DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Atomic Scientists Keep 'Doomsday Clock' as Close to Midnight as Ever
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

By Will DunhamWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Atomic scientists on Tuesday kept their "Doomsday Clock" set as close to midnight as ever before, citing Russia's actions on nuclear weapons amid its invasion of Ukraine, nuclear-armed Israel's Gaza war and worsening climate change as factors driving the risk of global catastrophe. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, as they did last year, set the clock at 90 seconds to midnight - the theoretical point of annihilation. Scientists set the clock based on "existential" risks to Earth and its people: nuclear threat, climate change, and disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence and new biotechnology. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists was founded in 1945 by scientists including Albert Einstein and J. Robert Oppenheimer. The clock was first unveiled during the Cold War tensions that followed World War Two.

Persons: Will Dunham WASHINGTON, Rachel Bronson, Bronson, Vladimir Putin's, Sergei Karaganov, Albert Einstein, J, Robert Oppenheimer, Will Dunham, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Atomic Scientists, Reuters, Hamas Locations: Ukraine, Chicago, Russia, United States, Belarus, Russian, Europe, Israel, Palestinian, Gaza

☆ A Watch Honoring an Explorer Joins His Son’s Antarctic Trip
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Victoria Gomelsky | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“It was very emotional.”The idea to run the marathon was Mr. Lecamp’s. When he invited Mr. Messner to join him in Antarctica, Mr. Lecamp insisted that they run the entire course together. Mr. Messner, an accomplished alpinist who scaled Mont Blanc in 2022 wearing a previous version of the 1858 Geosphere watch, was game. “I generally see life consisting of possibilities, and this was just another possibility to know my body a bit better,” Mr. Messner said. “I’m not always wearing a watch while mountaineering, but when running a marathon, it makes much more sense because time counts,” Mr. Messner said.

Persons: Messner, Arved Fuchs, ”, Lecamp’s, marathoner, Mr, Lecamp, . Messner, “ I’m, “ Locations: Swiss, Lake Baikal, Russia, Antarctica, Blanc

☆ A23a iceberg seen with striking arches and cavernous hollows as it floats away from Antarctica
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Erosion has carved huge arches and cavernous hollows into the world’s largest iceberg as it floats through the ocean away from Antarctica, spectacular new photos show. The A23a iceberg is being gradually eroded as it moves further north of Antarctica and encounters milder air and warmer ocean temperatures. A23a is currently the largest iceberg in the world. Richard Sidey/Eyos ExpeditionsThe iceberg is about 400 meters (1,312 feet) thick, and almost 4,000 square kilometers (1,544 square miles) in area. Last February, Antarctic sea ice reached its lowest extent since records began, at 691,000 square miles.

Persons: A23a, Ian Strachan, Richard Sidey, Amy Woodyatt Organizations: CNN, EYOS Expeditions, EYOS, Ronne, Eyos Locations: Antarctica, London, Weddell, Los Angeles

☆ How Much Ice Is Greenland Losing? Researchers Found an Answer.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Delger Erdenesanaa | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Greenland’s expansive ice sheet is known to be shrinking, especially since the 1990s, because of warming from climate change. It’s a fate shared by the Antarctic Ice Sheet as well as glaciers around the world. Now, a new study reveals that about 20 percent more of the Greenland ice sheet has disappeared than previous estimates show. The missing ice has been breaking and melting from the ends of glaciers around Greenland’s perimeter. “Almost every glacier in Greenland is retreating.

Persons: ”, Chad Greene Organizations: Antarctic, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Locations: Greenland’s, Greenland

☆ The world hasn't been this warm in 100,000 years
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-11 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Data from ancient ice cores and tree rings suggest the world hasn't been this warm in 100,000 years. But climate scientists who track these trends were still shocked by how high temperatures soared. Europe's Copernicus Climate Change Service made the official call this week. Carlo Buontempo, the service's director, said evidence suggests the world hasn't been this warm in 100,000 years, meaning no cities, farms, or other parts of modern society have ever endured this heat. AdvertisementBut the Copernicus climate scientists said that these weren't the only factors and that some required more research.

Persons: Carlo Buontempo, Buontempo, Copernicus, El Niño, Niño, Samantha Burgess, Burgess Organizations: Service, UN Locations: Business, Munich, Tonga, Paris

☆ ‘It’s game on’: The world’s largest iceberg is on the move. Scientists explain why it matters
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-06 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

"It's just astonishingly big and it's a reminder of how much risk we're at from sea level rise." "Antarctica has historically been quite a small contributor to sea level rise, but it is growing, and it is taking up a bigger and bigger share of the sea level rise that we see every year," he added. "So, it's a symbol of the growing dominance of Antarctica in the sea level rise equation." This temperature threshold is widely recognized as crucial because so-called tipping points become more likely beyond this level. Tipping points are thresholds at which small changes can lead to dramatic shifts in Earth's entire life support system.

Persons: Robbie Mallett, A23a, Mallett, Mallet, That's, Gail Whiteman, Taalas, Hollie Adams, NASA Modis Organizations: United Arab Emirates, Continent, University of College London, CNBC, United, NASA, World Meteorological Organization, University of Exeter, WMO, Expo, Bloomberg, Getty Images Bloomberg, Getty Locations: DUBAI, United Arab, Antarctica, New York City, United Arab Emirates, South Georgia, Dubai, COP28, Green

“Each decade since the 1990s has been warmer than the previous one and we see no immediate sign of this trend reversing,” its secretary-general, Petteri Taalas, said. Experts are divided about one of the most important metrics: The rate of warming. University of Pennsylvania climate scientist Michael Mann has argued warming has been steadily increasing since 1990, but isn't speeding up. He warned that such warming is fueling increasingly dangerous extreme weather events, coastal flooding and many other “disastrous” impacts. Glaciers in Papua, Indonesia are likely to disappear altogether within the next decade,” WMO said.

Persons: Petteri Taalas, James Hansen, Michael Mann, ” Mann, ” Organizations: United Arab Emirates, United Nations, World Meteorological Organization, WMO, NASA, Warming, University of Pennsylvania, ” WMO, AP Locations: DUBAI, United Arab, Dubai, Papua, Indonesia, “, Africa, Kenya, Kilimanjaro, Greenland, Antarctica

☆ The world's largest iceberg is now sailing away from Antarctica
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Sean Conlon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThe world's largest iceberg is now sailing away from AntarcticaRecent satellite images show an iceberg roughly three times the size of New York City floating past the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. According to the British Antarctic Survey, the berg named A23a is now likely to be swept along by the Antarctic Circumpolar Current into 'iceberg alley.' Once hosting a Soviet research station, A23a split from West Antarctica's Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf in 1986.

Persons: berg, A23a, Antarctica's Organizations: British Antarctic Survey, Antarctic, Ronne Ice Shelf Locations: Antarctica, New York City, Soviet

LONDON (AP) — Britain's polar research ship has crossed paths with the largest iceberg in the world — a “lucky” encounter that enabled scientists to collect seawater samples around the colossal berg as it drifts out of Antarctic waters, the British Antarctic Survey said Monday. It began drifting in recent months, and has now moved into the Southern Ocean, helped by wind and ocean currents. Scientists say it is now likely to be swept along into “iceberg alley” — a common route for icebergs to float toward the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia. What we don’t know is what difference particular icebergs, their scale, and their origins can make to that process," she said. The British Antarctic Survey said its findings will help improve understanding of how climate change is affecting the Southern Ocean and the organisms that live there.

Persons: Sir David Attenborough, London —, ”, Andrew Meijers, “, A23a hasn’t, berg, Laura Taylor Organizations: British Antarctic Survey Locations: Antarctica, New York City, London, Weddell, South Georgia, British

☆ Chinstrap penguins take thousands of 4-second naps a day so they can stay alert and guard their newborns around-the-clock, researchers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Christina Larson | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Chinstrap penguins take catnaps instead sleeping for a long period of time, researchers found. Chinstrap penguins in Antarctica need to guard their eggs and chicks around-the-clock in crowded, noisy colonies. Chinstrap penguins, named for the thin line of black facial feathers resembling a chinstrap, usually lay their eggs in pebble nests in November. For the first time, the scientists tracked the sleeping behavior of chinstrap penguins in an Antarctic breeding colony by attaching sensors that measure brain waves. "For these penguins, microsleeps have some restorative functions — if not, they could not endure," he said.

Persons: —, Niels Rattenborg, Max Planck, Chinstrap, King, King George Island, Won Young Lee, Paul, Antoine Libourel, Daniel Paranhos Zitterbart Organizations: Service, WASHINGTON, Max, Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Korean Polar Research, Neuroscience Research, of Lyon, Penguins, Oceanographic, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: Germany, King George, Antarctica, France, Massachusetts

☆ Clash Over Climate Tipping Points and Fossil Fuels’ Future at COP28
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Matthew Dalton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This year is the hottest on record, and evidence is growing that climate systems are hitting dangerous tipping points. That backdrop is intensifying a fight over the future of fossil fuels that is set to dominate the annual United Nations climate conference over the next two weeks. New studies have found that several tipping points—from a collapse of Atlantic Ocean currents to drying of the Amazon rainforest—could be passed sooner than anticipated, some around the middle of this century. Loss of much of the West Antarctic ice sheet may already be unavoidable. Global temperatures, meanwhile, set record highs this year, the U.N.’s World Meteorological Organization said Thursday.

Organizations: United Nations, Meteorological Organization Locations: United

☆ Extreme sleep behavior documented in cute Antarctic chinstrap penguins
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Guarding their nests is serious business for these medium-sized penguins, with predatory seabirds called brown skuas on the prowl. But this species, scientists said on Thursday, has devised an ingenious way of getting sufficient sleep without compromising vigilance. The researchers documented extreme sleep behavior in these flightless birds. "Penguins do not display any obvious negative consequence of sleep fragmentation," Libourel said. During incubation, skuas prey on penguin eggs, particularly on a colony's periphery.

Persons: chinstraps, ecophysiologist Paul, Antoine Libourel, Won Young Lee, George Island, Libourel, Lee, Will Dunham, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Lyon Neuroscience Research, Korea Polar Research, GPS, Penguins, Thomson Locations: Lyon, France, Korea, Incheon, Washington

WASHINGTON (AP) — It's a challenge for all new parents: Getting enough sleep while keeping a close eye on their newborns. For some penguins, it means thousands of mini-catnaps a day, researchers discovered. Chinstrap penguins in Antarctica need to guard their eggs and chicks around-the-clock in crowded, noisy colonies. These short “microsleeps,” totaling around 11 hours per day, appear to be enough to keep the parents going for weeks. “For these penguins, microsleeps have some restorative functions — if not, they could not endure,” he said.

Persons: —, ”, Niels Rattenborg, Max Planck, “, King, King George Island, Won Young Lee, Paul, Antoine Libourel, Daniel Paranhos Zitterbart Organizations: WASHINGTON, Max, Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Korean Polar Research, Neuroscience Research, of Lyon, “ Penguins, Oceanographic, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: Germany, King George, Antarctica, France, Massachusetts

☆ 7 things to know if you're visiting Hong Kong and want to experience the city like a local
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Faye Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

I was born and raised in Hong Kong. AdvertisementBorn and raised in Hong Kong, I've seen various quirks and unique behaviors that have become ingrained in the city's culture. Whether it's donning puffer jackets during mild winters or whipping out umbrellas when the sun is shining bright, there are certain things I only expect to see in Hong Kong. Here are seven things you can do to blend in like the locals in Hong Kong. Shouting out orders is essential when visiting dai pai dongs, or open-air food stalls in Hong Kong.

Persons: I've, —, it's, pai dongs, Lewis Tse, Dai pai dongs, siu, — it's, Hong Kongers, Yung Chi Wai Derek, cheung, Sham Organizations: Service, Hong Locations: Hong Kong, Canada, expats, Asia, Mong

☆ Stunning video shows Antarctic killer whales appearing to use icebergs as scratching posts, possibly to exfoliate their skin
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

National Geographic said it captured the first footage of killer whales rubbing up against an iceberg. AdvertisementOrcas living in the freezing waters of Antarctica have been captured in footage rubbing up against icebergs in what could be an innovative skincare technique. AdvertisementLike humans, whales and dolphins typically shed their skin continuously, and most of them have no problem doing this in warmer waters. The study found that some antarctic killer whales make an essentially nonstop, nearly 7,000-mile migration to warmer waters that takes six to eight weeks. While the reasons whales migrate remain a mystery, the study argued the evidence suggests "deferred skin molt could be the main driver of long-distance migration for antarctic killer whales."

Persons: —, Robert Pitman, Pitman, Andrew Trites Organizations: Service, National Geographic, Newsweek, Mammal, Oregon State, Mammal Institute, Pacific Northwest, Northern, Marine Mammal Research, University of British Locations: Antarctica, molting, Pacific, British Colombia, Canada, University of British Columbia

One of World's Largest Icebergs Drifting Beyond Antarctic Waters After It Was Grounded for 3 DecadesThe British Antarctic Survey says that one of the world’s largest icebergs is drifting beyond Antarctic waters after being grounded for more than three decades

Organizations: British Antarctic Survey

☆ The world's biggest iceberg is on the move after 37 years, and it could threaten wildlife
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A23a, the world's biggest iceberg, is on the move 37 years after it broke off from Antarctica. Scientists will keep a close eye on it as it could threaten wildlife near South Georgia Island. AdvertisementThe world's biggest iceberg, covering about 1,500 square miles, is on the move. NASA WorldviewA23a lost its title of world's biggest iceberg in May 2021, but jumped ahead once again in October 2022, when the previous record-holder, A76, broke into three pieces, per the Guinness World Records website. A gentoo penguin with a newborn chick South Georgia.

Persons: —, A23a, Andrew Fleming Organizations: Ocean, Service, BBC, British Antarctic Survey, NASA, Records, Getty Locations: Antarctica, South Georgia, Weddell, Soviet, Georgia

☆ World’s biggest iceberg is on the move
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Amy Woodyatt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

London CNN —The world’s biggest iceberg – more than twice the size of Britain’s capital city - is on the move after decades of being grounded on the seafloor in Antarctica. The huge mass of ice broke away from the Filchner-Ronne ice shelf in 1986, calved and grounded on the Antarctic’s Weddell Sea floor almost immediately. The iceberg, named A23a, is about 400 meters (1,312 feet) thick, and almost 4,000 square kilometers (1,544 square miles) in area. Greater London, by way of comparison, is 1,572 square kilometers (607 square miles). The iceberg, carried by ocean currents, will likely head eastward, and at its current rate is traveling five kilometers (three miles) a day.

Persons: Ella Gilbert, Oliver Marsh, A23a, Gilbert, Marsh Organizations: London CNN, Ronne, British Antarctic Survey, CNN Locations: Antarctica, Weddell, Greater London

[1/2] A satellite imagery of the world's largest iceberg, named A23a, seen in Antarctica, November 15, 2023. Courtesy of European Union/Copernicus Sentinel-3/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsNov 24 - The world's largest iceberg is on the move for the first time in more than three decades, scientists said on Friday. At almost 4,000 square km (1,500 square miles), the Antarctic iceberg called A23a is roughly three times the size of New York City. This will funnel it toward the Southern Ocean on a path known as "iceberg alley" where others of its kind can be found bobbing in dark waters. "Over time it's probably just thinned slightly and got that little bit of extra buoyancy that's allowed it to lift off the ocean floor and get pushed by ocean currents," said Marsh.

Persons: berg, Oliver Marsh, it's, Gloria Dickie, Olga Vyshnevska, William Maclean Organizations: European, Copernicus, REUTERS Acquire, Antarctica's, Ronne Ice Shelf, British Antarctic Survey, Antarctic, Thomson Locations: Antarctica, New York City, Soviet, Weddell, A23a, South Georgia, South Africa, London

☆ 9 passenger airliners that have landed on Antarctica's rugged runways made out of blue ice
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

These planes land on rugged, unpaved runways mostly made of blue ice and compacted snow. PrivatAir's Boeing 737 and Smartwings' Boeing 737 MAXA Smartwings 737 MAX on Antarctica in January 2022. It was the first time the jet type landed on one of the continent's blue ice runways. Another Loftleider 757 is set to ferry Antarctic Ice Marathon runners to Union Glacier this December. Loftleider Icelandic Airlines' and Titan Airways Boeing 767Titan Airways' Boeing 767 on Antarctica.

Persons: —, George Hubert Wilkins, Glenn Jacobson, PrivatAir, NPI, Tim Hewette, Troll, Fang, Patrick Woodhead Organizations: Atlantic Airways, Boeing, Service, Lockheed Vega, Airbus, Australian Antarctic, Australian, Skytraders, Australian Antarctic Program, McMurdo, AAP, Norwegian Polar Institute, Swiss, NPI, Boeing's, Airlines, Titan Airways, Antarctic Logistics, Expeditions, Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions, Antarctic Ice, Russian Antarctic, Titan Airways Boeing, Norse Atlantic Airways, Emirates, White Desert Locations: Antarctica, Skytraders, Christchurch , New Zealand, Hobart, Australia's, Tasmania, Cape Town , South Africa, Czech, Chile, Russian, NPI, Norway, Cape Town, Russia's

☆ Fact Check: Map featuring Antarctica ‘ice wall’ is an art forum creation
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A video of a map depicting Earth’s continents surrounded by an Antarctic “ice wall” is a creative interpretation from an online art forum. The image shows a map of Earth where the planet’s continents are labelled but structured differently, centered in the middle of a flat Earth, with Antarctica forming an ice ring around them. The map depicts unknown lands sandwiched between the first ice wall and a second, further ice wall. Reuters has previously addressed false claims that misinterpret maps to further the flat Earth conspiracy theory. It is not evidence of a flat Earth.

Persons: “ worldbuilding, Read Organizations: Antarctic, Facebook, YouTube, NASA, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Antarctica

The lawsuit is one of several that have been brought by groups of copyright owners, including authors John Grisham, George R.R. Martin and Jonathan Franzen, against OpenAI and other tech companies over the alleged misuse of their work to train AI systems. Sancton's complaint is the first author lawsuit against OpenAI to also name Microsoft as a defendant. "While OpenAI and Microsoft refuse to pay nonfiction authors, their AI platform is worth a fortune," Sancton's attorney Justin Nelson said in a statement. The complaint also said that Microsoft has been "deeply involved" in training and developing the models and is also liable for copyright infringement.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, OpenAI, Julian Sancton, John Grisham, George R.R, Martin, Jonathan Franzen, Justin Nelson, Sancton, Blake Brittain, David Bario, Aurora Ellis Organizations: REUTERS, Microsoft, Hollywood, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, Washington

☆ Scientists said the ozone hole was recovering. That good news was premature, one study claims
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Angela Dewan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

But in a new study published Tuesday, some scientists claim it may not be recovering at all, and that the hole may even be expanding. In a paper, published by Nature Communications, they found that ozone levels have reduced by 26% since 2004 at the core of the hole in the Antarctic springtime. They used historical data to compare that behavior and changing ozone levels, and to measure signs of ozone recovery. “Altogether, our findings reveal the recent, large ozone holes may not be caused just by CFCs,” Kessenich said. “Those events have been shown to have strongly decreased the ozone hole size,” he said, “so including those events would probably have nullified any long-term negative trend.”

Persons: ”, Hannah Kessenich, didn’t, ” Kessenich, —, Martin Jucker Organizations: CNN, Nature Communications, University of Otago, University of New, Science Media Center Locations: UN, Montreal, New Zealand, El, Southern, University of New South Wales, Australia

☆ UN Chief, Chile's Boric to Visit Antarctica Before COP28 Climate Summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres will travel to Antarctica this week with Chilean President Gabriel Boric to observe the impact of rising temperatures caused by climate change on the continent, he said on Monday. "Scorching temperatures mean Antarctic ice is melting ever-faster, with deadly consequences for people around the world," Guterres told reporters. Guterres and Boric will be in Antarctica from Wednesday to Saturday, subject to weather conditions, the U.N. communications office in Chile said. Boric traveled to Antarctica previously this year, and has invited other leaders such as Chinese President Xi Jinping to do the same. (Reporting by Natalia Ramos in Santiago; Additional reporting by Michelle Nichols at the United Nations; Writing by Kylie Madry; editing by Grant McCool)

Persons: General Antonio Guterres, Gabriel Boric, Guterres, Collins, Nelson, Stephane Dujarric, Boric, Xi Jinping, Natalia Ramos, Michelle Nichols, Kylie Madry, Grant McCool Organizations: United Nations, Chilean Air Force Locations: SANTIAGO, Antarctica, Chile, Dubai, Paris, Santiago

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that melting glaciers are an “unprecedented challenge for humanity” and urged world leaders to work together on halting the devastating effects of climate change. The world, Macron said, is witnessing “the collapse of the cryosphere under the impact of climate change,” referring to parts of the Earth where water is in solid form, including glaciers. “The most immediate and visible effect is the melting of the ice caps ... it represents an unprecedented challenge for humanity,” Macron said. The Artic is rapidly losing sea ice as global warming causes the ice to weaken and disappear. The frozen Antarctic has also seen dramatic ice sheet melt, disappearing glaciers and unusually high temperatures as the world heats up.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, ”, Macron, ” Macron, It’s Organizations: PARIS, —, Paris Peace Locations: Ukraine, Israel, Paris, China, Russia

Search resuls for: "Antarctic

25 mentions found