BenjaminHCCarr

BenjaminHCCarr , 20 hours ago to Random stuff

A Fight About #Viruses in the #Air Is Finally Over. Now It’s Time for Healthy #Venting
#WHO now admits the #COVID virus and other #germs spread “through the air.” This plain language may help improve research and action to fight #disease https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-fight-about-viruses-in-the-air-is-finally-over-now-its-time-for-healthy/

BenjaminHCCarr , 2 days ago to Random stuff

#Microplastics found in every #human #testicle in study
#Scientists say discovery may be linked to decades-long decline in #sperm counts in men around the world
Scientists tested 23 human #testes and 47 from #dogs. They found microplastic #pollution in every sample. The human testicles had been preserved and so their sperm count could not be measured. However, the sperm count in the dogs' testes could be assessed and was lower in samples with higher contamination with PVC
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/may/20/microplastics-human-testicles-study-sperm-counts

BenjaminHCCarr , 8 days ago to Random stuff

Survey finds that 60 firms are responsible for half of world’s #plastic #pollution
Study confirms #Altria, #PhilipMorris International, #Danone, #Nestlé, #PepsiCo and #CocaCola are worst offenders https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/apr/24/survey-finds-that-60-firms-are-responsible-for-half-of-worlds-plastic-pollution

BenjaminHCCarr , 9 days ago to Random stuff

#Tornadoes Are Coming in Bunches. Scientists Are Trying to Figure Out Why
Number of tornadoes so far in #US this year is just above average. But their distribution is changing.
Tornadoes tend to travel in packs now, often with a dozen or more forming in the same region on the same day. On the worst days, hundreds can form at once. More than a dozen tornadoes were reported on both Monday and Tuesday this week across the Great Plains and the Midwest
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/08/climate/tornadoes-cluster-climate-change.html
https://archive.ph/FCGAg

BenjaminHCCarr , 10 days ago to Sustainability

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/

BenjaminHCCarr , 14 days ago to Random stuff

#Cicadas rising: A visual guide to #2024’s rare dual appearance
The cicadas are coming. This year is unique, because there are two #broods that are arriving at the same time in the midwestern and southeastern #UnitedStates. Usually it’s just one at a time. CNN has a visual guide for where the cicadas will be and why they’re here now. Basically, one brood emerges every 13 years and the other every 17, and there’s overlap.
https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2024/04/us/periodical-cicada-2024-visual-guide-scn-dg/

BenjaminHCCarr , 16 days ago to China

#FBI says #China's hackers preparing to attack #US infrastructure
Chinese government-linked hackers have burrowed into US #criticalinfrastructure and are waiting "for just the right moment to deal a devastating blow," FBI Director Christopher Wray said. An ongoing Chinese hacking campaign known as #VoltTyphoon has successfully gained access to numerous #American companies in telecommunications, energy, water and other critical sectors, with 23 pipeline operators targeted
https://www.reuters.com/technology/cybersecurity/fbi-says-chinese-hackers-preparing-attack-us-infrastructure-2024-04-18/

BenjaminHCCarr , 16 days ago to Random stuff

Life boomed on #Earth half a billion years ago. You can thank #magnets.
The near collapse of #Earth’s #magneticfield coincided with a spike in #oxygen levels and a boom in #biodiversity, according to a new study.
Gift Article: https://wapo.st/3UN6LrH

BenjaminHCCarr , 20 days ago to DIY Solar

Storing energy with #compressedair is about to have its moment of truth
Toronto-based #Hydrostor Inc. is one of the businesses developing long-duration energy storage that has moved beyond lab scale and is now focusing on building big things. The company makes systems that store energy #underground in the form of compressed air, which can be released to produce electricity for eight hours or longer.
Technology will be used to store wind and #solar energy for use later.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/05/storing-energy-with-compressed-air-is-about-to-have-its-moment-of-truth/

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BenjaminHCCarr , 20 days ago to Random stuff

I’ve Covered Violent Crackdowns on #Protests for 15 Years. This #Police Overreaction Was Unhinged.
When police attacked student #protesters, a lone trash can was the only damaged property I saw around City College of New York.
Between #Columbia and #CityCollege, over 200 protesters — almost all #students — were arrested before the night was out.
Brutal policing and groundless excuses are nothing new, nor is bipartisan support for the crackdowns.
https://theintercept.com/2024/05/01/nyc-gaza-college-protests-police-outside-agitators/

BenjaminHCCarr , 22 days ago to Random stuff

#Newspapers Sue #OpenAI for #CopyrightInfringement and 'Fake News' Hallucinations
Eight newspapers, including the New York Daily News, #ChicagoTribune and the #DenverPost, accuse the companies of training #ChatGPT models on their content without permission or compensation. In addition, ChatGPT allegedly harms the plaintiffs' reputations by linking them to #fakenews.
https://torrentfreak.com/newspapers-sue-openai-for-copyright-infringement-and-fake-news-240501/

BenjaminHCCarr , 25 days ago to Privacy

Academics probe #Apple's #privacy settings and get lost and confused
Researchers note many studies examinedprivacy issues with 3rd-party apps for Apple devices, little literature investigates first-party apps – like Safari and Siri. Just disabling #Siri requires visits to five submenus.
They also criticize data collection by Apple apps like Safari and Siri, where data is sent, how users can (and can't) disable data tracking, and how Apple presents privacy options to users
https://www.theregister.com/2024/04/05/apple_apps_privacy_study/

BenjaminHCCarr , 28 days ago to Random stuff

Vast #DNA tree of life for #plants revealed by global science team using 1.8 billion letters of #genetic code
Scientists used 1.8B letters of genetic code from more than 9,500 #species covering almost 8,000 known flowering plant genera to create most up-to-date understanding of flowering plant tree of life. Looking ahead, authors believe this will aid future attempts to identify new species, refine plant classification, uncover new medicinal compounds, and conserve plants
https://phys.org/news/2024-04-vast-dna-tree-life-revealed.html

BenjaminHCCarr , 28 days ago to Random stuff

The #Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (#AMOC) is weakening in the deep sea of the North #Atlantic #Ocean, study finds
Analysis of mooring observations and hydrographic data suggest Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation deep water limb in the #NorthAtlantic has weakened, contributing to #sealevelrise in the region. Two decades of continual observations provide a greater understanding of the #Earth’s #climate regulating system.
https://www.aoml.noaa.gov/atlantic-meridional-overturning-circulation-weakening-in-the-deep-sea-of-north-atlantic/ #climatechange #climatecrisis

BenjaminHCCarr , 1 month ago to Random stuff

#Google Won’t Say Anything About Israel Using Its #GooglePhotos Software to Create Gaza “Hit List”
Google prohibits using its tech for “immediate harm,” but #Israel is harnessing its #facialrecognition to set up a dragnet of Palestinians. https://theintercept.com/2024/04/05/google-photos-israel-gaza-facial-recognition/