Notices by Benjamin Carr, Ph.D. 👨🏻‍💻🧬 (benjaminhccarr@hachyderm.io)

Scientists find #humans age dramatically in two bursts – at 44, then 60
#US findings suggesting #ageing is not a slow and steady process could explain spikes in health issues at certain ages.
The first wave of changes included molecules linked to cardiovascular disease and the ability to metabolize caffeine, alcohol and lipids. The second wave of changes included molecules involved in immune regulation, carbohydrate metabolism and kidney function.
https://www.theguardian.com/science/article/2024/aug/14/scientists-find-humans-age-dramatically-in-two-bursts-at-44-then-60-aging-not-slow-and-steady

The #climate is changing so fast that we haven’t seen how bad #extremeweather could get
Rapid #climatechange means we haven't experienced extremes modern-day #atmospheric and oceanic warmth produce. In stable climate, scientists would have decades of extreme events, such as #heatwaves, #floods, or #droughts. We could use these observations to build up understanding of what the climate is capable of. But in our rapidly changing climate, we effectively have only a few years
https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/07/the-climate-is-changing-so-fast-that-we-havent-seen-how-bad-extreme-weather-could-get/

Something is pumping out large amounts of oxygen at the bottom of the #Pacific #Ocean, at depths where a total lack of sunlight makes #aphotosynthesis impossible.

Mystery #oxygen source discovered on the #seafloor — bewildering scientists
A chemical reaction could be producing #oxygen by splitting water molecules, but its source of energy remains unknown. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02393-7

Troubling #birdflu study suggests human cases are going undetected
Small sample of #farm workers is enough to confirm fears about #H5N1 #outbreak.
"Due to fears that research might damage #dairy businesses, studies like this one have been few," authors write in summary of their study.
Known infections in #humans have all been mild so far. But experts are anxious that with each new infection, the wily H5N1 #virus is getting new opportunities to adapt further to humans.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/08/troubling-bird-flu-study-suggests-human-cases-are-going-undetected/

Inside the 'Nightmare' #Health Crisis of a #Texas #Bitcoin Town
In order to cool the machines, operators attached thousands of #fans to the containers, which churned constantly, emitting a vicious buzz. As more machines were switched on, #noise sounded like a ceiling fan, then a leaf blower, then a jet engine. It consumed afternoon dog walks and revved through cloudless nights, vibrating trailer homes of many of the low-income residents who live blocks from the facility.
https://time.com/6982015/bitcoin-mining-texas-health/

#Nature interrupted: Impact of the #US-#Mexico #borde wall on #wildlife
Scientists are working to understand how the barrier is affecting the area’s #biodiversity.
Between 2017 and 2021, the US installed more than 450 miles of border barriers—steel structures between 18 and 29 feet high, spaced less than 4in apart. 81% were replacements of existing vehicular or pedestrian barriers—but which, due to their design, had allowed some passage of #animals across the #border.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/06/nature-interrupted-impact-of-the-us-mexico-border-wall-on-wildlife/

During a year of extremes, #carbondioxide levels surge faster than ever
The two-year increase in #KeelingCurve peak is the largest on record
“Not only is #CO2 now at the highest level in millions of years, it is also rising faster than ever,” said Keeling. “Each year achieves a higher maximum due to fossil-fuel burning, which releases pollution in the form of carbon dioxide into the #atmosphere. #Fossilfuel pollution just keeps building up, much like trash in a landfill.”
https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/during-year-of-extremes-carbon-dioxide-levels-surge-faster-than-ever

Survey finds public perception of #scientists' #credibility slipped
59% agree scientists are trustworthy, 54% for #climate scientists, 28% for #AI scientists.
Share my values: A higher number (38%) agree climate scientists share my values than scientists in general (36%) and AI scientists (15%). More people disagree with this for AI scientists (35%) than others
Overcoming #bias: Just 42% of those surveyed agree scientists "are able to overcome human and #political #bias"
https://phys.org/news/2024-06-survey-perception-scientists-credibility.html

#HurricaneBeryl, super-charged, stuns experts, with record-warm #ocean temperatures helping it make history.
Once #Beryl moves into the #Caribbean later Monday it will encounter another body of water historically warm for this early in the summer. #Hurricane center expects it to remain a hurricane as it reaches #Mexico's #Yucatan Peninsula on Friday.
"If you asked the water in the Caribbean Sea what day it was, it would guess September 10”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/06/29/hurricane-beryl-record-hot-oceans/74255415007/ #climatechange #climatecrisis

Global sales of #polluting #SUV hit record high in 2023, data shows

SUVs account for a quarter of all new demand for #oil, 20% of the increase in #emissions, making the vehicles a major cause of the intensifying #climatecrisis.
SUVs have grown to just under half of global auto sales in #2023
https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/may/28/global-sales-of-polluting-suvs-hit-record-high-in-2023-data-shows

A sophisticated joint #ESA-#JAXA #satellite will measure how #clouds influence the #climate. Some low-level clouds are known to cool the planet, others at high altitude will act as a blanket. The #Earthcare mission will use a laser and a radar to probe the #atmosphere to see precisely where the balance lies. It's one of the great uncertainties in the computer models used to forecast how the climate will respond to increasing levels of #greenhousegases.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cyddezqrlmvo #climatechange

#Microplastics found in every #human #testicle in study
#Scientists say discovery may be linked to decades-long decline in #sperm counts in men around the world
Scientists tested 23 human #testes and 47 from #dogs. They found microplastic #pollution in every sample. The human testicles had been preserved and so their sperm count could not be measured. However, the sperm count in the dogs' testes could be assessed and was lower in samples with higher contamination with PVC
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/may/20/microplastics-human-testicles-study-sperm-counts

#Google's call-scanning #AI could dial up #censorship by default, #privacy experts warn
This is essentially #clientsidescanning
https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/15/googles-call-scanning-ai-could-dial-up-censorship-by-default-privacy-experts-warn/

Right now #DoNoEvil (kidding) Google is going after #scam calls, but what about in repressive countries or our own?

What happens when they come to find the #dissidents, #BLM, #abortion rights leaders?

#SlipperySlope #surveillance

Survey finds that 60 firms are responsible for half of world’s #plastic #pollution
Study confirms #Altria, #PhilipMorris International, #Danone, #Nestlé, #PepsiCo and #CocaCola are worst offenders https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/apr/24/survey-finds-that-60-firms-are-responsible-for-half-of-worlds-plastic-pollution

Grist reports on "an internal, employee-led effort to raise ethical concerns about #Microsoft's work helping #oil and #gas producers boost their profits by providing them with cloud computing resources and AI software tools." There's been some disappointments — but also some successes, with an internal #sustainability group growing 10,000 employees
Inside the worker-led effort to get the world's most valuable company to stop helping the #fossilfuel industry drill. https://grist.org/accountability/microsoft-employees-spent-years-fighting-the-tech-giants-oil-ties-now-theyre-speaking-out/

#Cicadas rising: A visual guide to #2024’s rare dual appearance
The cicadas are coming. This year is unique, because there are two #broods that are arriving at the same time in the midwestern and southeastern #UnitedStates. Usually it’s just one at a time. CNN has a visual guide for where the cicadas will be and why they’re here now. Basically, one brood emerges every 13 years and the other every 17, and there’s overlap.
https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2024/04/us/periodical-cicada-2024-visual-guide-scn-dg/

Life boomed on #Earth half a billion years ago. You can thank #magnets.
The near collapse of #Earth’s #magneticfield coincided with a spike in #oxygen levels and a boom in #biodiversity, according to a new study.
Gift Article: https://wapo.st/3UN6LrH

Storing energy with #compressedair is about to have its moment of truth
Toronto-based #Hydrostor Inc. is one of the businesses developing long-duration energy storage that has moved beyond lab scale and is now focusing on building big things. The company makes systems that store energy #underground in the form of compressed air, which can be released to produce electricity for eight hours or longer.
Technology will be used to store wind and #solar energy for use later.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/05/storing-energy-with-compressed-air-is-about-to-have-its-moment-of-truth/

The #Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (#AMOC) is weakening in the deep sea of the North #Atlantic #Ocean, study finds
Analysis of mooring observations and hydrographic data suggest Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation deep water limb in the #NorthAtlantic has weakened, contributing to #sealevelrise in the region. Two decades of continual observations provide a greater understanding of the #Earth’s #climate regulating system.
https://www.aoml.noaa.gov/atlantic-meridional-overturning-circulation-weakening-in-the-deep-sea-of-north-atlantic/ #climatechange #climatecrisis

#NASA missions delayed by #supercomputing shortcomings
NASA's old #supercomputers are causing mission delays — NASA's supercomputers still rely primarily on #CPU, and one of its flagship supercomputers uses 18,000 CPUs and 48 #GPU. NASA's Office of Inspector General report suggests that transitioning to GPUs and #code modernization is essential for meeting NASA's current and future needs.
https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/15/nasa_oig_supercomputing_audit #Space