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Feb 5, 2022

Massive Methane Emissions by the Oil & Gas Industry Detected from Satellite, Space

Posted by in categories: climatology, economics, space, sustainability

An international study involving researchers from CNRS and CEA as well as the company Kayrros reveals hundreds of major methane leaks linked to the global exploitation of oil and gas. Scientists show that their mitigation would lead to climatic and economic benefits amounting to billions of dollars for the main hydrocarbon producing countries. This work is published on February 4, 2022 in the journal Science.

Original press release published on CEA.

A major contributor to climate change, methane (CH 4) has a warming potential over 100 years approximately 30 times greater than that of CO 2. A quarter of anthropogenic emissions of this greenhouse gas come from the global exploitation of coal, oil and natural gas, of which CH4 is the main component. In 2018, a study had already exposed, based on the case of the United States, the vast underestimation in official inventories of emissions related to the extraction and distribution of oil and gas. A discrepancy which could be explained by sporadic undeclared releases of large quantities of methane by operators in the sector.

Feb 5, 2022

Turtles all the way down: Why AI’s cult of objectivity is dangerous, and how we can be better

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

Hiding human biases in model biases doesn’t eliminate them or magically make these biases objective. We must adopt a more realistic view.

Feb 5, 2022

The ISS is going to crash into the Pacific Ocean. Should you be worried?

Posted by in category: space

This is some send-off.


NASA recently announced plans to retire the International Space Station by crashing it into the Pacific Ocean — a spacecraft graveyard.

Feb 5, 2022

Liquid Water Confirmed Beneath Martian South Polar Cap

Posted by in category: space

A Southwest Research Institute scientist measured the properties of ice-brine mixtures as cold as-145 degrees Fahrenheit to help confirm that salty water likely exists between grains of ice or sediment under the ice cap at Mars ’ south pole. Laboratory measurements conducted by SwRI geophysicist Dr. David Stillman support oddly bright reflections detected by the MARSIS subsurface sounding radar aboard ESA’s Mars Express orbiter.

With a 130-foot antenna, MARSIS flies over the planet, bouncing radio waves over a selected area and then receiving and analyzing the echoes or reflections. Any near-surface liquid water should send a strong bright signal, whereas the radar signal for ice and rock would be much smaller.

Because conventional models assume the Mars south polar cap experiences temperatures much lower than the melting point of water, many scientists have questioned the presence of liquid water. Clay, hydrated salts, and saline ices have been proposed as potential explanations for the source of the bright basal reflections. The Italian-led team investigating the proposed phenomena used previously published data, simulations, and new laboratory measurements.

Feb 5, 2022

Elon Musk’s brain-implant startup Neuralink may have misled regulators about Musk’s leadership role

Posted by in categories: computing, Elon Musk, government, law, neuroscience

Neuralink, the startup cofounded and run by Elon Musk that hopes to implant computer chips in people’s brains, may have misled federal securities regulators about the billionaire entrepreneur’s role at the company.

That’s according to government documents and Fortune interviews with securities lawyers and a half-dozen former employees of the company. The employees mostly spoke anonymously out of concern for violating nondisclosure agreements and possible retaliation from Musk.

The episode involves a 2018 letter in which an attorney representing Neuralink downplayed Musk’s leadership role at the company in a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The attorney’s characterization contradicts former employees’ accounts, which depict Musk as very much in charge. Neuralink and the attorney involved in the filing did not respond to requests for comment. lawyer for Neuralink told the SEC that Musk had “no executive or management role” at the company. Former employees say that’s far from the truth.

Feb 5, 2022

The first 3D-printed house made with dirt

Posted by in category: habitats

The world’s first 3D-printed house made from dirt is environmentally friendly and looks great.

Feb 5, 2022

2021 Was One of The Hottest Years on Record &Mdash; And May be The Coldest we Ever See Again

Posted by in category: futurism

La Niña conditions of 2021 cooled the global average surface temperature. Parts of Australia, southern Africa and northwestern North America saw cooler temperatures during the year.


The La Niña conditions of 2021 took the edge off the global average surface temperature. Parts of Australia, southern Africa and northwestern North America saw cooler temperatures during 2021 compared to recent years as the effects of La Niña kicked in.

Continue reading “2021 Was One of The Hottest Years on Record &Mdash; And May be The Coldest we Ever See Again” »

Feb 5, 2022

Unemori Architects and Teco Architects create “park-like” health centre

Posted by in category: health

Japanese architecture studios Unemori Architects and Teco Architects have turned a commercial building in Kitakami, Japan, into a health and childcare support centre, adding a new facade as well as undulating floors and ceilings.

Feb 5, 2022

Peter Diamandis: never getting old is coming (clip from a talk w/ Mark Hyman) | S/T en Español

Posted by in categories: life extension, Peter Diamandis, singularity

Excerpt taken from a conversation held between Peter Diamandis and Mark Hyman.

In the description of the video is the link of the original video with the entire conversation.

Continue reading “Peter Diamandis: never getting old is coming (clip from a talk w/ Mark Hyman) | S/T en Español” »

Feb 5, 2022

An Air Force Experiment Tossed Cats Into a Microgravity Environment

Posted by in category: space