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☆ The evolutionary twist that could have helped dinosaurs rule Earth
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New research this week is adding fresh detail to one of paleontology’s biggest questions: Did dinosaur blood run hot or cold? Clues from fossilized eggshells and bones have now suggested that some dinosaurs were warm-blooded and others were not. Reinhard Dirscherl/ullstein bild/Getty ImagesMarine scientists have used artificial intelligence to decode previously unknown complexity in the calls of sperm whales. The whales produced a catalog of clicking sounds, which the researchers described as akin to a “phonetic alphabet” for sperm whales. What sperm whales are saying with their clicks remains a mystery to human ears, but understanding the scope of their vocal exchanges is an important step toward linking their calls with specific behavior.

Persons: Dinos, Davide Bonadonna, Jeff Lichtman, Reinhard Dirscherl, Napoleon Bonaparte, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, Vigo, UCL, Google Research, Lichtman, Harvard University, Google, Harvard, Northern, Central America, Getty Images Marine, —, Heritage, CNN Space, Science Locations: Universidade, North America, Scandinavia, Europe, Central, India, Dover, England

☆ Did dinosaur blood run hot or cold? Both, according to a new study
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Were dinosaurs warm-blooded like birds and mammals or cold-blooded like reptiles? Clues from dinosaur eggshells and bones have suggested that some dinosaurs were warm-blooded and others were not. These dinosaurs may have evolved endothermy, or the ability to internally generate body heat, according to the study. “Warm-blooded animals are generally more active, for example, cold-blooded animals usually don’t build nests,” said lead study author Dr. Alfio Alessandro Chiarenza, Royal Society Newton International Fellow at University College London’s department of Earth sciences. Her 2022 study suggested that ornithischians were more likely cold-blooded and sauropods were warm-blooded.

Persons: Big John, Sarah Meyssonnier, ornithischians, ”, Alfio Alessandro Chiarenza, Brontosaurus, ” Chiarenza, “, Jasmina, ” Wiemann, Chiarenza, Anthony Fiorillo, ” Fiorillo, wasn’t Organizations: CNN, Royal Society Newton International, University College London’s, Field, UCL, Universidade de, New, New Mexico Museum, Southern Methodist University Locations: Paris, Chicago, Spain, New Mexico, Dallas

☆ People Have a Right to Climate Data - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Justin S. Mankin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As a climate scientist documenting the multi-trillion-dollar price tag of the climate disasters shocking economies and destroying lives, I sometimes field requests from strategic consultants, financial investment analysts and reinsurers looking for climate data, analysis and computer code. These requests make sense: People and companies want to adapt to the climate risks they face from global warming. Venture capitalists are injecting hundreds of millions of dollars into climate intelligence as they build out a rapidly growing business of climate analytics — the data, risk models, tailored analyses and insights people and institutions need to understand and respond to climate risks. I point companies to our freely available data and code at the Dartmouth Climate Modeling and Impacts Group, which I run, but turn down additional requests for customized assessments. I regard climate information as a public good and fear contributing to a world in which information about the unfolding risks of droughts, floods, wildfires, extreme heat and rising seas are hidden behind paywalls.

Persons: El Organizations: BlackRock, Venture, Dartmouth, Modeling

☆ How AI could power the climate breakthrough the world needs
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Clare Duffy | Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

The tool uses data on the climate, water and soil of a particular location to measure how viable the landscape will be for growing in the coming years. “The way we think about AI is it’s a time and effectiveness multiplier to the solutions for climate change,” Gupta told CNN. But for all of AI’s promise, the infrastructure that supports the technology — data centers filled with rows of powerful, energy-sucking computers — could itself be a strain on the environment. For now, the amount of energy used to power AI is relatively small compared to what’s consumed by transportation or buildings. Data center operators like Google are already thinking about how to reduce the resources needed to power the computing behind their AI models.

Persons: David Rind, ClimateAi, Himanshu Gupta, ” Gupta, ”, Fengqi, “, Kara Lamb, Aditya, Dan Keeler, ” Keeler, Anna Liljedahl, ” Liljedahl, Keeler, Daniel Leal, ClimateAi’s Gupta, Anna Robertson, ” Robertson, Alex de Vries, Alex Kraus, Adam Selipsky, —, Gupta Organizations: David Rind . New York CNN, Farmers, CNN, Cornell, Getty, Technology, Climate Research, Google, Bloomberg, Web Services, —, “ Regulators, ” Tech Locations: David Rind . New York, India, Maharashtra, Columbia, American, Ireland, Oregon, United States

☆ Elon Musk’s X, formerly Twitter, ranks last in climate misinformation ‘scorecard’
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( David Ingram | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Environmental groups slammed Elon Musk's X app, formerly known as Twitter, in a report Wednesday ranking social media platforms on their approach to climate change misinformation. Before Musk bought Twitter last year, the app said it banned advertisements that "contradict the scientific consensus on climate change." In a statement responding to the climate scorecard, YouTube said: "Our climate change policy explicitly prohibits the monetization of content that denies the existence of climate change, as well as ads that promote these claims. Debate or discussions of climate change topics, including around public policy or research, is allowed, but when content crosses the line to climate change denial, we stop showing ads on those videos. In general, our systems also don't recommend or prominently surface content that includes climate change misinformation."

Persons: Elon, it's, Musk, Erika Seiber, Pinterest, TikTok, they've Organizations: WWF International, General, Twitter, Elon, NBC News, Meta, YouTube, LinkedIn, Social, Facebook, New York Times Locations: San Francisco , California, Scotland, Patagonia, Spanish

☆ Record 2022 temperatures will be average for UK by 2060 - Met Office
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Temperatures exceeded 40C in Britain in July last year for the first time, and the Met Office said 2022 was the warmest year since records began in 1884 for the United Kingdom and since 1659 in its Central England Temperature series. "In terms of weather and climate, 2022 was an extraordinary year for the UK," Mike Kendon from the Met Office’s National Climate Information Centre said. The Met Office said its studies found both the record warm year and 2022's July heat wave were made more likely by human-induced climate change. In its 'State of the UK climate' report, the Met Office predicted that in a medium emissions scenario, by 2060, a year like 2022 would be considered an average year and by 2100, it would be considered a 'cool' year. The 2013-2022 period was the warmest decade on record in the UK, the Met Office said.

Persons: Mike Kendon, Kendon, Kylie MacLellan, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Met Office, Met, Climate Information, Thomson Locations: Britain, United Kingdom, State

☆ At Least 10,000 Foreign Companies to Be Hit by EU Sustainability Rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Dieter Holger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

The estimates exclude foreign companies that are subject to the reporting requirements due to other conditions, such as having an EU bond listing. Foreign companies with EU listings will need to start reporting these disclosures in 2025 if they have more than 500 employees in the EU. Businesses based in the EU that reported under the bloc’s previous sustainability rules must follow the new requirements from 2025. The EU rules call for limited-assurance audits to start, with a goal of eventually moving to reasonable assurance. Other sustainability reporting regulations are also set to go into effect in the next few years.

☆ The SEC is considering requiring US companies to disclose their climate impact. Here's what that means for corporations and investors.
▼ + stars: | 2022-03-09 | by ( Daniel E. Walters | William M. Manson | The Conversation | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The Securities and Exchange Commission is considering adding climate impact as a mandated disclosure. Some large investors require disclosure. The United Kingdom plans to require climate disclosure starting in April 2022, and the European Union has reporting rules in place. A study of one type of climate disclosure — emissions labels on consumer products — found mixed evidence as to whether consumers altered their behavior in response. A prior oil and gas extraction disclosure rule was invalidated by a court in 2013 as arbitrary and capricious.

A black box will be fully installed on the west coast of Tasmania in 2022. In order to record data linked to climate change, a project known as Black Box is due to launch this year. The idea is to install a black box on Earth, on the west coast of Tasmania, around 150 miles to the south of Australia. According to Interesting Engineering, the black box will record important data relating to climate change. The black box will be solar-powered, with a battery pack to support it when the sun isn't out.

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