Telescope #121

Weekly horizon scan…

SUSTAINABILITY

• Net greenhouse gas emissions across the EU fell by 8.3% in 2023, according to a new report released by the European Commission, marking one of the largest declines in decades, and a significant acceleration from the 3% reduction in 2022. DETAIL

• The 2024 global winners of the One Planet City Challenge (OPCC) organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) were Istanbul and Sunderland, England. The national finalists of the global climate challenge, the Turkish leg of which was coordinated by WWF-Turkey, were determined as Antalya, Istanbul and Kadıköy; Istanbul was selected as the national winner of the year as a climate pioneer by an international jury of climate experts and earned the right to be among the global finalists. DETAIL

• McBride won a decisive victory over Republican challenger John Whalen in Delaware’s sole House seat on Tuesday. McBride has become a national figure as an LGBTQ activist and has raised more than $3 million ($103 million) in donations to her campaign from across the country. DETAIL

• Marsh, a world leader in insurance brokering and risk advisory, and We2Sure, a specialist in carbon credit insurance solutions, have introduced an innovative insurance facility to protect businesses across the UK, EU, and US from rising carbon credit certificate fraud. DETAIL

• A recent report from RSM International highlights the challenges and opportunities faced by 200 Latin American businesses in adopting International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) S1 and S2 for sustainability. The ESG Latin America Landscape 2024 survey reveals that only 46% of companies in the region have a formal sustainability policy or strategy, indicating a significant gap in ESG commitment. DETAIL

• The European Union’s climate commissioner, Wopke Hoekstra, reiterated the EU’s commitment to ending sales of CO2-emitting cars by 2035 and enforcing stricter CO2 limits for carmakers next year. This comes in the wake of appeals from Italy and the Czech Republic, who argued that declining electric car sales put compliance with these targets at risk. DETAIL

HEALTH

• Scientists at ITU Arı Teknokent started a study 2 years ago to detect Down syndrome in babies in the womb with artificial intelligence. In this context, amniotic fluid samples were taken from approximately 1000 patients. Experts developed artificial intelligence-supported software based on the samples taken. DETAIL

• Bird flu has been spreading in dairy cows in the US—and the scale of the spread is likely to be far worse than it looks. In addition, 14 human cases have been reported in the US since March. Both are worrying developments, say virologists, who fear that the country’s meager response to the virus is putting the entire world at risk of another pandemic. DETAIL

• As of 2020, about 17.6 million people globally were living with rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease causing painful inflammation and swelling in joints. Scientists are still not sure as to the exact cause of rheumatoid arthritis. New research suggests that certain changes to the gut microbiome may be linked to the development of this condition. The study authors believe their findings offer a potential new pathway for new early preventative strategies for rheumatoid arthritis. DETAIL

• Older adults who are excessively sleepy during the day or have significant sleep issues are at higher risk for a pre-dementia condition called motoric cognitive risk syndrome (MCR), according to a new study published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. DETAIL

DIGITAL / TECHNOLOGY / SCIENCE / ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

• As a result of studies carried out for 2 years at Istanbul Technical University (ITU), a smart t-shirt has been produced that detects the heartbeat and body movements of athletes thanks to the sensors in the fabric and instantly transmits them to smart devices. DETAIL

• According to research published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Annals of Physics in Britain, there may also be a universe that is a reflection of the world and in which time flows backwards. DETAIL

• Imagine buying a new T-shirt and quickly losing interest after just a few wears. With new technology from MIT, you don’t have to throw your T-shirt away; you can redesign it however you want. Researchers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, the University of California at Berkeley, and Aarhus University have developed “PortaChrome.” This portable light system allows you to change the color and texture of different objects. DETAIL

• Liverpool’s robots with AI brains speed up chemical synthesis, outpacing human work. The team developed AI logic for robots to process data and make autonomous decisions, addressing the challenge of overwhelming data in chemistry. DETAIL

• The work titled “AI God. Portrait of Alan Turing (2024)” produced by Ai-Da, one of the most advanced robots in the world, was sold for 1.08 million dollars (37 million 102 thousand TL). DETAIL

• OpenAI is preparing to launch its next-generation artificial intelligence model, Orion, in December, which is said to be 100 times more powerful than GPT-4. DETAIL

ENERGY / TRANSPORTATION

• Aptera Motors has reached a significant milestone in the development of its solar electric vehicle (sEV) with the successful first drive of its first production-intent vehicle, which will be used for real-world validation and testing. DETAIL

• The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) has announced the completion of the intricate process of building the first quadrant of the magnet at the heart of the National Spherical Torus Experiment-Upgrade (NSTX-U) nuclear fusion reactor. DETAIL

CYBERSECURITY

• Google accidentally posted a preview of its upcoming AI tool, Jarvis AI, on the Chrome extension store but quickly deleted it (via The Information). DETAIL

• Hot Topic breach confirmed, millions of credit cards and email addresses exposed. The stolen database contains 54 million unique email addresses and 'lightly encrypted' credit card information for 25 million users, which can be decrypted, according to Atlas Privacy. DETAIL

• Election Day was not disrupted by any hacking incidents, according to US cyber authorities. "We have no evidence of any malicious activity that had a material impact on the security or integrity of our election infrastructure,” said Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. DETAIL

• Suspected North Korean hackers are sending phishing emails that link to a malicious application that runs on Macs built with Intel or Apple chips, according to researchers at SentinelOne. DETAIL

• Pro-Russia hacking groups have conducted cyberattacks against South Korea after North Korea dispatched troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine, Seoul's presidential office said on Friday. DETAIL

HUMANITY / CURIOSITY

• Audi on Thursday unveiled a new electric vehicle brand in China whose cars will sport just the name AUDI and not its signature four-ring logo, a move aimed at attracting younger customers in the world's largest auto market. DETAIL