This autumn, two greenish comets are traversing the inner solar system, presenting a unique opportunity to view them in the coming weeks.
The comets, designated C/2025 A6 (Lemon) and C/2025 R2 (SWAN), are currently observable from the Northern Hemisphere as they journey through our cosmic vicinity.
It is quite uncommon for a comet to be visible twice within the same month.
Both comets can be observed with binoculars or small telescopes until the end of October. Comet Lemon may become visible to the naked eye around its closest approach to Earth and peak brightness on or about October 21st.
Several astronomy enthusiasts have already spotted this icy traveler.
Astrophotographer Julian de Winter, a junior lecturer at the University of Mons in Belgium, captured Comet Lemon’s striking emerald glow and elongated tail from Texas in late September.
The faint green hue arises from carbon in the gas cloud enveloping the comet’s nucleus.
In the Northern Hemisphere, Comet Lemon will appear near the Big Dipper before dawn from now until mid-month. According to EarthSky, a site focused on astronomy and skywatching, the best viewing time is in the northeast sky, just beneath the distinctive bowl and handle of the Big Dipper.
In about a week, the comet will rise in the western sky and can be seen in the evening sky. From then until the month’s end, visibility of these celestial objects may be challenging, although they might be seen with the naked eye.
Comet Swan is visible in the evening sky until the end of the month. The prime time to locate it is about 90 minutes post-sunset, directed towards the southwest. This comet may not be bright enough for naked-eye observation, so binoculars or a small telescope will be necessary.
In the coming days, Comet Swan will ascend higher in the horizon post-sunset and could brighten as it nears its closest approach to Earth around October 20th.
Under optimal conditions of clear, dark skies with minimal light pollution, it may even be possible to see both comets on the same night towards the month’s end.
Discovered in January by the Lemmon Mission, Comet Lemmon tracks near-Earth objects using telescopes located in Arizona’s Santa Catalina Mountains.
Comet SWAN was identified more recently by amateur astronomers in early September while examining images from NASA’s Solar and Heliospheric Observatory’s SWAN instrument, which has been studying the Sun since its launch in 1995.
Additionally, this month, another type of comet—one originating from outside our solar system—is passing through. Comet 3I/ATLAS, the third identified interstellar visitor, was recently photographed by a spacecraft orbiting Mars and is set to make its closest approach to the Sun around October 30th.
I Music serves as a remarkable tool for adjusting your mood, and Spotify excels in this regard. Feeling down? Check out your custom “Depress Sesh Mix.” Navigating a romantic dilemma? You’ll find a curated “situational mix.” As I write this, I’m tuned into Spotify’s daylist—a compilation that refreshes every few hours based on my listening preferences. Today’s vibe is the “Funky Beat Roller Skate Early Morning Tuesday Mix.” At a brisk 120bpm, the algorithm gets that an energetic soundtrack is essential for transitioning from bed to desk.
The downside of this tailored listening experience is its overly familiar AI-driven intimacy, where the same tracks loop predictably. Spotify’s algorithm has dulled the novelty of artists I once loved. I find myself hitting Skip every time Kluang Bin’s slippery, psychedelic bass enters my playlists or seamlessly flows from another artist’s radio.
A decade ago, Spotify championed human-curated playlists crafted by artists, celebrities, and music enthusiasts. However, by 2021, streaming platforms started pivoting toward machine learning, with computer-generated models creating nearly half of daily events. Nowadays, user data—primarily our listening habits, interactions with Spotify, and the time of day—are compiled into tightly personalized mixtapes.
Proponents argue this offers an opportunity to democratize music promotion by accurately matching it with audiences. Yet, critics claim this hyper-subjective approach restricts music discovery to what listeners already know. Despite my attempts, my musical taste has become increasingly narrow. As an experiment, I paused my Spotify use for a month, rediscovering how to find music.
Initially, I consulted my father, someone who has never used streaming services, and who grew up in the vibrant punk and glam rock scene of 1970s London. Spending time at his local record shop, he would sample vinyl, selecting A-sides or B-sides to purchase. Some albums missed the mark, while others transported him to another dimension, akin to experiencing Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon.” He advised me to start with my favorite artist and listen to each album sequentially, as if I were reading a narrative.
Inspired, I purchased a $30 record player from a thrift shop and sought out vinyl. My visit to Record Renaissance yielded slim pickings—Australian pub classics, Christian country, and Christmas hits. However, when a friend pointed out that my new turntable lacked a needle, it unfortunately became a dusty but eye-catching décor piece in my living room.
My 20-year-old neighbor provided another idea: an iPod adorned with rhinestones, found on Facebook Marketplace for $200. Plugging it in with wired ear buds and hitting shuffle was a nostalgic throwback. Sadly, this romance was short-lived since the iPod struggled to sync with my Bluetooth speaker and required hours of tedious uploads.
The biggest hurdle arose during drives in my old silver Subaru, where I was limited to just one CD, a flimsy auxiliary chord, and my thoughts. Stuck in silence, I chanced upon my local community radio station, Vox FM 106.9. More than five million Australians tune in to community radio weekly for an average of 17 hours—and I understand why. The station prides itself on “real music” with the slogan, “I don’t know what I like until you try it.” It was just what I needed! I rediscovered the thrill of rolling down the window and blasting tracks by the Sugababes.
I reached out to Justin Moon, who manages a popular underground radio station and record shop in Newcastle. He sources music from Record Fairs, friends, and Bandcamp, distributing interesting sounds like a modern-day Hermes, guiding listeners like me towards new auditory experiences. Moon notes that his audience seeks a more “active” listening journey. “It’s not the kind of background noise you forget about ten seconds into boiling two minutes of noodles,” he remarks.
Like movies, TV, and food, music is now more accessible than ever. However, this accessibility has resulted in a phenomenon where music is often drowned out. Instead of relying solely on algorithms, I spent a month finding new music independently, fostering a deeper connection with my parents, friends, radio presenters, and even strangers. Their recommendations embodied parts of themselves, their memories, or mutual interests, regardless of my past preferences.
After my month-long Spotify hiatus, my algorithm hadn’t completely reset. While composing this piece, my daylist evolved into “Indietronican Swimming Pool in France on a Tuesday Afternoon,” featuring two Khruangbin songs. It’s safe to say it’s time to roll the dice on the radio.
Map illustrating anomalies in the lunar gravity field derived from data obtained by NASA’s GRAIL mission
NASA/JPL-CALTECH/MIT/GSFC
Research indicates that the moon’s gravitational pull suggests a warm, dense interior, hinting at structural irregularities beneath its surface.
The distinct appearance of the moon’s near side compared to its far side has intrigued observers since time immemorial. However, it raises questions about whether these differences provide insights into the deeper layers of the moon, as stated by Ryan Park from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. Together with his colleagues, he is utilizing data from NASA’s GRAIL spacecraft to investigate.
The GRAIL mission gathered crucial data on the moon’s gravitational variations during 2011 and 2012, while two spacecraft orbited the lunar body. Since the gravity field is reflective of physical characteristics, researchers were able to analyze how it deforms based on both the moon’s shape and Earth’s tidal forces.
Despite this, the variations in the gravity field could not solely be accounted for by the observable features of the moon’s surface. Scientists contemplated the possibility of a heterogeneous interior. Previous findings suggested that the moon’s near side would exhibit more deformation compared to the far side due to Earth’s gravitational influence, as noted by Jeffrey Andrews-Hanna from the University of Arizona. This recent research validates that assertion, enabling a deeper understanding of the moon’s structure.
Using GRAIL data, Park and the team calculated that the moon’s susceptibility to Earth’s gravitational pull was 72% higher than what would be expected if the moon’s interior were entirely uniform.
The research team examined various factors contributing to this anomaly, including the moon’s chemical makeup. However, the model that closely aligned with the observed data was one indicating a temperature variation, suggesting that the moon’s interior is warmer than the far side.
Sean Solomon from Columbia University in New York noted that this model aligns with existing knowledge about the moon’s volcanic history and the distribution of radioactive elements, such as uranium and thorium, on its surface.
While the exact reasons for the moon’s irregular interior remain uncertain, Park suggests that some of these variations may result from its turbulent history of impacts with other celestial bodies. Moving forward, he and his team aim to utilize seismic data from lunar quakes to further explore the moon’s internal structure. These data will be gathered by the Far Side Earthquake Suite, which NASA plans to deploy in 2026.
the arrival of spring always accelerates the rhythm of life, especially with the hustle of tidying up the sprawling house and garden. I’ve been fortunate enough to enjoy the delightful early sunshine this season.
Throughout winter, I kept my gaze primarily indoors. Most plants that I bought with hope last summer seemed doubtful of survival. Thus, it’s heartening to see the garden springing back to life. Many of you share this sentiment; the response to our article on getting your garden summer-ready and organizing for spring has been overwhelmingly positive.
It’s also the ideal moment to clear away the cobwebs from your summer wardrobe and rejuvenate it with fresh pieces, be it a “chic spring sweater,” stylish barrel-leg trousers, or an £8 mascara. (If you’re interested in shopping sustainably, check out our recent guide on vintage clothing.)
Bargain Mascara
L’Oréal Paradise Big Deal Volume Mascara
£8 on Amazon
Savin Wiesel, a former beauty editor with a mascara obsession, is on a quest for the best product. After retesting 25 favorites and five new releases, she curated an impressive selection. “Even those who prefer a low-maintenance approach tend to own mascara,” she notes. Sabine’s top pick is a best-seller that she swears transforms lashes with just one swipe.
Best Budget Secateurs
Photo: Cremy Power Collins
Spear & Jackson Razorsharp Advantage Bypass Secateurs
£9.95 on Amazon
“Secateurs are among the most essential tools in gardening, as vital as a well-crafted trowel,” notes Matt Collins, head gardener at the Garden Museum in London, emphasizing their importance in spring. “It’s time to trim perennials and grasses to promote new growth.” He describes these Spear & Jackson secateurs as “simple yet durable tools that excel in functionality.”
Photo: Jonathan Buckley
Niwaki Hori Hori Knife
£32.95 at Sarah Raven
When asked about their preferred tools, professional gardeners consistently mention the Hori Hori. It’s noted as a favorite among experts for summer preparations. “It’s multifunctional, ideal for digging, cutting, weeding, and planting,” says Lulu Roper-Caldbeck.
Spring Sweater
Borden Enid Embroidered Jumper
£112 at John Lewis
“I adore chic sweaters,” states Jess Kurtner Morley in April’s Style Essentials. “Finding a stylish jumper can be a challenge,” she remarks, highlighting its versatility for cool evenings. “I pair this with a black camisole for a layered look.”
Five-Star Rated Coconut Milk
Biona Organic Coconut Milk
£11.95 for 6 x 400ml on Amazon
“I prefer high-quality coconut milk; there’s a noticeable difference between products loaded with sweeteners and stabilizers,” remarks Ravinder Bhogal in a tasting of coconut milk.
Barrel Leg Trousers
Jersey Trousers
£34.90 at Uniqlo
Initially highlighted by Jess Cartner Morley as a cost-effective way to achieve a high-end look, these Uniqlo Barrel Leg trousers have earned popularity as one of our top choices in the Women’s Spring Wardrobe Essentials guide. Their wearability is certainly a selling point.
“Compact, efficient, and easily fits in your pocket,” praises reviewer Pete Wise about this 102g power bank. “No other power banks match its combination of charging prowess and portability,” he adds. With a 5,000mAh capacity, it provides ample energy for most smartphones.
The Best Sunscreen
Altruistic Sunscreen SPF50
£27.95 for 1 liter on Amazon
“Using sunscreen is essential; otherwise, anti-aging products are futile,” states Sari Hughes, an expert on age-defying skincare. This dermatologist-recommended formula might seem pricey, but it is an excellent investment in high-quality sun protection.
‘Glass Hair’ Conditioning Gloss
Glaze Clear Conditioning Gloss
£15.99 on Amazon
Hayley Spencer consulted experts on achievable, DIY-friendly beauty treatments. “Glass hair” can be easily attained at home. “The shine and freshness of salon-treated hair are undeniably appealing,” she mentions. This clear conditioning gloss, which can be applied to dry hair, takes only 10 minutes to work its magic.
Best Budget Walking Pad
Rattantree Shock Absorbent Treadmill
£142.49 at Debenhams
While there’s no substitute for walking outdoors, under-desk treadmills are on the rise for boosting daily steps while at work. The Rattantree model provides solid value at £142.49, as noted by Fitness Fanatic Leon Poultney. “It may lack the frills of pricier models, but it’s lightweight and covers the basics for anyone looking to increase their step count.”
Pollock-Style Bud Vase
Rainbow Vase
Starting at £12.50 on Etsy
A popular choice among readers, this vibrant vase adds a splash of color to any space, designed to hold a single flower stem. It’s a simple and affordable way to brighten your home. Fashion writer Ellie Violet Brumley notes that it pushes the boundaries of traditional splatter patterns.
NASA took a chance some years back that commercial companies could conduct scientific experiments on the moon at a lower cost than institutions.
Unfortunately, last year, NASA’s initial attempt missed its mark, and the second attempt ended in a crash. However, this month saw success with the robot lander, Blue Ghost, built by Firefly Aerospace in Texas.
On March 16th, as Blue Ghost completed its mission on the moon, the mood at Firefly’s mission operation in Austin was a mix of happiness and bittersweet anticipation for the spacecraft’s demise.
The sun had already set on the lunar surface where Blue Ghost had been working for two weeks, 15 million miles away from Earth.
For solar-powered spacecraft like Blue Ghost, time was running out, and the end was near.
Ray Allensworth, the director of the spaceship program at Firefly, described the atmosphere as light and enthusiastic as they reflected on the successful mission of Blue Ghost.
While other commercial moon missions have faced challenges, Blue Ghost’s success has provided NASA with valuable data for future collaborations.
Scientists like Robert Grimm at the Southwest Institute in Colorado, who led one of the scientific payloads, expressed gratitude for the successful mission, noting that it was better than ending up as a crater.
One of the NASA experiments on Blue Ghost captured images of the lunar surface, providing valuable insights for future missions and research.
The data collected by the cameras will help scientists understand the dynamics of lunar surfaces and potential hazards for future spacecraft landings.
Google’s online and mobile calendars no longer feature Black History Month, Women’s History Month, and LGBTQ+ Holidays.
Previously, the world’s largest search engine acknowledged the beginning of Black History Month in February and Pride Month in June, but they will not be included in 2025.
The removal of these holidays was first reported by The Verge last week.
Google spokesperson Madison Cushman Veld shared a statement with The Guardian stating that the listed holidays were not “sustainable” for the model.
“A few years ago, the calendar team started manually adding broader cultural moments in many countries worldwide. It was noted that several other events and countries were missing, making it unsustainable to maintain hundreds of moments globally. So, in mid-2024, we decided to only display public holidays and national compliance from Timeanddate.com worldwide, allowing users to manually add other important moments,” the statement said.
The decision to remove black, LGBTQ+ and women’s holidays is another change by Google following Donald Trump’s second presidency.
Recently, Google announced a rollback of previous commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in employment policy following an order by the US President to end DEI in federal agencies.
Google also revealed that US users will now be referred to as “American Gulf,” following an executive order by Trump to rename Alaska’s mountains to “Mount McKinley”. The company announced the name change for US users will take effect on Monday.
Many users on social media have expressed disappointment and frustration at Google’s latest decision. Users who wish to track events like Pride Month, Black History Month, and Indigenous Month will need to manually add them to their calendar.
Google assured The Guardian that changes to the calendars will not impact future Google Doodles, which typically celebrate these events with digital artwork on the website’s homepage. The company stated, “Google continues to actively celebrate and promote our cultural moments as a company,” and offers a Black History Month Playlist on YouTube Music.
The Dark Moon is the location of the new science fiction novel Schloud by Adrian Chaikovsky
LaperRuque / Alamy
Humanoid mosquitoes, fatal lunar aliens contact, implants that tell you all about your partner … I feel that the science fiction novel provided in February is particularly interesting. Other worlds This year's cold, dark season. You will find it, regardless of whether you are following the classic science fiction such as Gareth L. Powell, Adrian Tchaikovsky, high concept thriller, or future global flooding. enjoy!
After reading Tchaikovsky's excellent science fiction novel Alien clay In the case of a new Scientist Book Club -we are in the middle now, so sign up and participate in us. It's free, I'll talk to Adrian next month! -I'm definitely getting better from this wonderful writer. This latest one is a story of a deadly black moon survival and the first contact, and is crowded with radio activities. When two people have to land in a hostile month, they begin to learn more about the strange species they live there. Our science fiction columnist Emily H Wilson really enjoyed this. Please be careful about next week's review.
Eliya persuades Anna to go to EminMind to celebrate the 10th anniversary. This high -tech company provides implants so that you can hear each other's thoughts. But Anna may have something hidden from her partner … I love the good concept thriller, which is a fun (and terrible) idea.
Powell is the author who won the British Science Fiction Award. Stars and bones and Remaining of warAnd his latest novel sounds like another great slice in hard science fiction. It follows the story of archaeologist Ursula Morrow, who will be infected with alien parasites. Her worries about the danger of her career, do nothing because the Earth is later destroyed and no one really needs an archaeologist. Two years later, she is in a refugee camp in the backwater world when she is in charge of finding an infected alien crafts, hoping that humanity may help survive. 。
I love how wonderful and strange this novel sounds. In 2272, New York and Buenos Aires have been underwater for years, and the Patagonia Islands are the only lands that can live on Earth. Our protagonist is a humanoid mosquito where everyone has a terrible appearance. When the world collapses around him, Dengue's boy looks for the truth about his origin and the meaning of his life. This is translated from Spanish by Rahle Berry, and I think it's surprising!
Many of the earth are underwater for the boy with dengue fever …
VICNT/ISTOCKPHOTO/Getty Images
I like the sound of this blend of archeology and science fiction. There, you will reach the unexpectedly arriving at the Malboro downs, which is approaching the city of Swindon. Claire Holworth is part of the archeological survey on its origin to manage sites before public pressure to reach the summit.
The blend of this science fiction and thriller will continue to return to the summer cabin of Oregon's family and start again to start again. In the cabin, he discovers Alex, a 10 -year -old girl, Artemis Darth Vader.
I haven't read it yet, so I can't promise that this is a science fiction, but it's compared to the works of speculative fiction writers such as Margaret Atwood, David Mitchell, and Karian Bloodle (Time in time The author), and it sounds very interesting. It is mainly for women who are older or died, but the people around her are scary and the same way through the continent for centuries for centuries. Can she stop? This can be more fearful than science fiction. We will report in both methods.
This time, compared to the Jordan Peal movie, more speculative fear here Stranger Singus -I're very here here. Kara is a 25 -year -old and a passive guardian of 16 -year -old brother Jamie. Meanwhile, she has been suffering from the “nightmare” of Jamie and her siblings, Dre, who continues to die. When Jamie's actions become unable to control, the brothers continue to run and realize that their lives and reality are facing the balance.
Octavia E. Butler
Marcom Ali/Wire Image/Getty
This is for my fellow Octavia E. Butler fans, you are there. This book looks at the book's collection, the influence of her childhood, and the books that are not well known, and “animals, science fiction, black girls, racial and racial and racism.” I will explore. Environmental justice, “says the publisher.
As I mentioned last month, the hard back actually occurs in February, so I remember it because it sounds great. As I mentioned earlier, it has been turned over by our science fiction columnist Emily H Wilson, and after the extinction of humanity, I decided to write a novel about Android and AI. Continue to the author Zelu of SF. However, as she wrote, the lines between what she wrote and the reality begins to blur …
SpaceX is preparing for the sixth test flight of Starship, the world’s most powerful rocket. The company has a “fail fast, learn fast” approach to research and development that is more akin to the world of Silicon Valley than the aerospace industry, and the pace of launches appears to only be accelerating.
When is the next flight?
SpaceX says on the website The company said it aims to conduct Starship’s sixth test flight as early as November 18. This claim is supported by the Federal Aviation Administration issuing a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen). rocket launch warning SpaceX launch pad area in Boca Chica, Texas. The 30-minute launch slot opens at 4pm local time (10pm Japan time).
It took SpaceX 18 months to conduct Starship’s first five test flights, with the fifth taking place in mid-October. When the airline launches its sixth flight next week, it will be just over a month since the last flight, making it the fastest flight ever.
What will SpaceX try with Flight 6?
In many ways, Flight 6 is a repeat of Flight 5, but with some key differences.
The booster stage will again attempt a “chopstick” landing, grabbing and securing the aircraft as it returns to the launch pad so it can be lowered to the ground. This approach is designed to ultimately allow boosters to be reused multiple times and significantly reduce the cost of putting payloads into orbit.
The upper stage will reach space, complete a partial orbit, re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and splash-land in the Indian Ocean. But this time, the upper stage will attempt to reignite one of the Raptor engines during its stay in space in order to gather valuable operational data. It also plans to test new heat shield designs during atmospheric reentry.
Another difference is that because the launch will take place later in the day, the upper stage’s landing in the Indian Ocean can be photographed during daylight hours, allowing for more detailed images. Previous missions had landed at night, so while the footage was cinematic and dramatic, it didn’t provide engineers with as much insight as footage from daytime landings.
What happened on previous Starship launches?
During the first test flight on April 20, 2023, three of the 33 engines in the booster stage failed to ignite. The rocket then became uncontrollable and self-destructed.
During the second test flight on November 18, 2023, the flight progressed further and gained enough altitude to separate the booster and upper stage as planned. The booster stage ultimately exploded before reaching the ground, and the upper stage self-destructed before reaching space.
Test Flight 3 on March 14, 2024 was at least partially successful as the upper stage reached space again, but it did not return to Earth unscathed.
The next flight was on June 6, when the upper stage reached an altitude of more than 200 kilometers and flew at speeds of more than 27,000 kilometers per hour. Both the booster and upper stage completed a soft landing at sea.
Test Flight 5 was the most ambitious yet, with Starship’s super-heavy booster dropping onto the launch pad and being safely caught by “chopsticks” on SpaceX’s launch tower, known as Mechazilla. It is equipped with “chopsticks” that can be used to grab and fix a specific position on the aircraft and lower it to the ground.
Michael Mac Liamoir’s 1960 solo show intertwined the private and public life of Oscar Wilde with excerpts from the great Irish wit’s work. Alastair Whatley, who directed The Importance of Being Earnest a few years ago, recently performed Mac Liamoir’s monologues in reading repertory. A recording of the production, directed by Michael Fentiman, is available from the original online. From July 1st.
How did we get here?
Melanie C, of the Spice Girls, has always shied away from contemporary dance: “I found it scary,” she said last year on the eve of a show at Sadler’s Wells with Jules Cunningham and Harry Alexander. But of the contemplative work the trio have devised, she urged, “Look at it with an open mind, it will make you think.” Free to watch until July 25th.
Shakes Against the Machine
In the run up to the July 4th general election, Rob Miles and the Chronic Insanity troupe Web Series combined news headlines from the last 14 years of Conservative governments with Shakespeare’s speeches to show that “the challenges we face are on the same tragic scale as some of his darkest plays”.
Bonnie and Clyde: The Musical
In a sign of continuing tough times for the theatre world, a tour of the Depression-era musical about a robbery was recently cancelled due to poor ticket sales, but a version filmed at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane starring Jeremy Jordan and Frances Maeli McCann is currently running. on demand.
Schwartz’s Song
This album is a collection of 16 carefully selected tracks from the band’s back catalogue spanning half a century, all newly recorded. Introduction to Stephen Schwartz There are three numbers from Godspell, Pippin’s Empty Horn, and The Baker’s Wife’s Meadowlark (due for a revival in 2008). Menier Chocolate Factory) and Defying Gravity will be sung by the four Elphabas from Wicked: Kerry Ellis, Rachel Tucker, Lucie Jones and Alice Fearn.
Hamlet at Elsinore
How about a location-specific play? In 1964, the BBC broadcast a film of Hamlet, shot entirely on location. Kronborg Castle It was produced in Denmark and starred Christopher Plummer as the Tragic Prince, Michael Caine as Horatio, Steven Berkoff as Fortinbras, Lindsay Kemp, and the late Donald Sutherland. On iPlayer.
Starlight Express
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Starlight Express in London Bard – is the perfect introduction to musicals for children. Yotois an audio platform where you play “cards” using a cheerfully designed cube machine. Starlight Song card released from 1984 (each of which displays colorful graphics on the machine’s screen), with story explanations interspersed between them.
Dub
French-Senegalese choreographer and former hip-hop dancer Amara Dianore’s show is an explosive hour that explores urban dance styles from around the world. Competitive, collaborative and engaging, the free-flowing show will tour Europe this summer but has already Arte and YoutubeThe photo was taken at the Maison de la Culture in Grenoble.
Until the stars come down
Nottingham playwright Beth Steele is going from strength to strength. Following the huge success of House of Shade at the Almeida, this wedding play delighted audiences at the National’s Dorfman Theatre earlier this year. Directed by Bijan Shaybani, NT Home.
Through the cracks
Created by the Office of Everyone and English Touring Theatre, the app uses augmented reality to peel back the floorboards and see the drama unfold beneath your feet, with each story revolving around a character who, in some way, has disappeared through the cracks. In timeis a queer romance written by Sonali Bhattacharya, narrated by Ian McKellan, and starring the always-stellar Sophie Melville. Available Now.
People collect water in hot weather in New Delhi, India on May 22.
Amarjeet Kumar Singh/Anadolu via Getty Images
With each new month comes new records as the planet continues to experience unprecedented, record-breaking heatwaves. Last month, global temperatures were the warmest on record for a May, marking the 12th consecutive month of such record-breaking weather, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Copernicus’ Carlo Buontempo said in a statement that while the current record will eventually end, the record set over the past year is likely to be broken in coming years as the world continues to warm due to rising greenhouse gases. “This period of the hottest months will likely be remembered as a relatively cool one,” Buontempo said.
The average Earth’s surface temperature in May 2024 was 1.52°C higher than the 1850-1900 average, considered pre-industrial levels, and 0.19°C higher than the warmest May to date, in 2020. May 2024 will mark the 11th consecutive month with average temperatures more than 1.5°C higher than pre-industrial levels, the threshold that countries aim to avoid exceeding under the 2015 Paris Agreement.
The global average temperature over the past 12 months was 1.63°C higher than the average from 1850 to 1900, the highest on record, but climate scientists will not consider the 1.5°C limit to have been breached until the long-term average exceeds this level.
Climate scientists had predicted that 2023 and 2024 would be hotter because of an El Niño weather phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean that dumps ocean heat into the atmosphere, temporarily warming the surface of the planet on top of the trends caused by rising greenhouse gases. But temperatures actually turned out to be even hotter than predicted, and it’s unclear why.
El Niño is now being replaced by La Niña, during which much of the Pacific Ocean absorbs more heat than usual from the atmosphere. This may temporarily cool sea surface temperatures, but because sea surface temperatures are still at record levels, 2024 is likely to be even hotter than 2023.
Unusually warm May caused extreme heat and heat waves Heat waves are occurring in parts of the world, including large swaths of India, where temperatures in the capital Delhi reached a new record of 49.9°C (121.8°F) on May 28.
Howler monkeys in Mexico Falling from a tree and dying This heat has now spread to the northern United States during a prolonged heat wave.
Last year, a study warned that if the world exceeds the 1.5°C limit, heatwaves could become so intense that they cause mass deaths in places where people are not used to such heat and buildings are not designed with it in mind.
Severe wildfires broke out in Chile earlier this year.
ZUMA Press, Inc. / Alamy
Earth just experienced its hottest February on record, with average global temperatures rising 1.77 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average for the same month, according to a preliminary report from the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Agency (C3S). This marks the ninth consecutive month of record high heat.
“While this may seem surprising, it is actually not surprising because continued warming of the climate system will inevitably lead to new temperature extremes.” carlo buontempo C3S said in a statement.
Europe experienced an especially unusually hot month, with average temperatures 3.3 degrees Celsius above the monthly average from 1991 to 2020. Conditions were unusual, with hot and dry weather causing fires in the Americas, including the deadliest wildfire in Chile's history. Most of the rest of the world's land is warm.
The ocean heat is even more extreme, with February's global average sea surface temperature higher than August 2023, making it the ocean's hottest month on record. The average sea surface temperature of 21.09°C recorded in a single day at the end of February was the highest daily temperature on record, and the amount of sea ice in both the Arctic and Antarctic was below average.
richard allan Researchers from the University of Reading in the UK say the record heat on both land and oceans is mainly due to rising concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and the warming effects of the El Niño climate pattern in the Pacific Ocean. ing. Fewer reflected aerosols due to reduced air pollution also contributed to the heat in some areas, he said.
Latest information suggests that last year's record-breaking El Niño, which began in June 2023, could weaken and be replaced by a cooler La Niña by the middle of this year. projection According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. But that may not bring instant respite. Historically, the year following an El Niño event bears the brunt of its heating effects.
In Sierra Greer’s novel Annie Bot, a female robot is created to be the perfect girlfriend for her owner.
alamy stock photo
From Adrian Tchaikovsky to Hao Jingfan to Natasha Pulley, many of the biggest names in science fiction are releasing new releases this month. We, the readers, can choose whether we want to peer into the ruins of an alien civilization, follow the possibility of the coming singularity and its aftermath, or enter the world of sex robots. To each of them, I would say, yes, please come join us. But I think it’s Stuart Turton’s new high-concept thriller that I’m most excited about. This thriller depicts crime and science fiction, with a murder taking place on an island surrounded by the fog that has destroyed the rest of the planet, and is one of my favorites. Blend.
If all these new titles aren’t enough to keep you busy this March, you might want to revisit Cixin Liu’s epic. three body problem, in anticipation of Netflix’s upcoming adaptation. Or please join us. new sciencet Book Club, I just started reading Martin McInnes’ novels Ascension in progress. The story from a mysterious trench at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean to deep space has just been published in paperback and is an amazing read.
Is Tchaikovsky single-handedly supporting the science fiction industry? I think he might be, since he’s really prolific and definitely brilliant. alien clay This novel, the first of two new novels to be published over the coming months, is set on the faraway world of Kiln, where the ruins of an alien civilization have been discovered. Professor Arton Dagdev, who has always wanted to study extraterrestrial life, is exiled to the Kiln for his political activities and has to work in a concentration camp. Can he uncover the world’s secrets before he is killed?
I’m a big Turton fan. I’ve loved his smart, high-concept murder mysteries ever since his debut. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle From his latest historical crime novel. devil and dark water. His latest outings have a decidedly sci-fi tinge. The setting is a world destroyed by a murderous fog that has attacked the planet. The only thing that survives is the island, where 122 villagers and 3 scientists live happily together, until one of the scientists is found stabbed to death, when the island’s security system is degraded and the fog disappears. Everyone on the island will die as a result. It will take 107 hours if the murder case is not solved. That’s already a lot to accept, but everyone’s memories have also been wiped by the security system. Sounds complicated, but I believe Turton is great, so I’ll put it next on my list.
Mars is the setting for Natasha Pooley’s new novel
Pulley is a relatively recent discovery for me, ever since my mother finally convinced me to find time to read her historical and fantasy novels. Filigree Street Clockmaker (That made me happy). This latest installment is set after an environmental catastrophe. January, a refugee from Earth who is now a second-class citizen on Mars because her body has not yet adapted to low gravity, enters into a marriage of convenience with xenophobic Martian politician Aubrey Gale. However, Aubrey Gale turns out to be very different from their methods. Featured in Mars news. I love a good romance combined with his sci-fi setting, so this is a must-read for me.
2054: Novel Written by Elliot Ackerman and James Stavridis
Mr. Stavridis is not just a novelist, but also former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Admiral James Stavridis.He and Ackerman are bestselling authors 2034. In this follow-up study, 20 years after the U.S. Nuclear War, the president of the United States collapsed and died while addressing the nation. Conspiracy theories spread and civil war breaks out. Meanwhile, computer scientists and intelligence experts believe they know what’s behind the assassination: a major advance in AI. This sounds thrilling and provocative, and is something you should devote a fair amount of your time to reading.
Hugo Award-winning Jing Fan’s new sci-fi thriller is set in a future where a mysterious, highly intelligent alien race comes into contact. His three scientists, unconvinced that aliens are a threat, join forces to thwart a potentially disastrous military response.
Our science fiction columnist Emily Wilson gives this novel very high praise.It is said to be perfect for fans of never let me go and my dark vanessa, which I definitely count among them, is the story of Anniebot, a female robot created to be the perfect girlfriend for her owner, Doug. The problem is that she’s starting to think about what she really wants from her life.
high voltage Written by Chris Sugden and Jen Sugden
By the author of the podcast drama series victorio city, this novel is described as perfect for fans of Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams – Hello, it’s me. The setting is 1887 “Even Greater London,” an “urban plane” that covers the entire lower half of England, where Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s “Legion of Engineers” builds and destroys anything they deem necessary. There is. Meanwhile, Archibald Fleet and Clara Entwistle establish the country’s first private detective agency and take on a series of impossible bank robberies that keep the police busy and one kidnapping case after another.
This first contact novel is a sequel to Johnston’s novel. space between us Then we see the alien Enceladon disappearing into the water off the west coast of Scotland. I would like to start with the first one in this series.I highly value Johnston as a crime writer (his Skefus The series is peppered with morbid black humor, so I’d love to try out some of his science fiction work as well.
This cyberpunk satire sounds like fun. Following on from the TV sensation whose title is the novel, the next season will take place in the neo-medieval state organization “Inner Azure”, where the country has been (by its own choice) separated from the rest of the world for almost a century. It has been blocked off…until now. To entertain viewers around the world, the show’s producers must assemble a group of misfits who try to run the country.
Adam Malek’s third collection of short stories explores plant-based skyscrapers, a zombie apocalypse, how time dilation affects marriages, as well as reluctant sex robots and the terrible parenting skills of a billionaire space industrialist. is promised to us.
Devastating wildfires break out in Chile following January's heat wave and drought
Javier Torres/AFP via Getty Images
Temperature records continue. According to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Agency, January this year was the hottest on record, with temperatures 1.7 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average.
This means there were 12 months in which the Earth's average surface temperature was more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above the average between 1850 and 1900, the pre-industrial reference point.
“2024 begins with another record month,” Samantha Burgess of the Copernicus Climate Change Service said in a statement. She said: “Rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are the only way to stop global temperatures from rising.”
At the 2015 Paris Climate Conference, countries pledged to work to prevent global temperatures from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Climate scientists will not consider this limit to have been breached until the Earth's long-term average temperature exceeds this level for many years.
The long-term average is now 1.25°C warmer than before the industrial revolution. Richard Betts At the Met Office, the UK's National Weather Service. However, carbon emissions are still increasing, and by this standard it seems certain that the 1.5°C limit will be breached soon, perhaps around 2030.
Long-term global averages are rising in line with climate model predictions. However, the extremely rapid warming over the past year or two has far exceeded expectations. Among other records, in 2023 he recorded for the first time a day warmer by 2 degrees Celsius than the average from 1850 to 1900.
It remains unclear why there has been such rapid warming over the past year or so, and how long it will continue. Factors that may have accelerated warming include the 2022 eruption of Tonga Volcano, which pumped large amounts of water into the stratosphere, and reduced aerosol pollution from ships.
For practical reasons, climate scientists have defined pre-industrial temperatures as the average from 1850 to 1900, since there are few records of temperatures before then. However, using this as a baseline could mean that the level of warming due to fossil fuel emissions is being underestimated.
One 2017 survey This indicates an error of approximately 0.2°C. Another announcement this week put the difference at 0.5°C, based on analysis of sponges, meaning we have already breached the 1.5°C limit, but other climate scientists They are not satisfied with this.
Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post via Getty Images
SpaceX is preparing to launch its massive Starship rocket for the third time. However, the exact launch date will not be announced until the US government's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) completes its investigation into why the previous launch (November 2023) failed to reach orbit.
The Starship rocket's first test launch in April 2023 went out of control due to some engine problems. These failures triggered an automatic flight termination system designed to safely detonate the rocket. It failed, and the rocket continued to tumble until it collapsed. It didn't reach space.
The accident damaged the launch pad and scattered debris over a vast area. SpaceX will begin second Starship test launch in November 2023 after launch facility repairs and updates are made and the FAA certifies that sufficient work has been done to prevent similar damage from occurring again did.
That didn't work either. Everything seemed fine for a few minutes. The rocket reaches space, but then its engine begins to fail and it explodes. Now SpaceX has to build a new rocket, and the FAA has to give it permission to fly.
“We expect that license to be issued in February. So it will be [flight] The third time will happen in February of this year,” SpaceX official Jessica Jensen said at a press conference on January 9th.
Ultimately, Starship is intended to transport astronauts to and from the moon. NASA has selected this rocket for the Artemis III and IV missions planned for 2026 and 2028. The massive rocket could carry astronauts to Mars as early as 2029, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said. But first, Starship must reach space without exploding or breaking apart, and its third flight will be an important test.
A priestess can manipulate time and space in Meredith Mooring's debut novel.
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After an endlessly long January, it's finally time to see what sci-fi fun February has in store for us. This month's lineup is varied. I’m looking forward to the delightfully gory post-apocalyptic novels by Daniel Polanski and Paul E. Hardisty – I love a good story of a world in ruins – and also to Jasper Forde’s latest novel I'm going to take the time.My favorite author from a long time ago air incident Released in 2001. But at the top of my list to track is Meredith Mooring's work. red sight – Starring a blind shrine maiden who can manipulate time and space.
Nothing cheers me up like apocalyptic fun and frolic, and Hugo nominee Polanski's new work sounds like a corker. Manhattan is enveloped in a “toxic cloud” called Funk, which cuts it off from the rest of the world and mutates its population. For generations, when the first tourists in centuries arrived on the island, the survivors were focused only on survival.
This is sitting on my desk at home waiting for the moment I can read it at all.This is the first part of the climate emergency thriller. compulsionThe film sees Kweku Ashworth, born on a sailing ship as his parents escape disaster, set out to uncover what has brought the world into cataclysm. More apocalyptic catastrophes – great!
This is the sequel to Fforde's bestseller. shades of grayfollows “Something Happened'' 500 years ago and is set in a society where class is determined by visible colors. Eddie Russett and Jane Gray realize that this may not make any sense at all and may be unfair, so they investigate.
Unemployed and in debt, Jonathan Abernathy takes a job as a dream auditer, who taps into workers' dreams to relieve their fears and increase productivity. I loved this wonderfully wicked idea, and one reviewer described the novel as a “spiritual sibling.” Severance paybut it's even creepier,' and it's right up my street.
This sounds very strange. Plastic Girl Erin lives in a plastic world, where she sells a type of wearable technology called a smart body to her fellow plastic people. This allows people to fully immerse themselves in the virtual world as a refuge from real life and its wars. Author Elizabeth McCracken says it's “a profound, hilarious, chilling, strange, and immeasurably complex story about an imaginary universe that is also somehow our own broken world.” says.
I like the sound of Corinna, the heroine of Mooring's debut novel. She is a blind priestess who can manipulate time and space, but she has been raised to believe that she is weak and useless. When she takes a job as a navigator on an Imperial ship, she realizes that she is meant to be a weapon of the Empire. But Corinna's world changes forever when her ship is attacked by the infamous pirate Aster Harran.
“Michael Crichton meets Marvel” Venom” says the story's publisher, in which Anna, a refugee and genocide survivor, joins a team investigating “mysterious broadcasts and unknown horrors” as “humanity reels from disaster.” I love the drama promised here.
The setting, suggested by former sci-fi columnist Sally Addy as an Earth to watch in 2024, sees two Earths exist in parallel, and “shifters” can travel back and forth between them. Kanna and Lily are the same person, randomly moving between worlds, lives, and families, but needing to settle in one or the other. And how can we prepare our loved ones for the final disappearance?
Perhaps this debut novel isn't science fiction per se, but it's fiction about science, and I thought it would be interesting, so I wanted to mention it. Helen, a young physicist trying to save the planet, follows his mentor (who is embroiled in a sex scandal with a student) to an island laboratory that provides a safe haven for disgraced artists and scientists. It depicts the decision to go to
The Bone Hunters is loosely inspired by the life of 19th century paleontologist Mary Anning.
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Again, it's science fiction, not science fiction, and it's advertised as follows: essex snake meet ammonite, it's very hard to say no, at least for me. A loose depiction of the life of a pioneer 19thWritten by century-old paleontologist Mary Anning, the story is set in Lyme Regis, Dorset, England in 1824, when 24-year-old Ada Winters discovers a “rare fossil” on a cliff.
FTX Trading, a bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange, announced on Tuesday a settlement with the liquidators of its Bahamas division, putting an end to a long-standing dispute over the precedence of its U.S. bankruptcy proceedings over its Bahamas liquidation.
FTX and FTX Digital Market have agreed to combine their assets and align their approach to evaluating customer claims to ensure equal treatment of customers in both countries’ bankruptcy processes.
According to FTX, the settlement will allow most customers of FTX.com’s international cryptocurrency exchange to choose whether to seek repayment through U.S. bankruptcy or Bahamian liquidation.
FTX CEO John Ray, who succeeded convicted FTX founder Sam Bankman Fried, stated that the agreement was a significant step in the company’s efforts to reimburse its customers and an important milestone.
“The unique challenges posed by the conflicting filings of FTX Debtor and FTX Digital Market were among the most difficult our team has ever faced,” Ray said in a statement. “However, we initially recognized that we had an overlapping constituency of FTX.com customers.”
Sam Bankman Freed was found guilty in November. AP
Bahamas liquidators Brian Sims and Peter Greaves said in a statement that the agreement would avoid “years of protracted litigation and expense” and “accelerate the return of funds to customers.” Ta.
FTX has been in a dispute with Bahamian authorities since filing for bankruptcy protection on November 11, leaving a hole in its balance sheet and 9 million customers facing potential losses of billions of dollars. FTX sued Bahamian liquidators in March, seeking a judgment that the liquidators wrongly claimed ownership of exchange assets.
CEO John Ray said the deal is an important milestone in the company’s efforts to repay customers. Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/Shutterstock
Under the agreement, FTX’s U.S.-based bankruptcy team will lead asset recovery efforts, including the potential sale of the FTX.com exchange or its intellectual property. A Bahamian liquidator is responsible for the sale of Bahamian real estate assets and the pursuit of certain litigation.
The settlement also includes an agreement to treat FTX’s proprietary cryptographic token, FTT, as stock in FTX, which would disappear in the event of FTX’s bankruptcy. The value of FTT tokens was a point of contention between the two sides last year when FTX’s US team claimed that most of the assets seized by liquidators in the Bahamas were worthless FTT tokens.
FTX, which went bankrupt in November 2022, promised to use Repay at least 90% of your assets to your customers. The company plans to repay customers in US dollars rather than cryptocurrencies.
It was a complete coincidence that a few months before the pandemic spread across the world. indie bio — A startup accelerator specializing in startups that use biology to solve big problems — expanded Its authority was to add a New York division to operations already conducted outside San Francisco. Of course, thanks to what the world has endured, life sciences startups are in the spotlight now more than ever. So readers thought he might be interested in giving a sneak peek at the latest startups that IndieBio NY is preparing to introduce to investors.almost One month.
If you’re a founder, a venture capitalist, or just an interested industry observer looking for insight into what’s happening in a variety of related fields such as agriculture, diagnostics, carbon and methane upcycling, cancer treatment, etc. If so, check out what the nine teams have been up to so far. I’m working on it.
IndieBio’s previous breakthrough startups include cultured meat company Upside Foods. $400 million Led by two sovereign wealth funds that valued the company at more than $1 billion last year, MycoWorks, a company that makes leather from fungi, closed a $125 million Series C round last year at an undisclosed valuation. did.
Here’s a quick snapshot of each:
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FREZENT Biological Solutions
FREZENT said it is developing a new class of bispecific antibodies that target dormant cancer cells that survive chemotherapy and can cause recurrence. The approach is to block the metabolism of dormant cancer cells, preventing their reactivation and survival. The team is currently focused on monoclonal antibody discovery and proof-of-concept studies. Click here for details.
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Xias Bio Limited
according to Cias Bio, the three most important proteins in skin and hair care products, collagen, keratin, and elastin, are typically derived from cow skin, chicken feathers, and meat processing by-products (breck). In light of growing concerns about greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution and deforestation, a new generation of cosmetics consumers want the industry to replace animal proteins with sustainable alternatives, and Xias Bio We are responding to that request. Specifically, we developed a molecular platform to create and license multifunctional proteins that are free of animal-derived components. L’Oreal buys what it already sells. The startup’s founders have since said that the idea is to go beyond cosmetics to replace animal protein in many other sectors, including the pharmaceutical and food industries.
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serious farming
Earnest Agriculture says it has engineered a microbial consortium that protects crops from disease, pests and drought while improving soil health. The group claims that applying these patented microorganisms as a seed coating will increase yields seven times, reduce the use of synthetic chemicals and make crops more resilient to climate change. Click here for details.
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biometallica
biometallica’s pitch That means tens of millions of tons of electronic equipment are thrown away every year, much of it incinerated, releasing billions of dollars of recoverable material in the smoke. Not to mention the release of toxic gases. This startup’s eco-friendly solution to recovering some of these rare metals (palladium, platinum, rhodium) is a biochemical that separates palladium group metals (PMG) from e-waste, including used catalytic converters. It uses genetically modified bacteria that produce .
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Affinia
Affinia has developed and patented a blood test for early diagnosis of endometriosis. This blood test will provide results within a few days. The company says it will be available starting next year in clinics and through home collection kits. As with many women’s health startups, if all goes to plan, the team’s endometriosis testing will be just the beginning. The idea is to build a digital platform that provides diagnosis, virtual care, and prescription delivery for endometriosis and other conditions. Click here for details (Note that the startup was originally called AIMA and has not updated its site yet).
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carbon bridge
Freight carriers are already ordering methanol-powered ships to meet EU emissions standards, but uptake has been slow because green methanol cannot compete with oil on price. carbon bridgeThe solution to the challenge is described as a low-temperature, low-pressure microbial process that uses a bioreactor to upcycle carbon dioxide and methane into liquid methanol. Furthermore, it is said that gas can be procured cheaply from all over the world. 16,000 Wastewater treatment facilities in the United States typically burn it off.
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Equol
Aequor has discovered a marine microorganism that produces a molecule that removes bacterial slime in minutes, and when applied to water treatment facilities, the concentrate reduces traditional chemical usage by 90% and reduces energy usage. It says that it can reduce the amount of slime by up to 15% and prevent the formation of slime. The filter may become clogged and cause a shutdown. The larger goal is to enable access to safe and affordable drinking water while reducing the cost and environmental impact of water treatment. Click here for details.
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unibio
Almost all farmers$230 billion Herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers designed to increase crop yields are used every year, but the unintended consequences are well documented. not good. unibio They say there are better alternatives. The company says it has developed natural microparticles that can enhance biological crop protection agents by allowing them to penetrate plants more efficiently and reducing the amount of traditional chemicals required by up to 80%. It is said that it was developed.
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Terra Bio Industries
discarded food account 8-10% As the founder of Terra Bioindustries talks about greenhouse gas emissions. That’s why the company has developed a platform to upcycle brewing spent grain, a byproduct of beer that is difficult to sell. It works through a low-energy enzymatic process that separates the grain into edible sugars and proteins, which are then sold to food manufacturers and precision fermentation companies. Installation costs are also low by using commercial equipment found in most food processing facilities. Click here for details.
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