Notices by Benjamin Carr, Ph.D. 👨🏻‍💻🧬 (benjaminhccarr@hachyderm.io), page 2

It’s a few years late, but a prototype #supersonic #airplane has taken flight
Getting Boom’s #XB1 Supersonic Test Jet airborne is an important moment for Boom in its efforts to develop economical supersonic travel.
"This milestone will be invaluable to Boom’s revival of supersonic travel." https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/03/its-a-few-years-late-but-a-prototype-supersonic-airplane-has-taken-flight/ #concorde

The world added 50% more #renewable capacity in #2023 than in 2022 –and that means it has a real chance of achieving the goal set by governments at the #COP28 #climatechange conference of tripling global capacity by #2030. #RenewableEnergy capacity added to energy systems around the world reached almost 510 gigawatts (GW), with #solar accounting for 75% of additions, according to the International Energy Agency’s (#IEA) https://electrek.co/2024/01/10/world-tripling-renewables-by-2030-goal-iea/

#Whale-#SETI: Groundbreaking Encounter with #Humpback #Whales Reveals Potential for Non-Human Intelligence Communication
The researchers from the SETI Institute, UC Davis, and the Alaska Whale Foundation report on the project in the science journal PeerJ: "Interactive #bioacoustic playback as a tool for detecting and exploring nonhuman intelligence: "conversing" with an Alaskan #humpbackwhale"
https://www.seti.org/press-release/whale-seti-groundbreaking-encounter-humpback-whales-reveals-potential-non-human-intelligence

“Mystery” #pneumonia in #China is mix of common respiratory germs, #WHO says
Reports caused alarm, but experts say it looks like a post-#COVID germ comeback, with #RSV, #adenovirus and #influenza surging. https://arstechnica.com/health/2023/11/chinas-mystery-outbreak-likely-a-post-covid-surge-of-common-winter-germs/

After months of wrangling, the #European Commission says it has decided to renew the license for the #weedkiller compound #glyphosate, approving its use in #EuropeanUnion countries for ten more years

#EU allows use of controversial weedkiller glyphosate for 10 more years
In the wake of a stalemate among member states, the #EuropeanCommission has decided to approve the #herbicide’s continued use. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03589-z

2023 #NationalClimateAssessment paints grim picture while offering hope
It's not too late to act, but transition to #renewableenergy needs to happen much faster.
“The effects of human-caused #climatechange are already far-reaching and worsening across every region of the #UnitedStates,” the report says. But it adds each increment of warming avoided through cutting #carbon #emissions will reduce the risks and harmful impacts.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/11/2023-national-climate-assessment-paints-grim-picture-while-offering-hope/
Great read on ~coming~ current #climatecrisis

#Airbus commissions three wind-powered #ships to sail the #Atlantic
The plane-maker revealed it has “commissioned shipowner Louis Dreyfus Armateurs to build, own and operate these new, highly efficient vessels that will enter into service from 2026.” The ships feature half a dozen Flettner rotors, rotating cylinders that produce the Magnus effect – a phenomenon that produces lift thanks to pressure differences on either side of a rotating object.
https://www.theregister.com/2023/10/27/airbus_ships/

Unveiling the Mysteries: New Insights on Why Marine Predators Dive Into the Dark, Deep Sea
New research using electronic tags and sonar data shows that large #marine predators like #sharks and #tuna often dive into deep #mesopelagic zone, interacting with its dense layer of organisms for feeding and possibly other purposes. This zone is crucial for both ecological balance and commercial fishing, requiring careful study and conservation to prevent irreversible damage https://scitechdaily.com/unveiling-the-mysteries-new-insights-on-why-marine-predators-dive-into-the-dark-deep-sea/ #whoi

Zombie #Viruses Are Waking Up After 50,000 Years as Planet Warms
Bloomberg looks at "zombie viruses" — long-dormant #microbes which they call "yet another risk that #climatechange poses to #publichealth" as ground that's been frozen for "milleniums" suddenly starts thawing — for example, in the #Arctic, which is warming "faster than any other area on #earth."
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/scientist-sounded-alarm-50-000-080005420.html #climatecrisis

Hydro #dams are struggling to handle the world’s intensifying #weather
#ClimateChange is robbing some dams of #water while oversupplying others.
Like most of the world’s 58,700 large dams, those in California were built for yesterday’s more stable #climate patterns. But climate change taxes the world’s water systems—affecting rainfall, snowmelt, and evaporation—it’s getting tough to predict how much water gets to a dam, and when—risking flooding downstream
https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/10/hydro-dams-are-struggling-to-handle-the-worlds-intensifying-weather/ #climatecrisis

4th #BeOS beta rebuild Haiku is out
Supports 802.11ac #wifi, HiDPI screens, X11, Wayland, GTK, #GCC 11
The new version also has improved subsystems and supporting libraries, enabling non-native applications to be ported from #Linux, #FreeBSD and #OpenBSD
https://bit.ly/3vVtjsV