University of Zurich researchers conduct unauthorized AI experiment on Reddit: The covert study used AI-generated bots to influence opinions on r/changemyview, sparking ethical complaints and calls to withhold publication (LINK) — ground.news: 12 media reports (LINK) — 29 April 2025.
China amps up nuclear ambitions with 10 new reactor approvals (LINK) — ground.news: 20 media reports (LINK) — 28 April 2025.
— China now leads the world in nuclear power scale with 102 reactors in operation, under construction, or approved, reaching 113 million kilowatts of capacity.
Vaccines and boosters work best in the same arm, and we're just learning why (LINK) — 28 April 2025.
Bird flu in cows shows no signs of adapting to humans (LINK) — 28 April 2025.
— The more people who catch H5N1 bird flu after contact with infected cattle or milk, the higher the chance of the virus adapting to spread easily from person to person. To date, 70 people in the United States have been infected, with 41 cases linked to exposure to dairy herds. One person died after getting one of the variants found in cattle, though he caught it after contact with backyard chickens and wild birds.
— Two versions of H5N1 avian influenza have infected dairy cattle in the United States. Many other mammals, including dolphins and porpoises, have also been infected with related variants. Those marine mammals "were never on the list" of animals that scientists thought bird flu could infect, scientist said.
Doctors want you to stop consuming artificial sugar erythritol: could raise the risk of heart attack and stroke (LINK) — 27 April 2025.
Scientists raise red flag after making disturbing discovery while studying fish: 'Significant abnormalities' from presence of polystyrene microplastics in one of Asia's most important species of freshwater fish Labeo rohita, or Rohu (LINK) — 27 April 2025.
New study shows apes display emotional support in human-like ways, despite typically being referred to as "violent" and "despotic" when compared to other apes. (LINK) — ground.news: 9 media reports (LINK) — 26 April 2025.
UNU EHS report recommends 'deep change' theory to address global crises (LINK) — 25 April 2025.
— Report identifies five "deep changes" that need to happen. These are premised on the "Theory of Deep Change" (ToDC), a problem-solving approach that digs deeper to reveal the problem's underlying root causes, the structures facilitating it, and the assumptions giving rise to and sustaining such systems.
— e.g. solar geoengineering, or ways to physically reduce sunlight from reaching Earth in order to slow global warming.
- Rethinking waste and shifting to a circular economy
- Realigning with nature: learn to coexist with nature instead of controlling natural processes
- Reconsidering responsibility by transitioning from individualism to collective global accountability
- Reimagining the future and not shifting the responsibility of dealing with impacts, such as the risk of nuclear waste, to future generations
- Redefining value by considering alternative metrics for valuing global prosperity instead of wealth or GDP: prioritize well-being and ecology over economic growth.
Report: Interconnected Disaster Risks: Turning Over a New Leaf — (LINK)
Timeless minds: how the brain compresses memory to blur the passage of time: into highlights rather than a linear record (LINK) — 25 April 2025.
— Recent memories feel similar over time, which helps maintain a stable self-image. Novelty and engagement help extend subjective time perception.
Trump signs executive order boosting deep-sea mining industry (LINK) — 24 April 2025.
— "The broad order avoids a direct confrontation with the UN-backed International Seabed Authority and seeks essentially to jumpstart the mining of US waters as part of a push to offset China's sweeping control of the critical minerals industry."
Rubio eliminates office that oversees climate talks: The Office of Global Change was notified Thursday that it would be shuttered. (LINK) — 24 April 2025.
Trump-appointed National Science Foundation Director resigns "over budget and staff cuts", report (LINK) — 24 April 2025.
— "Although [...] Panch didn't give a reason for his sudden departure, orders from the White House to accept a 55% cut to the agency's $9 billion budget next year and fire half its 1700-person staff may have been the final straws in a series of directives Panchanathan felt he could no longer obey."
A thorium reactor in the middle of the desert has rewritten the rules of nuclear power: move over, uranium. Get out of here, water. Thorium and salt are the new MVPs of nuclear power. (LINK) — 24 April 2025.
Brains scans reveal what happens when your mind blanks: according to the researchers, mind blanking is linked to its own unique patterns of brain activity (LINK) — 24 April 2025.
84% of the world's coral reefs hit by worst bleaching event on record (LINK) — 23 April 2025 .
Trump is stripping protections from marine protected areas. Why that's a problem for fishing's future: The single greatest threat to the diversity of life in our oceans over the past 50 years, more than climate change or plastic pollution, has been unsustainable fishing practices. (LINK) — 23 April 2025.
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