Excerpt from the linked content:^1

>Cannes (France) (AFP) – For now, Europe's Euclid spacecraft sits quietly in a sterilised room in the south of France, its golden trim gleaming under the fluorescent light.

>But in a few months the space telescope will blast off on history's first mission to search for two of the universe's greatest mysteries: dark matter and dark energy.

>How will Euclid, which is named after the ancient Greek founder of the field of geometry, observe something that cannot be seen? By searching for its absence.

>The light coming from billions of years in the past is slightly distorted by the mass of visible and dark matter along the way, a phenomenon known as weak gravitational lensing.

>"By subtracting the visible matter, we can calculate the presence of the dark matter which is in between," [Euclid project manager] Racca said.

>To do this, Euclid has two main instruments, a 1.2-metre (four-foot) diameter telescope and the Near Infrared Spectrometer and Photometer (NISP), which can split infrared wavelengths not visible to the eye.

> 

>Aiming to shed light on these dark secrets, the European Space Agency's mission will chart a 3D map of the universe encompassing two billion galaxies across more than a third of the sky.

>The third dimension of this map will be time -- because Euclid's gaze will stretch out to 10 billion light years away, it will offer new insight into how the 13.8-billion-year-old universe evolved.

>Partly what sets Euclid apart from other space telescopes is its field of view, which takes in an area equivalent to "two full moons", said David Elbaz, an astrophysicist at the French Atomic Energy Commission.

>This wide view will enable Euclid to locate massive structures like black holes that the Webb telescope cannot hope to find because its "field of view is too small", Euclid's project scientist Rene Laureijs told AFP.

>Only a few final tests remain before it heads to Cape Canaveral in the United States for a launch scheduled between July 1 and 30 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

>Euclid was originally planned to get a ride into space on a Russian Soyuz rocket, but last year Moscow withdrew its launchers in response to European sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine, delaying the launch.

^1 AFP via France Médias Monde‘s RFI, 25 Feb. 2023, https://www.rfi.fr/en/science-environment/20230225-euclid-spacecraft-prepares-to-probe-universe-s-dark-mysteries

Findings in title quoted from the linked release^1 and peer-reviewed research article:^2

From the linked release:^1

>The study, published February 24 in JAMA Network Open, is one of the largest to date to look at the effects of long-term exposure to fine particle air pollution, which is emitted from sources such as vehicles, smokestacks, and fires.

>Fine particle air pollution, also known as PM2.5, are fine particles that are 2.5 micrometers in diameter or smaller.

>The researchers tied each adult’s address to a specific geographical location — a process known as geocoding — to establish annual average exposure to fine particle pollution so it could be linked to annual PM2.5 exposure data.

>Then they identified the patients diagnosed with a heart attack or who had died from heart disease or cardiovascular disease.

>The research lends support to current efforts to make the country’s air pollution standards more stringent.

>In January 2023, the EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] announced a proposal to tighten the annual PM2.5 standard by reducing the acceptable level to between 9.0 to 10.0 micrograms per cubic meter.

>The EPA said it was advising this change because the current standard did not adequately protect public health under the guidelines required by the Clean Air Act.

From the peer-reviewed research article:^2

>Findings In a diverse cohort of 3.7 million adults, this cohort study found that long-term PM2.5 exposure was associated with an increased risk of incident acute myocardial infarction, ischemic heart disease mortality, and cardiovascular disease mortality, and these associations were more pronounced in low socioeconomic status communities.

>This study also found evidence of associations at moderate concentrations of PM2.5 below the current regulatory standard of 12 μg/m3.

>Meaning This study’s results add to the growing evidence that long-term PM2.5 exposure is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events and that the current regulatory standard of 12 μg/m3 is not sufficiently protective.

^1 Current air pollution standards tied to higher heart risks, Kaiser Permanente, 24 Feb. 2023, https://about.kaiserpermanente.org/health-and-wellness/health-research/news/current-air-pollution-standards-tied-to-higher-heart-risks

^2 Stacey E. Alexeeff, et al.Association of Long-term Exposure to Particulate Air Pollution With Cardiovascular Events in California. JAMA Network Open 2023, 6(2):e230561. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.0561

Excerpt from the linked content^1 by Matt O’Brien, about a statement^2 by Microsoft:

>Microsoft is ready to take its new Bing chatbot mainstream — less than a week after making major fixes to stop the artificially intelligent search engine from going off the rails.

>The company said Wednesday [22 Feb. 2023] it is bringing the new AI technology to its Bing smartphone app, as well as the app for its Edge internet browser, though it is still requiring people to sign up for a waitlist before using it.

>Putting the new AI-enhanced search engine into the hands of smartphone users is meant to give Microsoft an advantage over Google, which dominates the internet search business but hasn’t yet released such a chatbot to the public.

>Microsoft said its new technology will also be integrated into its Skype messaging service.

^1 Matt O’Brien, 22 Feb. 2023, https://apnews.com/article/technology-mobile-phones-business-software-522a2225391a968ee1d791e32d8b91eb

^2 The new Bing preview experience arrives on Bing and Edge Mobile apps; introducing Bing now in Skype, Yusuf Mehdi for Microsoft, https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2023/02/22/the-new-bing-preview-experience-arrives-on-bing-and-edge-mobile-apps-introducing-bing-now-in-skype/

Excerpt from the linked content^1 by Cissy Zhou:

>HONG KONG -- Regulators have told major Chinese tech companies not to offer ChatGPT services to the public amid growing alarm in Beijing over the AI-powered chatbot's uncensored replies to user queries.

>Tencent Holdings and Ant Group, the fintech affiliate of Alibaba Group Holding, have been instructed not to offer access to ChatGPT services on their platforms, either directly or via third parties, people with direct knowledge of the matter told Nikkei Asia.

>Tech companies will also need to report to regulators before they launch their own ChatGPT-like services, the sources added.

>The latest move by regulators comes amid an official backlash against ChatGPT.

>On Monday, state-owned media outlet China Daily said in a post on Weibo, China's heavily censored equivalent of Twitter, that the chatbot "could provide a helping hand to the U.S. government in its spread of disinformation and its manipulation of global narratives for its own geopolitical interests."

>An executive from [one] leading Chinese tech player said that even without a direct warning his company would not make use of ChatGPT.

>"There will inevitably be some users who ask the chatbot politically sensitive questions, but the platform would be held accountable for the results."

>OpenAI, Alibaba, Tencent and Ant Group did not immediately respond to Nikkei Asia's request for comment.

^1 Cissy Zhou for Nikkei Asia, last updated 22 Feb. 2023 20:34 JST, https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/China-tech/China-tells-big-tech-companies-not-to-offer-ChatGPT-services

Excerpt from the linked content^1 by Paul Kunert:

>Hewlett-Packard Enterprise CEO Antonio Neri was compensated to the tune of $17.36 million to run the company during its fiscal 2022, equating to the average annual pay of 271 employees.

>According to its Annual Report for the year ended 31 October, Neri got a base salary of $1.275 million, up from $50 million year-on-year, option awards of $13.388 million – flat on 2021 – and $2.35 million for a "change in pension value and non-qualified deferred compensation earnings," down from $4 million.

>For those Reg readers yet to work out the average pay for someone at HPE – which we admit might not be among the list of questions to make Jeopardy – it's $64,006.

>"Based on this information, the ratio of the annual total compensation of our CEO to the media annual total compensation of all employees was 271 to 1," HPE says in the 10k filing.

>This was based on roughly 61,987 individuals employed by the organization on August 21, 2022.

^1 Paul Kunert for Situation Publishing’s Register, 22 Feb. 2023, https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/22/how_many_hpe_staff_equate/

Findings in title derived from the linked summary,^1 with reference to the hyperlinked peer-reviewed article.^2

From the linked summary^1 by Zoe Kean:

>Mammal life is diverse, and so are the poos mammals produce.

>"We understood how [the process] produced the corners that give them the square shape in cross-section," Dr Scott Carver told ABC Hobart's Helen Shield.

>"But not why they fragmented at such regular intervals along the length and came out as perfectly consistent little poos that are about the same length."

>Turning to volcano science and physics to uncover the answer, the researchers have not only discovered why wombats have "perfectly consistent little poos", but also what determines the shape of mammal poo in general.

>It was the cooling process of lava beds that inspired Dr Carver and his collaborators.

>After an eruption, lava beds cool and can solidify into specific and regular shapes.

>Dr Carver believes this research may one day help medical scientists.

>"Colorectal cancer, stress and various other things can influence the kind of faeces that people produce," he said.

From the hyperlinked article:^2

>Inspirational to our work is the formation of hexagonal columnar jointings in cooling lava beds, in which the width L of the hexagon scales as L ∼ J^−1 where J is the heat flux from the bed.

>Across 22 species of mammals, we report a transition from cylindrical to pellet feces if fecal water content drops below 0.65.

>Using a mathematical model that accounts for water intake rate and intestinal dimensions, we show pellet feces length L scales as L ∼ J^−2.08 where J is the flux of water absorbed by the intestines.

>We build a mimic of the mammalian intestine using a corn starch cake drying in an open trough, finding that corn starch pellet length scales with water flux.^−0.46

^1 Cubed wombat poo puzzle completed by researchers with the help of physics, volcanic science, Zoe Kean for ABC Radio Hobart, 21 Feb. 2023, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-21/wombats-square-poo-research-how-consistent-cubes-made/102000530

^2 Magondu, B. et al. (2023) Drying dynamics of pellet feces. Soft Matter 19 723-732. https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SM00359G

Findings in title quoted from the linked summary^1 with reference to its hyperlinked peer-reviewed article.^2

From the linked summary:^1

>A University of Queensland-led study has found that contrary to popular belief, snakes can hear and react to airborne sound.

>Dr Christina Zdenek from UQ’s School of Biological Sciences, in collaboration with Queensland University of Technology’s Professor Damian Candusso, played three different sound frequencies to captive-bred snakes one at a time in a soundproof room and observed their reactions.

>“Because snakes don’t have external ears, people typically think they’re deaf and can only feel vibrations through the ground and into their bodies,” Dr Zdenek said.

>The reactions strongly depended on the genus of the snakes.

>“Only the woma python tended to move toward sound, while taipans, brown snakes and especially death adders were all more likely to move away from it,” Dr Zdenek said.

>“The types of behavioural reactions also differed, with taipans in particular more likely to exhibit defensive and cautious responses to sound.

>“For example, woma pythons are large nocturnal snakes with fewer predators than smaller species and probably don’t need to be as cautious, so they tended to approach sound,” Dr Zdenek said.

>“Snakes are very vulnerable, timid creatures that hide most of the time, and we still have so much to learn about them.”

From the hyperlinked article:^2

>The snakes ranged in morphological body shapes and foraging types, including active foragers, ambush predators, arboreal species, and constrictor feeders.

^1 Snakes can hear more than you think, University of Queensland, 15 Feb. 2023, https://stories.uq.edu.au/news/2023/snakes-can-hear-more-than-you-think/index.html

^2 Zdenek CN, Staples T, Hay C, Bourke LN, Candusso D (2023) Sound garden: How snakes respond to airborne and groundborne sounds. PLoS ONE 18(2): e0281285. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0281285

From the linked release:^1

>At 1.5 km from the pad, the maximum noise level reached 136 decibels. At a 5.2 km distance, the noise was 129 decibels, nearly 20 decibels higher than predicted by a prelaunch noise model.

^1 The Roar and Crackle of Artemis 1, AIP Publishing, 14 Feb. 2023, https://publishing.aip.org/publications/latest-content/the-roar-and-crackle-of-artemis-1/

Excerpt from the linked release^1 by AIP Publishing about noise measurements taken at five stations located 1.5 km to 5.2 km from the launch pad:^2

>When the Artemis 1 mission was launched by NASA’s Space Launch System, SLS, in November, it became the world’s most powerful rocket, exceeding the thrust of the previous record holder, Saturn 5, by 13%.

>With liftoff came a loud roar heard miles away.

>In JASA Express Letters, published on behalf of the Acoustical Society of America by AIP Publishing, researchers from Brigham Young University and Rollins College in Florida reported noise measurements during the launch at different locations around Kennedy Space Center.

>The data collected can be used to validate existing noise prediction models, which are needed to protect equipment as well as the surrounding environment and community.

>These data will be useful as more powerful lift vehicles, including the SLS series, are developed.

> 

>“We hope these early results will help prevent the spread of possible misinformation, as happened with the Saturn 5,” author Kent Gee said.

>“Numerous websites and discussion forums suggested sound levels that were far too high, with inaccurate reports of the Saturn 5’s sound waves melting concrete and causing grass fires.”

>A characteristic feature of rocket launches is a crackling sound from shock waves.

>These shocks represent instantaneous sound pressure increases that are much louder than crackling noises encountered in everyday life.

>Author Whitney Coyle said, “We found the Artemis-I noise level at 5 km had a crackling quality about 40 million times greater than a bowl of Rice Krispies.”

^1 The Roar and Crackle of Artemis 1, AIP Publishing, 14 Feb. 2023, https://publishing.aip.org/publications/latest-content/the-roar-and-crackle-of-artemis-1/

^2 Kent L. Gee, et al. Space Launch System acoustics: Far-field noise measurements of the Artemis-I launch. JASA Express Letters 3, 023601 (2023); https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0016878

Excerpt from the linked release^1 by AIP Publishing about noise measurements taken at five stations located 1.5 km to 5.2 km from the launch pad:^2

>When the Artemis 1 mission was launched by NASA’s Space Launch System, SLS, in November, it became the world’s most powerful rocket, exceeding the thrust of the previous record holder, Saturn 5, by 13%.

>With liftoff came a loud roar heard miles away.

>In JASA Express Letters, published on behalf of the Acoustical Society of America by AIP Publishing, researchers from Brigham Young University and Rollins College in Florida reported noise measurements during the launch at different locations around Kennedy Space Center.

>The data collected can be used to validate existing noise prediction models, which are needed to protect equipment as well as the surrounding environment and community.

>These data will be useful as more powerful lift vehicles, including the SLS series, are developed.

> 

>“We hope these early results will help prevent the spread of possible misinformation, as happened with the Saturn 5,” author Kent Gee said.

>“Numerous websites and discussion forums suggested sound levels that were far too high, with inaccurate reports of the Saturn 5’s sound waves melting concrete and causing grass fires.”

>A characteristic feature of rocket launches is a crackling sound from shock waves.

>These shocks represent instantaneous sound pressure increases that are much louder than crackling noises encountered in everyday life.

>Author Whitney Coyle said, “We found the Artemis-I noise level at 5 km had a crackling quality about 40 million times greater than a bowl of Rice Krispies.”

^1 The Roar and Crackle of Artemis 1, AIP Publishing, 14 Feb. 2023, https://publishing.aip.org/publications/latest-content/the-roar-and-crackle-of-artemis-1/

^2 Kent L. Gee, et al. Space Launch System acoustics: Far-field noise measurements of the Artemis-I launch. JASA Express Letters 3, 023601 (2023); https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0016878

Excerpt from the linked content^1 by John-Clark Levin:

>Today’s headlines treat the metaverse as a hazy dream yet to be built, but if it’s defined as a network of virtual worlds we can inhabit, its oldest extant corner has been already running for 25 years.

>It’s a medieval fantasy kingdom created for the online role-playing game Ultima Online—and it has already endured a quarter-century of market competition, economic turmoil, and political strife.

>Ultima Online—UO to its fans—was not the first online fantasy game. As early as 1980, “multi-user dungeons,” known as MUDs, offered text-based role-playing adventures hosted on university computers connected via Arpanet.

>With the birth of the World Wide Web in 1991, a handful of graphical successors like Kingdom of Drakkar and Neverwinter Nights followed—allowing dozens or hundreds of players at a time to slay monsters together in a shared digital space.

>In 1996 the “massively multiplayer” genre was born, and titles such as Baram and Meridian 59 attracted tens of thousands of paying subscribers.

> 

>But in 1997, Ultima transformed the industry with a revolutionary ambition: simulating an entire world.

>Instead of small, static environments that were mainly backdrops for combat, UO offered a vast, dynamic realm where players could interact with almost anything—fruit could be picked off trees, books could be taken off shelves and actually read.

>Unlike previous games where everyone was a heroic knight or wizard, Ultima realized a whole alternative society—with players taking on the roles of bakers, beggars, blacksmiths, pirates, and politicians.

>Perhaps most important, Ultima let people really live there.

>In most previous games, players occupied areas while logged in but had no persistent presence while offline.

>In short, [Ultima] promised to be a place.

^1 John-Clark Levin is an author and journalist at the intersection of technology, security, and policy. MIT Technology Review, 17 Feb. 2023, https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/02/17/1068027/ultima-online-oldest-metaverse/

Excerpt from the linked release^1 by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution:

>WHOI is debuting 80 minutes of rare video footage from the 1986 expedition to explore the famous wreck.

>The newly released video highlights the remarkable achievement by the team to bring iconic images of the ship back to the surface.

>On September 1, 1985, a team from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) led by Dr. Robert Ballard in partnership with Institut français de recherche pour l’exploitation de la mer (IFEMER) discovered the final resting place of the ship.

>In July 1986, nine months after the discovery, a team from WHOI returned to the wreck site, this time using three-person research submersible Alvin and the newly developed remotely operated vehicle Jason Jr.

>The trip marked the first time that humans laid eyes on the vessel since its ill-fated voyage in 1912.

Video highlights include:

>• Captured in July 1986 from cameras on HOV Alvin and ROV Jason Jr, most of this footage has never been released for public viewing.

>• Footage begins with Alvin approaching Titanic exploring the bow and parking on its deck.

>• Split screen views syncing camera feeds from Alvin and Jason Jr. as the smaller vehicle leaves Alvin to explore the wreck.

>• Interior shots of Titanic from Jason Jr

^1 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution releases rare video footage from the first submersible dives to RMS Titanic, 15 Feb. 2023, https://www.whoi.edu/press-room/news-release/woods-hole-oceanographic-institution-releases-rare-video-footage-from-the-first-submersible-dives-to-rms-titanic/

Excerpt from the linked content^1 by Aaron Elstein:

>Since the pandemic changed where people work, Manhattan’s office landlords have struggled to come to grips with the changed world.

>This week Vornado Realty Trust CEO Steven Roth reached Elizabeth Kubler Ross’s final stage of grief when he acknowledged the days of workers commuting to the office five days a week are, well, gone with the wind.

>“You can assume that Friday is dead forever,” Roth said. “Monday is touch and go.”

>His epiphany is shared by the CEOs of SL Green Realty and RXR Realty and even Mayor Eric Adams.

>The latest data from Kastle Systems shows 48.6% of New Yorkers have returned to the office.

>Let’s turn back the clock to September 2020, to an interview by Crain’s reporter Natalie Sachmechi with RXR’s Scott Rechler.

>“To me, it’s a civic duty to responsibly come back to work and actively engage in being part of the community,” Rechler said. “I make the analogy that, post-9/11, people didn’t flee and hide in fear of another act of terrorism, even though that risk existed.”

> 

>Roth of Vornado felt the same way in November 2020.

>“For sure, normalcy will return…And I believe return to normalcy will be the order of the day in months, not in years,” he said on an earnings call.

>“Most importantly, we are hearing from all our tenants that Zoom fatigue is real, productivity is now, and CEOs want their employees back in the office.”

>By the spring of 2021, the pandemic was a year old and new workplace habits were hardening into cement. Even so, SL Green’s Holliday said he didn’t see much of a future for hybrid work.

>By November 2021 Roth realized that something had changed.

>“I must admit that our tenants and we are a little frustrated by how long the return to work process is taking,” he said. But there's no doubt that work in office will win over work alone at the kitchen table.”

>Last December [in 2022], New York’s biggest commercial landlord effectively admitted his optimism about return-to-office had been misplaced. “The hybrid work model has persisted far longer than I expected it to,” Holliday said.

^1 Tracking stages of grief for city office landlords, Aaron Elstein for Crain Communications, 15 Feb. 2023, https://www.crainsnewyork.com/commercial-real-estate/tracking-stages-grief-new-york-city-office-landlords

Further reading:^2

>More than $16B in CMBS loans are coming due for New York City building owners this year, a 30% increase over last year’s $12.7B in mortgage-backed loan maturities, according to Trepp.

^2 NYC building owners face $16B in CMBS loans due in 2023 — The total is 30% higher than last year and some lenders are balking at extensions, Jack Rogers for EagleTree Capital’s GlobeSt., 26 Jan. 2023, https://www.globest.com/2023/01/26/nyc-building-owners-face-16b-in-cmbs-loans-due-in-2023/

Linked content is about a pre-foreclosure action^1 filed against Joe Sitt’s Thor Equities, by a special servicing unit of Barry Sternlicht’s Starwood Capital Group acting for CMBS bondholders.

The complaint alleges that the $105-million loan remains in default since 6 Aug. 2020, after “the occurrence of multiple defaults” prior to a modification of the loan agreement.

Further reading:^1

>11. On or about June 5, 2014, UBS Real Estate Securities Inc. (“Original Lender”) made a loan to Borrower in the original principal amount of $105,000,000 (the “Loan”).

>52. Following the occurrence of multiple defaults committed by Borrower under the Loan, Lender, Borrower, and Guarantor entered into a Loan Modification Agreement dated as of May 11, 2020 (the “Modification Agreement”) and effective as of April 6, 2020 (the “Effective Date”).

>62. Borrower failed to pay the full amount due under the Loan Agreement, the Modification Agreement, and the other Loan Documents on the August 6, 2020 Monthly Payment Date, and on each Monthly Payment Date thereafter (each, a “Payment Default,” and collectively, the “Payment Defaults”).

>71. Borrower has failed to pay the amounts due on the Loan in full and remains in default under the Note, Mortgage, Loan Agreement, Modification Agreement and the other Loan Documents.

^1 Complaint, filed 10 Feb. 2023, https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/ViewDocument?docIndex=wwUQtlrznFJUWGQfun/3IA==&TSPD_101_R0=08533cd43fab200066a2a223904670fc3e387ceed210ae85aa37a47b8180ee5223a889801c9aa65708c7c44af9143000fb8be8ebddce2c3215ba5ee47b632505e1b522ffdd1856b0e851bc470069650580ccc56c9bbd82ce7ab1b79d481d4be0

Findings in title quoted from the linked summary^1 and its hyperlinked journal paper^2 examining the call of the wild.

From the linked summary^1 released by Eötvös Loránd University:

>[Department of Ethology] researchers tested 68 purebred family dogs by playing back recordings of wolf howls and observing their reactions in a behavioural laboratory.

>To test the effect of the breed, the different breeds’ genetic similarity to wolves (so-called “root distance”) was used as a measure.

>“According to our results, breeds which are genetically more similar to wolves (“ancient breeds”), are more prone to reply with their own howls to wolf howl playbacks. On the other hand, breeds more distantly related to wolves (“modern breeds”) typically reacted with barking instead of howls.

>“It seems that although howling is present in most breeds’ repertoire, it lost its functionality due to the changed social environment, thus, modern breeds do not use it in adequate situations” - explains Fanni Lehoczki, the first author of the study.

>“Additionally, we found that breeds which howl more also show more stress-related behaviours in this situation. We assume that more ancient breeds, which are genetically closer to wolves, can process the information encoded in wolf howls better than modern breeds.

>“Thus, ancient breeds of our study might become stressed by intruding on a pack’s territory and use howling for the sake of avoidance, just as wolves do.” - says Tamás Faragó, postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Ethology, ELTE and the senior author of the study.

^1 The wilderness is calling — will your dog answer?, Eötvös Loránd University, 6 Feb. 2023, https://ttk.elte.hu/en/content/the-wilderness-is-calling-will-your-dog-answer.t.6415

^2 F. Lehoczki, A. Andics, A. Kershenbaum, et al. Genetic distance from wolves affects family dogs’ reactions towards howls. Communications Biology 6, 129 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-023-04450-9

Findings in title quoted from the linked summary^1 and its hyperlinked journal paper.^2

From the linked summary^1 released 13 Feb. 2023:

>A new paper in Public Understanding of Science and an associated report by Stephen Cave, Kanta Dihal, Eleanor Drage, and Kerry McInerney shows the results of an analysis of the 142 most influential AI films in history, establishing that gender inequalities in film are more extreme than in real life.

>Just 8% of all depictions of AI professionals from a century of popular film are women – and more than half of these are shown as subordinate to men.

>This gender imbalance is even bigger than in the real-world AI industry, in which 20% of AI professionals are women.

From the hyperlinked journal paper:^2

>The aim of this study is to examine the gendering of portrayals of AI researchers in influential fiction film over the past century, 1920–2020.

>[We] explain our choice of media and period; our criteria for ‘AI researcher’; how we have coded gender; our criteria for ‘influential’ in film; and the corresponding sources of our corpus.

>We have examined films over the course of a century, from 1920 to 2020. The total number of films featuring AI is sufficiently small that this large temporal range results in a corpus that is manageable but meaningful.

>1920 is an appropriate start date both because of the rapid development of the cinema in the United States and Europe after the First World War, and because this decade saw the earliest high-impact portrayals of intelligent machines and their creators, in Karel Čapek’s play R.U.R. (1921) and Fritz Lang’s film Metropolis (1927).

>Of the 1413 films in our corpus, we identified 142 as featuring AI. Of these, 86 films clearly showed or referred to an AI engineer or scientist.

>The total number of AI engineers or scientists shown was 116, as 63 films showed only one such figure, 16 films showed 2 and 7 films showed 3 figures that met our criteria.

>Of these 116 AI engineers or scientists, 88 were men, 10 were male robots, aliens, animals or AIs, and 9 were corporations led by men, giving a total of 107 male figures, or 92% of the total. Seven were human women and two were female non-humans, giving a total of nine female figures, or 8% of the total.

^1 Who makes AI? Inequality in AI films, Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, 13 Feb. 2023, http://lcfi.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/2023/feb/13/who-makes-ai-inequality-ai-films/

^2 S. Cave, K. Dihal, E. Drage, and K. McInerney (2023) Who makes AI? Gender and portrayals of AI scientists in popular film, 1920–2020. Public Understanding of Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/09636625231153985

Findings in title quoted from the linked summary^1 for a journal paper^2 identifying a penguin named in honour of paleontologist Ewan Fordyce.^3

From the linked summary:^1

>New Zealand has been a haven for earthbound birds for eons. The absence of terrestrial predators allowed flightless parrots, kiwis and moas to thrive. Now researchers are adding two prehistoric penguins to this grounded aviary.

>One species is a beefy behemoth that waddled along the New Zealand coastline nearly 60 million years ago. At almost 350 pounds, it weighed as much as an adult gorilla and is the heaviest penguin known to science.

>[The researchers] named the larger penguin Kumimanu (a mashup of the Maori words for “monster” and “bird”) fordycei and named the smaller penguin Petradyptes (“rock diver”) stonehousei.

>By creating 3D models of Kumimanu’s humongous humerus and comparing its size and shape with the flipper bones of prehistoric and modern penguins, the researchers estimate that the “monster bird” weighed a whopping [148.0 kg to 159.7 kg].

From the journal paper:^2

>Recent fossil discoveries from New Zealand have revealed a remarkably diverse assemblage of Paleocene stem group penguins.

>Here, we add to this growing record by describing nine new penguin specimens from the late Paleocene (upper Teurian local stage; 55.5–59.5 Ma) Moeraki Formation of the South Island, New Zealand.

>The largest specimen is assigned to a new species, Kumimanu fordycei n. sp., which may have been the largest penguin ever to have lived.

>Allometric regressions based on humerus length and humerus proximal width of extant penguins yield mean estimates of a live body mass in the range of 148.0 kg (95% CI: 132.5 kg–165.3 kg) and 159.7 kg (95% CI: 142.6 kg–178.8 kg), respectively, for Kumimanu fordycei.

From the University of Otago:^3

>The world’s largest penguin has been named in honour of Emeritus Professor Ewan Fordyce, recognising his enormous contributions to marine vertebrate paleontology.

>[Lead author] Dr Ksepka says he the researchers are “thrilled” to name one species after Emeritus Professor Fordyce in honour of his vast contributions to paleontology in general and to fossil penguins in particular.

^1 The biggest penguin that ever existed was a ‘monster bird’, Jack Tamisiea for the New York Times, 8 Feb. 2023, https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/the-biggest-penguin-that-ever-existed-was-a-monster-bird/

^2 Ksepka D., Field D., Heath T., Pett W., Thomas D., Giovanardi S., & Tennyson A. (2023). Largest-known fossil penguin provides insight into the early evolution of sphenisciform body size and flipper anatomy. Journal of Paleontology, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1017/jpa.2022.88

^3 Paleontology powerhouse honoured by former students, University of Otago, 9 Feb. 2023, https://www.otago.ac.nz/social-impact-studio/news/otago0241045.html

>crimeo

>It's a reddit thread, it is a forum for quick discussion about what's presented already, not weeks long correspondence that nobody will ever see the results of since the thread will be gone for weeks by then itself.

For veracity, you may wish to send a facsimile of your comments to the authors, as “quick discussion” by subreddit users other than authors could invite inaccuracies.

>crimeoPhD

>I can't help but notice that you didn't answer the question

>>Am I just blind, or is there no actual data here?

>Where is the data? WHAT was reviewed by their peers? They haven't actually gone out and done or measured anything to be reviewed, unless I'm missing it in the article.

Findings in title are quoted from the linked summary^1 and its hyperlinked journal paper T. Brown, et al.^2 as cited in my excerpt comment.^3

Perhaps correspondence with the authors — environmental physicist Laura Revell, planetary scientist Michele Bannister, and first author Tyler Brown — may be productive.

^1 Rocket industry could undo decades of work to save the ozone layer, 3 Feb. 2023, https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/news/2023/rocket-industry-could-undo-decades-of-work-to-save-the-ozone-layer.html

^2 T. Brown, M. Bannister, and L. Revell. Envisioning a sustainable future for space launches: a review of current research and policy. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand 2023. https://doi.org/10.1080/03036758.2022.2152467

^3 https://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/10ufb9b/new_review_finds_that_rocket_emissions_in_the/j7bisdk/

crimeoPhD

>Uh am I just blind, or is there no actual data here, just some dudes waving their hands and hypothesizing stuff they think is plausible?

>And that hypothesis, even, is especially un-compelling IMO when they include hypergolic propellants in the list: that is the source of most of the super toxic shit BUT is also definitely not the propellant being used in the vast majority of those extra 100 launches.

>Hypergolics are used for military rockets mostly where stable storage for years is the main concern. Commercial launches use almost entirely vastly cleaner RP-1 refined kerosene, hydrogen, or methane fuels

The authors are “just some dudes” whose review of research and policy is peer-reviewed.

The lexicon for describing peer-reviewed hypothesis — could or plausible included — may be unfamiliar to audiences accustomed to assertions of opinion.

Findings in title quoted from the linked summary^1 and its hyperlinked journal paper T. Brown, et al.^2

From the 3 Feb. 2023 summary^1 by the authors of T. Brown, et al.:

>Rockets have exciting potential to enable industrial-level access to near-Earth space and exploration throughout the solar system.

>This makes them “charismatic technology” – and the promise of what the technology can enable drives deep emotional investment.

>The allure of possibility can get in the way of even discussing how to make rockets achieve these aspirational goals without damage. We have to be able to have clear discussions.

>The ozone layer is on track to heal within four decades, according to a recent UN report, but this progress could be undone by an upsurge in rocket launches expected during the same period.

>As we show in our new review, the gases and particulates rockets emit as they punch through the atmosphere could lead to delays in the ozone layer’s recovery.

>Fortunately, the number of launches to date is so small that the impacts on the ozone layer are currently insignificant.

>However, over coming decades the launch industry is set to expand considerably.

> 

>As we outline, rocket emissions in the upper atmosphere can affect the ozone layer but are not regulated. We argue this policy gap must be filled to ensure sustainable growth of the rocket launch industry and protection of the ozone layer.

>The launch industry today relies on four major fuel types for rocket propulsion: liquid kerosene, cryogenic, hypergolic and solid.

>The combustion of these fuels means contemporary rockets create a suite of gaseous and particulate exhaust products, including carbon dioxide, water vapour, black carbon, alumina, reactive chloride and nitrogen oxides. These products are known to destroy ozone.

>A new fuel is methane, which is used in multiple rocket engines under development by major launch companies. The emissions products of methane are as yet poorly understood.

>In the stratosphere, an upper level of the atmosphere where the protective ozone layer resides, emissions linger for much longer than lower down.

>Small amounts of an exhaust byproduct can have greater destructive effects in the upper atmosphere than when close to Earth’s surface.

^1 Rocket industry could undo decades of work to save the ozone layer, 3 Feb. 2023, https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/news/2023/rocket-industry-could-undo-decades-of-work-to-save-the-ozone-layer.html

^2 T. Brown, M. Bannister, and L. Revell. Envisioning a sustainable future for space launches: a review of current research and policy. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand 2023. https://doi.org/10.1080/03036758.2022.2152467

Excerpt from the linked Reuters content^1 by Felix Onuah:

>ABUJA, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Nigeria has asked Google and Meta to control the spread of fake news on their platforms ahead of a presidential election this month, Information Minister Lai Mohammed said on Friday.

>Nigerians go to the polls on Feb. 25 to elect a new president, with three frontrunners promising to deal with the rising cost of living, insecurity and a slow-growing economy.

>Mohammed said he met with Meta and Google representatives in Abuja on Friday and requested that they make posts from official channels visible on their platforms, and flag as unverified election results originating from unofficial sources.

>He also asked the two companies to work with the security services to take down posts capable of inciting violence.

>Mohammed's request comes after he asked Google last year to block the use of YouTube channels and livestreams by secessionist and Islamist militant groups in the country.

^1 Nigeria asks social media giants to curb fake news ahead of election, F. Onuah, 3 Feb. 2023, https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/nigeria-asks-social-media-giants-curb-fake-news-ahead-election-2023-02-03/

>hanlonsaxe

>It would be nice if we used different words for habitable for humans, and habitable for some kind of life in general.

>But then no one would click. I guess that could be the title for the chapter in the 22nd century history book about this era.

Who is ‘we’?

Do you mean that the majority of users in r/science may not read linked content, or excerpts in comments?

Do you also mean that such users need in-title explanations for scientific words?

>Putin_Delenda_Est

>Probably a good way to get attention for your paper but tidally locked, red dwarf and a 16 day day orbit are probably not ideal.

Top-level comment may indicate user(s) who do not read comments preceding theirs.

From the linked summary^1 for D. Kossakowski, et al.,^2 in my excerpt comment:^3

>Although the rotation of this planet, named Wolf 1069 b, is probably tidally locked to its path around the parent star, the team is optimistic it may provide durable habitable conditions across a wide area of its dayside.

>The absence of any apparent stellar activity or intense UV radiation increases the chances that Wolf 1069 b could have retained much of its atmosphere.

^1 A nearby potentially habitable Earth-mass exoplanet, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, 3 Feb. 2023.

^2 D. Kossakowski, et al. The CARMENES search for exoplanets around M dwarfs. Wolf 1069 b: Earth-mass planet in the habitable zone of a nearby, very low-mass star. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202245322

^3 https://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/10te3ex/newlydiscovered_earthmass_exoplanet_named_wolf/j767v94/

Findings in title quoted from the linked summary^1 for a hyperlinked journal paper.^2

From the linked summary^1 released by the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy:

>A team of astronomers led by MPIA scientist Diana Kossakowski have discovered an Earth-mass exoplanet orbiting in the habitable zone of the red dwarf star Wolf 1069.

>Although the rotation of this planet, named Wolf 1069 b, is probably tidally locked to its path around the parent star, the team is optimistic it may provide durable habitable conditions across a wide area of its dayside.

>The absence of any apparent stellar activity or intense UV radiation increases the chances that Wolf 1069 b could have retained much of its atmosphere.

>With a distance of 31 light-years, Wolf 1069 b is the sixth closest Earth-mass planet in the habitable zone of its host star.

>Because of its favourable prospects regarding habitability, it is among a small illustrious group of targets, such as Proxima Centauri b and TRAPPIST-1 e, to search for biosignatures.

^1 A nearby potentially habitable Earth-mass exoplanet, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, 3 Feb. 2023.

^2 D. Kossakowski, et al. The CARMENES search for exoplanets around M dwarfs. Wolf 1069 b: Earth-mass planet in the habitable zone of a nearby, very low-mass star. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202245322