Engaging in discussions about diet and nutrition can often lead to passionate arguments, as I discovered when unintentionally becoming the focal point of a debate surrounding supermarket bread.
It all started with my opinion piece on “ultra-processed foods,” or UPF. For those unfamiliar, this term refers to foods that undergo industrial processes difficult to replicate at home. Examples include sweetened drinks, prepackaged foods, and supermarket bread. In the UK, approximately 50% of our caloric intake comes from UPF sources.
So, what makes UPF detrimental to our health?
Firstly, UPFs tend to be low in protein and fiber due to extensive processing, making them easily digestible and calorically dense. Secondly, the flavor is often diminished in UPFs, leading to high levels of sugar, salt, and fat being added for taste. Lastly, some argue that the processing involved in UPFs is inherently harmful, although the evidence supporting this claim is inconclusive.
A recent meta-analysis published in the British Medical Journal linked excessive UPF consumption to various health issues across different categories.
The ambiguity surrounding the UPF concept bothers me, as it encompasses a wide range of foods from highly processed items to minimally processed options like supermarket bread. Despite the negative connotations associated with UPFs, supermarket bread, a major source of UPF calories, still provides sustenance for many households.
The accessibility and affordability of supermarket bread make it a staple for individuals facing food insecurity. While premium bread offers unique qualities, such as lactobacterial fermentation, evidence supporting health benefits is growing.
An interview with Dr. Chris Van Tulleken highlighted the differences between traditional and supermarket bread, emphasizing the higher salt and sugar content in the latter. A rational discussion is essential to address the prevalence of UPFs, acknowledging the diverse preferences and circumstances of consumers.
In conclusion, while premium bread may offer distinct advantages, stigmatizing those who rely on supermarket bread is unjust. It is crucial to engage in constructive dialogues regarding our food choices without condemning individuals based on their bread preferences.
Dealing with back pain can make daily activities uncomfortable, and finding relief can be a challenge. However, researchers suggest a simple solution that could help alleviate back pain and extend the time between episodes.
According to studies, over 600 million people worldwide experience back pain, with 7 out of 10 individuals facing a relapse within a year after initial recovery. Back pain is considered a major cause of disability globally. A study conducted by the Spine Pain Research Group at Macquarie University in Australia revealed that regular walking could be beneficial in treating back pain. This approach may be more practical than other recommended exercises, which could be costly or require supervision.
A recent study published in the Lancet journal involved 701 adults who had recovered from low back pain lasting at least 24 hours. Participants were divided into three groups: a personalized walking program, sessions with a physical therapist, or a control group receiving no treatment. The researchers monitored the participants for one to three years and found that those in the walking program experienced less activity-limiting back pain and reduced the need for medical assistance and time off work by half.
Moreover, the time between back pain incidents nearly doubled for those in the walking program. Dr. Mark Hancock, the senior author of the study, emphasized that walking is a cost-effective and accessible form of exercise that can benefit individuals of all backgrounds.
While some experts believe that walking can be beneficial for back pain, others argue that the study results may not provide conclusive evidence. Dr. Franziska Denk from King’s College London acknowledges the benefits of low-intensity exercise but highlights the importance of gradually incorporating physical activity to manage back pain.
Overall, walking is seen as a potentially helpful method for addressing back pain, but individuals should approach it with caution and patience to see long-term improvements.
Researchers at the University of Reading conducted a study where they secretly submitted exam answers generated by AI, tricking professors into giving higher grades than real students without their knowledge.
In this project, fake student identities were created to submit unedited responses generated by ChatGPT-4 in an online assessment for an undergraduate course.
University graders, unaware of the project, only flagged one out of 33 responses, with the AI-generated answers receiving scores higher than the students’ average.
The study revealed that AI technologies like ChatGPT are nearing the ability to pass the “Turing test”, a benchmark for human-like AI performance without detection.
Described as the “largest and most comprehensive blinded study of its kind,” the authors warn of potential implications for how universities evaluate students.
Dr. Peter Scarfe, an author and Associate Professor at the University of Reading, emphasized the importance of understanding AI’s impact on educational assessment integrity.
The study predicts that AI’s advancement could lead to increased challenges in maintaining academic integrity.
Experts foresee the end of take-home exams and unproctored classes as a result of this study.
Professor Karen Yun from the University of Birmingham highlighted how generative AI tools could facilitate undetectable cheating in exams.
The study suggests integrating AI-generated teaching materials into university assessments and fostering awareness of AI’s role in academic work.
Universities are exploring alternatives to take-home online exams to focus on real-life application of knowledge.
Concerns arise regarding potential “de-skilling” of students if AI is heavily relied upon in academic settings.
The authors ponder the ethics of using AI in their study and question if such utilization should be considered cheating.
A spokesman from the University of Reading affirmed that the research was conducted by humans.
As we welcome summer, the Northern Hemisphere is now experiencing longer daylight hours due to the 2024 summer solstice. This day has been celebrated for millennia, whether for religious reasons or simple festivities like barbecues. If you’re curious about the significance of this day, particularly at sites like Stonehenge, we have information to share.
When is the summer solstice in 2024?
The summer solstice in 2024 will occur on Thursday, June 20th at 9:51pm BST (4:50pm EDT New York time, 1:50pm PDT Los Angeles time). This precise astronomical moment marks the start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere when it faces the sun directly, resulting in the longest day of the year with the most hours of sunshine.
When are sunrise and sunset on the summer solstice?
On Thursday, June 20th, sunrise in London is at 4:43am BST, and sunset is at 9:21pm BST. Timings vary slightly depending on the location within the UK and the US.
Summer solstice sunrise times in New York City: 5:25 a.m. EDT.
Summer solstice sunset times in New York City: 8:31pm EDT.
Summer solstice sunrise times in Austin, Texas: 6:30 a.m. CDT.
Summer solstice sunset times in Austin, Texas: 8:36pm CDT.
Summer solstice sunrise times in Los Angeles: 5:42 a.m. PDT.
Summer solstice sunset times in Los Angeles: 8:08pm PDT.
Although the summer solstice is the longest day, it does not always have the earliest sunrise or latest sunset, which vary based on the latitude.
What is the Summer Solstice?
The summer solstice represents the moment when the Northern Hemisphere is most tilted towards the sun, resulting in the longest day of the year. This tilt of the Earth’s axis causes different seasons in the hemispheres, with the summer solstice marking peak summer in the Northern Hemisphere and peak winter in the Southern Hemisphere.
Due to the Earth’s tilt, sunlight falls directly on the Northern Hemisphere during the summer solstice. In the Southern Hemisphere, this marks the shortest day of the year, or winter solstice. – Image credit: Getty
Various celebrations of the summer solstice take place globally, with Stonehenge being a famous site for observing this phenomenon. People have gathered at this ancient stone circle to witness the sunrise aligning with the central altar stone, marking the arrival of summer.
Starting in the late Middle Ages, Swedes began the tradition of erecting a Midsummer pole and dancing around it. The custom of decorating the pole with flowers and greenery was called a “maja”, which also came to be called a Maypole. – Image credit: Getty
What is the difference between the equinox and the summer solstice?
While equinoxes mark the change of seasons when day and night are approximately equal, solstices like the summer solstice focus on sunlight. The summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere is the longest day of the year, contrasting with the winter solstice, which is the shortest day.
Do other planets have solstices?
Every planet in the solar system experiences solstices due to its axial tilt, with Earth’s tilt being more noticeable than other planets like Venus or Jupiter. The tilt of a planet’s axis affects its seasons, with Uranus being particularly tilted and experiencing extreme variations in sunlight.
Upcoming Summer Solstice Dates and Times, BST
2025: June 21, 3:42 AM
2026: June 21, 9:24 AM
2027: June 21, 3:10 p.m.
2028: June 20, 9:01 p.m.
2029: June 21, 2:48 AM
2030: June 21, 8:31 AM
About our experts
Darren Baskill is an Outreach Officer and Lecturer in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Sussex. She has a background in astrophotography and astronomy, bringing expertise to the study of celestial events like the summer solstice.
The number of girls studying computing GCSEs in England has more than halved in less than a decade, leading to warnings about “male dominance in shaping the modern world”.
The sharp fall in female participation comes as government changes to qualifications see the old Information and Communications Technology (ICT) GCSE abolished and replaced with a new Computer Science GCSE.
Government reforms aimed to create “more academically challenging and knowledge-based” qualifications, but the introduction of the new curriculum had the unintended consequence of reducing female enrolments, new research from King’s College London has found.
In 2015, 43% of ICT GCSE candidates were women, but in 2023, just 21% of those taking GCSE Computer Science were women.
To put the figures in perspective, 40,000 girls took ICT GCSEs and a further 5,000 took Computer Science in 2015. By 2023, with ICT no longer available, just 18,600 girls will have taken Computer Science.
When asked why, girls who chose not to study computer science said they didn’t enjoy it and that it didn’t fit into their career plans, the survey found.
Critics of the old ICT qualification complained that they only taught students how to use Microsoft Office. In contrast, the new Computer Science GCSE, with its emphasis on computer theory, coding and programming, is perceived by many students as “harder” than other subjects.
The study recognised that computer science GCSEs are here to stay, with 88,000 students taking the subject in 2023, and a four-fold increase in the number of A-level candidates between 2013 and 2023.
“However, these successes coincide with a general decline in computer and digital skills education at secondary school level, particularly affecting girls, certain ethnic groups and students from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds,” the report said.
The report included a series of recommendations calling for urgent curriculum reform, more support for computing teachers and “expanding the current narrative about computing to focus on more than just male tech entrepreneurs.”
“The lack of women in the computing industry could lead to increased vulnerability and male dominance in shaping the modern world,” the authors warned.
“There is an urgent need for action to encourage more girls to study computing at school so they can gain the digital skills they need to participate in and shape the world,” said Dr Peter Kemp, lead researcher on the study and senior lecturer in computing education at King’s College London.
“Current GCSEs focus on developing computer science and programming skills and this appears to be preventing young people, particularly girls, from taking up the subject. We need to ensure that computing is attractive to all pupils and meets the needs of young people and society.”
“All students should leave with the digital skills they need to succeed in the workplace and society,” says Pete Dolling, head of computing at Fulford School in York. “The curriculum needs to be reformed to include a comprehensive computing GCSE that provides essential skills and knowledge, going beyond just computer science.”
Maggie Philbin, OneThe technology broadcaster and director of TeenTech, which promotes digital skills, added: “At the moment many students consider the subject to be ‘difficult’ and will vote with their feet if they want to achieve the best results. It’s time to look at this subject with a fresh eye and work with teachers to design a curriculum that is more engaging and that teachers can be confident delivering.”
Introducing itself among the peculiar dinosaurs to ever roam the Earth, the latest addition dons stunning (albeit slightly risky) headgear that could compete with high-end fashion creations. Lociceratops rangiformis, a new dinosaur hailed as one of the largest and most ornate ceratopsians ever unearthed.
Standing out with never-before-seen features, this ceratopsian boasts gigantic, curved, blade-like horns on the underside of its frill, setting a record for the largest horns seen on a ceratopsian species.
With an asymmetrical spike in the middle of its frill and the absence of a nose horn, this dinosaur challenges the norms observed in other horned dinosaurs.
The name of the dinosaur, Lociceratops, pays homage to the Norse god Loki for the blade references and categorizes the creature as a ceratopsian. Unlike the well-known Triceratops, Lociceratops rangiformis roamed the Earth at least 12 million years before the Triceratops.
Named after the caribou ( Rangiformis), this new dinosaur bears significance due to its unique, asymmetrical spines reminiscent of a caribou or reindeer’s antlers.
Unearthed in 2019 in the badlands of northern Montana, USA, near the Canadian border, this ceratopsid survived more than 78 million years ago in the swamps and floodplains of modern-day mountains. Despite its imposing appearance with blade-like horns, it sustained as a herbivore, potentially falling prey to predators like the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Portraits of all four centrosaurine dinosaur species that coexisted in the Kennedy Coulee assemblage of northern Montana and southern Alberta. Lociceratops, at the top left, is identified by its large, curved horns and unique features. – Image courtesy of Fabrizio Lavezzi
Ceratopsians, evolving during the Late Cretaceous period around 92 million years ago, exhibited remarkable ornamental features and horn patterns. Lociceratops rangiformis belonged to a lineage of dinosaurs present on the island continent of Laramidia (present-day North America), evolving rapidly before the mass extinction of dinosaurs.
Describing the new discovery as an epitome of eccentricity in ceratopsian head ornaments, paleontologists, led by Joseph Sertich, emphasized how flashy displays contributed to the diverse ecosystem during the Cretaceous period. The recent fossil findings challenge the existing notions of dinosaur diversity, suggesting that five species of ceratopsian, including Lociceratops rangiformis, coexisted during this era.
Stonehenge, an ancient prehistoric temple in southern England, remains a fascinating mystery. Construction began around 5,000 years ago, but the purpose of this enigmatic site remains unknown as its builders left no written records.
Analysis has shown that the massive stones of Stonehenge were transported from distant quarries, some weighing over 20 tonnes.
The alignment of Stonehenge with the sun during the solstices is well-documented, but its potential connection with the moon has intrigued experts. Scholars are exploring whether Stonehenge was not only designed to align with the sun but also with the moon, a remarkable achievement for a society predating the invention of the wheel.
On June 21, 2024, experts are investigating the relationship between Stonehenge and the lunar cycles as a rare lunar standstill event unfolds.
Professor Michael Parker Pearson, a renowned expert in British prehistory, speculates that Stonehenge’s builders may have aimed to unify people, ancestors, land, and the cosmos by linking the movements of the sun and moon.
The lunar standstill, occurring once every 18.6 years, results in the moon reaching its most extreme northern and southern positions in the night sky. This phenomenon, unlike the annual solstices tied to the sun, creates a unique celestial display.
While Stonehenge’s alignment with the solstices is well-known, its relationship with the lunar cycles remains less understood. Research indicates that burials at Stonehenge predate the arrival of the large stones, and possible alignments suggest a connection with the lunar standstill phenomenon.
An ongoing study by experts from Oxford, Leicester, and Bournemouth universities aims to delve into the significance of the moon in Stonehenge’s construction, potentially reshaping our understanding of this ancient monument.
Experts like Professor Parker Pearson, Professor Ruggles, and Dr. Chadburn are at the forefront of unraveling the mysteries of Stonehenge and its celestial connections.
In the realm of crime-solving, Forensic Detective Genetic Genealogy (FIGG) has emerged as a powerful tool, ushered in by the guilty plea of Joseph James DeAngelo, also known as the Golden State Killer, nearly four years ago. DNA testing has long been used to match crimes to perpetrators, but when a suspect is lacking, FIGG steps in to fill the gap.
According to Dr. Tuli King, who spoke at the Cheltenham Science Festival, “With DNA databases, we can find people who are genetic relatives of DNA found at a crime scene.”
By creating family trees through DNA matches, police and experts are able to track down potential suspects, as was the case with DeAngelo, whose crimes in California during the 1970s and 1980s were solved with the help of DNA uploaded to consumer ancestry websites like GED Match.
Since then, over 500 cases have been solved using FIGG, showcasing the potential for DNA data to be a valuable tool in criminal investigations. However, concerns about ethical implications remain, with the importance of informed consent and privacy being emphasized by experts like Dr. King.
Where is this all leading?
Looking ahead, Dr. King believes FIGG will continue to play a crucial role in solving serious crimes, with the potential for DNA technology to be utilized in more innovative ways in the future. One intriguing possibility she discusses is the use of surnames and Y chromosome types in crime-solving scenarios.
While the link between surnames and genetic markers may provide valuable leads, Dr. King acknowledges the complexities and challenges of such an approach, highlighting the need for extensive databases and further research.
About our experts
Tuli King is a respected scientist in the field of genetic genealogy, known for her work in solving forensic DNA cases and exploring the relationship between Y chromosomes and British surnames. Her groundbreaking research has paved the way for new insights into the intersection of genetics and criminal investigations.
Many people believe that cutting a sandwich diagonally to create two triangles is the best way, but there isn’t solid scientific evidence to support this theory.
One explanation is that the triangular shape allows for the first two bites to be taken from a 45-degree corner, which has crust on only one side, giving quicker access to the center of the sandwich where the filling is most concentrated.
After biting into the corner, it’s recommended to eat 1-3 bites diagonally. This part will have no crust, and depending on the sandwich size, you may end up with an additional small triangle.
While each triangle eventually becomes a single 90-degree crust piece, cutting a sandwich into rectangles would result in two crust corners on each half instead of one.
Another reason for cutting sandwiches into triangles is that they are easier to eat: only kids and cartoon characters tend to take their first bite from the middle, resulting in a messy eating experience.
Beginning at one of the corners allows for a cleaner eating experience, and the 45-degree angle of the triangle maximizes the depth of each bite.
For those who want to extend this concept further, the sandwich can be cut into four triangles and eaten in three separate sessions.
This strategy is commonly used at children’s parties, although children often do not eat the 45-degree corner first. In such cases, cutting off the crust altogether may be a better option.
This article is a response to the question “What is the best way to cut a sandwich, scientifically speaking?” (asked by Jeremy Fry of Felixstowe).
If you have any questions, please send them to the email address below.For further information:or send us a messageFacebook,XorInstagramPage (be sure to include your name and location).
UltimateFun FactsFor more amazing science, check out this page.
When thinking of the menstrual cycle, most people consider only ovulation and menstruation. However, it is a much more complex process involving a network of hormones. Understanding these hormonal fluctuations is crucial for optimizing women’s athletic performance.
To fully comprehend this, we must acknowledge all the phases of the menstrual cycle.
Phases of the Menstrual Cycle
1. Menstruation
Menstruation is the first stage when you have your period. The duration varies among women, ranging from two days to seven to ten days.
On the first day of your period, your ovaries are signaled by your brain to prepare for ovulation by increasing follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), leading to the formation of follicles containing immature eggs.
2. Follicular phase
As FSH levels rise, the lining of the uterus starts to regenerate. This phase, known as the follicular or proliferative phase, sees an increase in estrogen released by the developing egg.
3. Ovulation
Elevated estrogen triggers a surge in luteinizing hormone (LH) to induce ovulation, releasing a mature egg from the dominant follicle. This ovulation phase lasts around 24 hours.
4. Luteal Phase
In the subsequent phase, the remaining follicle transforms into the corpus luteum, secreting progesterone and estrogen to maintain the uterus lining. If the egg is unfertilized, progesterone levels drop, leading to menstruation and restarting the cycle.
This cycle plays a crucial role in women’s athletic performance, influencing factors like strength, speed, and power. Understanding the impact of hormonal fluctuations is key to optimizing training and performance, preventing injuries, and enhancing recovery.
Research is ongoing to explore how the menstrual cycle affects sporting performance, with athletes monitoring their cycles to adapt training, recovery, and nutrition strategies accordingly. Recognizing the importance of the menstrual cycle in training women for sports is essential for maximizing performance.
As research progresses, a deeper understanding of the complexities and possibilities of the female body during these stages is emerging. It is crucial to continue investigating individual cycles and experiences to tailor approaches to each woman’s unique needs.
Feeling uncomfortably hot due to the soaring temperatures in the UK and the US heatwave is totally understandable. As humans evolved for tropical climates, working in such heat can be challenging. According to Professor Mike Tipton from the Extreme Environments Institute at the University of Portsmouth, our bodies were not designed for physical labor or office work in such hot conditions.
To stay cool during the heatwave, apart from the obvious tips like staying hydrated, seeking shade, and closing curtains, here are four science-backed techniques to help you beat the heat.
1. Cool your hands first, not your face
Cooling your face with a fan might seem instinctual, but immersing your hands in cold water for 15-20 minutes can be a more effective way to cool down. This method helps in dissipating heat from your body as your blood flows through your hands, providing quicker relief than cooling your face.
2. Avoid cold showers
Contrary to popular belief, taking cold showers is not the ideal way to cool down during extreme heat. Immersing too much of your body in cold water reduces blood circulation to the skin, hindering the cooling process. Opt for lukewarm showers instead to maintain adequate blood flow to your skin and regulate your body temperature effectively.
3. Choose hot drinks
Drinking hot beverages can actually help cool you down faster than cold water by triggering mechanisms like sweating and increased blood flow to the skin. While hydrating with water at any temperature is beneficial, hot drinks activate these cooling responses more effectively.
4. Let the wind blow to encourage sweating
Using a fan to create airflow and encourage sweat evaporation can be more helpful than just focusing the fan on your face. The wind aids in evaporating sweat from your body, facilitating the cooling process during extreme heat conditions. Natural air movement or non-electric fans can be effective in promoting sweat evaporation and overall cooling.
About our experts
Mike Tipton, a Professor of Human and Applied Physiology at the University of Portsmouth, has extensive research experience in thermoregulation, environmental physiology, and occupational health. With over 40 years of work in survival and thermal medicine consulting for the RAF and UKSport, Tipton is a leading expert in the field.
A team of physicists at the University of California, Berkeley has developed the most sophisticated instrument ever designed to search for dark energy, the mysterious force that is accelerating the expansion of the universe.
The results of their experiment were published today in a prestigious journal. Nature – targets a hypothetical particle known as the chameleon, which could hold the key to unlocking this mysterious cosmic force.
First identified in 1998, dark energy makes up about 70 percent of all matter and energy in the universe, and despite many theories, its true nature remains a mystery.
One leading hypothesis is that there is a fifth force that is distinct from the four fundamental forces known in nature (gravity, electromagnetism, and the strong and weak nuclear forces).
This power is thought to be mediated by particles known as chameleons due to their ability to hide in plain sight.
In an experiment at the University of California, Berkeley, Professor Holger Muller utilizes an advanced atom interferometer combined with an optical lattice.
If that sounds technical, it is. Essentially, this setup allows for precise gravity measurements by holding free-falling atoms in place for a set period of time.
Physicists at UC Berkeley have clamped a small cluster of cesium atoms (the pink blob) in a vertical vacuum chamber and split each atom into a quantum state where half of the atom is close to the tungsten weight (the shiny cylinder) and the other half (the split sphere below the tungsten) is close to the tungsten weight. – Image credit: Cristian Panda/UC Berkeley
The longer we can keep the atoms there, the greater our chances of finding (or not finding) a trace of the chameleon.
“Atom interferometry is the technology and science that exploits the quantum properties of particles – their properties as both particles and waves. We split the waves so that the particles take two paths at the same time, and then we interfere with them at the end,” Muller said.
“The waves are either in phase and add, or out of phase and cancel each other out. The key is that whether they are in phase or out of phase depends very sensitively on the quantities you want to measure, such as acceleration, gravity, rotation, or fundamental constants.”
Whereas previous experiments have only been able to move atoms for a few milliseconds at a time, the new device can keep them in motion for much longer periods – from seconds to tens of seconds – a major improvement that improves the most precise measurements by a factor of five.
In a recent paper published in the journal Natural Physics Muller and his colleagues extended the hold time to a whopping 70 seconds.
To reveal whether chameleon particles are indeed the dark energy mastermind, scientists would need to find holes in the outcomes predicted by the accepted theory of gravity — something no one has managed to do since Isaac Newton formulated it 400 years ago.
Muller and his team found no deviations from Newtonian gravity in their recent tests, suggesting that if chameleons exist, their effects are quite subtle.
Still, the researchers are optimistic: The improved precision of their instruments means future experiments may provide the evidence needed to confirm or disprove the existence of chameleons and other hypothesized particles that contribute to dark energy.
About the Experts
Holger Muller At the age of 14, he successfully filed his first patent. He then wrote his undergraduate thesis under the supervision of Jürgen Mullinek at the University of Konstanz in Germany. He graduated from the Humboldt University in Berlin with Achim Peters as his supervisor. Müller received a fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and joined Steven Chu’s group at Stanford University as a postdoctoral researcher. In July 2008, he joined the Physics Department at the University of California, Berkeley, where he is currently a Professor of Physics and Principal Investigator. He is currently the Principal Investigator of his research group, the Müller Group.
The Earth is home to many extreme temperatures, from the frigid Arctic to the scorching Sahara Desert. But where is the hottest place on Earth?
Below are the 10 hottest places in the world based on the highest temperatures recorded.
The places on the list may not always be as hot as stated, but the record temperatures suggest high average heat, so be sure to bring plenty of water and a hat if you visit each spot.
If you want to cool down afterwards, check out the 10 coldest places on Earth.
10. Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: 52°C (125.6°F)
Photo credit: Getty
Topping the list of hottest places on Earth was Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with a temperature of 52°C (125.6°F). Recorded June 22, 2010.
The heat was the highest on record for the region, beating the 51°C recorded in nearby Al Ahsa three days earlier.
This ancient port city is located in western Saudi Arabia, has a population of over 4.6 million and serves as the main gateway to Mecca.
9. Mexicali, Mexico: 52°C (125.6°F)
The temperature is 52°C (125.6°F). Recorded It was recorded in the Mexicali Valley, Mexico, on July 28, 1995. It is the ninth-warmest temperature on Earth. The valley also recorded the coldest temperature ever, −7.0ºC (19.4°F).
Located in the northern part of Mexico's Baja California state, this region is known for its heat, earning it the nickname “The City that Captured the Sun.” It has one of the harshest climates in Mexico, with an average high temperature of 42.2 °C (108 °F) in July and 21.1 °C (70 °F) in January.
8. Al Jazeera Border Gate (UAE): 52.1°C (125.8°F)
In July 2002, a temperature of 52.1°C (125.8°F) was recorded at the Al Jazeera border gate in the United Arab Emirates.
In July 2013, the region again nearly matched its highest ever temperature record (51.2°C).
These temperatures only last about 15 minutes. Temperatures above 50 degrees are almost unbearable. In the UK it reached 40.3°C (Coningsby) In July 2022, temperatures in the UAE rose by more than 10 degrees.
7. Turbat, Pakistan: 53.7°C (128.7°F)
Photo credit: Getty
The seventh hottest on this list is 53.7 °C (128.7 °F), recorded in Turbat, Pakistan on May 28, 2017.
World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Confirmed The 53.7°C recorded in Turbat was the fourth highest temperature ever recorded at the time.
Turbat is known as one of the hottest cities in Asia and is located on the Kech River in the southwestern part of the country's Balochistan province.
6. Basra, Iraq: 53.9°C (129°F)
The Middle East is one of the warmest regions in the world, with many record-breaking days when temperatures exceed 50 degrees Celsius. Basra, Iraq, is one of those areas. recording The highest temperature reached was 53.9 °C (129 °F) on July 22, 2016.
This matches the heat recorded in Kuwait just one day earlier (more on that below).
Basra is located along the Shatt al-Arab River in the Arabian Peninsula and is a city with a population of approximately 1.5 million.
5. Mitriba, Kuwait: 53.9°C (129°F)
Badr Al-Ma’ilam Mosque in Kuwait City. Photo courtesy of Getty
The fifth-highest temperature on record Verified The maximum temperature was recorded at the Mitriba weather station in Kuwait, where it reached 53.9°C (129°F), according to the WMO.
This incredible temperature was recorded on 21 July 2016 and was confirmed as the hottest place on record in Asia. It was also the hottest officially recognized temperature in 76 years (at the time).
4. Tirat Zvi, Israel: 54°C (129°F)
The highest temperature ever recorded was 54°C (129°F) in Tirat Zvi, Israel, on June 21, 1942. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) classifies Israel as Europe, so depending on where you place the country, this is officially the highest temperature ever recorded on the European continent.
Tirat Zvi, located near the Israeli-Jordanian border, is on the west side of the Jordan River. Population: only 975 As of 2021.
3. Ahvaz, Iran: 54°C (129.2°F)
The highest continental temperature recorded was 54 °C (129.2 °F). Measured Occurred in Ahvaz, Iran between 4:51pm and 5pm on June 29, 2017.
Ahvaz, the capital of Iran's Khuzestan province, has a population of about 1.3 million and a history dating back to the Achaemenid period. The city is known for its nine bridges, including the Black Bridge and the White Bridge.
2. Kebili, Tunisia: 55°C (131°F)
Photo credit: Getty
The highest temperature ever recorded in Africa was measured at 55°C (131°F) in Kebili, Tunisia, on July 7, 1931. This is the second-highest temperature ever recorded on Earth.
Besides the continental record-breaking heat, Kebili The oldest example Settlement site of people who inhabited Tunisia during the Early Palaeozoic Era, about 200,000 years ago. Ancient stone tools have been found near the city.
1. Furnace Creek, Death Valley (USA): 56.7°C (134°F)
Photo credit: Getty
The hottest place on Earth is Furnace Creek in Death Valley, California (USA), where a temperature of 56.7 °C (134 °F) was recorded on 10 July 1913. During summer, the average daily maximum temperature in Death Valley is 45 °C (113 °F).
This is only the air temperature; ground temperatures are much higher. On July 15, 1972, the ground temperature was 93.9 °C (201 °F). Recorded In Death Valley, water is only a few degrees away from boiling temperature.
There have been subsequent claims of higher temperatures, but these have not been proven. One of the hottest places on Earth was recorded in 1922 in what is now Libya, at 58 °C (136 °F).
However, in 2012, the World Meteorological Organization Conclusion This was “improperly recorded” and was off by about seven degrees Celsius, they said.
TThe famously difficult dark fantasy epic Elden Ring is the second best-selling game in the world in 2022, and with the release of its expansion Shadow of the Erdtree last Friday, everyone is once again debating whether the game is too difficult. Every game developed by From Software since Demon’s Souls in 2009 has sparked this debate, but I’m not going to get into it, because it’s neither interesting nor particularly important. These games are what they are, and you can either choose to get into it or, of course, walk away.
This vision is inherited from the game’s director, Hidetaka Miyazaki, who rose to fame with Dark Souls in 2011 and has also served as FromSoftware’s president since 2014. Though tough, there’s also an element of faith and encouragement in this approach to game design: Elden Ring and other games believe that if you just play patiently and ask other players for help, you’ll eventually win and feel much better.
Miyazaki is an interesting character and one of the most influential artists in the gaming and entertainment world. He was named the “100 Most Influential People in the World” by Time magazine. The 100 most influential people I first interviewed him last year, just before the European launch of Demon’s Souls in 2010. Following his career since then has been one of the highlights for me. I recently interviewed him again in Los Angeles, and it might be comforting for some of us to know that playing his games is sometimes painful, even for him.
“With any game, before launch I’ll spend as much time playing it as I can,” he told me, “but after launch I don’t want to touch it too much because I think I’ll find things that I’ve missed or issues that bother me. And once I’m a player, I don’t have the power to do anything significant to change that, so I stop playing it once it’s out.”
“However, in preparation for Shadow of the Erdtree, I played through the main story of Elden Ring. I’m absolutely terrible at video games, so my approach and playstyle was to use everything I had at my disposal, every assistance, every help the game offered, and all of my knowledge as a game designer…The freedom and open-world nature of Elden Ring probably lowered the barrier to entry, and I may have benefited from that more than anyone else as a player.”
Hidetaka Miyazaki at the E3 Expo in California in 2013. Photo: Daniel Botsarski/WireImage
Watching Miyazaki pick up the controller and agonize over the world he’s created (and its imperfections that only he would notice) made me laugh heartily. It’s a true commitment to his game design philosophy of improving through failure, a mantra that seems to permeate his entire life. Miyazaki is a very hands-on director, and all of his games clearly bear his influence, but during his decade as president of From Software, he has tried to pass on his knowledge and artistic approach to others, giving them the space to fail as well.
“The budget, the size, the scope, everything has expanded to a level where I think there is not as much room for failure as there was before,” he told me. “From Software has its own way of hedging, so to speak. For most of our projects, we have partners who fund the projects. … From a business management perspective, we are not betting everything on one project. At the same time, we need to find the right projects where we can afford to fail. Even if they are small in scope or size, or a small module within a bigger one, we need to have room to fail. I think that’s where a lot of young game directors can try and learn from. Understanding and identifying where we can afford to fail is how we develop talent.”
Miyazaki considers Elden Ring a “turning point” for FromSoftware: “There will be a clear difference between before and after Elden Ring… [2023’s mech game] “Armored Core VI,” he says. He expects to see more games from the company’s other directors soon, rather than just himself. “I think Elden Ring is the limit for FromSoftware right now, in terms of scale. We’ve used all the resources and talent available to us. … There are concerns about scaling up even further. Perhaps having multiple projects is the next step, and other younger talents will have the opportunity to manage and oversee the game design of smaller projects.”
Shadow of the Elder Tree is the end of Elden Ring for now. With the exception of Dark Souls, Miyazaki generally doesn’t make sequels. Demon’s Souls, Sekiro, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring are all standalone works, and I get the impression he likes it that way. Interestingly, though, he wouldn’t mind someone else continuing The Land Between in a different medium.
“I don’t see any reason to rule out another interpretation or film of Elden Ring,” he told me, “but I don’t think myself or FromSoftware have the knowledge or the ability to create something in another medium. That’s where a very strong partner would come in. We’d need to build a lot of trust and agreement on whatever we’re trying to achieve, but I’m certainly interested.”
If any Soul Geek readers work in arthouse film production, consider this an opportunity to jump on.
What to Play
Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD. Photo: Nintendo
Now, let’s talk about something completely different. Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD This week there is a welcome blast from the past (I Reviewed by IGNOriginally released on Nintendo 3DS in 2013, this fantastically unique and spooky adventure is better than any Ghostbusters game ever made.
Mario’s clumsy, timid little brother has five elaborate diorama mansions to clear out of ghosts and secrets. The animation here is unparalleled, the ghosts are brimming with personality along with ectoplasm, and Luigi himself is an underrated star of slapstick comedy.
Available on: Nintendo Switch Estimated play time: 12 hours
Reconstruction of a Neanderthal man at the Natural History Museum in Vienna, Austria
Neanderthal/Alamy Stock Photo
If the interpretation of the fossilized ear bones is correct, Neanderthal children with Down’s syndrome lived to at least the age of 6. The discovery adds to evidence that, far from being savage and heartless, Neanderthals routinely showed consideration for other members of their society, although researchers disagree about the extent to which children might have needed special attention.
“Neanderthals clearly cared about the people in their group, and this is a really great example of how much they cared.” Penny Spikins He is a researcher at the University of York in the UK, but was not involved in the study.
The Neanderthal fossils were found in the Cova Negra cave near the town of Xativa in eastern Spain, which has been excavated intermittently since the 1920s and reveals that Neanderthals lived there between 273,000 and 146,000 years ago.
Researchers cataloguing the animal remains at Cova Negra Mercedes Conde Valverde Researchers from the University of Alcala in Spain have identified a hominid bone fragment, which cannot be dated precisely because it was found in disturbed sediments, that includes part of the temporal bone at the side and base of the skull, as well as part of the inner ear.
Conde-Valverde and her colleagues used CT scans to create a 3D model of the bone, which allowed them to determine that it was from a Neanderthal, not a modern human: Judging by the state of bone development, the bone belonged to a child at least 6 years old, and possibly no older than 10.
The team found several peculiarities in the development of the inner ear, particularly in the three canals called the semicircular canals that are involved in hearing and balance. One of the canals was abnormally wide. The other connected to an adjacent chamber called the vestibular aqueduct, which is normally separate. What’s more, the cochlea, which is crucial for hearing, was particularly small.
According to Conde Valverde, this combination of characteristics is only seen in people with Down syndrome, a genetic condition in which people have three copies of chromosome 21 instead of the usual two. The condition can cause learning disabilities, hearing and balance problems, and distinctive facial features.
It has probably been around for as long as humans, according to a study of ancient DNA published in February. 6 cases of Down Syndrome They are found in babies and young children, and one of them dates back nearly 5,000 years.
The newly identified child would have needed more care than other Neanderthal children, Conde Valverde said — for example, attacks of dizziness, a symptom of Down syndrome, may have made it difficult for him to get from place to place.
“Maybe mothers need help,” she says, because the increased time required for childcare can take away from other important activities, like finding food, not just for mothers but also for fathers.
Conde Valverde says that other Neanderthals in the group would not have expected the child to be of practical help, so they must have cared for him out of pure compassion.
Sarah Turner A Down syndrome researcher at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, believes this low expectation isn’t necessarily true: “People with Down syndrome contribute in many different ways to modern human societies,” she says, “and I’m sure that was true in Neanderthal societies as well.”
Neanderthal temporal bone fossil discovered in Cova Negra, Spain
Julia Diez Valero
“There’s a lot of diversity in what counts as a disability and how disabled people are treated in different relationships,” Turner says. “Compassion may be one motivating factor, but without knowing someone’s life and how they were treated and behaved, I don’t think you can say much about how and why they survived.”
Turner has previously studied wild primates. Can survive for a long time Even if they are born with a disability or developmental disorder. This includes: What is thought to be Down SyndromeThe mother survived as long as her older daughter had her help, but died after the daughter gave birth to a baby and was no longer able to help.
This new study: Neanderthal care and compassionFor example, Spikins says, an adult male Neanderthal found in Iraq’s Shanidar Cave had atrophied arms and damaged legs and was “probably deaf and blind in one eye. He lived 10 to 15 years after these injuries, so “he must have been well cared for.”
Both Conde Valverde and Spikins reject the idea that caregiving was carried out in the hope that help would come when the children grew up.
“The idea of analytically thinking about whether someone is going to be productive comes from our society,” Spikins says. The reality is, we evolved to live in close-knit groups, The instinct to care for one another It was very important. People with Down syndrome “tend to be very loving and very outgoing,” she says, “and that’s very important in a small community like this.”
Astronomers using the International Gemini Observatory’s Gemini North Telescope have imaged NGC 4449, a prime example of starburst activity caused by an ongoing merger with a nearby dwarf galaxy.
NGC 4449 is located in the constellation Canes Venatici and is about 12.5 million light-years away from Earth.
Also known as Caldwell 21, LEDA 40973, and UGC 7592, the galaxy has a diameter of about 20,000 light-years.
NGC 4449 was discovered on April 27, 1788, by German-born British astronomer William Herschel.
It is part of the M94 galaxy group, located near the Local Group, which contains our own Milky Way galaxy.
“The galaxy’s rolling red clouds and glowing blue veil light up the sky with the color of newly forming stars,” the astronomers said.
“The galaxy is classified as an Irregular Magellanic Galaxy, reflecting its loose spiral structure and similarity to the Large Magellanic Cloud, the prototype of the Magellanic Cloud.”
Stars have been forming actively within NGC 4449 for billions of years, but new stars are currently being produced at a much higher rate than in the past.
This unusually explosive and intense star formation activity qualifies this galaxy to be called a starburst galaxy.
“While starbursts typically occur in the centers of galaxies, star formation in NGC 4449 is more widespread, as evidenced by the fact that the youngest stars are found both in the galaxy’s central core and in the outflow that surrounds the galaxy,” the researchers said.
“This global starburst activity resembles the earliest star-forming galaxies in the universe, which grew by merging and agglomerating with smaller stellar systems.”
“And like its galactic progenitors, NGC 4449’s rapid star formation is likely driven by interactions with nearby galaxies.”
A member of the M94 galaxy group, NGC 4449 sits very close to several smaller galaxies around it.
Astronomers have found evidence of interactions between NGC 4449 and at least two other satellite galaxies.
One is a very faint dwarf galaxy that is actively absorbing, as evidenced by the diffuse streaming of stars on one side of NGC 4449.
“This stealthy merger is nearly undetectable by visual inspection due to its diffuse nature and low stellar mass,” the scientists said.
“But this galaxy harbors a huge amount of dark matter, and we can detect its presence through its large gravitational influence on NGC 4449.”
“Another object that offers a clue to past mergers is a massive globular cluster embedded within the outer halo of NGC 4449.”
Astronomers believe the cluster is the surviving core of a former gas-rich satellite galaxy that is now being absorbed into NGC 4449.
“As NGC 4449 interacts with and absorbs other, smaller galaxies, the gas is compressed and shocked by tidal interactions between the galaxies,” the astronomers said.
“Red glowing regions scattered throughout the image indicate this process, showing an abundance of ionized hydrogen, a clear sign of ongoing star formation.”
“Dark filaments of cosmic dust that thread their way throughout the Galaxy are causing countless hot, young, blue star clusters to emerge from the galactic oven.”
“At the current rate, NGC 4449’s supply of gas to support star formation will last only another billion years or so.”
Green and gold bell frogs in an artificial hotspot shelter
Anthony Waddle
One of Australia’s most endangered amphibians can fight off a deadly fungal infection with the help of a naturally heated shelter that researchers are calling a “frog sauna.”
The disease, chytridiomycosis, has wiped out about 100 species of frogs, toads and salamanders worldwide.
Green and gold bell frog (Litoria aureaThe fungus was once widespread along the south-eastern coast of Australia, but its range has shrunk by 90 percent, and although other factors such as habitat loss are also at play, chytrid is thought to be the greatest threat to the endangered species.
It has long been known that warm temperatures suppress fungal infections, and many frog species, including the Japanese bush frog, are susceptible to the disease in winter when it’s hard for them to stay warm, especially when it’s hard to find a warm place.
To learn more, Anthony Waddle The researcher, from Macquarie University in Sydney, and his colleagues studied two groups of captive frogs that were intentionally infected with chytridiomycosis over the winter.
The first group was provided with bricks with holes in them in an unshaded greenhouse shelter where temperatures rose to nearly 40°C (104°F), while the second group was provided with bricks in a shaded greenhouse shelter where temperatures rose to 35°C (95°F).
Frogs that were given warmer shelter had 100 times fewer chytrid spores on their skin than other groups.
Although chytrid has difficulty growing above 28°C (82°F), warmer temperatures appear to activate the frogs’ immune systems, Waddle said.
“Using shelter to survive is like a vaccination for the frogs,” Waddle says, “and we’ve shown that firefly frogs can develop resistance after heat has cleared their infection, potentially making them 22 times more likely to survive future infections in cold environments.”
Although the researchers have only tested the shelter on one species at this stage, they believe the technology could be used with other animals threatened by chytrid fungus, as long as they seek out natural warmth when it’s cold. Waddle says there are at least six Australian animal species that could benefit from the technology.
Importantly, these thermal shelters are easy and inexpensive to set up: “All you need is a small vegetable greenhouse from the hardware store and a few bricks, and it will only cost about $60-70. [Australian] “It will cost a few hundred dollars to build,” Waddle said, “and I can envision people putting them in their backyards to help the frogs through the winter.”
A powerful DNA-editing mechanism discovered in bacteria has the potential to enable much larger genome modifications than are currently possible with CRISPR-based techniques, but it is not yet clear whether it would work in human cells.
Patrick Shue Researchers at the Ark Institute in California call their new genome editing system the “bridge editing” system because it physically links, or bridges, two strands of DNA. “Using this system, we can modify large parts of the genome,” says Su. Su's team has figured out how bacterial “parasitic” DNA sequences naturally replicate using this system and how it can be applied to genome editing.
“We're excited about the possibility of making much broader genome modifications that go far beyond what we can do today with CRISPR,” he says, “and we see this as an important step toward a broader vision for genome design.”
CRISPR gene editing has revolutionized biology since it was introduced in 2012. It is used for a variety of purposes, and the first CRISPR-based therapeutic was approved last year. However, the basic form of CRISPR, which uses the Cas9 protein, is gene disruption rather than gene editing.
A standard CRISPR Cas9 protein has two parts: one part binds to a guide RNA molecule and looks for DNA that matches a specific section of the guide RNA. Custom guide RNAs are easy to create, so CRISPR Cas9 can be “programmed” to look for any part of the genome.
The second part of CRISPR Cas9 is a cutter that cuts the DNA when Cas9 binds to the target site. Once the cell has repaired the damage, Cas9 cuts it again. This action continues until an error is made during repair, resulting in the intended mutation of the target site.
While being able to mutate specific sites is useful, biologists want to make more precise changes, so they are modifying CRISPR proteins to edit DNA directly rather than relying on cellular repair mechanisms. For example, base editors can change one DNA letter to another without cutting the DNA, while prime editors can convert an extra section of guide RNA into DNA and add it to the target site.
These improved versions of CRISPR have the potential to treat a wide range of diseases, with several clinical trials already underway, but to address some diseases, more sophisticated genome modifications are needed. Many teams around the world are working on ways to achieve this. Some have realized that the mechanism by which genetic parasites cut and paste from one part of the genome to another, called IS110 elements, has potential because, like CRISPR, it is RNA-guided, but Hsu's team is the first to fully understand how it works.
The bridge-editing system consists of a so-called recombinase protein that binds to a guide RNA, such as the CRISPR Cas9 protein. What's unique about this system is that the guide RNA specifies two DNA sequences to seek out, not just one, Hsu's team found.
One sequence specifies the target site in the genome to modify, similar to CRISPR, and the other specifies the DNA to change. Using this system, DNA sequences of virtually any length can be added, deleted, or inverted.
There are already ways to do this, but they typically require multiple steps and leave behind a piece of extra DNA called a scar. “Bridge editing leaves virtually no scar,” Hsu says. “It offers an unprecedented level of control in engineering the genome.”
This means that it could be used for more than just replacing faulty genes, he says: It could also be useful for completely remaking the genomes of plants and animals. “What we want to do is go from inserting individual genes to doing chromosome-scale genome engineering,” Su says.
“The findings reported are certainly exciting and the underlying biology is truly surprising.” Steven Tang Bridge editing is being done at Columbia University in New York, but so far it has only been demonstrated to work in bacterial cells or in test tubes. Tang says it remains to be seen whether and to what extent bridge editing will work in complex cells like humans. But even if bridge editing doesn't work in initial tests in human cells, it may be possible to modify the system to work over time.
Denmark is taking action to address methane emissions, a significant contributor to global warming. Starting in 2030, Denmark will be the first country to implement a tax on livestock farmers based on the greenhouse gas emissions produced by their cows, sheep, and pigs.
Tax Minister Jeppe Bruus aims to reduce Denmark’s greenhouse gas emissions by 70% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.
From 2030, Danish livestock farmers will face a tax of 300 kroner ($43) per tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent, increasing to 750 kroner ($108) by 2035. However, with a 60% income tax credit, the effective cost per tonne will start at 120 kroner ($17.3) and gradually rise to 300 kroner by 2035.
While carbon dioxide is often the focus, methane is a potent greenhouse gas, trapping significantly more heat than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Methane ConcentrationMethane emissions from various sources, including landfills, oil and gas systems, and livestock, have been on the rise. Livestock alone contributes to about 32% of man-made methane emissions, as reported by the United Nations Environment Programme.
Denmark’s move is a significant step towards achieving climate neutrality by 2045. The country is pioneering the implementation of a substantial carbon tax on agriculture, with hopes that other nations will also take similar actions.
In New Zealand, a similar law was passed but later revoked amid criticism from farmers. Denmark, on the other hand, reached an agreement with various stakeholders to implement the carbon tax.
The Danish Society for Nature Conservation hailed the tax agreement as a “historic compromise,” emphasizing the importance of restructuring the food industry beyond 2030.
Denmark’s decision comes after protests from farmers across Europe, who argue that climate policies are jeopardizing their livelihoods.
Despite Denmark’s status as a major dairy and pork exporter, the country plans to tax pigs alongside cows due to their significant emissions. The tax proposal is expected to receive broad support in the parliament.
Statistics Denmark reported a slight decrease in the number of cattle in the country as of June 30, 2022, with 1,484,377 cattle in total.
This story is part of our “Cosmic Perspective” series, which confronts the incredible vastness of the universe and our place in it. Read the rest of the series here.
This map shows the cosmic ring that surrounds us, stretching out to distances of up to 200 million light-years. At this scale, the universe is made up of galaxy clusters and voids, the latter being regions with relatively few galaxies. The Milky Way at the center is part of the Local Group, while the Virgo Cluster is our nearest neighbour.
The magnificent spiral
The Milky Way’s spiral structure is dominated by two major arms called Scutum-Centaurus and Perseus. It also features a dense region called the central bar. Our solar system sits on a more modest structure called the Orion Arm.
No matter how complex the questions about our metaphorical place in the universe, astronomy can help us understand Earth’s physical location.
Earth orbits at a distance of 150 million kilometers from the Sun, which in turn orbits the center of the Milky Way galaxy. Specifically, Earth is located in the Orion Arm, about 26,500 light years from the center.
The Milky Way Galaxy is part of the Local Group of galaxies. Its nearest neighbor, the Andromeda Galaxy, is about 2.5 million light-years away and is the largest galaxy in the Local Group. We are currently hurtling towards the Andromeda Galaxy at over 100 kilometers per second, and in about 4 billion years the two galaxies will collide.
Local Groups
It will shake up local groups, but it will barely be on the radar of the wider cosmic neighborhood.
Have you ever experienced this feeling before? On a blazing hot day, the desire to plunge into a cool stream of water intensifies by the minute. The water appears pristine, clear, and incredibly refreshing. However, in reality, it could be extensively contaminated.
Even the purest rivers can harbor harmful bacteria, including fecal bacteria originating from livestock manure and human waste.
In a recent announcement, the Designated bathing area in the UK, a favored holiday spot, has been a subject of concern due to issues such as being submerged in sewage and incidents of rowers contracting E. coli infections. To address these concerns, we consulted with water and sanitation expert Professor David Werner to provide essential information for safely enjoying wild swimming this summer.
Werner’s research delves into treated sewage, stormwater (untreated sewage overflows following heavy rains), and occasionally illegal sewage disposal in dry weather. These factors impact both human health and ecosystem health. While human waste is discharged into oceans, rivers tend to exhibit higher concentrations of human waste and the accompanying harmful bacteria due to lower dilution levels compared to water bodies, increasing the risk of exposure to harmful substances.
(Notably, a microbiology professor, William Gays, mentioned in BBC Science Focus that rivers have only recently been subjected to the same microbial testing as coastal waters. Moreover, wastewater discharged into the ocean is often subjected to more stringent treatment standards than rivers, including ultraviolet disinfection.)
The following guidelines mainly focus on rivers but are also relevant for coastal swimming activities.
The key takeaway? Avoid swimming after rainfall.
How do diseases enter rivers, and what is the risk of swimming in them?
Fecal contamination doesn’t always mean significant. The majority of people’s stool contains beneficial bacteria essential for our health. However, the stool of an ill individual harbors bacteria responsible for the illness, potentially leading to disease transmission.
According to Warner, the risk of contracting a disease from a river is relatively low, but it escalates if you ingest river water (discouraged but not impossible).
This can result in unpleasant symptoms like infections and diarrhea. The worst-case scenario involves acquiring antibiotic-resistant bacteria, an eventuality deemed highly improbable by Warner.
So, should one abstain from wild swimming altogether? Ultimately, it boils down to whether you are willing to accept the (generally minimal) risk for the mental health benefits, as Warner highlights.
“There is no such thing as absolute safety or zero risk,” he states. “Each time we embark on a car journey, we weigh the trip’s advantages against the accident risks. Similarly, outdoor recreation offers significant mental health perks, particularly for urban dwellers.”
How to safeguard yourself from sewage while swimming
Warner and his team are currently devising a device capable of swiftly testing water for contaminants, akin to a lateral flow corona test, though substantial research is required to materialize this concept.
Until this technology is available, several straightforward methods can help identify sewage presence while swimming in rivers this summer. Here are Warner’s recommendations:
1. Choose your spot wisely
According to Werner, it is crucial to avoid swimming downstream from a sewage treatment plant under any circumstances. While untreated sewage overflows are a common concern, treating sewage does not completely eradicate the risks; it merely diminishes them.
“Treating wastewater significantly reduces the levels of harmful bacteria, possibly by a factor of 1,000, but it doesn’t eliminate them,” Werner explains.
“Hence, if a location is situated immediately downstream of a treatment plant discharge point, one can expect a consistent presence of fecal bacteria due to the continuous discharge.”
Individuals can consult the “Poop Map” and trace their local river upstream to identify any treatment facilities along the route.
2. Check the poop map
UK organizations such as Rivers Trust and Surfers Against Sewage have developed an interactive map showcasing regular treated sewage discharges and anticipated untreated sewage overflows across the UK in 2023.
To locate a wastewater treatment plant on The Rivers Trust map, click the yellow square corresponding to your area or tap the brown circle icon, peruse the cards to pinpoint locations. The phrase “Sewage Discharge – Final/Treated Effluent – Water Companies” typically indicates a wastewater treatment facility.
The Rivers Trust’s interactive wastewater map displaying treated and untreated sewage discharge locations into UK rivers in 2023. – Image credit: Rivers Trust
This year, the charity integrated near real-time data into its maps. “This marks a significant advancement for individuals seeking real-time updates,” remarks Warner. “We strongly recommend utilizing these online resources, offering current information.”
Presently, individuals can ascertain if sewage has been discharged within the last 24 hours, albeit inland data is exclusive to designated bathing locations and rivers within the Thames Basin (Northumbrian Water also provides a County-level map while coastal regions are included).
3. Monitor the weather
Despite the allure of swimming on a sunny day, verify there hasn’t been rainfall for a few days. Swimming post-rainfall significantly heightens the possibility of encountering contaminated water due to sewer overflows and increased water release during heavy downpours.
To compound matters, even as a dry spell seems to prevail and swimming appears safe, hidden risks could lurk upstream. Thunderstorms can unleash localized rainfall, implying that upstream areas may experience heavy showers despite sunshine at your location.
4. Steer clear of small rivers
In addition to potentially turbid waters, small rivers tend to exacerbate the situation as sewage, whether treated or untreated, is less diluted in these settings.
Warner adheres to a safety benchmark stipulating that raw sewage minimal dilution should be 1,000 times for paddling and over 10,000 times for swimming. While calculating these dilution levels is not advised, the underlying principle is straightforward: “A large river with vigorous flow signifies ample dilution,” Werner asserts.
Nonetheless, disparate river segments need not cause undue concern: while one side may seem stagnant relative to the center, the water mixes uniformly.
5. Keep tabs on the paper trail
Exhibit prudence: refrain from swimming if toilet paper is visible. Alarming indicators surpass toilet paper and include wet wipes and sanitary pads crafted from plastic materials that should not be flushed but often are.
According to Werner, unlike toilet paper and human excrement, these items do not disintegrate in swiftly moving waters.
6. Stay informed
“After frolicking in the river, diligently cleanse yourself. Embrace standard personal hygiene,” stresses Werner.
About our experts
David Warner serves as a Professor of Environmental Systems Modelling at Newcastle University. Previously, his research concentrated on sanitation and water quality in low-income countries by utilizing DNA sequencing and assessing microbial hazards in rivers. During travel restrictions amid the pandemic, he shifted his focus to the UK’s rivers. His research on post-rain fecal bacteria levels has been documented in various journals such as Water Science and Technology, Comprehensive Environmental Science, and Environmental Pollution.
William Gays, a Professor of Microbiology at the European Centre for Environment and Human Health within the University of Exeter’s Medical School, conducts research published in journals like International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents, Food and Environmental Virology, and Water Research.
Amazon workers facing work-related injuries are resorting to online fundraising to cover expenses while they pursue compensation and disability benefits.
Three current employees injured at Amazon’s warehouses reported bureaucratic hurdles in seeking financial aid, with one losing their home.
Workers claimed that Amazon ignored their concerns about warehouse work strain, denied compensation requests, and prioritized productivity over safety.
Amazon acknowledged finding issues but disputed some information provided by employees.
The company, with 1.5 million employees worldwide, has faced continuous criticism over warehouse working conditions despite claiming commitment to safety.
Many workers have experienced delays and battles in obtaining benefits and care for job-related injuries.
“This is why we became homeless.”
Keith Williams suffered an injury at an Amazon warehouse, leading to financial struggles and homelessness.
Williams highlights the challenges faced in obtaining disability benefits while grappling with homelessness.
A GoFundMe campaign is supporting Williams’ family during this hardship.
Christine Mano also faced hardships due to injury at Amazon, struggling to secure benefits and facing financial strain.
Despite surgeries and medical treatments, Mano faced challenges with Amazon regarding her injury.
Safety concerns are raised as workers like Nick Moran highlight prioritization of productivity over safety at Amazon.
Amazon has pledged to create the safest workplace but labor groups argue that injury rates remain high.
“Safety is an afterthought”
Moran’s experience underlines the challenges faced by Amazon workers in navigating compensation and medical claims.
Amazon faces criticism for its injury rates compared to other companies and disputes such allegations.
“The safest workplace on earth”
Despite Amazon’s efforts to enhance safety, injury rates at the company remain a concern.
Workers like Williams are still fighting for benefits amidst financial and housing struggles.
Williams received support through an online campaign, providing a glimmer of hope amidst challenging times.
This tournament Insect Week It showcases the best insect photography by amateurs of all ages, shedding light on the miniature world of insects.
The overall winner of this year’s competition is Luke Chambers from the UK, whose piece “Sleeping Cuckoos” depicts two beautiful cuckoo bees resting on a blade of grass covered with morning dew (scroll down to see it).
The overall winner in the “18 and under” category was 17-year-old Gustaf Pallenmark from Sweden, whose work “Silence” shows a striped damselfly at rest.
The Royal Entomological Society exists to advance the science of insects through research and to increase public understanding and appreciation of insects and the vital role they play in the Earth’s ecosystems.
Here are this year’s fantastic contest winners and some other favourites.
Special Award for Under 18s – Purple Fire
Leaf-cutter wasp (Megachile lagopoda). This species is under threat due to intensive land use. Photo: Gustav Pallenmark
Portrait of Special Praise – Picasso Bug
The aptly named Picasso bug (Sphaerocoris annulus) was photographed in Louiru, Kenya. Photo by Robin Backhouse
Under 18 Runner-up – Robber Fly Breakfast
A spindly-legged centipede fly (Leptarththrus brevirostris) feeds on small insects. Photo by Jamie Smart
Special Award Portrait – Flowers of Evil
European mantis (Mantis religiosa) among cyclamen. Photo by Panagiotis Dalagiorgos
Honorable Mention Portrait – Brown Argus Roosting at Sunrise
A brown argus butterfly (Alicia agastis) warms itself on a stalk of grass as the sun rises, Martin Down, Dorset, UK. Photo by Richard Sheldrake
Particularly praised behavior – mating veins
Two mating Timandra comai moths. Timandra comai moths belong to the Geometridae family. They get their name from the distinctive reddish stripes that run from wing to wing. Photo by Heath McDonald
Specially praised environment – a pair of silverfish
These silverfish (family Bacillarioidea) appear to be stuck together in tiny clay nest structures. Some of their shiny silvery scales are frayed, which may indicate an imminent moult. Photographed in Western Australia. Photo by Frank Ashwood.
Under 18 Winner – Tranquility
A striped male Calopteryx splendens dragonfly photographed in Sweden. Photo by Gustav Pallenmark
Special Smartphone Award – Pollinator
A common Carder’s bumblebee (Bombus pascuorum) collecting pollen from a flower. Photo by Michael Wood
Particularly praised behavior – fatal attraction
A swarm of dead flying ants floats on the surface of a swimming pool. United States. Photo by Rosemary Haleem
Special Award for Under 18s – Camouflage Masters
An Indian praying mantis (Schizocephala bicornis) transforms into a leaf. The color of the mantis and the leaf are almost the same and it is impossible to spot the insect unless it is moving. The mantis’s body was following the veins of the leaf, making it difficult to identify. Photo by Kushaan A Ksheerasagar
Particularly praised behavior – Conopidae column
Male and female red-legged bees (Sicus ferrugineus) nestle after mating. The smaller male guards the female, making sure no other suitors ruin the night. Photo by Luke Chambers
Special Smartphone Award – Wasps join cream teas
A German hornet (Vespula germanica) joins a family enjoying a cream tea at a British cafe. Photo by Abi Batten
Special Smartphone Award – The Moth and the Mountain
A male wolf moth (Saturnia pavonia) rests on the heather on the slopes of Meal Buide. In the background you can see the summit of Stack an Lochaine in the Scottish Highlands. Photographed in Scotland, UK in May 2023. Photo by Marianne Cockburn.
Special Prize Portrait – Centipede
A brown heath robberies (Epitriptus cingulatus) resting on long grass in Droxford, Hampshire, UK. Photo by Stephen Mahy
Particularly rewarded behavior – Junk Bugs
Junk bugs (Chrysopidae) are voracious predators of the insect kingdom, so named because they wear vegetable matter and the exoskeletons of past victims on their backs as part of a complex camouflage to fool predators. Photo by Rosa Dunbar
Special Featured Portrait – The Third Eye
A photo of a velvet wasp (Ichneumonidae) in a moth trap in the UK. Photo by Ben James
2nd place overall – Caddisfly larvae
Spotted sedge caddisfly (Glyphotaelius pellucidus) larvae in a gelatinous egg sac. Taken on a leaf overhanging the water, this image shows newly hatched caddisfly larvae in a clear, gelatinous egg sac. The larvae fall into the water and live as aquatic insects through their larval and pupal stages. Photo by Tim Jonas
Overall Winner – Sleeping Cuckoo
A flying squirrel (Epeolus variegatus) sleeps on a leaf. Morning dew is visible on the surface of its eyes. Photo by Luke Chambers
Jupiter’s upper atmosphere consists of a neutral thermosphere and an electrically charged ionosphere. Astronomers using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope have discovered unexpected small-scale intensity features, including arcs, bands, and spots, in the low-latitude ionosphere in the region above Jupiter’s Great Red Spot.
This illustration shows the region observed by Webb, first with its location on the NIRCam image of the entire planet (left), and then the region itself as imaged by Webb’s Near-Infrared Spectrometer (NIRSpec) (right). Image credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / Webb / Jupiter ERS Team / J. Schmidt / H. Melin / M. Zamani, ESA and Webb.
Jupiter is one of the brightest objects in the night sky and can be easily seen on a clear night.
Apart from the bright Northern and Southern Lights at Jupiter’s poles, the glow from Jupiter’s upper atmosphere is weak, making details in this region difficult to discern with ground-based telescopes.
But Webb’s infrared sensitivity has allowed scientists to study the upper atmosphere of the infamous Great Red Spot in unprecedented detail.
The upper atmosphere of this gas giant is the interface between the planet’s magnetic field and the atmosphere below it.
Here you can see the bright and vibrant aurora borealis and southern lights, created by volcanic material erupting from Jupiter’s moon Io.
However, as one approaches the equator, the structure of the planet’s upper atmosphere is influenced by incoming sunlight.
Because Jupiter receives only 4% of the sunlight that Earth does, astronomers predicted that this region would be essentially homogeneous.
Astronomer Henrik Melin of the University of Leicester and his colleagues observed the Great Red Spot in July 2022 using an Integral Field Unit. Webb’s near-infrared spectrometer (NIR Spec).
Their early public science observations aimed to investigate whether this region was in fact dull, and the region above the iconic Great Red Spot was the subject of Webb’s observations.
They were surprised to find that the upper atmosphere contains a variety of complex structures, including dark arcs and bright spots across the entire field of view.
“We probably naively thought this area would be really boring. It’s actually just as interesting, if not more so, than the Northern Lights. Jupiter never fails to surprise us,” Dr Melin said.
The light emitted from this region is driven by sunlight, but the team suggests there must be another mechanism that changes the shape and structure of the upper atmosphere.
“One way this structure can be altered is by gravity waves, similar to how waves crashing on the shore create ripples in the sand,” Dr Melin said.
“These waves originate deep within the turbulent lower atmosphere around the Great Red Spot and can rise in altitude to alter the structure and emissions of the upper atmosphere.”
“These atmospheric waves are occasionally observed on Earth, but they are much weaker than those Webb observed on Jupiter.”
“In the future, we hope to carry out follow-up webbed observations of these complex wave patterns and investigate how they move within the planet’s upper atmosphere to improve our understanding of the energy budget of this region and how its features change over time.”
Physicists from the ATLAS Collaboration at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN have announced the results of the most sensitive search to date for double Higgs production and self-coupling, achieved by combining five double Higgs studies from LHC Run 2 data.
Event display of a double Higgs candidate event, photographed in 2017. Image courtesy of ATLAS Collaboration / CERN.
Remember how hard it was to find one Higgs boson? Now try and find two of them in the same place at the same time.
This intriguing process, known as double Higgs production, can teach scientists about the Higgs particle's self-interaction.
By studying it, physicists can measure the strength of the Higgs particle's self-binding, a fundamental aspect of the Standard Model that links the Higgs mechanism to the stability of the universe.
Searching for the creation of double Higgs particles is a particularly challenging task.
This is an extremely rare process, about 1,000 times rarer than the creation of a single Higgs particle.
While LHC Run 2 produced 40 million collisions per second, ATLAS is expected to produce just a few thousand double Higgs events.
So how can physicists find these rare needles in a mountain of data?
One way to make it easier to find double Higgs production is to search in multiple locations.
By investigating the different ways in which the double Higgs decay (decay modes) and combining them, physicists can maximise their chances of discovering and studying the creation of the double Higgs.
The new results from the ATLAS collaboration are the most comprehensive search to date, covering more than half of all possible double Higgs events with ATLAS.
Each of the five individual studies in this combination focuses on a different mode of damping, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.
For example, the most likely double-Higgs decay mode is the decay into four bottom quarks.
However, the Standard Model QCD process likely also produces four bottom quarks, making it difficult to distinguish this background process from a double Higgs event.
The double-Higgs decay into two bottom quarks and two tau leptons involves moderate background contamination, but it occurs five times less frequently and there are neutrinos that escape undetected, complicating physicists' efforts to recreate the decay.
Decays into multiple leptons are not uncommon, but they have complex characteristics.
Other double Higgs decays are even rarer, such as the decay into two bottom quarks and two photons.
This final state accounts for only 0.3% of all double Higgs decays, but has a cleaner signature and much smaller background contamination.
Combining their findings for each of these decays, ATLAS physicists were able to find that the probability of producing two Higgs particles rules out more than 2.9 times the Standard Model prediction.
This result has a confidence level of 95% and an expected sensitivity of 2.4 (assuming this process does not exist in nature).
They were also able to provide constraints on the strength of the Higgs particle's self-coupling, achieving the highest sensitivity to date for this important observable.
They found that the magnitude of the Higgs self-coupling constant and the strength of the interaction between two Higgs particles and two vector particles are consistent with the Standard Model predictions.
“This overall result marks a milestone in the study of double Higgs particle production,” the researchers said.
ATLAS Collaboration. 2024. Combined search for Higgs pair production in pp collisions at s√=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector. Physiotherapy Rev Lett,in press; arXiv:2406.09971
The report highlighted the importance of establishing a system in the UK to track instances of misuse or failure of artificial intelligence. Without such a system, ministers could be unaware of alarming incidents related to AI.
The Centre for Long Term Resilience (CLTR) suggested that the next government should implement a mechanism to record AI-related incidents in public services and possibly create a centralized hub to compile such incidents nationwide.
CLTR emphasized the need for incident reporting systems, similar to those used by the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB), to effectively leverage AI technology.
According to a database compiled by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), there have been approximately 10,000 AI “safety incidents” reported by news outlets since 2014. These incidents encompass a wide range of harms, from physical to economic and psychological, as defined by the OECD.
The OECD’s AI Safety Incident Monitor also includes instances such as a deepfake of Labour leader Keir Starmer and incidents involving self-driving cars and a chatbot-influenced assassination plot.
Tommy Shafer-Shane, policy manager at CLTR and author of the report, noted the critical role incident reporting plays in managing risks in safety-critical sectors like aviation and healthcare. However, such reporting is currently lacking in the regulatory framework for AI in the UK.
CLTR urged the UK government to establish an accident reporting regime for AI, similar to those in aviation and healthcare, to address incidents that may not fall under existing regulatory oversight. Labour has promised to implement binding regulations for most AI incidents.
The think tank recommended the creation of a government system to report AI incidents in public services, identify gaps in AI incident reporting, and potentially establish a pilot AI incident database.
In a joint effort with other countries and the EU, the UK pledged to cooperate on AI security and monitor “AI Harm and Safety Incidents.”
CLTR stressed the importance of incident reporting to keep DSIT informed about emerging AI-related risks and urged the government to prioritize learning about such harms through established reporting processes.
Cygnus X-3It is an X-ray binary system located about 7,400 parsecs (24,136 light years) away in the constellation Cygnus, and analysis of the data indicates that it is a type of extremely luminous X-ray source. NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Probe (IXPE).
The halo around Cygnus X-3. Image courtesy of NASA.
“X-ray binaries are interesting systems that consist of two objects: a normal star and a compact object such as a black hole or neutron star that sucks material from the companion star,” explained astronomer Aleksandra Beredina from the University of Turku and her colleagues.
“To date, several hundred such sources have been identified in our Milky Way galaxy.”
“When it comes to the most powerful phenomena in the Universe, the release of gravitational energy in binary X-ray systems stands out as an extremely efficient process.”
“Among the first X-ray binary systems discovered in the Universe is the Cygnus X-3 system,” the researchers added.
“Since the early 1970s, this binary system has been noted for its ability to briefly appear as one of the most powerful radio sources, only to fade or disappear completely after a few days.”
“This unique feature prompted early efforts to coordinate astronomical observations around the world through telephone coordination.”
“The peculiar behaviour of this system during this short-lived, high-energy event contrasts with its normal nature and led to it being named ‘Astronomical Mystery Cygnus X-3’ by R.M. Helming in 1973.”
“Since then, there have been numerous efforts to understand its properties.”
Dr. Veredina and her co-authors used the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer to measure the X-ray polarization of Cygnus X-3.
“The X-ray polarization images provide insight into the composition of matter surrounding the compact object in Cygnus X-3,” the researchers said.
“We found that this compact object is surrounded by a dense, opaque membrane of material.”
“The light we see is a reflection from the inner walls of a funnel formed by the surrounding gas, similar to a cup with a mirror on the inside.”
“Cygnus X-3 is a type of Ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX), which consumes material at such a rate that a significant portion of the infalling material does not fall within the event horizon, but rather is ejected out of the system.”
“ULXs are usually observed as points of light in images of distant galaxies, and their radiation is amplified by the focusing effect of the funnel around the compact object, acting like a megaphone,” said Professor Juri Poutanen from the University of Turku.
“But these sources are so far away – thousands of times the extent of the Milky Way – that they appear relatively faint to X-ray telescopes.”
“This discovery reveals that luminous counterparts to these distant ULXs exist within our own Galaxy.”
“This important discovery marks a new chapter in our investigation into the source of this extraordinary universe, providing an opportunity to study its extreme matter consumption in detail.”
of result Published in the journal Natural Astronomy.
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A. Veredina othersIXPE discovered Cygnus X-3 as an ultra-luminous X-ray source in the galaxy. Nat AstronPublished online June 21, 2024, doi: 10.1038/s41550-024-02294-9
The five man-made greenhouse gases identified by astrobiologist Edward Schwieterman of the University of California, Riverside, and his colleagues could be detected in relatively low concentrations in exoplanet atmospheres using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope and future space telescopes.
Diagram of the technological features of various planets, including artificial atmospheric gases. Image courtesy of Sohail Wasif / University of California, Riverside.
“For us, these gases are bad because we don’t want them to accelerate warming,” Dr Schwietermann said.
“But they could be useful to a civilization wanting to halt an impending ice age, or to terraform uninhabitable planets in its own system, as humanity has proposed for Mars.”
“These gases are not known to occur in large quantities in nature, so they have to be manufactured.”
“Finding them would therefore be evidence of the presence of intelligent, technological life forms. Such evidence is called a technosignature.”
The five gases proposed by the authors are used on Earth for industrial purposes, such as making computer chips.
These include fluorinated versions of methane, ethane and propane, as well as gases made of nitrogen and fluorine, or sulfur and fluorine.
One advantage is that it’s a very effective greenhouse gas — sulfur hexafluoride, for example, has a warming power 23,500 times that of carbon dioxide — and even a relatively small amount could heat a frozen planet to the point where liquid water could remain on the surface.
Another advantage of the proposed gas, at least from an alien perspective, is that it is extremely long-lived, surviving in an Earth-like atmosphere for up to 50,000 years.
“You won’t need to refill it very often to maintain a comfortable climate,” Dr. Schwieterman said.
Others suggest that refrigerant chemicals such as CFCs are technology signature gases because they are almost entirely man-made and visible in Earth’s atmosphere.
But unlike the chemically inert fully fluorinated gases discussed in the new paper, CFCs damage the ozone layer and may not be advantageous.
“If other civilizations had oxygen-rich atmospheres, they would have also had an ozone layer that they wanted to protect,” Dr Schwietermann said.
“CFCs will be broken down in the ozone layer while also catalyzing its destruction.”
“CFCs degrade easily and have a short lifespan, making them difficult to detect.”
Finally, for fluorinated gases to have an effect on climate, they need to absorb infrared radiation.
This absorption creates an infrared signature that can be detected by space telescopes.
Using current and planned technology, scientists may be able to detect these chemicals in nearby exoplanetary systems.
“In an Earth-like atmosphere, only one in a million molecules could be any of these gases and be detectable, and that concentration would be enough to even alter the climate,” Dr Schwietermann said.
To reach this calculation, the astrobiologists simulated a planet in the TRAPPIST-1 system, located about 40 light-years from Earth.
They chose this system because it contains at least seven rocky planets and is one of the best-studied planetary systems other than Earth.
Although it is not possible to quantify the likelihood of discovering man-made greenhouse gases in the near future, we are confident that, if they exist, they could be detected during missions currently planned to characterize the planet’s atmosphere.
“If telescopes are already characterizing planets for other reasons, there would be no need for extra effort to look for these technical features,” Dr Schwietermann said.
Ocean worlds are planetary bodies with liquid oceans, often beneath an icy shell or within rocky interiors. In our solar system, several moons of Jupiter and Saturn are ocean worlds. Some ocean worlds are thought to have hydrothermal circulation, where water, rocks, and heat combine to pump and expel fluids to the ocean floor. Hydrothermal circulation influences the chemical composition of the water and rocks of ocean worlds and may help life develop deep beneath the icy surface. In a new study, planetary researchers used computer simulations of hydrothermal circulation based on well-understood systems on Earth to measure the effects of low gravity at values appropriate for ocean worlds smaller than our home planet. Simulations of ocean worlds with (lower) gravity result in fluid circulation that is roughly similar to that which occurs above and below the ocean floor on Earth, but with some key differences. Low gravity reduces buoyancy, so fluids do not become lighter as they heat up, which reduces their flow rate. This increases the temperature of the circulating fluids, which could lead to more extensive chemical reactions, possibly including those necessary to support life.
This diagram shows how Cassini scientists think rocks and water at the bottom of Enceladus’ ocean interact to produce hydrogen gas. Image courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/Southwest Research Institute.
Rock-heat-fluid systems were discovered on the Earth’s ocean floor in the 1970s, where scientists observed releases of fluids carrying heat, particles, and chemicals.
Many of the vents were surrounded by a novel ecosystem, including specialized bacterial mats, red and white tube worms and heat-sensing shrimp.
For the new study, Professor Andrew Fisher from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and his colleagues used a complex computer model based on the hydrothermal cycle that occurs on Earth.
After varying variables such as gravity, heat, rock properties and depth of fluid circulation, the researchers found that hydrothermal vents could persist under a wide range of conditions.
If these flows occurred on an ocean world like Jupiter’s moon Europa, they could increase the chances of life surviving there as well.
“This study suggests that extraterrestrial ocean worlds may have supported low-temperature (but not hot enough for life) hydrothermal systems on timescales similar to those it took for life to become established on Earth,” Prof Fischer said.
The ocean circulation system on which the researchers based their computer model was discovered on the 3.5-million-year-old seafloor of the northwest Pacific Ocean, east of the Juan de Fuca Ridge.
There, cold undersea water flows through an extinct volcano (seamount), travels about 30 miles (48.3 km) underground, and then flows out into the ocean through another seamount.
“As water flows, it picks up heat, it’s warmer than when it entered, and its chemistry changes dramatically,” says Kristin Dickerson, a doctoral student at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
“The flow from seamount to seamount is driven by buoyancy – as water warms it becomes less dense and as it cools it becomes more dense,” Prof Fischer added.
“The difference in density creates a difference in fluid pressure within the rock, and the system is sustained by the flow itself. So as long as there is enough heat supplied and the rock properties allow for sufficient fluid circulation, the system will keep running. We call this a hydrothermal siphon.”
“Hot vent systems are primarily driven by sub-sea volcanism, while the Earth’s ocean floor experiences large amounts of fluid flowing in and out at much cooler conditions, driven primarily by Earth’s background cooling.”
“The flow of water through low-temperature vents is equivalent to all the rivers and streams on Earth in terms of the volume of water released, and accounts for about a quarter of the Earth’s heat loss.”
“About every 500,000 years, the entire volume of ocean water is pumped up and out of the ocean floor.”
Many previous studies of the hydrothermal circulation on Europa and Enceladus have considered hotter fluids.
“Cartoons and other illustrations often depict undersea systems that are similar to Earth’s black smokers, where cooler currents could occur just as much or even more than they do on Earth,” said Dr Donna Blackman from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
The results show that in very low gravity, such as on the ocean floor of Enceladus, the circulation can continue at low to moderate temperatures for millions or billions of years.
This could help explain why small ocean planets can have long-lived fluid circulation systems beneath their seafloors despite limited heating: the inefficiency of heat extraction could extend their lifetimes considerably, potentially for the entire lifetime of the solar system.
Scientists acknowledge that it is uncertain when active hydrothermal systems will be directly observed on the ocean planet’s seafloor.
The distance from Earth and physical characteristics pose significant technical challenges for spacecraft missions.
“It is therefore essential to make the most of the available data, much of which is remotely collected, and to leverage the understanding gained from decades of detailed study of the analog Earth system,” the authors concluded.
their paper Published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets.
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A.T. Fisher others2024. Gravitational maintenance of hydrothermal circulation in relation to the ocean world. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets 129(6):e2023JE008202; doi:10.1029/2023JE008202
In the last week alone, extreme weather has wreaked havoc in many parts of the United States and around the world.
Climate change is increasing the likelihood of extreme temperatures and heavy rainfall such as those seen recently.
This year has been the warmest on record so far, with ocean temperatures breaking new records for more than 15 months.
Summer is quickly becoming a brutal season: Last week alone, record-breaking June heat forced schools to close across the Northeast and slowed some trains, flooding caused bridges to collapse in the Midwest and inundated towns across three states, and tropical storm-force winds prompted disaster declarations for 51 Texas counties.
The threat of climate change lurks behind many recent events.
“Last year, of course, was the warmest year on record by a pretty large margin, and this year, so far, has been the warmest on record for this time of June,” Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles and the National Center for Atmospheric Research, said at a briefing on Monday.
While it will take time for climate scientists to understand and calculate the impact of global warming on individual weather events, the science is clear that as the planet warms, the likelihood of extreme temperatures increases, and the risk of heavy rains increases because a warmer atmosphere can hold and release more moisture.
As a result, the effects of climate change will be more noticeable in the summer, Swain said.
“It’s not surprising that we’re seeing another wave of record-breaking heat and record-breaking rainfall. It’s exhausting, but I think it’s really important that we don’t forget or let it slip away,” he said. “And this heat is especially pronounced in the summer, because, of course, the Northern Hemisphere summer is when most people on the planet experience the hottest weather.”
Extremely heavy rainfall over the weekend flooded communities in at least 80 counties in Iowa, South Dakota and Minnesota, temporarily isolating the town of Spencer, Iowa, of 11,000 people from the rest of the state. About 2,000 structures, including hundreds of homes, were damaged in Iowa alone.
Dead Planets Society is a podcast that takes some crazy ideas for how to tinker with the universe and tests their effects against the laws of physics, from snapping the moon in half to causing doomsday events with gravitational waves. apple, Spotify Or check out our podcast page.
By the end of the 16th century, pretty much everyone knew that the Earth revolved around the Sun, not the other way around. This was a huge blow to those who thought the Earth was the center of the universe, but the Dead Planets Society is here to ease their disappointment. Yes, we're trying to revive geocentrism.
Putting Earth at the center of the solar system requires more than just fudging the math: The Sun is much more massive than our puny planet, so forcing it to orbit the Sun would be nearly impossible, so hosts Chelsea White and Leah Crane would have to make some major changes to the solar system as we know it.
In this episode, Andy Rivkin Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland say the only way to make Earth an Earth-centered solar system would be to make it the most massive thing around – which would have some strange effects, assuming it doesn't collapse the planet into a black hole.
First, the Moon would have to speed up to maintain its orbit, orbiting the Earth in an hour or so before it would break apart. If the remaining planets didn't speed up too, they would all crash into the new giant Earth within a decade or two. The Earth's extra mass could also disrupt other nearby stars, causing them to start attracting it to Earth. A victorious Earth-centered solar system might not last long, but it would certainly come to a dramatic end.
We tend to think of space-time as the underlying structure of the universe, but whether it’s truly fundamental, or whether it arises from something much deeper, is a question that keeps physicists up at night. “It’s not a philosophical question to debate over a beer,” physicists say. Marika Taylor “This is something that actually gets built into the calculations that people make,” say researchers from the University of Birmingham in the UK.
A great place to start is quantum mechanics, which describes the behavior of elementary particles. One of the core tenets of this notoriously counterintuitive theory is that connections between particles can transcend our usual concepts of space and time. This happens through a phenomenon called quantum entanglement, in which particles can affect each other’s properties even when they’re half a universe apart.
Cosmologists now generally accept that quantum entanglement is intimately connected to the emergence of space. If we know the degree of quantum entanglement between two quantum particles, we can derive the distance between them. When we do this for a network of many particles, a geometry begins to form from which we can call space emerge. In other words, space may emerge from quantum entanglement.
Entanglement and space-time
Furthermore, advances in string theory, a candidate theory of everything, suggest that what happens in the universe can be explained entirely by data held at the exterior, or boundary, of that space — a phenomenon known as holographic duality. Combine this with quantum entanglement and you can build a universe that boasts a spatial fabric of distance and geometry.
All life as we know it in the entire universe is tucked away on a tiny rock floating in a tiny branch of the Milky Way galaxy. There are billions of other planets that could potentially support life, but how does our location affect our chances of finding it?
So far, the search for life elsewhere has only scratched the surface. “The bubble of space we've been able to explore around the Sun is tiny compared to the size of our galaxy,” he said. Jesse Christiansen“But we've already discovered more than 5,000 planets, called exoplanets, that orbit other stars,” says John F. Kennedy, an astrophysicist at the California Institute of Technology. Some of these have been found throughout our galaxy and even in other galaxies, but most are within a few hundred light years of the sun, a stone's throw in the scheme of the universe.
Our Galactic Neighborhood
Astronomers are beginning to look at different types of stars in the galactic outskirts and how they affect the habitability of planets around them. We live in an arm of the Milky Way galaxy called Orion, inside the main plane of the galaxy called the thin disk. We are surrounded by stars in the Orion arm. Further outwards, we are surrounded by the dense bulge of the galaxy's dense core on one side, and the sparser outer parts of the other arms of the galaxy on the other side.
Thin, disk-shaped stars, like our Sun and other stars in the constellation Orion, generally…
Researchers say smiles made from living human skin could one day be attached to humanoid robots, allowing the machines to emote and communicate in a more lifelike way – and the wrinkles could even be useful for the cosmetics industry.
The living tissue is a mixture of human skin cells grown on a collagen scaffold, then placed on a 3D-printed resin base. Unlike previous similar experiments, this skin also contains the equivalent of ligaments, which are embedded in the layers of tissue beneath the skin of humans and other animals and hold the skin in place, giving it incredible strength and flexibility.
Michio Kawai The Harvard researchers call their ligament equivalents “perforated anchors” because they were made by drilling holes in the robot's plastic base and filling the tiny V-shaped cavities with tissue, which helps the robot's skin stay in place.
The team attached the skin to a smiling robotic face a few centimeters wide, which could be moved by rods attached to a base, and to a similarly sized 3D shape in the shape of a human head (see below), which could not be moved.
“As the roles required of robots expand due to developments in AI technology and other factors, the functions required of robot skin are also starting to change,” Kawai said, adding that having human-like skin could make communication between robots and humans smoother.
3D head shape covered with living skin
Takeuchi et al. (CC-BY-ND)
The research could also have unexpected benefits for the cosmetics industry: In tests, the researchers made the tiny robot's face laugh for a month and found that they could replicate the formation of expression wrinkles on the skin, Kawai says.
“If we can reproduce wrinkle formation on a palm-sized research chip, it could also be used to test new cosmetics and skincare products aimed at preventing, delaying or improving wrinkle formation,” said Kawai, who conducted the research while at the University of Tokyo.
Of course, this skin still lacks some of the functionality and durability of real skin, Kawai says.
“They have no sensing capabilities and no blood vessels to provide them with nutrients and water, so they cannot survive long in air,” he says. “To address these issues, our current challenge is to incorporate neural mechanisms and perfusion pathways into the skin tissue.”
In a sense, we are at the center of the universe. But that’s because we see the same distance in every direction, and the observable universe is perfectly spherical. Due to the limitations of the speed of light and the inexorable expansion of the universe, we can see about 46 billion light years away in every direction. What is beyond this horizon? That is a mystery that will never be solved.
But there are clues. The overall size of the universe is governed by two competing effects: gravity and dark energy. All matter has mass, which causes gravity, pulling everything to everything else. But to their surprise, early 20th-century cosmologists discovered that distant galaxies appear to be moving away from us at incredible speeds. The mysterious force that causes this strange expansion of space is called dark energy, and its nature remains a mystery to this day.
“Before we discovered dark energy and accelerating expansion, the universe was much simpler,” the cosmologist says. Wendy Friedman Researchers at the University of Chicago say that without dark energy, the universe would be much smaller, making its size easier to predict.
Even with dark energy, the universe may only be slightly larger than we can see. Jean-Luc LehnersHe then worked at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics in Germany. Jerome Quintin University of Waterloo, Canada The model was published It suggests that the period of rapid expansion just after the Big Bang, the so-called inflation, may have been even shorter than we thought, making the universe smaller…
The Chang’e-6 probe is recovered in Xiziwang Banner, Inner Mongolia, China.
Xinhua/Shutterstock
China’s Chang’e-6 spacecraft has returned to Earth, bringing back the first chunk of space rock from the far side of the moon.
The capsule separated from the orbital container at around 1:20 p.m. local time, 5,000 kilometers above the Atlantic Ocean, and landed in Xiziwang Banner, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China on June 25.
The sample, which should contain about 2 kilograms of lunar material, descended the final 10 kilometres by parachute, landing at 2:07pm and being retrieved by scientists from the China National Space Administration.
Landing on the far side of the moon is difficult because it always faces away from Earth and there is no direct communication line, and this area’s surface remained unexplored until a Chinese spacecraft landed there earlier this month.
The landing and recovery operations relied heavily on autonomous processes and robotic tools, but Chinese engineers were able to send messages to the spacecraft through the Queqiao-2 relay satellite, which was launched in March this year and is still orbiting the moon.
The samples include surface and two meters of material scooped up by Chang’e-6 drilling into its landing site in Apollo Crater, which is within the larger South Pole-Aitken Basin. Scientists hope that this material will help explain how and when these basins formed, and may enable understanding of the origins of other similar lunar craters.
The rocks may indicate the amount of water ice in the region, which could be a key resource for a manned mission that China hopes to send to the moon by 2030.
Before embarking on its crewed mission, China plans to send two more spacecraft, Chang’e-7 and Chang’e-8, to the lunar south pole to gather information on a potential site for a base to be called the International Lunar Research Station. China is leading the mission in collaboration with Russian space agency Roscosmos.
We think of this universe as containing everything that exists, has existed in the past, and will exist in the future, but that may not be the case – there are many ways in which other universes exist.
One is that we may be part of a branch of an infinite number of universes collectively known as the multiverse. These universes could have emerged shortly after the Big Bang, could be hiding in extra dimensions, or could suddenly appear whenever quantum properties shift from different states into a single reality.
The idea of a multiverse rose to scientific prominence in the 1980s with the invention of inflation, a period when the early universe suddenly expanded. Inflation explains why the universe is so flat and smooth, but it also predicts the creation of many independent bubble universes.
Cyclic Universe
But inflation is only one path to a multiverse, and critics say it has some merit. In recent years, many cosmologists have turned to alternative theories, such as cyclical universe theory, which claims that the universe is expanding and compressing endlessly. These theories still claim multiple universes, but at different times.
“What I don’t like about inflation is that there is very little true prediction. You never get back more than you put in.” Neil Tulloch Physicist at the University of Edinburgh in the UK. Model of a cyclical universe In my 2001 book Inflation Rivals, I argued that there must be a better explanation for inflation.
IIn the vast white desert of Salinas Grandes, 45-year-old Antonio Carpanchay raises an axe and chips away at the earth. He has worked the land since he was 12, splitting and collecting salt, replenishing it for the next season and teaching his children to do the same.
“Our whole indigenous community works here, even the elders,” he says, shielding his sunburned face from the sun. “We’ve always done it. It’s our livelihood.”
As his son watches warily, Karpanchai points north, to a pile of black stones and mud that stands out from the stark whiteness of the plains. “They started mining for lithium in 2010,” he says. “We made them stop because they were destroying the environment and affecting the water quality. But now they’re coming back, and I’m scared. We could lose everything we have.”
Antonio Carpanchay and his son mine and sell salt in Salinas Grandes, Argentina.
The Salinas Grandes are the largest salt flats in Argentina, stretching over 200 miles and containing a biodiverse ecosystem. Sitting in the Lithium Triangle The same goes for parts of Chile and Bolivia.
Lithium is a silvery metal known as platinum and is a vital element in batteries for mobile phones and electric cars. By 2040, global demand is predicted to increase more than 40-fold. But that exploitation has also raised moral debates, pitting the transition to green energy against the rights of local and indigenous peoples.
The sign reads “No to Lithium.”
Thirty-three indigenous communities in the Atacama and Cola regions, fearful of losing or polluting their water resources and being forced off their lands, have banded together for 14 years to try to halt the mining operations. “Please respect our territory” and “No to lithium” are scrawled on dozens of road signs, abandoned buildings, and murals.
But now, with more than 30 global mining conglomerates moving into the region at the instigation of “anarcho-capitalist” President Javier Milley, the battle lines are being redrawn. Offers of jobs and investment are increasingly dividing communities, with some already reneging on agreements and more expected to follow.
“Businesses are moving in,” Karpanchai said. “I worry about my grandchildren’s future.”
TThe biggest concern for indigenous peoples is water. Approximately 2 million liters of evaporation is required per tonne of lithium. This threatens to dry up the region’s wetlands and already dry rivers and lakes. Industrial-scale pumping also threatens to contaminate fresh groundwater, endangering livestock and small-scale agriculture. The impacts will likely reach farther than the immediate source of the water: as locals say, “water knows no borders.”
Clemente Flores, a 59-year-old community leader, says water is the most important part of Pachamama, which means “Mother Earth.” “Water nourishes the air, the soil, the pastures for the animals and the food we eat,” he argues.
“If we used all the water for mining, the salt flats would dry up. We need water to grow salt. Without salt, there are no jobs,” said Karpanchai, who relies on the freshwater resources to raise llamas and sheep. “Chemicals from mining could pollute the water and pastures. We could lose everything.”
Flavia Lamas, 30, a tour guide on the salt flats, remembers when lithium companies began exploring around 2010. “They said mining lithium would not affect Mother Earth, but then water became a problem. Water was running off the salt flats and after just one month our land started to degrade,” she says.
Flavia Lamas, who guides tourists through the Salinas Grandes salt flats, compares the mining companies to the Spanish colonial army of the 1500s.
According to Pia Marchegiani, director of environmental policy at the NGO: Environment and Natural Resources Foundation (Fern) Environmental assessments leave gaps in understanding the full impact of large-scale development. “This region is a watershed. Water comes from everywhere, but nobody is looking at the whole picture,” Marchegiani says. “You have Australians, Americans, Europeans, Chinese, Koreans, but nobody is adding up their water use.”
Wildlife within the ecosystem may also be affected. A 2022 study found that flamingosLithium mining in Chile is slowly killing off coral reefs that feed on microorganisms in seawater.
Communities also fear their land will disappear. Indigenous people consider the land sacred and ancestral, and have lived on it for centuries, but they worry they will be forcibly removed. “We can’t sacrifice our community land. Do you think that’s going to save the planet? Instead, we’re destroying Mother Earth herself,” Flores says.
A painting welcoming visitors to the village of El Moreno features an anti-lithium message.
youUntil recently, the 33 communities fought together as one, but over the past year, cracks have appeared as mining companies have offered economic incentives. “Companies are approaching,” Karpanchai said. “They approach us alone, they come in disguise. People are feeling the pressure.”
Lamas says mining companies are descending on the region like conquistadors in the 1500s. “The Spanish brought mirrors as gifts. Now the miners come by truck,” she says. “We’ve been offered gifts, trucks, and houses in the city, but we don’t want to live there.”
Marchegiani accuses the companies of deploying “divide and conquer” tactics. Alicia Chalabet, an indigenous lawyer from Salinas Grandes, says the community is under “constant pressure” to agree to the demands. “We’re flooded with lithium companies here. It’s increased a lot in the last five years,” said Chalabet, who is currently handling 20 cases. “The community is just an obstacle.”
The community of Lipan was the first to agree to let mining company Rishon Energy explore the waters beneath the saltwater in exchange for promises of jobs and essential services, but some residents say the decision was controversial, and some community members claim not all residents were allowed to vote.
A facility set up by Rishon Energy to explore lithium potential near the village of Lipan. The company claims to employ staff from the local area and invest in their training.
Rishon denies that its decision to mine in Lipan was controversial and says it complied with all regulations that require it to seek local community support in lithium exploration. The company has previously told reporters that it has invested in 15 secondary school and 15 university scholarships, provided computers to local schools, and hired 12 workers from Lipan.
Anastasia Castillo, 38, grew up in Lipan and now lives in a nearby commune. She says neither she nor her parents, who remain in the village, agreed. “I’m very sad. My children’s future is ruined. We have 100 cows and 80 llamas in the area, which is my main job. I’m afraid they’ll die,” Castillo said. “Now we’re separated.”
An astrophysicist and a surgeon walk into a bar. No, this is not the start of a bad joke. A few years ago, an astrophysicist Franco Vazza I met my childhood friend Alberto FerrettiAnd then he became a neurosurgeon. Vazza was modeling the structure of the universe, while Ferretti was delving into the brain. The two men reminisced and talked about their work. And then an idea occurred to them: What if they compared?
Vazza, based at the University of Bologna in Italy, has done just that. He used statistical techniques to compare neurons in a region of the brain called the cortex to the cosmic web, the pattern of matter distribution throughout the universe. Vazza looked at the number of nodes in each network and how densely connected each node is. The results surprised him.“It's a really interesting level of similarity,” he says. Ignoring the difference in the structures' sizes, which are about 27 orders of magnitude, “the two patterns kind of overlap,” Vazza says.
Some physicists cannot ignore this similarity, suggesting that the universe may “think” – that is, be conscious in some sense – an idea that has roots in the philosophy of panpsychism.
Traditionally, researchers have explained consciousness in one of two ways. Materialists argue that there is only matter, and consciousness somehow arises from that. Dualists argue that there are fundamentally two kinds of matter: matter and consciousness. There has been much discussion about the shortcomings of both views. For example, how can consciousness arise from pure matter?
IEven though it’s the next big game for the PlayStation 5 and it’s in Sony’s DNA, there’s still something Nintendo about Astro Bot. That’s because it’s perfectly designed for the controller it’s played on, taking advantage of all the features of the DualSense controller. The spacey aesthetic, with different planets representing different colorful worlds to jump into, is reminiscent of Super Mario Galaxy, and it’s just pure joy to play. On a console where the most well-known hits are pretty serious (like God of War and The Last of Us), Astro Bot prioritizes fun.
“I think Sony’s product design is about cool, but it also embraces playfulness,” says Nicolas Doucet, studio director at Team Asobi, the Japanese studio behind Astro Bot. “The two are not mutually exclusive or antagonistic… [PlayStation] The hardware team loved it and no one cared less about it. These are highly crafted products, so you can imagine that designers wouldn’t want them tampered with. But we were looking at PSVR and turning it into a mothership.”
The first Astro Bot game, Rescue Mission, was the best thing ever made for PlayStation’s VR headset, a clever platformer brimming with original ideas. Astro’s Playroom was a treat that came packaged with the PS5 when it launched in 2020, designed to show off the capabilities of Sony’s new console and its controller. It did so brilliantly, with levels themed around the PS5’s super-fast SSD hard drive and a singing GPU soundtrack, taking full advantage of every little gimmick in the PS5 controller, from the microphone to the haptic triggers. But Astro’s Playroom was also, unexpectedly, an interactive museum of Sony’s gaming hardware. As I played, I collected consoles, peripherals, and other knickknacks, gradually filling the lab with PlayStation history. It was fun.
A cheeky idea that will never come again… Astro Bots. Photo: Sony/Team Asobi
During the development of Astro’s Playroom, Team Asobi worked very closely with the people making the PS5 and the controller. They were even running around the building with prototypes in paper bags, Doucet said. “They gave us prototype controllers that were twice the size of a normal controller, or they put two controllers together because they needed more power. You can see how much work went into miniaturizing all that and making a controller that looks and feels good. They came up with features like adaptive triggers and haptics because they Feeling Our job is to generate as many ideas as possible about how it might be used, and then validate and sometimes deny those intuitions. After all, we’re not selling technology, we’re selling an experience, a magical experience. come “From technology.”
Now, Team Asobi was given the freedom to create a bigger, longer game (12 hours or so) as an extended tech demo, without being tied to a single piece of PlayStation hardware. That said, it’s still a clear tribute to all things Sony. It incorporates many ideas that didn’t make it into the 2020 game. Astro Bot now flies between levels in a controller-shaped spaceship whose exhaust gases are made up of PlayStation button symbols. Running around several levels as this adorable robot, I slid down a waterslide with a bunch of beach balls, jumped off a high board into a pool, took down an angry giant octopus by slingshotting myself in the face with a retractable frog-face boxing glove, used a magnet to gather pieces of metal into a ball big enough to smash things, and blew up Astro like a balloon before sending him flying with the gas that erupted.
It’s super cute, funny and full of playful details. We discovered that the flames spewing from Astro’s jetpack can cut through wooden logs, but only because it’s fun; Astro struck a confident surfing pose when he hopped onto a turtle to see if he could ride on its back; and when we tickled a sad-looking anemone to discover a secret room, we were greeted with a chorus of “Secret!” These details are inconsequential, but as Doucet points out, “They’re important, because all these little things become memories.”
The levels are like a solar system that slowly expands outwards as the challenge increases. There’s the safest one towards the middle, where a 5-year-old can have fun kicking a football, jumping through water, and punching the occasional bad guy. And then there are the hardest levels towards the edge. There are over 150 little tributes to PlayStation games, from PaRappa the Rapper to Journey, in the form of cosplay robots that you can rescue. The challenge levels will test your 90s childhood 3D platforming skills, including precision jumps across platforms suspended in time and a miniature ice rink floating in space. This is the simplest fun I’ve had playing a game in a long time.
Team Asobi is relatively small, with about 65 people, and relatively international. According to Doucet, three-quarters of the team is Japanese, and the rest are from 16 countries. Some of them have worked on past PlayStation projects, such as Shadow of the Colossus and Gravity Daze, but some are newcomers. They are all focused on making Astro Bot a true mascot for PlayStation, Doucet says. “We want to develop Astro into a really strong franchise. We want to develop this little character even more,” he says. “There are a lot of expectations to meet at PlayStation, but we never forget that we are the underdogs. That’s part of the mindset of a successful person, you always want to be in pursuit of something. If you become too satisfied, the game starts to lose its soul.”
Astro Bot certainly has a soul. It’s clear that the development team is having a lot of fun. “We’re geeky people, and I’m a PlayStation collector myself,” says Doucet. “It might sound a little corny, but it’s important that we’re happy so that our players are happy.”
Astro Bot will be available on PlayStation 5 on September 6th
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