample. Because of the way that programme is structured, around 40% of Live Oak’s lending carries a government guarantee. The company spun out its cloud-based banking software division nCino (NCNO.O) in 2014; that firm is now worth $2.8 billion, more than twice Live Oak’s value. That more earthly valuation might reflect Live Oak’s biggest risk: that it starts to look more like the rest of the pack.

Persons: it’s, Chip Mahan, SVB, It’s, Huntley Garriott, Goldman Sachs, reckons, ’, Keefe, Mahan, Liam Proud, Streisand Neto Organizations: YORK, Reuters, Wachovia, Valley Bank, U.S, Regional, Silvergate, Reuters Graphics Reuters, government’s, Business Administration, SBA, Federal, Truist, PNC Financial Services, redwoods, Twitter, Thomson Locations: United States, North Carolina, U.S

☆ Replanting the Amazon could slow global warming. Here’s why it’s hard
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +24 min

Milton da Costa Junior nosed his pickup through a remote stretch of the western Brazilian Amazon to check on his babies. Local authorities said the September 2021 incident, which Da Costa outlined in a police report that was reviewed by Reuters, is being investigated. Out of dozens of reforestation initiatives in the country, Rioterra and The Black Jaguar Foundation, a Brazilian-European group, are among the largest. Illegal invaders destroy in hours what it takes Rioterra or Black Jaguar a year to plant. In all, Black Jaguar has signed contracts with 26 farms and planted 326 hectares (806 acres) to date.

Persons: Milton da Costa, Da Costa, Carlos Nobre, Alexis Bastos, Rioterra, ”, Nobre, “, Bastos, Jamari, Dejesus Aparecido Ramos, it’s, ” Bastos, Jair Bolsonaro, Germany –, Bolsonaro, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Black, Ben Valks, Valks, Leandro Silveira, Silveira, São, ” Valks, aren’t, Cristina Banks, Leite, Marcos Mariani, Araguaia, Mariani, Tânia Irres, ” Irres, Regina Molke, I’ll, Clovis, Black Jaguar, Aquaverde, Renato Franklin, “ Ben, ” Franklin, L’Oreal, da Costa, ” Da Costa, da, Spring, Clare Trainor, Catherine Tai, Lais Morais, Ilan Rubens, Lucy Ha, John Emerson, Marla Dickerson Organizations: Milton da Costa Junior, Toyota, Reuters, Black Jaguar Foundation, National Institute for Space Research, Rioterra, Cultural, Environmental Studies, Petrobras, “, Amazon Fund, Environment Ministry, United, United Arab Emirates, São Paulo, Global, Farmers, Brazil’s Central Bank, Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research, Imperial College London, Santana, Bolsonaro, United Nations, Space Agency, Copernicus, Sentinel Locations: Machadinho, Rondônia, Brazil, Germany, Brazilian, European, Manhattan, Lebanon, Nicaragua, Bastos, Porto Velho, droves, Rio, Black, Itapuã, Oeste, Norway, United Arab, Pará, Caixa, “, Costa, Syria, Paris, Santana, Araguaia’s, Clovis, Regina, United States, South, Geneva, Rio Preto, da Costa

☆ What’s a President to Do When a Nation’s Capital Is Sinking? Move It.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Hannah Beech | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +38 min

A new capital city for a place with such disparities and diversity presents both a challenge and a chance for reinvention. Moving the Seat of Power From Java to Borneo Detail area Malaysia Nusantara Borneo Java Sea Indonesia Jakarta Java Indian Ocean Detail area Malaysia Nusantara Borneo Java Sea Indonesia Jakarta Java Indian Ocean Indonesia’s new capital, Nusantara, will be about 800 miles from the current capital, Jakarta. It cannot be overnight, it’s not like Aladdin comes with his genie,” said Bambang Susantono, the head of the Nusantara Capital City Authority. We have to prove that this will be a self-propelling city.” — Bambang Susantono, head of the Nusantara Capital City AuthorityCritics of I.K.N. Indonesia’s capital city faces sinking land and rising seas.

☆ Tim Hecker Helped Popularize Ambient Music. He’s (Sort of) Sorry.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Grayson Haver Currin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Still, he admitted, the loss was “bound up in the melancholy of youth.”This multivalence seemed to follow Hecker. He would spend his collegiate summers in the British Columbia wilderness, planting as many as 4,000 trees each day in clear-cut forests. Later, frustrated by the exigencies of starting a band, like remembering what they’d played the day before, Hecker began experimenting with drum machines and samplers. “The original impulse was this awe-struck excitement,” Hecker said, recalling his titanic computer tower, gargantuan monitor and pirated software. “There are different feelings in those different moments, and they each have their own ecosystem,” he said.

Hours later, 30-year-old Jung Joo-hee was among 156 people, most of them in their teens and twenties, killed in the South Korean capital while celebrating Halloween free of COVID restrictions for the first time in three years. Mum and dad will come see you," Jung Hae-moon said as the family stood by, together with his daughter's pet poodle. It was impossible, I couldn't believe it," Lim's father said at a funeral home as he and his family observed funeral rites. "She was so creative and pretty," the man said, adding that he had often strolled with his daughter through Itaewon. They wonder why their children were celebrating Halloween in the first place, a totally foreign concept for older Koreans.

☆ For a healthier environment, plant a native garden — no matter how big, says the famed entomologist Doug Tallamy
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Mara Leighton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The entomologist Doug Tallamy is on a crusade to reduce grass lawns in favor of native plants. Native plants feed insects and wildlife that contribute to healthier food webs, which keep us alive. AdvertisementLisa Sabatini, an editor who's planted more than 50 native trees and shrubs since 2021, told Insider she joined a "Native Plants of the Northeast" Facebook group that welcomes beginners. If you have a garden already, you can begin by simply introducing native plants into it. AdvertisementNative landscaping is inherently regional, but those interested can type their ZIP code into the National Wildlife Federation Native Plant Finder for suggestions.

Persons: Doug Tallamy, —, Doug Tallamy doesn't, who's, Tallamy, E.O, Wilson, there's, Douglas, Bre Bauerly, Tim Stout, Stout, Lisa Sabatini, Tom Estill, Bauerly, We're Organizations: Service, Facebook, University of Delaware, National Wildlife Federation Locations: Asia, Denver, Minneapolis, Vermont, Minnesota, Rutland , Vermont

☆ Lesein Mutunkei: This teenager in Kenya is hoping to catch FIFA's attention -- but not for his football skills
▼ + stars: | 2022-07-26 | by ( Natalie Kainz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

When Lesein Mutunkei scores a goal, he plants 11 trees – one to represent each player on his team. That same year, Mutunkei started Trees4Goals to mobilize young athletes in his region to take up his pledge of planting trees every time they score. He leads into a football game, and ends with a tree planting session. “It was almost a race to plant the trees,” Mutunkei said. Mutunkei receives messages from young athletes across the globe, saying they read his story and took up the challenge of Trees4Goals.

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