During a year of driving his daughter to school in a new electric vehicle, Phil Bellamy realized that she was anxious about taking a 10-minute ride every day.
While Bellamy, 51, had no issues with the car, his teenage daughter experienced nausea each time she got in. Research indicates that this is a common problem: many individuals who do not suffer from motion sickness in traditional vehicles find themselves affected by it in electric vehicles (EVs).
Concerned about his family’s aversion to riding in his car, Bellamy altered his driving style and considered purchasing a different vehicle, but the issue persisted. His daughters try to avoid traveling with him whenever they can.
“If we go on a trip, they make sure to take motion sickness tablets immediately. They wouldn’t even think of getting in the car without them,” he explains.
Bellamy appreciates driving electric cars for their quietness and smoothness compared to traditional combustion engine vehicles, though he hopes manufacturers will address the concerns of passengers affected by motion sickness.
Factors contributing to motion sickness include the relatively rapid acceleration of EVs compared to gasoline vehicles, the regenerative braking system, and the absence of sensory cues such as engine noise and vibrations while driving.
Research from China, a major electric vehicle producer, has found that EVs tend to induce more severe motion sickness symptoms than traditional vehicles.
Content creator Atia Chain from London shared her experiences on TikTok about suffering from car sickness in an EV this summer when she relied on Ubers for transportation.
Chain reports feeling “extreme nausea” shortly after getting in the EV, which ceased soon after she exited. It took her some time to realize that this happened only in electric vehicles. Now, she tends to avoid Ubers due to the prevalence of EVs.
“Usually, the nausea started right away as soon as the trip began. The first minute was particularly bad. I would roll down the window and find something to distract myself,” she shares. “The sickness lingered throughout the journey. If the Uber ride was 20 minutes long, I’d count down the minutes until I could get out.”
John Golding, a professor of applied psychology at Westminster University in London, explains that motion sickness has a particularly strong effect on passengers because it relates to their ability to anticipate changes in movement.
While the driver controls the vehicle, passengers, especially those seated in the back, may feel helpless. This could pose challenges for the future of self-driving cars.
He suggests that individuals may also use motion sickness medication or adopt behavioral changes to cope. “The simplest solution is to sit in the front seat and have a clear view. It allows you to see and anticipate what will happen next, whereas sitting in the back means you can only see what has already happened,” he advises.
Consider motion sickness medication which can be obtained in patches or tablets from pharmacies, helping manage how your brain and body react to movement. It’s most effective when taken before travel.
Wear acupressure bands which some studies suggest may help, though results could primarily be attributed to the placebo effect. “If it works for you, don’t dismiss it,” Golding remarks.
Listen to low-frequency sounds. A study from Nagoya University in Japan indicates that certain vibrations at 100Hz may stimulate a part of the inner ear responsible for detecting gravity and acceleration.
African farmers who produce some of the world’s most respected coffee are scrambling to comply with the new European Union environmental regulations, which require that the origins of any shipping of beans be documented.
The new measures, which will come into effect at the end of this year, are designed to prevent deforestation driven by agriculture expansion. To comply, farmers need to provide geographical data to show that no coffee is being grown on land where forests have recently been cut down.
Producers are unable to lose access to the vast European markets since December 31st.
Europe consumes more coffee than any other country in the world, and experts say the new regulations, officially known as the EU deforestation regulations, are potentially powerful tools to promote sustainable agriculture and prevent deforestation.
But it also represents what we call the “green squeeze,” which places a heavy burden on millions of small farmers in developing countries that are least contributing to climate change, testing the ability of policymakers to balance people’s needs with natural needs.
“Of course, data is very important to us, but what we’re saying is that we need support,” said Degen Daddy, head of the Oromia Coffee Farmers Co-op. “It’s very challenging and expensive and there’s no help for us.”
Dadi said his group, Ethiopia’s largest cooperative of coffee growers, has more than half a million members based in the central part of the country and could not prepare all the farms by the deadline, possibly without additional support.
Trainers have been crossing the Oromia region for over a year, collecting map coordinates and assisting farmers with new technology. As of March, they were mapping 24,000 farms. European officials validate shipments by cross-checking current geographical allocation data against baseline satellite images and forest cover maps.
Daddy said the cost of mapping one farm is about $4.50. The cost of training is partially covered by grants from the International Trade Centre, a joint organisation of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization, established to help poor countries expand their trade.
Ethiopia is the top coffee producer in Africa, with crops accounting for around 35% of the country’s revenue. The Arabica variety is smooth and gentle with fruity, nutty notes, and comes from the country’s southwest highlands. Over a third of Ethiopian coffee is sent to Europe.
Last year’s French government report says EU consumption is liable 44% of coffee-related deforestation all over the world. Another report by the Environmental Group, World Resources Research Institute, found that there was about 2 million hectares of forest cover Replaced with a coffee farm Between 2001 and 2025. Indonesia, Brazil and Peru recorded some of the highest deforestation rates in that period.
The global leader pledged in 2021 at Glasgow Climate Summit to end deforestation by 20303. The agreement highlighted a growing awareness of nature’s role in tackling the climate crisis. The intact forests are natural reservoirs of carbon that warm the planets, keeping them away from the atmosphere. As carbon dioxide, trapping the heat of the sun increases global warming. Once the forest is cleared, these areas will switch to greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, by destroying habitats, it harms the biodiversity of forests and its diversity.
The new EU regulations also cover cattle, cocoa, palm oil, rubber and other crops. Shipment of coffee without proper mapping data can be denied or confiscated and can be fined on the importer.
However, some experts say the measure is being implemented without the necessary support for farmers.
Jodie Keane, an economist at ODI Global, a London-based research organization, said the European Union and major coffee chains should do more to help smallholder farmers.
“We all want to prevent deforestation,” Keene said. “But when applying that standard to rural producers, you need to provide a lot of outreach, sensitization. You need to invest in learning how to do things differently so that they don’t drop them out of the supply chain.”
This was reflected by Etelle Higonet, founder of the watch group Coffee Watch. “These are some of the richest companies in the world,” she said of the European coffee chain. “Of course they could afford to do this.”
In an email, Johannes Dengler, managing partner of Alois Dallmayr, one of Germany’s most well-known coffee brands, confirmed that the new rules are a “big challenge” for Ethiopia. He said Dallmayr is developing a system to ensure compliance and is “working closely with his partners to find viable solutions.”
The Director-General of the European Union’s Trade and Economic Security did not respond to a request for comment. in News Release on April 15th Based on feedback from partner countries, the bloc said it allocated 86 million euros, or about $97 million, to support compliance efforts.
Ethiopian coffee farmers take pride in their high quality beans, as a result of exceptional heirloom varieties, highlands and traditional agricultural practices.
In southwestern Zinma Highlands, farmers like Zinabu Abadura say most growers follow long-standing unwritten rules for cutting trees.
Abadura, who sells directly to informal intermediaries, said his farm has not yet been mapped. Most farmers in his area generate coffee revenue and cannot afford to pay any confusion or additional costs. “Life will be difficult,” he said, as new European rules will be implemented.
However, the new EU standards can sort Ethiopia’s coffee sector, but analysts say they probably won’t stop selling.
Countries like China offer alternative, less isolated markets. And Ethiopia itself is a big coffee drinker. Hospitality is incomplete without a coffee ceremony hosting roasts, grinds and brews in front of guests. About half of the country’s annual coffee production stays at home.
But Tsegaye Anebo, who heads the Sidama Coffee Union, which represents 70,000 farmers, said the pivot to the new market would be disruptive in the short term. He said that the species of ferns in his area are distinctive in its fruity tone and are a favorite in wealthy Europe. And that means premium prices.
Giving up the EU market is not an option, he said.
“We need the EU,” Anebo said. “But they need us too, because they can’t find our coffee anywhere.”
IThe magician was a child in 1941, sitting on a general public school entrance exam with only pencils and paper. I read the following: “Write about British writers within 15 hours.”
Today, most of us don’t need 15 minutes to contemplate such questions. Relying on AI tools like Google Gemini, ChatGpt, Siri, and more will give you an instant answer. While cognitive efforts on artificial intelligence have become a second nature, some experts fear that this impulse is driving the trend as there is growing evidence of a decline in human intelligence.
Of course, this is not the first time that new technology has raised concerns. Research shows that mobile phones already show how they can deflect us. Social media has damaged our vulnerable scope of attention, and GPS has made our navigation capabilities obsolete. Now, here’s AI co-pilots to free us from our most cognitively demanding tasks, from processing tax returns to providing treatment and even talking about how to think.
Where does it leave our brains? When outsourced our ideas to faceless algorithms, can we freely engage in more substantial pursuits or wither into vines?
“The biggest concern in these age of generative AI is not the only one May Compromising human creativity and intelligence,” says psychologists. Robert Sternberg At Cornell University, known for its groundbreaking work on intelligence, “but already have it.”
The argument that we are less intelligent is unattractive from some research. Some of the most convincing ones are those that look at the Flynn effect. This is due to environmental factors rather than genetic changes, as at least since 1930, observed increases in IQ across consecutive generations around the world. However, in recent decades, The Flynn effect has been slowed down or even the other way around.
In the UK, James Flynn himself showed it Average IQ for 14 years old fell Two or more points between 1980 and 2008. Meanwhile, the Global Research International Student Assessment Program (PISA) has shown an unprecedented decline Mathematics, Reading, Science Score in many regions, young people show low coverage and weak critical thinking.
Nevertheless, these trends are empirically and statistically robust, but their interpretations are nothing. “Everyone wants to point their fingers at AI as a boogeyman, but that’s something to avoid.” Elizabeth Dwork Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, recently identified tips for reversing the Flynn effect in a large sample of the US population tested between 2006 and 2018.
Intelligence is much more complicated than that, and is probably shaped by many variables. Micronutrients such as iodine are known to affect brain development and intellectual abilities. Similarly, changes in prenatal care, years of education, pollution, pandemics, and technology all affect IQ, making it difficult to increase the impact of a single factor. “We don’t act in a vacuum and we can’t refer to one thing and say, ‘That’s it,” says Dworak.
Still, while the overall impact of AI on intelligence is difficult to quantify (at least in the short term), concerns about cognitive offloading of certain cognitive skills are effective and measurable.
Considering the effects of AI on the brain, most studies focus on generative AI (Genai). Anyone who owns a phone or computer can access almost every answer, write essays and computer code, and create art and photos. There are thousands of articles written about the many ways genai can improve our lives through increased revenue, job satisfaction and scientific advances. In 2023, Goldman Sachs estimated that Genai could increase its annual global GDP by 7% over a decade. $7tn.
However, the fact that automating these tasks deprives them of opportunities to practice those skills on their own and undermines the neural architecture that supports them. Ignoring our physical training atrophys the outsourcing neural pathways of cognitive effort, leading to muscle deterioration.
One of the most important cognitive skills at risk is critical thinking. Why do you think of praise about British writers when you can get ChatGpt to look back on it?
The research highlights these concerns. Michael Gellich At SBS Swiss Business School in Kloten, Switzerland, we tested 666 people in the UK and found a significant correlation between frequent AI use and lower critical thinking skills.
Similarly, researchers Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon University In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, we surveyed 319 people in the occupation that uses genai at least once a week. It improved their efficiency, but it hindered critical thinking and promoted long-term overreliance on technology. Researchers may be less capable of solving problems without AI support.
“It’s great to have all this information on my fingertips,” said one participant in the Gellich study. In fact, other studies have suggested the use of AI systems for memory-related tasks. This can lead to a decline in the individual’s own memory.
This erosion of critical thinking is exacerbated by AI-driven algorithms that determine what is seen on social media. “The impact of social media on critical thinking is huge,” says Gellich. “There’s 4 seconds to watch the video and get someone’s attention.” Results? It is easily digested, but do not encourage critical thinking. “It gives you information that there’s no need to further process it,” Gerlich says.
By providing information rather than acquiring that knowledge through cognitive effort, your ability to critically analyze the meaning, impact, ethics and accuracy of what you have learned is easily ignored in the wake of what appears to be a quick and perfect answer. “It’s hard to criticize AI. You have to be disciplined. It’s very difficult not to offload critical thinking on these machines,” says Gerlich.
Wendy Johnson People who study intelligence at the University of Edinburgh see this in their students every day. She emphasizes that it is not empirically tested, but believes that students are ready to substitute independent thinking by having them tell the Internet what to do.
Without critical thinking, it is difficult to ensure that AI will consume wisely the content generated. It may seem reliable, especially when you become dependent on it, but don’t be fooled. Research in 2023 Advances in science Compared to humans, GPT-3 chat showed that it doesn’t just generate easy-to-understand information But there are more persuasive disinfections too..
wIs that important? “Think about the hypothetical billionaires,” says Gellich. “They create their own AI and use it to influence people because they can train them in a specific way to emphasize certain politics and certain opinions. If they have confidence and dependence on it, it raises the question of how much it affects our thoughts and actions.”
The impact of AI on creativity is equally confusing. Research shows that AI tends to help generate more creative ideas than they can generate on their own. However, the entire population The ideas of AI-CONCOCTED are not very diverse which ultimately means there are fewer “Eureka!” moment.
Sternberg captures these concerns in a recent essayJournal of Intelligence: “Generative AI replicates. We can recombine and resort ideas, but it’s not clear that the world will generate ideas that break the paradigms the world needs to solve the serious problems it faces, such as global climate change, pollution, increased violence, creeping dictatorship.”
We recommend that you actively or passively consider how you will engage with AI to maintain your ability to think creatively. Research by Marco Muller at Ulm University In Germany, it shows a relationship between social media use and the higher creativity of younger people, but not in older generations. Driving into the data, he suggests that this may be related to the differences in the way people born in the age of social media use it compared to those who came later in life. Perhaps Muller says that they are more open to what they share online compared to older users who tend to consume more passively, and that younger people seem to benefit creatively from sharing ideas and collaboration.
In addition to what happens meanwhile You use AI, you may not spare ideas about what will happen rear You use it. John Kounios, a cognitive neuroscientist at Drexel University in Philadelphia, explains that, just like anything else, our brains become a hot topic because of sudden insight moments that have been spurred by the activity of our neural reward system. These mental rewards help you remember ideas that change the world, correct immediate actions, and reduce risk aversion. All of this is thought to drive more learning, creativity and opportunities. However, insights generated from AI do not seem to have a very powerful effect on the brain. “Reward systems are a very important part of brain development and we don’t know that the effects of using these technologies are downstream,” says Kounios. “No one has tested it yet.”
There are other long-term implications to consider. Researchers have just discovered it recently For example, learning a second language can help delay the onset of dementia for about four years However, in many countries, fewer students apply for language courses. It may be because they give up on a second language in favor of AI-powered instant translation apps, but none of these can so far claim to protect future brain health.
As Sternberg warns, we need to stop asking what AI can do for Start asking us and what it does In We. Until we know for sure, according to Gellich, the answer is “using critical thinking, intuition to use places where computers can still not do and add real value.”
You can’t expect big tech companies to help us do this, he says. Developers don’t want to be told that the program is working too well. Make it easier for people to find the answer. “That’s why you need to start at school,” Gellich says. “AI is here to stay here. We need to interact with it, so we need to learn how to do it the right way.” Otherwise we will not only make ourselves redundant, but we will also be cognitive.
Can you scroll through at work and take a little care about your smartphone? One solution is to keep your phone out of reach, but unfortunately this doesn’t seem to work.
“People flip the phone over and hide it under the notebook. Sometimes you see a slightly fatal “throwing it over my shoulder” thing.” Maxi Heitmayer At the London School of Economics and Political Science in London. He previously studied phone use and found that people interact with their devices About every 5 minutes.
To see if this distraction could be avoided, Heitmayer and his colleagues recorded 22 college students and office workers, ages 22 to 31. One day, participants kept their phones within reach of their phones. Soon they kept their phones on a second desk, 1.5 metres away. In other words, I had to stand up to check it out.
Researchers found that volunteers spent an average of 23 minutes doing leisure activities over the phone on their first day, but 16 minutes, when the devices were even further apart. However, they were no longer working on the second day. Instead, participants spent more time running their activities slowly on their laptops, mainly on social media. “We use less mobile phones, but the whole thing that’s scrolling on social media is scrolling longer than we intended to move to a laptop,” says Heitmayer.
“This shows that distractions are not itself the device, but the underlying activity. daantje derks At Rotterdam, the University of Erasmus, Netherlands.
However, she points out that large-scale studies tracking people in a normal working environment are needed to verify these initial results. “This is an experimental lab study. People usually have others around and their lives are much more dynamic than this setup.
Antarctic adelie penguins are under threat from bird flu
Steve Bloom Images/Aramie Stock Photos
H5N1 bird flu was first discovered in a dead bird in Antarctica. Fatal tensions in avian flu are currently spreading south along the Antarctic Peninsula, with devastating consequences for wildlife such as penguins and could spread across the continent.
“It’s scary. Luckily, it only affects a few. [birds]”I say Juliana Viana at the Pope Catholic University of Chile in Santiago. “I hope it stays that way, but the bird flu in Chile and Peru was a disaster. It killed thousands of seabirds and sea lions.”
Between November 2024 and January 2025, Vianna’s team investigated 16 nesting sites for seabirds along the Antarctic Peninsula. Researchers found 35 dead Skuas with no signs of injury. Samples from 11 bodies were found to be positive for the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus that has spread around the world in recent years.
Skuas removes corpses and is ahead of other birds, so eating infected birds is particularly likely to cause infection. Skuas in this area are hybrids between the Antarctic (Stercorarius Maccormicki) and brown (Stercorarius Antarcticus)SKUAS.
So far, no other species of birds have been confirmed, but Vianna says she was also said to have been found dead on March 9th. “We spoke with the Chilean Antarctic Institute,” she says. “They saw the dead squau and the penguin.”
As penguins breed in dense colonies, there is a fear that H5N1 spreads rapidly between them, killing most of several groups. Some penguin species may be resistant, as birds’ susceptibility to H5N1 varies from species to species, Vianna said.
The highly pathogenic form of H5N1 avian influenza has been circulating in Europe, Asia and Africa since 2020, killing many wild birds and causing outbreaks on poultry farms. For example, in the UK, H5N1 was killed A quarter of Gannett 2023.
In 2021, it arrived in North America and was later found to infect dairy cows’ breasts and spread between them. By the end of 2022 it had spread to the southern tip of South America, killing thousands of marine mammals and many different species of birds along the way.
The sick brown squat and giant plaster on Bird Island, just off a large island in South Georgia, tested positive for the virus in 2023. South Georgia is approximately 1,500 km from the Antarctic Peninsula.
“Reported deaths of SKUAS are of concern,” he says. Thijs Kuiken At Rotterdam, the University of Erasmus, Netherlands. Some species in the area are only found on small islands and could be wiped out by avian flu, he says.
However, the tests described in Vianna’s study only show that SKUA has been infected with H5 influenza, and Kuiken does not know whether it is a highly pathogenic form.
Vianna says that’s correct, but samples were sent for additional tests not detailed in the paper. “So it’s been confirmed as a highly pathogenic avian flu,” she says.
On February 25th, another group of researchers reported Find H5N1 in the Closet and Kergellen archipelago In the Indian Ocean near Antarctica, where the virus killed elephant seals and several species of birds. That is, the virus moved towards Australia and New Zealand along the way in Antarctica. This is the only major country that is free from the virus.
Antarctic Circulating Current (ACC), which is more than four times as strong as the Gulf Stream, is the world’s strongest ocean current and plays an unbalanced role in the climate system due to its role as a major basin conduit. Scientists at the University of Melbourne and the Research Centre in Nordic Norway have shown that ACC will slow by about 20% by 2050 in high carbon emission scenarios. This influx of freshwater into the southern ocean is expected to alter the properties such as the density (salinity) of the ocean and its circulation patterns.
Sohail et al. High-resolution ocean and sea ice simulations of ocean currents, heat transport, and other factors were analyzed to diagnose the effects of temperature changes, saltiness, and wind conditions. Image credit: Sohail et al. , doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/adb31c.
“The oceans are extremely complex, finely balanced,” says Dr. Bishakhdatta Gayen, liquid mechanic at the University of Melbourne.
“If this current ‘engine’ collapses, serious consequences, including more climate change, including extreme extreme climate variability in certain regions, will accelerate global warming due to a decline in the ability of the ocean to function as a carbon sink. “
The ACC acts as a barrier to invasive species, like the southern burkelp and marine vectors such as shrimp and mollusks, which travel in the current from other continents reaching Antarctica.
If this current slows and weakens, it is more likely that such species will head towards the fragile Antarctica, potentially serious effects on food webs, which could change the available diet of Antarctic penguins, for example.
The ACC is an important part of the marine conveyor belt around the world, moving water around the world and linking the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian seas. These are the main mechanisms of exchange of heat, carbon dioxide, chemicals and biology throughout these basins.
In their study, the authors used Gadi, the fastest supercomputer in Australia located on the Access National Research Infrastructure.
They discovered that transport of seawater from the surface to the deepest could also be slower in the future.
“If ice melting accelerates as predicted by other studies, slowdowns are predicted to be similar in low emission scenarios,” Dr. Sohail said.
“The 2015 Paris Agreement aims to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.”
“Many scientists agree that we have already reached this 1.5 degree target, which could have an impact on the melting of Antarctic ice, making it even hotter.”
“Cooperative efforts to limit global warming (by reducing carbon emissions) will limit the melting of Antarctic ice and avoid the expected slowdown in ACC.”
This study reveals that the effects of ice melting and ocean warming on ACC are more complicated than previously thought.
“The melted ice sheets throw a large amount of fresh water from salt water into the salty sea.”
“This sudden change in ocean salinity has a series of results, including weakening of subsidence to the depths of surface seawater (called Antarctic bottom water), and based on this study, it includes weakening of the powerful marine jets surrounding Antarctica,” Dr. Gayen said.
study Published in the journal Environmental Survey Letter.
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Taimoor Sohail et al. 2025. Decreasing the polar current in the Antarctic due to polarization. environment. res. Rent 20, 034046; doi:10.1088/1748-9326/adb31c
Mount Everest, also known as Chomolangma in Tibetan and Sagarmatha in Nepali, is about 15 to 50 meters higher than its original height due to uplift caused by erosion of nearby river canyons, and therefore continues to grow. This is revealed in a new study.
Han et al. They found that erosion from a network of rivers about 75 km from Everest had carved out a significant canyon. This landmass loss has caused mountains to rise by 2 mm per year, and their heights have already increased by 15 to 50 meters over the past 89,000 years. Image credit: truthseeker08.
The Himalayas, formed by the subduction of the Indian tectonic plate beneath the Eurasian plate, are home to some of the highest mountains on Earth.
Mount Everest is 8,849 meters above sea level, about 250 meters higher than the other highest peaks in the Himalayas.
Previous analysis of GPS data suggests that Everest's recent uplift is about 2 mm per year, which exceeds the expected uplift rate for the mountain range and suggests that mechanisms other than ongoing regional tectonics are responsible. This suggests that it may contribute to this process.
“Mount Everest is a remarkable mountain of myth and legend, and it continues to grow,” said Dr. Student Adam Smith.
“Our research shows that the nearby river system is cutting deeper and the loss of material is causing the mountain to spring further upwards.”
In this study, Smith and his colleagues investigated whether changes in rivers near the mountain may have contributed to Everest's recent uplift.
They used a numerical model to simulate the evolution of the Kosi river network and compared it to existing landforms.
These models suggest that the Arun River, a major tributary of the Kosi River, was involved in the occupation of another river 89,000 years ago.
The diversion of river water accelerated river erosion as the river adapted to its new path, resulting in the formation of the deep Arun River Gorge.
“Currently, the Arun River flows east of Mount Everest and joins the larger Kosi River system downstream,” Mr Smith said.
“For thousands of years, the River Arun has carved great gorges along its banks, washing away billions of tonnes of soil and sediment.”
“There are interesting river systems in the Everest region,” said Dr. Jing Geng Dai, a researcher at the China University of Geosciences.
“The upper Arun River flows eastward through highlands with flat valleys.''
“Then it suddenly turns south as the Kosi River, dropping in elevation and becoming steeper.”
“This unique feature of instability may be related to Everest's extreme height.”
The authors conclude that although erosion would have lowered local elevations along the river channel, the formation of the canyon removed the eroded mass relatively abruptly, allowing the surrounding landforms, including Everest, to compensate with surface uplift. It is argued that there is a possibility that
Although its contribution may be small compared to tectonic deformation, fluvial capture may play a role in both erosion and uplift of high landforms.
“Everest and its neighboring mountains are growing because isotropic rebound is causing them to rise faster than erosional wear,” said Dr. Matthew Fox, a researcher at University College London. said.
“Using GPS equipment, we can see it grow by about two millimeters every year. Now we can better understand what's causing that.”
“The change in the height of Mount Everest really highlights the dynamic nature of the Earth's surface,” says Dr. Xu Han, a researcher at the China University of Geosciences.
“The interaction between the erosion of the Arun River and the upward pressure of the Earth's mantle gives Everest a boost, pushing it higher than normal.”
of study Published in a magazine natural earth science.
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X Han others. The recent uplift of Chomolungma was reinforced by river drainage piracy. nut. earth sciencepublished online on September 30, 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41561-024-01535-w
A recent study reveals that climate change is fundamentally reshaping the Earth, impacting its core. The melting of polar ice caps and glaciers due to global warming is causing a redistribution of water towards the equator, resulting in a shift in the Earth’s rotation and leading to increased daylight hours. This phenomenon is supported by new evidence suggesting that changes in the Earth’s ice could potentially affect its axis. These alterations create feedback loops within the Earth’s molten core, as highlighted in studies published in Nature Geoscience and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
According to Benedict Soja, an assistant professor at ETH Zurich in Switzerland, human activities are significantly influencing the Earth’s rotation. Changes in the planet’s shape and mass distribution, influenced historically by forces like the moon’s gravitational pull and rebounding of crust after ice age glaciers disappeared, are now being accelerated by rapid ice melting caused by climate change. Soja warns that continued carbon emissions could make ice loss a more significant factor in Earth’s rotation than the moon.
In addition to external factors like gravity and ice loss, fluid movements in the Earth’s core also play a role in affecting the planet’s rotation. These movements can speed up or slow down the Earth’s rotation and are currently compensating for the slowdown caused by climate change. The new study suggests that climate change is leading to small variations in polar motion due to changes in mass distribution, estimated to be about one meter per decade.
An iceberg in Antarctica on February 8th. Şebnem Coşkun / Anadolu via Getty Images File
These changes in rotation are expected to have implications for space missions, navigation, and timekeeping. Understanding how Earth’s rotation and axis are affected by climate change will be crucial for accurate space exploration and maintaining global time standards. The research emphasizes the interconnectedness of surface processes with the Earth’s core, shedding light on the complex relationship between human activities and the planet’s inner workings.
Parts of the US experienced heatwaves during the day that could cause heatstroke, with temperatures rising by 2.5C (1.4C) due to global warming caused by the burning of coal, oil and natural gas. World Weather Attribution, The calculations were made Thursday by a group of scientists conducting a rapid, non-peer-reviewed study of climate factors.
“It’s like an oven out here, there’s no way I could be here,” said Magarita Salazar Pérez, 82, who lives in Veracruz, Mexico, in her home without air conditioning. Temperatures in the Sonoran Desert reached 125 degrees Fahrenheit (51.9 Celsius) last week, making it the hottest day in Mexico’s history, said Shel Winkley, a meteorologist at Climate Central and co-author of the study.
And it was even worse at night, which is what made the heatwave so deadly, said Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College London who is leading the team investigating its causes. Climate change has caused nighttime temperatures to rise by 2.9 degrees Celsius (1.6 degrees Fahrenheit), making extreme nighttime heat 200 times more likely, Otto said.
Salazar-Perez said there isn’t the cool nighttime air that people are used to, and doctors say lower nighttime temperatures are key to surviving the heatwave.
A man holds his head in the heat at the Cogra nursing home in Veracruz, Mexico, on June 16, 2024.Felix Marquez/AP
At least 125 people have been killed so far, according to the Global Weather Attribution Team.
“This is clearly related to climate change, the level of intensity that we’re seeing, these risks,” said Karina Izquierdo, urban adviser at the Mexico City-based Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Center and co-author of the study.
Otto said what’s worrying about this heat wave, which is still heating up North America, is that it’s no longer unusual. Previous research from the group has shown that extremely extreme heat waves Not possible without climate changebut not this heat wave.
“So in that sense it’s not unusual from a meteorological standpoint, but the impacts were really bad,” Otto told The Associated Press in an interview.
“The changes over the last 20 years, which feel like yesterday, have been so dramatic,” Otto said. Her research shows that heat waves are four times more likely now than they were in 2000, when temperatures were nearly 1 degree Celsius (half a degree Celsius) cooler. “It seems so long ago, like another world.”
While other international groups of scientists, as well as global carbon emission reduction targets adopted by countries in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, have noted that warming has been increasing since the pre-industrial era in the mid-1800s, Otto said comparing what is happening now to the year 2000 is even more shocking.
“We’re seeing the baseline shift, and what was once extreme but rare is becoming more and more common,” said Carly Kenkel, dean of marine studies at the University of Southern California, who was not involved in the team’s investigation. She called the analysis a “logical conclusion based on the data.”
Jorge Moreno drinks flavored water while working at a construction site in Veracruz, Mexico on June 17, 2024. Felix Marquez/AP
The study looked at the five hottest days and nights across a wide swath of the continent, including Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize and Honduras. In most areas, the five days were from June 3 to 7, and the five nights were from June 5 to 9, but in some places, the peak heat began as early as May 26, Otto said.
For example, San Angelo, Texas, recorded a record 111 degrees (43.8 degrees Celsius) on June 4. Between June 2 and June 6, Corpus Christi Airport's nighttime temperatures never dropped below 80 degrees (26.7 degrees Celsius), setting a new nighttime temperature record, with two days where the temperature never dropped below 85 degrees (29.4 degrees Celsius), according to the National Weather Service.
Between June 1st and June 15th, more than 1,200 Highest daytime temperature record The United States saw a flurry of records being broken and tied, with nearly 1,800 overnight high temperature records set, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information.
The team used both current and historical temperature measurements to contrast what’s happening now with past heatwave conditions, then used a scientifically-accepted method of comparing a hypothetical simulation of a world without human-made climate change with current reality to calculate how much global warming contributed to the 2024 heatwave.
Winkley said the immediate meteorological cause is high pressure that was parked over central Mexico, blocking storms and clouds that brought cold air, then moved into the southwestern U.S. and is now bringing hot air to the eastern U.S. Tropical Storm Alberto The storm formed on Wednesday and is heading toward northern Mexico and southern Texas, where it is likely to bring rain and cause flooding.
The heatwave is “exacerbating existing inequalities.” Rich and poor Izquierdo said the inequality is stark in the Americas, and Kenkel agreed: Nighttime heat is accentuated because the ability to stay cool with central air conditioning depends on how affordable you are, Kenkel said.
So, Salazar-Perez was feeling very uncomfortable during this heatwave.
Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, is the only known planet other than Earth that still retains liquid water. Liquid hydrocarbons fed by rain from Titan’s thick atmosphere form rivers, lakes, and oceans, most of which are found in the polar regions. In a new study, a team of MIT geologists surveyed Titan’s coastline and found that the moon’s large lakes and oceans were likely formed by waves.
Artist’s rendering of the surface of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. Image by Benjamin de Bivort, debivort.org / CC BY-SA 3.0.
The existence of waves on Titan has been a somewhat controversial topic ever since NASA’s Cassini spacecraft discovered liquid puddles on Titan’s surface.
“Some people who have looked for evidence of waves haven’t seen any waves at all and have said, ‘The ocean is as smooth as a mirror,'” said Dr. Rose Palermo, a geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. “Others have said they saw some roughness in the water but didn’t know if it was caused by waves.”
“Knowing whether there is wave activity in Titan’s oceans can provide scientists with information about the moon’s climate, including the strength of the winds that generate such waves.”
“Wave information could also help scientists predict how the shape of Titan’s ocean will change over time.”
“Rather than looking for direct signs of wave-like features in Titan images, we wanted to take a different approach and see if just looking at the shape of the coastline could tell us what it is that is eroding the coast.”
Titan’s oceans are thought to have formed when rising waters flooded a landscape crisscrossed by river valleys.
The researchers zeroed in on three scenarios for what happened next: no coastal erosion, wave-driven erosion, and uniform erosion caused by either dissolution, where liquids passively dissolve coastal material, or a mechanism where the coast gradually peels away under its own weight.
They simulated how different coastline shapes would change under each of the three scenarios.
To simulate wave erosion, the researchers took into account a variable called “fetch,” which describes the physical distance from one point on the shoreline to the other side of a lake or ocean.
“Wave erosion depends on the height and angle of the waves,” Dr Palermo said.
“We used the fetch to estimate wave height because the bigger the fetch, the further away the wind will blow and the bigger the waves will be.”
Cassini observed Titan’s surface with microwaves and found several grooves that are deep canyons filled with liquid hydrocarbons, including Vid Fulmina, a branching network of thin lines in the upper left quadrant of the image. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / ASI.
To test how coastline shape would differ between the three scenarios, the scientists started with a simulated ocean area with a flooded river valley all around it.
For wave erosion, we calculated the fetch distance from every point along the coastline to every other point and converted that distance to wave height.
They then ran simulations to see how waves would erode the original shoreline over time.
They compared this to how the same coastline would change due to erosion caused by uniform erosion.
The authors repeated this comparative modelling for hundreds of different initial shoreline configurations.
They found that the shape of the termini varies greatly depending on the underlying mechanism.
Most notably, uniform erosion produced a bulging shoreline that was evenly distributed all around, even in flooded river valleys, whereas wave erosion smoothed out portions of the shoreline exposed primarily to long downstream distances, leaving the flooded valleys narrow and rough.
“Although the initial coastline was the same, we found that uniform erosion and wave erosion resulted in very different final shapes,” Dr Perron said.
“Although it looks like a flying spaghetti monster because of the flooded river valley, the endpoints created by the two types of erosion are very different.”
This image is a composite of images taken during two flybys of Titan in 2006. A large circular feature near the center of Titan’s disk may be the remnant of a very old impact basin. The mountain range southeast of the circular feature and the long, dark linear feature northwest of the old impact site may be the result of deformation of Titan’s crust caused by energy released when the impact occurred. Image credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona.
Dr. Perron and his colleagues verified their results by comparing their simulation results with actual lakes on Earth.
They found the same shape differences between Earth’s lakes known to have been eroded by waves and those affected by homogeneous erosion, such as dissolved limestone.
Their modelling revealed distinct and distinctive shapes depending on the mechanism by which the shoreline evolved.
So they wondered: Where does Titan’s coastline fit into these distinctive shapes?
In particular, they focused on four of Titan’s largest and best-mapped oceans: Kraken Mare, which is comparable in size to the Caspian Sea; Ligeia Mare, which is larger than Lake Superior; Punga Mare, which is longer than Lake Victoria; and Lake Ontario, which is about 20% the size of the land-based lake of the same name.
The researchers used Cassini’s radar images to map the coastlines of each of Titan’s oceans, and then applied their model to the coastlines of each ocean to see which erosion mechanisms best explain their shape.
They found that all four oceans fit closely to the wave-induced erosion model, meaning that waves created the closest coastlines to Titan’s four oceans.
“We found that when the shoreline is eroding, its shape is more consistent with wave-driven erosion than uniform erosion or no erosion,” Dr Perron said.
Scientists are trying to figure out how strong Titan’s winds would need to be to churn up waves strong enough to repeatedly scrape away the shoreline.
They also hope to learn from the shape of Titan’s coastline which direction the winds primarily blow from.
“Titan shows us that this case is completely pristine,” Dr. Palermo said.
“It may help us learn more fundamental things about how coasts erode without human influence, which in turn may help us better manage coastlines around the world in the future.”
NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/University of Idaho
Saturn's largest moon, Titan, has rocky coastlines around its methane seas and lakes that appear to have been carved out by waves, and a NASA mission launching in 2028 may be able to get a closer look.
Titan is the only body in the solar system other than Earth that has liquid on its surface. It has lakes and oceans made of hydrocarbons such as liquid methane, ethane, and other organic molecules. Scientists think that winds in Titan's thick, nitrogen-rich atmosphere drive the waves in these lakes, but this has never been observed directly because Titan's atmosphere is too hazy to see through.
now, Rose Palermo Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey in Florida and their colleagues found that the shape of Titan's coastline is best explained by the presence of waves that have eroded the ocean surface over eons.
Palermo and his team looked at the shorelines around Titan's largest oceans and lakes, including Kraken Mare and Ligeia Mare, and compared them to coastlines on Earth with known origins, such as Lake Rotoef in New Zealand, which initially formed by floods and later was eroded by waves. The team then created different simulations of Titan's oceans, including those in which the shores were eroded by waves or by dissolving their edges.
Photographed by NASA's Cassini spacecraft, Ligeia Mare on Saturn's moon Titan has a variety of edges that appear to have been carved by waves.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASI/Cornell
The researchers found that images of Titan's coastline, best depicted by wave simulations, resemble Earth's wave-eroded coastlines.
“It's still tentative, but I'm very excited about it.” Ingo Muller-Vodarg The Imperial College London researchers say that although the study did not observe waves themselves, it is very strong evidence that waves exist. Dune-like structures.
The only way to truly verify that waves exist is to send a spacecraft to the surface, like NASA's Dragonfly drone mission, scheduled to launch in 2028, Mueller-Vaudergues said.
Studying Titan's coastlines may also help us understand how the first coasts on Earth formed, Palermo says: “Titan is a unique laboratory for studying coastal processes because it is not influenced by humans or plants. It's a place where we can study coasts only as physical processes.”
Cars have weight issues. The example of the Mini, designed to save fuel during rationing, highlights this trend. The size of cars is increasing, especially with the surge in popularity of SUVs.
Electric cars may look similar to traditional cars for now, but the key difference is the heavy battery they carry.
In our series debunking electric vehicle myths, we address common misconceptions about EVs, including range anxiety, carbon emissions, mining, and air pollution. In this final episode, we investigate whether electric cars will be too heavy for our roads and infrastructure.
Claim
As roads have evolved over time, concerns have arisen about whether electric cars will strain infrastructure like roads, bridges, and parking lots due to the weight of their batteries.
Matthew Lin, a columnist for the Daily Telegraph, recently questioned the readiness of charging infrastructure and the capacity of roads and bridges to handle heavier vehicles.
Conservative MP Greg Knight urged the UK government to test the structural integrity of multi-storey car parks and bridges against the added weight of electric vehicles.
The Asphalt Industry Alliance warned that small roads could suffer more potholes, while the Daily Mail suggested that multi-storey car parks might be at risk of collapse due to the weight of electric vehicles.
Science
Electric cars can be quite heavy. For example, General Motors’ Hummer weighs over four tons, with a significant portion of that weight attributed to its battery pack. On the other hand, the Tesla Model Y, a more affordable electric car, weighs 2 tons, still lighter than some traditional vehicles like the Range Rover or Ford F-150.
The Tesla Model Y weighs 2 tons, lighter than a Range Rover or Ford F-150. Photo: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images
According to a transport and environment advocacy group, EVs are on average 300-400kg heavier than traditional vehicles. The weight of the battery increases by approximately 100kg for every 150km of range.
The increased weight of electric cars leads to more road wear and faster deterioration of roads. However, a study found that the wear is primarily caused by heavy vehicles like buses and trucks, rather than cars and motorcycles.
Road wear is primarily caused by heavy vehicles like buses, rather than cars or motorcycles. Photo: Joe Giddens/Pennsylvania
Regarding bridges, most in the UK can support vehicles weighing up to 7.5 tonnes, with a safety margin built into the design. There are no concerns about national highways, which are built to accommodate heavy goods vehicles.
There are limitations to the weight of electric vehicles, especially in older car parks. While newer facilities can accommodate heavier vehicles, older structures may require reinforcement to handle the increased weight.
Options for multi-storey car park owners include strengthening the building or reducing the number of cars on each floor, which can impact profits.
Regular inspections are essential for car park owners to ensure the structural integrity of their buildings amid the transition to heavier electric vehicles.
Governments could encourage smaller cars through policies such as taxes and parking fees. Photo: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian
It’s worth noting that advancements in battery technology may address the weight concerns of electric vehicles in the future. Continued progress in battery energy density could lead to lighter EVs in the long run.
Encouraging smaller cars through policy measures like taxes and fees can have additional benefits beyond reducing road wear, such as resource conservation, carbon emission reductions, and improved parking lot management.
While EVs are heavier than traditional vehicles, it’s unlikely that their weight will significantly impact road infrastructure. Concerns about weight should not overshadow the importance of transitioning to zero-emission vehicles.
Imagine waiting for your school exam results or having a dental appointment on the horizon. Many believe that preparing for uncertain outcomes by expecting the worst is a good strategy.
This way, you won’t be as shocked if the test results are disappointing or the dentist visit is unpleasant. Hence the phrase “hope for the best and plan for the worst.” But is this approach truly beneficial?
According to psychological research, the answer is no.
One downside of preparing for the worst is that it can lead to feeling sad and anxious before an event. By convincing yourself that something bad will happen, you are setting yourself up for negative emotions.
Thinking positively and expecting things to go well can actually make you feel better before your exam results or dental appointment. But what about when things don’t go as planned?
Unfortunately, research shows that people feel just as bad about disappointing outcomes whether they anticipated them or not. This applies immediately and even after the results are known.
Similar research has found that having negative expectations about a task like public speaking can make you feel worse, not better, right after performing it. The idea of emotional defensiveness doesn’t seem to work well.
These findings are relevant to the debate around trigger warnings, which aim to prepare individuals for emotionally challenging content. However, studies indicate that trigger warnings are not effective in emotional protection.
Concerns about over-optimism and complacency are valid, but optimism can boost motivation. Optimistic individuals tend to put more effort into their studies and typically achieve better grades as a result.
The key is to combine optimism with effort. Simply hoping for the best without taking action is not a sound strategy. Are you thinking positively and putting in the work needed to succeed?
If you have any questions, please email us at: questions@sciencefocus.com or send us a message on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Remember to include your name and location.
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○Six individuals filed a lawsuit in the United States on Valentine’s Day this year against Match Group, the company responsible for popular dating apps like Tinder, Hinge, and Match. The lawsuit claims that these dating apps employ game-like tactics that promote addictive behavior, turning users into swipe addicts.
Match Group has refuted these allegations, dismissing them as “ridiculous.” However, for those who have used these apps intermittently over the years, similarities between love algorithms and online gaming are apparent. The lawsuit suggests that users are essentially the products of these apps.
Dating apps may have ingrained addictive qualities from their inception. Tinder’s co-founder revealed being inspired by a psychology experiment involving pigeons. Experts note how gamification within dating apps triggers the release of mood-enhancing neurochemicals like dopamine and serotonin in the brain, contributing to their addictive nature.
The lawsuit argues that users are conditioned to constantly seek dopamine rushes from each swipe, creating a “pay-to-play” loop. This dynamic may explain why features like Hinge’s “Most Compatible” often pair individuals unlikely to connect in real life, prompting users to consider options like “freezing” or “resetting” their activity.
While dating apps prioritize profit over fostering genuine connections, many individuals continue to engage with these platforms despite potential negative impacts on their mental health. Dating app addiction has negatively influenced the lives of individuals in their late twenties and early thirties, perpetuating harmful expectations and perceptions about relationships.
Reflecting on personal experiences, the writer acknowledges the detrimental effects of dating apps on self-esteem and mental well-being. The prevalence of superficial interactions and commodification of individuals on these platforms undermines fundamental aspects of romantic love and communication.
Despite the allure of digital options for potential partners, the endless search for something better perpetuates instability and indecision in modern dating culture. The proliferation of dating apps has reshaped relationship dynamics and eroded foundational principles of respect and communication.
Although the writer has personally disengaged from dating apps, the pervasive influence of these platforms remains palpable. Observing the impact of dating app culture on societal norms and individual interactions underscores the importance of mindful engagement and genuine connection in contemporary dating.
Amidst the complexities of modern dating, the writer encourages a balanced approach to dating apps, emphasizing the need to prioritize authentic connections over algorithm-driven encounters. It is essential to recognize that these apps may not always align with users’ romantic aspirations.
Moths trying to survive in bright cities may have evolved smaller wings to limit the amount of light they absorb.
Artificial lights that shine at night disrupt the lives of many insect species, diverting them from their habitats and mates, and exposing them to predators. Ecological changes due to light pollution may also have caused evolutionary changes, but clear examples are hard to find.
In search of such changes, evert van de shoot Researchers from the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium analyzed the wing and body sizes of 680 spindle-shaped stoat moths.Yoponomeuta cañajera). These moths are previous experiment Test your reaction to light.
In their experiment, the researchers collected moth larvae from bright urban and dark rural locations in France and Switzerland and raised the moths together in the same garden. In the ‘flight to light’ test, urban moths were captured in 30 percent fewer light traps than rural moths, suggesting that they were less responsive to light.
Van de Schoot and his colleagues may have found an explanation for this. Careful measurements of the insects’ bodies revealed that moths in urban environments had slightly smaller wings on average than moths in rural areas. In both urban and rural populations, this small wing size correlated with a weak response in light trap experiments.
“What’s really surprising is that despite small changes in plumage, there are differences in rural and urban moth populations,” he says. Samuel Fabian At Imperial College London. He said the study’s focus on flight mechanics adds a new dimension to thinking about the effects of light on insects. “Nature is not static,” he says. “Nature adapts to us.”
Small wings can limit the distance and speed these moths can disperse to find mates and food. But if the trade-off makes moths less susceptible to the negative effects of being sensitive to light, it could be a beneficial adaptation in urban ecosystems, van de Scoot says.
The researchers say they cannot rule out the possibility that this change was driven by other differences between urban and rural areas, such as more fragmented habitats. Changes in visual acuity may also contribute to urban moths’ reduced response to light. Other insect species may also be affected differently.
But if such shifts in mobility were widespread, they could separate insect populations from each other and from the plants they pollinate, van de Scoot says. “It could be important for the entire ecosystem.”
The CEO of Google expressed concern over some responses from the company’s Gemini artificial intelligence model, calling them “unlikely” and pointing out issues such as depicting German World War II soldiers as people of color. He described this bias as “totally unacceptable.”
In a memo to employees, Sundar Pichai acknowledged that images and text generated by modern AI tools were causing discomfort.
Social media users highlighted instances where Gemini image generators depicted historical figures of different ethnicities and genders, including the Pope, the Founding Fathers, and Vikings. Google suspended Gemini’s ability to create people images in response.
One example involved Gemini’s chatbot responding to a question about negative social impacts, leading to a discussion about Elon Musk and Hitler. Pichai addressed this issue, calling the responses upsetting and indicative of bigotry.
Viking AI image Photo: Google Gemini
Pichai stated that Google’s teams were working to improve these issues and have already made significant progress. AI systems often generate biased responses due to training data issues, reflecting larger societal problems.
Gemini’s competitors are also working on addressing bias in AI models. New versions of AI generators like Dall-E prioritize diverse representation and aim to mitigate technical issues.
Google is committed to making structural changes and enhancing product guidelines to address biases. Pichai emphasized the importance of providing accurate and unbiased information to users.
Elon Musk criticized Google’s AI programs, pointing out the bias in generated images. Technology commentator Ben Thompson called for a shift in decision-making at Google to prioritize good product development.
The emergence of generative AI platforms like OpenAI’s ChatGPT presents a competitive landscape in AI development. Google’s Gemini AI chatbot, formerly known as Bard, offers paid subscriptions for enhanced AI capabilities.
Google DeepMind continues to innovate in AI, with breakthroughs like the AlphaFold program for predicting protein structures. The CEO of DeepMind acknowledged the need to improve diversity in AI-generated images.
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