Number 315
Tech Giants Push To Dilute Europe’s AI Act
EU AI Act cleared a final vote in May. Still time to negotiate level of enforcement.
== yjk, except similar situation all over the world
‘Butterfly Emergency’ Declared as UK Summer Count Hits Record Low
Housebuilding plans could be an opportunity to create ‘wild belts’ around cities to help habitat and species recovery.
Automatic Takeoffs Are Coming For Passenger Jets
The automated takeoff procedure is largely the same as a regular one, with the exception that the pilot doesn’t pull back on the controls, as the plane does so automatically.
Hack of Hezbollah Devices Exposes Dark Corners of Asia Supply Chains
Revealing a murky market for older technologies where buyers may have few assurances about what they are getting.
Microsoft plans to restart the Three Mile Island nuclear plant
It’s keeping all of the energy for itself, because of AI.
Scientists looked deep beneath the Doomsday Glacier
What they found spells potential disaster for the planet.
Hope For Coral Reefs After IVF Colonies Survive Record Heat Event
Scientists found 90% of young coral surveyed remained healthy compared with 25% of older corals, after mass bleaching event in the Caribbean.
Twin study of fussy eaters reveals new clues
Study suggests fussy eating tendencies are mostly down to genetics rather than parenting styles.
Greener toilet paper options are hitting the market. But will they make a difference?
Environmental group’s latest ranking finds more recycled, bamboo options on the market.
== wonder what volume of greenhouse gases this will produce
‘Dead Internet Theory’ Comes To Life With New AI-Powered Social Media App
SocialAI takes the social media “filter bubble” to an extreme with 100% fake interactions.
Earth will get a ‘mini-moon’ this month, but it’s only visiting
Asteroid 2024 PT5 was discovered on Aug. 7.
Genetic ghosts suggest Covid’s market origins
Zoonotic spillovers of viruses have occurred through the animal trade worldwide.
FTC Study Finds ‘Vast Surveillance’ of Social Media Users
Report recommends limiting data retention and sharing, restricting targeted advertising, and strengthening protections for teens.
Solid-state battery prototype boosts energy density by nearly 25 percent
At a similar cost to standard lithium-ion batteries.
Canada’s emissions dropped slightly last year, with climate wins offset by oil and gas
Oil and gas sector a growing part of country’s greenhouse gas emissions, analysis finds.
Think your dog can understand words?
New study on soundboard-trained dogs offers insights on their word comprehension levels.
== paywall?
Hopes for new physics dashed by ordinary-looking W bosons at CERN
In 2022, physicists were excited by hints that something was wrong with our understanding of the universe - but new results have put that in doubt.
New Research Finds Microplastics In the Brain’s Olfactory Bulb
The tiny scraps of plastic were found in the olfactory bulb, the part of the brain responsible for processing smell.
== don’t know about the others but Japanese knotweed definitely an issue in the lower mainland
How teams in the Hamilton area are fighting dog-strangling vine and other invasive species
Vines produce chemicals that enter soil and inhibit native plant growth, scientist says.
Trove of dinosaur fossils found high in B.C. mountains
Paleontologist Victoria Arbour says her team has found the ‘mother lode of fossils.’
It’s a small world: Winners of microscopic video competition reveal the tiny in stunning detail
From tardigrades to cells, scientists help us see an invisible world.
A visual neuroscientist realized he saw green and blue differently to his wife. He designed an interactive site that has received over 1.5m visits.
== a ways away yet
Google Backs Privately Funded Satellite Constellation For Wildfire Detection
Authorities will have high-resolution imagery that is updated globally every 20 minutes.
Pregnancy brain changes revealed in detailed scans
Based on 26 scans of one healthy 38-year-old woman’s brain.
== yjc
Why the Avocado Should Have Gone the Way of the Dodo
Its large pit and fleshy deliciousness are all a result of its status as an evolutionary anachronism.
Data center emissions probably higher than big tech claims. Can it keep up the ruse?
Emissions from in-house data centers of Google, Microsoft, Meta and Apple may be 7.62 times higher than official tally.
China Claims Chipmaking Gear Advance Despite Tightening US Curbs
China improved the resolution of its home-developed DUV gear. Country still lags far behind in advanced lithography systems.
Stephen Hawking Was Wrong - Extremal Black Holes Are Possible
For decades, a black hole that has as much spin or charge as it can given it mass was considered mathematically impossible. A new proof reveals otherwise.
AI tool cuts unexpected deaths in hospital by 26%, Canadian study finds
Researchers say early warning system, launched in 2020 at St. Michael’s Hospital, is ‘saving lives.’
How the world’s smelliest fruit is making coffee more expensive
How much is too much for a caffeine fix?
Did Online Dating Increase US Income Inequality?
With online dating apps, Americans have increasingly been marrying someone more like themselves.
Building AI-powered robots that can flexibly operate in the real world is going to take much longer than Silicon Valley believes and promises.
What do we know about how female bodies deal with heat?
Endocrinologists say female body temps change throughout menstrual cycle, may affect how they feel heat.
== likely not just an Apple thing
Apple Vision Pro’s Eye Tracking Exposed What People Type
The Vision Pro uses 3D avatars on calls and for streaming. These researchers used eye tracking to work out the passwords and PINs people typed with their avatars.
Why Do We Crumble Under Pressure? Science Has the Answer
Study links this phenomenon to the brain region that controls movement.
OpenAI Acknowledges New Models Increase Risk of Misuse To Create Bioweapons
The new models had a “medium risk” for issues related to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) weapons – the highest risk that OpenAI has ever given for its models.
Tesla Semi fire required 50,000 gallons of water to extinguish
The California Highway Patrol said the fire’s temperatures reached 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
The question is not, 'What is the answer?' The question is, 'What is the question?'
— Henri Poincaré