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☆ There is a ‘gravity hole’ in the Indian Ocean, and scientists now think they know why
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —There is a “gravity hole” in the Indian Ocean — a spot where Earth’s gravitational pull is weaker, its mass is lower than normal, and the sea level dips by over 328 feet (100 meters). The “gravity hole” in the Indian Ocean — officially called the Indian Ocean geoid low — is the lowest point in that geoid and its biggest gravitational anomaly, forming a circular depression that starts just off India’s southern tip and covers about 1.2 million square miles (3 million square kilometers). In six of the scenarios, a geoid low similar to the one in the Indian Ocean formed. The future of the geoid lowThe geoid low formed around 20 million years ago, according to the team’s calculation. Past research only simulated the descent of cold material across the mantle, rather than including hot rising mantle plumes as well.

Persons: ”, Attreyee Ghosh, Ghosh, Felix Andries Vening Meinesz, hasn’t, ” Ghosh, ” Huw Davies, ” Davies, Alessandro Forte, Forte Organizations: CNN, Indian Institute of Science, Research, Earth Sciences, of Earth, Environmental Sciences, Cardiff University, University of Florida Locations: Bengaluru, India, Dutch, Asia, Gainesville, Réunion, Africa, Eurasia

☆ ‘Underground climate change’ is deforming the ground beneath buildings, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —A phenomenon that scientists have called “underground climate change” is deforming the ground beneath cities, a study conducted in Chicago has found. Technically known as “subsurface heat islands,” underground climate change is the warming of the ground under our feet, caused by heat released by buildings and subterranean transportation such as subway systems. “Deformations caused by underground climate change are relatively small in magnitude, but they continuously develop,” he said. “Calling it climate change seems like a bit of a coattail thing,” Archer, who was not involved with the study, said. The term “underground climate change,” however, was not coined for this study — it has been in use, and the phenomenon a subject of research, for some time.

Persons: ”, Alessandro Rotta Loria, Rotta Loria, David Archer, ” Archer, Rotta, Bruce Leighty, David Toll Organizations: CNN, Northwestern University, University of Chicago, “, Communications Engineering, Chicago, Institute of Hazard, Durham University Locations: Chicago, Evanston , Illinois, Grant Park, Lake Michigan, United Kingdom

☆ These ancient Egyptian paintings were hiding a secret
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.CNN —Researchers using a cutting-edge technique have discovered hidden details in two ancient Egyptian paintings in the Theban Necropolis, near the River Nile, that date back more than 3,000 years. Using portable chemical imaging technology, the researchers identified alterations made by the artists that are rare in Egyptian paintings, commonly thought to be the product of highly formalized workflows. We want to understand how these paintings were made.”X-ray fluorescence in chemical imaging technology helps to reveal alterations made in Egyptian tomb paintings that may not seem obvious to the naked eye. “It demonstrates the potential value of quantitative data, obtained through scientific analysis, for a more comprehensive and less subjective interpretation of ancient Egyptian art,” she said. “And the adaption of portable (X-ray) instruments as mobile devices designed for use in the field is a very exciting advancement in the study of ancient Egyptian wall paintings.”

Persons: ”, Philippe Martinez, Amenhotep III, Mona Lisa of Egypt, ” Martinez, “, Menna, Osiris, Ramesses II, Martinez, I’m, ” Joann Fletcher, Lorelei Corcoran Organizations: CNN —, Sorbonne University, MAFTO, UK’s University of York, of Egyptian Art, University of Memphis Locations: Paris, Egypt, Menna, Luxor, Tennessee

☆ This millionaire is selling his private jet -- out of concern for the environment
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Amid these concerns, one private jet owner has decided to scale back. In line with Prince’s thoughts, the Institute for Policy Studies report advocates for higher taxes on both private jet sales and fuel. They also call for the federal jet fuel tax to be doubled from $0.219 per gallon to $0.438 per gallon for the most frequent private jet users. We should have very high taxes, [usage] taxes and fuel taxes that discourage private jet owners.”Collins adds that the construction of private aviation infrastructure should stop altogether, as this form of transportation should be phased out. In April, Schiphol airport in Amsterdam announced it is considering banning private jets from its grounds altogether.

Persons: What’s, Stephen Prince, “ I’ve, It’s, I’m, ”, Joan Valls, Shutterstock There’s, he’s, who’s, “, it’s, ” Prince, we’re, George Rose, Elon, ” Chuck Collins, ” Collins, That’s, Collins Organizations: CNN, US Institute for Policy Studies, Federal Aviation Administration, Patriotic, Cessna, Prince, TSA, Institute for Policy Studies, “ Locations: Nebraska, Boston, Europe, France, Ireland, Schiphol, Amsterdam

☆ Why killer whales won’t stop ramming boats in Spain
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

The reason why certain whales are taking such a forward interest in boats is still unclear, but experts have a couple of theories. A pod of killer whales (Orcinus orca) swims together in the Strait of Gibraltar in August. The encounter usually ends once the killer whales break the rudder or the boat comes to a complete stop. “The official recommendation is not to do anything at all, turn off the engine or lower the sails and be as uninteresting to the killer whales as possible. “But this very vulnerable little population of killer whales depends on our love for them.

Persons: Daniel Kriz, “, ”, Kriz, ” Kriz, Africa —, Skipper Daniel Kriz, Mónica, González, Champagne, ” González, Alfredo López Fernandez, López Fernandez, Gladis, Worryingly, we’ve, ” López Fernandez, Hanne Strager, Jorge Guerrero, it’s, Strager, ” Strager, “ I’ve, I’ve, “ they’ve, Don’t Organizations: CNN, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, International Union for, Nature, University of Aveiro, Getty Locations: Gibraltar, Europe, Africa, orcas, Strait, Spain, Portugal, Barbate, AFP, “, Pacific Northwest

☆ Fact Check-No evidence Italian PM Giorgia Meloni launched ‘Family Pride’ month
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

There is no evidence Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni replaced or countered LGBTQ Pride celebrations with Family Pride month, despite contrary claims spreading online. Reuters found no evidence that Meloni’s government either announced or launched a Family Pride month, nor a Family Pride month that counters or replaces LGBTQ Pride. One Facebook user who shared a photo of a rally on June 6 said it was taken from the launch of Family Pride month in May in Rome (here). He added to Reuters in an email: “A possible ‘Family Pride’ month is not a priority and is not something we currently have interest in.”VERDICTNo evidence. There is no proof Meloni’s government launched a Family Pride month.

Persons: Giorgia Meloni, Meloni, Mario Mieli, Mario, ” Mario Colamarino, Jacopo Coghe, “, Read Organizations: Facebook, Twitter, Reuters, Lazio, Pro Vita Locations: Italian, Italy, Rome, Lazio, Circolo

☆ Inside SETI’s E.T. transmission test
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Deblina Chakraborty | Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, shown here, played a key role in SETI's test by sending a message to Earth on May 24. The Allen Telescope Array in Northern California is one of three observatories that picked up the transmission. But the event also correctly simulates the fact that it wouldn’t be SETI’s role to decipher the message, just to point out its reception. However, neither SETI nor any other organization on Earth has yet picked up any intelligent signal from the stars. He composed an interstellar radio message that was sent in 1974.

Persons: It’s, ”, Daniela de Paulis, “, Seth Shostak, ” de Paulis, Wael Farah, “ It’s, Jodie Foster, ” Farrah, Frank Drake, —, Neil Hall, Drake, , Neill Sanders, they’ve Organizations: CNN, SETI, Green Bank, Medicina, Orbiter, ESA, Allen, NASA, SETI Institute, Reuters, Arecibo Locations: Northern California, West Virginia, Bologna, Italy, American, Puerto Rico, Arecibo, British

☆ Why an empty sand plot in Dubai sold for a record $34M
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The sale – for 125 million dirhams (AED) – marks a whopping 242% gain over his original purchase price of 36.5 million AED, or just under $10 million, in 2021. Jumeirah Bay Island is also home to plenty of sandy beaches and a marina for dozens of yachts, high-end restaurants, a gym and a spa center. Jumeirah Bay Island, on the other hand, is much smaller at just 0.22 square miles, and is considered more exclusive. Current listings show an empty plot for sale on Jumeirah Bay Island for 90 million AED, or about $24.5 million. A three-bedroom, four-bathroom apartment in the Bulgari complex on the island is being offered for 60 million AED, or about $16.3 million.

☆ The hat: Mathematicians invent 'einstein' tile that never repeats
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Called “The hat” because it vaguely resembles a fedora, the elusive shape is an “einstein” (from the German “ein stein,” or “one stone”). “I’m not really into math, to be honest — I did it at school, but I didn’t excel in it,” Smith said. “The hat,” however, is an aperiodic tile, meaning it can still completely cover a surface without any gaps, but you can never identify any cluster that periodically repeats itself to do so. How ‘The hat’ worksThere’s nothing inherently magical about “The hat,” according to Kaplan. “We’re not trying to protect it in any way,” Kaplan said.

☆ The people who live inside airplanes
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —After losing her house to a fire, Jo Ann Ussery had a peculiar idea: to live in an airplane. She bought an old Boeing 727 that was destined for the scrapyard, had it shipped to a plot of land she already owned, and spent six months renovating, doing most of the work by herself. By the end, she had a fully functional home, with over 1,500 square feet of living space, three bedrooms, two bathrooms and even a hot tub – where the cockpit used to be. Although she wasn’t the first person to ever live in an airplane, her flawless execution of the project had an inspirational effect. Maybe the worst choice for a home.”As a result, Campbell had to work on the plane for a couple of years before being able to live in it.

Persons: Jo Ann Ussery, Ussery, Benoit , Mississippi –, Bruce Campbell, Jo, ”, Campbell, “, Jo Ann’s, Scotty, That’s, Aristotle Onassis, he’s, Joe Axline, Axline, “ I’ve, I’ve, ” Axline, Howard Hughes, Dave Drimmer, Nashville Hall of Famer Red Lane, Lane, Jumbo, “ You’ve, there’ll, Bruce Campbell’s Organizations: CNN, Boeing, Olympic Airways, Florida Air Museum, Nashville Hall of Famer, Airport Locations: Benoit , Mississippi, Hillsboro , Oregon, Mongolia, Greece, Miyazaki, Japan, Brookshire , Texas, Stockholm's Arlanda, Florida, American, Costa Rica, Costa Verde, Sweden, Stockholm’s Arlanda, England, London

☆ Why the energy transition is so tough for Africa: 600 million people still have no access to power
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Ahead of COP 27, CNN’s Eleni Giokos discussed this and other topics at Africa Energy Week in Cape Town, with Verner Ayukegba, Senior Vice President of the African Energy Chamber, which works with businesses in the continent and promotes energy growth. At the African Energy Chamber, we have decided to champion making energy poverty history by 2030. We need to make sure that we solve, of course, the climate issues, but also the power issues. What we are saying, however, is that you can’t transition in Limpopo [South Africa] in the same way you transition in New York. For anybody who has a constituency with 600 million people without power, you need to talk differently about these issues.

☆ How an ‘electronic nose’ could help fight wildfires
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Preventing even a fraction of wildfires from developing would have sweeping benefits. Climate change is making wildfires more intense, and the number of extreme wildfire events is projected to increase up to 14% by 2030. Existing early warning systems are based on visual detection of smoke, either through satellite imaging, cameras on the ground or human observers. Placed at the edge of the forest, these gateway sensors transmit the emergency signals to the internet over satellite and 4G. This detection time was phenomenal and showed how much potential the Dryad system has,” he adds.

A trove of bronze statues that archeologists say could rewrite the history of Italy's transition to the Roman Empire have been discovered in an ancient Tuscan thermal spring. The more than 20 bronze statues dating back over 2,000 years are being hailed as one of the most important archaeological discoveries in the region. The bronze statues are more than 2,000 years old and mostly in excellent condition. The figures represent gods, including Apollo and Hygieia, complete with anatomical details, suggesting the site was of great significance to ancient Etruscans. The find is considered to be the most important to antiquities since the discovery of the Riace Warriors, rare full-sized Greek bronze statues found in southern Italy in 1972.

☆ 'Exceptional' discovery as ancient bronze statues emerge in Tuscany
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Alvise Armellini | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/7] People work at the site where 2,300-year-old bronze statues have been discovered, in San Casciano dei Bagni, Italy, in this handout photo obtained by Reuters on November 8, 2022. Ministero della Cultura/Handout via REUTERSROME, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Archaeologists in Italy have found more than two dozen beautifully preserved bronze statues dating back to ancient Roman times in thermal baths in Tuscany, in what experts are hailing as an "exceptional" discovery. The statues were found over the last two weeks in San Casciano dei Bagni, a hilltop town about 160 kilometres (100 miles) north of Rome where archaeologists have been exploring ancient ruins for the last three years. "This is an exceptional discovery which confirms once again that Italy is a country of immense and unique treasures," he said in a statement. According to ANSA, which first reported on the discovery, the statues have been taken to a restoration laboratory in Grosseto, another town in Tuscany, but will eventually be returned to San Casciano dei Bagni to be displayed in a new museum.

CNN —In Nelson Mandela Bay, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, thousands of hectares of land could one day become the world’s largest green ammonia plant. But by using renewable energy, “green” ammonia can be manufactured, slashing the carbon footprint of agricultural production and opening up the compound to further uses. ‘A completely green process’The process to make green ammonia is quite simple, Loubser says, requiring just water, air and energy. But green ammonia could also be burned in existing coal-fired power plants to quickly reduce their CO2 emissions, the study notes, or in plants customized to run entirely on ammonia. And many of the systems that will make use of green ammonia – including ship engines – are still under development, which is why production levels are low at the moment.

☆ The climate crisis has world leaders rethinking nuclear power
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-18 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Climate change and Russia's invasion of Ukraine has world leaders looking again at nuclear power. Gavin Newsom's plan to keep a nuclear power plant open points to a trend. Nuclear power doesn't emit greenhouse gases and provides 10% of global electricity. Gavin Newsom wants to extend the life of a nuclear plant that was slated to close by 2025. The race to combat the climate crisis and shore up energy supplies after Russia's invasion of Ukraine is pushing policymakers to reconsider nuclear power.

☆ X-59: NASA’s ‘quiet’ supersonic plane revealed
▼ + stars: | 2022-07-25 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —If you’ve heard a sonic boom recently, you probably remember it. Now, NASA is working to change those regulations by transforming the boom into a “thump,” paving the way for a new generation of quieter supersonic aircraft. It’s set to take off for the first time later this year, ahead of its first quiet supersonic flight. “It will be significantly quieter than Concorde or any other supersonic aircraft that exist today,” Craig Nickol, senior adviser at NASA Headquarters, told CNN in 2022. However, it’s doubtful that any of them will be able to take advantage of the findings of the Quesst program, which will likely inform the next generation of supersonic aircraft.

Persons: you’ve, Lockheed Martin, It’s, ”, Pam Melroy, ” Craig Nickol, “, ” Nickol, Lockheed Martin Skunk, Christine Groening, there’s Organizations: CNN, Concorde, NASA, Mach, Lockheed, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, “, Armstrong Flight Research, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, Oklahoma City, US Federal Aviation Administration Locations: Palmdale , California, coalescing, Edwards , California, Oklahoma, New York, Los Angeles

☆ Confessions of a 1980s flight attendant
▼ + stars: | 2022-06-09 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

American Airlines Kids' meals: American Airlines' inflight menu included burger options for children. American Airlines Douglas DC-6: American Airlines was the first carrier to introduce the Douglas DC-6 plane, back in 1947. American Airlines American Airlines Douglas DC-7: International flights were a man's world when the Douglas CD-7 was introduced in 1953. American Airlines Royal Coachman: In the early 1960s, American Airlines' Royal Coachman menu included beef consommé, sauteed breast of chicken in wine and a fruit tartlet. Singapore Airlines Singapore Airlines: Flying was still glamorous in the 1980s on the Business Class upper deck.

☆ There's a shortage of truckers, but TuSimple thinks it has a solution: no driver needed
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-14 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

One solution to the problem is autonomous trucks, and several companies are in a race to be the first to launch one. The journey was completed in 14 hours versus the usual 24 with a human driver, mostly because a truck doesn't need to sleep. Its plans are dependent on state legislation, however, because currently some states do not allow for testing of autonomous trucks on public roads. According to Lu, that's still cheaper than paying for a human driver. But you're saving the cost of a human driver, which based on average US wages is about $80,000 to $120,000 per year -- or 80 cents to $1.20 per mile.

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