Science & Technology News

[GordMay]

The National Solar Observatory (NSO) facility, at Sacramento Peak, New Mexico, was closed for 11 days, for "a security issue", in September of 2018.
Why?
Alien UFOs? Espionage? Terrorists? Politics? Money?
Nope.
➥ https://earthsky.org/human-world/why...nm-closed-fbi/

[CatNewBee]

Originally Posted by GordMay

The National Solar Observatory (NSO) facility, at Sacramento Peak, New Mexico, was closed for 11 days, for "a security issue", in September of 2018.
Why?
Alien UFOs? Espionage? Terrorists? Politics? Money?
Nope.
➥ https://earthsky.org/human-world/why...nm-closed-fbi/

It's a little lame explanation, isn't it?

Assuming evacuating LA to track down an internet criminal.
There were quite successful strikes in Europe without evacuating and shutting down facilities for 2 weeks.

I was thinking, the FBI can do much better and with less noise.

[Sheriffdep]

Originally Posted by GordMay

The National Solar Observatory (NSO) facility, at Sacramento Peak, New Mexico, was closed for 11 days, for "a security issue", in September of 2018.
Why?
Alien UFOs? Espionage? Terrorists? Politics? Money?
Nope.
➥ https://earthsky.org/human-world/why...nm-closed-fbi/

Been there during winter, creepy area, but that has nothing to do with what happened.

ITS not what they said: janitor was doing things on an internet line so they shut the whole area down for days. Then that person was a risk to others. They would have complete computer records through the ISP and then arrest immediately. Also wouldn't explain why they didn't tell local Sheriff what was happening. Also, while maybe an hours drive from Alamogordo, FBI wouldn't use helicopters to fly there. So yes bogus story, but plausible.

As to what really took place?????? Who knows, if something took place within data records of the telescope then that would be internal and confiscated if need be for National Security, then NDS's procured so no one talks. So wouldn't explain the evacuation and closure for 18 days.

Usually something small that gets blown out of proportion and conspiracies abound. Agencies don't help themselves with that issue by doing weird things. Probably a hot water leak.... LOL

[GordMay]

Affidavit for a federal search warrant Joshua Lee Cope
➥ https://www.scribd.com/document/3891...tory-Affidavit

[GordMay]

Warning: Hyperbolic Headline!
Sea sponge controls ocean currents

Venus’ flower baskets (Euplectella aspergillum) are marine sponges that live at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. These sponges have an unusual glass skeleton, that helps them gather food, and even appears to control ocean currents.

“Fluid flow through a deep-sea sponge could inspire engineering designs”
➥ https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01891-2

“Extreme flow simulations reveal skeletal adaptations of deep-sea sponges” ~ by Giacomo Falcucci et al
➥ https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03658-1

[GordMay]

25 cities are responsible for 52% of all urban greenhouse gas emissions on Earth

Cities are conspicuous culprits for climate change: they occupy only 2% of the planet’s surface yet account for 70% of annual carbon dioxide emissions.

Just 25 cities worldwide are responsible for 52 per cent of urban greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, according to a recent study [1].

Historically, the U.S. is responsible for a quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas output, and the EU’s share is the second-highest at 22%, but in recent decades developing nations, like China, have overtaken them in annual emissions.

Megacities in Asia such as Tokyo in Japan, and Shanghai in China are among the biggest emitters, according to the study. Cities in the developed world, such as those in Europe, Australia, and the United States had significantly higher per capita emissions, than cities in developing countries, the study said.

China was included among developing countries. Their analysis found that Chinese cities like Handan, Shanghai, and Beijing, are some of the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, with per capita emissions comparable to those of developed countries.

They examined emissions data in 167 cities in 53 countries. They found that the biggest sources of emissions were electricity generation, industry and transportation.
Road transport caused more than 30 per cent of emissions in a third of the cities. Other, less important emission sources were railways, waterways and aviation. These produced less than 15 per cent of the total emissions.

The researchers also found that pollution levels had declined over time in 30 out of 42 cities between 2005 and 2016. These included Oslo, Houston, Seattle and Bogotá, which saw the steepest declines.
On the other hand, emissions grew in the remaining 12 cities. Rio de Janeiro, Johannesburg and Venice saw the biggest increases, according to the study [1].

[1] “Keeping Track of Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Progress and Targets in 167 Cities Worldwide” ~ by Ting Wei, Junliang Wu, and Shaoqing Chen
➥ https://www.frontiersin.org/articles...21.696381/full

Or ➥ https://www.readcube.com/articles/10...sc.2021.696381

[GordMay]

“Majority of New Renewables Undercut Cheapest Fossil Fuel on Cost”

According to a report [1], by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), 62 per cent of renewable energy capacity, that came online last year, cost less to install, than the cheapest fossil fuel option.
In real terms, that’s a total of 162 GW that was cheaper to install than coal, around double what it was in 2019.
Six in 10 new renewable energy projects cost less than the cheapest fossil fuel option in 2020, IRENA says, which will save operators almost $200 billion over the course of the new plants' operating lives.
Concentrating solar power fell 16 per cent,
Onshore and offshore wind by 13 and 9 per cent respectively,
Solar photovoltaic cells (PV) by 7 per cent.
Since 2010, solar PV costs have fallen an astounding 85 per cent, onshore wind by 56 per cent, and offshore wind by 48 per cent.
Operating costs continue to undercut coal as well, and IRENA expects 2020’s renewables installations will save US$156 billion (C$195 billion) in emerging economies over the course of their lifespan.

More about ➥ https://www.irena.org/newsroom/press...l-Fuel-on-Cost

Infographic ➥ https://www.irena.org/newsroom/artic...ower-Past-Coal

[1] "Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2020" ~ IRENA
➥ https://www.irena.org/publications/2...-Costs-in-2020

[GordMay]

Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease [SCTLD]
A virulent and fast-moving coral disease, that is sweeping through coral in the Caribbean, seems to be linked to ballast water discharged by ships, according to a peer-reviewed study in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science [1].
The deadly infection, known as stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD), was first identified in Florida in 2014, and has since moved through the region, causing great concern among scientists.
In Mexico, more than 40% of reefs in another study [2] had at least 10% of coral infected by SCTLD, and nearly a quarter had more than 30%.

News report about ➥ https://www.theguardian.com/environm...ter-from-ships

[1] “Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease Outbreaks in The Bahamas” ~ by Craig Dahlgren et al
➥ https://www.frontiersin.org/articles...21.682114/full

[2] “A rapid spread of the stony coral tissue loss disease outbreak in the Mexican Caribbean” ~ by Lorenzo Alvarez-Filip et al
➥ https://peerj.com/articles/8069/

[GordMay]

“Pyrocumulonimbus Firestorms”

“Wildfires in Western Canada creating own weather systems, experts say” ~ by Hina Alam
A combination of intense heat and drought conditions is causing wildfires in Western Canada to generate their own weather systems, experts say.
Michael Fromm, a meteorologist with the United States Naval Research Laboratory, said the phenomenon is known as a pyrocumulonimbus firestorm and has been tracked this year in British Columbia, Saskatchewan Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario.
More ➥ https://globalnews.ca/news/8061509/w...eather-system/

See also:

“The Untold Story of Pyrocumulonimbus” ~ by Michael Fromm et al
Abstract ➥ https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/jo...bams3004_1.xml
Full ➥ https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/jo...l?tab_body=pdf

“Firestorms and flaming tornadoes: how bushfires create their own ferocious weather systems” ~ by Rachel Badlan
➥ https://theconversation.com/firestor...systems-126832

[GordMay]

"Safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (CoronaVac) in healthy children and adolescents: a double-blind, randomised, controlled, phase 1/2 clinical trial” ~ by Bihua Han, Msc et al

vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 for children and adolescents will play an important role in curbing the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we aimed to assess the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of a candidate COVID-19 vaccine, CoronaVac, containing inactivated SARS-CoV-2, in children and adolescents aged 3–17 years.

Here ➥ https://www.thelancet.com/journals/l...319-4/fulltext




Should children get COVID vaccines?

SARS-CoV-2 is far less likely to cause serious illness in children than it is in adults [1]. But some children do still become very ill, and the spectre of long COVID [2] is enough for many paediatricians to urge vaccination as quickly as possible. A handful of vaccines have been tested in young people over the age of 12, including those made by Moderna, Pfizer–BioNTech, Sinovac and Sinopharm. So far, the vaccines seem to be safe in adolescents [3], and some companies have moved on to carrying out clinical trials in children as young as 6 months old. Another reason to vaccinate children is to protect others: concerns about transmission by children and adolescents are growing as new coronavirus variants emerge. There is concern about vaccinating ever-younger people in some countries when much of the world is still struggling to access any doses at all. Some experts say that we can do both, because wealthy countries have already bought more than enough doses to fully vaccinate their populations.

More about ➥ https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01898-9

[1] ➥ https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01897-w

[2] ➥ https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01935-7

[3] ➥ https://www.thelancet.com/journals/l...319-4/fulltext

[GordMay]

“TW”: The potentially deadly combination of heat and relative humidity

A healthy human adult, in the shade, with unlimited drinking water, will die, if so-called "wet-bulb" temperatures (TW) exceed 35C for six hours, scientists have calculated [1 & 3].

It was long assumed this theoretical threshold would never be crossed, but US researchers reported last year [1] on two locations, one in Pakistan, another in the United Arab Emirate, where the 35C TW barrier was breached more than once, if only fleetingly.

The number of potentially fatal humidity and heat events doubled between 1979 and 2017, and are increasing in both frequency and intensity, according to the study [2] published in Science Advances.

On a muggy summer’s day in Europe or North America, wet bulb temperature might hit 23C. In the Middle East, it can creep over 31C, but 35C had not been recorded anywhere on Earth. A study [3], published in Nature Climate Change, finds that parts of the Middle East may exceed the 35C threshold of human tolerance “once every 10-20 years”, by the end of the century.

[1]“An adaptability limit to climate change due to heat stress” ~ by Steven C. Sherwood and Matthew Huber
➥ https://www.pnas.org/content/107/21/...zNAfijcnBszQh6

[2] “The emergence of heat and humidity too severe for human tolerance” ~ by Colin Raymond, Tom Matthews, and Radley M. Horton
➥ https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/19/eaaw1838

[3] “Future temperature in southwest Asia projected to exceed a threshold for human adaptability” ~ by Jeremy S. Pal and Elfatih A. B. Eltahir
➥ https://www.nature.com/articles/ncli...heguardian.com

[newhaul]

https://www.aims.gov.au/reef-monitor...mary-2020-2021

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by newhaul

https://www.aims.gov.au/reef-monitor...mary-2020-2021

StuM already posted this July 24, to the “GBR - UNESCO World Heritage Ruling” thread.
➥ https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ml#post3450669

Then LakeSuperior posted it again July 26, kicking of the “Good News: Great Barrier Reef Recovering Nicely!” thread.
➥ https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ml#post3451775

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by GordMay

StuM already posted this July 24, to the “GBR - UNESCO World Heritage Ruling” thread.
➥ https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ml#post3450669

Then LakeSuperior posted it again July 26, kicking of the “Good News: Great Barrier Reef Recovering Nicely!” thread.
➥ https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ml#post3451775

Ok thanks for that information I am not posting on those so had no idea that it was previously posted .

I shall go silent as per the implied request on this thread .

Was just trying to post what I felt to be relevant to cruisers and skin/ scuba of the cruisers contemplating a trip to the reef .

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by newhaul

...I shall go silent as per the implied request on this thread .
Was just trying to post what I felt to be relevant to cruisers and skin/ scuba of the cruisers contemplating a trip to the reef .

No implication intended.
Pleas do continue to post sci-tech info' of interest.