Explore the Rare Space Lineup: A Deep Dive into Hubble 3I/ATLAS Insights

Posted on January 28, 2026 by Igor Mitreski

On January 22, 2026, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope captured stunning images of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, showing it in near-perfect alignment with the Sun-Earth axis. This observation unveiled an unprecedented jet structure and an elongated tail.

This image of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS was captured by Hubble’s WFC3 instrument on January 22, 2026, at 13:10 UTC. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / Man Tu Hui, Shanghai Observatory.

According to researchers Professor Abraham Loeb from Harvard University and Dr. Mauro Barbieri from the INAF Padua Observatory, interstellar objects like 3I/ATLAS provide a rare opportunity to study materials from distant star systems. They detailed their findings in recent papers published in American Astronomical Society Research Notes.

Previous interstellar visitors such as 1I/Oumuamua lacked evidence of gas or dust, while 2I/Borisov was only observed at angles greater than 16 degrees from the Sun-Earth alignment, missing the chance for detailed study.

On January 22, 2026, comet 3I/ATLAS was positioned at an astonishingly small angle of just 0.69 degrees relative to the Earth-Sun axis, allowing for an optimal view as our planet passed nearly directly between the Sun and the comet.

This rare alignment caused a significant brightness spike, influenced by the composition and structure of the particles emitted from the 3I/ATLAS jet, as noted by Professor Loeb in the statement.

This image of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS was taken by Hubble’s WFC3 instrument on January 22, 2026, at 13:40 UTC. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / Man Tu Hui, Shanghai Observatory.

Astrophysicist Mang To Hui from the Shanghai Observatory utilized Hubble’s capabilities to observe 3I/ATLAS during conditions that may not occur again for decades.

The interstellar object images were gathered using Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) instrument, providing valuable data for ongoing research.

Professor Loeb elaborated on the findings, stating, “When the Hubble images from the January 22, 2026, alignment were processed by my collaborator Toni Scarmato, they revealed a system of four jets, including a prominent tail directed toward the Sun and Earth, along with three smaller ‘minijets.’”

“These minijets are spaced evenly apart at 120-degree angles, with one possibly hidden from view due to its unfavorable orientation relative to Earth, rendering it dark.”

Source: www.sci.news

Unraveling Free Will: A Deep Dive into the Mystery – New Book Release

Posted on January 27, 2026 by Igor Mitreski

Understanding Palantir’s Impact

Palantir, a leading American data analytics firm, wields technology capable of both saving and taking lives. As its influence expands globally, concerns about this enigmatic corporation’s role in world affairs and its ultimate beneficiaries continue to rise.

The Hidden Female Psychopath

Recent studies indicate that the presence of female psychopaths may be more prevalent than once believed. If this is the case, why do they remain unnoticed? Perhaps you suspect someone around you? Here’s how to identify potential traits:

Artificial Intelligence Ethics

There is an urgent need to educate AI on moral principles. However, a paradox emerges: to elicit positive responses from AI, one must examine its behavior when exposed to malicious tasks.

Data Storage in Space

The rapid progression of AI technology is driving an unprecedented demand for electricity globally. Additionally, cooling these data centers requires significant amounts of water. Could the cosmos offer a viable solution for data storage? Many startups believe it is the ideal destination.

Plus Highlights

Boost Your IQ: Ditch the brain training games. Physical activity could truly unlock your brain’s full potential.
Impact of Social Media Bans: Experts are split on how effective Australia’s social media ban is for children.
Q&A Insights: Our experts tackle questions such as “Why do we kiss?” “How contagious is laughter?” “Can tigers get along with their prey?” “What are the similarities between identical twins?” “Is déjà vu unhealthy?” “Should you trim your eyelashes?” “What happens if you fall ill on the ISS?” “How do we best measure earthquakes?” “Can you maintain a happy marriage with a psychopath?” “How fast am I moving now?” and much more…

Issue No. 429 – Released on January 27, 2026

Don’t forget, BBC Science Focus is also available on all major digital platforms. You can access it on Android, Kindle Fire and Kindle e-Readers, as well as on your iOS app for iPad and iPhone.

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Exploring ‘Dark Oxygen’: Scientists Research Its Impact in Deep Sea Mining Zones

Posted on January 20, 2026 by Igor Mitreski

Experiment on Oxygen Production with Deep-Sea Nodule

Nippon Foundation

Experiment on Oxygen Production by Deep-Sea Nodule — Experiment on Oxygen Production with Deep-Sea Nodule

Nippon Foundation

Scientists are set to deploy instruments to the ocean floor to explore the intriguing process of metal nodules producing oxygen in the Pacific Ocean. This unexpected phenomenon has ignited significant debate regarding the ethics of deep-sea mining.

In a surprising revelation from 2024, researchers identified that a potato-sized formation in the depths of the Pacific and Indian Oceans—including the distinguished Clarion-Clipperton Zone—functions as a vital oxygen source. This discovery challenges the conventional belief that large-scale oxygen production derives solely from sunlight and photosynthesis.

Dubbed “dark oxygen,” this phenomenon sustains life within the abyss, including microorganisms, sea cucumbers, and predatory sea anemones thriving thousands of meters beneath the surface. This finding casts doubt on proposals from deep-sea mining companies aiming to extract cobalt, nickel, and manganese by removing nodules from the ocean floor. A controversial deep-sea mining company was involved in this discovery, prompting a call for further scientific investigation.

Now, the team responsible for discovering dark oxygen is returning to the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, the prime location for potential deep-sea mining, to verify its existence and comprehend the mechanisms behind its production.

“Where does the oxygen come from for these diverse animal communities to thrive?” asked Andrew Sweetman from the Scottish Marine Science Society. “This could be an essential process, and we’re focused on uncovering it.”

The researchers propose that a metallic layer in the nodule generates an electrical current which splits seawater into hydrogen and oxygen. They’ve recorded up to 0.95 volts of electricity on the surface of the nodules—just below the standard 1.23 volts necessary for electrolysis. However, the team suggests that individual nodules or clusters could produce higher voltages.

Plans are underway to deploy a lander, essentially a metal frame housing various instruments, to a depth of 10,000 meters to measure oxygen flow and pH changes, as the electrolysis process releases protons, increasing water acidity.

Research Lander Deployed Into the Ocean

Scottish Marine Science Society

Given the potential role of microorganisms in this process, the lander will also collect sediment cores and nodules for laboratory analysis. Each nodule is home to approximately 100 million microorganisms, which researchers aim to identify through DNA sequencing and fluorescence microscopy.

“The immense diversity of microorganisms is constantly evolving; we are continually discovering new species,” remarked Jeff Marlow from Boston University. “Are they active? Are they influencing their environment in crucial ways?”

Furthermore, since electrolysis is generally not observed under the intense pressures found on the ocean floor, the team intends to utilize a high-pressure reactor to replicate deep-sea conditions and conduct electrolysis experiments there.

“The pressure of 400 atmospheres is comparable to that at which the Titan submarine tragically imploded,” noted Franz Geiger from Northwestern University. “We seek to understand the efficiency of water splitting under such high pressure.”

The ultimate aim is to carry out electrochemical reactions in the presence of microorganisms and bacteria under an electron microscope without harming the microorganisms.

The United Nations’ International Seabed Authority has yet to decide on the legality of deep-sea mining in international waters, with U.S. President Donald Trump advocating for its implementation. The Canadian company, The Metals Company, has applied for authorization from the U.S. government to commence deep-sea mining operations.

A recent paper authored by Metals Company scientists contends that Sweetman and his colleagues have not produced sufficient energy to facilitate seawater electrolysis in 2024, suggesting the observed oxygen was likely transported from the ocean’s surface by the deployed landers.

Sweetman countered this claim, stating that the lander would displace any air bubbles on its descent, and asserted that oxygen measurement would not have occurred if deployed in other regions, such as the Arctic ocean floor, which is 4,000 meters deep. Out of 65 experiments conducted at the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, he noted that 10% exhibited oxygen consumption while the remainder indicated oxygen production.

Sweetman and his colleagues also discovered that the oxidation phase of the electrolysis process can occur at lower voltages than those recorded on the nodule’s surface. A rebuttal presenting this data has been submitted to Natural Earth Science and is currently under review.

“From a commercial perspective, there are definitely interests attempting to suppress research in this field,” stated Sweetman in response to the Metals Company’s opposition to his findings.

“It is imperative to address all comments, regardless of their origin,” added Marlowe. “That is our current predicament in this process.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Slow Gods Review: An Unforgettable Deep Space Sci-Fi Adventure That’s Both Fun and Thought-Provoking

Posted on November 6, 2025 by

Tragic fate awaits the inhabitants of Ajmir, destined for obliteration.

Detlef van Ravensway/Science Photo Library

slow gods
Claire North, Orbit

Claire North is a well-established author, known for writing under multiple names, but this is their inaugural foray into traditional science fiction that includes spaceships. I found the title slow gods intriguing, and the cover art appealing. I entered the narrative with elevated expectations.

It kicks off with: “My name is Maukana na Vdnadze, I am a very poor copy of myself.” A fantastic beginning.

However, I felt a bit lost after about 60 pages. While the story is crafted in a grand space opera style filled with timelines, cultures, and names—typical of the genre—I hadn’t formed a connection with the protagonist yet. The main character is an exceptional deep space pilot but struggles with a troubling history of causing fatalities. Perhaps my mood affected my reading experience. I persisted a little longer, and when the main character, Mau, encountered another figure named Gebre, I started to feel more engaged.

I’m inclined to take a leap here: please read this book. If science fiction is your thing, you’ll likely appreciate it. If you’re unsure initially, as I was, feel free to move on.

I actually have some space to elaborate on my thoughts. It’s been ages since I’ve enjoyed a science fiction piece so thoroughly. Yet, it’s more than just amusement; it’s also deeply emotional and impactful—well articulated.

North shines in creating characters with depth, along with intricate world-building and expansive plots that span galaxies. There’s humor woven throughout, and in the tradition of Ian M. Banks, there are delightful AI entities and drones that contribute to the comedic elements.

“
slow gods presents formidable villains with malicious intent and lethal weapons, including the “Black Ships” that raze cities.
“

Maw is a remarkable protagonist. As a reader, it’s refreshing to have no clear idea of what the protagonist might be capable of, contemplating that it could be quite dramatic. In a pivotal moment during his first mission as a pilot, Maw dies and continues to resurrect multiple times, provided that no one witnesses or mourns his remains. It raises questions about whether Maw retains humanity or has transformed into something different.

Returning to the encounter with Gebre… Maw accepts the mission to pilot a vessel to Ajmir, a planet poised for destruction due to the impending collapse of its binary star system, LK-08091881.

A mysterious, god-like machine known as Slow had been issuing warnings about the imminent collapse of the star system, with shockwaves traveling at light speed, endangering all life within an 83 light-year radius. Unfortunately, the affected populace’s reactions were inconsistent at best. By the time Mau landed on Ajmir on its final day, countless individuals remained, hoping to win a lottery for a chance at escape.

Upon his arrival, Mau meets Gebre Netyu Chatitymska Bajwala. Currently, Gebre is somewhat “innumerable,” yet they focus less on that and more on preserving significant artifacts for future generations to understand Ajmir’s true history.

Gebre is an intriguing character, and Maw finds himself attracted to them. What steps can he take to protect Gebre? Or will he seek revenge? The groundwork has been laid.

It’s pertinent to mention that “Shines” exist as formidable villains with hostile dispositions and lethal weaponry, including “black ships” and super soldiers capable of nearly invisible city destruction.

In summary, read this book.

I also suggest Emily…

Consider Phlebas
Ian M. Banks, Orbit

Slow Gods often reminded me of Banks’ culture series, making it a natural “also recommended” option. I typically recommend The Player of Games to newcomers to the culture series, as it serves as an accessible starting point, being the first of Banks’ works in this universe. It follows a character named Horza, who possesses the ability to transform into perfect replicas of others. What else is there to wish for?

Emily H. Wilson is a former editor of New Scientist and the author of the Sumerian trilogy, set in ancient Mesopotamia. The concluding novel, Ninshubar, has been released. You can find her at emilywilson.com, on X @emilyhwilson, and on Instagram @emilyhwilson1

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Source: www.newscientist.com

What Is the Origin of Deep Space Gamma Rays?

Posted on September 9, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Long before astronomers proposed the Big Bang theory, they understood that the universe is infinite, remains constant over time, and that there are no dark patches in the night sky if it is indeed filled with stars. If stars populate space uniformly, then starlight would illuminate every point in the sky. Consequently, if this light persisted over time, it would illuminate Earth equally, making the sky uniformly bright.

This insight is known as Olbers’ Paradox, which suggests that the universe is neither infinite nor static, as it contains gaps of darkness between stars. Instead, astronomers agree that the universe has evolved over time, originating from the Big Bang. These transformations prevent the sky from being completely filled with starlight because, even if the universe were infinite and abundant with stars, only some would have had enough time to reach Earth.

The sky is not merely filled with starlight; it is awash with various light types. The most prominent is the long-wavelength radiation remaining from the Big Bang, known as the Cosmic Microwave Background, or CMB. Additionally, short-wavelength radiation emanates from beyond our galaxy, termed the Extragalactic Gamma-Ray Background, or EGB. The origins of EGB are more elusive compared to CMB, with possible sources ranging from black holes in distant galaxies to reactions of subatomic particles and even dark matter.

Since the discovery of EGB in the 1970s, scientists have pinpointed specific large, high-energy objects such as active galactic nuclei, which comprise nearly half of the EGB. These entities produce bright spots of resolved EGB that are observable from Earth.

This accounts for only part of the EGB, leaving the other half unresolved. The unresolved EGB is distributed across the sky, with sources too distant to be identified by telescopes. To investigate unresolved EGB sources, a scientific team explored the hypothesis that galaxies are significant, if not the primary, contributors. They deduced that nearby galaxies may account for resolved EGBs, implying that distant galaxies could be sources of the diffuse, unresolved EGBs.

It is believed that galaxies generate gamma rays through a series of events; firstly, a star is formed, which may either explode or undergo a supernova event. Supernovae accelerate particles, such as protons and electrons, to high velocities, creating cosmic rays. These cosmic rays then collide, releasing energy and initiating a chain reaction that leads to the formation of high-energy gamma rays, existing within a specific energy range of approximately 0.01–1,000 Giga-electronvolts (GEVs).

Researchers have developed a model to estimate the gamma radiation that galaxies are capable of producing and the energy levels of that radiation. This model derives two equations to calculate how frequently a galaxy generates cosmic rays based on its star production rate. Physical attributes of the galaxy, including mass, radius, and star formation rate, were necessary to finalize the model.

Data was collected from 22,087 galaxies in the Goods-S Catalog using the Hubble Space Telescope. They utilized the model to estimate the gamma radiation contributions these galaxies could provide to small regions of the sky, comparing the model’s estimates with actual gamma radiation observations from each galaxy obtained through the Fermi Gamma-Ray Telescope.

The results indicated that within the 1-10 GEV energy range of gamma radiation, these galaxies might account for 50-60% of the unresolved EGB across all observed areas. Furthermore, the contribution from galaxies diminishes sharply below 1 GEV and above 10 GEV. Their findings suggest that earlier research into the star-forming galaxy hypothesis may have underestimated their contributions to the unresolved EGB.

The team concluded that beyond star-forming galaxies, other sources must account for the unresolved EGB found in deep space. They propose that future research focus on active galactic nuclei and millisecond pulsars as potentially fruitful candidates. This observation indicates the possibility of other unexplored phenomena, suggesting that galaxies may not be the primary sources of unresolved EGBs. The disappearance of dark matter could be a piece of this cosmic puzzle.

Where does Deep Space Gamma Ray come from? It first appeared in Sciworthy.

Source: sciworthy.com

NW Rehires Employees Following Deep Doge Layoffs

Posted on August 8, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

The administration under Trump intends to reverse most of the cuts made to the National Weather Service earlier this year aimed at improving government efficiency.

According to Mike Flood of R-Neb, Eric Sorensen, D-Ill., along with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has received approval to fill 450 roles, which include meteorologists, hydrologists, and radar engineers for the National Weather Service.

This decision is part of an initiative to rehire for these crucial roles. CNN was the first to report that following a summer filled with severe and deadly weather, scrutiny arose over the NWS cuts, prompting bipartisan calls for their cancellation.

An official cited by NBC News noted that NWS staff were involved during the Texas Flood that resulted in over 130 fatalities. This has spurred agencies to rehire hundreds of essential personnel, raising concerns about the reliability of NWS forecasts. This information came from a source who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to restrictions on discussing HR matters.

Both Sorensen and Flood expressed their satisfaction with this “postponed news” in a joint statement. They co-hosted discussions around layoffs and early retirements, focusing on safeguarding National Weather Service employees while reclassifying their roles as vital to public safety. Although the bill was presented in the House of Representatives, it has yet to be voted on.

“For months, Congressman and I have been advocating for the necessary support for NOAA and NWS employees who are facing staff reductions,” stated Sorensen in a press release. “The lack of skilled positions has forced NWS offices nationwide to cancel weather balloon launches, abandon overnight staffing, and overburden the remaining meteorologists.

Rep. Mark Alford from R-Mo. also expressed support for the initiative.

A spokesperson for the National Weather Service declined to provide comments.

Officials from NOAA, who were not authorized to speak publicly, informed NBC News that filling the hundreds of vacant positions would take several months. Currently, USAJOBS.GOV lists only nine open roles across NOAA, the parent organization of the National Weather Service.

The NOAA and NWS were not impacted by the controversial cuts implemented during the early months of the second Trump administration, which included job terminations, rehiring, and restructuring of certain employees. The Commerce Department and NOAA dismissed over 600 probationary staff on February 27th, encompassing hurricane hunters, meteorologists, and storm modelers.

Five former directors of the National Weather Service have cautioned that a shortage of staff could cause “unnecessary loss of life.”

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Deep Microorganisms Capable of Harnessing Energy from Earthquakes

Posted on August 5, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

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Microorganisms may derive energy from surprisingly confined environments

Book Worms / Public Domain Sources from Aramie / Access Rights

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Book Worms / Public Domain Sources from Aramie / Access Rights

Fractured rocks from earthquakes could reveal a variety of chemical energy sources for the microorganisms thriving deep beneath the surface, and similar mechanisms may feed microorganisms on other planets.

“This opens up an entirely new metabolic possibility,” says Kurt Konhauser, from the University of Alberta, Canada.

All life forms on Earth rely on flowing electrons to sustain themselves. On the planet’s surface, plants harness sunlight to create carbon-based sugars that are consumed by animals, including humans. This initiates a flow of electrons from the carbon to the oxygen we breathe. The chemical gradient formed by these carbon electron donors and oxygen electron acceptors, known as redox pairs, generates energy.

Underground, microbes also depend on redox pairs, but these deep ecosystems lack access to various solar energy forms. Hence, traditional carbon-oxygen pairings are inadequate. “Challenges remain in identifying these underground [chemical gradients]. Where do they originate?” Konhauser questions.

Hydrogen gas, generated by the interaction of water and rock, serves as a primary electron source for these microbes, much like carbon sugars do on the surface. This hydrogen arises from the breakdown of water molecules, which can occur when radioactive rocks react with water or iron-rich formations. During earthquakes, when silicate rocks are fragmented, they expose reactive surfaces that can split water, producing considerable amounts of hydrogen.

However, to utilize that hydrogen, microorganisms require electron acceptors to complete the redox pair. Attributing value solely to hydrogen is misleading. “Having the food is great, but without a fork, you can’t eat it,” remarks Barbara Sherwood Lollar from the University of Toronto, Canada.

Konhauser, Sherwood Lollar, and their research team employed rock-crushing machines to simulate the reactions that yield hydrogen gas within geological settings, which could subsequently form a complete redox pair. They crushed quartz crystals, mimicking strains in various types of faults and mixing the water present in most rocks with different iron and rock forms.

The crushed quartz reacted with water to generate significant quantities of hydrogen, both in stable molecular forms and more reactive species. The team’s findings revealed many of these hydrogen radicals react with iron-rich liquids, creating numerous compounds capable of either donating or accepting enough electrons to establish different redox pairs.

“Numerous rocks can be harnessed for energy,” Konhauser pointed out. “These reactions mediate diverse chemical processes, suggesting various microorganisms can thrive.” Secondary reactions involving nitrogen or sulfur could yield even broader energy sources.

“I was astonished by the quantities,” said Magdalena Osburn from Northwestern University, Illinois. “It produces immense quantities of hydrogen, and it also initiates fascinating auxiliary chemistry.”

Researchers estimate that earthquakes generate far less hydrogen than other water-rock interactions within the Earth’s crust. However, their insights imply that active faults may serve as local hotspots for microbial diversity and activity, Sherwood Lollar explained.

Importantly, a complete earthquake isn’t a prerequisite. Similar reactions can take place as rocks fracture in seismically stable areas, like continents or geologically dead planets such as Mars. “Even within these massive rocks, you can observe pressure redistributions and shifts,” she noted.

“It’s truly exciting to explore sources I was recently unfamiliar with,” stated Karen Lloyd from the University of Southern California. The variety of usable chemicals produced in actual fault lines is likely even more diverse. “This likely occurs under varying pressures, temperatures, and across vast spatial scales, involving a broader range of minerals,” she said.

Energy from infrequent events like earthquakes may also illuminate the lifestyles of what Lloyd refers to as aeonophiles—deep subterranean microorganisms thought to have existed for extensive time periods. “If we can endure 10,000 years, we may experience a magnitude 9 earthquake that yields a tremendous energy surge,” Lloyd added.

This research is part of a growing trend over the last two decades that broadens our understanding of where and how organisms can endure underground, states Sherwood Lollar. “The deep rocks of continents have revealed much about the habitability of our planet,” she concluded.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Unlocking the Mysteries of Earth’s Extraordinary Deep Biosphere: Our Next Great Frontier

Posted on July 31, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Microbial life thrives in this thermal vent in the Pacific Ocean

Galih/Alamy

Within the Earth
Karen G. Lloyd (Princeton University Press)

While many shelves are filled with titles about forests, oceans, and deserts, the deep biosphere, an important and intriguing habitat beneath our feet, is often overlooked. Despite a few notable exceptions, literature on ecosystems ranging from the Amazon to Antarctica largely ignores this underground world.

Not anymore. Within the Earth: Discover the Strangest Life on Earth by Karen G. Lloyd serves as a crucial field guide to the underground life we’ve started to uncover. “In fact, we have yet to find the limits of where life ceases to exist,” she states.

The general unawareness of the deep biosphere’s existence reflects our surface-centric worldview. However, Lloyd, a microbial biogeochemist at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, argues that learning about this life can profoundly change our understanding of existence itself.

She defines the deep biosphere as areas below the seafloor or beneath land where life thrives without sunlight, the primary energy source for most surface organisms. These environments encompass a variety of metabolic processes, from methane production arising from decomposed plants beneath a few centimeters of marsh mud to chemical processes with microbes three kilometers underground.

Discussing these microorganisms, she notes, “It’s as if there are millions of small, low-energy suns scattered throughout the Earth’s crust, each supporting its own underground ecosystem.”

How much life is present? It’s difficult to say. However, Lloyd contends that all estimates are likely underestimated. One claim suggests that marine sediments alone could hold 2.9 x 10²⁹ cells, potentially twice as many as those in continental fractures and pores, presenting astonishing figures.

Advances in genetic sequencing and field research are illuminating these rich ecosystems. Lloyd helps researchers differentiate between microbial species and deduce metabolic functions through DNA alone. This is especially helpful since many deep-dwelling bacteria and archaea have proven impossible to cultivate in surface laboratories.

It’s like a movie. Be careful not to slip on the volcanic glass shards. Don’t fall into the acid lake!

The fieldwork section discusses how scientists obtain new DNA samples—whether from hydrothermal vents, excavated continental rocks, or dripping water in deep mines. “To understand limits, one sometimes must become the explorer,” Lloyd notes.

Through engaging prose, she recounts her adventures tracking microorganisms from the high deserts of the Andes to the perilous peaks of Costa Rican volcanoes. These stories resemble scenes from action films—caution is essential to avoid slipping on volcanic glass fragments or falling into acid lakes!

Fortunately, this book transcends a mere expedition narrative. It features an extensive and approachable explanation of the chemistry that enables a deep biosphere. Although the equations involved can be complex, Lloyd adeptly guides readers to grasp the chemical frameworks that support these creatures living on the “edge of energy.”

To facilitate this challenging learning curve, she draws parallels between surface ecosystems and our dietary habits to illuminate the underground world. For instance, bacteria that metabolize sulfides are likened to “couch potatoes,” competing with methane-producing “freeloaders” by preserving hydrogen, a universal nutrient—a dramatic ecological narrative reminiscent of the Serengeti. Sulfate-reducing agents in Svalbard’s fjords “have access to a permanently stocked refrigerator.” Engaging and thrilling, her exploration of biogeochemistry is no small feat.

However, the highlight of Lloyd’s book is her assertion that certain forms of deep life may possess a sluggish metabolism, allowing individuals to survive for thousands, or even millions of years. These “eonophiles” (once confirmed to have extraordinarily long life spans) “redefine our preconceived notions about the nature of life,” she asserts. Truly, these lifestyles are alien, and how fortunate we are to uncover more about them right here on Earth!

New Scientist Book Club

Do you enjoy reading? Join a welcoming group of fellow book enthusiasts. Every six weeks, we explore exciting new titles, providing members with free access to book excerpts, author articles, and video interviews.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Why Tech Startups Aim to Send Your Waste Deep Underground

Posted on July 24, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Tanks for disposal at a Kansas site where waste is funneled into underground salt caves

Vaulted Deep

A startup named Vaulted Deep has partnered with Microsoft to pump millions of tons of treated human waste, fertilizer, and various organic waste deep underground as a method to reduce carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. This strategy also mitigates soil contamination from PFAs and other chemical pollutants that can leach from waste.

“We aim to tackle both challenges simultaneously,” Omar Abu Sei stated. “We address the waste issues that compromise local water, air, and land while also contributing to climate solutions.”

In recent years, the Texas-based startup has injected almost 70,000 tons of carbon-rich waste underground, successfully removing over 18,000 tons of carbon dioxide. The technology used is derived from the oil and gas industry, enabling the injection of a slurry comprising liquid, solid, and gas simultaneously. This type of waste typically ends up in landfills or is spread over agricultural fields.

According to Abou-Sayed, if waste is injected at depth, it will eventually release back into the atmosphere, which could potentially liberate millions of tons of carbon. The company capitalizes on this by selling each ton of CO2 removed to businesses or governmental entities.

The contract with Microsoft targets the removal of 4.9 million tons of CO2 over the next 12 years, addressing challenges in the carbon removal sector that attract customers. Microsoft aims to be carbon negative by 2030 and has purchased more carbon removal credits than any other organization.

Abou-Sayed mentions that this agreement will enable Vaulted Deep to identify new injection sites beyond its existing two locations. One site injects “biosolids” remaining from treated wastewater approximately 1,600 meters below the surface in Los Angeles, while the second site in Hutchinson, Kansas, pumps human waste, fertilizer, and organic materials like paper sludge into salt caverns located hundreds of meters underground.

According to one report, the global production of organic waste is substantial enough to facilitate this process and potentially eliminate up to 5 billion tons of CO2 annually.

Vaulted Deep’s mission is to ensure that the maximum amount of waste can be accessed, particularly targeting wet solid slurries that have limited disposal options. “We have developed expertise in identifying where these smooth waste materials can be found,” explains Abou-Sayed. Often, they offer to manage waste disposal at no cost or even provide payment to waste generators.

This system facilitates underground waste injection.

Vaulted Deep

With high concentrations of nitrogen and PFAs found in waste, storing waste underground instead of spreading it on fields or sending it to landfills can significantly lower surface contamination levels. Many municipalities have faced challenges in finding conventional disposal methods due to stricter PFAs pollution regulations.

“This is a highly innovative approach,” commented Diana Oviedo Valgas from the Stroudwater Research Center in Pennsylvania. “We need diverse strategies to address contaminants, not just PFAs.” However, she emphasizes that injecting waste underground does not eliminate contaminants. “It’s somewhat concealed,” she adds.

To ensure safety during the injection process, Abou-Sayed noted that all sites will undergo a thorough permitting procedure managed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This is necessary to demonstrate that leaks from the storage area into groundwater or backflow from the well won’t occur, and to reduce the risk of induced seismic activity during the injection.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Deep Sleep Appears to Foster More Eureka Moments

Posted on June 26, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

A nap may enhance problem-solving abilities

Pavel Mary / Alamy

A deep nap could improve one’s capacity for creative problem-solving.

A recent study revealed that individuals are more likely to experience a “Eureka” moment after entering the second stage of sleep—characterized by slower brain activity and bursts of electrical discharges known as sleep spindles—compared to those who have light sleep.

The results suggest that brief, deep naps can lead to valuable insights. Annika Rowe from the Max Planck Institute in Berlin notes, “We are uncovering what actually occurs during sleep, which I believe is quite beneficial.” She added, “During deep sleep, our brains may process irrelevant information related to the problem, enabling us to have these insightful moments upon waking.”

While previous research highlights that naps can enhance creativity and problem-solving, opinions vary regarding which sleep stages are most beneficial. Some argue that the lightest non-REM stage, N1, is best—citing how Thomas Edison embraced ideas while holding a steel ball that would audibly drop, waking him from deeper slumber. In contrast, some studies advocate that deeper N2 sleep (even lighter N3) fosters greater innovation.

To explore this further, Löwe and her team engaged 90 healthy participants aged 18-35 in a task where they classified the movement direction of rapidly flashing dot patterns on a screen, without informing them that the dot colors would gradually hint at correct answers.

Fifteen participants chose shortcuts in the first 25 minutes, while the remaining 75 were invited to take a 20-minute nap in a quiet setting, monitoring their brain activity with an EEG.

After napping, participants revisited the task. This time, most recognized color-based shortcuts, although the likelihood of a “Eureka” moment appeared to hinge on having napped. Among the 68 participants yielding quality EEG data, 85.7% who entered deeper N2 sleep recognized shortcuts.

This research distinctly illustrates that deeper sleep can trigger “Eureka” moments—at least for the specific task used. Itamar Rana from the University of Texas, San Antonio states, “The task type heavily influences whether sleep enhances performance.” ”

Delphine Oudiette from the Paris Brain Institute mentions that varying task designs might explain their findings of significant problem-solving post N1 sleep. “Both sleep stages could be significant, but different cognitive processes may necessitate isolation for a clearer understanding,” she points out.

Björn Rasch at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland notes that the findings support the notion that deeper sleep aids problem-solving, but cautions that the study’s design complicates distinguishing between causation and coincidence. Participants were not randomly assigned to sleep stages and were not studied across various sleep scenarios; thus, those who napped comfortably might simply possess a higher insight capacity.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Men Who Shared Deep Fake Images of Notable Australian Women Risk $450,000 Fine

Posted on May 26, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Regulators overseeing online safety are pursuing the maximum fine of $450,000 against a man for publishing deepfake images of a well-known Australian woman on his website, marking a significant case in an Australian court.

The Esafety Commissioner has initiated legal action against Anthony Rotondo for his failure to remove “intimate images” of high-profile Australian women from the Deepfake Pornography site.

The federal courts maintain the confidentiality of the women’s real names.

The court learned that Rotondo initially defied the order while residing in the Philippines, prompting the committee to pursue legal action upon his return to Australia.

Rotondo had posted an image on Mrdeepfakes’ site.

In December 2023, Rotondo was fined after admitting to breaching the court’s order by failing to remove the image. He subsequently provided the password to delete the Deepfake image.

A representative from the Esafety Commissioner indicated that regulators are aiming for a fine between $400,000 and $450,000 for the violations of online safety law.

The spokesperson emphasized that the proposed penalty reflects the seriousness of the “significant impact on the targeted women.”

“This penalty aims to deter others from partaking in such harmful actions,” they stated.

Esafety highlighted that the creation and distribution of nonconsensual explicit deepfake images result in severe psychological and emotional harm for the victims.

The penalty hearing occurred on Monday, and the court has reserved its decision.

Additionally, federal legislation was passed in 2024, strengthening the fight against explicit deepfakes.

Esafiti Commissioner Julie Inman Grant during the Senate estimates. Photo: Mick Tsikas/AAP

In her introductory remarks to the Senate committee considering the bill last July, Esafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant noted that DeepFakes have surged by 550% since 2019, with 99% of such pornographic content featuring images of women and girls.

“Abuse involving deepfake images is not only on the rise, but it is also highly gendered and incredibly distressing for the victims,” Inman Grant stated.

“To my surprise, the number of open-source AI applications like this is rapidly increasing online, often available for free and easy to use for anyone with a smartphone.

“Thus, these apps present a low barrier for perpetrators, while the repercussions for the targets are devastating and often immeasurable.”

Source: www.theguardian.com

Aspiring Deep Sea Explorer? No Need to Worry—Many Opportunities Await!

Posted on May 8, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Humans have visually documented around 1,470 square miles of the ocean floor, which represents only 0.001%. As per recent research. This area is slightly larger than Rhode Island.

The report, released on Wednesday in the journal Science Advances, raises questions about whether the nation will pursue underwater mining for essential minerals.

Some researchers argue that our knowledge about the seabed is limited, suggesting that more exploration is necessary to responsibly advance extraction efforts.

“More information is always beneficial for making informed decisions,” said Katie Krovbell, a deep-sea explorer and founder of the Ocean Discovery League, a nonprofit focused on seabed exploration.

Understanding the deep sea is crucial for grasping how climate change and human actions impact the ocean, she mentioned. Nonetheless, the study also emphasizes the fundamental excitement that motivates many marine scientists.

“Just think about what lies in the remaining 99.999%,” Dr. Bell commented.

Visual documentation efforts began in 1958 with the deep-sea Trieste. Images collected since then have led biologists to discover new species and understand their interactions within marine ecosystems.

Studying deep-sea organisms on the surface is challenging, as few, if any, are adapted to high-pressure environments. Hence, photos and videos are invaluable.

“Certain habitats cannot be sampled from ships,” said Craig McClain, a marine biologist at the University of Louisiana who was not part of the study. “You need to utilize ROVs for that,” he added.

Visualizing the seafloor is also beneficial for geologists. Prior to the advent of remotely operated vehicles and crewed submersibles, researchers had to drag heavy buckets from their ships to see what they contained.

“They will just handle rocks without context,” stated Emily Chin, a geologist at the Institute of Oceanography, who was not involved in the current study. “It’s akin to studying meteors and attempting to understand another planet’s processes.”

By analyzing rock formations on the seabed through photos and videos, scientists gain insights into basic Earth processes. This knowledge also aids businesses in evaluating potential mining and oil and gas sites.

However, accessing the ocean floor is costly in both financial and temporal aspects. Dr. Bell mentioned that exploring a one-square-kilometer area of the deep seabed could cost between $2 million and $20 million. Planning can take years, while things can go wrong in a matter of hours. During a dive, progress is slow, and ROVs tethered to the ship have limited operational ranges, making repositioning tedious.

Given numerous obstacles, Dr. Bell sought to determine how much of the seafloor had been observed and documented.

Dr. Bell and her team compiled records from over 43,000 deep-sea dives, assessed the resulting images, and estimated the extent of the areas documented.

They estimated that 2,130-3,823 square kilometers of the deep seabed have been imaged, equating to about 0.001% of the total seabed.

“I anticipated the figure would be small, but I didn’t expect it to be quite so limited,” Dr. Bell remarked. “We’ve been conducting these efforts for nearly 70 years.”

The study excluded dives in regions where data isn’t publicly accessible, such as military operations and oil exploration. Even if additional documented areas are included, Dr. Bell expressed, “I doubt it would significantly change the current understanding.”

Much of what marine biologists know about the deep seabed is derived from limited areas. The authors argue that this situation mirrors extrapolating data from a smaller area than Houston to represent the entire planet’s land surface.

The survey also indicated that high-income nations conduct 99.7% of all deep-sea dives, led by the US, Japan, and New Zealand. Most dives occur within 200 nautical miles of these countries. This means that the focus of exploration might skew the representation of the studied marine environments.

“Many experts around the globe possess deep ocean knowledge,” Dr. Bell stated. “However, they lack the necessary tools to perform the research and exploration they aspire to.”

The findings reveal that dives are often concentrated in specific areas, such as the Mariana Trench and Monterey Canyon, focusing on similar features like hydrothermal vents. Since the 1980s, most deep dives have been in shallower coastal waters, leaving vast expanses of the deep ocean uncharted.

“This study provides a valuable overview of our current status and emphasizes where we still need to explore in the deep sea,” Dr. McClain noted.

Source: www.nytimes.com

Skin Deep Review: Kitty Rescue Immersive Sims Bring Slapstick Fun to the Comic Playground

Posted on April 30, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

wImmersive Sims are a unique realm in gaming, often subjected to gamer gatekeeping. From the classic PC title System Shock to the Dickensian world of Dishonored 2, this genre is akin to avant-garde electronica or Darren Aronofsky films—beloved by critics and genre enthusiasts, yet somewhat alienating to the broader audience. Like similar fandoms, the most ardent fans of immersive sims often regard linear blockbusters with disdain. So, sorry Assassin’s Creed players, this is a club you can’t join.

While larger games like Tears of the Kingdom have recently experimented with genre elements, truly accessible, immersive sims are still scarce. Enter Deep Skin by Blendo Games—an attempt to cozy up the genre. With a premise lifted straight from a 2000s web comic, you take on the role of Nina Pasadena, an insurance commando determined to protect a kitty fleet from a pirate siege. Responding to the increasingly urgent distress signals from the anxious Tabby, Nina stealthily approaches the besieged vessel, strategizing to save the feline clientele.

Steal your prey with anything at hand: books and writers? …Deep Skin. Photo: Annapurna Interactive

The narrative is delightfully absurd, but the intriguing mechanics of the collision system deserve recognition. While pilfering supplies with unconventional items, I release a cloud of sanitizers, then knock out a pirate using a hefty novel. Before he can retaliate, I swiftly maneuver away, blending into a shimmering cloud to engulf adversaries in a spectacular explosion. This whimsical, slapstick style truly shines in Deep Skin, presenting a playground that revels in the absurdity of simulation.

However, not all aspects are flawless; Blendo Games introduces its own quirky gameplay twists. Pirates can respawn after being incapacitated, their “skull saber” desperately hovering back to their lifeless bodies. Nina must act quickly to dispose of the screaming heads before they seek revenge. One creative solution involves launching the skulls into space through shattered windows, while flushing the screams down a space toilet—an inventive way to bin each nuisance. The Duper Gun replicas allow players to sneak up on guards and instantly copy items in their possession, whether weapons or keys—vital for those kittens.

A manga-like playground… Deep Skin. Photo: Annapurna Interactive

With fully detailed ship environments, players can exit through airlocks and scale the exteriors, searching for sneaky entry points. In one mission, I crash through an exterior window, landing dramatically and removing a shard of bloody glass from my foot before tossing it into a pirate’s face, channeling my inner cat-loving John McClane.

Blendo Games recognizes that the finest immersive Sims often function as whimsical playgrounds. Every element feels like a sandbox, a tool for mischief. From tossing a pepper at a guard to watch him sneeze uncontrollably, to riding on a pirate’s back and charging into a wall, the delightful chaos of Deep Skin truly embraces its playful nature.

Unfortunately, I hoped for a more serious narrative tone. The liberated cube cat bursts from its cage with sparkling flair, prompting me to respond to Paw-Penned’s request for an elusive VHS tape. Although the humor of Skin Deep may appeal to some, the incessant cat puns and overly zany tone became exhausting, eliciting more grimaces than laughs.

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/4SvXMG8Ghaw?wmode=opaque&feature=oembed" title="SKIN DEEP | Coming to PC April 30" height="480" width="854" allowfullscreen="

If the cat-centric concept appeals, be mindful that Skin Deep utilizes Doom 3’s 2004 ID Tech Engine. Picture your nostalgic PC classic’s dimly lit corridors replaced with vibrant colors. Aimed deliberately at hardcore gamers, it sounds great on paper, but the outdated aesthetic doesn’t quite deliver the intended retro-chic vibe, often appearing quite primitive.

Nevertheless, if you’re a fan of quirky experiences, this colorful and refreshing entry into a notoriously challenging genre is worth your time. Ultimately, it offers a unique simulator filled with slapstick humor, although it may not cater to seasoned genre aficionados or entice complete newcomers. Perhaps not a breakthrough title, but if you can appreciate the whimsy of Deep Skin, you may find 10 hours of futuristic cat-themed fun ahead.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Former School Athletic Director Sentenced to Four Months in Prison for Racist Deep Fark Recordings

Posted on April 30, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

The former athletic director, charged with using artificial intelligence to generate racist and anti-Semitic audio clips, also allegedly impersonated the school’s principal, as indicated by prosecutors.

Dazon Darien, 32, the former director, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and a disturbing charge related to school activities, according to the Baltimore County State Law Office. He previously faced additional allegations including theft, stalking, and witness retaliation.

As reported by the Associated Press, Darien pleaded guilty to charges of intrusive school management while maintaining innocence under an Alford plea.

Darien, who previously served as athletic director at Pikesville High School, produced an audio clip containing derogatory comments about “ungrateful black kids” and light jabs at Jewish students. Police records revealed that the audio aimed to discredit the school principal, Eric Eiswart.

In a statement of fact, Eiswart mentioned having “discussions” with Darien regarding his contract renewal, citing “poor performance, inadequate procedures, and reluctance to follow the chain of command” as concerns. Darien’s troubles began in late 2023, which led to the audio’s release, according to the statement.

The attorneys representing Darien did not return calls or messages on Tuesday. The Baltimore County Public Schools District declined to comment on the situation, and attempts to reach Mr. Eiswart on Tuesday were unsuccessful.

Following his sentencing, Darien was returned to federal custody to address additional charges related to the exploitation of children and possession of child pornography.

Manufactured recordings shared on Instagram in January 2024 quickly circulated, impacting Baltimore County Public Schools, which serves over 100,000 students. Eiswart, who withheld comment during the investigation, has received multiple threats to his safety, according to police. He has also been placed on administrative leave by the school district.

Police records indicated that Darien expressed dissatisfaction with Eiswart in December after the principal initiated an investigation into him. It was revealed that Darien had allowed roommates to pay the district $1,916, falsely claiming the roommate was an assistant coach for the Pikesville Girls’ soccer team.

Shortly thereafter, police reported that Darien utilized the district’s internet services to explore artificial intelligence tools, including OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT chatbots, and Microsoft’s Bing Chat.

(The New York Times filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft in December 2023 for copyright infringement concerning news content related to AI systems.)

Creating realistic, manufactured videos, often referred to as deepfakes, has become increasingly simple. Previously, one required sophisticated software, but now many of these tools are available through smartphone apps, raising concerns among AI researchers regarding the potential dangers posed by this technology.

Source: www.nytimes.com

New Phylums of Bacteria Uncovered in Earth’s Deep Soil by Biologists

Posted on April 9, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Deep Soils – Depending on the type and area of soil, ranges from less than 30 cm (12 inches) to several hundred meters are neglected ecosystems within important zones of the Earth. Biologists have now discovered a wide and relatively abundant bacterial phyla, named CSP1-3, in deep soils, and evaluated its phylogenetic, ecology, metabolism, and evolutionary history.

A diagram showing the history of evolution from aquatic organisms and adaptive characteristics of CSP1-3 phylums in each habitat. Image credit: Michigan State University.

“The key zone extends from above the trees through the soil to a maximum of 213 m (700 feet),” said Professor James Tiedee of Michigan State University.

“This zone supports most life on the planet as it regulates critical processes such as soil formation, water circulation and nutrition cycling, which are essential for food production, water quality, and ecosystem health.”

“Despite its importance, the deep critical zone is a new frontier, as it is a relatively unexplored part of the Earth.”

Professor Tiedje and his colleagues discovered a completely different microbial phylum called CSP1-3 in this huge, unexplored world of microorganisms.

This new gate was identified in soil samples ranging from both Iowa and China up to 70 feet (21 m) deep.

“Why Iowa and China? Because these two regions have very deep and similar soils and I want to know if their occurrence is more common than just one region,” Professor Tiedje said.

Researchers extracted DNA from these deep soils and discovered that CSP1-3 ancestors lived in water millions of years ago.

They undergo at least one major habitat transition to colonize the soil environment. It is in the first topsoil and the deep soil that followed, within its evolutionary history.

Scientists also discovered that CSP1-3 microorganisms are active.

“Most people think that these organisms are like spores and dormant,” Professor Thiedeye said.

“But one of the important findings we found by examining DNA is that these microorganisms are growing actively and slowly.”

The authors were also surprised that these microorganisms were not unusual members of the community, but dominated. In some cases, they made up more than 50% of the community, but this is by no means the case in surface soils.

“I think this happened because deep soils are very different environments and this group of organisms evolved over a long period of time to adapt to this poor soil environment,” Professor Tiedje said.

a paper The explanation of the survey results was published on March 18th. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

____

Wenlu Feng et al. 2025. Diversification, niche adaptation, and evolution of candidate phylums that thrive in deep critical zones. pnas 122 (12): E2424463122; doi: 10.1073/pnas.2424463122

Source: www.sci.news

The Lessons I Gained from Playing Switch 2 on Nintendo’s “Deep Diving” | Games

Posted on April 2, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

s
Ixty minutes – It reminds us how much time Nintendo spent on Wednesday afternoons and that no other video game makers have produced such joy. It was the Nintendo live stream we’ve been waiting for: Dive deep into a new console After a lot of speculation. Certainly, Switch 2 is the company’s first real hardware sequel. This is not a radical new kit, but an updated, sploaded version of its predecessor. But the update is an interesting part.

Naturally, I’m getting a larger (7.9 inch, to be precise) screen that appears in full HD at 1080p. But we’re rethinking the Joy-Con controller that clicks on the console via a powerful magnet, rather than a hard slider, which we all put in the wrong way. The buttons are also large so adults can play Mario Kart with similar skills. However, the main new feature of the controller is the new rollerball, which allows each one to operate as a mouse. This allows for new point-and-click features and some interesting control options. I love showing this at a wheelchair basketball game. There, the controller is simulated by sliding it over a long surface to push the wheels.

Nintendo Switch 2.

The new Mario Kart game, Mario Kart World, looks pretty nice. It’s probably inspired by things like Forza Horizon and Test Drive Unlimited and offers an open world to drive. There are also circuit races and endurance competitions where you drive from one side of the map to the other. According to the trailer shown during the live stream, 24 drivers will be able to participate in each race. This will most likely take part in the history of the series. There is also a free roam mode where you can explore where you want or take a scenic drive with friends.

“With Friends” was definitely the theme of the stream. A new C button on Joy-Con opens the GameChat facility. This allows you to start group discussions with friends and family who also own the Switch 2 console. If you also purchase a Switch 2 camera, there is also a video chat option. Like the candy coloured version of Zoom, your companions will be visible along the bottom of the screen when you play the game, and you can chat all of them, even if you’re playing something else. Several trailers shown during the presentation even suggest that video footage from friends will be incorporated into the game itself. This is where Nintendo is always doing its best. Finding new ways to embarrass yourself or to confuse or please your older relatives.

Donkey Kong: Bananza 2 on the Switch. Photo: Nintendo

Was this a knockout victory for Nintendo? Well, there was a Many As for the game’s announcement, I didn’t get a new 3D Mario Adventure, but it sometimes comes after a while after its release. Also, fans have already made Tutankyu about the game’s price. The machine is on sale for an acceptable £395.99 (or £429.99 bundled with Mario Kart World), but Mario Kart World appears to be a retailer for £75. There’s a lot, but Mario Kart 8 lasted throughout the Switch’s lifespan, with most owners getting hundreds of hours of entertainment.

The pre-order process, which opens on April 8th, will be interesting. Scalper turned the release of the Xbox Series X and PS5 into an ugly and expensive drama using Sony’s Machine It’s on sale for $2,000 At some point thanks to limited availability.

Nintendo is good at joy and this really looks like a lovely machine. But amidst a far cry from joy, fans (and their parents) are looking very closely at pre-order and sales figures over the coming weeks.

What to do

The tough brain challenge… Rosewater. Photo: Grundislav Game

I’ve been a Western Adventure Games sucker ever since playing Accolade’s classic Western law for the Commodore 64. Rose water Following journalist Harley Leger, a steampunk-infused point-and-click puzzle, arrives in the prestigious frontier town for work in a local newspaper, but instead gets caught up in a treasure hunt.

Created by Grundislav Games, this is the spiritual successor to the studio’s 2018 title, Lamplight City, but it can come to this fresh one. It’s full of interesting characters and tough brain challenges, and the crisp pixel art is the treatment of Rootin, Tutin. sorry.

Available at: PC, Mac
Estimated playtime: 15-20 hours

What to read

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was originally intended for the Wii U. Photo: Nintendo

Probably, Nintendo Switch 2 News, timing it to match the polygon There are works About playing Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Wii u,This was the intended platform of the previous machine before it reached the switch. Many people have forgotten that they actually got the Wii-U release, but was that… OK? But an interesting read.
New Industry Site Game Business There is an interview With Alan Tuscan, head of the Netflix games. He sees Wii-style family video games as the future of the platform. “For party games, I think you can use your phone as a very innovative controller. Every phone that has a gyroscope, you have a microphone, so you have a speaker, do you have a touchscreen? Um, as you can, Sony showed PlayLink technology on the PlayStation 4 a few years ago. Maybe Netflix will hang a little more there.
As a fan of the strange horror game of the mid-1990s, I was so happy to meet Christian Donlan. Written for Eurogamer About Harlan Ellison’s twisted terror adventure, I I have no mouth and I need to scream. The story of the last survivors of a computer-initiated nuclear war, tortured by their approvers, could not be made in a more timely manner.

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Question block

Tea Room Photo: Robert Yang

This week I continued Blue skiing To ask questions and this concise enquiry game Rainer Sigur:

“Where is the game counter?culture? Does it exist? ”

My equally concise answer is: it’s complicated. This depends on how the term is interpreted.

My copy of the concise Oxford English Dictionary defines counterculture as follows: It could mostly embrace the entire independent game development community, but it could be more specific.

Perhaps Bennett Foddy’s hyper-challenging game is countercultural, as it is not intuitive to purposefully control. Or maybe www.theguardian.com

There could be billions of years old towering structures deep within the Earth

Posted on January 23, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

A strange continent-sized structure (red) lurks beneath the planet's surface

Edward Garnero. SW French, BA Romanowicz, Geophys. J. Int. 199, 1303, 2014.

Two giant blobs deep within the Earth may remain stable for billions of years despite powerful internal fluctuations, according to an analysis of seismic waves reverberating across the planet.

“When a major earthquake occurs, the entire earth expands and contracts like a bell.” arwen Deus At Utrecht University in the Netherlands. “The earth becomes an instrument.”

Decades ago, measurements of such seismic waves identified two strange continent-sized structures, one under the Pacific Ocean and one under Africa. They extend for almost 1000 kilometers from the outer core to the lower mantle, the slowly moving layer between the Earth's crust and core.

Because seismic waves pass through these objects more slowly, they are called “large low shear velocity regions” or LLSVPs. However, little is known about its composition and origin.

To gain further information, Deus and her colleagues analyzed how these regions attenuate the energy of seismic waves, in addition to changes in wave speed. Such measurements reveal information about the temperature, composition, shape, and size of the LLSVP.

The researchers expected that the structure, which would be hotter than the surrounding area, would significantly attenuate seismic waves. “Lo and behold, we found the opposite,” says Deus.

To explain the lack of decay at high temperatures, the researchers propose that LLSVP must be composed of minerals with large crystals that are stable in heat. This also suggests that these regions are highly viscous and can maintain stability as the mantle moves around them.

This stability could mean that these objects are very old, dating back to the formation of planets at least 500 million years ago, and possibly more than 4 billion years ago, Deus said. They may act as repositories of primordial material, unchanged since the Earth formed, that sometimes reaches the surface via volcanoes.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Deep sea affected by ocean acidification

Posted on November 27, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Deep sea coral reefs are at risk of acidification

Howard Chu/Alamy Stock Photo

Ocean acidification is penetrating to depths of 1,500 meters, posing new threats to creatures such as sea butterflies, sea snails and cold-water corals.

The ocean is the largest natural sink of carbon dioxide, absorbing about a quarter of our annual emissions. The uptake of CO2 makes the ocean surface more acidic, which affects sensitive ecosystems such as coral reefs. But until now, researchers didn’t know how far acidification was reaching the deep ocean.

jens daniel müller Researchers at the Federal Institute of Technology Zurich in Switzerland have developed a 3D reconstruction of how CO2 moves through the ocean, based on global measurements of ocean currents and other circulation patterns. They used this model to estimate how the carbon dioxide absorbed by the ocean has affected deep-sea acidity since 1800, around the beginning of the industrial revolution.

They found clear acidification signals down to 1,000 meters deep in most of the ocean. In some regions, such as the North Atlantic, where the powerful Atlantic Meridional Overturning Current (AMOC) transports carbon from the surface to the deep ocean, acidification was observed down to 1500 meters. Some pockets of deep water, which are more acidic in nature, showed even more acidification than the surface. Their high natural acidity reduces their ability to absorb added CO2, Mueller says.

This is more or less what researchers expected would happen as the oceans absorbed more carbon dioxide. Wang Hongjie at the University of Rhode Island. “But it’s another thing to actually see the data coming in that affirms this.”

Remarkably, about half of all acidification since 1800 has occurred since 1994, as CO2 emissions have increased exponentially. “We’re seeing this progress be quite rapid,” Muller says.

The scale of acidification is sufficient to threaten the survival of a wide range of life in the oceans. Chiropods such as sea snails and sea butterflies are particularly at risk because their shells are made of calcium, which dissolves when water becomes too acidic. Increasing acidification has doubled the number of areas where it is difficult for cold-water corals to survive.

And ocean acidification will continue as seawater absorbs more carbon dioxide. “Even if we were able to stop carbon dioxide emissions immediately, we would still see ocean acidification processes inland for hundreds of years,” Muller said.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Deep Sea Nodules Uncovered as Surprising Oxygen Source

Posted on July 23, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Nodules taken from the ocean floor being examined in a laboratory

Camille Bridgewater (2024)

Metallic nodules scattered across the floor of the Indian and Pacific Oceans provide a source of oxygen for nearby marine life, a discovery that could upend our understanding of the deep ocean.

In some areas, the abyssal plains are dotted with potato-sized nodules rich in valuable cobalt, manganese and nickel that are targets for deep-sea mining activities.

Andrew Sweetman Researchers from the Scottish Institute for Marine Science in Oban, UK, were conducting research in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone of the Pacific Ocean (a region rich in nodules) in 2013 when they first noticed something odd about these waters.

Sweetman and his colleagues sent a machine to the ocean floor, sealed off a 22-square-centimeter section of the seafloor, and measured the flow of oxygen. Far from decreasing, the data suggested that oxygen content was actually increasing in the monitored areas.

But in the absence of any noticeable vegetation, Sweetman says, that didn’t make sense. “I was taught from an early age that oxygen-rich ecosystems were only possible through photosynthesis,” he says. He came to the conclusion that the machine he was using was flawed. “I literally ignored the data,” he says.

Then, in 2021, Sweetman went on another research cruise in the Pacific Ocean, and the machine made the same discovery: elevated oxygen levels at the ocean floor, even using a different measurement method.

“We were seeing the same oxygen production in these two different data sets,” Sweetman says, “and suddenly we realized that we’d been ignoring this incredibly innovative process for the last eight or nine years.”

He and his colleagues speculated that the metal nodules must play a role in boosting oxygen levels in the deep ocean, and laboratory tests of contaminating sediments and nodules ruled out the presence of oxygen-producing microorganisms.

Instead, Sweetman says the material in the nodules acts as a “geo-battery,” generating an electrical current that splits seawater into hydrogen and oxygen. “The reason these nodules are mined is because they contain everything you need to make electric car batteries,” he says. “What if the nodules themselves were acting as natural geo-batteries?”

When the team examined the rocks, they found that each nodule generated an electrical potential of up to 1 volt — when they combined together they could generate enough voltage to electrolyze seawater into hydrogen and oxygen, explaining why oxygen levels rise.

“We may have discovered a new natural source of oxygen,” Sweetman said, “We don’t know how widespread it is in time and space, but it’s very intriguing.”

Many questions remain unanswered. For example, the source of energy that creates the current remains a mystery. It’s also unclear whether the reaction occurs continuously, under what conditions, or how this oxygen contributes to maintaining the surrounding ecosystem. “We don’t have all the information yet, but we know it’s happening,” Sweetman says.

In deep-sea environments without sunlight or vegetation, some life forms get their energy from chemicals spewing from hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor. Some scientists believe life on Earth first emerged at these vents, but these early organisms would have needed a source of oxygen to make food from inorganic compounds. The new discovery suggests that the nodules could have been the oxygen source that helped life begin, Sweetman said.

That interpretation may be unreasonable, Donald Canfield The University of Southern Denmark researcher points out that oxygen is needed to produce the manganese oxides found in nodules. “Oxygenic photosynthesis is a prerequisite for the formation of nodules,” he says. “Therefore, oxygen production by nodules is not an alternative oxygen production equivalent to oxygenic photosynthesis. It is highly unlikely that nodules played a role in oxygenating the Earth.”

but, Ruth Blake The Yale researchers say the idea of producing oxygen in the deep sea remains “exciting” and that further study is needed into the phenomenon and its potential impact on deep-sea ecosystems.

Sweetman’s research was funded in part by The Metals Company (TMC), a deep-sea mining company that is targeting metal nodules in the Clarion-Clipperton field. Patrick Downs TMC’s Downs said he had “serious concerns” about the findings, adding that his company’s analysis suggested Sweetman’s results were due to outside oxygen contamination. “We intend to write a rebuttal,” Downs said in a statement. New Scientist.

But the findings are likely to strengthen calls for a ban on deep-sea mining, backed by many oceanographers who say their understanding of these regions is still evolving. Paul Dando Researchers from the British Marine Biological Society said the paper reinforced the view among deep-sea scientists that “we shouldn’t mine these nodules until we understand their ecology”.

Sweetman said the discovery isn’t necessarily a “say-tale” move for deep-sea mining, but it could limit mining in places where oxygen production is low, and more research is needed to explore how sediments disturbed by the mining process affect oxygen production, he said.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Possible Discovery of Lunar Cave Entrance Deep Hole on the Moon

Posted on July 15, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Proposed underground geometry of the Mare Tranquillitatis on the Moon

Wagner and Robinson

A network of caves may be hidden just beneath the Moon's surface, and researchers may have finally discovered an access point. These caves have long been predicted, but until now it has been difficult to prove their existence or find a way to directly explore them with future missions.

The Moon's surface is dotted with holes, or so-called skylights, which are openings in the ceilings of caves that are thought to have been formed by the collapse of ancient lava tubes – tunnels formed when lava flows beneath the solid crust. Leonardo Carrell Researchers from the University of Trento in Italy have discovered that the deepest part of these formations, the “The Pit of the Sea of TranquilityThese images were taken by NASA's Lunar Rover in 2010.

By comparing their simulations with lava tubes on Earth, the researchers found that the Mare Tranquillitatis hole appears to open into a large cavern buried at least 400 feet (130 meters) underground. The cave appears to be about 150 feet (45 meters) wide and at least 100 feet (30 meters) long, but could be much larger.

Caves like these could offer a unique window into the evolution of the Moon, says Carell. “Analyzing rocks from lunar caves, which have not been altered by the harsh lunar environment, could provide important insights into key scientific questions, such as the timeline and duration of volcanic activity on the Moon and the actual composition of the Moon's mantle,” Carell says.

The same stone ceiling that protects the cave rocks from the intense radiation experienced on the surface could also provide valuable shielding for future human explorers on the Moon. “Unlike the surface of the Moon, where temperatures change dramatically between day and night, [the caves] “It has a stable internal temperature, and it's also a natural shield against radiation and impacts,” Carrell says.

The idea of using natural caves like these as lunar base camps has long been popular, and future astronauts may one day call the Sea of Tranquility home.

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Moon/
Space Exploration

Source: www.newscientist.com

Review of Still Wakes the Deep – The Terrifying Entity on a 1970s Scottish Oil Rig | Video Games

Posted on June 18, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

TThe film’s premise is a classic of the genre: one day, workers on the oil rig Beira D hit something with their drill, and soon a nameless monster descends on the vessel, killing the crew one by one. At the same time, Glaswegian electrician Cameron “Caz” McCreary is already on the verge of leaving the rig, having been fired from his remote workplace where he took refuge from the police after a huge bar fight. It is in his work boots that we step on as he desperately searches for a way out.

The team behind Still Wakes the Deep is hardly the same as The Chinese Room, the developer behind previous hits Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs and Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, both of which share the same trademark high visual fidelity, realistic soundwork, and emotive acting. Still Wakes the Deep is set on perhaps the most realistic oil rig ever seen in media, down to the hundreds of tiny hissing valves and labyrinthine metal staircases that groan dangerously. This wouldn’t be the place for health and safety talk, even without the terror looming from the deep, and the rig is by far the game’s most prominent character.

Still Wakes the Deep is also probably the most Scottish game you’ll ever play, and there’s a surprising amount of it. Each snippet of dialogue is a great example of how natural conversation should be, whether Kaz is talking to his few remaining colleagues or reflecting on the events that led him to Beira D. But at around six hours, the game is short, and there isn’t enough time for character development beyond a perfunctory introduction, which makes it hard to empathize with the characters, and isn’t helped by the clumsy device of having several characters call you in succession only to die over the phone.

The most realistic oil rig ever made in media…and yet it awakens the deep sea. Photo: Incognito mode

This is one of The Chinese Room’s most interactive games, doing more than just walking around and looking at things. But its gameplay design has one big problem: me, the savvy player. All of Still Wakes’ gameplay devices are used in so many games that I couldn’t help but groan the first time I saw yellow paint splattered on a ledge to grab onto. After that, yellow is everywhere: yellow tarps showing you where to climb, yellow edges on targets you can jump through, etc. Beira D goes from an interesting maze to a smooth parkour course.

When enemies appear, Caz can’t fight them; instead, he must sneak through them. Areas are littered with crouching spaces and items you can throw as distractions, and they’re often in rooms that you’ll need to cross multiple times before you can take cover. Ideally, this should be a source of tension, but as with navigation, the game makes it very clear what’s coming (and what’s going: at one point a rig worker literally shouts across a loud, echoing room that a monster is actually leaving), so there’s little you can do as the player other than follow the path.

Still awaken the abyss. Photo: Incognito mode

I was frustrated when I found the light from my headlamp didn’t bother the monsters, making it incredibly easy to sneak around. Or I’d fail a jump for purely camera-related reasons and have to listen to McCreary swear as he falls to his death multiple times, and I felt the tension melt away. The ever-present desire to help the player contrasts with horror games’ need to leave us in the dark sometimes. Every time the illusion crumbled, I left the game to put up with just to see what would happen to a character I wasn’t particularly attached to.

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Still Wakes the Deep manages to create an atmospheric portrait of an ordinary person with no special skills simply trying to survive in the harshest environment imaginable, but there aren’t enough real scares or compelling moments to make it memorable beyond that.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Dogs Have a Deep Understanding of Words and Their Meanings.

Posted on March 22, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

dogs can remember the names of things

Golodenkov/Shutterstock

Records of dogs’ brain activity show that dogs seem to understand that words refer to specific objects.

Some dogs can retrieve a variety of objects on command, but few do well in such tests in the lab. Additionally, it is unclear whether dogs understand words as names of objects rather than instructions.

To explore this question further, Marianna Boros Researchers at Eötvös Lorand University in Budapest, Hungary, tested 18 dogs from a wide range of breeds, including border collies, toy poodles and Labrador retrievers.

Owners selected five objects that were familiar to each dog. In the test, they said the name of an object and showed the dog either the named object or another object.

Each dog’s brain waves were monitored using electroencephalography (EEG) to see if there was a difference in activity compared to when the word and object were the same, such as when the dog’s owner said “ball” and showed a stick. Ta.

“The idea was that if dogs understood the meaning of words, their brains would respond differently when presented with matching objects than when presented with mismatched objects,” Boros says.

The researchers found that the brainwave signals were different when the objects did not match, and that the effect was stronger for words that the individual dogs were familiar with. This is similar to results seen in humans and suggests that dogs know that certain words represent certain objects.

“The most important takeaway from this study is not only that non-humans have the ability to understand words referentially, but also that this ability appears to be present in dogs in general as well,” Boros said. says. “This study shows that dogs may understand more than they show.”

No one breed of dog seemed to exhibit better language skills than the other, Boros said.

susan hazel Researchers from the University of Adelaide in Australia say their study adds to our knowledge of dog cognition.

“I think both dogs understand more than we realize,” says Hazel. “This study shows that dogs seem to have mental representations of words they know, such as ball. This shows how dogs understand some words. This is no surprise at all to most dog owners.

On the other hand, many dog owners anthropomorphize their pets, ascribing emotions and understanding abilities to them that don’t exist, she says.

“Canine cognition is currently one of the most researched areas in the world,” says Hazell. “I love all the research about dogs, but I’d also like to learn more about the other animals we live closely with: cats, rabbits, horses.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Research suggests that Mars enhances Earth’s deep ocean circulation

Posted on March 14, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Australian and French geoscientists have used the geological record of Earth's deep ocean to discover a link between our home planet and the orbit of Mars. They discovered a surprising 2.4 million-year cycle of increase and decrease in deep ocean currents, which they found was related to periods of increased solar energy and climate warming.

This image from Mars Express' high-resolution stereo camera shows the Martian Earth set against a dark background. The planet's disk is speckled with yellow, orange, blue, and green, giving it an overall muted shade of gray, representing the varying composition of its surface. Image credit: ESA / DLR / FU Berlin / G. Michael / CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO.

“In 1976, scientists first demonstrated and confirmed the presence of 10,000- to 100,000-year astronomical cycles in deep-sea Pleistocene sediments. Milutin Milanković's theory “Earth's climate is regulated by the periodicity of perturbations in the Earth's orbit around the Sun and Earth's axis of rotation,” said Adriana Dutkiewicz, a researcher at the University of Sydney, and colleagues.

“Apart from the well-known astronomical cycles of 19,000, 23,000, 41,000, 100,000, and 400,000 years, which vary according to the Earth's climate, the geological record includes Large-period signals with longer periods are also included.”

“These large cycles contain orbitally forced periodicities of millions or even tens of millions of years, which are similarly related to incoming solar energy and paleoclimate changes. I am.”

In a new study, the authors used deep-sea sediment records to confirm the link between sediment movement and changes in Earth's orbit.

They discovered that the strength of deep ocean currents changes over a 2.4 million year cycle.

“We were surprised to find these 2.4 million-year cycles in deep-sea sediment data,” Dr. Dutkiewicz said.

“There's only one way to explain them. They're related to the cycle of Mars-Earth interactions around the sun.”

“The gravitational fields of the planets in our solar system interfere with each other, and this interaction, called resonance, changes the planet's eccentricity, a measure of how circular a planet's orbit is.”

“For Earth, that means a 2.4-million-year period of increased solar radiation and a warming climate.”

The researchers found that warming cycles are associated with an increase in deep ocean circulation, which correlates with increased breaks in the deep ocean record.

They identified deep eddies as a key component of early ocean warming.

Although these may partially alleviate ocean stagnation, some predict that subsequent stagnation may follow. AMOC (Atlantic meridional overturning circulation) drives the Gulf Stream and maintains Europe's warm climate.

“We now know that there are at least two distinct mechanisms that contribute to the active mixing of deep water in the ocean,” Professor Müller said.

“Deep-ocean eddies, of which AMOC is one, appear to play an important role in keeping the ocean ventilated in warmer climates.”

“Of course, it doesn't have the same effect as the AMOC in terms of transporting water masses from lower to higher latitudes and vice versa.”

“These eddies are like giant whirlpools that often reach the ocean floor in deep oceans, resulting in seafloor erosion and the accumulation of large sediments called contours that resemble snowdrifts.”

“Our deep-sea data over 65 million years suggests that there is a more active deep circulation in warmer oceans,” Dr. Dutkiewicz said.

“This could prevent ocean stagnation even if the AMOC slows down or stops altogether.”

of study It was published in the magazine nature communications.

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A. Dutkiewicz other. 2024. Deep-sea hibernation records reveal orbital pacing with an orbital eccentricity of 2.4 million grand cycles. Nat Commune 15th, 1998. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-46171-5

Source: www.sci.news

Robot explores deep sea to discover new species with dodecahedral design

Posted on January 18, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Robot dodecahedron mounted on a submersible (circled area)

brennan phillips

The robotic dodecahedron can capture fragile deep-sea animals, collect tissue samples, and build three-dimensional scans of the creatures, potentially speeding up the cataloging of deep-sea life. Up to 66% of marine species are still unknown to science.

brennan phillips RAD2 Sampler and colleagues at the University of Rhode Island have developed the RAD2 Sampler, which is designed to be mounted on any submersible to collect fresh tissue samples in situ from living animals. They hope this will reveal more about the creature than existing techniques, which are typically exposed to stress when pulled up from the depths.

RAD2 is a dodecahedron with an internal volume large enough to hold a basketball. It can be folded and unfolded on command to temporarily capture organisms for detailed examination and take small tissue samples that are stored directly on board the submarine for later genetic analysis. It is designed to.

The ultimate goal is to take a small biopsy and release the animal relatively unscathed, but RAD2's current technique (called tissue cutting) is “a little more crude,” Phillips said.

RAD2 has already been tested on two expeditions, collecting up to 14 tissue samples a day at a depth of around 1200 meters. “We could get small pieces of tissue, and sometimes we could get whole animals,” he says. “It depended on how big it was. So I can't say we've been able to release the animal unharmed after that, but we're moving towards that.”

The robot sampler is also equipped with a 4K resolution video camera to capture high-quality footage of the animal in motion, and a virtual model of the animal is constructed by various 3D scanning devices. In the future, Phillips said, he might be able to put sensors on each of his 12 sides of the dodecahedron and take different measurements of living things at once.

Phillips called other sampling methods “outdated” and said they essentially require people to manually put things into jars for later analysis, or use submersibles to do the same thing. Masu.

Preservation at the point of collection using RAD2 improves the quality of tissue samples and also allows researchers to detect which genes are expressed, further informing animal behavior and physiology. Phillips said it could shed some light. “This is a luxury item,” he says. “This is the best you can get with this animal, better than anyone we’ve ever had.”

eva stewart Researchers at the University of Southampton in the UK say that while digital data on deep-sea life can be a useful tool for research, there is no substitute for capturing and preserving entire samples.

“There are thousands of type specimens here. [at the university]” says Stewart.Some of them were collected by Swedish scientists carl linnaeusShe died in 1778 and says: Once you have the specimen, you are done. Even as our science changes, we can keep coming back to it. ”

But Stewart said underwater scans are useful for gelatinous and other delicate animals that are difficult to collect intact, and for how the creatures behave in their natural environment, rather than after being hoisted onto the deck of a boat. I agree that it may be helpful to understand.

“We've been conducting research to examine gene expression in sea cucumbers because we want to understand how sea cucumbers behave when they're stressed or affected by things like climate change,” says Stewart. he says. “But when you collect them and bring them to the surface, it's stressful. So being able to harvest tissue from them in a more natural way means you know what their natural baseline is, so they can It means we may be able to see more clearly what happens when placed in different environments.”

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Are freshwater manatees found in West Africa’s deep waters?

Posted on January 10, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

The African manatee is one of three subspecies of these creatures. It belongs to the mammal family that also includes dugongs.

Imaginechina/Sipa US/Alamy

“This is the perfect place for manatees,” said Lucy Keith Diagne, looking out at the slow mudflow of the Niandang River. It seems unlikely, but how did this mobile aquatic mammal, also known as a sea cow, live some 4,000 kilometers up Guinea's Niger River, almost as close to the Sahara Desert and the Atlantic Ocean? Is there one? But Keith Diagne, the world's leading expert on African manatees, should know.

These chubby creatures are known to inhabit the lower reaches of the Niger River, which stretches like a gigantic boomerang through much of West Africa, and long-standing anecdotal evidence suggests that they can be found separately in the upper reaches of tributaries near its source. This suggests that there is a population of Additionally, Dr. Keith Diagne believes that because this group has been separated from other manatees for so long, its members may have evolved into separate subspecies. “They went up the Niger River. They found something good. They kept going. They never came back and ended up different,” she said. Masu. But for now, this is just a guess.

To learn more, we drove hundreds of kilometers from the marshy coast of Guinea, across the highlands and down into the forested savanna in search of these elusive creatures. Keith Diagne and his team will spend a two-week expedition interviewing local residents, following clues from recent sightings, and searching for signs of feeding along riverbanks. Importantly, they also collect samples of…

Source: www.newscientist.com

Playground Global secures $410 million Fund III for early-stage deep tech investments

Posted on December 14, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

playground globalThe renowned early-stage venture capital firm has brought $410 million in capital commitments to Fund III to invest in early-stage deep technology and science companies. With this new fund, Palo Alto-based Playground will have more than $1.2 billion of his assets under management.

Co-founder and general partner Peter Barrett started his career as an engineer (a video game engineer, to be exact) before becoming a venture capitalist.Interesting fact about him — he still codes every day and is touted give Elon Musk his first job.

Barrett is surrounded by similarly tech-loving general partners Jolie Bell, Matt Hershenson, Bruce Leake and Laurie Yolar, all with similar deep scientific and operational backgrounds. I have.

Together, they are attracted to companies creating next-generation technologies across the computing, automation, infrastructure, logistics, decarbonization, and engineered biology industries.

Similar to the $500 million Fund II raised in 2017, Fund III’s capital deployment will focus on seed and Series A companies with initial investments of $1 million to $20 million.

Playground is often an early or first investor, and Barrett told TechCrunch that the company “believes that only a few transformative companies are born every year.” Examples of exits from the company’s portfolio include MosaicML, which was acquired by Databricks in June for $1.3 billion, and the company that will enable Elon Musk to print the Raptor engines to power Starship, which will be announced in 2021. Includes listed Velo3D.

TechCrunch spoke with Barrett via email about how the funding landscape has changed since his last round, the lessons he learned investing in deep tech, and what he looks for in startups.

The following has been edited for length and clarity.

TC: Playground last raised funding in 2017. What was the funding environment like this time around?

P.B.: The macro environment is difficult for everyone, but when I meet with investors from around the world, they avoid fads and trends and instead focus on companies and industries where real and lasting value is being created. I said I was trying. A company with excellent durability and defense.

The new fund and the raising of several of our companies have proven that there is never a bad time to invest in great companies, especially in a down market, with investors flocking to quality.

We have received significant support from our existing investors and also used this opportunity to invite new investors. Fund III expanded its LP base to include endowments, foundations, single-family and multi-family offices.

What is unique about what Playground offers to startups?

We are an early stage venture capital firm and have been true partners in our companies since our inception. When you talk to our entrepreneurs, you’ll find that they consider us both investors and co-founders. We have the unique superpower to take on and eliminate technology risks, and can leverage the roadmaps we develop to identify best-in-class emerging technologies.

And because we don’t invest in competing companies, there’s a real sense of camaraderie within our portfolio. We were introduced to several new portfolio companies by the founders of Fund I and Fund II. In addition to our platform services, our 70,000 square foot studio is home to many of our portfolio companies and other non-competitive startups deep in the tech space.

Tell us about the pivot from consumer to deep tech. What led to that decision?

When we founded Playground, our team was assembled with the goal of helping both consumer technology and deep technology companies develop. It was clear early on that our superpowers were not reading the market risk tea leaves and were taking on technological risks. By focusing on deep technology and investing in roadmaps that guide our investment decisions, we have captured an undeserved share of the world’s most innovative companies.

What did you learn from diving into deep technology?

Since we founded Playground, we have invested in deep technology companies. PsiQuantum was one of our first investments. We have learned that everything is impossible until it happens, and that the combination of prudent capital and brilliant, tenacious people can move civilization forward.

What areas of deep tech are you interested in, and which areas do you tend not to invest in?

By taking on chemistry, biology and computing as a first-principle approach, we can invest in breakthrough companies across next-generation computing, AI/automation, infrastructure, artificial biology and decarbonization. .

There is no contradiction between the resulting technology investment and significant returns. We are attracted to companies that can build large technological moats and enter markets where they are clear category leaders. We follow the roadmap and don’t surf the zeitgeist.

What do you look for in a startup?

We look for testable hypotheses that address important problems with a plausible path to success. We are not looking for potential solutions to problems. We look for solutions that bring together the right ideas, the right people at the right time.

How many investments have you made from Fund III so far?

Playground has already made several investments from Fund III including d-Matrix, Ideon Technologies, Amber Bio, Infinimmune and Atomic AI, in addition to other portfolio companies operating in stealth.

We believe that our companies, operating in stealth, are well-positioned to revolutionize green metal production and provide the foundation for the next generation of semiconductor manufacturing.

d-Matrix, whose Series A was led by Playground, secured an oversubscribed Series B round of $110 million announced in September, and has already raised another round. The company is building the next generation of AI hardware through an in-memory computing platform focused on inference in the data center.

Given your past relationship with Elon Musk, what do you think about his stewardship over X, Tesla, etc.?

We all wish Elon would focus more time on electrifying the Earth and sending rockets into space.

Source: techcrunch.com

Helicity Space secures $5 million funding to support fusion propulsion and high-speed deep space travel

Posted on December 11, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

helicity space has raised $5 million in seed funding to accelerate the development of technology that will ultimately enable fast and efficient travel in deep space.

That technology is nuclear fusion propulsion, which has long been the realm of science fiction. The startup says it has discovered a way to use plasma jets in fusion reactions. The project is the brainchild of Setthivoine You, a plasma physicist and co-founder of Helicity. He and two other co-founders, CEO and former banker Stefan Lintner and former Boeing Rocketdyne executive Marta Calvo, officially founded the business in 2018.

Helicity spent several years in stealth, “dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s, thinking about what we could do,” Lintner explained in a recent interview. “Fusion is a tainted field and we first needed to be sure we could handle it before raising venture capital capital.”

The Pasadena-based company has successfully raised funding from a prominent group. Airbus Ventures is the venture capital arm of a major European aerospace company. TRE Advisor; Voyager Space Holdings, the company behind the Starlab commercial space station. European space company E2MC Space. Urania Ventures and Geingels.

Lintner said Helicity’s key differentiator is that it focuses squarely on fusion propulsion, rather than fusion for ground-based applications. “Everything we’re doing is moving the spacecraft forward, not generating sustainable grid power,” Eh explained. In some ways, the former problem is easier than the latter. Space is a great vacuum, and that’s exactly the environment that his jet of plasma needs.

“Our concept is first uniquely tailored to be useful in space,” he said. “over time […] Ours may also turn into a nuclear reactor on Earth, but by that time others will have worked it out. That’s not our main goal. ”

The startup’s technology is based on a method called magnetic-magnetic fusion, which compresses a stable plasma jet with a magnetic nozzle. The plasma is heated to hundreds of millions of degrees, causing a fusion reaction that pushes the spacecraft forward.

The startup plans to use the funding to manufacture a proof-of-concept fusion drive that will demonstrate basic technology on a small scale. On a longer-term scale, Helicity aims to fly a complete prototype in space within about 10 years.

Lintner was upfront about the fact that there is still a lot to de-risk and a lot to learn when it comes to the emerging market for Fusion Drive.

“Look, it’s still early days,” he said.
“As economies develop in space, our engines will become increasingly important. The final business model is still a little difficult to predict.”

Source: techcrunch.com

Climate Change’s Impact on Deep Sea Ecosystems

Posted on December 11, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

New research reveals that fire ice, or frozen methane, trapped as a solid under the oceans is at risk of melting due to climate change, potentially releasing large amounts of methane into the atmosphere. I did. Using advanced seismic imaging, the research team found that dissociated methane can travel significant distances, overturning previous assumptions about its stability.

Research shows that ocean fire ice, or frozen methane, is more likely to melt due to climate change and poses a significant threat to methane emissions into the atmosphere.

An international research team led by the University of Newcastle has discovered that when frozen methane and ice melt, the powerful greenhouse gas methane is released and travels from the deepest parts of continental slopes to the edges of underwater shelves. They also found a pocket that had traveled 25 miles (40 kilometers).

Publication in magazine natural earth scienceresearchers say this means more methane could potentially become vulnerable and released into the atmosphere as a result of climate warming.

Methane hydrate: the hidden climate change threat

Methane hydrate, also known as fire ice, is an ice-like structure containing methane buried under the ocean. Huge amounts of methane are stored in the ocean as marine methane. As the ocean warms, it melts, releasing methane, known as dissociated methane, into the ocean and atmosphere, contributing to global warming.

The researchers used advanced three-dimensional seismic imaging techniques to examine sections of hydrate that have dissociated during climate warming off the coast of Mauritania in northwest Africa. They identified specific cases where dissociated methane traveled more than 40 kilometers and was released through underwater depressions known as pockmarks during warm periods in the past.

Researchers at Newcastle University have found that frozen methane trapped on the ocean floor is more likely to melt due to climate change and could be released into the ocean.Credit: Newcastle University

Discovery and its impact

Professor Richard Davies, lead author and Vice-Chancellor for Global and Sustainability at Newcastle University, said: . Our study shows that they formed as methane released from hydrates from the deepest parts of the continental slope spewed into the ocean. Scientists previously thought these hydrates would be less susceptible to climate warming, but it turns out some are more susceptible. ”

Researchers have previously studied how changes in seafloor temperatures near continental margins affect methane release from hydrates. However, these studies mainly focused on regions where only a small fraction of the earth’s methane hydrate exists. This is one of the few studies to investigate methane emissions from the bottom of hydrate stability zones deep underwater. The results show that the methane released from the hydrate stability zone migrated a significant distance towards land.

Broader research perspective and future plans

Professor Christian Berndt, Head of the Ocean Geodynamics Research Unit at GEOMAR in Kiel, Germany, added:

“This is an important finding. Previous research efforts have focused on the shallowest part of the hydrate stability zone, because we thought this was the only part that would be susceptible to climate change.

“New data clearly shows that far greater amounts of methane can be released from ocean hydrates, and a thorough understanding of this fact is needed to better understand the role of hydrates in the climate system. need to be clarified.”

Methane is the second most common anthropogenic greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide (CO2). Methane accounts for about 16% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency figures.

The findings could play an important role in predicting and addressing methane’s impact on a changing climate.

The researchers plan to continue looking for evidence of methane vents along the margin and predict where large methane seeps may occur as the planet warms. Researchers are now planning a scientific expedition to examine the pockmarks more closely and see if they can be more closely linked to past climate warming events.

Reference: “Long-distance transport and emissions of methane from the base of the hydrate stability zone” Richard J. Davies, Jinxiu Yang, Mark T. Ireland, Christian Berndt, Miguel Ángel Morales Maqueda, Mads Huuse, December 6, 2023 , natural earth science.
DOI: 10.1038/s41561-023-01333-w

Source: scitechdaily.com

Deep Tech: Moving Beyond Science Fiction

Posted on December 6, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

These industries lead the way

Carthy Madamy
Contributor

Karthee Madasamy is the Managing Partner of. MFV partnera venture company specializing in deep tech.

After reaching the height, hit an all-time high in 2021, but startup exits hit an all-time low over the past 12 months as interest rates soared, access to cheap capital decreased, and cash opportunities dried up. . Total exits for U.S. companies and venture capital investors in the first half of 2023 were the lowest in nearly 15 years. According to PitchBook data.

However, in Q3 we saw some light at the end of the tunnel with PE/VC reaching the exit in August. Highest price in the last 22 months. Perhaps surprisingly, deep tech companies, which I define as companies leveraging new technologies, or engineering-driven innovation, contributed to the initial slow recovery of companies new to the field. are doing.See Crunch Base Billion dollar startup exits By 2023, a quarter of the 16 exiting unicorns will be deep tech companies. This comes as no surprise to our team, given the huge number of deep tech unicorns that have been born over the past few years. In 2021, we compiled a list A study of deep tech companies valued at over $1 billion found that 120 deep tech unicorns have already generated nearly $5 trillion in value.

Many earth-changing deep technology solutions are being commercialized, and the number and scale of successful exits continues to increase.

However, for those who do not closely follow the deep tech space on a daily basis, it is likely that they still believe that it is impossible to build a deep tech unicorn and that there are only a handful of opportunities to exit deep tech each year. there is. But the truth is, deep technology innovation is no longer science fiction or research experiment. Many earth-changing deep technology solutions are being commercialized, and the number and scale of successful exits continues to increase. In that sense, the exit of deep tech is no longer science fiction. To understand this better, our team recently analyzed the world’s deep technology withdrawals over the past decade (2013-2022) in what we believe is an industry first. As a result, the following was revealed.

Deep tech unicorn exits increase by 550% from 2018 to 2022

Source: techcrunch.com