TThe state of the art in AI just got a little bit further along: On Friday, Anthropic, an AI lab founded by a team of disgruntled OpenAI staffers, released the latest version of its Claude LLM. From Bloomberg:
The company announced on Thursday that a new model of the technology behind its popular chatbot, “Claude,” is twice as fast as its most powerful predecessor. In its evaluation, Anthropik said the model outperformed leading competitors such as OpenAI in several key intelligence capabilities, including coding and text-based reasoning.
Anthropik just released the previous version of Claude, 3.0, in March. This latest model is called 3.5, and it’s currently only available on the company’s mid-range model, “Sonnet.” The company says a faster, cheaper, less powerful “Haiku” version is coming soon, as well as a slower, more expensive, but most powerful “Opus.”
But even before Opus arrived, Anthropic claimed to have the best AI on the market. In a series of head-to-head comparisons posted on the company’s blog, 3.5 Sonnet outperformed OpenAI’s latest model, GPT-4o, in tasks like math quizzes, text comprehension, and undergraduate-level knowledge. It wasn’t a clean sweep, with GPT maintaining the lead in several benchmarks, but it was enough to justify the company’s claim that it’s on the cutting edge of what’s possible.
From a more qualitative perspective, AI seems to be a step forward. Anthropic states:
They have a significantly improved ability to understand nuance, humor, and complex instructions, and they excel at writing high-quality content in a natural, relatable tone.
They’re grading their own homework, and their explanation matches the changes I’ve noticed: No matter where the technical benchmarks are, I find talking to the latest version of Claude more enjoyable than any AI system I’ve used before.
But the company isn’t just selling power updates. Instead, in a way favored by smaller competitors around the world, Anthropic is focusing as much on cost as it is on features. The company claims that Claude 3.5 is not only smarter than its predecessor, but also cheaper.
Antarctica’s melting ice sheet could retreat faster as warmer ocean water invades underneath it, and rising ocean temperatures could trigger a “runaway” feedback effect that pushes warm water further inland, melting even more ice and accelerating sea-level rise.
As the climate warms, the future of Antarctica’s vast ice sheet remains uncertain, and predictions vary widely about how quickly it will melt and therefore how much it will contribute to sea-level rise. One dynamic that researchers have only recently begun to recognize as a key factor is the intrusion of warmer ocean water beneath the ice.
“The mechanisms of invasion are much more powerful than we previously understood.” Alexander Bradley At the British Antarctic Survey.
Such intrusions are driven by density differences between the freshwater flowing out from beneath the ice sheet and the warmer waters where the ice meets the sea floor, known as the grounding line. They are difficult to observe directly because they occur hundreds of meters beneath the ice, but simulations suggest that in some places the warm waters could extend several kilometers inland.
One model by Alexander Lovell Researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta found that widespread ice-sheet intrusion could add heat from below, lubricating ice flow along bedrock and more than doubling ice loss from the ice sheet.
Bradley and his colleagues Ian Hewitt Using their model, Oxford researchers explained how the shape of cavities in the ice changes as the ice melts, altering how ocean water flows in.
The researchers found that once ocean water reaches a certain temperature threshold, ice from the ice sheet melts faster than it can be replaced by outflowing ice. If this cavity grows larger, more water could flow under the ice sheet and penetrate further inland, creating a so-called “runaway” positive feedback effect.
“Small changes in ocean temperature lead to dramatic changes in how far warm water can intrude,” Bradley said. The ocean warming needed to cause this effect is within the range expected this century, he said, but models cannot yet predict it for specific ice sheets, and not all ice sheets are equally susceptible to such intrusions.
“This positive feedback could lead to much more intrusion than we thought,” Lovell says. “Whether that’s a tipping point that leads to unrestrained intrusion of ocean water beneath the ice sheet is probably a stretch.”
Do you own a precious and adorable cat? If so, your feline friend may be obstructing your view of this page and causing havoc once again, particularly if you are browsing on a laptop.
But why do cats have this tendency? What drives them to interfere with our computers?
Unfortunately, there have not been any extensive scientific studies to explore this question yet. However, cat behavior experts have a relevant theory that could shed light on why cats love to sit on keyboards.
Why does my cat sit on my laptop?
It’s unlikely that your cat wants to mimic your typing or join in with your computer activities. Recent research suggests that cats are capable of imitating human actions, such as touching objects with specific body parts. However, typing is a behavior that cats struggle to replicate, as explained by Dr. David Sands, an Animal Psychology Expert with over 25 years of experience.
While laptops do emit heat which may attract cats, the main draw for felines is the smell of their owners on the keyboard. Cats have a strong sense of smell and enjoy leaving their scent on objects to show ownership. This behavior is more about claiming territory and marking their humans rather than seeking warmth or copying human actions.
In summary, it’s not harmful for your cat to sit on your laptop physically, but if the behavior becomes excessive or is accompanied by other signs of anxiety or attention-seeking, it may be worth monitoring.
About our Expert, Dr. David Sands
Dr. David Sands holds a PhD in Ethology (Animal Psychology) and boasts more than 25 years of experience in animal behavior clinics. He is affiliated with the Canine and Cat Behavioural Association (CFBA) and the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour (ASAB) and has authored several books, including 500 Questions About Cats Answered.
The choice to name a new project the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) may come across as presumptuous. Dark energy, you see, is completely unseen; it does not emit any detectable light for a spectrometer to analyze. In fact, dark energy has never been directly observed and has managed to evade capture despite efforts made using the most advanced telescopes and detectors available.
As far as we understand it, dark energy is invisible, uniformly spread throughout space, does not interact with matter or light, and serves the sole purpose of accelerating the universe’s expansion through a mechanism that remains a mystery to us.
So, with the recent announcement of DESI’s initial data release, are we witnessing a shift in our comprehension of dark energy, as promised?
In the search for elusive dark energy, our observations offer limited insights: dark energy merely stretches space-time. To investigate different theories about dark energy, we must examine how this stretching occurred over cosmic time.
One method is to observe the universe’s expansion history, while another involves examining how matter accumulated within galaxies and clusters at various junctures in the universe’s past.
Efforts to measure the expansion rate often involve constructing a precise 3D map of the universe’s matter. By studying the spectra of light, we can determine how much it has stretched due to the universe’s expansion. By combining this information with accurate physical distances, we gain valuable insights into the universe’s evolution.
DESI’s new model has stirred speculation by proposing that dark energy may have a more intricate history than previously believed. If these indications prove to be accurate, they could revolutionize our understanding of not just the universe’s past, but also its eventual fate.
The Concordance Model of Cosmology outlines the prevailing model of the universe and its components. In this model, dark energy is viewed as a cosmological constant, providing a minimal flexibility to every part of space.
DESI and other surveys commonly report their dark energy findings in terms of an “equation of state” parameter denoted as w. A value of w = -1 is expected if dark energy behaves as a cosmological constant. Any deviation from this value implies a different characteristic for dark energy.
The recent DESI findings present a puzzling scenario: while a constant w of -1 aligns well with the results, a scenario where w is variable suggests a different interpretation. When combined with data from other sources, these results hint at a changing w, implying a varying impact of dark energy on the universe over time.
While the implications of these findings remain uncertain, they raise intriguing possibilities about the future course of the universe and the role of dark energy within it. Though still preliminary, these results suggest that dark energy may continue to surprise us in unforeseen ways in the future.
The Moon, Earth’s steadfast companion that remains in orbit, has been a popular subject of discussion since the early days of space exploration. Missions have been planned, rovers have explored its surface, and even a flag has been planted there.
But why all the interest? The Moon is over 400,000 km away from Earth, a considerable distance to travel, and it poses many challenges as a potential habitat for humans, such as exposure to solar radiation.
However, the Moon offers other advantages. Being largely untouched, it presents opportunities for planetary research, scientific experiments, and notably, mining for valuable resources.
There is a growing interest in lunar exploration, raising the important question of lunar ownership. Philosopher and author AC Grayling addresses this topic in his new book, “Who owns the moon?”
SF: Why are we interested in going to the moon, and will it ever happen?
ACG: The Moon holds vast resources, making it a lucrative target for mining operations. Coupled with the rapid pace of technological advancements, the obstacles to lunar exploration are likely to be overcome. Significant investments are being made in this endeavor, indicating the potential benefits that could be derived.
While some argue that lunar exploration is not feasible, the lure of valuable resources like Helium-3 for clean nuclear fusion makes the Moon an attractive destination for mining activities.
SF: So who actually owns the moon?
The 1967 Outer Space Treaty, agreed upon by the United Nations, asserts that the Moon cannot be militarized or claimed for sovereignty or ownership. It is considered a shared resource belonging to all of humanity.
With various nations eyeing lunar exploration and exploitation, concerns about potential conflicts arise, highlighting the need for clearer regulations and agreements.
What are the next steps? Will the law be strengthened?
Efforts are being made to establish binding regulations, but the presence of multiple space agencies and rivalries between nations complicate the process. Initiatives like the Artemis Accords aim to set guidelines for responsible behavior in space.
However, the prospect of a new space race between major powers like the US, China, and Russia raises concerns about the potential for conflict and competition in space.
Can history give us any indication of what might happen?
The Antarctic Treaty serves as a model for international cooperation in preserving shared resources. However, challenges to extend the treaty’s scope and conflicting claims in Antarctica hint at the complexities of managing common territories.
Similar issues could arise in lunar exploration, especially with the potential for valuable mineral resources like Helium-3. The absence of clear regulations and the lack of a universal agreement on space governance present significant hurdles.
Is there an argument to leave the moon alone?
Given the Moon’s vast and barren nature, concerns about environmental impacts are minimal compared to Earth. Utilizing lunar resources for space exploration and sustainable practices could be more beneficial in the long run.
What’s the next step after the moon?
The Moon’s potential as a refueling station for Mars missions opens up new possibilities for further space exploration. As colonies on celestial bodies evolve, questions of independence and governance will arise, shaping the future of human presence in space.
In conclusion, the direction of space activities will determine whether they align with values upheld on Earth or devolve into profit-driven ventures. Clear regulations and international cooperation are essential to ensure a sustainable and equitable future in space.
About our expert, A.C. Grayling
AC Grayling is a philosopher and author of the book “Whose Moon is It?” He is also the founder of the New College of the Humanities and a respected figure in literary criticism and intellectual discourse.
The ancient ship and its cargo are estimated to date to the 13th century BC, making it one of the oldest shipwrecks ever discovered.
Canaanite amphorae discovered in a 3,300-year-old shipwreck. Image courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority.
The 3,300-year-old shipwreck was discovered 90 kilometers (56 miles) off the coast of Israel, on the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea at a depth of 1.8 kilometers (1.1 miles).
“The ship appears to have sunk due to a storm or an attempted pirate attack,” said Dr Jacob Sharvit, head of the Israel Antiquities Authority’s maritime department.
“This is the first ship ever found in the deep waters of the eastern Mediterranean, 90 kilometres from the nearest coast, and also the oldest.”
“This is a history-changing discovery of global scale. It sheds light like never before on the navigational skills of ancient sailors who were able to cross the Mediterranean without ever seeing the coast. From this geographical point, all you can see is the horizon.”
“It seems likely that celestial objects were used to navigate by observing the positions and angles of the sun and stars.”
The discovery was made by a team from Energene, a London-based natural gas producer, during an environmental survey of the seabed.
“As part of our ongoing efforts to discover and extract natural gas from the deep sea, we are carrying out surveys to check various parameters using advanced submersible robots to explore the seabed,” said Dr Karnit Bahartan, head of Energean’s environmental staff.
“About a year ago, while surveying, we came across an unusual sight: a large pile of water jugs on the seabed.”
“We have been in constant contact with the Israel Antiquities Authority and when we sent them the images, it turned out to be a sensational find, far beyond our imagination.”
A 3,300-year-old shipwreck on the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. Image courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority.
“Robotic investigation and mapping of the site revealed that the ship was a wreck approximately 12-14 metres (39-46 feet) long and was carrying hundreds of passengers. Late Bronze Age Canaanite storage vesselsOnly a small fraction of it is visible above the ocean floor,” Dr Sharbit said.
“There appears to be a second level of ship hidden in the muddy bottom, with the wooden beams of the ship also buried in the mud.”
“The type of vessel identified in the shipment was designed as the most efficient means of transporting relatively cheap, mass-produced products, such as oil, wine, and agricultural products such as fruit.”
“The discovery of such a large number of amphorae on a single ship attests to important commercial links between their country of origin and the ancient Near Eastern countries along the Mediterranean coast.”
“This is a truly stunning discovery. There are only two other known cargo-laden shipwrecks from the Late Bronze Age in the Mediterranean – the Cape Gelidnja ship and the Uluburun ship, both found off the coast of Turkey.”
“But both wrecks were found relatively close to shore and were accessible using standard diving equipment.”
“Based on these two discoveries, the previous academic hypothesis was that trade at that time was carried out by flying safely from port to port, keeping eye contact along the coastline.”
“The discovery of this ship completely changes our understanding of the capabilities of ancient seafarers. It is the first time that a ship has been found so far away that land is completely out of sight.”
“There is great potential for research here. Because the ship has been preserved at great depth, time has stopped since the moment of the disaster. The hull and the surrounding conditions have not been disturbed by human hands (divers, fishermen, etc.), nor have they been subject to the waves and currents that affect shipwrecks in shallow waters.”
“The significance of these discoveries has led to the decision to open the archaeological campus for ‘tasting’ tours this summer, to display these Canaanite ships excavated from the seabed and to tell the public their story,” said Dr. Eli Eskseed, Director General of the Israel Antiquities Authority.
“This visit will allow visitors to get a glimpse of this unique building, its mosaics and laboratories ahead of the official opening of the vast visitor centre, scheduled for two years from today.”
“We are extremely grateful to Energiaan for their swift response in identifying this ancient cargo and for committing resources to enable this initial understanding to be gained from this unusual shipwreck.”
High concentrations of free amino acids in tea leaves are important for tea’s flavor and health functions, but their biosynthesis, transport and turnover in the tea plant have remained unknown.
A practical model of nitrogen assimilation, amino acid synthesis, transport, and decomposition/recycling in tea plants. Image courtesy of Yu others., doi: 10.1093/hr/uhae060.
“Amino acids are essential for plant growth and have a significant impact on the flavor and health benefits of tea,” Professor Zhao Jian Hunan Agricultural University and colleagues.
“Especially the tea trees Camellia sinensis exhibits a unique amino acid profile that contributes to its distinctive taste and nutritional value.”
“Although the importance of amino acids such as theanine and glutamine (Gln) is known, the detailed dynamics of their synthesis, transport and degradation in tea plants remain unknown.”
“These challenges require intensive research to be carried out to understand the complex metabolic pathways and spatial distribution of amino acids within the tea plant.”
In the study, Professor Zhao and his co-authors analyzed the spatial dynamics of amino acid biosynthesis, transport and turnover in tea plants.
“This study provides a detailed analysis of the metabolic pathways and gene expression that control these processes,” the researchers said.
“By understanding these mechanisms, we hope to improve tea cultivation and enhance the quality of tea beverages.”
“This study revealed that nitrogen assimilation occurs mainly in the roots, where glutamate, theanine and arginine (Arg) are actively synthesized. These amino acids are then transported through the plant’s vascular system.”
“Transcriptome analysis revealed that genes involved in Arg synthesis are highly expressed in roots, whereas genes involved in Arg transport and degradation are expressed in stems and young leaves. This indicates that there is a sophisticated amino acid management system within the plant.”
“One of the key findings is the role of the CsGSIa gene, which is crucial for the synthesis, transport and recycling of amino acids.”
“Overexpression and knockdown experiments of CsGSIa in transgenic tea plants demonstrated significant effects on the levels of Gln and theanine.”
“The study also revealed that Arg, Gln, glutamic acid (Glu), and theanine are the major amino acids transported through xylem sap, facilitating long-distance nitrogen transport from roots to leaves.”
“Our findings provide a detailed map of amino acid metabolism in the tea plant, which is of vital importance for both basic science and applied agricultural practice,” Dr Zhao said.
“Understanding these metabolic pathways opens up new possibilities for breeding tea varieties with enhanced flavor and health benefits.”
The team’s findings have important implications for the tea industry.
“By elucidating the pathway of amino acid metabolism, our study paves the way for the development of tea plants with higher contents of beneficial amino acids, enhancing both flavour and nutritional value,” the researchers said.
“These insights can be applied to breeding programs and cultivation practices to produce superior tea varieties.”
“Furthermore, understanding these metabolic processes can help us develop strategies to improve nitrogen use efficiency, contributing to more sustainable and productive tea farms.”
of study Published in the journal Horticultural Research.
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Shuwei Yu others2024. Analysis of spatial dynamics of biosynthesis, transport and metabolism of major amino acids in tea plants (Camellia sinensis). Horticultural Research 11(5):uhae060; doi:10.1093/hr/uhae060
An illustration Sacesphoroides niedegidonaeImage courtesy of Eduardo Brettas.
A newly discovered species, the northern stingray (Sacesphoroides niedegidonae)teeth, CaatingaA natural area located in the interior of northeastern Brazil.
“Caatinga is the largest seasonally dry tropical forest in the Neotropics, located in northeastern Brazil, and is characterized by a predominantly deciduous forest and extreme seasonality of rainfall,” Dr. Pablo Cerqueira Emilio Goeldi from the Paraense Museum of the Federal University of Pará and his colleagues.
“Historically, this area has been treated as a biologically impoverished region, but recent studies have uncovered new diversification patterns and several new species of frogs, mammals, insects and fish.”
“The region's topography has played an important role in its biogeographical history, with altitudes ranging from sea level in the north to an average of 400-700 metres in the central states of Bahia and Minas Gerais, to over 1,000 metres on the slopes of the Sierra de Espinhaço mountain range.”
Sacesphoroides niedegidonae It is the second known species in the genus. SacesphoroidesThis also includes Sacesphoroides cristatus.
“Until recently, Sacesphoroides cristatus Classified into the genus SacesphorusHowever, new genetic and morphological data have revealed that the genus is non-monophyletic, prompting its transfer to a separate genus. Sacesphoroides” the researchers said.
In this study, a total of 1,079 Sacesphoroides cristatus Sample size (818 males, 261 females).
To investigate song variation, the researchers analyzed a total of 115 different audio recordings.
They also sequenced 58 tissue samples from across the country. Sacesphoroides cristatus The range is wide, with 39 of them belonging to the left bank of the San Francisco River and 19 on the right bank.
Of the 1,079 individuals analysed (skins and photographs), no diagnostic plumage differences could be identified among males, but two main plumage patterns were diagnosed in females, mainly across the river.
“Men Sacesphoroides niedegidonae The feathers are similar Sacesphoroides cristatus“The males are males, but the females have different colouring on the top of their heads, backs and tails than the males,” the scientists said.
“Sacesphoroides niedegidonae It is generally lighter in color (amber) rather than chestnut brown. Sacesphoroides cristatus. “
The back is olive brown Sacesphoroides niedegidonae,on the other hand, Sacesphoroides cristatus It's cinnamon brown.”
“The overall color of the tail is Sacesphoroides niedegidonae Darker than Sacesphoroides cristatusThe most noticeable difference is the black and white stripes. Sacesphoroides cristatus It has a modest dull brown and reddish stripes, and no white stripes at all.”
“Sing out loud Sacesphoroides niedegidonae The general pattern is: Sacesphoroides cristatus“However, the shape of the first note is noticeably different,” they added.
“The new species is almost exclusively restricted to the left/north bank of the São Francisco River, with one population occurring on the right bank in the “Raço da Catarina” region of Bahia.”
“This population, discovered on the right/south bank of the San Francisco River, may have 'migrated' across the river due to changes in paleotopography, as detailed in the Discussion section below.”
Sacesphoroides niedegidonae It is a common species throughout most of its range and occurs in a variety of habitats in the Caatinga, including secondary growth vegetation.
“The range of the outbreak is estimated to be 630,000 km.2not approaching the threshold Vulnerable Status according to IUCN range criteria (<20,000 km2)2),” the authors state.
“Although population data is not available, the mature population is estimated at more than 10,000 individuals, and the species Least Concern. “
“But a new approach using niche modelling for future climate scenarios shows Sacesphoroides cristatus (include Sacesphoroides niedegidonae(same as treated prior to this study).
“When we apply the IUCN criteria to these estimated future range sizes, the threatened category is Near Threatened And more Vulnerable It depends on future global change scenarios.”
Discovery Sacesphoroides niedegidonae It has been reported paper In the journal Zoological scriptor.
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Pablo Cerqueira othersA new ant shrike (Aves: Shrikeidae) endemic to Caatinga and the role of climate variability and drainage change in shaping the potential diversity of a Neotropical seasonally dry forest. Zoological scriptorpublished online June 17, 2024. Source: 10.1111/zsc.12672
Jet engines emit large amounts of ultrafine particles
Aerovista Luchtfotografie/Shutterstock
The health of more than 50 million people living within 20 kilometres of Europe's busiest airport is being harmed by high levels of ultrafine particle pollution from jet engines, according to a report. the study It was commissioned by campaign group Transport & Environment (T&E).
Several Other studies It says ultrafine particles can increase the risk of respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, neurological diseases, diabetes and pregnancy problems. Darn Fun Setters His team, working at the Dutch consultancy CE Delft, are using these studies to try to estimate the impact for Europe as a whole.
But ultrafine particle pollution is a less-studied aspect of air pollution and there is a lot of uncertainty: “There is little research in this area and the evidence is often inconclusive,” Van Seters said.
Most research on particulate air pollution has focused on particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, so-called PM2.5. Ultrafine particles are particles smaller than 0.1 micrometers in diameter.
“They are very dangerous because they are so small and can get very deep into the human body.” Carlos Lopez de la Osa At T&E.
Jet engines emit more ultrafine particles than other types of engines, so people who live or work near airports are most likely to be exposed to this form of air pollution, but there are no effective limits on its levels.
Ultrafine particles are a type of PM2.5, but PM2.5 limits are set for the total mass of particles per cubic metre of air. Ultrafine particles are so small that even a huge number of particles per cubic metre would not exceed the PM2.5 limit.
In fact, there's very little monitoring of ultrafine particle levels, says Lopez de la Osa. “What we have are mostly regional studies around individual airports like Zurich, Amsterdam, Berlin, Los Angeles,” he says. “We don't have a comprehensive view, and that's one of the main reasons we decided to launch this study.”
To estimate the impact across Europe, van Seters and his colleagues first estimated ultrafine particle pollution levels around the continent's 32 busiest airports, based on figures from surveys of individual airports. The team assumed that ultrafine particle pollution increases linearly with the number of flights and did not take wind patterns into account.
Next, based on studies looking at health effects, the researchers estimated that ultrafine particle pollution near 32 airports was responsible for an additional 280,000 cases of hypertension, 330,000 cases of diabetes, and 18,000 cases of dementia over the years.
“This is a first-order estimate based on extrapolation, and we need to do epidemiological studies to get more precise estimates,” Van Seters said.
But he thinks that, if anything, is an underestimate because the study only looked at 32 airports and people living within 20 kilometres, and excluded people who work at the airports.
In terms of population at risk, Orly Airport near Paris tops the list, with more than six million people living within 20 kilometers of the airport, while London's Heathrow Airport comes in fourth, with more than three million people living within the airport's vicinity.
The research team's estimates of health effects rely heavily on a study carried out in 2022 at Schiphol Airport near Amsterdam. Nicole Jansen Contacted by CE Delft, Janssen and her colleagues at the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands said they advised researchers not to try to quantify the impact in this way because of large uncertainties.
But they agree that more research is needed: “We would underscore our recommendation to further investigate the risk of ultrafine particles from aircraft around other international airports,” Janssen said.
There are ways to reduce ultrafine particle pollution levels, says Christina Toth of T&E. Jet fuel can be improved to reduce ultrafine particle emissions, for example by reducing its sulfur content. So-called “sustainable aviation fuels” (SAF) also reduce ultrafine particle pollution.
“Unfortunately, we know it will be a long time before SAF can be produced at scale and be effective,” Toth says.
Limiting airport expansion and flight frequencies and encouraging alternative modes of transport would help, and would also limit flying's impact on the climate.
The test flight of Starliner to the International Space Station is aimed at showcasing the spacecraft’s capability to safely transport astronauts to low Earth orbit and assess its various systems in space.
The launch of the capsule was delayed numerous times before finally taking off on June 5, several years behind schedule and significantly over budget.
According to NASA officials, the return date for the astronauts has not yet been determined, but they could potentially return after a spacewalk scheduled for July 2 from the International Space Station.
Officials mentioned that there is no urgency to depart as the space station has adequate supplies to accommodate the visitors. NASA will thoroughly investigate before approving the undocking of the capsule.
Wilmore and Williams are currently residing on the ISS alongside seven other crew members: NASA astronauts Michael Barratt, Matt Dominic, Tracy Dyson, and Janet Epps, as well as Russian cosmonauts Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkhin, and Oleg Kononenko.
During their prolonged stay in space, Wilmore and Williams will assist in the operations of the space station and conduct various tests as part of the certification process for Starliner by NASA.
“Crew feedback has been extremely positive, and they recognize that all the insights gained during crew flight testing will enhance and refine the experience for future crew members,” stated Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager for Boeing’s Starliner program.
Ultimately, Boeing aims to provide scheduled flights to and from the space station for NASA, akin to the commercial services offered by SpaceX with its Crew Dragon spacecraft since 2020.
Walking on hot red sand is hard work, especially when the temperature exceeds 40°C (104°F). After about 40 minutes you are soaked, dehydrated and exhausted. It is hard to imagine doing this for 40 days with all your gear, including 40 liters of water for five days, on a two-wheeled trolley. But that is exactly what my traveling companions did.
I'm in the Nahud Desert, a vast expanse of sand and rocky wilderness in northern Saudi Arabia, to experience the almost unbearable heat and meet up with 20 other people who are part of an expedition. Deep ClimateHe is dedicated to understanding how humans respond to extreme situations. “The aim is to study how humans adapt to new kinds of environments,” he says. Christian Clotteleader of the expedition and director of the French Institute of Human Adaptation.
This problem becomes even more pressing as the climate gets warmer: even in the most optimistic scenarios, heatwaves exceeding 40°C, as observed in southern Europe and across the United States over the past few months, will become the norm in many parts of the world.
So the question of what happens to our brains and bodies, and how well the human physiology can handle extreme heat, is a question that matters to millions of people. “We're going to see large swaths of densely populated areas rise to unprecedented temperatures that nobody has seen in historical climates,” he said. Tim Renton He is a researcher at the University of Exeter in the UK and recently co-authored a research paper titled “…
When Gene Marrazzo was announced as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) last year, he became one of the world's leading public health policymakers, and the responsibilities are heavier than ever before for the institute's new director, who will succeed Anthony Fauci, who held the position during the coronavirus pandemic and became a household name.
After decades of working on HIV prevention and sexually transmitted diseases, as well as overseeing COVID-19 treatment interventions, Marrazzo is now responsible for NIAID's $6.6 billion annual budget and the future of infectious disease control in the United States.
This includes working with the institute's 21 laboratories across the country, leading the fight against Ebola and HIV, and spearheading the development of new vaccines, treatments, diagnostics and technologies.
Top of Marrazzo's to-do list is tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR), or drug-resistant superbugs, which are predicted to cause 10 million deaths a year and cost the global economy $1 trillion annually by 2050. In May, Britain's former chief medical officer warned that the rise of these pathogens could make pandemics seem “small” and that the problem is more serious than climate change.
Global warming is one of the factors contributing to the increase in drug-resistant bacteria, and changes in the climate conditions on Earth Salmonella Causes cholera Biblio To survive, we'll need to avoid our current antibiotic arsenal altogether. Here, Marrazzo outlines what we should probably fear most, and some developments we can expect in the near future.
Astronomers using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope have discovered at least five young globular clusters within SPT 0615-JD1 (also known as the Cosmic Gems Arc), a strongly lensed galaxy that existed when the universe was 460 million years old.
These images show the galaxy cluster SPT-CL J0615-5746 (right) and part of this cluster (left), showing two clearly lensed galaxies. The Cosmic Gems arc is shown along with several galaxy clusters. Images courtesy of NASA / ESA / CSA / Webb / L. Bradley, STScI / A. Adamo, Stockholm University / Cosmic Spring Collaboration.
“These galaxies are thought to be the main source of intense radiation that reionized the early universe,” said Dr Angela Adamo, astronomer at Stockholm University and the Oskar Klein Centre.
“What’s special about the Cosmic Gems Ark is that thanks to gravitational lensing, we can actually resolve galaxies down to the parsec scale.”
SPT 0615-JD1 was originally discovered in Hubble Space Telescope images obtained by the RELICS (Reionizing Lensing Cluster Survey) program of the lensing galaxy cluster SPT-CL J0615-5746, located about 7.7 billion light-years away in the constellation of Scorpio.
The Webb telescope will enable Dr Adamo and his colleagues to see where stars are forming and how they are distributed, in a similar way that the Hubble telescope is used to study the local galaxy.
Webb’s observations provide a unique opportunity to study star formation and the internal structure of young galaxies at unprecedented distances.
“The combination of the Webb Telescope’s incredible sensitivity and angular resolution at near-infrared wavelengths, along with gravitational lensing by a large foreground galaxy cluster, made this discovery possible that would not have been possible with any other telescope,” said Dr. Larry Bradley, an astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute.
“The surprise and excitement I felt when I first opened the Webb images was overwhelming,” Dr. Adamo said.
“We saw a string of tiny bright dots projected from one side to the other. These cosmic gems are star clusters.”
“Without Webb, we would never have known we were observing star clusters in such a young galaxy.”
Astronomers say the discovery connects different scientific disciplines.
“These results provide direct evidence of the formation of protoglobular clusters in faint galaxies during periods of reionization and help us understand how these galaxies successfully reionized the Universe,” Dr Adamo said.
“This discovery also places important constraints on the formation of globular clusters and their early properties.”
“For example, the high stellar densities found in galaxy clusters provide the first indications of processes occurring within them and give new insights into the possible formation of very massive stars and black hole seeds that are important for the evolution of galaxies.”
In the future, the team hopes to construct a sample of galaxies that can achieve a similar resolution.
“I am convinced that there are more such systems in the early universe waiting to be discovered, which will improve our understanding of early galaxies even further,” said Dr Eros Vanzella, astronomer at the Bologna Observatory for Astrophysics and Space Sciences (INAF).
A. Adamo othersA bound star cluster observed in a lensed galaxy 460 million years after the Big Bang. NaturePublished online June 24, 2024, doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07703-7
Amsterdam’s tiny street gardens provide habitat for insects
Marijke Thyssen/Shutterstock
A study of small urban gardens in the Netherlands found that they can be havens for insects and other wildlife. The two most effective factors were having a lot of plants and a wide variety of plants, whether or not the plants were native.
“Even in a really small garden, just a few plants can make a big difference.” Joe Morpurgo At Leiden University in the Netherlands.
Morpurgo says there have been some studies on biodiversity in larger gardens, but virtually none on smaller ones, so in 2019 his team surveyed 65 urban gardens in Amsterdam and The Hague, all measuring less than 10 square metres.
The researchers measured factors such as the total number of insects, the number of different species, whether the plants were native, and the area covered by the plants. Plant cover was calculated by adding up the area covered by individual specimens, so the garden’s cover can be greater than the area of the land due to plant overlap.
The researchers found that insect abundance and species richness were strongly correlated with plant cover and plant richness, but surprisingly, neither garden size nor native plant cover made any difference.
In theory, native plants should be better: Pollinating insects often adapt to particular flower shapes, and some plant-eating insects will eat specific varieties.
There are several possible explanations for why the proportion of native plants had no effect, Morpurgo said. For example, insects that breed in cities could be omnivorous, or many of them could be invasive species (the study did not categorize insects as native or not).
A study on the large-scale gardens of Wisley, England produces almost the same results“The more plant matter there is, the more invertebrates there are.” Andrew Salisbury These studies were led by staff from the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).
But one RHS study found that native plants could support slightly higher numbers of plant-eating species, such as caterpillars, Salisbury said.
Morpurgo said he would continue to encourage people to grow native plants, which he said have many more benefits, including cultural value as well as helping insects.
His main advice is to do nothing and just allow plants, even those we might call weeds, to grow and attract wildlife: “If you leave everything alone, nature will come into your garden,” says Morpurgo.
Maintaining good oral hygiene is crucial for overall health. It goes beyond just having clean and shiny teeth – it’s about preventing cavities, gum disease, and maintaining a healthy oral microbiome.
Everyone has their own oral care routine, but it’s important to know how to properly care for your teeth in between visits to the dentist. Dr. Kami Hoss, in his book If Your Mouth Could Speak, shares valuable insights on oral hygiene.
How should I brush my teeth?
Dr. Hoss recommends a specific order for your morning oral care routine. After breakfast, follow these steps:
Use an alkaline mouthwash
Floss
Use a tongue cleaner
Brush
Brushing your teeth should be the last step, as plaque builds up overnight and mouthwash helps loosen it. Flossing, using a tongue cleaner, and then brushing with a mild alkaline toothpaste complete the routine.
What kind of mouthwash should I use?
Dr. Hoss advises against using strong antiseptic mouthwashes, as they can disrupt the oral microbiome. Instead, opt for alkaline mouthwashes that restore pH balance in the mouth.
What causes tooth decay?
Tooth decay occurs when the pH in your mouth becomes acidic, leading to demineralization of tooth enamel. Avoiding sugary and acidic foods can help maintain a balanced pH level and prevent cavities.
About our Expert, Dr. Kami Hoss
Dr. Kami Hoss is a dentist with extensive education in dentistry and orthodontics. He is the co-founder of The Super Dentists and author of If Your Mouth Could Speak.
Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi masterpiece Dune: Part 2 The film hits theaters in the US in spring 2024. The movie follows the power struggles of the noble families of the desert planet Arrakis. But what if humanity had become an empire that spanned thousands of worlds in the distant future, as depicted in the film? Sand Dunes How common are desert planets or planets with no water at all in movies and novels?
In the search for these planets, a good place to start is with the most common stars: astronomers have observed what are called small, faint, cool, reddish stars. Red dwarf They make up most of the stars in the galaxy. Astronomers who study planets around stars other than the Sun estimate that every star has at least one planet. About half of the planets around red dwarfs are small, rocky planets with compositions similar to Earth. On the ground planet. Therefore, the most common type of terrestrial planet is thought to be around a red dwarf star.
For decades, astronomers have thought that red dwarfs are too cold for liquid water to exist on their surfaces. To reach the temperature range needed to support liquid water, planets around cooler stars need to orbit closer to their host stars than planets around hotter ones. But unlike stars like the Sun, which have a constant brightness, red dwarfs are born hotter and brighter than their final state for most of their lives.
The terrestrial planets formed with 15 to 70 times more water than Earth, most of it coming from drifting icy comets. But the heat of the young red dwarf star causes the water on these planets to evaporate, turning from liquid to gas in their atmospheres. In the planet's atmosphere, the intense starlight breaks down the water vapor into oxygen and hydrogen. Photolysis. The heavier oxygen stays on the planet while the lighter hydrogen drifts away, and astronomers estimate that as a result, planets around red dwarf stars lose tens of times as much water as Earth's oceans over their first billion years.
A team of Japanese scientists led by Hiroshi Kawamura challenged the paradigm that planets around red dwarfs should lose all their water in this way. They proposed that two factors could significantly reduce the initial water loss of planets orbiting dwarf stars. First, water is decomposed by the intense light in the planet's atmosphere, but some water is produced in the atmosphere when reactive free hydrogen mixes with hydrogen superoxide. Second, the decomposition of water in the atmosphere produces oxygen gas, which protects the water from further intense light.
Kawamura's team used software called the Photochemical and Radiation Transport Model to Proteus To test whether the planet would lose less water if these two factors were taken into account. The researchers calculated the water loss for an Earth-like planet with a water vapor-filled atmosphere and huge oceans. The planet orbits the dwarf star at a distance about 2% of the distance it orbits around the Sun, relative to TRAPPIST-1, shown in the featured image above. The researchers assumed that the only chemical reaction occurring in the planet's atmosphere is between hydrogen and oxygen. Kawamura and his team ran the model once to see if the results differed from previous studies and how they changed depending on the altitude of the planet's atmosphere.
The team found that the model planet's atmosphere turned out as expected: It had a very high layer of atmosphere, where starlight split water into free hydrogen and oxygen atoms, with the hydrogen escaping into space, and a layer of oxygen gas formed below, reducing the intensity of the starlight at lower altitudes, and the free hydrogen mixed with hydrogen superoxide in a chemical reaction to produce more water.
Ultimately, they calculated that the amount of water lost to space was only about seven times that of Earth's oceans. This means that even if a terrestrial planet started at the low end of the water content range, it could still have eight times as much water as Earth's oceans after its first billion years of existence. The researchers suggested that their findings imply that rather than a galaxy filled with planets with little water, like Earth, the universe could contain worlds with vast oceans orbiting dwarf stars. In other words, future humans are likely to discover Arrakis, but not Caladan. Still, they suggested that future researchers should test planetary water loss models with different atmospheric compositions, alternative cooling processes, and water trapped in the planet's rocks and magma.
There is concern among geologists regarding the development of the GeoGPT chatbot, supported by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS). They worry about potential Chinese censorship or bias in the chatbot.
Targeting geoscientists and researchers, especially in the Southern Hemisphere, GeoGPT aims to enhance the understanding of geosciences by utilizing extensive data and research on the Earth’s history spanning billions of years.
This initiative is part of the Deeptime Digital Earth (DDE) program, established in 2019 and primarily funded by China to promote international scientific cooperation and help countries achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
One component of GeoGPT’s AI technology is Qwen, a large-scale language model created by Chinese tech company Alibaba. Geologist and computer scientist Professor Paul Cleverley, who tested a pre-release version of the chatbot, highlighted concerns raised in an article in Geoscientist journal.
In response, DDE principals stated that GeoGPT also incorporates another language model, Meta’s Llama, and disputed claims of state censorship, emphasizing the chatbot’s focus on geoscientific information.
Although issues with GeoGPT have been mostly resolved, further enhancements are underway as the system is not yet released to the public. Notably, geoscience data can include commercially valuable information crucial for the green transition.
The potential influence of Chinese narratives on geoscience-related questions raised concerns during testing of Qwen, a component of GeoGPT’s AI, prompting discussions on data transparency and biases.
Future responses of GeoGPT to sensitive queries, especially those with geopolitical implications, remain uncertain pending further development and scrutiny of the chatbot.
Assurances from DDE indicate that GeoGPT will not be subject to censorship from any nation state and users will have the option to select between Qwen and Llama models.
While the development of GeoGPT under international research collaboration adds layers of transparency, concerns persist about the potential filtering of information and strategic implications related to mineral exploration.
As GeoGPT’s database remains under review for governance standards, access to the training data upon public release will be open for scrutiny to ensure accountability and transparency.
Despite the significant funding and logistical support from China, the collaborative nature of the DDE aims to foster scientific discoveries and knowledge sharing for the benefit of global scientific communities.
Apple has been found to be in violation of new EU laws designed to promote competition among smaller companies and help consumers find more affordable alternative apps in tech companies’ app stores.
The European Commission, acting as both the EU’s antitrust and technology regulator, has informed Apple of preliminary findings after launching an investigation in March.
The Commission’s preliminary findings, which Apple can appeal, state that Apple’s conduct rules do not comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) as they restrict app developers from freely directing consumers to other platforms for offers and content.
The Commission has also initiated new non-compliance proceedings against Apple over concerns that its new contract terms for third-party app developers do not meet DMA requirements.
This marks the third non-compliance investigation launched by the Commission since the DMA took effect last year.
As part of the investigation, the committee is examining the “core technology fee,” a charge that Apple imposes on developers each time their app is installed on a phone.
The allegations against Apple for violating EU law represent the first case against a tech company under the DMA, significant legislation introduced last August to ensure fair competition among six designated “very large online platforms,” including Google, Amazon, Meta, and ByteDance (TikTok).
The investigation comes after the committee’s initial inquiry into Apple’s treatment of mobile app suppliers three months ago.
Previous findings from an earlier investigation reiterated that Apple must allow developers to inform customers about alternative, cheaper purchasing methods, guide them to these options, and enable them to make purchases free of charge, as required by new digital laws.
The investigation found that Apple’s terms of business did not allow developers to direct customers to more affordable alternatives or provide pricing information within the app.
Moreover, Apple made it challenging for customers to access pricing information and required links to external web pages for contract details.
Ultimately, the Commission determined that the fees charged by the App Store were excessive and not strictly necessary.
The Commission stated that if Apple’s alleged violations are confirmed, all three of its terms and conditions would violate Article 5(4) of the DMA, mandating gatekeepers to allow developers to direct consumers to external offers free of charge. A non-compliance decision will be issued within 12 months of the proceedings’ start on March 25, 2024.
Apple has responded by making several changes in recent months to comply with the DMA based on feedback from developers and the European Commission.
The company believes its adjustments align with the law and estimates that under the new terms, over 99% of developers will pay the same or lower fees to Apple.
All EU-based developers on the App Store now have access to features like directing app users to the web for purchases at competitive prices, reflecting Apple’s commitment to address the European Commission’s concerns.
Astronomers have used the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope to create two stunning images of NGC 5253, a dwarf starburst galaxy and a possible blue compact dwarf galaxy.
This Hubble Space Telescope image shows NGC 5253, a blue compact dwarf galaxy about 11 million light-years away in the constellation Centaurus. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / A. Zezas / D. Calzetti.
NGC 5253 It is located in the constellation Centaurus, about 11 million light years from Earth.
This galaxy, also known as ESO 445-4, IRAS 13370-3123, LEDA 48334, and UGCA 369, is discovered It was discovered on March 15, 1787 by German-born British astronomer William Herschel.
The galaxy is thought to be part of the Centaurus A/Messier 83 galaxy group, which also includes the well-known radio galaxy Centaurus A and the spiral galaxy Messier 83.
This Hubble image was taken with the High Resolution Channel (HRC) of Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) showing NGC 5253. Image courtesy of NASA / ESA / Hubble / WD Vacca.
“What was it about this galaxy that fascinated us so much that we studied it intensively for more than a decade using three of the Hubble Space Telescope’s instruments?” the Hubble astronomers said.
“It turns out that Hubble’s capabilities are the focus of several research areas that are essential.”
“Dwarf galaxies are thought to be important for understanding the evolution of stars and galaxies over time because they resemble ancient, distant galaxies.”
“NGC 5253 has been called both a starburst galaxy and a blue compact dwarf. These names refer to the fact that this galaxy is forming a population of bright, massive stars at an exceptional rate.”
“This Hubble Space Telescope image clearly shows the dense nebula that is being consumed to give birth to these stars, making NGC 5253 a laboratory for studying stellar composition, star formation and star clusters all at once.”
“Very high star formation rates are essential for the formation of star clusters, but NGC 5253 goes beyond that. Star formation is so active in a small region of the central core that the galaxy contains more than three superclusters.”
“Superclusters are extremely luminous, dense and massive open clusters that are thought to evolve into globular clusters,” the researchers said.
“Globular clusters themselves provide unique insights into how stars form and evolve, but their origins are poorly understood.”
“So we wanted to take advantage of the excellent resolution of HRC’s auxiliary instruments to zero in on these small, very dense clusters.”
PLaptops with multiple touchscreens have long been the stuff of science fiction movies, but in the real world, several manufacturers have tried to build dual-screen laptops without much success.
This usually happens because they try to do too much and end up compromising too much, and now Asus thinks it's solved that problem with its new dual-screen machine, which also has a full-size, detachable physical keyboard.
In theory, this means the 2024 version of the Zenbook Duo could be the best of both worlds: a regular laptop with a standard keyboard and trackpad, and a futuristic machine with two touchscreens.
But such advancements always come with a hefty price tag, and the new machine is available in a range of configurations and prices depending on the region, starting from £1,799 in the UK, all the way up to £2,000 for the Core Ultra 9 version we tested.
Windows Hello recognizes your face to log you into the laptop, and the keyboard and trackpad provide a great typing experience. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
It has two full 14″ touchscreen OLED displays hinged like a book in the middle, one in the lid and one where a regular laptop keyboard would be. The full-size laptop keyboard and trackpad attaches magnetically to pins in the screen at the bottom, completely covering the screen. It fits snugly and works so well that you might not even notice there's a display underneath. If you want to use it as a regular laptop, you don't have to compromise too much, but the keyboard can also be detached from the laptop and used via Bluetooth, which is very handy.
Detach the keyboard and you have two screens. The lower display houses a full-size touchscreen keyboard with a simulated trackpad, but it's fine for simple actions like search queries and AI prompts. The included stylus can be used to draw and write on either screen; how well it works depends on the app you're trying to use. Microsoft's handwriting recognition is better, while Asus' system isn't as good.
The kickstand and detachable keyboard allow the Zenbook Duo to be used in a variety of configurations. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
A kickstand on the back of the machine lets you prop up the Duo in a variety of configurations beyond the standard laptop L-shape. Stand the Duo upright, screen-top to screen-top, perfect for using two screens at your desk for a huge productivity boost, or prop it up like an open book, with the two screens side-by-side, perfect for documents.
The Core Ultra 9 version's 3K 120Hz OLED screen looks great, with very sharp blacks and vibrant colors, but it’s not particularly bright and struggled to overcome glare and reflections in direct sunlight, requiring a bit of adjustment to the screen angle in bright environments.
The kickstand is quite sturdy and can support the laptop at a variety of angles on a desk. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
The Zenbook Duo is equipped with Intel's new Core Ultra chips, and in our testing, the Ultra 9 185H was the best performing, delivering impressive performance for a thin and light laptop. It handled everyday tasks with ease, including advanced photo manipulation and juggling three screens simultaneously (the laptop's two 3K displays and an external 4K monitor).
Benchmark tests show that its performance is on par with similar 14-inch PC laptops from Dell, Lenovo and others, as well as Apple's M1 Pro chip in the 14-inch MacBook Pro. However, the Zenbook does get quite warm, with the top quarter of the machine's lower half getting noticeably warm even under light loads.
Battery life varies greatly depending on how many screens you're using. Used as a standard laptop with the keyboard attached and screen brightness set to around 70%, it lasted just over seven hours with light work using Chrome, Evernote, a light text editor, and various messaging apps. Using both screens simultaneously halves that figure to less than four hours in similar circumstances. Of course, performing more demanding tasks will drain the battery much faster.
Windows 11 + some stuff
The touchscreen keyboard and trackpad are nearly the same size as the real thing. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
Duo comes with Windows 11, which is designed to be great for computers with multiple screens. It remembers the position of apps on both screens, automatically adjusts the screen orientation when you rotate the screen, and lets you easily move windows between screens.
Asus also bundles software to help you take advantage of the dual-screen setup, including a utility that pops up quick controls for turning the bottom screen on or off, summoning a virtual keyboard, swapping windows, and more.
The Asus Dial and Control app lets you create a custom set of virtual dials, buttons and tools on the bottom screen for doing things like changing brush thickness in a paint app or altering the volume knob on Spotify, but in general I found it better to use the second screen as a full monitor rather than covering it with touchscreen controls.
However, please note that it is not accessible on the Zenbook Duo. Microsoft's new Copilot+ AI tool It's limited to certain new chips as part of a Windows 11 update.
sustainability
The Zenbook Duo is a little thicker than a standard laptop, and its speakers aren't the best. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
Asus rates the battery to retain over 80% of its original capacity for at least 1,200 full charge cycles, and there's a care tool available to extend its lifespan by limiting charging to 80%. The device is repairable in the UK, and the SSD is upgradeable. The body is made from recycled magnesium-aluminium alloy, and Asus Free machine recycling.
price
The Asus Zenbook Duo (2024) is priced from £1,799 (€1,899.99/$1,499.99) with an Intel Ultra 7 chip and FHD display. £1,999.99 (€2,499.99/$1,699.99/A$3,999) with Intel Ultra 9 and 3K display.
By comparison, the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i Gen 9 dual-screen laptop is priced at £2,011.50, the Microsoft Surface Laptop starts at £1,049 and the Apple MacBook Air M3 at £1,099.
verdict
The Zenbook Duo is one of the most successful attempts to make a dual-screen laptop work in the real world. If you want to use it as a regular laptop, you get a great keyboard and trackpad. But once you’re at your desk, it takes just a few seconds to set up the two screens, which can make you much more productive. It also reduces the back and neck pain that can come from hunching over a laptop.
The middle ground between the touchscreen keyboard and widget-packed controls isn’t appealing, but those with artistic skills may be pleased to be able to draw with the included stylus.
There are four main compromises: it heats up more easily than a comparable standard laptop, has a slightly shorter battery life, is heavier and thicker, and is much more expensive. Despite being an all-new machine, the Duo runs on an Intel chip and can’t run the new Copilot+ feature that Microsoft is now adding to Windows. It remains to be seen whether these compromises will be a deciding factor.
This isn’t a laptop we’d recommend for everyone, but if you want a portable dual-screen setup, the Zenbook Duo
Exciting developments are on the horizon in the world of obesity medications.
Pharmaceutical companies are racing to create new drugs, building on the success of existing medications like Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovi, as well as Eli Lilly’s Maunjaro and Zepbound.
In addition to targeting diabetes and weight loss, some experimental drugs show promise in improving liver and heart function while reducing common side effects such as muscle loss seen with current treatments. Data on 27 GLP-1 drugs in development will be presented at the 2024 American Diabetes Association meeting in Orlando, Florida.
According to Marlon Pragnell, PhD, the ADA’s vice president of research and science, the pipeline now includes a variety of drug candidates in different stages of development, creating an exciting landscape of innovation.
While most of the data currently available comes from animal studies or early human trials, some drugs may be available in the United States over the counter within a few years, with FDA approval likely further down the line.
As the field of GLP-1 drugs continues to expand, there is hope for more affordable medications with fewer side effects to become available, offering new possibilities for patients.
Exploring Different Hormones for Weight Loss
GLP-1 drugs function by slowing down the digestive process and promoting a sense of fullness. In addition to GLP-1, emerging weight-loss drugs are examining the impact of another hormone called glucagon, which can mimic the effects of exercise.
One such drug, Pemvidutide from Maryland-based Altimmune, combines glucagon with GLP-1 to potentially enhance weight loss effects.
Results from a Phase 2 trial involving obese or overweight adults showed promising weight loss outcomes, paving the way for further research into the drug’s potential benefits.
Altimmune’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Scott Harris, highlighted the drug’s ability not only to aid in weight loss but also to provide additional health benefits for liver and heart function while preserving lean body mass.
Altimmune plans to move forward with Phase 3 trials and aims to introduce the drug in the U.S. by 2028.
Competition and Cost Considerations
Having a variety of weight-loss drugs available can help address shortages and potentially drive down costs over time. The high prices of current medications like Wegobee and Zepbound in the U.S. can pose financial challenges for many patients.
Different patients may respond differently to various treatments, as highlighted by Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford of Harvard Medical School. Having a range of options is crucial to tailor treatments to individual needs.
Stay Informed with the Latest News on Weight Loss Drugs
New developments in the pharmaceutical world present opportunities for improved treatment outcomes and potentially life-changing solutions for patients struggling with obesity.
For individuals like Danielle Griffin, who have not seen the desired results from current medications, the prospect of innovative drugs offers hope and excitement for the future.
Advancements in Metabolic Health
Companies like Eli Lilly are exploring new combinations of hormones to enhance the efficacy of weight-loss drugs. Retatortide, a new injectable medication from Lilly, shows promising results in weight loss and blood sugar control.
Additional studies on drugs like Mazduchid highlight the potential for improved metabolic status and weight loss outcomes, paving the way for new treatment options in the near future.
These ongoing developments underscore the dynamic landscape of obesity treatment, offering hope for a new generation of medications that could revolutionize the field and improve outcomes for patients.
The Future of Obesity Treatment
As research and development in the field of obesity medications continue to advance, there is optimism for more effective, affordable, and patient-friendly treatments to become available in the coming years.
With the potential for improved metabolic health, weight loss outcomes, and reduced side effects, the next wave of obesity treatments holds great promise for individuals struggling with obesity-related health issues.
The ongoing innovation in this field signifies a new era of possibilities in obesity treatment, offering hope for a healthier future for many individuals.
The Moon, Earth’s loyal companion that remains steadfast in its orbit around our planet, has been a topic of fascination and exploration ever since the early days of space travel. Missions have been planned, rovers have traversed its surface, and even a flag has been planted on its barren landscape.
But what is the appeal of the Moon? Situated about 400,000 km away from Earth, it poses numerous challenges for human habitation, such as high levels of solar radiation. However, the Moon offers a unique opportunity for planetary research, scientific experiments, and potentially lucrative mining ventures due to its untapped resources.
With the allure of untapped resources comes a race to be the first to claim ownership of the Moon. This begs the question: Who does the Moon truly belong to? Philosopher and author AC Grayling explores this complex issue in his latest book, Who owns the moon?
SF: Why the interest in the Moon, and will we ever reach it?
ACG: The Moon holds vast potential for mining operations as it is rich in resources, presenting a more feasible option compared to Earth. Despite logistical challenges, rapid technological advancements and substantial investments indicate that lunar exploration is imminent.
Some argue that a robotic base alone may not suffice for the extraction of valuable resources like Helium-3, crucial for clean nuclear fusion. The lure of economic gains raises concerns about potential conflicts over lunar territory.
SF: So, who lays claim to the Moon?
The 1967 Outer Space Treaty, ratified by the United Nations, prohibits militarization and territorial ownership of the Moon, declaring it a common heritage of mankind. This ambiguity has spurred competition among nations to pioneer lunar technologies.
Efforts to establish guidelines were made in 1979, yet the absence of binding agreements leaves room for potential disputes over lunar resources, particularly valuable elements like Helium-3. The lack of a regulatory framework raises concerns about future conflicts, extending beyond Earth.
Credit: Gremlin
What’s next, and will legal frameworks evolve?
The need for stringent regulations is apparent, given the burgeoning interest in lunar exploration by various space agencies. Proposals for lunar space stations and the Artemis Accords, a collaborative effort among nations for responsible space conduct, hint at evolving norms to govern lunar activities.
Historically, the 1961 Antarctic Treaty provides a model for international cooperation in preserving a common resource. However, challenges arise as countries like China and Russia seek to assert territorial claims in Antarctica, signaling potential conflicts over resource exploitation.
The Moon’s status as a shared resource prompts calls for inclusive lunar laws and international treaties to ensure equitable benefits. Efforts to establish regulatory frameworks face obstacles, mirroring past struggles in maritime law and resource management.
Is there a case for leaving the Moon untouched?
The Moon’s vast expanse and desolate nature diminish concerns over environmental impact, distinguishing it from Earth. Despite existing space debris, the Moon’s remote location offers ample space for exploration and development.
What lies beyond the Moon?
Envisioning a future where lunar infrastructure facilitates Mars exploration through water extraction for fuel production, heralds a new era of space colonization. Echoing historical precedents, colonies in space may strive for autonomy, shaping interplanetary relations akin to terrestrial geopolitics.
As humanity embarks on extraterrestrial endeavors, adherence to ethical principles and equitable resource-sharing remains pivotal for a sustainable cosmic future.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
About our expert, A.C. Grayling
AC Grayling, a distinguished philosopher and author, sheds light on lunar ownership in his book “Whose Moon is It?” He is also the founder of the New College of the Humanities, recognized for his contributions to literary criticism and philosophical discourse.
On Wednesday evening, I found myself seated at my kitchen table staring at my laptop screen with a mix of emotions. Testing out a new demo from a Manhattan-based startup called Hume, claiming to have the world’s first voice AI with emotional intelligence. According to Alan Cohen, CEO and chief scientist at Hume, the technology helps predict emotional patterns based on the tone of voice and text.
With the rise of emotional AI in the industry, companies like Hume are raising significant funding and predicting a booming market. However, there are concerns about how accurately AI can read and respond to human emotions. Will it be able to interpret subtle cues and non-verbal expressions? Professor Andrew McStay suggests that understanding emotions can have a far greater impact beyond monetary value.
My experience testing Hume’s Empathic Voice Interface (EVI) revealed interesting results. While the AI could analyze and display emotional patterns like love, adoration, and romance, there was a sense that voice tone was given more weight than the actual words spoken. Some critics argue that AI is limited in understanding subtle human emotions and behaviors that go beyond overt expressions.
On the ethical front, there are concerns about AI bias and the potential for misuse in areas like surveillance and emotional manipulation. Safeguards like the Hume Initiative aim to set guidelines and restrictions on the use of emotional AI in various sectors. However, the evolving nature of artificial intelligence poses challenges in regulating its applications.
As emotional AI continues to develop, researchers like Lisa Feldman Barrett highlight the complexities of defining and interpreting emotions accurately. Legal frameworks like the European Union AI law aim to curb the negative impacts of emotional recognition technology while allowing for certain applications.
While there are ongoing debates about the effectiveness and ethical implications of emotional AI, researchers like Lennart Hogman from Stockholm University are exploring innovative uses of the technology. By analyzing emotions in interactive settings like psychotherapy, AI tools could potentially enhance therapeutic outcomes and improve collaboration in various fields.
Ultimately, the future of emotional AI depends on how society navigates its potential benefits and risks. As we grapple with the implications of this technology, it’s crucial to prioritize ethical considerations and align user interests with the development of these systems. Embracing emotional AI requires a critical understanding of its capabilities and impact on individuals and society as a whole.
A cyber outage at a major retail software provider for auto dealerships entered its third day on Friday, causing delays in car sales across North America, the affected company said, with software provider CDK saying there is no end in sight.
“The CDK outage is affecting auto dealers across the United States and Canada, including some BMW Group dealers,” a BMW North America spokesman told Reuters.
CDK, which provides a range of software to auto dealerships, said it experienced another cyber incident on Wednesday that caused it to proactively shut down most of its systems, but that it is working to restore services and get dealers’ business back to normal soon. CDK sent a letter The company responded to customers by saying that it was unclear how long it would take to resolve the issue.
The company did not disclose in its statement how many dealerships would be affected. But according to its website, CDK works with more than 15,000 retailers in North America. Representatives from major automakers including Ford, Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz said: Confirmed by Bloomberg They were working with dealers affected by the outage.
“Dealers are extremely committed to protecting customer information and are proactively receiving information from CDK to help determine the nature and scope of the cyber incident and respond appropriately,” the National Automobile Dealers Association said. Independently owned car dealer Holman also said the outage affected its phone system.
Investment firm Brookfield Business Partners acquired CDK in April 2022 for $6.41 billion in cash, taking private the last major publicly traded company that provides software to auto dealerships and manufacturers.
According to The Guardian, the government is contemplating a response to Russian hackers who obtained records of 300 million NHS patient interactions, including sensitive data like HIV and cancer blood test results.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) is exploring potential actions against the Russia-based ransomware group Qilin, who recently leaked the stolen NHS records in a cyber attack on June 3.
Healthcare leaders in London, where the attack occurred, set up a helpline to address concerns from worried patients about their data and advised against contacting hospitals or GP practices directly for information.
The NCA and the National Cyber Security Centre are discussing possible responses to the ransom demand of $50 million, which has so far been ignored, prompting concerns about the severity of the attack.
Experts from the NCA are working to remove the data leaked by Kirin on the messaging platform, but the extent of the damage and the potential impact of retrieving or deleting the data remain uncertain.
Authorities have dealt with similar ransomware gangs previously, including taking down the LockBit group with international cooperation, showcasing their commitment to combatting cyber threats.
The recent attack on the NHS reveals a major breach in patient data security, affecting multiple hospitals and healthcare facilities, leading to cancellations and disruptions in medical services.
Patients are cautioned to be vigilant against potential scams targeting them based on the leaked data and are advised to report any suspicious activity to the appropriate authorities immediately.
The NHS Helpline is available for patients seeking information or assistance related to the incident, and efforts are being made to minimize the impact of the data breach on patient care.
The release of private healthcare test records along with NHS data indicates a broader breach that could have far-reaching implications, underscoring the need for enhanced cybersecurity measures in the healthcare sector.
Despite ongoing challenges, healthcare providers are striving to maintain essential services for patients while addressing the fallout from the cyber attack on the NHS.
Cybersecurity experts stress the importance of swift action in response to data breaches, indicating that negotiations with ransomware groups typically end once data is leaked.
While the situation remains precarious, authorities and healthcare institutions are working diligently to mitigate the impact of the attack and prevent further breaches in the future.
Apple is delaying the launch of three new artificial intelligence features in Europe due to European Union competition rules. The features will be available in the US this fall, but not in Europe until 2025.
The delay is a result of regulatory uncertainty caused by the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). Apple stated that phone mirroring, SharePlay screen sharing enhancements, and Apple Intelligence will not roll out to EU users this year.
Apple argues that complying with the EU regulations would compromise the security of its products, a claim that EU authorities have challenged in the past.
Apple stated in an email that they are concerned about the DMA’s interoperability requirements potentially compromising user privacy and data security.
The European Commission welcomes Apple in the EU as long as it complies with EU law, as stated in a Bloomberg article.
At its annual developers conference earlier this month, Apple announced Apple Intelligence, a suite of AI features that integrates ChatGPT with Siri for web searching and content generation.
The upcoming Apple mobile operating system will enable the assistant feature to search through emails, texts, and photos to find specific information as instructed by the user.
Apple assures that the new AI features, available on select Apple devices, will prioritize user privacy and safety. The company is working with the European Commission to address concerns and provide these features to EU customers securely.
CEO Tim Cook has reaffirmed that Apple’s AI features will respect personal privacy and context, aligning with the company’s commitment to user security.
Are you the owner of a lovely and precious cat? Then your cat might be blocking the display of this page and ruining everything again, especially if you are reading this page on a laptop.
But what is the reason behind this behavior? Why are cats so obsessed with our computers?
Unfortunately, no large-scale (and probably highly impractical) scientific experiments have yet been conducted to delve into this question, but experts in cat behavior do have an important theory that might explain keyboard cats.
Why does my cat sit on my laptop?
Unfortunately, it’s probably not a case of imitation behavior — your cat just sees you typing and doesn’t want to join in.
but, Dr. David Sands – Animal Psychology Expert with over 25 years of clinical experience – Cats cannot easily imitate the behavior of typing, so your cat probably won’t be interested if you tempt him with a decoy old laptop.
Read more about cats:
It’s also unlikely that cats are attracted solely to the heat emitted by laptops: “Yes, laptops do generate heat, and cats do like warm places, but you need to ask why a cat wouldn’t sit next to a radiator, for example,” Sands says.
What really makes your laptop attractive to cats is its smell — or, more specifically, the smell you keep on it.
“You can’t smell it, but your cat can smell you all over the keyboard,” Sands says.
“Cats are olfactory machines, from the tip of their tail to the tip of their nose. Their world revolves around smells. Their eyesight is developed for nocturnal hunting, and their sense of smell is Really Other times it matters.”
But while it’s possible that your cat is sitting on your computer because it enjoys the smell, Sands says another explanation is far more likely.
“Your cat is most likely trying to steal your scent by leaving his own scent on you. It’s a matter of ownership. By doing this, your cat is essentially saying, ‘You’re mine!'”
“People often think that when a cat rubs itself against you or the objects you touch it’s an affectionate sign, but in reality cats are very possessive creatures. The more they rub against you and leave your scent behind, the better!”
In case you’re wondering whether cats are desperately trying to become the dominant force in the home, Sands adds: “Dogs have been bred to be companions to humans, but cats have also become quite feral. Cats have been bred primarily for pest control, so they are selfish creatures rather than sociable animals.”
“Remember, cats are evil geniuses. They James Bond There’s a reason to watch movies.”
Is it unhealthy for my cat to sit on my laptop?
From making you close important documents without saving to sending your boss another “s,ll,;;;;;l;mk” message, a cat snuggling on your laptop can take a huge toll on you. If your cat is getting in the way of your work, Sands recommends cleaning your laptop regularly.
But your cat is unlikely to be harmed by lounging on your computer: “Physically, it’s not harmful, and cognitively, it’s only something to be concerned about if this behavior occurs with other cats,” he says.
“If your cat meows a lot and follows you around the house, it could be a sign of anxiety or attention-seeking.”
But what if your cat isn’t showing these signs? There’s no reason why your cat can’t lie on your keyboard – it owns it, and everything else in your home.
About our Expert, Dr. David Sands
Sands has a PhD in Ethology (Animal Psychology) from the University of Liverpool and has over 25 years of experience in animal behaviour clinics. He is a member of the Canine and Cat Behavioural Association (CFBA) and the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour (ASAB). Sands is also the author of several books. 500 Questions About Cats AnsweredHamlin, 4 pounds).
Naming a new project the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) may come across as overly confident. This is because dark energy is undetectable and cannot be examined or analyzed through traditional methods like spectroscopy. Despite numerous attempts, dark energy has never been directly observed and remains a mystery in the realm of astrophysics.
Dark energy is believed to be a uniform force throughout the universe that does not interact with matter or light in any discernible way. Its primary function is to expand space at an accelerating rate, a process that baffles scientists due to its unknown underlying mechanism.
The recent release of data from DESI has sparked interest and debate in the scientific community. This project aims to shed light on the behavior of dark energy by mapping the expansion history of the universe. By studying the motion of galaxies and measuring the stretching of light emitted from distant objects, researchers can gain insights into the evolution of the cosmos.
The current prevailing model of cosmology suggests that dark energy exists as a static cosmological constant, affecting the fabric of space uniformly. However, DESI’s findings hint at a more complex history for dark energy, challenging conventional theories about its nature and implications for the future of the universe.
As researchers delve deeper into the mysteries of dark energy, they may uncover new discoveries that challenge existing paradigms and push the boundaries of our understanding of the cosmos. The DESI project represents an important step towards unraveling the enigma of dark energy and its profound impact on the universe.
It is commonly believed that cutting a sandwich diagonally to create two triangles is the best way, but there is limited scientific evidence to support this claim.
One theory suggests 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, making it easier to access the center of the sandwich where the filling is most concentrated.
After eating the corner, take 1-3 bites diagonally, missing the crust. Depending on the size of the sandwich, you may be left with an additional small triangle.
Ultimately, each triangle will become a single 90-degree chunk of crust. However, cutting the sandwich into rectangles would result in two crust corners on each half.
Another reason for cutting sandwiches into triangles is that they are easier to eat. Starting at one of the corners leads to a cleaner bite, and the 45-degree angle of the triangle maximizes the engagement depth.
If taken to the extreme, cutting the sandwich into four triangles allows for a neat eating experience in three bites.
This cutting strategy is often used at children’s parties, though kids might not always start with the 45-degree corner. In such cases, simply cutting off the crust altogether may be the best option.
This article provides insight into the scientifically best way to cut a sandwich, as inquired by Jeremy Fry of Felixstowe.
If you have any questions, please contact us via the email address provided below.For more information, feel free to reach out to:or message us onFacebook,TwitterorInstagramPage (please include your name and location).
Get ready for someFun FactsFor more fascinating science topics, visit this page.
One of the most widely publicized examples of fossil legends is the Central Asian ceratopsid and Protoceratops And that GriffinA mythical creature that combines the characteristics of a lion and a bird and protects gold. This earth myth was first proposed in the 1990s. Protoceratops Fossils were transported west along trade routes from the gold mines of Asia, spreading griffin lore among the ancient Greeks. ProtoceratopsBut Griffin Link finds that unconvincing.
of Protoceratops-The geomyth of the griffin. The idea that horned dinosaur fossils in Mongolia inspired the myth of the griffin, an ancient chimera of bird and lion according to conventional archaeologists, is one of the most popular and publicized examples of fossil folklore in modern times. The idea was first proposed in the early 1990s but has received little academic scrutiny. Image credit: Whitton others., doi: 10.1177/03080188241255543.
The specific link between dinosaur fossils and the griffin myth was proposed more than 30 years ago in a series of papers and books written by folklorist Adrienne Mayolle.
This is because early ceratopsians in Mongolia and China ProtoceratopsIt was discovered by ancient nomads searching for gold in Central Asia.
story Protoceratops The bones then traveled along trade routes to the Southwest, influencing griffin stories and art.
Griffins are one of the oldest mythological creatures, first appearing in Egyptian and Middle Eastern art in the 4th millennium BC and becoming popular in Ancient Greece in the 8th century BC.
Protoceratops This is a 2-metre-long dinosaur that lived in Mongolia and northern China during the Cretaceous Period, 75 to 71 million years ago.
Like Griffin, Protoceratops It stood on all fours, had a beak, and had frill-like protrusions on its skull which some have argued could be interpreted as wings.
In the first detailed assessment of the claims, Mark Whitton of the University of Portsmouth and his colleagues looked at the historical fossil record, Protoceratops Fossils and classical sources related to griffins ProtoceratopsTo fully understand the non-traditional, fossil-based views of the griffin's origins, we consulted historians and archaeologists. Ultimately, we found that none of the arguments stood up to scrutiny.
idea Protoceratops For example, it is unlikely to be discovered by nomads searching for gold. Protoceratops Fossils have been found hundreds of kilometers away from ancient gold mines.
A century has passed since then. Protoceratops Although it was found, there have been no reports of gold buried alongside it.
Also, nomads Protoceratops Even if gold miners search for the area where the fossils were found, they will not find the skeleton.
“The hypothesis is that the dinosaur skeletons were found semi-exposed and left as if they were the remains of a recently dead animal,” Dr Whitton said.
“But generally speaking, only small parts of eroded dinosaur skeletons are visible to the naked eye and would likely go unnoticed by anyone but the most eagle-eyed fossil hunters.”
“It is almost certain that ancient peoples roaming Mongolia would have encountered it. Protoceratops. “
“We need to look further into these animals to develop a mythology, which will require us to extract fossils from the surrounding rocks.”
“Even with modern tools, adhesives, protective packaging and preparation techniques, it's no easy task.”
“probably Protoceratops The ruins have generally gone unnoticed – even though the gold miners were there and saw them.”
Similarly, the geographic spread of griffin art throughout history is not consistent with a scenario in which griffin lore originated from fossils in Central Asia and then spread westward. Protoceratops Fossils in ancient literature.
Protoceratops Its only resemblance to a griffin is that it is a quadruped with a beak. Griffin art lacks details that would suggest it was based on fossils; instead, it is clear that many griffins were modeled after features of modern cats and birds.
“Everything about the griffin's origins is consistent with the traditional interpretation that it is a mythical beast, and its appearance is perfectly explained by being a chimera between a big cat and a bird of prey,” Dr Whitton said.
“It evokes the role of dinosaurs in griffin lore, particularly species from faraway lands. Protoceratopsnot only introduces unnecessary complexity and contradictions into its origins, but also relies on interpretations and proposals that do not stand up to scrutiny.”
“It's important to distinguish between fact-based fossil folklore – links between fossils and myths that are attested to by archaeological finds or compelling references in literature and artwork – and connections that are speculative and based on intuition,” said Dr Richard Hing from the University of Portsmouth.
Team paper Published in this week's journal Interdisciplinary Science Review.
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Mark P. Whitton othersThe horned dinosaur Protoceratops Inspire Griffin? Interdisciplinary Science ReviewPublished online June 20, 2024; doi: 10.1177/03080188241255543
Easter Island (Rapa Nui) is often held up as an example where overexploitation of limited resources led to catastrophic population declines. A key element of this story is that the rapid rise and fall in pre-contact Rapa Nui population growth rates was caused by the construction and overexploitation of once-extensive rock gardens. However, the extent of rock gardens across the island, important for understanding food systems and demographic dynamics, needs to be better understood. New research by archaeologists from Binghamton University and Columbia University shows that the extent of this agricultural infrastructure was significantly smaller than previously claimed, and likely could not have supported the large populations assumed.
Map of Easter Island and its location in the southeastern Pacific Ocean. Image courtesy of Davis. others., doi: 10.1126/sciadv.ado1459.
In their study, Professor Carl Lipo of Binghamton University and his colleagues used modern techniques to more accurately estimate the number of rock gardens on Easter Island and their pre-human contact food production.
“This volcanic island was formed by an eruption a million years ago, so there has been enough time for rain to wash away the potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen needed for plant growth,” Professor Lipo said.
“Salty sea spray further reduces soil fertility.”
“The soils on Rapa Nui were not particularly productive. When people arrived on the island, they had to deal with those constraints.”
“Their first method was slash-and-burn agriculture, which involved cutting down the trees on the island.”
“This temporarily restored nutrients to the soil, but once the trees died, islanders turned to other methods, such as composting plant waste and rock mulch.”
“The fertilization benefits from composting are not enough to support a culture's food supply. Rock mulch was sufficient, but it was a very labor-intensive process.”
“The islanders chipped away some of the exposed bedrock and mixed the stone chunks into the soil, restoring nutrients and protecting the soil from further weathering.”
Rock mulch has also been traditionally used by the Maori people of New Zealand, Native Americans in the American Southwest, and in other areas such as the Netherlands.
“We do it ourselves using non-organic fertilizers. We basically use machinery to break the rocks into smaller pieces, which is more effective because it creates a larger surface area,” Professor Lipo said.
“The Rapa Nui people are literally breaking rocks by hand and burying them in the soil.”
“The gardens also grow dryland taro and yams, but the main crops are dozens of varieties of sweet potato. But not all rockeries are ancient gardens,” said Dr Robert DiNapoli from Binghamton University.
But how many gardens were there on Easter Island? When Europeans first encountered the island, they reported that 10 percent of the island was covered in gardens. Researchers have previously used satellite imagery to map the rock gardens, but this has resulted in misidentifications of things like roads.
Rapa Nui is one of the most remote human settlements on Earth, more than 2,000 km from the nearest inhabited island (Pitcairn Island) and more than 3,700 km from the South American mainland. The island is small (164 km2) and has relatively limited soil productivity and freshwater sources. Image credit: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen / CC BY-SA 3.0.
The study authors used shortwave infrared (SWIR) satellite imagery and machine learning to come up with a more precise estimate, finding that the area covered by mulch is about 180 acres, far less than previously thought.
“SWIR imagery, primarily used for geological mapping, can distinguish mineral composition and water content,” said Dr. Dylan Davis, a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia University.
“Due to unique mineralogical characteristics and moisture patches, the rock gardens stand out from their surroundings.”
Using the latest estimates of the number of gardens, the researchers calculated that around 3,000 people lived on Easter Island at the time of European contact.
The oldest European records indicate a population of between 3,000 and 4,000, which is consistent with artifacts found on the island.
“What we're actually seeing here is that ecological constraints mean that islands just can't support that many people in the first place,” Dr Davis said.
“People actually changed the landscape to increase the amount of crops they could cultivate intensively, but the numbers were still very small.”
“This is not an example of ecological catastrophe, but rather an example of how people have managed to survive for a long time in a fairly sustainable way, despite very limited natural resources.”
“The misconception about the island's population size comes from the island's large and impressive moai statues and the assumption that it takes a large number of people to build such statues,” Prof Lipo said.
“Ecologists tend to use Easter Island as a model for how population size can lead to ecological catastrophe.”
“You can't use Easter Island as an example to suit your story.”
“We need to understand the island in its own context, because what it really tells us is quite different from what people believe.”
Dylan S. Davis others2024. Island-wide characterization of agricultural production casts doubt on the population collapse hypothesis for Rapa Nui (Easter Island). Advances in Science 10(25):eado1459; doi:10.1126/sciadv.ado1459
With just over a month until the Olympics begin, pollution levels in Paris’ River Seine remain too dangerous for Olympic athletes to compete, according to a city monitoring report.
of Report finds elevated levels of E. coli Routine samples taken at several points along the Seine between June 10 and 16 contained toxins that are indicators of fecal matter.
To make this possible, Paris has spent about $1.5 billion cleaning up the city’s aging sewer system, which drains water into the river during heavy rains. But a new report suggests those efforts may not have been enough.
The International Olympic Committee and Paris 2024, the local organizing body in Paris, did not immediately respond to inquiries from NBC News.
Last year, test events for triathlon and marathon swimming were held on the Seine. Designed to ensure the Olympic Games run smoothly — The service was halted in August after the river failed pollution tests.
Weather can play a big role in the Seine’s pollution: Unusual rainfall in May and rainy days last week caused a significant drop in water quality, according to a new report, along with a lack of sunny days and periods of low water flow, which help reduce bacteria.
“The sun inactivates bacteria,” says Helena Solo-Gabriel, a professor in the University of Miami’s Department of Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering.
Solo-Gabriele added that if fecal matter in the water where athletes swim exceeds safety standards, it could cause gastrointestinal illness.
The situation on the Seine has been monitored for several months. Non-profit organization Surfrider Foundation Europe It released its own results from six months of testing and found that nearly all samples failed to meet acceptable levels of E. coli and enterococcus, two types of bacteria that scientists typically test for in fecal samples.
“High bacteria counts mean there’s too much waste in the water, and waste carries bacteria that can make people sick,” says Daniel Nyzgorski, an ecologist who monitors water quality in King County, Washington.
But he added that many people don’t realize that most strains of E. coli are harmless, and studies show that swimming-related illnesses rarely result in hospitalization.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and French President Emmanuel Macron have promised to swim in the Seine to prove its water is clean, but have yet to do so.
Paris is not the first city to face a bacterial problem during the Olympics. AP analysis Levels of viruses and bacteria from fecal contamination at Olympic venues in Rio de Janeiro were found to be 1.7 million times higher than levels considered safe on some U.S. beaches. Brazilian government and IOC officials acknowledged that the water was contaminated but said the sites where athletes were competing met World Health Organization standards. According to the New York Times:.
“There’s a lot of polluted water out there. It’s a problem wherever there’s urbanization and the environment doesn’t have the natural flow that dilutes the bacteria,” Solo-Gabriel said.
Experts said the Olympics bring particular attention to these challenges every four years.
“Hopefully this case will bring attention to the problem of river pollution that we need to address not just for Olympic athletes, but for everyday people,” said Karen Levy, a professor at the University of Washington’s School of Environmental and Occupational Health.
NBC News is a unit of NBCUniversal, which owns U.S. media rights to the Olympics through 2032, including the 2024 Paris Games, which begin July 26.
The people of Easter Island built hundreds of monolithic statues called Moai.
Stephanie Morcinek via Unsplash
The widely held claim that the ancient people of Easter Island experienced a social collapse due to overexploitation of natural resources is being called into fresh doubt: analysis of historical agricultural practices suggests that a small, stable population lived sustainably for centuries before Europeans arrived.
Famous for its towering stone statues, Easter Island (also known as Rapa Nui) in the Pacific Ocean is thought to have been inhabited by Polynesians as early as A.D. 1200. At the time, the island’s 164 square kilometers were covered in palm forests, but a combination of rats and over-logging soon destroyed them.
According to a narrative popularized by historian Jared Diamond, unsustainable resource use led to a rapid population growth and collapse before Europeans arrived in 1722.
The islanders made their living primarily from rock gardening, a type of agriculture common in areas with poor soil and harsh climates, by scattering stones throughout the fields to create micro-habitats and windbreaks, conserve moisture, and provide important minerals.
Previous studies have suggested that the rock gardens covered 21 square kilometers of land on Rapa Nui and supported a population of up to 16,000 people.
To learn more, Carl Lipo Researchers from Binghamton University in New York combined satellite imagery and machine learning models trained on ground surveys to generate estimates of rock gardening areas across the island.
They found that the largest rock gardens measured just 0.76 square kilometers. The researchers estimate that such a system could not have supported more than 4,000 people, roughly the estimated population at the time Europeans arrived. In other words, the population was remarkably stable, the team argues.
Robert DiNapoli, a researcher at Binghamton University in New York, inspects the rock garden.
Carl Lipo
Lipo says those who continue to use Easter Island as a case study of degradation and collapse need to see the empirical evidence: “The results we produce suggest that the island was never… [had] “Huge populations overconsumed resources,” he says, “and overall, the archaeological record shows no evidence of population collapse before European arrival.”
Instead, Lipo says, the increasingly popular theory is that the islanders modified their environment to enable sustainable livelihoods for generations: “Their small populations and scattered, low-density settlement patterns enabled them to reliably produce enough food for over 500 years before Europeans arrived.”
Dale F. Simpson The University of Illinois researchers say further research is needed to assess whether the precision and accuracy of the model calculations used in the study match the archaeological record.
“Overall, this is [study] Rapa Nui [people] “Rapa Nui is often portrayed as a culture that collapsed due to sociopolitical competition, overexploitation of ecosystems, and megalithic overproduction, but the argument is better served by recognizing Rapa Nui as a Polynesian island culture of adaptation and survival that thrived for almost a millennium,” Simpson said.
Dinosaurs roamed the swamps of what is now Montana 78 million years ago, and one particularly unique creature stood out. Scientists compared it to the God of Mischief for its striking features.
This massive herbivore was over 20 feet long and weighed five tons. It sported two foot-long blade-like horns on its frilled head, two 16-inch horns above its eyes, and more than a dozen crown-like horns on its face.
Recently discovered, Lociceratops rangiformis, named after the Norse god Loki and popularized in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is a new dinosaur species reported by scientists in a scientific journal. Some debate its classification as a distinct species within the Ceratopsian family.
The study, published in PeerJ, highlights unique horn arrangements that set Lociceratops apart from its relatives, according to Joseph Sertich, co-author of the study.
Lociceratops, a newly identified Cretaceous ceratopsian.Sergey Krasovsky / via Reuters
Discovered in Montana, Lociceratops had distinct horn arrangements on its head, differing from other similar dinosaurs like Medusaceratops, with no nose horns present.
One of the largest concentrations of dinosaur fossils on Earth is found in the western US, where Lociceratops fossils were unearthed.
Commercial fossil hunter Mark Eatman discovered the bones on a Montana ranch in 2019. The Danish Museum of Evolution acquired the skeleton in 2021 for display in a museum in Denmark.
Experts at Fossilogic in Utah prepared the specimen for display, creating a replica for exhibition in 2022.
Despite some skepticism, many experts believe Lociceratops represents a new species within the Ceratopsian family, offering insights into the ecologies of the Late Cretaceous period.
Further research and analysis will shed light on the uniqueness of this fascinating dinosaur from ancient Montana.
California is set to implement state-first regulations aimed at protecting indoor workers from the heat.
The policy, which could go into effect later this summer, would require employers to provide water, breaks, and places to cool down if indoor temperatures reach 82 degrees Fahrenheit.
The only other states that mandate similar protections are Oregon and Minnesota.
California is poised to pass the state’s first regulations to protect people who work indoors from extreme heat, a policy that could take effect as soon as later this summer.
The California Department of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) Standards Committee unanimously voted Thursday to approve heycircle circleOak Place RulesThis will send the standards to the state’s Office of Administrative Law for quick final approval, meaning the standards could go into effect by early August.
The heat plan was originally scheduled to go into effect in 2019 but faced a five-year delay. If enacted into law, the policy would protect about 1.4 million warehouse workers, restaurant employees, manufacturing workers, and other indoor workers from dangerously hot working conditions.
The regulations require employers to monitor employees for heatstroke and provide hydration, breaks, and cool areas if indoor temperatures reach 82 degrees Fahrenheit. If temperatures reach 87 degrees Fahrenheit, employers must take further measures, such as providing more breaks, adjusting work schedules, slowing down work pace, and providing air conditioning.
If these rules go into effect, California would join Oregon and Minnesota as the only states with policies to protect indoor workers from the heat. In 2006, California passed heat standards for outdoor workers, including those in agriculture and construction.
Meanwhile, in Texas and Florida, recent state laws have weakened workplace protections against extreme heat by prohibiting cities and counties from enacting local regulations to protect outdoor workers, such as requiring water breaks or time in the shade.
Labor advocates have been pushing for national workplace heat standards for indoor and outdoor workers, but the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has yet to adopt such rules.
Advocates say California-style regulations are needed more urgently than ever as heat waves become more frequent and intense due to climate change.
“This is huge,” said Anastasia Nicole Wright, policy manager at WorkSafe, a non-profit worker advocacy group based in Oakland, Calif. “Workers need these protections as soon as possible.”
But the state’s new requirements don’t protect all indoor workers. For now, they exempt employees of state and local correctional facilities, as well as other prison staff. In March, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration revised the standards to exempt the state prison system, questioning how much it would cost to bring the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation into compliance with the requirements.
Some labor advocates believe the temperature standards set in California’s policy are still too high.
“The risk of heatstroke depends on both temperature and humidity, but it also has a lot to do with physical demands,” says Tim Shaddix, legal director for the Warehouse Workers Resource Center, an advocacy group based in Ontario, Calif. “If a warehouse worker is lifting heavy boxes for an eight- or 10-hour shift, they’re at risk for heatstroke even when temperatures are in the high 70s.”
Shaddix added that he hopes California’s restrictions will inspire other parts of the country to implement similar rules.
“As summer temperatures rise due to climate change, the problem is only going to get worse, so it’s really important that we see progress and we see more models that encourage other states to follow,” he said. “And that’s the push at the federal level, and we really need that, because we have to make sure that workers across the country are protected.”
More people die from heatstroke each year in the United States than from any other extreme weather event. In 2022, 43 people died from exposure to ambient heat in the workplace, up from 36 in 2021. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Robert Mootrie, senior policy advocate at the California Chamber of Commerce, said California employers are “moving into compliance mode,” but added that certain industries, such as restaurants, will bear a greater burden because kitchens are essentially hot, enclosed spaces.
Mootrie also said small businesses in particular have expressed concerns about how to best implement the rules when they come into effect in just a few months.
“It doesn’t take much to change your internal practices, train your staff, and talk to your lawyers,” he said. “All of these things take time and resources.”
Regarding workers in California prisons and jails, Cal/OSHA said in a statement that it plans to “proceed with proposing industry-specific regulations for local and state correctional facilities that take into account the unique operational realities of these workplaces,” but did not provide a specific timeline.
Wright expressed disappointment that tens of thousands of prison staff are exempt from the restrictions.
“They’re a big percentage of the workforce,” she said, “but heat is an issue for workers and non-workers alike. Many prisons don’t have central air conditioning, so forcing prisons to take certain measures to ensure temperatures inside prisons are safe for workers would benefit inmates as well.”
Parts of the US experienced heatwaves during the day that could cause heatstroke, with temperatures rising by 2.5C (1.4C) due to global warming caused by the burning of coal, oil and natural gas. World Weather Attribution, The calculations were made Thursday by a group of scientists conducting a rapid, non-peer-reviewed study of climate factors.
“It’s like an oven out here, there’s no way I could be here,” said Magarita Salazar Pérez, 82, who lives in Veracruz, Mexico, in her home without air conditioning. Temperatures in the Sonoran Desert reached 125 degrees Fahrenheit (51.9 Celsius) last week, making it the hottest day in Mexico’s history, said Shel Winkley, a meteorologist at Climate Central and co-author of the study.
And it was even worse at night, which is what made the heatwave so deadly, said Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College London who is leading the team investigating its causes. Climate change has caused nighttime temperatures to rise by 2.9 degrees Celsius (1.6 degrees Fahrenheit), making extreme nighttime heat 200 times more likely, Otto said.
Salazar-Perez said there isn’t the cool nighttime air that people are used to, and doctors say lower nighttime temperatures are key to surviving the heatwave.
A man holds his head in the heat at the Cogra nursing home in Veracruz, Mexico, on June 16, 2024.Felix Marquez/AP
At least 125 people have been killed so far, according to the Global Weather Attribution Team.
“This is clearly related to climate change, the level of intensity that we’re seeing, these risks,” said Karina Izquierdo, urban adviser at the Mexico City-based Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Center and co-author of the study.
Otto said what’s worrying about this heat wave, which is still heating up North America, is that it’s no longer unusual. Previous research from the group has shown that extremely extreme heat waves Not possible without climate changebut not this heat wave.
“So in that sense it’s not unusual from a meteorological standpoint, but the impacts were really bad,” Otto told The Associated Press in an interview.
“The changes over the last 20 years, which feel like yesterday, have been so dramatic,” Otto said. Her research shows that heat waves are four times more likely now than they were in 2000, when temperatures were nearly 1 degree Celsius (half a degree Celsius) cooler. “It seems so long ago, like another world.”
While other international groups of scientists, as well as global carbon emission reduction targets adopted by countries in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, have noted that warming has been increasing since the pre-industrial era in the mid-1800s, Otto said comparing what is happening now to the year 2000 is even more shocking.
“We’re seeing the baseline shift, and what was once extreme but rare is becoming more and more common,” said Carly Kenkel, dean of marine studies at the University of Southern California, who was not involved in the team’s investigation. She called the analysis a “logical conclusion based on the data.”
Jorge Moreno drinks flavored water while working at a construction site in Veracruz, Mexico on June 17, 2024. Felix Marquez/AP
The study looked at the five hottest days and nights across a wide swath of the continent, including Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize and Honduras. In most areas, the five days were from June 3 to 7, and the five nights were from June 5 to 9, but in some places, the peak heat began as early as May 26, Otto said.
For example, San Angelo, Texas, recorded a record 111 degrees (43.8 degrees Celsius) on June 4. Between June 2 and June 6, Corpus Christi Airport's nighttime temperatures never dropped below 80 degrees (26.7 degrees Celsius), setting a new nighttime temperature record, with two days where the temperature never dropped below 85 degrees (29.4 degrees Celsius), according to the National Weather Service.
Between June 1st and June 15th, more than 1,200 Highest daytime temperature record The United States saw a flurry of records being broken and tied, with nearly 1,800 overnight high temperature records set, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information.
The team used both current and historical temperature measurements to contrast what’s happening now with past heatwave conditions, then used a scientifically-accepted method of comparing a hypothetical simulation of a world without human-made climate change with current reality to calculate how much global warming contributed to the 2024 heatwave.
Winkley said the immediate meteorological cause is high pressure that was parked over central Mexico, blocking storms and clouds that brought cold air, then moved into the southwestern U.S. and is now bringing hot air to the eastern U.S. Tropical Storm Alberto The storm formed on Wednesday and is heading toward northern Mexico and southern Texas, where it is likely to bring rain and cause flooding.
The heatwave is “exacerbating existing inequalities.” Rich and poor Izquierdo said the inequality is stark in the Americas, and Kenkel agreed: Nighttime heat is accentuated because the ability to stay cool with central air conditioning depends on how affordable you are, Kenkel said.
So, Salazar-Perez was feeling very uncomfortable during this heatwave.
2,000-year-old wine discovered in Roman tomb in Carmona, Spain
Juan Manuel Roman/University of Cordoba
Chemical analysis has revealed that a reddish liquid discovered in a 2,000-year-old Roman mausoleum in Spain is the oldest known liquid wine.
“I was shocked and couldn’t believe my eyes,” he said. Jose Rafael Luis Arebola “It was inconceivable that the liquid could remain in this state for 2,000 years,” said a researcher from the University of Cordoba in Spain.
Until now, a sealed vessel found near Speyer, Germany, believed to be around 1,700 years old, was thought to have contained the oldest known wine, but it had never been opened.
Discovered by chance in 2019 in Carmona, near Seville, the Spanish tomb dates to the 1st century AD and belonged to a wealthy family. Eight burial niches were carved into the walls and contained six urns made of limestone, sandstone, and glass. Half contained the remains of a woman, the other half of a man. Two of the urns were inscribed with the names of the deceased: “Hispanae” and “Señicio.”
One of the glass jars, encased in a lead shell, contained the skeletal remains of a 45-year-old man, a gold ring engraved with an image of the two-faced Roman god Janus, and approximately five liters of liquid.
Luis Arrebola and his team studied the composition of the reddish liquid using various methods, including liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and found that it had a pH value of 7.5, which is much more alkaline than normal for wine and indicates severe spoilage.
Its mineral profile was similar to that of modern sherry and fino wines from Spain, and it contained seven types of polyphenols, natural antioxidant compounds found only in wine.
Entrance to the Mausoleum of Carmona, where wine was discovered
Juan Manuel Roman/University of Cordoba
The absence of syringic acid, a compound produced by the breakdown of the main pigment in red wine, confirmed that the wine was white, presumably intended for the dead to drink on their journey to the afterlife.
“The discovery of a 2,000-year-old liquid believed to be wine in a Roman jar is unusual and an important event, providing unique insights into Roman burial practices.” David Tanasi “This shows the continuity between ancient and modern wine production,” say researchers from the University of South Florida.
Luis Arrebola plans to carry out further tests to identify any residues of microorganisms such as bacteria or yeast that may be present in the wine.
About 20 years ago, the pointy-eared wild cat was on the brink of extinction, but as of Thursday, the International Union for Conservation of Nature announced that the species is no longer endangered.
Thanks to successful conservation efforts, the animal, which is native to Spain and Portugal, is now considered almost certainly not threatened, according to the latest IUCN Red List.
A baby Iberian lynx in Doñana National Park, Aznalcázar, Spain, in 2018. Antonio Pizarro/AP Files
In 2001, there were only 62 mature Iberian lynx left in the Iberian Peninsula. The Iberian lynx is a medium-sized, spotted brown cat with distinctive pointed ears and a pair of whisker-like tufts of facial hair. The extinction of this species is closely linked to the extinction of its main prey, the European rabbit, habitat degradation, and human activities.
Alarm bells were sounded and breeding, reintroduction and conservation projects were launched, as well as efforts to restore habitats such as dense forests, Mediterranean scrub and pastures. Portugal The IUCN said the population was 648 adults, but the most recent count last year found there were more than 2,000 adults and juveniles.
“This huge population increase is a really huge success,” Craig Hilton-Taylor, head of the IUCN Red List Division, told The Associated Press.
Iberian Lynx. Juan Giribet/VWPics/VWPics via AP
One of the keys to the rabbit population’s recovery has been attention to rabbit populations that were affected by changes in agricultural production, which has led to a steady increase in lynx numbers, Hilton-Taylor said.
“The greatest recovery of this cat species has been achieved through conservation efforts thanks to the dedicated collaboration between public and scientific institutions, NGOs, the private sector and local residents, including local landowners, farmers, game wardens and hunters,” Francisco Javier Salcedo Ortiz, coordinator of the EU-funded LIFE Lynx-Connect project, said in a statement.
IUCN has worked with local communities to raise awareness of the Iberian lynx’s importance to the ecosystem, which has helped reduce animal deaths from poaching and roadkill, and farmers receive compensation if an Iberian lynx kills their livestock, Hilton-Taylor said.
More than 400 Iberian lynx have been reintroduced into parts of Portugal and Spain since 2010 and now live over at least 3,320 square kilometres of land, up from 449 square kilometres in 2005.
Iberian lynx in Doñana National Park, Aznalcázar, Spain, 2019. Antonio Pizarro/AP Files
“Everything has to be taken into consideration before we release the lynx, and we revise our protocols approximately every four years,” said Ramon Pérez de Ayala, Spain’s species project manager for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), one of the NGOs involved in the project.
While the latest Red List status offers hope for other species in a similar situation, Hilton-Taylor said the lynx was not out of danger yet.
The biggest uncertainty is what will happen to rabbits, an animal vulnerable to virus outbreaks and other diseases that can be transmitted by livestock.
“We’re also concerned about the issue of climate change and how habitats will respond to it, particularly the increased impact of fires such as we’ve seen in the Mediterranean over the past year or two,” Hilton-Taylor said.
ByteDance, a Chinese tech company, has filed new legal documents challenging the US government’s “unconstitutional discrimination against TikTok.” These documents also reveal details about failed negotiations regarding a ban on the platform.
A legislation signed by President Joe Biden in April requires ByteDance to sell TikTok’s U.S. assets by Jan. 19 or face a ban. ByteDance argues in its filing that such a sale is “technically, commercially, and legally impossible.” The company accuses the US government of not taking settlement negotiations seriously after 2022.
TikTok, in a lawsuit, states, “Never before has Congress silenced so much speech with a single act.”
The proposed ban reflects long-standing national security concerns from US lawmakers who fear China could exploit the app to access Americans’ data or spy on them. While the Biden administration prefers ByteDance to sell TikTok instead of an outright ban, the company claims it’s not a viable option.
The bill would prevent app stores like Apple and Google from featuring the app unless ByteDance sells it. It would also prohibit internet hosting services from supporting TikTok without a sale, effectively banning its use in the US.
In its filing, ByteDance’s lawyers outline the company’s negotiations with the US government, which abruptly ended in August 2022. The company also shared a redacted draft national security agreement aimed at protecting TikTok’s US user data.
The proposed agreement includes a “kill switch” for the US government to halt TikTok’s use in the US if it doesn’t comply. The US has also requested TikTok to move its source code out of China.
TikTok’s lawyers criticized the administration for favoring shutting down TikTok in the US instead of working on a practical solution to protect US users. The Justice Department defended the law, saying it addresses national security concerns while respecting constitutional constraints.
TikTok and ByteDance filed a lawsuit in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Sept. 16. The outcome of the case could influence the government’s use of new powers against foreign-owned apps.
TikTok argues that separating businesses is not feasible and claims the law violates free speech rights. The platform’s content creators maintain that there is no imminent national security threat, as the law allows TikTok to operate for the remainder of the year.
MaA lot has changed for Hidetaka Miyazaki in the past decade. In May 2014, he became president of FromSoftware, the Japanese game developer known for the dark fantasy blockbusters Demon’s Souls (2009), Dark Souls (2011), and Bloodborne (2015), all of which he directed himself. At the time, FromSoftware’s games were critically acclaimed and had a devoted following, but they sold poorly, only selling a few million copies each. But in 2022, the company released the gloriously imposing Elden Ring, a collaboration with fantasy author George R.R. Martin. Not only is it Miyazaki’s best work, it’s also his most popular to date, having sold 25 million copies to date. FromSoftware is no longer a niche company that produces cult hits; it’s now a company that produces bona fide blockbusters.
Has this changed Miyazaki’s thinking? Given how unforgiving and ruthless his game world is, it may not be surprising that he’s not the most optimistic person you’ll ever meet. “Elden Ring was in a league of its own in terms of success and critical acclaim, but what we try to do as a company is to never assume that it’s going to happen again in future games,” he told me in an interview in Los Angeles. “We never make decisions based on the assumption that because we did it once, it’s going to happen again. Allowing for this fairly conservative prediction gives us room to fail, which ultimately leads to better games and better decisions. Indirectly, I think that the assumption that we’re not going to make hits anymore, that conservative outlook, inspires and helps our game design.”
Miyazaki and the From Software team Comfortable. And even if they did, it’s hard to imagine they would have made a game as demanding, ambitious, and at times brutal.
Shadow of the Eldtree, a major expansion for Elden Ring, is released today. It takes players to a terrifying land of shadows, filled with amber skies, fearsomely grotesque monsters, and vengeful, forgotten warriors. From Software’s games are notoriously difficult, demanding extraordinary grit, determination, and drive from the player. Shadow of the Eldtree may be the hardest yet. Shadow of the Eldtree will put even those with 100 hours of Eldtree experience on the back foot. But it handsomely rewards persistence with a complex, fascinatingly opaque storyline and memorable battles against fearsome entities, from ghostly, leaf-adorned dragons to giant walking cages of human ash. The sense of accomplishment you feel when you finally conquer the unconquerable in a Miyazaki work remains unmatched.
The harsh nature of Eld Tree feels like a dump of cold water on me. Maybe it’s because I’ve been playing this game for 15 years, but Elden Ring feels just a little more approachable than other FromSoftware games. If you get stuck somewhere, you can move somewhere else, rather than charging at the same near-impossible boss over and over again. There are more options, and you can always try a different approach. It doesn’t feel like you’re having your face shoved in the dirt, as I said to Miyazaki. all At the time. Does he think this is part of the reason Elden Ring has garnered more fans than Dark Souls or the 2019 ninja fantasy Sekiro?
Miyazaki: “I’ve always felt that the world is a really harsh place.” Photo: FromSoftware/Sony
“That’s certainly part of the intention. Elden Ring gives players a lot more freedom because of its open-world nature and game design,” he muses. “At no point in the game did we want players to feel boxed in or overly limited in the scope of what they can do and experience in that world. It’s not a very gloomy, dark fantasy that we’ve become accustomed to in past FromSoftware games… The same starkness and coldness is still there, but we wanted to create beautiful moments. Conceptually, there’s a bit of high fantasy in there. It feels like you have a break, both in terms of the difficulty and the learning curve, but also in the world setting.”
Every new FromSoftware release brings up a bit of a discussion about difficulty and accessibility in modern games. Some developers choose to offer easier modes for less experienced or time-poor players. Sometimes they even remove enemies from the game entirely.
But this doesn’t suit a game like Elden Ring – difficulty is what the game is about, and reducing the difficulty stifles creativity.
“If you really want people all over the world to play your game, you can just make the difficulty lower and lower, but that wasn’t the right approach,” Miyazaki said. “If we had taken that approach, I don’t think the game would have turned out the way it did, because the sense of accomplishment that players get from overcoming these hurdles is a very fundamental part of the gaming experience. If you lower the difficulty, you take away that joy. I think it ruins the game itself.”
For Miyazaki, improving through failure isn’t just a game design principle, it’s something of a personal philosophy. As president, he creates a work environment where developers can experiment and ideas don’t get bogged down. No one project dictates a developer’s entire future. His big break came in 2006, when he was put in charge of managing a struggling fantasy project at FromSoftware. The game would become Demon’s Souls. “I thought if I could figure out how to manage the game, I could turn it into whatever I wanted,” he told The Guardian’s Simon Parkin in 2015. “The best part was that if my idea failed, nobody cared. It was already a failure.”
“To be honest, I don’t think it’s that different now than it was 15 years ago when we were making Demon’s Souls,” he laughs when I remind him of this. “What I try to foster in our environment is to make sure that young directors and game designers have the same kind of experience that I had when I was working on Demon’s Souls, that if this game fails, it’s not the end of the world. I think that mentality and attitude helps people grow.”
Mr. Miyazaki is different. The first time I met him In 2011“I’ve always been a big fan of the game,” he said at Tokyo Game Show, just before the release of Dark Souls, the game that would thrust him into the spotlight. Quiet and soft-spoken, his eyes glued to the carpet, he says he used to shy away from being the center of attention. But now he’s much more confident and comfortable talking about both business and game design. When he thinks, he looks up at the ceiling, not down at the floor. He’s now a father to a young daughter and leads a company. And like players of Dark Souls and Elden Ring, he’s emerged as a more capable person.
However, he remains as hands-on as ever as a game designer. “Regardless of my title or position in the company, there is always the joy and satisfaction I get from making games,” he says. “I enjoy helping to nurture and develop young directors who will take the company to the next level. But sitting in an administrative office all day is not my style. I want to really get my hands dirty and continue to make games together, and through that, pass on my process to other generations of talent. I’ve held the title of president for almost 10 years now, but I’d say about 95% of my work and time at the company is devoted to game making and game direction. In this ratio, I’d say I’ve only had about 6 months of actual experience as an executive!”
The world is also very different from when Demon’s Souls was a big hit. I think the reason why more people are resonating with the work of Hayao Miyazaki and From Software is because we’ve become accustomed to a feeling of helplessness. For those who have lived through the last 15 years of pandemics, political turmoil, and looming climate disaster, bleak situations are not so foreign. What Elden Ring gives us is a glimmer of hope that, perhaps, if we are strong and persistent enough, we can triumph against all odds.
“A lot of From Software’s games throw you into this barren wasteland and make it a very harsh, harsh, cold experience… I don’t think what we’ve done in the game has changed, but maybe the world will change. Have “The last few years have been exceptional in terms of what’s going on around us, but even before that I felt the world was a very harsh place. I’ve always lived with that worldview, that value system. So this idea of being cast out into the wilderness and planting the seeds of growth feels almost universal to me. Maybe more people are discovering that now.”
I think what a lot of people miss in From Software’s games is a sense of hope. First Interview In a 2010 email exchange with Miyazaki, he told me about the origins of Demon’s Souls’ unusual multiplayer, in which players can summon anonymous helpers to help them get through a particularly frightening area or boss encounter. He was driving up a hill in the winter when everyone got stuck. It wasn’t until everyone in the back started helping by pushing the car in front to the top of the hill that someone finally made it. He called it a “connection of mutual aid between fickle people,” adding, “Oddly enough, that event will probably stick in my mind for a long time. It sticks for a long time precisely because it was so fleeting.”
Elden Ring is filled with these fleeting moments of beauty and friendship, and they’re all the more meaningful because they’re so rare. In a harsh world, moments of respite are precious.
“If I look deeply into my history, there are definitely experiences that have influenced my identity, the worldview that drives me to make games,” Miyazaki said. “I’ve never taken a step back and thought about what triggered it, but there’s definitely something that’s the reason these are the types of games I want to see and make. If I looked in the mirror and took a hard look at myself… if I went on a soul-searching journey to find out why, I might be disappointed in myself. It would force me to face how boring and ordinary I am. Maybe I’m intentionally avoiding that. That’s what keeps the creativity flowing.”
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