#Mars Got Cooked by a Recent #SolarStorm
Days after light shows filled Earth’s skies with wonder, the red planet was hit by another powerful outburst of the #sun
The sun fired off a volley of r#adiation-riddled outbursts in #May2024. When they slammed into Earth's magnetic bubble, the world was treated to iridescent displays of the northern and southern lights. But our planet wasn't the only one in the solar firing line.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/13/science/mars-aurora-solar-storm.html
https://archive.ph/fy0Z4

In a milestone, the #US exceeds 5 million #solar installations
The 5 million milestone comes just eight years after the U.S. achieved its first million in 2016 -- a stark contrast to the four decades it took to reach that initial milestone since the first grid-connected solar project in 1973. Since the beginning of 2020, more than half of all U.S. solar installations have come online, and over 25% have been activated since #InflationReductionAct became law 20 months ago.
https://electrek.co/2024/05/15/us-exceeds-5-million-solar-installations/

Hypothetical #TSMC invasion 'absolutely devastating' need readiness in the #SouthChinaSea
#China views #Taiwan as a breakaway province. Some commentators think China has watched with interest world's reaction to #Russia invading #Ukraine.
Scenario where China seizes Taiwan and TSMC has been the subject of many thought-exercises. One of the most downloaded papers of 2021 from the US Army War College suggested that if that becomes reality, US should bomb TSMC themselves.
https://www.theregister.com/2024/05/09/hypothetical_tsmc_takeover_by_china/

'Boiling not warming': Marine life suffers as Thai #sea temperatures hit record
The once vibrant and colourful #corals, about five metres (16 feet) underwater, have turned white in a phenomenon known as #coralbleaching, a sign that their health was deteriorating, due to higher water temperatures, scientists say.
https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/boiling-not-warming-marine-life-suffers-thai-sea-temperatures-hit-record-2024-05-23/

How new tech is making #geothermal energy a more versatile power source
Geothermal energy iscontinuously radiating from Earth’s super-hot core, has long been relatively niche source of #electricity, largely limited to #volcanic regions like Iceland where hot springs bubble from ground. But geothermal enthusiasts have dreamed of sourcing Earth power in places without such specific #geological conditions—like #ProjectRed’s #Nevada site, developed by #startup #FervoEnergy.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/04/how-new-tech-is-making-geothermal-energy-a-more-versatile-power-source/

The One Thing That’s Holding Back the #HeatPump
One recent study found that if everyone in #US got a heat pump, it’d slash emissions in building sector by 36 to 64%, and cut overall national #emissions by 5-9%. (Because they’re fully electric, #heatpumps run on a grid increasingly loaded with #renewableenergy.)
It’s not the technology itself. It’s that we don’t yet have enough trained workers to install heat pumps for full-tilt #decarbonization.
https://www.wired.com/story/heat-pump-worker-shortage/
https://archive.ph/dA2mV

‘#Millionaires #tax’ has already generated $1.8 billion this year for #Massachusetts, blowing past projections
State officials said Monday that the voter-approved #surtax on high earners has generated more than $1.8 billion in revenue this fiscal year — with still three months left to go — meaning state officials could have hundreds of millions of surplus dollars to spend on transportation and education initiatives.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/05/20/metro/millionaires-tax-massachusetts-generated-18-billion/
https://archive.ph/CWZ2Q
#TaxTheRich

#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

#Carmakers Will Give Your #Location to #Police Without a #Warrant, Senators Say
Eight manufacturers reportedly told Congress they’d comply with a request for driver data without a court order. https://www.thedrive.com/news/automakers-will-give-your-location-to-police-without-a-warrant-senators-say #privacy #surveillance

The deep #ocean #photographer that captured a 'living fossil'
The youngest known #fossil #coelacanth is 66 million years old, leading to the assumption that these animals were long extinct. Then, in 1938, a #fish with iridescent blue-green scales and four limb-like fins, was caught in a trawl net off the coast of South Africa. This #coelacanth was dubbed a #livingfossil
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240507-the-deep-ocean-photographer-that-captured-a-living-fossil

Hawaii’s #MaunaLoa Observatory captured ominous signals about planet’s health
"Atmospheric levels of planet-warming #carbondioxide aren't just on their way to yet another record high this year," reports WashPost.
"They're rising faster than ever, according to the latest in a 66-year-long series of observations."
This year "is more than 50% above preindustrial levels and the highest in at least 4.3 million years" - #NOAA
https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/hawaii-s-mauna-loa-observatory-just-captured-ominous-signals-about-the-planet-s-health/ar-BB1maraM #climatechange #climatecrisis #KeelingCurve #CO2

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/

#WPAutomatic #WordPress plugin hit by millions of #SQLinjection attacks
Hackers targeting a critical severity #vulnerability in the #WP Automatic plugin for WordPress to create user accounts with administrative privileges and to plant backdoors for long-term access. Currently installed on more than 30,000 websites, WP Automatic lets administrators automate content importing (e.g. text, images, video) from various online sources and publishing on a WordPress site.
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/wp-automatic-wordpress-plugin-hit-by-millions-of-sql-injection-attacks/ #itsec

The invisible seafaring industry that keeps the #internet afloat

“The reason websites continue to load, bank transfers go through, and civilization persists is because of the thousand or so people living aboard 20-some ships stationed around the world, who race to fix each cable as soon as it breaks”
https://www.theverge.com/c/24070570/internet-cables-undersea-deep-repair-ships

#Automakers Are Sharing Consumers’ #Driving Behavior With #Insurance Companies
#LexisNexis, which generates consumer risk profiles for the insurers, knew about every trip #GM drivers had taken in their cars, including when they sped, braked too hard or accelerated rapidly. #Car companies are collecting information directly from internet-connected vehicles for use by the insurance industry
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/11/technology/carmakers-driver-tracking-insurance.html #privacy #surveillance
https://archive.ph/G1JaX

Scientists uncover link between #ocean #weather and global #climate, using mechanical rather than statistical analysis
They used a mathematical method, which was subsequently implemented into an advanced code by Storer and Aluie, that allowed them to study energy transfer across different patterns ranging from the circumference of the globe down to 10km. These techniques were then applied to ocean datasets from an advanced climate model and from satellite observations.
https://phys.org/news/2023-12-scientists-uncover-link-ocean-weather.html

Saving the #PanamaCanal Will Take Years and Cost Billions, If It’s Even Possible
Parched conditions have crippled a waterway that handles $270 billion a year in global trade. And there are no easy solutions. The #Panama #Canal Authority is weighing potential fixes that include an artificial lake to pump water into the canal and #cloudseeding to boost rainfall, but both options would take years to implement, if they’re even feasible.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-01-03/-270-billion-in-trade-rests-on-finding-a-fix-to-the-panama-canal

#Morning Person? You Might Have #Neanderthal #Genes to Thank.
Hundreds of genetic variants carried by Neanderthals and #Denisovans are shared by people who like to get up early. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/14/science/neanderthal-sleep-morning-people.html
UnPayWalled: https://archive.ph/3U3nK

#Climate tech is back—and this time, it can’t afford to fail

A decade after the high profile bust of #cleantech 1.0, venture-backed firms are again flourishing. We need them to succeed. Will they?

They HAVE to #climatechange is real... and rapidly becoming a #climatecrisis! Just look at #cop28, led by #fossilfuel barons!
https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/12/02/1084059/climate-tech-startups-are-back-and-this-time-they-might-survive/

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