From tape measures to space lasers: Quantifying biomass of the world"s tallest forests
In this era of accelerating climate crisis, accounting for all aspects of Earth's carbon cycle is a crucial task. The magnitude of atmospheric carbon burden means trees and forests are limited but important instruments among a suite of mitigation opt.....»»
AI in space: Karpathy suggests AI chatbots as interstellar messengers to alien civilizations
Andrej Karpathy muses about sending a LLM binary that could "wake up" and answer questions. Enlarge (credit: Getty Images) On Thursday, renowned AI researcher Andrej Karpathy, formerly of OpenAI and Tesla, tweeted a ligh.....»»
Contemporary wildfires not more severe than historically in western US dry forests: Study
Wildfires have increased over the last few decades in dry forests, which cover 25.5 million ha (63 million acres) of the western U.S. But are high-severity fires that kill 70% or more of trees already burning at rates that exceed historical (preindus.....»»
Uncovering the reasons behind the rapid warming of the North Pole
The North Pole region heats up faster than the rest of the world. Though this is a known fact, climate models underestimate the speed with which the region warms up. Sjoert Barten obtained his PhD on this subject at Wageningen University & Research o.....»»
Ariane 6 launches: Exolaunch"s EXOpod Nova
Europe's newest rocket soon launches, taking with it many space missions each with a unique objective, destination and team at home, cheering them on. Whether launching new satellites to look back and study Earth, peer out to deep space or test impor.....»»
Earth from space: Namibian landforms
This image may resemble the surface of Mars, but it was actually captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission, revealing the stunning terrain of northwest Namibia......»»
Astronomers inspect population of young stellar objects in open cluster NGC 346
Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), an international team of astronomers has explored young stellar objects (YSOs) in an open cluster known as NGC 346. The study, published April 24 on the preprint server arXiv, yields crucial information ab.....»»
Chemist explores the real-world science of Star Wars
A professor at the University of Warwick is exploring the chemistry of the galaxy far, far away this Star Wars Day, May the 4th......»»
Viewpoint: Figures like Andrew Tate may help spread misogyny. But they"re amplifying—not causing—the problem
Following an emergency meeting of the National Cabinet this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a raft of measures to tackle the problem of gender-based violence......»»
Japanese satellite chases down space junk
A satellite from Japanese company Astroscale has taken an up-close image of a piece of space debris it has been chasing down......»»
Microsoft, Google widen passkey support for its users
Since 2013, the first Thursday in May is marked as World Password Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness about the need for using strong, unique passwords to secure out digital lives. Despite decades of often-repeated statements proclaiming the de.....»»
Apple said to be stealing tech from expensive suppliers to give to cheaper ones
A new report claims that a supplier may develop new technology or new processes, only for Apple to — perfectly legally — take that work to a cheaper company, sometimes leaving the original one to go bankrupt.Apple has suppliers all over the world.....»»
Research shows bumblebee nests are overheating due to climate change, threatening future populations
As a result of the climate crisis, global warming is driving up temperatures around the world—and bumblebees, like humans, are struggling to cope with homes that can't beat the heat......»»
Wildfires in wet African forests have doubled in recent decades, large-scale analysis finds
A new study presents the first large-scale analysis of fire patterns in West and Central Africa's wet, tropical forests. The number of active fires there typically doubled over 18 years, particularly in the Congo Basin. The increases are primarily du.....»»
Coastal hurricanes around the world are intensifying faster, new study finds
Hurricanes are among the world's most destructive natural hazards. Their ability to cause damage is shaped by their environment; conditions like warm ocean waters, guiding winds, and atmospheric moisture can all dictate storm strength......»»
Mice navigating a virtual reality environment reveal that walls, not floors, define space
New research published in Current Biology sheds light on how animals create and maintain internal spatial maps based on their surroundings......»»
Targeting friends to induce social contagion can benefit the world, says new research
A new study co-authored by Yale sociologist Nicholas A. Christakis demonstrates that tapping into the dynamics of friendship significantly improves the possibility that a community will adopt public health and other interventions aimed at improved hu.....»»
Studies assess feasibility of aquaculture wastewater treatment methods
Aquaculture production operations that help feed the world's growing population also generate polluted wastewater that harms the environment. Four studies published by Purdue University scientists since last May document the feasibility of previously.....»»
Good vibrations: Low-energy lasers induce atomic excitation in semiconductor materials
Semiconductors are a cornerstone of next-generation technology, so a new method to excite atoms in semiconductor materials is likely to excite a broad range of researchers and industries as well......»»
Researcher creates optical magnetometer prototype that detects errors in MRI scans
Hvidovre Hospital has the world's first prototype of a sensor capable of detecting errors in MRI scans using laser light and gas. The new sensor, developed by a young researcher at the University of Copenhagen and Hvidovre Hospital, can thereby do wh.....»»
For the ancient Maya, cracked mirrors were a path to the world beyond
Some people fear that breaking a mirror can lead to seven years of misfortune. The history of this superstition may go back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who ascribed mysterious powers to reflected images......»»