Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), a harmful “forever chemical,” has increased more than threefold in our environment in the past two decades due to the use of refrigerants that harm the ozone layer.
The annual deposition of TFA from the atmosphere rose from 6,800 tons in 2000 to 21,800 tons in 2022. While this level is below certain safety limits, detailed studies on TFA’s impact on human health are limited, and its environmental accumulation is expected to grow.
TFA was linked to serious deformities in rabbit fetuses during one study. The European Union has flagged TFA as hazardous to aquatic ecosystems and is evaluating its impact on human reproductive health.
“It is alarming that we are introducing so many chemicals into our environment with largely unknown repercussions, and many of these effects are irreversible,” states Lucy Hart, a researcher from Lancaster University in the UK.
Both humans and wildlife encounter TFA through contaminated soil and surface water, from which it eventually contaminates ocean ecosystems and marine sediments over decades or centuries.
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), once prevalent in refrigerators, aerosol propellants, and fire extinguishers, were banned in 1989 after they were found to deplete the ozone layer. Most CFCs have now been replaced with hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which react with atmospheric particles to produce TFA.
HFCs are currently being phased out, often substituted with hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) that degrade to TFA at a significantly faster rate. For example, HFO-1234yf produces ten times more TFA than the phased-out HFCs used previously in hundreds of millions of vehicles. Additionally, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and industrial processes contribute to TFA levels.
Ice core samples from northern Canada and Svalbard indicate rising TFA concentrations since the 1970s. Hart and her team evaluated TFA production and global deposition based on extensive atmospheric studies of nine CFC replacements, observing a 3.5-fold rise worldwide.
Focusing solely on HFCs, known to linger in the atmosphere for many years, indicates that this rate could potentially double by 2050. Preliminary findings suggest that HFO-1234yf could enhance TFA production by more than 20 times by 2050.
The global community must avoid reverting to CFCs and should continue to eliminate HFCs, which significantly contribute to climate change. However, alternatives to these compounds require thorough evaluation, emphasizes Lucy Carpenter from York University, UK.
Ammonia is already utilized in various food storage facilities and industrial applications and could be adapted for domestic refrigeration and air conditioning. Carbon dioxide also serves as a viable natural refrigerant.
“It is critical to explore better alternatives to HFO-1234yf,” Carpenter notes. “TFA is on the rise and it’s now pervasive in various consumer products and environments.”
A 2020 study found alarming levels of TFA present in the blood samples of 90% of individuals in China, which has emerged as a hotspot for TFA due to industrial emissions and its warm, humid climate.
The EU is proposing a permanent ban on TFA, foreseeing that concentrations in freshwater may reach toxic levels. However, it faced criticism for leaning towards chemical companies to contest this anticipated rise in TFA levels.
Recent findings serve as a clarion call for increased research into HFOs and their substitutes to prevent the cycle of introducing chemicals with unintended consequences, emphasizes Hart. Unlike HFCs, HFOs decompose rapidly, providing more immediate control over emissions. “Halting these emissions will lead to an immediate stop in TFA production,” she states.
A rare triple-merger galaxy, known as J121/1219+1035, hosts three actively feeding radio-bright supermassive black holes, as revealed by a team of American astronomers.
Artist’s impression of J121/1219+1035, a rare trio of merging galaxies, featuring three radioactively bright supermassive black holes actively feeding, with jets illuminating the surrounding gas. Image credit: NSF/AUI/NRAO/P. Vosteen.
The J1218/1219+1035 system is located approximately 1.2 billion light-years from Earth.
This unique galaxy system contains three interacting galaxies, each harboring supermassive black holes at their centers that are actively accreting material and shining brightly in radio frequencies.
Dr. Emma Schwartzman, a research scientist at the US Naval Research Laboratory, states: “Triple active galaxies like J1218/1219+1035 are incredibly rare, and observing them during a merger allows us a front-row seat to the growth of supermassive galaxies and their black holes.”
“Our observations confirmed that all three black holes in J1218/1219+1035 are emitting bright radiation and actively firing jets. This supports the theory of active galactic nuclei (AGN) and provides insight into the life cycle of supermassive black holes.”
Schwartzman and colleagues utilized NSF’s Very Large Array (VLA) and Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) to study J1218/1219+1035.
The findings confirmed that each galaxy hosts a compact synchrotron-emitting radio core, indicating that all three harbor AGNs powered by growing black holes.
This discovery makes J1218/1219+1035 the first confirmed triple radio AGN and only the third known triple AGN system in nearby space.
“The three galaxies within J1218/1219+1035, located about 22,000 to 97,000 light-years apart, are in the process of merging, resulting in a dynamically connected group with tidal signatures indicative of their interactions,” the astronomers noted.
“Such triple systems are crucial in the context of hierarchical galactic evolution, wherein large galaxies like the Milky Way grow through successive collisions and mergers with smaller galaxies, yet they are seldom observed.”
“By capturing three actively feeding black holes within the same merging group, our new observations create an excellent laboratory for testing how galactic encounters funnel gas into centers and stimulate black hole growth.”
J1218/1219+1035 was initially flagged as an anomalous system through mid-infrared data from NASA’s Wide-Field Infrared Surveyor (WISE), which suggested the presence of at least two obscured AGNs within the interacting galaxies.
Optical spectroscopy confirmed one AGN in a core while revealing complex signatures in another, although the nature of the third galaxy remained uncertain due to the possibility of emissions from star formation.
“Only through new ultra-sharp radio imaging with VLA at frequencies of 3, 10, and 15 GHz did we uncover compact radio cores aligned with all three optical galaxies, confirming that each hosts an AGN bright in radio emissions and likely fueling small-scale jets and outflows,” the researchers explained.
“The radio spectra of the three cores exhibited traits consistent with non-thermal synchrotron radiation from the AGNs, featuring two sources with typical steep spectra and a third with an even steeper spectrum potentially indicative of unresolved jet activity.”
The Pacific Ocean released heat into the atmosphere in 2023
BlickWinkel/Alamy
A rare “triple dip” La Niña, which kept Pacific Ocean temperatures low for three consecutive years, may have set the stage for a significant rise in global heat observed in 2023.
While a rise in global temperatures was anticipated due to greenhouse gas emissions and warm surface waters, a peak was not expected until early 2024. From September 2023 indicates this surge has come earlier than forecasted.
Julius Mex from the University of Leipzig, Germany, and his team sought to understand the events of late 2023 that triggered this exceptional heat. “Our goal is to clarify why temperature changes in the Northern Decay were so extreme,” he states.
Utilizing a dataset that amalgamates historical weather records with climate models, the research team explored various factors, including the Pacific’s circulation, temperature, cloud coverage, radiation, and precipitation for the years 2022 and 2023.
The findings suggest that the Pacific’s cool La Niña conditions, persisting since 2020, were pivotal. They suppressed ocean warmth, fostered the creation of lowland clouds, and enhanced solar radiation reflection.
When the El Niño pattern emerged in 2023, the shift from La Niña to El Niño was so pronounced that it affected air circulation and precipitation patterns in the Western Pacific, releasing more heat into the atmosphere than initially expected.
Simultaneously, this transition led to a sharp decrease in cloud coverage over the Eastern Pacific Ocean, allowing for enhanced absorption of solar radiation. “This could drive significant annual temperature fluctuations,” notes Mex.
Karsten Hautin from Leipzig University, although not involved in the research, expressed agreement with the conclusions. “With a triple dip La Niña, the ocean fails to release heat,” he explains. “As a result, heat accumulates in the deeper ocean layers before eventually surfacing.”
Mex emphasizes that their findings indicate the reduction of ocean cloud cover as a critical element in the sharp temperature increase observed in 2023. “It fits perfectly,” he concludes.
Richard Allan from the University of Reading in the UK notes advances in understanding how cloud coverage shifted over the Pacific in 2022 and 2023. Nevertheless, he highlights that anthropogenic climate change, alongside decreases in cooling aerosol pollution, significantly contributes to diminished ocean cloud cover and escalating temperatures.
“The magnitude of the global temperature rise in 2023 resulted not only from heightened planetary heating due to increased greenhouse gases but also from the reduction and dimming of clouds connected with decreasing aerosol particle pollution,” Allan remarks.
Greetings and welcome to TechScape. In this week’s edition: Apple faces challenges on several fronts, OpenAI is ramping up its ambitions, and Trump is alienating some of his supporters through cryptocurrency ventures.
Apple Grasped in Three Challenges: Tariffs, AI, and Fortnite
Once unassailable, Apple has begun to reveal vulnerabilities. CEO Tim Cook struggles to address the tariff threats that could inflate iPhone prices. The AI capabilities offered by Apple lag behind those of its competitors. Moreover, the company continues to face legal difficulties with Fortnite, losing ground in a high-stakes battle that has significant implications.
On Friday, the President issued a warning regarding a 25% tariff on iPhones not produced in the U.S. Trump stated: “I have informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect iPhones sold in the U.S. to be manufactured and assembled domestically, not in India.”
A significant majority of iPhones are assembled in China, with Trump enforcing a 145% tariff on exports. Cook, enjoying an exemption from these tariffs, mentioned in a recent earnings call that most iPhones sold in the U.S. next quarter will originate from India, presumably aiming to ease political tensions between China and the U.S.; however, it seems his strategy is falling short.
Cook opted not to join Trump on a recent trip to the Middle East, a decision that reportedly irritated the president. New York Times. Trump notably remarked that Cook was conspicuously absent among high-tech executives during his speech in Riyadh, indicating that Cook’s absence could have costly ramifications for Apple.
Domestically, Apple faces scrutiny over its prolonged efforts to weave generative artificial intelligence into its products. Currently, Apple holds over half the market share for smartphones in the U.S., yet its AI offerings fall short of the competition. For instance, Apple’s struggles with Siri remain evident as it frequently fails to play the desired song, rendering Google’s Assistant far more appealing. Create a podcast that captures intriguing aspects from Wikipedia, easily overshadowing Apple’s efforts.
Discover more about Trump’s tariff threats.
At its 2024 annual developer conference, Apple unveiled plans for its Apple Intelligence features. Summary of failed notifications. An insider spoke to the media regarding internal disarray within Apple’s AI division; this is striking for a company that prides itself on its confidentiality. Competing firms are ecstatic with their new flagship phones, leveraging AI capabilities that Apple cannot match. Siri remains nearly as incompetent as it was 15 years ago, and while the Vision Pro isn’t an AI solution, its poor performance tarnishes Apple’s reputation.
Legally, Apple continues to face setbacks in its litigation against Epic Games, the developer behind Fortnite, portraying itself as a beleaguered player in the tech industry. In late April, a U.S. federal judge revealed that Apple, despite circumventing orders, was infringing on regulations by failing to allow developers to link to alternative payment methods. The judge accused Apple’s top executive of “lying under oath.”
Photo: DadoRuvić/Reuters
Fortnite has made a comeback on the App Store five years after its ban, with Epic allowed to sidestep Apple’s 15% to 30% commission. While Fortnite is a popular title, it does not represent the majority of Apple’s overall App Store revenue. This legal outcome may weaken Apple’s once-tight control over its software ecosystem, allowing developers to better navigate payment options outside of the app, posing a significant threat to Apple’s digital services revenue.
Learn more about Fortnite’s responses.
Bloomberg released a report on Monday, revealing that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is questioning whether his early support of Trump was beneficial. While this is a valid inquiry, it appears that Zuckerberg has maintained control over his digital empire without yielding to the second-term president. He has neglected his company’s diversity and equity initiatives, potentially paying the price for Trump’s volatility. The chef should ponder the return on his $1 million donation to Trump’s inauguration, as he seems to be dancing on a razor’s edge while avoiding bullets aimed at his feet.
OpenAI’s Expansive Week Beyond ChatGPT
Jony Ive and Sam Altman. Composite: Getty Images
This week, OpenAI secured two multi-billion dollar deals as it strives to expand beyond ChatGPT. Comparatively, its major rivals were preoccupied with launching a new version of their flagship model, Claude. While some may find this lack of product releases concerning, I’d argue it’s crucial for staying competitive against behemoths like Google, valued at $2 trillion, and Microsoft, worth $3.3 trillion. If you’re not innovating but instead planning to acquire a startup founded by an iPhone designer for billions, you’re not truly in the game.
On Wednesday, OpenAI confirmed its intention to buy IO, an unproven hardware startup co-founded by Jony Ive, for $6.4 billion. Sam Altman and Ive released a blog post announcing that the IO team would integrate with OpenAI to “collaborate more closely with the San Francisco research, engineering, and product teams.” Although Ive will not be employed by OpenAI, his company is set to oversee the design aspects for OpenAI, including software. Bloomberg.
The merger’s objective appears to be clear: to develop AI-infused hardware that achieves the same iconic status as the iMac and iPhone. However, the market for devices focused solely on democratizing AI remains ambiguous. The Human Pin— a product reminiscent of what Ive creates and backed by Altman and Apple alumni—did not gain traction.
Read more about this ambitious acquisition.
On Thursday, OpenAI announced plans for a massive data center investment in Abu Dhabi, projected to reach hundreds of billions of dollars. This project is part of Stargate, a $500 million initiative in AI led by Nvidia, Oracle, OpenAI, SoftBank, among others. Initially envisioned as a domestic initiative, Stargate has evolved into a global venture through its collaboration with the UAE, following Trump’s AI announcement.
As these startups initiate major advancements, OpenAI’s CEO has garnered considerable public attention this week. Two newly published books—one complimentary and one critical—chronicle the rise of OpenAI. “Optimists” by Keach Hagey in the Wall Street Journal presents a biography of Altman, while “The Atlantic Empire” by Karen Hao delineates the timeline from the company’s founding through Altman’s recent suspension and reinstatement in 2023. Together, they provide a dual narrative exploring the complexities of Sam Altman’s character. The underlying question remains: is he a visionary or a ruthless figure with a relentless pursuit of progress?
Regardless, armed with billions and having recruited Apple’s second-most recognizable figure, Altman seems determined to fill the void left by Steve Jobs.
Stay Updated on This Week’s AI News
Trump Hosts Crypto Investors at a Private Dinner
Photo: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA
Trump hosted a dinner for prominent crypto investors at a private golf club in Virginia on Thursday night. According to an analysis by The Guardian, nearly half of Trump’s top investors have incurred losses on their investments. Niamh Rowe reports:
Among the 220 winners, 95—approximately 43%—have collectively lost $8.95 million since the token’s launch in January, based on trading histories and portfolios as of May 21.
The user “Gant” has reportedly faced the most significant loss, racking up a $1.06 million deficit despite ranking fourth on the leaderboard, while “Meow” has lost $621,000 despite attaining VIP status.
$Trump has become part of the “Meme Coin” movement, referring to cryptocurrencies inspired by internet phenomena. Although Trump is a significant figure in the online culture surrounding cryptocurrency, he doesn’t equate to a meme like Dogecoin’s Shiba Inu mascot.
The definition of a Memecoin provided by Coinbase aligns $Trump with other tokens. Coinbase notes that a Memecoin is “often backed by an enthusiastic online community” and “associated with entertainment rather than practical utility.” Trump’s coin lacks any tangible financial or physical backing, representing a volatile speculative asset.
Learn more about Trump’s cryptocurrency escapades.
Altozillaalso known as the 2001 UQ18, is located outside the solar system, 6 billion km (3.7 billion miles), or 44 times the distance between the Earth and the Sun.
This artist’s concept illustrates one of the possible scenarios for Kuiper Belt’s Altjira system. Image credits: NASA/ESA/Joseph Olmsted, Stsci.
“The Hubble images show two Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) about 7,600 km (4,700 miles) apart,” says Meianelsen, an astronomer at Brigham Young University and a colleague.
“However, Altjira’s repeated observations of the unique cooperative movement show that the inner object is indeed two bodies very close to each other.
“In small, far-flung objects, we need to discover that the separation between the two inner members of the system is part of the pixels of Hubble’s camera, using non-imaging methods.”
Astronomers gathered data from the Hubble and WM Keck Observatory for 17 years of observation baselines and looked at the trajectory of objects outside the Altjira system.
“Over time, the direction of the trajectory of the outer object changes, indicating that the inner object is either very elongated or in fact one of two separate objects,” says Dr. Dalin Lagoziczin of Brigham Young University.
“The triple system was perfect when putting Hubble data into different modeling scenarios,” Nelsen added.
“Other possibilities are that the inner object is a contact binary, so close that two separate bodies touch each other, or in fact, oddly flat as pancakes.”
Of the 40 identified binary objects in the Kuiper belt, of another system, Lempoit is known to be triple.
“Now, Altjira and Lempo are likely triples, so they are more likely to be looking for a population of three-body systems formed by the same situation, rather than a strange ball,” the astronomer said.
“But building that evidence requires time and repeated observation.”
The only Kuiper Belt objects explored in detail are PL Pun and the small object Arrocos that NASA’s New Horizons mission visited in 2015 and 2019, respectively.
New Horizons showed that Arrokoth is a contact binary. This means that in the case of KBO, two objects that have moved close to each other are currently touched or merged, often in the form of peanuts.
“Altozilla is the “cous” of Arokos, a member of the Kuiper Belt Objects of the same group,” Dr. Lagozin said.
“The Altjira is 10 times the Arocos, which is 200 km (124 miles) wide.”
“There is no mission that Altozilla plans to fly to get Arrocos level details, but there are other upcoming opportunities to further study the intriguing system,” Nelsen said.
“Altozilla is entering the season of the eclipse, where the outer body passes in front of the central body.”
“This will continue for the next 10 years and give scientists a great opportunity to learn more about it.”
Team’s paper It was published in Journal of Planetary Science.
____
Maia A. Nelsen et al. 2025. Beyond the point square. IV. The Transneptinian object Altjira is a hierarchical triple, possibly discovered by non-kipler movements. planet. SCI. j 6, 53; doi:10.3847/psj/ad864d
Early November is the perfect time for sky-gazing, with three active meteor showers giving you the chance to see shooting stars lighting up the night sky.
The Southern Taurid meteor shower is expected to peak overnight Monday through Tuesday. The Taurid meteor shower, which is a week away, is predicted to peak between November 11th and 12th. Both meteor showers tend to produce about five slow-moving meteors per hour under clear and dark skies, and even more on days when the two coincide. According to the American Meteor Society.
At the same time, the last Orionid meteor shower should still be visible following its peak on October 20th. The Orionids meteor shower appears to be streaming out of the constellation Orion and can be seen until November 22nd. According to EarthSkya website dedicated to skywatching and astronomy.
On the other hand, the Southern Taurids and Northern Taurid meteor showers are both long-lasting meteor showers, and their peaks are not as obvious as other shooting star shows. The two showers tend to be consistently visible in September, October, and November (weather permitting), but early November is usually the easiest time to spot them.
The Taurid meteor shower gets its name from the appearance of shooting stars coming from a point in the sky in the constellation Taurus. Taurid meteors can be seen from almost anywhere on Earth except the South Pole.
The best chance to see the Taurid meteor shower, According to EarthSkywill likely be around midnight on November 5, when bright moonlight will not wash out the shooting stars. After midnight, Taurus will reach its highest point in the sky, increasing your chances of seeing shooting stars.
In addition to regular shooting stars, Taurid meteors tend to produce very bright and sometimes colorful meteors known as “fireballs.”
As with any sky watching event, it's best to choose a viewing location well away from street lights and other light pollution.
Even if you miss Taurus during the first two weeks of November, you can still see it any time it's on the horizon this month.
By the middle of this month, yet another meteor shower, the Leonids, is expected to occur.
The annual Leonid meteor shower will peak from late November 17th until the early hours of November 18th. Although not the most active meteor shower of the year, the Leonids can produce up to 15 shooting stars per hour under clear conditions.
Meteors can be seen in both the northern and southern hemispheres and often appear to stream out of the constellation Leo in all directions.
Leonids are usually bright, fast-moving meteors, and the shooting stars can appear colorful. According to NASA.
Meteors, or shooting stars, occur when tiny pieces of space debris burn up in Earth's atmosphere. Orionid, Taurud, and Leonid meteors are all produced when a planet passes through a cloud of dust particles and debris left behind by a comet.
V404 Cygnus, an X-ray binary star that hosts a low-mass black hole, has a wide echelon with a tertiary companion at least 3,500 astronomical units (AU) away from the inner binary, according to MIT astrophysicists. It is said to be part of a triple star.
V404 Cygni is located approximately 7,800 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus.
This system first attracted attention more than 80 years ago, during the 1938 nova explosion.
Another eruption occurred in 1989 and was discovered by the Japanese X-ray satellite Ginga and high-energy instruments aboard the Mir space station.
The 1989 explosion, known as Nova Cygnus 1989, was pivotal in the study of black holes.
Until then, astronomers had known of only a handful of objects that could be black holes, and V404 Cygnus was one of the most likely candidates.
V404 Cygnus is known to host a central stellar-mass black hole in the act of consuming a small star that spirals very close to the black hole every 6.5 days. This is a configuration similar to most binary star systems.
But new research suggests there's a second star orbiting the black hole, albeit much further away.
“Most black holes are thought to be formed by violent explosions of stars, but this discovery helps cast doubt on that,” said Kevin Burge, a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Ta.
“This system is very interesting for the evolution of black holes, and also raises the question of whether triples exist.”
Artist's impression of V404 Cygnus: The central black hole (black dot) is consuming a nearby star (orange object on the left), while the second star (white flash at the top) is far away orbiting a distance of Image credit: Jorge Lugo.
Burge and his colleagues estimate that the third companion star orbits the V404 Cygnus black hole every 70,000 years.
The fact that black holes appear to exert a gravitational pull on distant objects raises questions about the origins of black holes themselves.
Black holes are thought to be formed by violent explosions of dying stars. This is a process known as a supernova, in which a star releases a huge amount of energy and light in one final burst before collapsing into an invisible black hole.
But the team's findings suggest that if the newly observed black hole had originated from a typical supernova, the energy released before it collapsed would have kicked loosely bound objects around it. It suggests that it might have been.
So the second outer star shouldn't be hanging around yet.
Instead, the authors believe that the V404 Cygnus black hole formed through a more gentle process of direct collapse, in which the star simply collapsed and formed the black hole without a final, dramatic flash. I think it might be.
Such a benign origin poses little impediment to loosely bound, distant objects.
Because V404 Cygnus contains a very distant star, this suggests that the black holes in this system were born through a more gradual, direct collapse.
And while astronomers have observed more violent supernovae for centuries, this triple system may be the first evidence of a black hole formed from this more gentle process.
In addition to providing clues about the black hole's origin, the outer star also revealed the age of the system.
Astrophysicists observed that the outer star happened to be in the process of becoming a red giant, a stage that occurs at the end of a star's life.
Based on this star's evolution, they determined that the outer star was about 4 billion years old.
Considering that the neighboring stars were born at about the same time, they conclude that the components of the binary star are also 4 billion years old.
“This has never been done before with old black holes,” Dr. Burge says.
“Thanks to this discovery, we now know that V404 Cygnus is part of a triple star. It may have formed by direct collapse, and it formed about 4 billion years ago.”
of findings Published in this week's magazine nature.
_____
KB barge others. The black hole low-mass X-ray binary V404 Cygnus is part of a wide triple. naturepublished online October 23, 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-08120-6
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