Texas environmental officials notified the company last week that Elon Musk’s SpaceX had discharged pollutants into or near Texas waters, violating environmental regulations.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality report came five months after the Environmental Protection Agency notified SpaceX that it had violated the Clean Water Act.
The breach could threaten SpaceX’s ambitions to increase StartShip launches from its StarBase facility.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has repeatedly discharged pollutants into or near Texas waters, violating environmental regulations, state officials said in a notice of violation that focused on the water discharge system at the company’s StarBase launch facility.
The notice from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) last week came five months after the Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 6, which oversees Texas and surrounding states, also notified SpaceX that it was violating the Clean Water Act through similar activities.
The notice and related investigative records obtained by CNBC have not been previously reported.
TCEQ said its office in the South Texas city of Harlingen, near Boca Chica Starbase, received a complaint on Aug. 6, 2023, alleging that SpaceX was “discharging floodwaters without TCEQ authorization.”
“The Harlingen area received a total of 14 complaints alleging environmental impacts from the facility’s water discharge system,” regulators said in a written statement.
Aerospace companies, including SpaceX, generally comply with state and federal laws. Federal Aviation Administration SpaceX had been seeking permission to conduct up to 25 launches and landings per year of its Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket at the Boca Chica facility. The notice of violation could delay those approvals and lead to civil fines, further investigations and criminal charges against SpaceX.
in Long post about XAfter this article was published, SpaceX said regulators told it it could continue launch operations despite the violation notice.
“Through ongoing coordination with TCEQ and EPA, we have specifically asked whether we should cease operations of the Deluge system and have been informed that operations can continue,” SpaceX wrote to EPA.
Neither regulator responded to CNBC’s questions about SpaceX’s statements.
SpaceX’s Starship in Brownsville, Texas on June 5. Brandon Bell/Getty Images file
Rushing to rebuild
On July 25, 2024, TCEQ environmental investigators “conducted an internal compliance records review” to determine SpaceX’s compliance with wastewater regulations. The investigation found that SpaceX had discharged industrial wastewater without a permit four times between March and July of this year.
A water system with flame deflectors would dissipate heat, sound and energy generated during orbital test flights and rocket launches, but SpaceX didn’t have one installed at its Boca Chica launch pad before it began test flights of Starship, the biggest rocket ever made.
The FAA did not give a reason for the delay and said a new date would be announced in the future.
The environmentally friendly technology uses multi-chamber chemical reactors to turn wastewater into ammonia and harmless by-products. This sustainable alternative requires much less energy than traditional methods to produce this important chemical.
Hundreds of millions of tons of ammonia are used every year in industries such as agriculture, refrigeration systems, paper and cleaning products. Producing this amount of chemical uses about 2% of total energy consumption and accounts for 1.4% of global carbon dioxide emissions.
Part of this environmental cost comes from traditional ammonia production methods, which require high temperatures and pressures. To make ammonia production more sustainable, Fengyan Chen Researchers at Rice University in Texas hoped to translate that technology into a room-temperature reactor.
Their reactor takes in water laced with nitrates, a nitrogen compound commonly found in wastewater, such as industrial or agricultural runoff contaminated with nitrogen fertilizers. When the nitrate water enters the first of three chambers, electrodes, like those found in a battery, create an electrochemical reaction that turns the liquid into its three components. Only ammonia remains in the reactor’s first chamber, purified water flows out of the second chamber, and oxygen flows into the third.
Because ammonia contains only nitrogen and hydrogen, the electrochemical reaction requires no other components than wastewater, and the purified water produced is clean enough to meet World Health Organization (WHO) regulations for drinking water.
Similar reactors have been tested before, Chen says, but the electrodes couldn’t shuffle charges at a high enough voltage for the reaction to work unless the wastewater was mixed with large amounts of salt. Chen and his colleagues made the device more practical by filling the central chamber with a porous material that acts as the salt, allowing wastewater to be fed directly into the reactor without any additives.
In tests using water samples with realistic nitrate concentrations, the reactor processed 100 milliliters in about one hour and continued to operate without problems for 10 days straight. The performance of this reactor is comparable to previous, more complex reactor designs.
Chen says the team only tested the reactor in the lab using nitrate-rich water, not actual wastewater samples that contain more than just nitrates, but the researchers envision local businesses and farms eventually using the reactors to recycle their wastewater, rather than sending it to faraway treatment facilities where it would waste its ammonia-producing potential.
In the best case scenario, the farm would have its own solar- or wind-powered reactor. Farmers would run local wastewater through the device, which would immediately Reusing ammonia It is mined for fuel and fertilizer.
“It’s still at the academic research level, but this is my ultimate dream,” Chen says.
Raising cattle produces huge amounts of greenhouse gases
Alan Hopps/Getty Images
As the world's population grows, the only way to reduce agriculture's huge greenhouse gas emissions is to make food production more efficient. Unfortunately, efficiency gains have stagnated since 2010, and as food demand continues to grow, agricultural emissions and deforestation are likely to skyrocket.
Lin Ma Ma and his colleagues at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shijiazhuang came to their conclusion after analysing existing data to estimate greenhouse gas emissions per unit of protein produced between 1961 and 2019. They chose protein instead of calories because it's a better indicator of food quality, Ma says.
Between 1961 and around 2010, emissions per unit of protein fell by two-thirds, the team says. But since then, there has been no further improvement and there are even signs of an increase. Agriculture is responsible for about a third of all greenhouse gas emissions, and food demand is projected to increase by up to 50% by 2050. If agriculture's climate efficiency does not improve further, emissions from agriculture will also increase by 50%, the researchers warn.
Moreover, without improvements in agricultural efficiency, the only way to increase production is to clear more land for farming, which will lead to further deforestation and biodiversity loss, they say.
“That's very bad news. We need to drastically reduce emissions, not increase them.” Richard Waite He is a researcher at the World Resources Institute in Washington, D.C., but was not involved in the study.
“The continued and accelerating expansion of agricultural land since the turn of the century is of great concern as there is no path forward to limit warming to 1.5°C. [of global warming] “It's important to end deforestation as quickly as possible,” he says.
There are many reasons why climate emissions per unit of protein produced are no longer decreasing, Dan Leto For one thing, people around the world are eating more meat, which produces far more greenhouse gas emissions than plant-based foods, said Breakthrough Institute researcher David Schneider, who was not on the team.
The fact that large amounts of agricultural crops are now being converted to fuel rather than food could also be a factor, he says. “The rise in crop-based biofuels likely explains some of the slowdown in decarbonization we find in the paper,” as biofuel crops grown for energy are chosen for their calorie content rather than their protein content, reducing the efficiency that Ma's team measures.
Another potential factor is the increase in extreme weather events that are affecting crop yields and food prices around the world, which the study did not take into account, Ma said. “But we suspect the impact of extreme weather on crop yields was relatively small before 2019.”
According to Thomas Hobbes, one of history’s most famous cynics, life is “nasty, cruel, and short.” Jamil ZakiIronically, this is likely true if you are someone who has a cynical, Hobbesian view of life, who sees the worst in humanity and distrusts no one, according to John F. Kelly, director of the Stanford Institute for Social Neuroscience in California.
Zaki didn’t always think this way. He’s spent 20 years studying and lecturing about the brain circuits behind empathy and kindness, but all that time he’d harbored the dirty secret that he was a cynic. He began to examine his cynical perspective after the death of his friend Emile Bruneau, who studied the neuroscience of peace and conflict and was “one of the most hopeful people I’ve ever met,” Zaki says. He discovered that being a cynic is not only harmful to our lives, it causes us to believe things that aren’t true. Luckily, as he explores in his upcoming book, there are tools we can use to combat cynicism. Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness.
Alison Flood: What is cynicism?
Jamil Zaki: Cynicism is the theory that humanity in general is selfish, greedy and dishonest. Theories influence our behavior, what we do and don’t do. Cynics use their theories about people to guide their behavior in society. It changes how they see people, it changes how they interpret others, it changes their behavior, such as not trusting others.
What is the difference between cynicism and skepticism?
Astronomers have used the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope to capture striking new photos of LEDA 12535, a barred spiral galaxy located in the famous Perseus Cluster of galaxies.
This Hubble Space Telescope image shows LEDA 12535, a barred spiral galaxy about 320 million light-years away in the constellation Perseus. The color composite was created from images taken with the Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) in ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared light. It is based on data obtained through three filters. The colors are obtained by assigning a different hue to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / I. Chilingarian.
LEDA12535 It is located about 320 million light years away in the constellation Perseus.
Also known as MCG+07-07-072 or SDSS J032041.39+424814.8, it is classified as a barred spiral galaxy.
“LEDA 12535 has a highly unusual shape for a spiral galaxy, with thin arms extending from the ends of its barred nucleus and tracing a nearly circular path around the disk,” the Hubble astronomers said.
“Using a common extension of Hubble's basis system, it is classified as an SBc(r) galaxy. The c indicates that the two spiral arms are loosely wound, each completing only a half revolution around the galaxy, and the (r) refers to the ring-like structure they produce.”
“Galactic rings come in a variety of shapes, from merely unusual to rare and astrophysically important.”
“Lenticular galaxies are a type of galaxy that lies intermediate between elliptical and spiral galaxies,” the astronomers added.
“Unlike elliptical galaxies, they feature large disks but lack spiral arms.”
“Lenticular means lens-shaped, and these galaxies often feature a ring-like shape in their disks.”
“The classification of ring galaxies, on the other hand, is only applied to unusual galaxies with a round ring of gas and star formation that closely resembles spiral arms but is either completely detached from the galactic core or lacks a visible core at all.”
“They are thought to have formed from the collision of galaxies.”
“Finally, there is the famous gravitational lensing, where the ring is actually a distorted image of a distant background galaxy, formed by the 'lensing' galaxy bending the light around it.”
“The ring-shaped images, called Einstein rings, can only form if the lensed galaxy and the photographed galaxy are perfectly aligned.”
A former Twitter executive has suggested that Elon Musk should be subject to “personal sanctions” and the possibility of an “arrest warrant” if he is found to be disrupting public order on his social media platform.
Bruce Daisley, Twitter’s former vice president for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, expressed in the Guardian that it is unfair to let tech billionaires like Musk tamper with discord without facing personal consequences.
He urged Chancellor Keir Starmer to toughen online safety laws and assess whether media regulator Ofcom is equipped to handle fast-moving individuals like Musk.
Daisley emphasized that the threat of personal sanctions is more effective against executives than the risk of corporate fines, as it could impact the lavish lifestyles of tech billionaires.
The UK government has urged social media platforms to act responsibly following recent riots, attributing them to false information spread online, including claims about asylum seekers.
Musk’s inflammatory posts, such as predicting civil war in the UK, have garnered criticism from government officials, with some calling his remarks unacceptable.
Daisley, who worked at Twitter from 2012 to 2020, described Musk as someone who behaves like a reckless teenager and suggested that an arrest warrant might make him reconsider his actions.
He emphasized the need for legislation to establish boundaries for acceptable behavior on social media and questioned whether tech billionaires should be allowed to influence society without consequences.
Daisley urged for immediate strengthening of the Online Safety Act 2023 to hold tech executives accountable for their actions and to prioritize democratic governance over the influence of tech billionaires.
He also suggested that views deemed harmful, such as those from individuals like Tommy Robinson, should be removed from platforms under the guidance of regulators like Ofcom.
Daisley concluded that the focus should be on upholding acceptable behavior on social media rather than prioritizing profits, especially when influential tech figures like Musk are involved.
He emphasized the possibility of holding tech billionaires accountable for the content allowed on their platforms and called for stricter measures to prevent abuse of power.
Plants and humans have one thing in common: They both consist of a single cell containing a nucleus that serves a specialized function that benefits the entire organism. When life first emerged 4 billion years ago, it consisted of simple cells that lacked a nucleus. ProkaryotesAt least 2 billion years later, a major evolutionary change gave rise to the first cells with nuclei. EukaryotesAlgae and fungi are eukaryotes, as are plants, animals, and some single-celled organisms.
Genomic studies have shown that all eukaryotes share a common ancestor, or RekaHowever, these studies can only provide limited information about LECA's characteristics, so researchers know almost nothing about their abundance, appearance, or where they live. Scientists hope to understand the origins of LECA on Earth and determine how complex life arose on Earth and how it might arise on other planets.
A team of researchers from the Australian National University, the University of Bremen and the Strasbourg Institute of Chemistry sought to trace the oldest evidence of eukaryotes in rocks and determine when eukaryotes diverged from prokaryotes. They found that only eukaryotes Structure and function of cell membranes, It is called Sterols. So to find the oldest traces of eukaryotes, researchers went looking for these molecules in sediments that accumulated beneath the oceans, where many researchers think early eukaryotes evolved.
When cells die, they sink to the ocean floor and over time completely or partially decompose and become buried in marine sediments. When these sediments harden into sedimentary rocks, all the remains of the cells become trapped within them. These researchers believe that sterols and the molecules derived from them are Decomposition productsThese molecules remain in sediments for millions of years after cells die, so the researchers reasoned that the abundance of these molecules in sedimentary rocks should correspond to the number of eukaryotic organisms living in the oceans when the sediments formed.
To find out what sterols break down into, the researchers burned different amounts of sterols found in modern eukaryotes and analyzed the sterol breakdown products using techniques that identify organic molecules. Gas ChromatographyThe researchers compared the sterol breakdown products of modern eukaryotes with organic molecules they measured in rock samples from the Burnie Creek Formation in northern Australia, which contained petroleum that dates back about 1.7 billion years. Their goal was to test whether the rock samples contained the same molecules as the burned sterols, confirming that eukaryotic organisms were present in the oceans at that time.
The researchers found that the rock samples contained only a fraction of the molecules they measured in the burned sterols. The molecules in the rocks were responsible for stabilizing eukaryotic cell membranes against environmental stresses such as high temperatures and high salinity. The researchers explained that sterols help some modern eukaryotes survive such extreme conditions by attaching to cell membranes and making them strong and flexible, preventing cell rupture caused by external stresses.
The researchers propose that the rock sample preserved the remains of early eukaryotes that produced sterols to strengthen membranes to survive in extreme conditions. Although it is unclear whether eukaryotes produced sterols before or after the development of a nucleus, they suggest that sterols may have provided early eukaryotes with a distinct ecological advantage in adapting to extreme environmental stresses, potentially facilitating the evolution of more specialized life forms.
The team suggested that changing atmospheric conditions may also have triggered the formation and adaptation of eukaryotes. They explained that oxygen first accumulated in the atmosphere about 2.3 billion years ago, which represented a chemical stress in the environment that would have been lethal to early cells that were allergic to oxygen. However, the sterols present in the cell membranes of early eukaryotes may have helped them adapt to the changing atmosphere and develop a preference for more oxygen-rich environments.
The researchers concluded that ecological stress can fundamentally change cells, and that certain compounds unique to eukaryotes can be used to find them in ancient rock samples. In the future, the scientists plan to analyze other rock samples from Northern Australia to validate their results and look for other types of molecules that could provide information about LECA.
aAmong those quickly convicted and sentenced recently for their involvement in racially charged riots were: Bobby Silbon. Silbon exited his 18th birthday celebration at a bingo hall in Hartlepool to join a group roaming the town’s streets, targeting residences they believed housed asylum seekers. He was apprehended for vandalizing property and assaulting law enforcement officials, resulting in a 20-month prison term.
While in custody, Silbon justified his actions by asserting their commonality: “It’s fine,” he reassured officers. “Everyone else is doing it too.” This rationale, although a common defense among individuals caught up in gang activity, now resonates more prominently with the hundreds facing severe sentences.
His birthday festivities were interrupted by social media alerts, potentially containing misinformation about events in Southport. Embedded in these alerts were snippets and videos that swiftly fueled a surge in violence without context.
Bobby Charbon left a birthday party in Hartlepool and headed to the riots after receiving a social media alert.
Picture: Cleveland Police/PA
Mobile phone users likely witnessed distressing scenes last week: racists setting up checkpoints in Middlesbrough, a black man being assaulted in a Manchester park, and confrontations outside a Birmingham pub. The graphic violence, normalized in real-time, incited some to take to the streets, embodying the sentiment of “everyone’s doing it.” In essence, a Kristallnacht trigger is now present in our pockets.
A vintage document from the BBC, the “Guidelines Regarding Violence Depiction,” serves as a reminder of what is deemed suitable for national broadcasters. Striking a balance between accuracy and potential distress is emphasized when airing real-life violence. Specific editorial precautions are outlined for violence incidents that may resonate with personal experiences or can be imitated by children.
Social media lacks these regulatory measures, with an overflow of explicit content that tends to prioritize sensationalism over accuracy, drawing attention through harm and misinformation.
Compliments can sometimes be tricky to navigate, as identified by a Belgian psychologist. There are several ways in which receiving compliments can make the person being complimented uncomfortable.
When someone compliments you, it might make you feel self-conscious or criticized. For instance, if a friend praises your outfit during a meet-up, you might feel uneasy due to the attention being drawn to you.
Another factor that can make compliments uncomfortable is social awkwardness or inappropriateness, such as when a boss gives you a personal compliment.
Aside from these, feelings of indebtedness, pressure to return the compliment, being misunderstood, or feeling inadequate can also arise when receiving compliments. If you’re unhappy with something you’ve done, a compliment from someone might irritate you.
One way to address these feelings is to remind yourself that the person giving the compliment likely meant well. They probably wanted to show appreciation and make you feel good with their kind words.
It’s not always easy to see compliments in this light, especially for those with low self-esteem. These individuals might yearn for understanding and feel like compliments suggest a lack of it.
Research indicates that compliments can have adverse effects on individuals with low self-esteem in romantic relationships, leading to feelings of anxiety and misunderstanding.
Recent studies have explored ways to help those with low self-esteem benefit from compliments by shifting focus from personal beliefs to situational context and relationship dynamics.
Overcoming low self-esteem might result in increased receptiveness to compliments over time.
This article addresses a question from George Alvin via email: “How can I accept a compliment well?”
If you have any questions, please send them to the email address below. For additional information, contact:or send us a messageFacebook,XorInstagramPage (be sure to include your name and location).
vinegarFlip digital capitalists over and you find technological determinists: people who believe technology drives history. These individuals view themselves as agents of what Joseph Schumpeter famously called “creative destruction.” They take pleasure in “moving fast and breaking things,” a phrase once used by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, until their representatives convince them that this approach is not ideal, not only because it means taxpayers will bear the consequences.
Technological determinism is, in fact, an ideology that influences your thoughts even when you’re not consciously aware of it. It thrives on a narrative that argues: Technical necessity Whether we agree or not, this narrative suggests that new innovations will continue to emerge. LM Sacasas explains “Every claim of inevitability serves a purpose, and narratives of technological inevitability serve as a convenient shield for tech companies to achieve their desired outcomes, minimize opposition, and persuade consumers that they are embracing a future that may not be desirable but is deemed necessary.”
However, for this narrative of inevitability to resonate with the general public and result in widespread adoption of the technology, politicians must eventually endorse it as well. This scenario is currently observable with AI, although the long-term implications remain unclear. Yet, some indications are troubling, like the cringe-worthy video incidents involving Rishi Sunak’s fawning over the world’s wealthiest individual, Elon Musk, and Tony Blair’s recent heartfelt conversation aired on TV with Demis Hassabis, the well-known co-founder of Google DeepMind.
It’s refreshing to encounter an article that explores the clash between deterministic myths and democratic realities, as seen in “Resisting Technological Inevitability: Google Wing Delivery Drones and the Battle for Our Skies.” Noteworthy academic papers soon to be published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, a reputable journal. Written by Anna Zenz from the University of Western Australia’s School of Law and Julia Powles from the Technology & Policy Lab, the paper recounts the narrative of how major tech firms attempted to dominate a new market with a promising technology – delivery drones – without considering the societal repercussions. It reflects how a proactive, resourceful, and determined public successfully thwarted this corporate agenda.
The company in question is Wing, a subsidiary of Google’s parent company Alphabet. Their objective is to develop delivery drones to facilitate the transportation of various goods, including emergency medical aid, creating a new commercial industry that enables broad access to the skies. This is evident in Australia, which hosts Google’s largest drone operation in terms of deliveries and customer outreach. It is endorsed by both state and federal governments, with the federal government taking the lead.
Zenz and Powles argue that by persuading Australian politicians to allow the testing of an Aerial Deliveroo-like service (under the guise of an “experimental” initiative), Google heavily relied on the myth of inevitability. Officials who already believed in the inevitability of delivery drones saw the potential benefits of embracing this trend and offered their support, either passively or actively. The company then leveraged the perception of inevitability to obtain “community acceptance,” manipulating the public into silence or passive tolerance by claiming that delivery drones were an inevitable progression.
One of the test sites for this project was Bonython, a Canberra suburb where the trial commenced in July 2018. However, the project faced immediate challenges. Numerous residents were perturbed and bewildered by the sudden appearance of drones in their neighborhood. They expressed outrage over the drones’ impact on their community, local wildlife, and the environment, citing issues like unplanned landings, dropped cargo, drones flying near traffic, and birds attacking and disrupting the drones.
While many communities might have simply grumbled and overlooked these issues, Bonython took a different approach. A group of proactive residents, including a retired aviation law expert, established a dedicated online presence, distributed newsletters, conducted door-to-door outreach, engaged with politicians, contacted media outlets, and submitted information requests to local authorities.
Their efforts paid off eventually. In August 2023, Wing quietly announced the termination of operations in the Canberra region. This decision not only marked the end of the project but also triggered a congressional inquiry into drone delivery systems, scrutinizing various aspects such as pilot training, economic implications, regulatory oversight, and environmental impacts of drone delivery. This investigation shed light on the blind acceptance of the myth of inevitability among public officials, prompting critical questions that regulators and governments should consistently pose when tech companies champion “innovation” and “progress.”
Echoing Marshall McLuhan’s sentiments in a different context, it’s crucial to acknowledge that “there is absolutely no inevitability if there is a willingness to reflect on unfolding events.” Public resistance against the myth of inevitability should always be encouraged.
The Thinker’s Work There are fascinating essays in New Statesman about John Gray’s exploration of Friedrich Hayek, one of the 20th century’s most enigmatic thinkers.
Turn the page Feeling pessimistic? Check out what Henry Oliver has to say in this insightful essay.
A whole new world Science fiction writer Karl Schroeder shares some provocative blog posts contemplating the future.
Looking for a good laugh? Check out the subreddit LinkedIn Lunatics. Trust me, it’s worth a visit.
On this subreddit, you’ll find a Financial Expert advocating for the moderation of porn consumption as a healthy practice to share with friends and community. There are also critics using cultural events like the Olympic Games to teach life lessons and even a Marriage agency mistaking LinkedIn for a dating platform.
The subreddit features stories like a social media company’s creative director who almost missed his flight but learned the valuable lesson of taking risks and a guy who learned important life lessons after a tangerine incident. It’s a mix of humor and bizarre LinkedIn encounters.
All this craziness happened in just one week, making it a rollercoaster of absurdity. Despite the entertainment, the main mission on LinkedIn is to focus on work and professional networking.
LinkedIn is a vital platform for business professionals, especially in B2B sales, like myself. However, it can be overwhelming with the constant stream of “visionary leaders” and “strategic innovators” flooding the feed. It’s a mix of greatness and embarrassment, where professionals love and hate the platform simultaneously.
Many users echo the sentiment that LinkedIn needs a revamp. As a dedicated user, I propose two radical changes:
1. Embrace Reddit Over Facebook
Encourage users to post in LinkedIn groups for longer, more engaging content, similar to Reddit’s format. This shift would enhance the user experience and encourage meaningful discussions.
2. Revise Monetization Strategies
LinkedIn should differentiate between serious members and casual users, potentially by raising fees. Additionally, introducing a nominal fee for every accepted connection request could deter spammy behavior.
Adding a “dislike” button could provide constructive feedback and reduce unwanted solicitations. These changes aim to improve the platform’s quality and user experience.
LinkedIn is at a crossroads, where the balance between professionalism and absurdity is tipping. It’s essential to adapt to evolving user needs to maintain relevance and utility.
IAs is often the case, this incident began with drama in a WhatsApp group. In 2021, a loose coalition of my friends and acquaintances, in order to survive repeated lockdowns, started playing a much maligned online game called “Excuse.” Betrayal and backstabbing are all part of the game.
Except this time people went too far, someone got so upset that he left the group, and to get him back, my friends came up with a dubious plan: they got Nigel Farage, of all people, to make a sarcastic apology video, urging his comrades to rejoin the group.
This was easy to do, thanks to Cameo, which Farage had recently signed up for. For around £100, Farage had 24 hours to record a 60-second video clip and distribute it through the app. The ploy worked, and peace was restored within the friend group, thanks to Cameo and Farage’s rather bewildered recitation of a series of inside jokes that he completely failed to understand.
It’s one of the many uses for Cameo, a service that lets anyone request custom videos for friends from celebrities and influencers and have them delivered within 24 hours. The site became an unexpected hit during the COVID-19 lockdown, helping it attract investment that put it at a $1 billion valuation in 2021.
The front page of the Cameo website, featuring some of the celebrities registered with the site. Photo: Cameo
But since then, things have been tough. The video is still being made, and it’s still… Eclectic. A number of celebrities and influencers (more on that later) are on board, but they seem to be struggling to pay the relatively small bills.
last month, Business Insider Reported Cameo reaches settlement with 30 U.S. states. The company was found to have violated the Federal Trade Commission’s rules regarding celebrity endorsements.
Cameo was fined $600,000, a modest sum for a billion-dollar company in theory, but court filings attested that it couldn’t afford that amount and instead settled for $100,000 (split among 30 states). So what went wrong?
Day to day, the site operates much the same as before, offering custom videos to those seeking them from a range of actors, comedians and influencers, including British names like actor Miriam Margolyes (£134 a video), former footballer John Terry (£197), singer Gareth Gates (£47) and presenter and environmental activist Ben Fogle (£71).
In the US, NSync’s Lance Bass (235 pounds) and Dean Norris (235 pounds), who played DEA agent Hank Schrader, Breaking Bad (193 pounds), and former supporters of the U.S. version. Office Kevin Malone, aka Brian Baumgartner (154 pounds), or “Drunk Meredith” Kate Flannery (150 pounds).
While each has its own fanbase, sometimes with cult followings, Cameo has struggled to attract or retain A-list celebrities and influencers with top-tier followings, in part because using the app poses significant risks to a celebrity’s reputation: Some have used the app for more nefarious purposes, such as scripting videos to trick celebrities into making racist or other insults.
Last year, the “Russian group” A series of videos was commissioned and stitched together. Video recordings from Cameo and similar services made it appear as if various prominent U.S. figures were calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a corrupt drug addict, creating the illusion that they were helping to stage an intervention.
The disinformation campaign also included cameos from actor Elijah Wood and convicted rapist boxer Mike Tyson, though both have since withdrawn their cameos, and both Norris and Flannery are still active on the site.
Cameo takes 30% of creators’ fees for handling sales, transaction fees, and hosting and submitting the videos. Larger creators appear to have decided to forgo this potential revenue stream because it would require making lots of individual videos that never get published, or because of the risks. But smaller creators say it’s a convenient, hassle-free source of funding with few downsides.
The annual Perseid meteor shower will peak between Sunday night and dawn on Monday, giving skywatchers around the world the chance to enjoy one of the most spectacular shooting star shows of the year.
The Perseid meteor shower is usually one of the most anticipated stargazing events of the year due to the high incidence of shooting stars. If the weather is good, you may be able to see up to 100 meteors per hour from a dark location.
“Not only is this shower rich in bright meteors and fireballs (the most so far in the world, in fact), it also peaks when it's still warm and comfortable in mid-August,” says Bill Cook, director of the Meteor Environment Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama. NASA said in a blog post.
Experts predict that conditions will be favorable for this year's meteor show, especially since the moon will set around 11:30 p.m. local time, meaning bright moonlight will not obscure the shooting stars.
If the weather is good, it's best to choose an unobstructed viewing location under the darkest possible sky, away from city lights and other light pollution.
In the Northern Hemisphere, stargazing is best done between midnight and dawn. NASA recommends giving your eyes about 45 minutes to adjust to the darkness and avoiding looking at bright screens, such as cell phones.
While the peak of the meteor shower is when you'll have the highest chance of seeing meteors, the Perseids have been visible for several weeks and should continue to be visible after this weekend. The meteor shower occurs annually from mid-July to late August.
This occurs as Earth passes through a cloud of dust particles and debris left behind by a comet known as 109P/Swift-Tuttle, which was discovered in 1862. The light streaks are caused when the debris impacts the atmosphere, vaporizes, and leaves a bright trail as it disintegrates.
This summer, there has been an alarming increase in heatstroke-related deaths worldwide. According to a recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, extreme heat occurrences are becoming more frequent and lasting longer, affecting a larger number of people. Why is this happening, and how can you identify if your loved ones are at risk?
What occurs inside our bodies when our temperature rises?
Heat stress is caused by an accumulation of heat due to physical exertion or environmental stressors like solar radiation, air temperature, humidity, and wind speed. A person’s acclimatization, work type, physical activity level, and clothing also influence heat factors.
Humans are warm-blooded creatures, meaning the body’s internal temperature must remain around 37°C. If the internal temperature reaches 42°C, vital organs can cease functioning, leading to severe illness and death. 27 pathways Extreme heat can be lethal due to reduced blood flow and damage to essential organs.
Individuals most vulnerable to heat-related illnesses include those with poor thermoregulation capabilities, such as infants, elderly individuals, those with chronic illnesses, pregnant women, and outdoor workers.
What is heat stroke?
Heat stroke manifests when individuals experience heat stress and start feeling unwell. Various types of heat stroke exist. Heat stroke often accompanies dehydration, including conditions like heat syncope, thermal tetany, heat cramps, and heat exhaustion.
Another prevalent form of heat stroke is heat stroke, where the body struggles to regulate temperature, with categories like exertional heat stroke and classic heat stroke.
read more:
What steps should be taken if someone is suspected of having heat stroke?
If an individual faints, experiences concentration issues, or has breathing difficulties, immediate medical assistance is crucial. If they are conscious but feel unwell or overheated, rapid cooling and hydration are essential.
Caution must be exercised with very cold water to avoid cold shock, which can impact breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure. Ice water offers no advantage.
Replenishing lost fluids and minerals due to sweating from overheating is essential, so providing sports drinks can aid in hydration.
How can heat stroke be prevented?
Preventing heat stroke is feasible with measures such as issuing heatwave warnings, creating prevention plans, and staying hydrated during extreme heat periods. Hot drinks are as effective as cold ones, and temperature plays a minimal role in core body temperature.
Additional cooling methods include taking cool showers and focusing on cooling hands, feet, and face. Ventilating indoor spaces and avoiding direct sunlight can help maintain a cooler environment, while fans promote air circulation.
Vulnerable groups, like the elderly, should take extra precautions against heatstroke and follow advice from family and friends to stay hydrated and cool.
Babies are particularly susceptible to extreme heat, with techniques like covering strollers with damp cloths and using clip-on fans being more effective than thin blankets in protecting them from the sun.
Will the situation worsen?
While climate change intensifies extreme heat events, strides have been made in preventing heatstroke. Government strategies to prevent heatstroke are being implemented, with urban planning initiatives like creating green urban spaces to combat urban heat islands.
Initiatives like cooling centers, forecast-based financing, and early warning systems contribute to preventing heat-related illnesses. Achieving net-zero emissions is crucial to halting extreme heat escalation and averting catastrophic heatwaves.
pictureRon Musk has long been interested in right-wing politics and has enjoyed portraying himself as a contrarian showman. However, his recent political affiliations have raised doubts about Tesla, the electric-car giant he founded. How much further can he push before customers start abandoning his product?
A German pharmacy chain, Rothmann, was among the first to speak out this week. The family business announced that it would not expand its fleet of 34 Tesla cars after Musk publicly supported Donald Trump for US president.
Rothmann’s spokesperson, Raul Rothman, wrote, “Mr. Trump has consistently denied climate change, which contradicts Tesla’s mission to protect the environment by producing electric vehicles.”
Musk’s support for Trump was followed by controversial posts about far-right riots in the UK. He made remarks like “Civil war is inevitable,” which sparked criticism from politicians across the spectrum. Musk engaged with far-right figures, raising concerns among some consumers.
Some Tesla owners are now reevaluating their choice of vehicle due to Musk’s recent behavior.
Given the divisive nature of Mr. Musk’s comments and his apparent enjoyment of creating discord, we have decided to discontinue our relationship with Tesla.”
Tesla has been reached out to for comment.
In online forums, Tesla owners debate the impact of Musk’s politics on the brand. Some have created bumper stickers like “I bought this before I knew Elon was crazy.”
David Bach, a strategy and political economy professor at IMD, noted that Musk’s recent behavior sets him apart from other CEOs. Musk’s actions have garnered mixed reactions, especially in the UK.
Tesla’s sales in the UK account for a small portion of its global business. Musk’s involvement in US politics, particularly with Trump, could have significant repercussions for Tesla.
Despite Musk’s polarizing comments, some consumers still support Tesla. However, there are concerns about the potential impact on business.
Musk’s actions have already affected X and could impact SpaceX as well. Some industry insiders believe that Musk’s current path could eventually lead to a decline in Tesla’s sales.
Japan’s Meteorological Agency issued its first-ever “major earthquake warning” on Thursday.
The warning came after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck off the coast of the southern part of the country.
This raises the risk of an even bigger earthquake in the Nankai Trough, an undersea subduction zone that scientists believe could produce a quake of up to magnitude 9.1.
After a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Japan’s southern islands on Thursday, the country’s Meteorological Agency issued an ominous warning: More powerful quakes are possible, with the risk especially high over the coming week.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issues its first-ever “major earthquake warning,” warning that the Nankai Trough is a subduction zone where a magnitude 8-9 earthquake is likely to occur, and that there is a higher-than-usual risk of strong shaking and tsunamis. It urges people in the area to prepare.
The message is not a prophecy but an outlook for increasing risk, and it shows how far seismologists have come in understanding the dynamics of subduction-zone earthquakes.
Here’s what you need to know about the situation.
Dangerous subduction zones
The Nankai Trough is an underwater subduction zone where the Eurasian plate collides with the Philippine Sea plate, causing the latter to subduct beneath the Eurasian plate and sink into the Earth’s mantle.
Faults in subduction zones build up stress, and when the locked faults slip and release that stress, so-called megaquakes occur. “Mechatronics” is the shortened form of the name. These zones have produced some of the most powerful earthquakes in Earth’s history.
The Pacific “Ring of Fire” is a collection of subduction zones. In the United States, the Cascadia Subduction Zone off the West Coast stretches from Vancouver Island in Canada to Cape Mendocino in California.
In the southwestern Japanese city of Nichinan, beaches were closed on Friday after the country’s first warning of a possible major earthquake was issued. Kyodo News via Reuters Connect
If a major earthquake were to occur off the coast of Japan, the Philippine Sea Plate would likely shake 30 to 100 feet near the country’s southeast coast, causing violent shaking.
Vertical displacement of the ocean floor could trigger a tsunami, sending waves crashing onto the coast of Japan that Japanese scientists estimate could reach heights of nearly 100 feet. Published in 2020.
History of major earthquakes
Large earthquakes occur in the Nankai Trough approximately every 100 to 150 years. In last year’s surveyJapan’s Earthquake Research Committee announced in January 2022 that there is a 70 to 80 percent chance of a major earthquake occurring in the next 30 years.
Great Nankai Trough earthquakes tend to occur in two separate events, with the second often occurring within two years of the previous one, recent examples being the “twin” earthquakes that occurred in the Nankai Trough in 1944 and 1946.
This phenomenon is due to the segmented nature of the fault, where a shift in one segment can put strain on other segments.
People stand outside after escaping a building following an earthquake in Miyazaki on Thursday. Kyodo News via Associated Press
Harold Tobin, a professor at the University of Washington who studies the Nankai Trough, said the magnitude 7.1 quake occurred in a segment that shakes more frequently than other earthquakes. The regular quakes reduce stress, so there’s less concern that the segment itself could cause a big one. What’s concerning is the quake’s proximity to a segment that’s been building up stress since the 1940s.
“This one is adjacent to the Southwest Sea region and is obviously sealed off, so that’s a reason for caution and concern,” Tobin said.
Predictions, not predictions
Scientists cannot predict earthquakes, but they are developing the ability to forecast when danger is heightened, especially in areas like Japan where tremors occur frequently and monitoring is well established.
Paleontologists have described a new genus and species of metriorhynchid crocodyloform from the Stadthagen Formation in northwestern Germany.
Artist image Enarioetes schroederi. Image credit: Joschua Knüppe.
The newly discovered crocodyloforme lived in shallow seas off Germany during the Early Cretaceous period, between 140 and 132 million years ago.
dubbing Enarioetes schroederi Ancient reptiles belonged to the family Metriorhynchidae.
“Metriorhynchid fishes had smooth skin without scales, fins and a tail,” explained Dr Sven Sachs from the Natural Sciences Museum in Bielefeld and his colleagues.
“They Feeding Metriorhynchid reptiles fed on a variety of prey, including fast-moving animals such as squid and fish, although some metriorhynchid species have large serrated teeth, suggesting that they may have eaten other marine reptiles.”
“The Jurassic period is the best known, and fossils become rarer as we move into the Cretaceous period.”
Perfectly preserved skull Enarioetes schroederi. It was discovered over 100 years ago in a quarry in Sachsenhagen near Hanover by the German architect D. Hapke.
This specimen is the best-preserved metriorhynchid crocodyloform known from the Cretaceous.
“This specimen is remarkable as it is one of the very few metriorhynchids known to have a three-dimensionally preserved skull,” Dr Sacks said.
“This allowed us to perform CT scans of the specimens, which allowed us to learn a lot about the internal structure of these marine crocodiles.”
“The incredible state of preservation has even allowed us to reconstruct the animal’s internal cavity and inner ear.”
Enarioetes schroederi gives paleontologists new insight into how metriorhynchidae evolved during the Cretaceous period.
“During the Jurassic period, metriorhynchids evolved a body plan that was radically different to other crocodiles, with fins, tails, loss of bony armour and smooth skin without scales,” said Dr Mark Young, a palaeontologist at the University of Edinburgh.
“These changes were increasingly adapted to a marine life.”
“Enarioetes schroederi This trend continues into the Cretaceous. Enarioetes schroederi It has larger eyes than other metriorhynchids (which are already large by crocodile standards) and its bony inner ear is more compact than other metriorhynchids. Enarioetes schroederi I probably could have swum faster.”
Discovery Enarioetes schroederi has been reported paper of Journal of Systematic Palaeontology.
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Sven Sachs others 2024. A new genus of metriorhynchid crocodile from the Lower Cretaceous of Germany. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 22 (1): 2359946; doi: 10.1080/14772019.2024.2359946
A wall with a zigzag pattern can stay up to 3°C (5.4°F) cooler than a normal wall, without using any energy. This approach reduces the energy used by cooling systems and helps to curb global warming.
“Such designs can lead to cooler buildings,” says Qilong Cheng of Columbia University in New York, “and therefore reduce the energy consumption for cooling.”
As global temperatures rise and more people can afford air conditioners, their use is skyrocketing. Greenhouse gas emissions from cooling could increase more than threefold by 2050. As a result, many teams are working to develop passive cooling solutions that don't require any energy.
For example, simply painting roofs white can help keep buildings and cities cooler by allowing them to reflect more sunlight.
This method works even better if the roof is coated with a material that reflects most of the sunlight but emits infrared light within the transparency of the atmosphere — a range of wavelengths that aren't absorbed by atmospheric molecules such as carbon dioxide.
“Infrared light in this band can pass through the atmosphere and potentially reach space,” Chen said.
Materials with these properties have a great cooling effect on an upward-facing roof, but are less effective on walls. The problem is that materials that emit infrared light tend to absorb it, and surfaces close to walls, such as concrete pavements, can emit large amounts of infrared light.
The solution proposed by Chen and his team is to create a wall that has a series of projections that run parallel to the ground, forming a zigzag shape when viewed from the side. To visualize this, think of a staircase sloping upward at angles between 45 and 90 degrees.
The key is that the upward-facing zigzag surfaces (the treads in the staircase analogy) are atmospheric transparency windows that radiate large amounts of heat, while the downward-facing, outward-facing zigzag surfaces (the risers) reflect infrared heat rather than absorbing it.
To test the idea, the team built a 1-metre-tall model with both a zigzag and flat surface.When they placed it outside in New Jersey during the summer, the zigzag surface was 2°C cooler than the flat surface over a 24-hour average, and 3°C cooler between 1pm and 2pm.
Chen says there are plenty of inexpensive materials with the necessary properties. Existing buildings could be retrofitted by adding corrugated panels. The cooling effect inside a building varies depending on other factors, such as the size of the building's windows, but simulations suggest it could reduce temperatures by up to 2°C and cut the energy needed for cooling by up to a quarter.
The zigzag cooling wall is only suitable for hot climates, as colder regions would need more heating in winter. But Chen and his colleagues say They proposed a design with hinged “fins.” It can be raised in the winter to increase heat absorption and lowered in the summer to minimize heat absorption.
TThe Crush House developer Nerial describes the game as a “first-person shooter,” which is a surprisingly accurate tagline. On the Malibu coastline, a grand vaporwave-and-neon mansion stands. Producer Jae sleeps in a bleak little basement below. Your job is to roam the house from behind the camera, filming the reality show’s hot and sexy cast. You pick a panel of 12 for each season, chase them around the glitzy grounds, and make sure they fight, kiss, or both to boost ratings and satisfy viewers. You’re free to move around, but you’re warned never to talk to the cast. As the tagline suggests, the game certainly has a first-person shooter vibe, but instead of a gun, you’re brandishing a camera. Think sexy Pokémon Snap.
Every night a different demographic tunes in, and all of them have very specific needs. Some want to see drama, some want to see art in the house, some want to see food being prepared, and of course some want to see detailed, zoomed-in looks at feet, lots of feet, or other body parts. Your job is to satisfy them all, or risk your show being canceled.
What a surprise…Crash House. Photography: Devolver Digital
This makes the play experience a fun and surprising cinematography simulator. Audience requests scroll across the screen, telling you where the cast sleeps, asking where you shower, asking if anyone will kiss you even once. They’re weirdos, but if you don’t listen to them, you’re fired. The script is sharp, funny, and sometimes a little shocking. Definitely one of the funniest games I’ve played this year. Conversations between cast members are algorithmically executed. Each of the 12 brings something slightly different to the table, and different possibilities for getting along or clashing with the other housemates. This means every combination is a surprise. If one set doesn’t work out, you can try a different combination in the next season. The housemates don’t care. You come back fresh, as if your memory has been wiped, or worse.
At night, when the housemates have retired to bed, the player re-enters the house and adds props to make it more interesting. These props (some of which match the interests of the housemates) cost money earned by running surreal advertisements during the day. Another challenge is finding a balance between the advertisements and the viewers who might enjoy them. Of course, more engaged viewers bring in more money, which might allow you to buy a sauna, a lighthouse, a saxophone, etc. – all things that make the house more interesting.
But as you set up your props after dark, you might bump into an escaped housemate who asks you for a favor: more airtime, a specific angle, a personal request to be filmed flirting with two people to really piss your mom off. It’s up to you to decide if you want to grant it or not. Going this route will reveal the stories behind the poolside fun and deep chats by the bonfire. Of course, there’s more going on than meets the eye. What fun it will be to discover the darkness that lingers behind the neon lights.
If The Crush House was simply a smart, funny photography and cinematography game, I would have been pleased and pleased. But the game offers players much more than that. Beneath the snappy text and playful design, it also has a quirky heart. It’s worth noting that the review build still had its moments of glitches, but the strength of the idea and execution far outweighs any technical issues. This in itself is remarkable. The Crush House is so much fun that I didn’t want to turn it off, even when some parts were a little broken. It’s a great way to spend the last cool evenings of summer, and the season ahead.
Black holes have the ability to die, but this process happens very slowly and in a rather normal manner.
Despite appearing empty, space is not entirely devoid of mass or energy. Within this space, there exist “quantum fields” that give definition to mass and energy. These fields do not necessarily have zero energy, allowing for the creation of pairs of “virtual particles” (typically particle and antiparticle pairs) that quickly eliminate each other.
Another common explanation is that near a black hole, one of these particles may vanish inside the black hole while the other escapes as “Hawking radiation.”
In order to maintain the total energy of a black hole, incoming particles must possess “negative energy” (hence “negative mass”) while escaping particles must have positive energy.
Hawking radiation is a result of gravity’s impact on space-time. Quantum fields within empty space adhere to the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, limiting our understanding of the energy of a quantum field or the duration for which we can attribute a specific energy to it.
Since gravitational fields influence the curvature of space-time and the flow of time in a given area, regions of space-time with varying gravitational curvatures struggle to agree on the energy of the quantum field.
The variance in vacuum energy within different points of a black hole’s gravitational field creates what are known as “virtual particles.”
As positive energy escapes from a black hole, the mass and energy of the black hole gradually diminish, causing a black hole that is not actively attracting new material to gradually shrink and ultimately vanish.
However, this process occurs over massive time scales. For instance, a black hole with the mass of the sun would take 1064 years to evaporate, far surpassing the age of the universe at 10 years old.
This article endeavors to answer Catrin Phelps of Winchester’s question, “Can black holes ever die?”
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Ideas for change Mars Towards a more livable world Human settlements It's a common theme in science fiction, but could this happen in the real world?
Scientists are now proposing a new approach to warming up. Neighbors of Earth The idea is to release artificial particles made of iron or aluminum, the same size as commercial glitter, into the atmosphere as an aerosol, trapping escaping heat and scattering sunlight onto the Martian surface. Greenhouse effect On Mars, the plan is to raise the surface temperature by about 50 degrees (28 °C) over a 10-year period.
While this alone wouldn't make Mars habitable for humans, the scientists behind the proposal believe it could be a feasible first step.
“Terraforming is the process of changing a planet's environment to be more similar to Earth. In the case of Mars, heating the planet is a necessary first step, but it is not enough. Previous concepts have focused on releasing greenhouse gases, which requires large amounts of resources that are in short supply on Mars,” said University of Chicago planetary scientist Edwin Kite, who led the study published in the journal Nature this week. Scientific advances.
“The key elements of our paper are the novel proposal to use engineered nanoparticles to warm the Martian atmosphere, and the climate modelling which suggests this approach could be much more efficient than previous concepts. This is important as it offers a more feasible way to alter the Martian climate and could inform future Mars exploration strategies,” Kite added.
NASA has sent a robotic rover to explore the surface of Mars and the InSight lander to explore the planet's interior. Project Artemis The goal is to send astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972 in the next few years, in preparation for future manned missions to Mars.
There are many challenges to living on Mars, including a lack of breathable oxygen, harmful ultraviolet rays due to the thin atmosphere, salty soil that is unsuitable for growing crops, and dust storms that sometimes cover large parts of the planet. But the planet's frigid temperatures are a serious obstacle.
“Our aim is to show that the idea of warming Mars is not impossible. We hope that our findings will inspire the broader scientific community and the general public to explore this intriguing idea,” said Samaneh Ansari, a doctoral student in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Northwestern University in Illinois and lead author of the study.
The average surface temperature of Mars is about minus 85 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 65 degrees Celsius). Because the Martian atmosphere is thin, solar heat on the surface easily escapes into space. This proposal aims to have liquid water on the surface of Mars, where water exists in the form of ice at the poles and underground.
The scientists proposed releasing tiny, rod-shaped particles (nanorods) into the atmosphere at a rate of about eight gallons (30 liters) per second continuously for many years.
“The surface of Mars has an abundance of iron and aluminum, so the idea is to transport the materials, or even better, the manufacturing tools, to make nanorods on Mars,” Ansari said.
Researchers are mindful of the potential unintended consequences of terraforming another planet for the benefit of humanity: For example, scientists want to know whether Mars was ever alive in the past, or whether it still exists today in the form of subsurface microbial life.
“Nanoparticles could potentially heat Mars, but both the benefits and potential costs of this course of action are currently unknown. For example, in the unlikely event that Martian soil contains irreparable compounds that are toxic to all Earth-derived life, the benefits of heating Mars would be zero,” Kite said.
“On the other hand, the establishment of a photosynthetic biosphere on the Martian surface may increase the likelihood of human thriving in the solar system,” Kite added. “On the cost side, if life exists on Mars, studying that life may be sufficiently beneficial to warrant vigorous protection of the habitat.”
ohOtherwise, it would be news that the CEO of one of the world's largest companies endorsed and shared a fabricated headline published by the leader of a fascist party. For Elon Musk, that happened just Thursday.
Unusually for Musk, his post was a retweet of a tweet by Britain First co-leader Ashley Simon, who shared a fake Telegraph headline about British rioters being held in the Falkland Islands, which he deleted shortly after sending it. The 30-minute livestream on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, which Musk bought in 2022, garnered almost 2 million views.
Musk's outspoken criticism of the government has surprised many since unrest began across the UK last week, but it is just the latest sign that the billionaire is heading down a path of radicalisation.
After making his fortune in the dot-com boom and then from his involvement in PayPal, Musk invested in Tesla in 2004 and eventually became its chief executive. For a while, he presented himself as you'd expect of a former software executive running an electric car company, speaking at length about the risks of climate change while also launching and investing in projects that fit a broad vision of improving the future of humanity, including SpaceX, OpenAI and The Boring Company.
But starting in 2020, Musk's public profile began to shift. He'd always been a fairly active user of Twitter, but when the pandemic hit, he began posting much more frequently and for the first time faced the world of fact-checking, as soft-spoken claims about the danger and duration of the pandemic led to calls for his account to be suspended for spreading misinformation.
In his personal life, Musk's relationship with his family has been turbulent: His relationship with Claire Boucher, better known as the musician Grimes, began to fall apart in 2021. Boucher, mother of at least three of his 12 children, ended up in court over custody.
Around this time, Musk began sending Grimes “right-wing memes and conspiracy theories,” according to biographer Walter Isaacson, to which Grimes responded, “Is this from 4chan or something? You're really starting to sound like a far-right person.”
Musk himself has cited Vivienne as the reason for his political switch, telling pop psychologist Jordan Peterson: [his] son [sic]essentially,” and concludes that his son was “killed by the virus of the awakened mind.”
“Many people who are radicalized have a formative personal experience that serves as a cognitive catalyst for their radicalization journey,” said one radicalization expert, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. “For Musk, it appears that was his daughter's gender transition.”
The expert also believes Musk is essentially a man with “few beliefs beyond those that enrich him, and a strong desire for attention and validation. Since beginning his right-wing radicalization, he has received a flood of the latter from the far right, building for himself the largest echo chamber in the world that will only continue to grow.”
The expert added: “What's remarkable is that he experiences little to no consequences for his actions and is successful in blackmailing reality to make people comply with his beliefs.”
In July, Musk announced the creation of a political action committee, America PAC, which will “largely but entirely” support the Republican Party because it supports “meritocracy and individual freedom.” Musk did not say how much he planned to donate to the PAC, but previous reports had suggested he was considering donating as much as $45 million a month.
The extent of Musk's political transformation has even led to concerns about his health. In March, he He said he was not drunk “almost all the time.” He claimed that his use of ketamine to treat depression during his X posting sessions was unrelated to his social media presence.
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Over the past three weeks, the Paris Olympics have delivered some spectacular sporting moments, from incredible victories to heartbreaking defeats to Snoop Dogg standing there in an equestrian outfit. For most of us, that sporting glamour is out of reach — unless we have access to video games.
While there were no official tie-ins this year, a number of popular Olympic-inspired games have been released over the past 40 years. If you’ve got an old Commodore 64, PlayStation, Wii, or a suitable emulator on your PC, here’s how you can relive this summer’s unforgettable sporting memories from the safety of your own home.
The stars of the shooting event were undoubtedly Kim Ye-ji of South Korea and Yusuf Dikeci of Turkey, who lit up the pistol event with their cool, calm demeanor, hands in their pockets like cartoon assassins. The closest thing to a video game equivalent is the classic skeet shooting event in Konami’s 1984 arcade hit Hyper Sports. Sure, you’re using a shotgun to aim at flying skeets rather than fixed targets, but at the end of the event a cool, baseball-capped sharpshooter winks at the camera.
Pole Vault Record: International Athletics
Armand “Mondo” Duplantis broke the pole vault world record with a leap of 6.25 meters. To experience it for yourself, head over to International Track & Field, the fantastic 1996 PlayStation sports simulation. Alternate between mashing the button to run around the track, pressing X to jump, then vaulting over the pole. It sounds easy, but it’s one of the hardest events in the game. However, if you qualify on your first jump, improve on your second, and the space shuttle will pass you on your third. Not even Duplantis could do that.
These graceful and serene photographs pay tribute to an important yet declining ecosystem: mangrove forests. These photos are some of this year's top entries. Mangrove Photography AwardThe work showcases the beauty, diversity and fragility of mangroves, which grow in salty coastal waters in stark contrast to most other trees.
The dramatic photo above captures the middle of a mangrove forest along the vibrant blue coast of the United Arab Emirates. Taken by photographer Amar Alsayed Ahmed, the image won the competition's Mangroves and Landscapes category.
The winner in this category was another photo by Alsayed Ahmed, showing a gracefully meandering river (above). The golden mangroves dotted along the river accentuate the lush greenery it brings to the region.
Unfortunately, this is not the case for mangrove forests, which are proliferating around the world. Despite being hotspots of biodiversity and important carbon stores that help offset climate change, mangroves are under threat from factors such as logging, aquaculture and water pollution, which in turn threaten the wildlife and people that depend on them.
These include species like lemon sharks, and Gillian Morris' entry (pictured above) features a young pair photographed in the Bahamas that was highly commended in the Mangrove and Underwater category. Lemon sharks spend the first few years of their lives in mangrove “nurseries” and are one of the many marine creatures that live there.
In Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, an ambitious project is underway to plant and restore coastal mangroves. Abu Dhabi Mangrove Initiative (ADMI) It is part of a nationwide effort to plant 100 million mangrove trees across the UAE by 2030. In 2023 alone, specially modified drones were used to distribute more than six million seeds.
During Keir Starmer’s 2020 Labour leader campaign, his team debated the idea of him leaving Twitter altogether.
Many of Starmer’s close associates wanted to change the party’s direction following a tough election and divisive social media campaigning.
Before Elon Musk took over Twitter, rebranded it as X, and allowed far-right figures back on the platform, there was a noticeable increase in misinformation. The aggressive nature of the platform seemed to fuel a darker side of politics.
Starmer himself has always been wary of Twitter’s usefulness, especially when dealing with difficulties faced by his own MPs. However, the plan to boycott the platform never materialized due to the challenges of being in opposition.
Currently, politicians like Starmer heavily rely on X for communication purposes. Despite criticism, X remains a key platform for making important announcements.
While Labour has a “tweet first” strategy, there are concerns within the government about the sustainability of this approach. Musk recently mocked Starmer on X, spreading misinformation to his large following.
Although government ministers do not explicitly mention X, they acknowledge the problem of misinformation on various platforms including X, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and WhatsApp.
Recognizing X’s unique position as a platform used by politicians and journalists, concerns about accuracy and the platform’s owners’ influence in spreading misinformation are growing.
Elon Musk may soon shift focus back to the US presidential election. Photo: David Swanson/Reuters
A spokesperson for Starmer condemned Musk’s inflammatory comments and actions on X, emphasizing the need for responsible behavior on the platform.
While Musk may eventually move on from provoking Starmer, the situation poses a challenge for the government. Efforts to work closely with social media companies continue, but further actions under the online safety law may be considered.
As some organizations and MPs reconsider their use of X, the dilemma of balancing the platform’s benefits with its drawbacks persists. The instant access to influential individuals and breaking news sets X apart, making it a difficult platform to abandon.
Despite criticisms and concerns, the importance of X in the political landscape remains undeniable, making it an indispensable tool for communication and information dissemination.
A global coalition of advertisers has paused its corporate responsibility program following a lawsuit filed by Elon Musk’s X against the coalition, alleging it orchestrated a “massive advertiser boycott.”
The World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) announced to its members that the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) will be suspended in response to the legal action by X (formerly Twitter) as reported by Business Insider. Garm, a non-profit initiative within the WFA, helps brands avoid advertising on and monetizing harmful content.
The social media company brought an antitrust lawsuit against WFA members Unilever, Mars, CVS Health, and other advertisers for allegedly conspiring to withhold “billions of dollars in advertising revenue” from X.
Following the news, X CEO Linda Yaccarino expressed on Twitter: “What gets monetized shouldn’t be monopolized by a small group. This is an important recognition and a necessary step in the right direction. Hopefully, it means an ecosystem-wide shake-up is on the way.”
Rumble, a popular online video platform among the American right, also joined the lawsuit, filing its own complaint against WFA over Garm with similar allegations.
After Musk acquired the company in 2022 and swiftly disbanded the social network’s content moderation team, X’s advertising revenue plummeted sharply, leading to a surge in anti-Semitic content on X, including ads alongside pro-Nazi posts. X sued the watchdog group over a report on the proliferation of offensive content on the platform.
In a strongly worded statement, Musk warned advertisers to steer clear, labeling the policy changes as “blackmail.” Company X is now seeking unspecified damages and a court injunction to halt the alleged conspiracy of withholding advertising dollars.
The WFA stated that it would release a statement shortly in response to a comment request. Unilever, Mars, and CVS Health did not immediately respond to comment requests. Check the ad The lawsuit is expected to further drive advertisers away from the platform.
“We all understand that advertising on X poses a risk for advertisers,” said Claire Atkin, co-founder of Check My Ads. “The positive aspect of today’s news is that advertisers will no longer depend on Garm and will take more direct responsibility for where their ads are placed.”
In July, a congressional committee held a hearing on “Collaboration in the Global Alliance for Responsible Media,” targeting advertising companies for alleged “anti-competitive collusion in online advertising.”
In response to the developments, the X account of a Republican member of the House Judiciary Committee posted, “Big win for the First Amendment. Big win for oversight.”
Invited to testify before Congress, Unilever USA President Herish Patel defended the company’s right to advertise wherever it chooses.
“Unilever alone controls our advertising spend,” stated Patel. “No platform has a monopoly on our ad spend.”
Kestrels have been trained to fly in a wind tunnel, revealing how they can hover in turbulent air while keeping their heads almost completely still.
Two Chinese kestrels (Falco cenchroides) says it took three years Abdulgani Mohammed The study was carried out at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. To make it even more challenging, each bird was fitted with 52 reflective markers to create the same 3D models that would be used in the computer-generated images.
Hovering is crucial for birds, allowing them to keep their heads completely still while they focus on prey on the ground. “It's a hunting behavior, and the bird's life depends on it,” Mohammed says. “They have an incredible sense of stability.”
In the wind tunnel, the researchers were able to create repeatable and measurable turbulent conditions that allowed them to study the specific movements and reactions of the kestrels. In total, the team recorded 58 hours of hovering over a period of five years.
The researchers found that the birds' hovering motion was extremely stable, with their heads never moving more than two millimeters in any direction.
“It's an amazing sight to see every time I see the birds hovering in the wind tunnel,” Mohammed says. “It's truly amazing to see how effortlessly and gracefully they hover.”
A Chinese kestrel flying in a wind tunnel
RMIT University
Unlike conventional aircraft with fixed wings and limited control over wing area, kestrels have transformable wings that can adjust their wing area almost instantly, which is key to them being able to remain stationary, Mohammed said.
The kestrels did this best by using clever wrist movements and subtle extensions and retractions of their elbows, and their tails also played a key role in providing stability, Mohammed said.
Based on their findings, the team is now building an unpowered drone prototype for testing in a wind tunnel.
“It's very difficult to accurately recreate all of the kestrel's anatomy, so we narrowed our findings down to the wrist and tail movements that contribute most to stability, and built a robotic version of the kestrel,” Mohammed says.
The artificial kestrel is currently being tested, with results expected later this year.
Are you truly in control of choosing to read this article, or is the decision merely a result of neurons firing in your brain due to biochemical reactions dictated by the laws of physics?
The question of whether humans have true decision-making agency may seem trivial: our experiences demonstrate our ability to choose to act or refrain from acting in any situation presented to us. If we were merely mindless automatons, even engaging in reading this article would seem bizarre.
However, Robert Sapolsky argues otherwise: he posits that the sense of being a free agent is an illusion created by biology and its interaction with our environment. Sapolsky, a distinguished professor of biology, neurology, and neurosurgery at Stanford University and recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship, explores this idea in his upcoming book, “Determination: The Science of Life Without Free Will,” expected to be a bestseller upon its release in late 2023.
In an interview with BBC Science Focus, Sapolsky delves into the complexities of free will, challenging the traditional understanding of human decision-making and emphasizing the role of biology and environment in shaping our choices.
So, what does this mean for our perception of free will?
Sapolsky highlights that the belief in free will often stems from individual decisions at a specific moment, overlooking the influences that have shaped our preferences and tendencies. He argues that our actions are a product of our biological makeup interacting with external stimuli, rather than a result of conscious choice.
Similarly, he differentiates between conscious decisions and involuntary actions, such as the reflex to remove your hand from a hot surface. While both processes involve neural activity, the former is a more intricate interplay between biological mechanisms and environmental factors.
Sapolsky debunks the notion that quantum physics introduces random elements that could enable free will, highlighting the deterministic nature of our biology and environment. He asserts that while external variables may introduce unpredictability, our responses are predetermined by our intrinsic makeup.
When considering how we derive meaning in a world without free will, Sapolsky emphasizes the beauty of human experience and appreciation for life. Despite our biological underpinnings, we have the capacity to find value, love, and gratitude in our existence. The complexity of our internal mechanisms does not diminish the significance of our emotions, relationships, and experiences.
About our expert, Robert Sapolsky
Robert Sapolsky is a prominent scholar, neuroscientist, and primatologist, holding the John A. and Cynthia Frye Gunn Professorship at Stanford University. His research and writings delve into the intricate connections between biology, behavior, and environment, challenging conventional notions of free will and agency.
One-third of Mars’ surface has shallow groundwater, but it is currently too cold for life to harness it. Proposals to use greenhouse gases to heat Mars require large amounts of raw materials that are scarce on the Martian surface. But a new study shows that artificial aerosols made from materials readily available on Mars (such as conductive nanorods about 9 micrometers long) could heat Mars more than 5,000 times more effectively than the best gases.
This artist’s impression shows what Mars looked like about 4 billion years ago. Image credit: M. Kornmesser / ESO.
Mars geoengineering is a concept that frequently appears in science fiction.
But real-world researchers are also investigating techniques that could melt and release frozen groundwater, potentially making the Martian environment more hospitable to life.
Many of these strategies involve warming through greenhouse gases, but the Earth lacks the ingredients needed to produce them.
“A once habitable Martian surface is crossed by dry river valleys, but the current icy soil is too cold for Earth-derived life,” said Dr Samaneh Ansari of Northwestern University and his colleagues.
“Rivers may have flowed as far back as 600,000 years ago, suggesting the beginnings of a habitable planet.”
“Many methods have been proposed to heat the Martian surface by closing the spectral window centered on wavelengths of 22 and 10 micrometers, through which the surface would be cooled by thermal infrared radiation rising into space.”
“Modern Mars has a thin carbon dioxide atmosphere that provides a greenhouse effect of only 5 Kelvin through absorption in the 15 micrometer wavelength range, and Mars clearly lacks sufficient condensed or mineralized carbon dioxide to restore a temperate climate,” the researchers said.
“It is possible to close the spectral window using man-made greenhouse gases (e.g. chlorofluorocarbons), but this would require volatilizing about 100,000 megatons of fluorine, which is only present in trace amounts on the Martian surface.”
“An alternative approach is suggested by natural Martian dust aerosols, which are, after all, the result of the slow breakdown of iron-rich minerals on the Martian surface.”
“Due to its small size (effective radius of 1.5 micrometers), Martian dust rises to high altitudes (at an altitude of 15-25 km, where the dust mass mixing ratio peaks) and is consistently visible in the Martian sky, present at altitudes of up to 60 km or more.”
“Natural Martian dust aerosols reduce daytime surface temperatures because the composition and shape properties of man-made dust can be modified. For example, nanorods, which are about half the wavelength of upwelling thermal infrared light, should interact strongly with that infrared light.”
In the new paper, Dr Ansari and his co-authors propose an alternative strategy for heating Mars: aerosolizing 9-micrometre-long nanorods made from iron and aluminium, which are available on Mars.
The bars are about the same size as natural Martian dust — essentially a bit smaller than glitter — and should fly up into the air when dispersed.
However, other properties of the rod-shaped material mean it should settle 10 times slower than natural dust.
The researchers evaluated their proposal using a version of the MarsWRF global climate model and another complementary 1D model.
The study found that these bars amplify the amount of sunlight reaching the Martian surface and prevent heat from escaping.
In fact, a sustained release of 30 liters of nanorods per second could warm the entire planet by more than 30 Kelvin above baseline temperature, enough to melt the ice.
After a few months, atmospheric pressure will rise by 20%, creating conditions to initiate a feedforward loop involving the volatilization of carbon dioxide.
It’s worth noting that the nanorod process will still take centuries, and Mars certainly won’t be a suitable place for human habitation.
“The increase in Martian temperature alone will not be sufficient to make the Martian surface habitable for oxygenic photosynthetic organisms,” the scientists said.
“On the other hand, establishing a photosynthetic biosphere on the Martian surface, possibly with the help of synthetic biology, might increase the chances of human thriving in the solar system.”
Team work Published in today’s journal Scientific advances.
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Samaneh Ansari others2024. Nanoparticles could keep Mars warm. Scientific advances 10(32);doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adn4650
Microwave ovens have become an essential part of the modern kitchen, yet their potential as a reservoir for bacterial colonization and the microbial composition within them remain largely unknown. In a new study, microbiologists from the University of Valencia and Darwin Bioprospecting Excellence SL investigated the bacterial communities within microwave ovens and compared the microbial composition of domestic microwave ovens, microwaves used in large shared spaces, and laboratory microwaves. The bacterial populations in microwave ovens were dominated by Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes, similar to the bacterial composition of human skin. Comparison with other environments revealed that the bacterial composition of domestic microwave ovens was similar to that of kitchen surfaces, while laboratory microwave ovens contained a higher proportion of species known to tolerate microwave radiation, high temperatures, and dryness.
Iglesias othersMicrowaves were shown to harbor specialized communities of locally adapted microbial genera similar to those reported on kitchen surfaces and solar panels, environments with extremely high radiation exposure.
Microorganisms thriving in ecosystems characterized by extreme environmental conditions have been well studied to elucidate the evolutionary mechanisms that favor their adaptation.
Natural extreme environments are an excellent source of new microbial species as well as new secondary metabolites for biotechnological applications, but we don’t have to go very far to find them.
Microwave irradiation has been used for decades to reduce the presence of microorganisms in foods and to extend the shelf life of foods.
The application of electromagnetic waves in the range of 300 MHz to 300 GHz to a dielectric medium such as food (also known as microwave heating) produces heat that reaches a lethal temperature that inactivates most microorganisms. E. coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Clostridium perfringens, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella and Listeria Genus
Recent studies have shown that cellular inactivation is associated with inactivation of genes controlling oxidation, DNA damage, increased permeability, and reduced cell membrane integrity.
Despite this extensive characterization of the biological effects of microwave radiation on foodborne pathogens, there have been no reports of microwaves being a microbial niche, an environment in which a specifically adapted microbiota can form through specific selective pressures (in this case heat shock, microwave radiation, and desiccation).
“Our results reveal that domestic microwaves harbor a more 'humanised' microbiome, similar to kitchen surfaces, while laboratory microwaves harbour bacteria that are more resistant to radiation,” said Dr Daniel Trent, Darwin Bioprospecting Excellence SL researcher.
For the study, Dr Trent and his colleagues sampled microorganisms from inside 30 microwaves: 10 from household kitchens, 10 from shared household spaces such as corporate centers, science labs and cafeterias, and 10 from molecular biology and microbiology laboratories.
The aim of this sampling plan was to determine whether these microbial populations were influenced by interactions with food and by user habits.
They used two complementary methods to explore microbial diversity: next-generation sequencing and culturing 101 strains in five different media.
In total, the authors found 747 different genera within 25 bacterial phyla. The most frequently encountered phyla were Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and especially Proteobacteria.
The researchers found that the composition of the general microbial community partially overlapped between shared and domestic microwave ovens, but was quite different in laboratory microwave ovens.
Diversity was lowest in home microwaves and highest in laboratory microwaves.
Members of the genus Acinetobacter, Bhargavaea, Brevibacterium, Brevundimonas, Dermatococcus, Klebsiella, Pantoea, Pseudoxanthomonas and Rhizobium It has only been found in domestic microwave ovens.
Arthrobacter, Enterobacter, Yanibacter, Methylobacterium, Neobacillus, Nocardioides, Novosphingobium, Paenibacillus, Peribacillus, Planococcus, Russia, Sporosarcinaand Teribacillus This was only seen in items shared within the household.
Nonomura The bacteria was isolated only from laboratory microwaves. Delftia, Micrococcus, Deinococcus Unidentified genera of the phylum Cyanobacteria were also common and were found at a significantly higher frequency than in Japan.
The researchers also compared the observed diversity with the diversity of specialized habitats reported in the literature.
As expected, the microbiome inside the microwave was similar to that present on typical kitchen surfaces.
“Some genera found in domestic microwave ovens include Klebsiella, Enterococcus and Aeromonaswhich could pose a health risk to humans,” Dr Trent said.
“However, it is important to note that the microorganisms living in microwave ovens do not pose any unique or increased risk compared to other common kitchen surfaces.”
But it also had similarities to the microbiome in industrial environments, namely on solar panels.
The scientists proposed that the constant heat shock, electromagnetic radiation and desiccation in this highly radioactive environment repeatedly selected for more resistant microorganisms, just as occurs in microwave ovens.
“We encourage both the public and laboratory personnel to regularly disinfect their microwave ovens with a diluted bleach solution or a commercially available disinfectant spray,” Dr. Trent said.
“In addition, it's important to wipe down interior surfaces with a damp cloth after each use to remove any residue and wipe up any spills immediately to prevent bacterial growth.”
of result Published in the journal The cutting edge of microbiology.
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Alba Iglesias others2024. The microwave bacteriome: biodiversity in domestic and laboratory microwave ovens. Front. Microbiol 15;doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1395751
The flooding is caused by the retreat of smaller glaciers near Mendenhall Glacier, a result of global warming that creates a basin filled with rain and melting snow each spring and summer. When the water pressure is strong enough, it can seep under or around the ice dams formed by Mendenhall Glacier and flow into Mendenhall Lake and eventually the Mendenhall River.
Since 2011, this phenomenon has also led to flooding of roads and homes near lakes and rivers. Last year’s floods engulfed large areas, causing riverbanks to collapse, homes to be flooded, and at least one house to be submerged in the swiftly moving waters.
Authorities indicated that the extent of this week’s flooding was unprecedented, leaving residents distressed as they attempted to salvage furniture, books, and other possessions in the midst of warm, sunny weather. Debris such as garbage bags, wood, boxes, wet insulation, carpets, and other items were stacked along road curbs on Wednesday. Street sweepers were busy clearing the muddy aftermath left by the receded water.
Eran Hood, an environmental science professor at the University of Alaska Southeast who has spent years studying Mendenhall Glacier, mentioned that while the basin was created by glacier retreat, climate change has minimal impact on the annual fluctuations in flood levels in Juneau.
A family is rescued from flooding on the Mendenhall River in Juneau, Alaska, on August 6.Sean Maguire/Anchorage Daily News via The Associated Press
He expressed, “It’s evident that these floods will persist over several decades, but predicting the size of future floods is challenging without more precise glacier dynamics modeling, due to numerous factors that influence their magnitude.”
Hood mentioned that at some point, Mendenhall Glacier will shrink and become too thin to act as a barrier.
The flooding serves as a stark reminder of the global hazards posed by failures of snow and ice dams, a concept known as jokulhlaup, which is relatively unfamiliar in the United States. Threatening approximately 15 million people around the world.
Residents remove wet drywall and insulation from the first floor of a home after the Mendenhall River flooded in Juneau, Alaska, on August 6.Mark Lester/nchorage Daily News via The Associated Press
Juneau, a city with about 30,000 inhabitants in southeast Alaska, can only be accessed by plane or boat. Despite peak tourist season, the city is currently facing a housing shortage that could limit temporary accommodations for flood victims. Rental car options in Juneau are also limited for those whose vehicles were affected by the flooding.
Authorities reported that the Mendenhall River hit a new record high of 15.99 feet (4.9 meters), approximately a foot higher than last year’s floods, and the water extended further into Mendenhall Canyon. Some homes beyond flood-prone areas were reached by the water, and the canyon is situated about a 15-20 minute drive from downtown Juneau.
Alyssa Fisher shared that she didn’t anticipate flooding in her area when she went to bed on Monday night. However, her father woke her up over FaceTime a few hours later to inform her of rising water levels outside. She moved his car to higher ground, grabbed essential items, and relocated to a local school shelter with her two children, ages 4 and 8, along with their pets. She noticed that the truck’s license plate had been bent by the floodwaters.
ITonga was plunged into darkness in the aftermath of a massive volcanic eruption in the early days of 2022. The undersea eruption, 1,000 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb, sent tsunamis into Tonga’s neighbouring islands and covered the islands’ white coral sand in ash.
The force of the eruption of the Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai volcano cut off internet connections to Tonga, cutting off communications at the very moment the crisis began.
The scale of the disruption was clear when the undersea cables that carry the country’s internet were restored weeks later. The loss of connectivity hampered restoration efforts and dealt a devastating blow to businesses and local finances that rely on remittances from overseas.
The disaster has exposed extreme vulnerabilities in the infrastructure that underpins how the Internet works.
Nicole Starosielski, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley and author of “The Undersea Network,” says modern life is inseparable from the running internet.
In that sense, it’s a lot like drinking water: a utility that underpins our very existence, and like water, few people understand what it takes to get it from distant reservoirs to our kitchen taps.
Modern consumers have come to imagine the internet as something invisible floating in the atmosphere, an invisible “cloud” that rains data down on our heads. Many believe everything is wireless because our devices aren’t connected by cables, but the reality is far more unusual, Starosielski says.
An undersea internet cable laid on the ocean floor. Photo: Mint Images/Getty Images/Mint Images RF
Nearly all internet traffic — Zoom calls, streaming movies, emails, social media feeds — reaches us through high-speed fibre optics laid beneath the ocean. These are the veins of the modern world, stretching for around 1.5 million kilometres beneath the surface of the ocean, connecting countries through physical cables that conduct the internet.
Speaking on WhatsApp, Starosielski explains that the data transmitting her voice is sent from her phone to a nearby cell tower. “That’s basically the only radio hop in the entire system,” she says.
It travels underground at the speed of light from a mobile phone tower via fibre optic cable on land, then to a cable landing station (usually near water), then down to the ocean floor and finally to the cable landing station in Australia, where The Guardian spoke to Starosielski.
“Our voices are literally at the bottom of the ocean,” she says.
Spies, Sabotage, and Sharks
The fact that data powering financial, government and some military communications travels through cables little thicker than a hose and barely protected by the ocean water above it has become a source of concern for lawmakers around the world in recent years.
In 2017, NATO officials reported that Russian submarines were stepping up surveillance of internet cables in the North Atlantic, and in 2018 the Trump administration imposed sanctions on Russian companies that allegedly provided “underwater capabilities” to Moscow for the purpose of monitoring undersea networks.
At the time, Jim Langevin, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said a Russian attack on the undersea cables would cause “significant harm to our economy and daily life.”
Workers install the 2Africa submarine cable on the beach in Amanzimtoti, South Africa, in 2023. Photo: Logan Ward/Reuters
Targeting internet cables has long been a weapon in Russia’s hybrid warfare arsenal: When Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, Moscow cut off the main cable connection to the peninsula, seizing control of the internet infrastructure and allowing the Kremlin to spread disinformation.
Global conflicts have also proven to wreak unexpected havoc on internet cable systems: In February, Iran-backed Houthi militants attacked a cargo ship in the Red Sea. The sinking of the Rubimaa likely cut three undersea cables in the region, disrupting much of the internet traffic between Asia and Europe.
The United States and its allies have expressed serious concerns that adversaries could eavesdrop on undersea cables to obtain “personal information, data, and communications.” A 2022 Congressional report highlighted the growing likelihood that Russia or China could gain access to undersea cable systems.
It’s an espionage technique the US knows all too well: in 2013, The Guardian revealed how Britain’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) had hacked into internet cable networks to access vast troves of communications between innocent people and suspected targets. This information was then passed on to the NSA.
Documents released by whistleblower Edward Snowden also show that undersea cables connecting Australia and New Zealand to the US were tapped, giving the NSA access to internet data in Australia and New Zealand.
Despite the numerous dangers and loud warnings from Western governments, there have been few calls for more to be done to secure cable networks, and many believe the threat is exaggerated.
The 2022 EU report said there were “no published and verified reports suggesting a deliberate attack on cable networks by any actor, including Russia, China or non-state groups.”
“Perhaps this suggests that the threat scenarios being discussed may be exaggerated.”
One expert speaking to the Guardian offered a more blunt assessment, describing the threat of sabotage as “nonsense”.
TeleGeography map of undersea internet cables connecting the US, UK and Europe. Photo: TeleGeography/https://www.submarinecablemap.com/
The data bears this out, showing that sharks, anchors and fishing pose a bigger threat to the global Internet infrastructure than Russian espionage. A US report on the issue said the main threat to networks is “accidental human-involved accidents.” On average, a cable is cut “every three days.”
“In 2017, a vessel accidentally cut an undersea communications cable off the coast of Somalia, causing a three-week internet outage and costing the country $10 million per day,” the report said.
An Unequal Internet
But for many experts, the biggest risk to the internet isn’t sabotage, espionage or even rogue anchors, but the uneven spread of the globe-spanning cable infrastructure that ties together the world’s digital networks.
“There aren’t cables everywhere,” Starosielski said. “The North Atlantic has a high concentration of cables connecting the U.S. and Europe, but the South Atlantic doesn’t have as many.”
“So you’re seeing diversity in terms of some parts of the world being more connected and having multiple routes in case of a disconnection.”
As of 2023, there are more than 500 communication cables on the ocean floor. Map of the world’s submarine cable networks These are found to be mainly concentrated in economic and population centres.
The uneven distribution of cables is most pronounced in the Pacific, where a territory like Guam, with a population of just 170,000 and home to a U.S. naval base, has more than 10 internet cables connecting the island, compared with seven in New Zealand and just one in Tonga, both with a population of more than 5 million.
The aftermath of the 2022 Tonga eruption spurred governments around the world to act, commissioning reports on the vulnerabilities of existing undersea cable networks while technology companies worked to harden networks to prevent a similar event from happening again.
Last month, Tonga’s internet went down again.
Damage to undersea internet cables connecting the island’s networks caused power outages across much of the country and disruption to local businesses.
For now, economic fundamentals favor laying cables to Western countries and emerging markets where digital demand is surging. Despite warnings of sabotage and accidental damage, without market imperatives to build more resilient networks, there is a real risk that places like Tonga will continue to be cut off, threatening the very promise of digital fairness that the internet is based on, experts say.
California has seen an increase in cases of valley fever, a fungal infection, in recent years.
Fourteen confirmed cases among people who attended or worked at a music festival in the state are one example of the threat the bacteria poses.
Climate change is creating more opportunities for a fungus called Coccidioides to thrive.
Valley fever breaks out among attendeesInfections among workers at an outdoor music festival in California's Central Valley highlight the growing threat of fungal infections.
Fourteen people who traveled to Bakersfield to attend or work at the Lightning in a Bottle festival in May have tested positive for valley fever and developed symptoms, the California Department of Public Health told NBC News on Thursday. At least three people have been hospitalized.
“About a week after I got back from the festival, I got really bad body aches and fever,” said Eric Mattson, 33, a musician from San Luis Obispo who attended this year's festival after testing positive for valley fever last month.
The condition progressed to joint pain, difficulty moving and night sweats. “I would wake up two or three times in the night drenched in sweat. I had to change my bedding and pyjamas in terrible pain. It was really bad,” Mattson said.
The bacteria that causes valley fever, Coccidioides, thrives in hot, dry climates, so most cases have been seen in Arizona and California. Climate change is creating more opportunities for the bacteria to grow, leading to an increase in valley fever cases in California.
“The number of reported valley fever cases has been particularly high in 2023 and 2024, which may be related to heavy rains in the winter of 2022-2023 following several years of drought,” the health department said in a statement.
The number of annual cases in California has increased from fewer than 1,000 in 2000 to more than 9,000 in 2019. Recent reports from state health departmentsThere have been 5,370 suspected or confirmed cases so far this year.
San Joaquin County has already seen more than 200 suspected and confirmed cases combined this year, 47 overall last year and 59 so far in 2022.
Valley fever is not transmitted from person to person. Rather, it infects the lungs by inhaling spores in dust or soil. The name comes from the San Joaquin Valley, where Coccidioides was found.
Mattson said he hasn't been contacted by the California Department of Public Health, which has not released the names of the 14 people who have been confirmed to be infected, so it's unclear if Mattson is among them. NBC News has reviewed Mattson's medical records, which show he tested positive.
Mattson estimated he lost 20 pounds in four to five weeks.
He suspected valley fever, having heard reports of some festival-goers being infected in the past, but was initially diagnosed with pneumonia. Eventually, his family doctor ordered a blood test, which came back positive early last month.
Mattson's situation is common, says Dr. Geeta Sivasubramanian, an assistant professor of clinical medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, Fresno: “Patients with valley fever are often misdiagnosed with bacterial pneumonia.”
That's because many doctors don't recognize the disease, test for it too early, or confuse it with other respiratory infections, she says — errors that can lead to patients receiving unnecessary antibiotics instead of the appropriate antifungal medication.
About 60% of people with valley fever have no symptoms, but some may experience symptoms such as cough, fatigue, fever, shortness of breath, night sweats, muscle and joint pain, and a rash on the legs and upper body. People with diabetes, weakened immune systems, and pregnant women are more susceptible to severe lung infections. In very rare cases (about 1%), the lung infection can spread to the bones, joints, and brain, becoming life-threatening.
An ideal environment for spreading Valley Fever
Sivasubramanian said he wasn't surprised by the concentration of cases among the more than 20,000 people attending the music festival.
“We live in a valley fever endemic area so anyone who visits the area or lives in the area is at risk,” she said.
In the Central Valley, heavy winter rains encourage the growth of the fungus in the soil, then as temperatures rise and the soil dries, dust carries the spores into the air.
Activities that kick up large amounts of dust, such as construction and agriculture, increase the risk of exposure. In 2014, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated: Five confirmed and five suspected cases of valley fever were linked. Dry and dusty environment on outdoor film set.
Dr. Arturo Casadevall, chair of the department of molecular microbiology and immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said “Lightning in a Bottle” appears to have come to the right place at the right time.
“You need two things: a spore cloud and a human,” he said.
Mattson said high winds during the festival stirred up dust near some of the stages and in the campgrounds where many attendees stayed.
“When you have a lot of people dancing, it definitely kicks up a lot of dust,” he said.
Valley fever may be spreading to new areas
Climate change is bringing increased rainfall and warmer temperatures, which provide better conditions for the fungus to thrive. It may also lead to more frequent and intense wildfires. Transporting spores to the surrounding area.
Outside of California and Arizona, 2019 Survey It's estimated that valley fever may already be endemic in certain counties in 10 other states, stretching as far east as Kansas and Oklahoma.
“As the desert expands, we're going to see cases outside of the historic areas,” Casadevall said.
Some researchers suspect that climate change may be altering rodent migration patterns, helping the fungus spread, but others don't think that's the case in general. 2022 Survey Coccidioides has been detected in rodents in Kern County, home of the Lightning in a Bottle festival.
Mattson said she doesn't regret attending the festival, but wants people in the community to know about the disease and its symptoms.
“If you've been in the valley or been anywhere where there's a lot of dust in the air, we really want to encourage people to get tested,” he said.
Swift J1818.0-1617 is located about 22,000 light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius.
Artist's impression of magnetar Swift J1818.0-1617. Image courtesy of NSF/AUI/NRAO/S. Dagnello.
Swift J1818.0-1617, discovered in 2020, rotates with a rotation period of 1.36 seconds and is thought to be the fastest rotating magnetar yet discovered.
The star is located on the opposite side of the Milky Way galaxy's bulge, 22,000 light-years away, making it relatively close to Earth.
In fact, it's so close that we can use parallax to pinpoint its 3D location within the galaxy.
The lifespan of magnetars is currently unknown, but astronomers estimate that Swift J1818.0-1617 is only a few hundred years old.
“A magnetar's bright X-ray emission requires a mechanism of extremely high-energy outflow. Only the rapid decay of its powerful magnetic field can explain the force behind these spectral features,” said Dr. Hao Ding, an astronomer at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, and his colleagues.
“But again, this is an extreme process: for normal stars on the main sequence, bright blue stars burn through their fuel much faster than yellow stars, and therefore have very short lifetimes.”
“In the case of magnetars, although the physics are different, their lifetimes are also thought to be shorter than those of pulsars.”
“Magnetars are too young to continue releasing energy at this rate for long periods of time,” the researchers added.
“Moreover, magnetars can also exhibit radiation in the lower end of the electromagnetic spectrum, i.e. at radio wavelengths.”
“In these cases, the most likely energy source is synchrotron radiation produced by the magnetar's rapid rotation.”
“In synchrotron radiation, the plasma surrounding the neutron star itself is so tightly attached to the surface of the star that it rotates at very close to the speed of light and produces radiation at radio wavelengths.”
Astronomers NSF's Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) was conducted over a three-year period to collect data on the position and velocity of Swift J1818.0-1617.
“The VLBA provided excellent angular resolution to measure this extremely small disparity, and the spatial resolution is unmatched,” said Dr Ding.
Swift J1818.0-1617's parallax is the smallest of any neutron star, and its so-called transverse velocity is the smallest of any magnetar (a new lower limit).
“Velocity in astronomy can be most simply described as having two components: direction and velocity,” the researchers explained.
“Radial velocity tells us how fast we're moving along the line of sight. In this case, radial velocity means the speed along the radius of the galaxy.”
“For magnetars like Swift J1818.0-1617, which are located on the opposite side of the central bulge, there is too much other material in the way to accurately measure the radial velocity.”
“Transverse velocity, sometimes called proper velocity, describes motion perpendicular to the galactic plane and is more easily identifiable.”
Astronomers are trying to understand the common (and different) formation processes between regular neutron stars, pulsars and magnetars, and hope to use precise measurements of the transverse velocities to analyse the conditions under which stars evolve along one of these three paths.
“This study adds weight to the theory that magnetars are unlikely to form under the same conditions as young pulsars, and suggests that magnetars are born from a more unconventional formation process,” Dr Ding said.
“We need to know how fast magnetars were moving when they were first born. The mechanism by which magnetars form is still a mystery, and we want to find out.”
A rock sample from Earth’s mantle viewed under a microscope
Johan Lissenberg
In the middle of the North Atlantic, geologists have drilled 1,268 metres below the seafloor – the deepest hole ever drilled into Earth’s mantle – and analysis of the resulting rock core may provide new clues about the evolution of the planet’s outermost layers and even the origin of life.
The Earth is generally made up of several different layers, including the solid outer crust, the upper and lower mantle, and the core. The upper mantle, located just below the crust, is made up primarily of magnesium-rich rocks called peridotites. This layer drives important planetary processes such as earthquakes, the hydrological cycle, and the formation of volcanoes and mountain ranges.
“Until now, we’ve only been able to see fragments of the mantle,” Johan Lissenberg “However, there are many places on the seafloor where the mantle is exposed,” said researchers from Cardiff University in the UK.
One such region is an underwater mountain called Atlantis Mountains, located near a volcanically active area of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Pieces of the mantle constantly come to the surface and melt, giving rise to the region’s many volcanoes. Meanwhile, as seawater seeps deeper into the mantle, it is heated by higher temperatures, producing compounds such as methane, which bubbles up from hydrothermal vents and serves as fuel for microorganisms.
“There’s a kind of chemical kitchen beneath the Atlantis massif,” Lisenberg says.
To learn more about this dynamic region, he and his colleagues initially planned to use the drilling ship JOIDES Resolution to drill 200 meters into the mantle, deeper than researchers had gone before.
“We then started drilling and it went surprisingly well,” a team member said. Andrew McCaig “We retrieved a very long continuous fragment of rock and decided to go for it and go as deep as we could,” said researchers from the University of Leeds in the UK.
Ultimately, the team succeeded in drilling to a depth of 1,268 metres into the mantle.
When the researchers analyzed the drill core samples, they found that they had a much lower content of a mineral called pyroxene compared to other mantle samples from around the world, suggesting that this particular part of the mantle underwent significant melting in the past, depleting it of pyroxene, Lisenberg said.
In the future, he hopes to recreate this melting process, which will allow him to understand how the mantle melts and how that molten rock travels to the surface to feed oceanic volcanoes.
Some scientists believe life on Earth began deep in the ocean near hydrothermal vents, so by studying the chemicals that show up along the cylindrical rock cores, microbiologists hope to determine the conditions that may have led to the emergence of life, and at what depths below the ocean floor.
“This is a very important borehole because it will provide a reference point for scientists across many scientific disciplines,” McCaig says.
“While a one-dimensional sample from Earth cannot provide complete information about the three-dimensional migration paths of melt and water, it is still a major achievement,” he said. John Wheeler At the University of Liverpool, UK.
This tuna-inspired robot borrows some nifty tricks from the real fish
Lin, Z. et al. (2024).
The tuna-shaped robot harnesses the secret to the speed and agility of real fish – the ability to selectively fold and extend their fins – which could improve underwater robot design.
Tuna are one of the fastest swimming fish in the ocean, thanks in part to their ability to retract and fold their fins to reduce drag. Chung-Rok Hayashi Researchers from China's Xiamen University and their colleagues investigated how such fins could improve the agility of robots.
The researchers built a 50-centimeter-long tuna-shaped robot that can be controlled by motors attached to its head, a dorsal fin on its back, and a fluke at the end of its tail. The researchers filmed the robot swimming in a pool and tested the effects of flattening or erecting the dorsal fin on the robot's acceleration, direction changes, and steady forward motion.
They found that folding and unfolding the dorsal fin had significant effects on factors such as speed, efficiency and linear acceleration. When the robot tuna was changing direction, keeping the dorsal fin erect increased its speed by about 33%. However, keeping the fin erect when the robot was moving steadily forward reduced the efficiency of its movement by up to 13%, increasing the robot's energy consumption.
Lin says these findings are consistent with how tuna in nature raise their dorsal fin to make fast, precise movements, such as when catching prey, then fold it back to continue swimming. “By designing similar flexible control systems, underwater vehicles can improve balance, navigation, and agility at high speed,” he says.
“Understanding this high level of swimming performance in tuna is intrinsically interesting because it is something that even the best human swimmers cannot achieve.” Frank Fish At West Chester University in Pennsylvania.
But Fish adds that the tail fin may play a bigger role than the dorsal fin in a tuna's swimming ability. His own research Many of these animals have shown this to be especially true when it comes to turning, Fish says. “We measured the turning ability of Pacific bluefin tuna and found that it far surpasses the capabilities of a robot,” he says. This may mean that tuna-inspired robots could also be improved by studying their tails in more detail.
“Losing or ending a romantic relationship is one of the most painful losses an adult can experience,” begins the BAS (A Study Full of Acronyms) study by German and Iranian researchers. Journal of Psychiatry Research.
This is science at its most overtly romantic: electromagnetically stimulating the brains of volunteers who have suddenly experienced heartbreak. It's also science with the most acronyms: tDCS (transcranial direct current stimulation), DLPFC (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex), VLPFC (ventrolateral prefrontal cortex), LTS (love trauma syndrome).
For those who have suffered through heartbreak, here's a passage worth hearing out loud as a midnight rooftop monologue: “Thirty-six participants with love trauma syndrome were randomly assigned to three tDCS conditions (left DLPFC, right VLPFC, or sham stimulation). LTS symptoms, treatment-related outcome variables (depression, anxiety, emotion regulation, positive and negative affect), and cognitive functioning were assessed pre-intervention, immediately after intervention, and one month after the intervention.”
The evaluation showed that brain zapping “ameliorated symptoms of LTS,” according to the researchers, but they cautioned that, in terms of science in general, “there are significant gaps in the research on 'love trauma syndrome,' what exactly the symptoms are and what the diagnostic criteria are.”
Eliminates odors
Kevin Lee sees some causation in the actions of perhaps London's (and the world's) first celebrity pathologist.
He writes: “I'm a retired forensic scientist and, as you can imagine, I've been asked countless times how I deal with smells. Apart from the old-fashioned solution of smiling innocently and asking, 'Ouch, what's that?', I still have a keen sense of smell and can detect a range of odours, even when the smell of decay is very faint. I've trained myself to have a fairly neutral approach to these smells, so that although I still notice them well, after one good sniff, they're no longer an issue.”
“Recent articles [Feedback, 15 June] Sir Bernard Spilsbury, a very famous forensic scientist in the early 20th century, said that his sense of smell was extremely defective. If it was, it is more likely that this was because he was a heavy smoker, smoking around 50 cigarettes a day. It is also possible that he used the same techniques that I later used.”
A slice of life
This note from UK reader Gerald Legg depicts body parts that are living (elbow), dead (hair), nominal (leg) and sliced: “Your recent article, 'Parting the Hair' (July 20th) made me think of my time at Manchester University, where my PhD research involved a lot of microtome work using an old but still-functioning Cambridge rocking microtome. [a specialist cutting device].
“I was taught how to sharpen the blade using a glass plate and cerium dioxide. Before each use, the blade is sharpened and then tested under 40x magnification to make sure it is free of scratches. The test is to cut a hair. A sharp blade can cut a hair three times, lifting the little curled section that is still attached to the body of the hair and then cutting the hair straight through.
“There was a sharp knife in the lab, and I put my elbow against the knife and heard it cutting all the way to the bone, but I didn’t feel anything.
“I was rushed to the nearby Manchester Hospital, where I was quickly healed with just a few stitches and was able to return to the lab and continue serial sectioning with the same blade.”
Anonymous
When students make tangible contributions to science, some teachers find ways to publicly recognize who, what, and where they did it, especially when students make extraordinary sacrifices.
In the academic world, credits are limited: individual students are not identified by name.
Simple Happiness
“Simple, simple, simple” is an old rule of thumb, especially among scientists. In honor of this maxim, Feedback has created a document collection called “Simple, Simple, Simple.”
The first item in this assemblage is report It was published in the February 6, 1997 issue under the heading “The Uniquely Simple Personality of Politicians” NatureThe study suggests that a politician's personality can be summed up in just two or three numbers – in stark contrast to the five numbers psychologists claim are needed to judge the average person.
The study's authors were awarded the Ig Nobel Prize in Psychology in 2003.
If you have the simple pleasure of finding another good example, send it to us (with details of the citation) at Simple pleasures, Feedback.
Marc Abrahams is the founder of the Ig Nobel Prize ceremony and co-founder of the journal Annals of Improbable Research. He previously worked on unusual uses of computers. His website is Impossible.
Do you have a story for feedback?
You can submit articles for Feedback by emailing feedback@newscientist.com. Please include your home address. This week's and past Feedback can be found on our website.
Elon Musk shared a fake Telegraph article claiming Keir Starmer is considering sending far-right rioters to “emergency detention camps” in the Falkland Islands.
Musk deleted the post about 30 minutes later. Screenshot taken by Politics.co.uk It is suggested that the video had nearly 2 million views before it was removed.
In it, Musk shared an image posted by Ashley Simon, co-leader of the far-right group Britain First, with the caption: “We will all be deported to the Falkland Islands.”
The fake article, purportedly written by a senior Telegraph news reporter and styled to resemble the paper, said that camps in the Falkland Islands would be used to hold prisoners from the ongoing riots because the UK prison system is already at capacity.
The Telegraph said on Thursday it had never published the story in question. A Telegraph Media Group spokesman said in a statement: “This is a fabricated headline for a story that doesn't exist. We have notified the relevant platforms and asked them to remove the story.”
In a post about X, the paper said: “We are aware that an image circulating purporting to be a Telegraph article about 'emergency detention centres' on X. The Telegraph has never published such an article.”
Musk has not apologized for sharing the fake report, but has continued to share material criticizing the UK government and law enforcement response to the riots.
The Guardian contacted Mr X for comment but received an automated response saying: “We're busy at the moment, please check back later.”
On Thursday, Musk said Share the Sky News interview Stephen Parkinson, the director of public prosecutions in England and Wales, said officers were searching social media for content that incited racial hatred. “This is something that is really happening,” Musk said. In another post about the same clip:Musk called Parkinson a “woke Stasi.”
Musk has been embroiled in a spat with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and British police authorities after saying a “civil war is inevitable” in response to anti-immigration protests in England and Northern Ireland and claiming the police response had been “one-sided”.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister said this week there was “no justification” for the comments. In response, Mr Musk has repeatedly attacked Mr Starmer on his platform, branding him a “second-rate keel”.
Musk, the billionaire co-founder of Tesla, SpaceX and the payments platform X.com that later became PayPal, bought Twitter for $44 billion in 2022. Last year, he renamed it X. The direction Twitter has taken under his leadership has sparked a series of controversies, including accusations that it has not taken harmful content seriously enough.
The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospitals NHS Trust said in a post on Thursday that after 13 years running X's account it was closing it because the platform “no longer aligns with the trust's values”. The trust directed followers to Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
This week, Musk announced he was suing a group of advertisers and major corporations for illegally agreeing not to advertise on X.
Terraforming Mars would make it more similar to Earth, creating an environment capable of supporting life as we know it.
Detlef van Ravensweig/Science Photo Library
Releasing iron rods the size of glitter particles into the Martian atmosphere could raise the planet's temperature enough to melt water and support microbial life.
Making the Red Planet's surface habitable for Earth-like life – a process known as “terraforming” – will be a complex one, but a key part of it will be raising the surface temperature above the current median freezing point of -65°C (-85°F).
Some have suggested placing mirrors on the Martian surface or pumping methane into the atmosphere, but these ideas are difficult to implement because the necessary raw materials would need to be shipped from Earth.
now, Edwin Kite Researchers at the University of Chicago in Illinois found that a relatively tiny dust cloud (about 9 micrometers long and 160 nanometers wide) made from iron or aluminum rods mined from Martian rocks could warm Mars by about 30 degrees Celsius over the course of a few months to more than a decade, depending on how quickly the particles are released.
These rods, each about 9 micrometers long and 160 nanometers wide, are carried by winds from the surface into Mars' upper atmosphere, where they will remain for about 10 years, trapping heat from the surface and transmitting sunlight.
Kite and his colleagues modeled how the rods respond to light and fed that information into climate simulations, which showed that the increased temperature and pressure would be enough to support liquid water and possibly oxygen-producing bacteria in parts of Mars.
They also found that to achieve this warming, it would be enough to release the fuel rods at a rate fast enough to power about 30 garden sprinklers — a total of 700,000 cubic meters of metal per year, or about 1% of Earth's metal production.
“When we did the math, we found that the amount of man-made dust we needed would be surprisingly small — much less than we would need to create the same amount of warming with man-made greenhouse gases,” Kyte says.
While mining the Martian surface would still be difficult, Kite says this would be 5,000 times more efficient than any warming method proposed so far.
One of the big uncertainties in the simulations is how the tiny bars interact with water in the Martian atmosphere, which could have unexpected effects such as causing the water to collect around the dust and rain down back to the surface, reducing global warming.
It's an intriguing idea that might work if the particles remain in the atmosphere long enough, he said. Manoj Joshi researcher at the University of East Anglia in the U.K. But even if the amount of metal needed is small, he says it would still be an enormous amount of work to produce.
Joshi said there are also ethical questions about whether it's OK to alter the atmosphere of another planet: “Mars is so unexplored and we don't know much about it. Is it OK to alter a planet in this way?”
Microwaves heat food but don't necessarily kill bacteria
Shutterstock/Stock Photo
Microwaves in homes, offices, and laboratories harbor a surprising variety of bacteria.
Microwaves are widely used to heat food and sterilize samples, but the radiation they emit is non-ionizing and does not damage biological molecules. Microwaves heat objects by vibrating water molecules, but bacteria are only killed if a high enough temperature is reached.
However, repeated heating and drying processes meant that microwaves were considered to be a difficult environment for microorganisms to survive.
Manuel Polker Researchers from the University of Valencia in Spain sampled 30 microwaves: 10 from private kitchens, 10 from shared kitchens such as corporate centers, scientific laboratories and cafeterias, and 10 from molecular biology and microbiology laboratories.
In total, the researchers found 747 different genera of bacteria within 25 bacterial phyla, with diversity lowest in domestic microwave ovens and highest in laboratory devices.
Many of the bacteria found in shared and single-family microwaves overlapped and were similar to bacteria commonly found on people's hands and elsewhere in the kitchen, suggesting that microbes don't need special adaptations to survive in microwaves, perhaps because food particles protect them from radiation, Polker said.
However, the microbiome found in the lab, where food was not cooked, was more distinctive and resembled those found in extremely dry, hot and irradiated environments, such as solar panels.
The researchers found that some of the bacteria found in household microwave ovens include: Klebsiella, Enterococcus and Aeromonaswhich may pose a risk to human health, but the microbial populations found on microwaves do not pose any unique or elevated risk compared to other common kitchen surfaces, the researchers said.
“What's clear is that the microwave cannot be trusted to be a cleaner environment in terms of microbes than the rest of the kitchen, and it should be cleaned just like the rest of the kitchen,” Polker says.
Belinda Ferrari A researcher from the University of New South Wales in Australia says she's not at all surprised that researchers found bacteria that can live in microwaves. “Bacteria can survive almost any extreme exposure and can adapt to anything,” she says.
Ferrari recommends regularly cleaning your microwave with a disinfectant: “Some microwaves in workplaces are filthy and no one cleans them,” she says.
She would like to see more detailed information about when microwaves were last cleaned in her research: “If we were to do this experiment, we would also like to study the biome before and after cleaning,” she says.
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