Private timberland from Washington to California lost billions in value due to wildfires
A new study from Oregon State University estimates that wildfire and drought caused $11.2 billion in economic losses to privately owned timberland in California, Oregon and Washington over the past two decades......»»
US fights Canada over new tech tax that could cost Apple billions
Canada's new Digital Services tax could cost iPhone maker Apple billions, but the US says the fees are discriminating against American tech companies — and is pushing for a delay.The US Trade Representative object to Canada's unilateral Digital Ser.....»»
AirPods Max with bone conduction could make phone calls more private
Future AirPods Max or other personal audio accessories could increase the privacy of sound, by using bone conduction to transmit calls or private audio to the user without being heard by anyone else.Like other forms of communication, audio can someti.....»»
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.....»»
Twenty-six states may soon need to regulate cannabis—here"s what they can learn from Colorado and Washington
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has made moves to reclassify marijuana, making it a type of legal but regulated medicine, like Tylenol with codeine or some steroids......»»
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......»»
Wildfires Are Contaminating Water Supplies
Wildfires don’t just destroy forest—they can increase sediment in rivers and reservoirs, spark algae blooms, and pollute watercourses with dangerous chemicals, leaving water providers to grapple with long-term consequences......»»
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......»»
Audi replaces its bestseller—here’s the next Q5 SUV
Yet again, the US misses out on some options, like the mild hybrid. Enlarge / The third-generation Audi SQ5 (blue) and Q5 (black) go on sale early next year. (credit: Audi) Audi provided flights from Washington to Munich.....»»
China is spending billions on eight national datacenter hubs
China's east to west computing project is gaining ground as large investment is pumped into national datacenters......»»
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.....»»
Molecularly imprinted polymers help get the stink out of smoke-tainted wine
Wildfires can damage crops, even if flames come nowhere near the plants. One outcome can be an unpleasant flavor and smell of wine that is made from grapes exposed to smoke. But researchers report in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry tha.....»»
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.....»»
NASA"s Roman Space Telescope to investigate galactic fossils
The universe is a dynamic, ever-changing place where galaxies are dancing, merging together, and shifting appearance. Unfortunately, because these changes take millions or billions of years, telescopes can only provide snapshots, squeezed into a huma.....»»
South Africa"s coal workers face uncertainty—study shows they"re being left out of the green transition
South Africa is on the path to decarbonization—doing away with burning coal and other fossil fuels and moving towards renewable, clean energy, such as solar and wind power. However, the coal industry employs 91,000 people. If these workers lost the.....»»
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......»»
People in Brazil"s Amazon are choking on smoke and feeling the heat from rainforest wildfires
Smoke from wildfires in Brazil's Amazon rainforest Wednesday was causing people in the region to cough, burning their throats and reddening their eyes......»»
An Illinois school completely lost a child, and AirTag found him
A kindergarten school in Illinois lost a child on his first day, but his mother tracked him down through Find My and an AirTag she'd given him.AirTagIt's not clear whether the child knew about the AirTag, although when he's older you can bet he'll fi.....»»
SpaceX postpones historic mission featuring first private spacewalk
SpaceX on Tuesday postponed once more its attempt at launching a daring orbital expedition featuring an all-civilian crew that is aiming to carry out the first-ever spacewalk by private citizens......»»