Telescope #66
SUSTAINABILITY
~ The people of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe of Washington State have lived in the Lower Elwha River Valley and its neighboring bluffs on the Olympic Peninsula since time immemorial. The community is based around the Elwha River, which provides water and sustenance in the form of salmon fishing. More than a century ago, two dams were placed on the Elwha, blocking almost 90 miles of the river and its tributaries, reported The Seattle Times. The dams were removed in August of 2014, but the tribe had to wait for a run of salmon that was healthy enough to be fished. Now, for the first time in more than a hundred years, members of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe are fishing for coho salmon on the free-flowing river. DETAIL
~ Findings from a new survey of 58 leading UK food experts from academia, policy, charities and business show that food shortages caused by extreme weather events have the potential to lead to civil unrest in the UK within 50 years. Lack of essential carbohydrates such as wheat, bread, pasta and cereals seem to be the most likely triggers of such irritability. DETAIL
~ A major port in Manaus, Brazil has hit its lowest water level since records began in 1902 as a long drought continues in the region. The new low surpassed the last lowest recording from 2010. Manaus, Brazil is a connecting point for the Rio Negro and the Amazon River. As of Oct. 16, the Rio Negro level was 13.59 meters. When records began in 1902, the level was at 16.78 meters, and its lowest point since then was 13.63 meters, recorded on Oct. 24, 2010, according to the port website. DETAIL
~ According to a new report published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), there has been a loss of 3.6 trillion euros in crop and animal production due to natural disasters in the last 30 years. The new report, titled "The Impact of Disasters on Agriculture and Food Security," provides the first global estimates of the impact of disasters on agricultural production, with a focus on crop products and livestock. DETAIL
~ The loss of pollinator insects is putting some of the most popular tropical crops in the world — like cocoa, coffee, mango and watermelon — at risk, a new study led by researchers from University College London (UCL) and the Natural History Museum has found. DETAIL
HEALTH
~ Researchers say ultra-processed foods may be as addictive as smoking. They say these types of foods are high in refined carbohydrates and fats, substances that can cause changes in the brain. Experts say ultra-processed foods need to be more strictly regulated because of their potential addictive qualities and their impact on the obesity crisis. DETAIL
~ According to the news of the EurekAlert website, with the new method developed by researchers from Klick Labs, which works on software solutions, it was determined that "diabetes" can be diagnosed with a 6 to 10-second audio recording taken on a smartphone. DETAIL
DIGITAL / TECHNOLOGY / SCIENCE /AI
~ Evolv Technologies on Friday said the U.S. Federal Trade Commission had requested information about certain aspects of the AI-based weapons screening firm's marketing practices. The company did not disclose details of the probe. However, Bloomberg News, citing two people familiar with the matter, reported the regulators were investigating whether Evolv's artificial intelligence systems operated as it claimed, correctly identifying weapons that passed through its screeners. DETAIL
~ Archaeologists from Europe and Africa have uncovered the oldest wood structure ever discovered, dating back almost half a million years — meaning an unknown species of hominins, predating us homo sapiens, was presumably responsible for its creation. DETAIL
~ Google this week announced it, too, was putting a text-to-image generation AI feature directly into Google Search. However, only for those who opt into Search Generative Experience (SGE) in Google Search Labs, the company’s experimental beta testing service. DETAIL
~ Asteroid mining startup Astroforge is on a journey to commercialize mining in space, and last month, the company successfully test-fired rockets that will enable its Brokkr-2 spacecraft to complete a nine-month trip to a distant asteroid. Mining asteroids sounds like science fiction but has a very practical force behind it: As the world transitions away from fossil fuels and begins to rely even more heavily on electricity, it’s going to need more metals. DETAIL
~ Amazon says it’s testing two new technologies to increase automation in its warehouses, including a trial of a humanoid robot. Called Digit, the robot is bipedal and can squat, bend and grasp items using clasps that imitate hands. It’s built by Agility Robotics and will initially be used to help employees consolidate totes that have been emptied of items. DETAIL
ENERGY / TRANSPORTATION
~ Renault Trucks has completed the retrofitting of an old 12-tonne diesel truck to a battery electric truck. Next, the French company will register the truck and make it compliant with current regulations. DETAIL
~ Dutch DIY retailer Praxis is leveraging artificial intelligence to guide its consumers toward greener living. The company just added a feature called 'Sustainability Check' to its free Praxis Plus app, aiming to simplify the process of making homes more energy-efficient. Users upload a single photo of a room and answer four contextual questions, such as the type of building they inhabit and how much work they're prepared to do. DETAIL
CYBERSECURITY
~ The 'Rapid Reset' flaw was initially used to launch an attack about eight times larger than the previous record-breaking DDoS assault that Google fended off a year ago. Hackers have uncovered a new flaw in an HTTP network protocol that can be exploited to launch record-breaking DDoS attacks, according to Google. DETAIL
~ The number of reported ransomware attacks has doubled since last year, says cybersecurity company Barracuda. DETAIL
HUMAN
~ According to the study conducted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey, it was stated that the number of daily rental houses in Turkey is around 80 thousand, and the annual unregistered earnings in this area are at the level of 51 billion lira. DETAIL
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