California"s war on plastic bag use seems to have backfired: Lawmakers are trying again
It was a decade ago when California became the first state in the nation to ban single-use plastic bags, ushering in a wave of anti-plastic legislation from coast to coast......»»
Hollywood will need permission to make AI deepfakes of long-gone stars
California Senate passes bill requiring permission to recreate deceased performers with AI......»»
Bird flu reaches cows in California, the country’s largest milk producer
The highly pathogenic strain has now spread to 197 herds in 14 states. Enlarge / A cow grazes in a field at a dairy farm on April 26, 2024, in Petaluma, California. (credit: Getty | Justin Sullivan) The outbreak of H5N1.....»»
AirTags key to discovery of Houston"s plastic recycling deception
One Houston resident was suspicious of the city's "all plastic accepted" recycling program, and used AirTags to discover where the plastic waste actually ended up.Apple employs an advanced robot named Daisy to disassemble old iPhones.Brandy Deason, w.....»»
Hawk defies expectations in the face of habitat decline
Ferruginous Hawks (Buteo regalis) that spend their winters in California seem to be going up in number, yet their preferred grassland habitat has been declining for over 20 years. Most other grassland bird species are, sadly, doing the expected: plum.....»»
Tesla readies robotaxi reveal at California Warner Bros. studio, report says
Tesla is targeting a reveal of its robotaxi at Warner Bros. Discovery's movie studio in the Los Angeles area, sources told Bloomberg......»»
FAA lets SpaceX get back to launches, but Polaris Dawn awaits good weather
SpaceX got the OK to fly again from the Federal Aviation Administration and didn't waste any time knocking out launches from both Florida and California early Saturday, but the crewed Polaris Dawn launch remains on hold because of weather......»»
Hillside erosion worsening in California due to wildfires and intense rain
Over the last three decades, California has seen increasing erosion after major wildfires—a phenomenon that not only endangers water resources and ecosystems, but is also likely to worsen with climate change, according to researchers......»»
California passes controversial bill regulating AI model training
As the world debates what is right and what is wrong about generative AI, the California State Assembly and Senate have just passed the Safe and Secure Innovation for Frontier Artificial Intelligence Models Act bill (SB 1047), which is one of the fir.....»»
California legislature passes controversial “kill switch” AI safety bill
Governor will balance worries about "over-regulation" with calls from AI luminaries. Enlarge / California governor Gavin Newsom will likely soon face a decision on whether to sign SB-1047. (credit: Ray Chavez/The Mercury News via.....»»
Catalytic process vaporizes plastic bags and bottles, yielding gases to make new, recycled plastics
A new chemical process can essentially vaporize plastics that dominate the waste stream today and turn them into hydrocarbon building blocks for new plastics......»»
Easing bail policy does not lead to increased crime, report finds
A new report by the nonpartisan California Policy Lab (CPL) shows the estimated effects of several bail policy changes in the City and County of Los Angeles, including removing the emergency bail schedule that was implemented at the start of the COVI.....»»
Nanoplastics put stress on trees and impair photosynthesis
It is well known that more and more plastic waste is ending up in soil and bodies of water. Researchers are particularly concerned about tiny micro- and nano-sized particles. It remains unclear how and to what extent they are able to enter living org.....»»
Largest dam removal in US history nears completion, reviving hopes for California salmon
Excavators clawed at the remnants of Iron Gate Dam, clattering loudly as they unloaded tons of earth and rock into dump trucks......»»
Apple shuffles CFOs for the first time in a decade
Changes to the C-suite at Apple are quite rare. Enlarge / A building at Apple Park, the company's Cupertino, California, HQ. (credit: Apple) Apple has announced a major change on its leadership team: Longtime Chief Finan.....»»
Closing the RNA loop holds promise for more stable, effective RNA therapies
New methods to shape RNA molecules into circles could lead to more effective and long-lasting therapies, shows a study by researchers at the University of California San Diego. The advance holds promise for a range of diseases, offering a more enduri.....»»
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov awaits charges in France as firm denies law-breaking
Telegram accused of not cooperating on drug trafficking and child sexual content. Enlarge / Pavel Durov, CEO and co-founder of Telegram, speaks at TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2015 on September 21, 2015, in San Francisco, California. (c.....»»
Sustaining oyster farming with sturdier rafts
Amid the rising human population and pressure on food supplies, the world can't be everyone's oyster. But perhaps there might be more oysters to eat if an Osaka Metropolitan University-led research team's findings mean sturdy plastic rafts will be us.....»»
Experts meet as final global plastic treaty talks near
With months until crunch talks on the world's first binding treaty on plastic pollution, experts are meeting in Bangkok to discuss financing options and problematic plastics......»»
Unconventional interface superconductor could benefit quantum computing
A multi-institutional team of scientists in the United States, led by physicist Peng Wei at the University of California, Riverside, has developed a new superconductor material that could potentially be used in quantum computing and be a candidate "t.....»»
From recycling to food: Can we eat plastic-munching microbes?
Researchers are trying to turn plastic-eating bacteria into food source for humans. Enlarge (credit: Olga Pankova/Moment via Getty Images) In 2019, an agency within the US Department of Defense released a call for resear.....»»