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  • scientists – planetcirculate https://planetcirculate.com Tue, 19 Mar 2024 16:55:09 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 Breaking the ice: How scientists are trying to de-ice Euclid’s vision from a million miles away https://planetcirculate.com/breaking-the-ice-how-scientists-are-trying-to-de-ice-euclids-vision-from-a-million-miles-away/ https://planetcirculate.com/breaking-the-ice-how-scientists-are-trying-to-de-ice-euclids-vision-from-a-million-miles-away/#respond Tue, 19 Mar 2024 16:55:09 +0000 https://planetcirculate.com/breaking-the-ice-how-scientists-are-trying-to-de-ice-euclids-vision-from-a-million-miles-away/

    Euclid, tasked with unveiling the dark Universe’s secrets, has encountered a hurdle: microscopic layers of water ice are clouding its view. This challenge, stemming from the spacecraft’s exposure to the harsh cold of space, demands unprecedented precision for its mission’s success.Mirror, mirror, chilled in spaceEfforts are now underway across Europe to implement a novel de-icing […]

    The post Breaking the ice: How scientists are trying to de-ice Euclid’s vision from a million miles away appeared first on planetcirculate.

    ]]>



    Euclid, tasked with unveiling the dark Universe’s secrets, has encountered a hurdle: microscopic layers of water ice are clouding its view. This challenge, stemming from the spacecraft’s exposure to the harsh cold of space, demands unprecedented precision for its mission’s success.
    Mirror, mirror, chilled in space
    Efforts are now underway across Europe to implement a novel de-icing procedure designed to restore Euclid’s clarity and maintain its optical systems for the duration of its orbital life.Similar to how drivers remove ice from their car windshields in winter, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) scientists are embarking on a unique mission to “de-ice” the Euclid observatory’s telescope mirrors, situated over a million miles from Earth. These ice layers, though only as thick as a strand of DNA, have led to “a small but progressive decrease” in starlight detection, as noted by ESA in a recent announcement.
    Addressing the fog: Euclid’s diminishing sight
    As Euclid embarked on its celestial journey, experts noted a slight yet progressive dimming in the stars’ light captured by the visible instrument (VIS). Mischa Schirmer, a pivotal figure behind the new de-icing strategy, observed, “Some stars in the Universe vary in their luminosity, but the majority are stable for many millions of years. So, when our instruments detected a faint, gradual decline in photons coming in, we knew it wasn’t them – it was us.” This realization sparked a meticulous investigation into the unwanted accumulation of water, leading to the development of a targeted response.
    The mission’s current phase involves carefully heating areas of the spacecraft deemed low-risk, where water release poses minimal risk to other instruments. “De-icing should restore and preserve Euclid’s ability to collect light from these ancient galaxies, but it’s the first time we’re doing this procedure,” admitted Euclid scientist Reiko Nakajima, underlining the pioneering nature of this operation.
    Crafting the countermeasure: A strategic approach to de-icing
    The collaborative efforts spearheaded by Euclid’s dedicated teams across Europe, including insights from the ESA’s ESTEC and coordination by Ralf Kohley, culminate in a sophisticated plan to combat the ice. The strategy involves cautious heating of specific spacecraft components to avoid compromising Euclid’s delicate optical alignment. “Switching on the heaters in the payload module therefore needs to be done with extreme care,” explains Andreas Rudolph, highlighting the mission’s unique thermal-optical stability demands.
    Future-proofing Euclid: The long-term de-icing strategy
    Acknowledging that water will continue to seep into Euclid’s systems, the mission teams have devised a sustainable approach to periodically remove ice without disrupting the mission’s critical timeline. Reiko Nakajima emphasizes the importance of this procedure for Euclid’s primary mission: to map the Universe and probe the mysteries of gravitational lensing. The teams stand ready to pinpoint and address the ice’s location, aiming to ensure Euclid’s enduring capacity to observe distant galaxies and contribute to our cosmic understanding.





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    “Lost winter”: January and February shattered heat records, alarming climate scientists https://planetcirculate.com/lost-winter-january-and-february-shattered-heat-records-alarming-climate-scientists/ https://planetcirculate.com/lost-winter-january-and-february-shattered-heat-records-alarming-climate-scientists/#respond Tue, 19 Mar 2024 09:25:44 +0000 https://planetcirculate.com/lost-winter-january-and-february-shattered-heat-records-alarming-climate-scientists/

    The winter of 2023-2024 was unusually sparse in snow, ice and cold, and scientists know the reason why: it was the hottest winter on record. Month-to-month temperatures have been getting broken so consistently over the past few months that the media has started referring to the 2023-2024 winter as the “lost winter.” Indeed, a number of scientists suggested […]

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    ]]>


    The winter of 2023-2024 was unusually sparse in snow, ice and cold, and scientists know the reason why: it was the hottest winter on record. Month-to-month temperatures have been getting broken so consistently over the past few months that the media has started referring to the 2023-2024 winter as the “lost winter.” Indeed, a number of scientists suggested that this so-called “lost winter” may not be at all unusual in the future if humans do not address climate change.

    In fact, hotter temperatures all year long can be expected, as indicated in an official statement by professor Adam Scaife, Head of Long Range Prediction at the Met Office, who said, “2024 is the first calendar year where there is a significant chance of breaching the 1.5° C level, but whether this happens will depend on the balance between the extra warmth from the current El Niño and whether we get a decrease later in 2024 from La Niña.”

    The term “El Niño” refers to the weather phenomenon in which above-average sea-surface temperatures develop throughout the east-central equatorial Pacific; similarly, “La Niña” is the cyclical cooling of sea-surface temperatures in the east-central equatorial Pacific. The increased burning of fossil fuels, which is largely responsible for emitting the greenhouse gases causing global warming. This is the primary reason why, when 2023 ended, it was the hottest year in recorded history.

    Continuing this trend, February 2024 was the hottest February ever recorded, raising red flags among scientists within its 29-day span. On average, February 2024 was 1.77º Celsius warmer than the average February before the Industrial Revolution, according to Copernicus, the European Union’s climate monitoring service. Similarly, January 2024 was the hottest January ever recorded.

    “The El Niño was half-baked and yet it easily drove record global temperature.”

    The bad news is that Earth has officially passed the 1.5º Celsius threshold established as a target by the Paris climate accord to encourage greenhouse gas reductions. The good news is that, while humanity is on the path to surpassing the threshold of being warmer than 1.5º Celsius for several consecutive years, we have not officially done so yet.

    Yet the close of February 2029 makes it clear that Earth’s condition is still quite ominous, scientists who spoke to Salon all confirm. A recent study by Climate Central found that winter’s longest cold streaks have shrunk in 98% (236) of 240 U.S. locations studied since 1970. Overall the duration of cold streaks diminished by an average of six days across those locations since 1970. The trend is unmistakeable, and the implications are dire.

    Just ask Dr. James Hansen, a professor of climatology at Columbia University, whose famous 1988 testimony before Congress helped raise awareness about the issue. He identified one statistic that is particularly concerning — ocean temperatures.

    “The subsurface ocean temperature in the equatorial Pacific Ocean” is notable, Hansen wrote to Salon. He observed that the excess heat this year was much less than would normally be present prior to a Super El Niño, or as an unusually strong El Niño. Yet this was no El Niño was hardly “super,” despite the NOAA declaration; Hansen says they “simply looked at the [sea surface temperatures] in the Niño region, saw that it almost reached +2º C, and declared it ‘Super.’ Much of that warming came from human-caused climate change due to greenhouse gas emissions. “The excess heat in the equatorial Pacific that is belched out during the El Niño was not super at all, yet we got record temperatures.”

    In short, “the El Niño was half-baked and yet it easily drove record global temperature.”

    Kevin E. Trenberth, a distinguished scholar at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, wrote in The Conversation last June that “El Niños tend to peak in December, although their biggest atmospheric impacts may not be until February.” Trenberth told Salon that “this was sort of expected. The El Niño was expected to peak in December in the tropical Pacific, as it did, but the global impacts peak in February. It will now decline and the event will be over by about May. After then the [sea surface temperatures] will likely be near then below 2023 and it is not a given that 2024 will beat 2023 as warmest year.”


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    “The first payment has come due for our Faustian Aerosol Bargain.”

    Other experts also expressed alarm at the fact that El Niño played a relatively minor role in causing this February’s warming.

    “El Niño has certainly provided an extra heating boost, but other parts of the planet outside of the usual El Niño influence, such as the Atlantic Ocean, have also been exceptionally warm during the past year,” Steve Vavrus, a senior scientist and state climatologist at the University of Wisconsin—Madison, wrote to Salon. “It appears that last month will go down as Earth’s warmest February on record. February was also the 9th straight time that Earth set a new record high temperature for that month. The streak began last June.”

    Rebecca Benner, managing director for climate programs at The Nature Conservancy, told Salon that the ocean’s unprecedented warming “has potential implications we don’t even understand yet. It will certainly have huge impacts on fish, including commercial fish, whales and corals among other ocean-dwelling species, but it will also have major implications for weather patterns including potentially causing more hurricanes.”

    Because humanity cannot accurately predict the full extent of how warm oceans will shift weather patterns, “we are in uncharted territory,” she said.

    Benner also drew attention to the fact that February’s record-breaking temperatures were part of a larger trend. “Climate change is all about long-term trends,” Benner pointed out. “We are living the trends. We are seeing consistently hotter temperatures over time. We know we cannot attribute any one extreme weather event to climate change, but we are starting to live patterns and trends that show climate change is a tangible reality.”

    Trenberth identified other signs of this trend beyond rising sea surface temperatures: The drought in the Amazon, the wildfires in Texas and carbon dioxide in Mauna Loa, which in Jan. 2024 was 422.8 parts per million. “But a year ago, Jan. 2023, it was 419.5, an increase of 3.3 ppm: as high as it has ever been,” Trenberth said.

    Global heating isn’t just getting worse; the deterioration is accelerating. As Hansen summed it up, “the broader picture is that there is something else going on besides natural tropical variability on top of the steady global warming rate (0.18º C per decade) that occurred during 1970-2010.”

    “We have made the case, in our “Global Warming in the Pipeline” paper, that the ‘something else’ is that the first payment has come due for our Faustian Aerosol Bargain,” Hansen said. “Aerosol cooling limited global warming by greenhouse gases, but aerosols kill 6-8 million people per year worldwide, so we are finally reducing aerosols, and that is the main cause of the acceleration of global warming.”

    Dr. Friederike Otto, senior lecturer in climate science at Imperial College London, concluded that people “should not be surprised” that February 2024 broke so many climate records.

    “There’s now so much evidence pointing to the fact that our climate is warming, if you want to deny climate change, you might as well claim the earth is flat, too,” Otto said. “Billions of measurements from weather stations, satellites, ships and planes point to the very basic fact that our planet is heating up at a dangerous pace.”

    Read more

    about climate change:



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    Hangovers that feel like ‘alcohol poisoning’ could have a surprising cause, scientists discover https://planetcirculate.com/hangovers-that-feel-like-alcohol-poisoning-could-have-a-surprising-cause-scientists-discover/ https://planetcirculate.com/hangovers-that-feel-like-alcohol-poisoning-could-have-a-surprising-cause-scientists-discover/#respond Mon, 18 Mar 2024 08:02:01 +0000 https://planetcirculate.com/hangovers-that-feel-like-alcohol-poisoning-could-have-a-surprising-cause-scientists-discover/

    LONG Covid could cause terrible hangovers that feel like alcohol poisoning, a study suggests. Patients with the long-term condition saw their alcohol sensitivity increase, resulting in debilitating symptoms the day after a few drinks, US researchers found. 2 Terrible hangovers could be a sign of Long Covid 2 People with Long Covid have shown to […]

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    LONG Covid could cause terrible hangovers that feel like alcohol poisoning, a study suggests.

    Patients with the long-term condition saw their alcohol sensitivity increase, resulting in debilitating symptoms the day after a few drinks, US researchers found.

    2

    Terrible hangovers could be a sign of Long Covid
    People with Long Covid have shown to be more sensitive to alcohol, the study shows

    2

    People with Long Covid have shown to be more sensitive to alcohol, the study showsCredit: Getty

    Half of those in the study said their headaches got much worse after drinking the same amount as they would have before having Covid.

    Their hangovers became so bad that one patient reported being unable to move.

    Another patient, 40, who could previously enjoy seven mixers on a night with no issues said her hangovers quickly became like “alcohol poisoning” after having just one drink.

    Ella Eastin, of Stanford University, said: “Prior to her initial Covid infection, she had no issues with alcohol tolerance and could easily tolerate about seven mixed drinks containing hard liquor in one night. 

    “After Covid infection, however, she reported feeling like she suffers from ‘alcohol poisoning’ after drinking even small amounts of alcohol and feels ‘terrible’ for several days after consumption. 

    “Her tolerance has decreased to the point where one beer would result in a severe ‘hangover’.”

    Long Covid affects tens of thousands Brits but remains a largely misunderstood condition.

    The mysterious illness occurs months and sometimes years after an infection and can cause deadly complications.

    The NHS defines long Covid as having symptoms lasting longer than 12 weeks after an infection, after which point most people have normally recovered.

    The disease — also known as post-Covid-19 syndrome — can cause symptoms to fluctuate or relapse over time.

    Long covid survivor Dr Natalie Macdermott reviews new ITV covid drama Breathtaking

    Researchers are currently working on improving our understanding of the condition so medics are better able to treat it.

    The most common symptoms include extreme tiredness, feeling short of breath, loss of smell and muscle aches.

    Other symptoms can vary but include problems with memory and concentration, known as brain fog, and difficulty sleeping.

    Chest pain or tightness, heart palpitations, dizziness, pins and needles, joint pain, depression and anxiety and tinnitus are all potential signs of the condition as well.

    DEBILITATING SYMPTOMS

    The latest study, published in Cureus, looked at how the condition affected alcohol tolerance in four long Covid patients.

    A 49-year-old woman who also had type 1 diabetes and coeliac disease said her hangovers got so bad she couldn’t move.

    Eastin said: “The patient used to consume several drinks per week and drink socially, but reported that she had not consumed alcohol for the last seven months due to decreased tolerance. 

    “The patient reported one instance, post-Covid infection, during which she had one glass of wine and had such a bad reaction that she felt she could not move. 

    Read more on the Scottish Sun

    “She described her symptoms as similar to a ‘bad hangover’, with a headache, grogginess, and ‘overwhelming’ fatigue the next day. 

    “A week later, a single drink led to similar worsening of her symptoms.”

    What are the symptoms of long Covid?

    • extreme tiredness (fatigue)
    • feeling short of breath
    • loss of smell
    • muscle aches
    • problems with your memory and concentration (“brain fog”)
    • chest pain or tightness
    • difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
    • heart palpitations
    • dizziness
    • pins and needles
    • joint pain
    • depression and anxiety
    • tinnitus, earaches
    • feeling sick, diarrhoea, stomach aches, loss of appetite
    • a high temperature, cough, headaches, sore throat, changes to sense of smell or taste
    • rashes



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    Reading the ruins of Amazon fires, scientists see crisis ahead https://planetcirculate.com/reading-the-ruins-of-amazon-fires-scientists-see-crisis-ahead/ https://planetcirculate.com/reading-the-ruins-of-amazon-fires-scientists-see-crisis-ahead/#respond Mon, 18 Mar 2024 06:43:04 +0000 https://planetcirculate.com/reading-the-ruins-of-amazon-fires-scientists-see-crisis-ahead/

    Thomson Reuters Foundation – The Amazon is battling record early-year fires, fueling fears of a worse climate crisis to come as blazes kill vegetation that is key to absorbing planet-warming carbon dioxide. Fanned by drought, high winds and human felling, the forest is suffering unprecedented fires this early in the year, satellite images show, with […]

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    ]]>


    The Amazon is battling record early-year fires, fueling fears of a worse climate crisis to come as blazes kill vegetation that is key to absorbing planet-warming carbon dioxide.

    Fanned by drought, high winds and human felling, the forest is suffering unprecedented fires this early in the year, satellite images show, with the dry season still to reach critical parts of the Amazon.

    “Traditional as well as scientific knowledge point to dire times ahead,” said Sinea do Vale of the Indigenous Council of Roraima, the Brazilian state worst hit by February’s unprecedented blazes.

    “If emissions do not drop drastically, we will keep suffering,” do Vale told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

    Fire is currently concentrated in the northern Amazon, satellite data shows, with Brazil, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela registering a record number of blazes in February, according to data gathered this century by Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE).

    In January, more than 941 hectares of Brazil’s Amazon were burned, more than triple the damage chalked up at this time last year, according to MapBiomas, a Brazilian network of scientists, nonprofits, universities and technology firms.

    This February, 3,158 fire episodes were registered by INPE in Brazil’s Amazon — beating 2007’s previous record of 1,761.

    REUTERS

    The Amazon’s carbon emissions reached a record high for that month, according to 22 years of data from European Union’s Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service.

    “What we are seeing right now is a result of 2023’s drought. … The landscape has become extremely inflammable, so that any spark may become a blazing fire,” said Ane Alencar, a researcher at the IPAM Amazonia environmental institute.

    Smoke signal?

    January and February blazes typically account for a small share of the Amazon’s annual fires.

    Scientists fear, however, that this year’s early record could signal a more widespread crisis ahead, as decades of human intervention and the ongoing severe drought — driven by the El Nino climate pattern — turn forest to fuel.

    Fires open the way for highly flammable grass to grow, which in turn “generates even more catastrophic fires over the next years,” said IPAM’s Leonardo Maracahipes-Santos.

    “Especially if combined with severe drought,” he added from a 36-meter tower set up by IPAM in Querencia, southern Amazon, to investigate the changing forest.

    Viewed from above, the Amazon unrolls toward the horizon, cut short by soy fields. Under a canopy of green, Maracahipes-Santos points to a fire scar on a nearby tree.

    “Flames embrace the tree and unite on the opposite side, forming a triangle. Even when the tree doesn’t die immediately, this opening makes it more vulnerable,” he said.

    Deforestation

    With more dead trees, the ground becomes ever more dry and flammable, said Liana Anderson of Brazil’s National Center for Monitoring and Early Warning of Natural Disasters.

    Plus, fires are “increasingly used as a weapon against traditional populations” in areas of dispute where farmers, loggers and hunters are fighting for land, she said.

    The worst fires typically come between July and November, when the forest’s southern and eastern fringes are at their driest, while rain drenches the northern Amazon.

    Even during unusually dry seasons, rainforest fires are not sparked naturally and must be deliberately ignited. Land grabbers and farmers burn the forests over years so areas can be re-purposed, mostly for cattle ranching.

    A firefighter tackles a fire in a sugar field in San Buenaventura, Bolivia, in November 2023.

    A firefighter tackles a fire in a sugar field in San Buenaventura, Bolivia, in November 2023.
    | REUTERS

    According to Manoela Machado, a researcher at the U.S.-based Woodwell Climate Research Center, Brazil’s Amazon has undergone exceptionally high levels of deforestation since 2019.

    Although rates have been declining, deforestation remains high, she said, especially in the southern and eastern fringes.

    “If there is deforestation, there will be fire,” she added.

    Extreme weather

    A key unknown is the amount of rain that will hit the southern and eastern Amazon in coming months — and whether it will be enough to recharge the forest’s soil and rivers.

    This week, Brazil’s National Water Agency said key Amazon rivers were below their average levels for the month, and predicted that rainfall would dip below the average for eastern Amazon and parts of its southern fringes from March through May.

    “It is not raining enough,” said Alencar from IPAM.

    Scientists say climate change increases the likelihood of drastic events, from drought to flood.

    At the same time, large swaths of forest are vanishing to deforestation and fire, making it less resilient.

    Some scientists fear this combination may push the forest to a tipping point of no return.

    Instead of absorbing planet-heating carbon, the forest would die out, becoming a net carbon emitter and accelerating climate change — a shift already detected in some areas.

    Deforestation rates have dropped in the forest since 2023, when President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva came to power vowing to restore environmental protections. But the dangers remain high.

    “Climate is increasingly dryer and warmer, providing more dry fuel, and there is a greater motivation to burn. This cycle will not end if there is not a stop to deforestation,” said Manoela Machado, from the Woodwell Center.



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    ]]> https://planetcirculate.com/reading-the-ruins-of-amazon-fires-scientists-see-crisis-ahead/feed/ 0 Scientists discover how to ‘switch off’ fear in the brain – all thanks to a 5p pill https://planetcirculate.com/scientists-discover-how-to-switch-off-fear-in-the-brain-all-thanks-to-a-5p-pill/ https://planetcirculate.com/scientists-discover-how-to-switch-off-fear-in-the-brain-all-thanks-to-a-5p-pill/#respond Mon, 18 Mar 2024 05:00:39 +0000 https://planetcirculate.com/scientists-discover-how-to-switch-off-fear-in-the-brain-all-thanks-to-a-5p-pill/

    SCIENTISTS have discovered how to turn off a fear switch in the brain, a study shows. The breakthrough could lead to new treatments for patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), US researchers said. 1 Pic shows: Neurons are highlighted during the fear response in the brain of a mouseCredit: Spitzer Lab, UC San Diego Researchers […]

    The post Scientists discover how to ‘switch off’ fear in the brain – all thanks to a 5p pill appeared first on planetcirculate.

    ]]>


    SCIENTISTS have discovered how to turn off a fear switch in the brain, a study shows.

    The breakthrough could lead to new treatments for patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), US researchers said.

    1

    Pic shows: Neurons are highlighted during the fear response in the brain of a mouseCredit: Spitzer Lab, UC San Diego

    Researchers found that changes in the brain can lead to a state of generalised fear, when a person’s fear response kicks in even in the absence of a real threat.

    Taking the common 5p antidepressant fluoxetine — also known as Prozac — immediately after a fright helped avoid this state of generalised fear longer term, they found.

    Professor Nick Spitzer, of the University of California San Diego, said: “Our results provide important insights into the mechanisms involved in fear generalisation.

    “The benefit of understanding these processes at this level of molecular detail — what is going on and where it’s going on — allows an intervention that is specific to the mechanism that drives related disorders.

    “Now that we have a handle on the core of the mechanism by which stress-induced fear happens and the circuitry that implements this fear, interventions can be targeted and specific.”

    PTSD is an anxiety disorder that is caused by very stressful, frightening or distressing events and can result in nightmares, flashbacks and feelings of isolation.

    It affects around one in 10 Brits at some point in their life — around 6.7million people.

    Causes can range from serious road accidents to violent assaults, health problems or issues in childbirth.

    Treatments can involve talking therapies, like cognitive behavioural therapy, and antidepressants like paroxetine or sertraline.

    The latest study, published in Science, looked at the brains of mice to see how neurotransmitters in the brain affect generalised fear.

    The 3 surprising signs you might miss that means your loved one is depressed

    They found putting the mice under stress caused the chemical signals in the brain cells to change, producing the generalised fear response.

    Researchers found the same change in brain cells in the brains of dead PTSD patients.

    PROMISING TREATMENT

    When mice were treated with fluoxetine immediately after a stressful event, the change did not occur.

    But researchers said the drug had no effect after the change occurs, which is why antidepressants do not work for all PTSD patients.

    They said the findings are a promising start down a path that could lead to more effective treatments.

    What are the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?

    Re-experiencing is the most typical symptom of PTSD.

    This is when a person involuntarily and vividly relives the traumatic event in the form of:

    • flashbacks
    • nightmares
    • repetitive and distressing images or sensations
    • physical sensations, such as pain, sweating, feeling sick or trembling

    Some people have constant negative thoughts about their experience, repeatedly asking themselves questions that prevent them coming to terms with the event.

    For example, they may wonder why the event happened to them and if they could have done anything to stop it, which can lead to feelings of guilt or shame.

    Source: The NHS



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    Risk of AI humanoids turning evil is ‘genuine concern’ for scientists as ‘millions’ expected to enter armies https://planetcirculate.com/risk-of-ai-humanoids-turning-evil-is-genuine-concern-for-scientists-as-millions-expected-to-enter-armies/ https://planetcirculate.com/risk-of-ai-humanoids-turning-evil-is-genuine-concern-for-scientists-as-millions-expected-to-enter-armies/#respond Sat, 16 Mar 2024 07:33:48 +0000 https://planetcirculate.com/risk-of-ai-humanoids-turning-evil-is-genuine-concern-for-scientists-as-millions-expected-to-enter-armies/

    SCIENTISTS working on humanoid robots are genuinely concerned about the prospect of the technology being used for evil. That’s according to a humanoid expert who spoke with The U.S. Sun at this week’s South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas. 2 A humanoid expert has revealed concerns over humanoids being used for evilCredit: Charlotte Edwards/The […]

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    SCIENTISTS working on humanoid robots are genuinely concerned about the prospect of the technology being used for evil.

    That’s according to a humanoid expert who spoke with The U.S. Sun at this week’s South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas.

    2

    A humanoid expert has revealed concerns over humanoids being used for evilCredit: Charlotte Edwards/The U.S. Sun
    The Professor was demonstrating the capabilities of a robot called Draco 3 at SXSW

    2

    The Professor was demonstrating the capabilities of a robot called Draco 3 at SXSWCredit: Charlotte Edwards/The U.S. Sun

    Professor Luis Sentis from the University of Texas in Austin spoke at the conference and presented his work with a robot called Draco 3.

    Draco 3 is designed to be a helpful AI robot that can do menial tasks like washing dishes and helping at home.

    Sentis isn’t necessarily concerned about Draco but fears similar technology could be used for the wrong reasons.

    When asked whether evil humanoids are a genuine concern he simply replied “Of course.”

    I think that the most palpable thing is warfare,” he continued.

    “War with Ukraine and Israel and Gaza has been a transformation.

    “Now it’s being fought by drones and that’s not going back.

    “In future wars, armies of the future will have millions of drones because the infantry.

    “You know, we lost half a million lives in Ukraine and Russia and this is terrible and in Israel there’s a lot of loss of life.

    “We’re going to see a proliferation of machines in combat, with countries not wanting to have their infantry dying.”

    Sentis compared the fear of the unknown when it comes to humanoids to automic weapons.

    “This is similar to developments we’ve seen in automic weapons where there’s the argument that it’s terrible for the war because anybody can push a button and kind of destroy the world.

    “There is the argument that that has detered people from using them [humanoids] because there’s a balance,” the expert said.

    “It’s not my area of expertise and I’m worried about it,” he added.

    Sentis would prefer to see humanoids used for things like helping small businesses or the elderly.

    He gave the example of Draco 3 and all the positive things the humanoid is capable of.

    “It’s easy to train. Can put things in boxes more rapidly. It can move things around.

    “To be seeing the part of robots helping small businesses is really appealing and seeing the ability of robots checking for people at home.”

    Artificial Intelligence at South by Southwest

    Artificial intelligence was a huge topic at South by Southwest (SXSW) 2024. Here’s a round up of some of the key stories…

    A US politician has called on ‘Swifties to save America’ and issued a stark warning over AI deepfakes ahead of the 2024 election

    The US Army colonel predicts humanoids could fight as early as 2030 but also issued a warning over the tech

    An expert warned that AI ‘minions’ like ChatGPT are eating themselves like ‘carnivorous snakes’ in an eerie ‘deterioration’ phenomenon

    Deepfake scams are “definitely” something OpenAI is concerned about, according to the head of ChatGPT



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    ‘It’s NOT ancient history,’ warn scientists as cases of leprosy surge in parts of US https://planetcirculate.com/its-not-ancient-history-warn-scientists-as-cases-of-leprosy-surge-in-parts-of-us/ https://planetcirculate.com/its-not-ancient-history-warn-scientists-as-cases-of-leprosy-surge-in-parts-of-us/#respond Fri, 15 Mar 2024 13:18:22 +0000 https://planetcirculate.com/its-not-ancient-history-warn-scientists-as-cases-of-leprosy-surge-in-parts-of-us/

    FOR most, leprosy probably conjures scenes of barbaric biblical plagues. But the disease, which can leave sufferers blind and paralysed, is still very much still lurking today. 1 A 54-year-old man in central Florida was diagnosed with leprosy in 2022Credit: National Library of Medicine In fact, cases of leprosy are rising in parts of the […]

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    FOR most, leprosy probably conjures scenes of barbaric biblical plagues.

    But the disease, which can leave sufferers blind and paralysed, is still very much still lurking today.

    1

    A 54-year-old man in central Florida was diagnosed with leprosy in 2022Credit: National Library of Medicine

    In fact, cases of leprosy are rising in parts of the US, particularly in Florida.

    A report published by the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) found that 2020 saw 159 new cases of the medieval disease in the US.

    Almost a fifth of those cases came from central Florida, suggesting the bug is becoming endemic in the southeastern states.

    “This surge highlights the urgent need for healthcare providers to report them immediately, Professor Robert Schwartz, head of dermatology at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, said.

    “Contact tracing is critical to identifying sources and reducing transmission.”

    Leprosy, or Hansen disease, is a chronic infectious disease caused by bacteria.

    It gnaws away at the skin and nerves and, if left untreated, can result in blindness, paralysis, nose disfigurement, and shortening of toes and fingers.

    Before treatments were discovered, infected people were quarantined in “leper colonies” in many countries around the world and ostracised.

    Nowadays, thanks to modern medicine, it’s fairly straightforward to cure.

    Why is it spreading?

    Scientists are not completely sure why the disease is spreading in parts of the US.

    Leprosy is not transmitted through casual contact like shaking hands or sitting beside an infected person.

    Instead, catching the bug requires prolonged close contact with someone who has had untreated leprosy over many months, according to the CDC.

    Traditionally, people would initially catch the bug from animals, including armadillos, or when visiting countries where the disease is endemic, such as Brazil, India, and Indonesia.

    A 2016 study found red squirrels across Britain and Ireland are riddled with strains of the disease.

    However, studies suggest recent cases in Georgia and central Florida could not be linked to animals or international travel.

    “In many [recent] cases, the source remains an enigma,” the professor wrote in the Conversation.

    “Some people’s genetics might make them more susceptible to leprosy infections, or their immune systems are less capable of resisting the disease.”

    Another challenge with leprosy is sufferers can take 20 years to develop symptoms like pale, numb blotches, rashes, ulcers and lesions.

    Because of that delay, tracking the source and spread of a leprosy infection can be hard. 

    The CDC cited a recent case of leprosy in a 54-year-old man who sought treatment for painful lesions on his face and body.

    The unnamed had not travelled overseas or had contact with people known to be living with the disease.

    “He has resided in central Florida his entire life, works in landscaping, and spends long periods outdoors,” the CDC said in a report published in its Emerging Infectious Diseases journal in 2022.

    Read more on the Scottish Sun

    About 34 per cent of new cases between 2015 and 2020 didn’t have those traditional risk factors, according to the research letter.

    Instead, the people appear to have been infected locally, which suggests that leprosy has become endemic in Florida, the letter says.

    Leprosy: everything you need to know

    Leprosy is a disease caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium leprae.

    The illness is renowned for being extremely slow to develop.

    The bacteria reproduce slowly, and people may not develop symptoms for decades after exposure.

    The average time is around five years, but some people may not develop signs for more than 20 years after contracting the bacteria.

    Symptoms of leprosy include patches of discoloured skin, numbness, muscle weakness, eye problems, a blocked nose and nosebleeds and ulcers on the soles of the feet. 

    More than 200,000 people are thought to be diagnosed with the disease worldwide, with 60 per cent of cases in India. 

    Brazil and Indonesia also have relatively large numbers of infections, while the rest are scattered worldwide. 

    Leprosy was historically thought to be a contagious skin disease that led to societies banishing victims to colonies, but scientists now believe the illness spreads slowly if people inhale bacteria.

    The illness can cause progressive nerve damage, weakness and the breakdown of limbs, flesh and facial features if left untreated, but antibiotics can now clear it up. 



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    Scientists pinpoint 37 brain conditions that are ‘leading cause of early death’ – are you at risk? https://planetcirculate.com/scientists-pinpoint-37-brain-conditions-that-are-leading-cause-of-early-death-are-you-at-risk/ https://planetcirculate.com/scientists-pinpoint-37-brain-conditions-that-are-leading-cause-of-early-death-are-you-at-risk/#respond Fri, 15 Mar 2024 05:09:17 +0000 https://planetcirculate.com/scientists-pinpoint-37-brain-conditions-that-are-leading-cause-of-early-death-are-you-at-risk/

    MORE than 40 per cent of people around the world are living with some sort of brain condition, a study shows. The conditions — which include Alzheimer’s, stroke and migraines — affect around 3.4billion people, which is far more people than previously thought, researchers said. 1 More than 40 per cent of people around the […]

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    MORE than 40 per cent of people around the world are living with some sort of brain condition, a study shows.

    The conditions — which include Alzheimer’s, stroke and migraines — affect around 3.4billion people, which is far more people than previously thought, researchers said.

    1

    More than 40 per cent of people around the world are living with some sort of brain conditionCredit: Getty

    They are now the leading cause of disability, illness, and premature death, with the total amount caused by them increasing 18 per cent from 1990 to 2021, they found.

    Dr Jaimie Steinmetz, of the University of Washington, said: “Every country now has estimates of their neurological burden based on the best available evidence.

    “Nervous system conditions must be addressed through effective, culturally acceptable, and affordable prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and long-term care strategies.”

    Neurological conditions are the “world’s leading cause of overall disease burden”, and cases have risen 59 per cent globally since 1990, he added.

    Dr Katrin Seeher, of the World Health Organization, said: “Many neurological conditions lack cures, and access to medical care is often limited.

    “Understanding modifiable risk factors and the potentially avoidable neurological condition burden is essential to help curb this global health crisis.”

    Neurological conditions also include meningitis, brain injuries and nerve damage, which can be caused by diabetes.

    Around 944,000 Brits are currently living with dementia and experts predict the numbers will exceed one million by the end of the decade.

    Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of the condition, and is thought to be caused by build-ups of proteins in the brain, including tau and amyloid.

    There is currently no cure for the disease, although three promising drugs to slow down its progress are currently in trials.

    NHS video animation explains how a stroke happens and how to reduce the risks

    The study, published in The Lancet Neurology, looked at how rates of dementia and 36 other neurological conditions have changed around the world over time.

    Researchers looked at data for cases, deaths and disability in 204 countries around the world over 31 years.

    The worldwide neurological burden is growing very fast

    Dr Valery FeiginAuckland University

    Dr Valery Feigin, of Auckland University, said: “The worldwide neurological burden is growing very fast and will put even more pressure on health systems in the coming decades.

    “Yet many current strategies for reducing neurological conditions have low effectiveness or are not sufficiently deployed, as is the case with some of the fastest-growing but largely preventable conditions like diabetic neuropathy and neonatal disorders. 

    “For many other conditions, there is no cure, underscoring the importance of greater investment and research into novel interventions and potentially modifiable risk factors.”

    Dr Steinmetz added: “Nervous system conditions include infectious and vector-borne diseases and injuries as well as non-communicable diseases and injuries, demanding different strategies for prevention and treatment throughout life.

    “We hope that our findings can help policymakers more comprehensively understand the impact of neurological conditions on both adults and children to inform more targeted interventions in individual countries.”

    What were the 37 conditions that are the ‘world’s leading cause of overall disease burden’?

    1. Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias
    2. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
    3. Autism spectrum disorder
    4. Cerebral malaria
    5. Cognitive impairment or Guillain-Barre syndrome due to Covid-19
    6. Congenital and adult neurosyphilis
    7. Diabetic neuropathy
    8. Encephalitis
    9. Epilepsy
    10. Epilepsy due to cystic echinococcosis
    11. Fetal alcohol syndrome
    12. Guillain-Barre syndrome
    13. Idiopathic intellectual disability
    14. Meningitis
    15. Migraine
    16. Motor neuron disease
    17. Multiple sclerosis
    18. Neonatal encephalopathy
    19. Nervous system cancer
    20. Neural tube defects
    21. Neurocysticerosis
    22. Neurological complications due to congenital birth defects
    23. Neurological complications due to congenital Zika syndrome
    24. Neurological complications due to Down syndrome
    25. Neurological complications due to Klinefelter syndrom
    26. Neurological complications due to neonatal jaundice
    27. Neurological complications due to neonatal sepsis
    28. Neurological complications due to other chromosmal anomalies
    29. Neurological complications due to perterm birth
    30. Other neurological disorders
    31. Parkinson’s disease
    32. Rabies
    33. Spinal cord injury
    34. Stroke
    35. Tension-type headache
    36. Tetanus
    37. Traumatic brain injury



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    Snakes on a plate – scientists tout pythons as food of the future | Tech News https://planetcirculate.com/snakes-on-a-plate-scientists-tout-pythons-as-food-of-the-future-tech-news/ https://planetcirculate.com/snakes-on-a-plate-scientists-tout-pythons-as-food-of-the-future-tech-news/#respond Fri, 15 Mar 2024 00:09:01 +0000 https://planetcirculate.com/snakes-on-a-plate-scientists-tout-pythons-as-food-of-the-future-tech-news/

    Will Burmese pythons soon be on the menu? (Picture: Getty/iStockphoto) Would you eat snakes? That might be the future, after researchers suggested python meat could provide a more sustainable alternative to other farmed meats. The reason? They grow rapidly, and need much less food than other livestock animals. Presumably they also fart less than cows […]

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    Will Burmese pythons soon be on the menu? (Picture: Getty/iStockphoto)

    Would you eat snakes?

    That might be the future, after researchers suggested python meat could provide a more sustainable alternative to other farmed meats.

    The reason? They grow rapidly, and need much less food than other livestock animals.

    Presumably they also fart less than cows too.

    Dr Daniel Natusch and colleagues studied the growth rates of 4,601 reticulated (Malayopython reticulatus) and Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) at two snake farms based in Uttaradit Province in Thailand and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. 

    The pythons were fed a range of local proteins, such as wild-caught rodents and fishmeal, on a weekly basis and measured and weighed over a weekly basis for 12 months. 

    They found that both species of python grew rapidly, by up to 46g per day, and females had even higher growth rates than males – with the snake’s growth rate in its first two months being the best predictor of body size later in life.

    Exotic fried snake dish served on a platter with a sprig of fresh coriander.

    Snake meat could be a good alternative to other livestock food (Image: Getty)

    The researchers then looked at a range of different protein sources, including chicken, pork-waste products, rodents and fishmeal, among a smaller subset of 58 Burmese pythons at the Ho Chi Minh farm, and found that for every 4.1g of food consumed, 1g of python meat could be harvested. 

    The lower quantity of food was also attributed to the Burmese pythons fasting for periods of between 20 and 127 days – during which time they lost very little body mass.

    As agriculture systems struggle with environmental and population pressures, cold-blooded animals like snakes, fish and insects are growing in popularity in some Asian countries. 

    These cold-blooded animals are more energy-efficient than warm-blooded animals such as cattle or poultry, and are suggested to be a good alternative to some meats. 

    The findings suggest that commercial python farming could be a feasible and sustainable food production option that could complement existing livestock systems, according to the authors.

    The authors say that further research should look into the most effective and humane way to raise snakes as livestock animals, and that there is potential for the reptile to be farmed on an industrial scale with a lower environmental impact than traditional meat production.

    However, they did not comment on the taste of python meat.

    The study is published in Scientific reports.


    MORE : Cancer breakthrough sees brain tumour almost disappear in five days


    MORE : Fascinating true story behind surfing hand gesture we thought meant ‘hang loose’


    MORE : Rats get high after munching confiscated marijuana at police station





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    Giant volcano spanning 280 miles discovered on Mars, scientists say | Science & Tech News https://planetcirculate.com/giant-volcano-spanning-280-miles-discovered-on-mars-scientists-say-science-tech-news/ https://planetcirculate.com/giant-volcano-spanning-280-miles-discovered-on-mars-scientists-say-science-tech-news/#respond Thu, 14 Mar 2024 14:33:06 +0000 https://planetcirculate.com/giant-volcano-spanning-280-miles-discovered-on-mars-scientists-say-science-tech-news/

    An enormous volcano has been “hiding in plain sight” on Mars for decades, according to scientists. The volcano, which is 280 miles wide, was found alongside a possible sheet of buried glacier ice in the eastern part of Mars’ Tharsis volcanic province, near the planet’s equator, scientists revealed at the 55th Lunar and Planetary Science […]

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    An enormous volcano has been “hiding in plain sight” on Mars for decades, according to scientists.

    The volcano, which is 280 miles wide, was found alongside a possible sheet of buried glacier ice in the eastern part of Mars’ Tharsis volcanic province, near the planet’s equator, scientists revealed at the 55th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference held in Texas on Wednesday.

    They said the volcano, which has been temporarily named the Noctis volcano in honour of its location at the edge of scenic Noctis Labyrinthus (Labyrinth of the Night), had been seen repeatedly by Nasa’s orbiting spacecraft since 1971, but was deeply eroded and beyond easy recognition.

    In a study about the discovery, the scientists said the volcano’s size and “complex modification history” suggest it’s been active for a very long time.

    Image:
    Topographic map showing the location of the Noctis volcano. Pic: NASA Mars Global Surveyor (MGS)/SETI Institute/ Pascal Lee and Sourabh Shubham

    In its southeastern part, there’s an area where glacier ice is likely still present, which scientists believe could be just as significant to us as the volcano.

    They think the discoveries point to an “exciting new location to study Mars’ geologic evolution through time, search for life, and explore with robots and humans in the future”.

    The discovery was made while a team of scientists was studying suspected glacier remnants and a potential landing site for astronauts nearby.

    The study was a joint effort between the SETI Institute and the Mars Institute based at NASA Ames Research Centre.

    Read more:
    Discovery may explain why Martians don’t exist
    Likely cause of Mars’ biggest ever quake revealed

    Explaining how it happened, Dr Pascal Lee, planetary scientist and lead author of the study, said: “We were examining the geology of an area where we had found the remains of a glacier last year when we realised we were inside a huge and deeply eroded volcano.”

    Several clues gave away the volcanic nature of the jumble of layered hills and canyons found.

    Here’s a more in-depth description of the structure found in the eastern part of Noctis Labyrinthus, provided by the SETI Institute:

    The volcanic structure

    The central summit area is marked by several elevated mesas forming an arc, reaching a regional high and sloping downhill away from the summit area.

    The gentle outer slopes extend out to 225 kilometres (140 miles) away in different directions.

    A caldera remnant – the remains of a collapsed volcanic crater once host to a lava lake – can be seen near the centre of the structure.

    Lava flows, pyroclastic deposits (made of volcanic particulate materials such as ash, cinders, pumice and tephra) and hydrated mineral deposits occur in several areas within the structure’s perimeter.

    “This area of Mars is known to have a wide variety of hydrated minerals spanning a long stretch of Martian history, said Sourabh Shubham, the study’s co-author.

    “A volcanic setting for these minerals had long been suspected. So, it may not be too surprising to find a volcano here. In some sense, this large volcano is a long-sought ‘smoking gun’.”

    Dr Lee says the Noctis volcano is so deeply eroded that “you could hike, drive, or fly through it to examine, sample, and date different parts of its interior to study Mars’ evolution through time”.

    The scientists are now working on submitting their full study to a peer-reviewed publication.



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