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☆ ‘World’s largest’ plant to suck carbon out of the air and turn it into stone opens in Iceland
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Direct air capture, or DAC, is a technology designed to suck in air and strip out the carbon using chemicals. Climeworks plans to transport the carbon underground where it will be naturally transformed into stone, locking up the carbon permanently. ClimeworksClimeworks' Mammoth plant will eventually be able to capture 36,000 tons of carbon from the air. It will increase the size of equipment to capture carbon pollution. It’s this kind of process that makes some critics concerned carbon removal technologies could be used to prolong production of fossil fuels.

Persons: ”, Lili Fuhr, Haukur, Climeworks Climeworks, Stuart Haszeldine, it’s, Jan Wurzbacher Organizations: CNN, Climeworks, Center for International Environmental Law, Mammoth, University of Edinburgh, International Energy Agency, Stratos, Occidental Locations: Iceland, Swiss, Texas, Occidental, Kenya, United States

☆ Giant Batteries Are Transforming the Way the U.S. Uses Electricity
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Brad Plumer | Nadja Popovich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +17 min

Uses Electricity They’re delivering solar power after dark in California and helping to stabilize grids in other states. Peak demand average daily generation, by fuel type Peak demand 25k 25k megawatts megawatts Imports 20k 20k 15k 15k Gas Solar power Batteries Solar power 10k 10k Wind 5k 5k Hydro Nuclear 0 0 12a.m. Peak demand average daily generation, by fuel type Peak demand 25k 25k megawatts megawatts Imports 20k 20k 15k 15k Gas Solar power Batteries Solar power 10k 10k Wind 5k 5k Hydro Nuclear 0 0 12a.m. Ga. Ga. Texas Texas La. By The New York TimesMost grid batteries use lithium-ion technology, similar to batteries in smartphones or electric cars.

Persons: …, ”, Helen Kou, Conn ., Mo ., R.I, Conn . Conn ., . Kan ., “, Andrés Gluski, Mike Blake, John Phipps, Phipps, Stephanie Smith, Aaron Mitchell, Natalie McIntire, Tamir Kalifa, Emma Konet, Max Kanter, BloombergNEF, you’ve, Meredith Fowlie, Nate Blair, “ We’re, Ross D Organizations: Hydro Nuclear, Hydro, The New York Times, “, United States U.S, Conn . Pa . Iowa Neb, N.J . Ohio Nev, Del . Utah Ill, Texas, Fla ., Vt, Wis ., Wis . Idaho Idaho S.D, Pa . Iowa Iowa Neb, Neb . N.J . N.J . Ohio Ohio Nev, Del . Utah Utah Ill, . Energy, AES Corporation, Reuters, California, Georgia Power, Natural Resources Defense Council, Nationwide, The New York Times Grid, University of California, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Franklin, Associated Locations: California, The New York Times California, China, Texas , California, Arizona, Wash . Maine, Minn, Ore, N.H, N.Y, Mass, Wis . Idaho S.D, Mich, Wyo, R.I, Conn, Conn . Pa . Iowa, N.J . Ohio, Del . Utah, Calif, Md, Colo, W.Va . Va, Mo, Mo . Kan, Ky, N.C, Tenn, Ariz, ., S.C . California, Ala, Miss ., Fla, Alaska Texas, Hawaii, Wash . Maine Maine Mont, Mont, Vt, Wis, Wis . Idaho Idaho, S.D . Mich, Conn . Conn, Conn . Conn . Pa, Pa . Iowa, Neb . N.J . N.J . Ohio, Nev . Ind, Ind, Del, W.Va, W.Va . Va . Va, . Kan . Kan, S.C . Ala . Ala . Miss, . Texas Texas, La, Fla . Alaska Alaska Hawaii Hawaii California, Texas, Menifee, . California, ” In Texas, Fort Worth, West Texas, Georgia, Sweetwater , Texas, Tierra, Berkeley, Sacramento

☆ A 93-year-old who started running marathons in his 50s goes to spin class every morning. He does 3 things to stay healthy.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Kim Schewitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewAt 93, John Starbrook competes in water polo games, hits the gym up to twice a day, and only stopped running marathons five years ago. As average life spans rise and an aging population becomes a global reality, interest in staying healthy for longer is growing. But a healthy lifestyle appeared to offset the effects of genes linked to a shorter lifespan by 62%. But he really amped things up at age 53 when he got into running marathons. Research suggests social bonds are an important part of a long, healthy life.

Persons: —, John Starbrook, Starbrook, Judy Organizations: Service, UK, Guardian, Business, McKinsey, US News, University of Bergen, US Health Department, Department, London, Research Locations: Norway, London

☆ Slaughterhouse cleaning company fined $649,000 for child workers
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —A janitorial company has been fined $649,000 after an investigation found it hired minors for dangerous jobs cleaning slaughterhouses, the United States Department of Labor said Monday. Fayette Janitorial Service had employed at least 24 children, including those as young as 13, according to the DOL investigation. The minors had been working overnight shifts at two separate slaughter facilities, according to the DOL. The company said in February that it had ended all of its contracts with Fayette, according to the Sioux City Journal. Instances of illegal child labor have been growing in recent years, and other contractors have been fined over employing minors.

Persons: ” Fayette, “, Perdue “, ”, – CNN’s Melissa Alonso, Ramishah Maruf Organizations: New, New York CNN, United States Department of Labor, CNN, Seaboard Triumph Foods, Perdue, Labor Department, Seaboard, Sioux City, Packers Sanitation Services Locations: New York, Fayette, DOL, Sioux City , Iowa, Accomac , Virginia

☆ Sanitation Company Fined $649,000 for Hiring Children in Slaughterhouses
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Livia Albeck-Ripka | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A Tennessee-based sanitation company has been fined more than $649,000 after an investigation revealed that it had illegally employed at least two dozen children at slaughterhouses and meatpacking facilities, the Labor Department said this week. The company, Fayette Janitorial Service L.L.C., was found to have hired the children, some as young as 13, during overnight shifts that involved using corrosive materials to clean “dangerous kill floor equipment” at facilities in Sioux City, Iowa, and Accomac, Va., the department said in a news release. A temporary restraining order in February required the company to stop employing the children, and on Monday, it agreed in federal court to pay the fine, hire a third party to make sure no underage workers are employed in the future and establish a program for reporting violations, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa. It is illegal under the Fair Labor Standards Act to hire anyone under 18 for the kind of hazardous work that is often involved in meat and poultry slaughtering, processing, rendering and packing operations. But that has not stopped thousands of migrant children from coming to the United States from Mexico and Central America to work dangerous jobs, in places including meatpacking plants.

Organizations: Labor Department, Northern, Northern District of, Fair Labor, Act Locations: Tennessee, slaughterhouses, Fayette, Sioux City , Iowa, Accomac, Va, U.S, Northern District, Northern District of Iowa, United States, Mexico, Central America

☆ Microsoft signs deal with Swedish partner to remove 3.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Microsoft signed a deal to remove to permanently remove 3.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide with Swedish energy company Stockholm Exergi, the companies announced on Monday. The contract with Microsoft is the world's largest carbon removal deal to date, Stockholm Exergi said in a statement. Carbon dioxide released from those materials during incineration will be removed from the gas emitted from the plant, liquified for transport and permanently stored underground. Stockholm Exergi is selling carbon removal certificates, equivalent to 1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, to help companies achieve their net-zero emissions goals. "Leveraging existing biomass power plants is a crucial first step to building worldwide carbon removal capacity," said Brian Marrs, Microsoft's senior director of energy and carbon removal, in a statement.

Persons: Stockholm Exergi, Anders Egelrud, Brian Marrs, Microsoft's Organizations: Microsoft, Stockholm Exergi Locations: Stockholm, Swedish, Europe

☆ 5 Dead After Inhaling Hazardous Gas at a Water Plant in Sicily
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Elisabetta Povoledo | More About Elisabetta Povoledo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Five workers died on Monday afternoon while working in a sewer connected to a water treatment plant in the town of Casteldaccia near Palermo, Sicily, according to firefighters who recovered the bodies. A sixth worker was seriously injured and in intensive care, local officials said. Girolamo Bentivoglio, chief of firefighters in Palermo, said the workers had breathed in hydrogen sulfide, a gas often present at waste treatment plants that is toxic in high concentrations. The accident raised a new round of outrage over the incidence of workplace deaths in Italy. In April, seven workers were killed in an explosion in a hydroelectric plant near Bologna, while five died in Florence during the construction of a supermarket in February.

Persons: Girolamo Bentivoglio, Mr, Bentivoglio Organizations: Eurostat, European Union Locations: Casteldaccia, Palermo, Sicily, Italy, Bologna, Florence

☆ U.S. automakers like GM are rapidly losing ground in China, once an engine for growth
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Michael Wayland | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +13 min

China was once a profit engine for GM, and its top sales market from 2010 to 2023. GM revealed several vehicles last week in China, including plug-in hybrid versions of its Buick GL8 minivan, a best-seller in China, and the Chevrolet Equinox crossover. "We think clearly that market has shifted and the landscape has shifted … with the capability of the Chinese [automakers]," Barra said. But it has had to aggressively cut prices to compete against Chinese automakers such ay BYD, Nio and others. Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares earlier this year called Chinese automakers his company's "No.

Persons: Mary Barra, Jeff Kowalsky, we're, Barra, Paul Jacobson, GM wasn't, John Murphy, Michael Dunne, Dunne, Mark Fulthorpe, They'll, they've, Tesla, lockdowns, Elon Musk, Tingshu Wang, Reuters Tesla, Morgan Stanley, Adam Jonas, Musk, Junheng Li, Stellantis, Carlos Tavares, Zhu Jiangming, We've, We're, Ford, John Lawler, Lawler Organizations: General Motors Co, Bloomberg, Getty, General, GM, U.S, Chevrolet, SAIC, GM Pan, Asia Automotive Technology Center, Nurphoto, PSA Groupe, Chrysler, EVs, GM's, Buick, Wuling Motors, Motors, Bank of America Securities, China, Hummer, Durant Guild, America's, Detroit, P Global Mobility, Ford Motor, Tesla, Reuters, EV, Baidu, Warren Capital, Ford, Guangzhou Automobile Group, India & Asia, Lincoln, Lincoln Nautilus Locations: Detroit , Michigan, China, Barra, Beijing, Asia, Shanghai, Russia, India, Thailand, Australia, North America, South Korea, Brazil, Europe, GM's U.S, Qingdao, East China's Shandong, Indonesia, U.S, Nio, Greater China, South America

☆ Elon Musk is tightening his grip on Tesla
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Geoff Weiss | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Top Tesla exec Tom Zhu has been redeployed to China, Electrek reports. Several other top execs have left Elon Musk's company. Musk is consolidating power at Tesla as a vote over his $47 billion pay package looms. AdvertisementOne of Tesla's top executives has been reassigned to China in another sign that Elon Musk is tightening his grip on the electric carmaker. Prior to the move, Zhu had assumed more responsibilities at Tesla as Musk was increasingly occupied by X, according to Electrek.

Persons: Tom Zhu, —, Elon, Elon Musk —, Zhu, Musk, Zhu —, Tesla, Drew Baglino, Rohan Patel, That's Organizations: Elon Musk's, Service, China, X, Reuters, North, Business, Street Locations: China, Shanghai, Delaware

☆ Meet nuclear power's newest fans: data centers
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Daniel Geiger | Ellen Thomas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The deal illustrates data centers' new-found interest in nuclear power. Joe Dominguez, the CEO of Constellation, the nation's largest operator of nuclear plants, said in a March earnings call that powering data centers with nuclear energy was "kind of a perfect marriage." AdvertisementVistra, another nuclear owner, also indicated it was arranging data center deals for a nuclear plant it owns in Ohio and one in Texas. Greg Poulos, the executive director of a PJM watchdog group, said that "one of my highest priority, highest radar items" is how data centers could push costs onto consumers and also whether nuclear data centers deals could reduce grid reliability. Beyond the nuclear optionNot all data centers, of course, are seeking out nuclear power to seize their energy independence.

Persons: —, Wes Swenson, Swenson, Joe Dominguez, Jim Burke, Ralph La Rossa, La Rossa, Steve Helber, Burke, Dominguez, PJM, Michael Jacobs, Brian Janous, Greg Poulos, Poulos, Biden Organizations: Service, Susquehanna, Amazon, Business, US Energy Information Administration, Nuclear, Constellation, Public Service Enterprise Group, Microsoft, International Energy Agency, Dominion Energy, Talen Energy, Energy, Union of Concerned Locations: Pennsylvania, Salt Lake City, Ohio, Texas, New Jersey, Our, Jersey, Virginia, Chester , Va, Susquehanna, Chicago, New York City

☆ 3 biggest mistakes people make when trying to improve their gut health, according to a gastroenterologist
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Serafina Kenny | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewA gastroenterologist shared the three biggest mistakes people make when trying to take care of their gut health. So don't try to out-supplement a bad diet," Bulsiewicz said. "Have your healthy food, with lots of fiber and a diversity of plants, and then compliment that with supplements." But that isn't necessarily true — you could have eaten more of that food than your gut could handle, or most likely, it's because you don't have a healthy gut microbiome, Bulsiewicz said. Advertisement"The healthy foods that cause those symptoms are, in fact, the foods that you probably need the most" to increase gut microbiome diversity, Bulsiewicz said.

Persons: —, Will Bulsiewicz, ZOE, Bulsiewicz Organizations: Service, Business, BI

☆ There’s actually no such thing as vegetables. But here’s why you should eat them anyway
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Taylor Nicioli | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Carrots, beets and other vegetables that grow in the ground are actually the true roots of plants. While vegetables are really just the roots, stems and leaves of plants, experts don’t recommend eating just any roots, stems and leaves. “We know (vegetables) are healthy. It is important to eat a variety of vegetables since each one will have varying beneficial nutrients, she added. “If you introduce children to vegetables at a younger age … they’re more likely to eat vegetables throughout their lifespan and therefore decrease the risk of chronic disease.”

Persons: Steve Reiners, Tatiana Maksimova, Reiners, United States —, ” Reiners, “, ”, Sherri Stastny, Stastny, ” Stastny, … Organizations: CNN, Cornell University’s College of Agriculture, Life Sciences, Food Information, North Dakota State University Locations: United States

☆ The global synthetic drugs crisis has hit West Africa, where people are digging up human bones to make a drug called 'kush'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Cemeteries are bolstering their security measures because gravediggers are stealing human bones to make powerful synthetic drugs, local journalists told Business Insider. AdvertisementA vendor sells daily necessities at a market in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Feb. 21, 2024. Formaldehyde also has euphoric properties, says the National Library of Medicine, which explains why kush users could be raiding Freetown's cemeteries. JOHN WESSELS | Getty ImagesJalloh noted that the use of synthetic drugs was not unique to Sierra Leone. ReutersIn 2015, BI's Erin Brodwin covered the rise of these synthetic drugs, marketed as "spice," "K2," "black mamba," or "crazy clown."

Persons: —, Sierra, Julius Maada, Michael Cole, Sally Hayden, JOHN WESSELS, Cole, Mabinty Magdalene Kamar, Abdul Jalloh, HUGH KINSELLA CUNNINGHAM, Thomas Dixon, Jalloh, Salifu Kamara, kush, BI's Erin Brodwin, Brodwin, tranq Organizations: Service, Business, Xinhua News Agency, Getty, Anglia Ruskin University, The Irish Times, National Library of Medicine, Politico, Sierra, Sierra Leone Psychiatric Teaching Hospital, Police, Getty Images Local, Salone Times, BBC, Freetown Police Force, National Drug Agency, NPR, Guardian, Disease Control, Prevention, Reuters, Financial Times Locations: Freetown, African, Sierra Leone, West Africa, Mabinty, Waterloo , Sierra Leone, kush, New York City, New York, Kensington, North Philadelphia

☆ Corn hits 3-month high; soy, wheat climb on global crop weather woes
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Wheat futures hit a one-week high on renewed concerns over dry weather in Russia, the world's biggest wheat supplier. In Argentina, corn stunt disease spread by leaf-cutter insects and adverse weather prompted the Buenos Aires grains exchange to slash its estimate for Argentina's 2023/24 corn harvest by 3 millions metric tons to 46.5 tons. In wheat, Russia's IKAR agricultural consultancy cut its forecast for the country's crop to 91 million metric tons from 93 million tons and its wheat exports to 50.5 million metric tons from 52 million tons. Wheat futures jumped as weather forecasts showed the region getting virtually no rain in the coming two weeks. Managed money funds held a net short position in CBOT wheat futures at the beginning of 2024 because of a strong dollar and slow U.S. demand, Zuzolo said.

Persons: Jim Niewold, Susan Stroud, Mike Zuzolo, Nature, Zuzolo Organizations: Chicago Board of Trade, Global, Analytics Locations: Loda , Illinois, Brazil, Russia, Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul, Argentina, Buenos Aires, South America

☆ Trump’s bombardment of dishonesty: Fact-checking 32 of his false claims to Time
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Daniel Dale | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +43 min

We’re paying for close to 100% of NATO.”Facts First: Trump’s claim is false. They don’t pay their bills.”Facts First: Trump’s claim is false. (It rose to about $314 billion in 2020, Trump’s last full year in office.) Facts First: Trump’s claim is false. Facts First: Trump’s claim that “nobody died other than Ashli” is false.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, “, William Barr, Bill Barr, Barr, Bill, I’m, ”, it’s, Biden, Joe Biden, Tamar Hermann, Hermann, Bill Clinton, “ Trump, ” Trump, …, National Guard Trump, I’ve, George Floyd, Tim Walz, Walz, Paul —, –, Erwan, George Washington, “ don’t, they’re, Stoltenberg, Trump’s, Lagadec, Marc Lipsitch, Barack Obama, European Union won’t, Cortellessa, “ Moody’s, Moody’s, Mark Zandi, Zandi, ’ ” Zandi, Joe Biden’s, rioter Ashli Babbitt, Brian Sicknick, Sicknick, Trump’s ‘, patriotically, ‘, patriotically ’, ” Nancy Pelosi, Nancy Pelosi, “ Nancy Pelosi, Pelosi, Christopher Miller, Miller, Eric Cortellessa, Alvin Bragg’s, Bragg, Matthew Colangelo, Colangelo, Alvin Bragg, ” Cortellessa, Hillary Clinton, —, Roe, Wade, Kimberly Mutcherson, “ Donald Trump’s, Maya Manian, Mary Ziegler, Davis, Ziegler, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Roe should’ve, ’, Crime Biden, don’t, “ Biden, he’s, James Biden, Jeff Asher, Asher, It’s, ” “, ” Asher Organizations: Washington CNN, Time, Trump, NATO, Capitol, Trump’s, Trade Center, didn’t, World Trade Center, Department, ISIS, CNN, Democratic, White House, White, South Korea Trump, Pentagon’s Defense Manpower Data, Biden Administration, Congressional Research Service, Israel, Israeli Democracy Institute, National Guard, Minnesota Democratic Gov, Minnesota National Guard, Guard, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, Transatlantic, for Disease Control, World Bank, Washington Post, Harvard, Harvard’s, National, Trump -, of Health, Human Services, Strategic, Biden, U.S . International Trade Commission, European, Benz, Volkswagen, BMW, European Union, US, European Automobile Manufacturers ’ Association, Bloomberg Economics, US Capitol Police, Capitol Police, “, Republican, Democratic Rep, National Guardsmen, District of Columbia National Guard, Army, Capitol Police Board, Senate, Justice Department, Pulitzer Foundation, Pulitzer, New York Times, Electoral, Democrat, ” Rutgers Law, American University, university’s Health, University of California, ”, Customs, Border Protection, Crime, Manchurian, Republicans, FBI Locations: “, New York City, Saudi, Florida, al Qaeda, New York, Texas, Mexico, South Korea, Trump , South Korea, South, Korea, Israel, Washington, Trump , Minneapolis, Minneapolis, Trump, Minnesota, St, United States, Germany, Brussels, Belgium, Harvard University, China, EU, DC, Trump’s, ”, York, Manhattan, York’s, Russia, That’s

☆ China’s Xi is visiting Europe for the first time in five years – his goodwill tour will be an uphill struggle
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Major breakthroughs with China’s toughest critics will be hard to come by unless Xi is ready to make surprise concessions. And the trip could instead serve to underscore divisions – not only between Europe and China – but those within Europe that could play to China’s favor, analysts say. Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron visit a garden in Guangdong during Macron's state visit to China last April. Putin has said he plans to visit China this month, according to Russian state media. Xi may also look to highlight Chinese investments in both Belgrade and Budapest in a message to the rest of Europe.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Andrea Bocelli, –, Xi, China –, ”, Noah Barkin, Hungary –, Ursula von der Leyen, Emmanuel Macron, Von der Leyen, Olaf Scholz, Chong Ja Ian, “, Chong, Jacques Witt, China’s, Macron, Russia …, Wang Yiwei, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Aleksandar Vučić, Viktor Orban – Organizations: CNN, European Union, Ukraine, German Marshall Fund of, EU, “, National University of Singapore, Getty, Beijing’s Renmin University, NATO, Reuters, EV Locations: China, Italy, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Russia, “ China, Europe, Berlin, United States, Serbia, Hungary, Beijing, Paris, “ France, North America, Guangdong, Ukraine, Switzerland, Barkin, “, Belgrade, Budapest, Balkans, Balkan

☆ Scientists witnessed an orangutan treating his wounds with medicinal plants, showing human-like behavior
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Ellyn Lapointe | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

They believe it was caused by a neighboring male in what's known as a "long call battle," Laumer told Business Insider. Adult male orangutans like Rakus shout out "long calls" to attract females and let rival males know that this is their territory. Rakus may have unintentionally touched his leaf-mush-covered finger to his face, and instantly felt the pain-relieving properties of the plant, Laumer explained. But, because this is the first time this behavior has ever been observed in orangutans, scientists can't say for sure why or how Rakus did it. More alike than we are differentRakus's behavior reminds us a lot of our own behavior with medicinal plants, which could help us understand where our knack for medicinal treatment first evolved.

Persons: —, Caroline Schuppli, Isabelle Laumer, Laumer, Rakus, liana, Akar, Saidi, seng chye teo Organizations: Service, Institute of Animal, Business, Suaq Locations: Gunung Leuser, South Aceh, Indonesia, Gabon

☆ Oil Companies Expand Offshore Drilling, Pointing to Energy Needs
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Ivan Penn | More About Ivan Penn | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

About 80 miles southeast of Louisiana’s coast, 100,000 metric tons of steel floats in the Gulf of Mexico, an emblem of the hopes of oil and gas companies. This hulk of metal, a deepwater platform called Appomattox and owned by Shell, collects the oil and gas that rigs tap from reservoirs thousands of feet below the seafloor. But oil companies like Shell are betting that the world will need oil and gas for decades to come. To serve that demand, they are expanding offshore oil and gas drilling into deeper and deeper waters, especially here in the Gulf of Mexico. Offshore production, oil executives argue, is not only crucial to power cars, trucks and power plants but also better for the planet than drilling on land.

Organizations: Shell Locations: Louisiana’s, Gulf of Mexico, Appomattox

☆ China's top climate envoy is coming to the US this month as tensions over green tech run high
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

The US is trying to cut itself off from China's green tech like solar, EVs, and batteries. The moves could hit China's economy and risks slowing down the green transition. The US and China, as the world's largest polluters, are key to solving the climate crisis. Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest on the culture & business of sustainability — delivered weekly to your inbox. The US wants to protect its factories against competition from cheaper products, which, in turn, could hit China's economy and risk slowing down the green transition.

Persons: Liu Zhenmin, Biden Organizations: Service, Business Locations: China

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long sought relations with Saudi Arabia, home of Islam’s holiest sites, as the move could domino across the wider Muslim world. The first component includes a package of agreements between the US and Saudi Arabia, another component has the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, and a third component for a pathway to a Palestinian state. The subsequent Israeli assault on Gaza, which has left the enclave in ruins and killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, may have changed the parameters of the deal for Saudi Arabia, analysts say. However, there has been no indication that the Biden administration would opt to bypass Congress for the bilateral agreement with Saudi Arabia to pass. Saudi Arabia is rich in uranium deposits and has insisted on being able to enrich it domestically, which would be a first for an Arab state.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Matthew Miller, ” Miller, Antony Blinken, ”, Blinken, Prince Mohamed bin Salman, Netanyahu, Biden, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Israel, Lindsey Graham, ” Graham, Firas Maksad, “, Jamal Khashoggi, ” Maksad, Crown Prince, Karen Young, Edward J, Markey Organizations: CNN, State, Saudi, State Department, Abraham Accords, Israel, MBS, Saudi Foreign, Republican, Senate, Bahrain, Biden, Strategic Outreach, Middle East Institute, Washington DC, Congress, Washington Post, Crown, Columbia University’s Center, Global Energy, Neighboring United, Democratic, Nuclear Weapons, NATO Locations: Saudi Arabia, United States, Israel, Iran, Russia, China, Palestinian, Gaza, ”, Riyadh, Saudi, Washington, Turkey, “ Saudi Arabia, Emirates, Bahrain, U.S

☆ Orangutan observed treating wound using medicinal plant in world first
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Scientists working in Indonesia have observed an orangutan intentionally treating a wound on their face with a medicinal plant, the first time this behavior has been documented. ArmasThe team believe that Rakus intentionally used the plant to treat his wound as he applied it repeatedly in a process that researchers say took several minutes. “This possibly innovative behavior presents the first report of active wound management with a biological active plant in a great ape species,” she said. As for how Rakus would have learned how to treat a wound, one possibility is “accidental individual innovation,” said Laumer. Another possible explanation is that Rakus learned how to treat a wound from other orangutans in the area where he was born, said Laumer.

Persons: Kuning, Rakus, Isabelle Laumer, Armas, Laumer, ” Organizations: CNN, Max Planck, Animal Locations: Indonesia, Gunung Leuser

☆ A doctor says looking after your gut will take care of your brain and immune system, too. Here are 3 things he does himself, including 'gut gardening.'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Kim Schewitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewGrowing research on the trillions of microbes that make up what's known as our gut microbiome is changing the way we think about our bodies. The brain, immune system, and gut appear to be interconnected — suggesting taking care of our gut health is key to both physical and mental health. For instance, the gut microbiome helps to "train" our immune system to distinguish friend from foe to prevent chronic inflammation, Lyman told Business Insider. Related storiesLyman shared three things he does to cultivate a healthy gut microbiome for his mind and body with BI. Gut gardeningLyman finds it helpful to think of his gut microbiome as a garden that needs tending to.

Persons: —, Monty Lyman, Lyman, we've, Kinga Krzeminska, I've Organizations: Service, University of Oxford, Business, Stanford University

☆ Making the power grid 'smart' could save us all money and prevent blackouts. Chattanooga made the $280 million investment.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Chattanooga's utility built a $280 million smart grid, creating $2.7 billion in economic value. The local utility, called EPB of Chattanooga, spent $280 million to refurbish its power system with smart technologies to make a "smart grid." The traditional power grid carries electricity from a power plant to homes and commercial buildings. Smart grids can bring huge economic benefitsEven Congress knows the nation needs a smart grid. Though a smart grid requires a big up-front investment, it can save a lot of money down the line.

Persons: —, That's, Tiago Majuelos, Monika Skolimowska, Kevin Schneider, Schneider, Joshua Rhodes, David Wade, EPB, Wade, Taylor, David Swanson, We're Organizations: Infrastructure, Service, Chattanooga Smart, US Department of Energy, Wall Street, Getty, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, American Society of Civil Engineers, University of Texas, Department of Energy, C Electric Company, BI, Reuters, Nationwide Locations: Chattanooga , Tennessee, Chattanooga, Tennessee, EPB, California, Austin, Hamilton County, Palm Springs , California, Columbia, Southern California

The one person we know of so far who has tested positive for infection (a mild case) was a Texas dairy worker. Agricultural workers have always been an underprotected population for zoonotic diseases, including influenza viruses of animal origin. So far, bird flu testing of this cohort has been woefully inadequate. The exact number of dairy workers and other people who have so far been tested for H5N1 is not publicly available at the federal level. There is no excuse to continue only limited testing of this vulnerable population.

Persons: — Organizations: for Disease Control Locations: United States, Texas, slaughterhouses

☆ Stone Age Paleo diet was not rich in meat, scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —What did people in the Stone Age eat before the advent of farming around 10,000 years ago? Scientists analyzed chemical signatures preserved in bones and teeth belonging to at least seven different Iberomaurusians and found that plants, not meat, were their primary source of dietary protein. The evidence suggested that the Iberomaurusians consumed “fermentable starchy plants” such as wild cereals or acorns, according to the study. The work undermines the idea that a Stone Age diet was meat heavy — a rigid assumption perpetuated by present-day dietary trends like the Paleo diet. The transition to agriculture was a complex process that occurred at different times and proceeded at different rates, in different ways with different foods, in different places, Pobiner said.

Persons: Heiko Temming, ”, Zineb Moubtahij, Max Planck, Klervia Jaouen, ” Jaouen, Iberomaurusians, ” Moubtahij, —, Briana Pobiner, wasn’t, Jaouen, Pobiner, “ Organizations: CNN, Géosciences Environnement, Max Planck Institute, Stone, Smithsonian National Museum of Locations: what’s, Morocco, Cave, Géosciences Environnement Toulouse, France, Leipzig, Germany, Taforalt, Peru, Levant

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