The Climate Science Special Report, part of the quadrennial National Climate Assessment, released by 13 federal agencies in the United States last week, has stated that human activity is the dominant driver of global warming. The report's assessment "that it is extremely likely that human activities, especially emissions of greenhouse gases, are the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century" is at odds with the position taken by President Trumps' White House. The report affirms that climate change is being driven almost entirely by humans, warns of sea-level rises as high as 2.5 metres (eight feet) by the end of the century, and details climate-related impacts that are already affecting the United States as a result of the 1.8 degree Fahrenheit (1 degree Celsius) increase in temperature since 1900. The report comes as the Trump presidency is working to promote fossil-fuel production and repeal legislation intended to curb carbon emissions, such as the so-called Clean Power Plan, as well as Trump's announcement that he intends to exit the Paris climate agreement. To find out more check out Read the Full Climate Science Special Report.
Another step closer to quantum computing
We could be another step closer in the quest for the world's first universal quantum computer, as scientists discover a new material that could store quantum information for extended periods of time. In a new study, scientists from Boston College and Harvard University in the United States have discovered a new material called copper iridate — a compound of copper, iridium, and oxygen — that might have the atomic geometry to preserve the quantum state of individual atoms. The honeycomb arrangement of atoms in the material prevents the spins of electrons from freezing, and so they keep jiggling around without ever forming a magnet, a phenomenon called 'magnetic frustration'. This unusual phase is known as quantum spin liquid and allows for long-range entanglement, where the quantum state of one particle is paired with another non-adjacent particle. By using the same process, it could be possible to discover new quantum spin liquids, some of which might be even better suited for the task of storing quantum information. To find out more check out Quantum Computers' Secrets Lurk Within This Strange Form of Matter.
Carbon dioxide hits 3 million year high
Atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) have hit a new threshold that hasn't been seen in at least the last 3 million years. In 2015, global average temperatures were 400 parts per million (ppm), but increased to 403.3 ppm in 2016 — caused by emissions from human activities and in parallel with a strong El Niño event in 2015/2016. The data, collected by the World Meteorological Organisation's (WMO) Global Atmosphere Watch program, indicate that atmospheric CO2 levels are now 145 percent higher than pre-industrial levels, while methane and nitrous oxide are sitting at 257 percent and 122 percent, respectively. The contribution to the record-breaking increase from El Niño is unknown, as the event triggers droughts that reduce the ability of natural carbon sinks like forests and oceans to absorb CO2. To find out more check out The State of Greenhouse Gases in the Atmosphere Based on Global Observations through 2016.
Get high and get laid more often?
According to a new study, regular marijuana users have about 20 percent more sex than abstainers. The study, carried out by researchers at Stanford University, analysed data from 28,000 female and 23,000 male participants in a national study of Americans between the ages of 15 to 49. The found that women who smoked marijuana daily had sex with a male partner an average of 7.1 times per month, compared to 6 times per month for nonsmoking women. And similarly, male marijuana users reported having sex with a woman 6.9 times per month, compared to 5.6 times for nonusers. These findings were found to be true even after the researchers accounted for demographic variables known to affect sex habits and marijuana use. Furthermore, the study also found that there was a "dose-dependent relationship" between marijuana use and sex frequency — as respondents' marijuana use rates increased, so did their frequency of having sex. To find out more check out Association Between Marijuana Use and Sexual Frequency in the United States: A Population-Based Study.
Scientists may have underestimated ocean warming
According to a new research, models used to estimate past ocean temperatures might have been based on flawed assumptions, which, if true, could mean that our ancient seas were far cooler than previously determined and current warming is even greater than we thought. The study, published in Nature Communications, involved a team of climate scientists from French and Swiss universities who reviewed the chemical process that has served as a proxy for estimating ocean temperatures from millions of years in the past. By looking at the ratio of oxygen-18 to oxygen-16 in the calcite of the exoskeletons of tiny marine organisms called foraminifera, which varies with the isotope concentrations in the environment and the water's temperature and is used to determine the differences in the oxygen isotopes in fossils, a record of the temperature when they lived over 100 million years ago can be estimated. The researchers, however, have found evidence that suggests the ratio of oxygen-18 to oxygen-16 in the buried marine life might not be quite as stable as initially thought, and may indicate that today's rapid global warming trend is even more dramatic that current models indicate. To find out more check out Burial-induced oxygen-isotope re-equilibration of fossil foraminifera explains ocean paleotemperature paradoxes.
The race for "quantum supremacy"
The point at which quantum computers will be able to perform computations that are too complex for current digital computers, a landmark referred to as "quantum supremacy," is believed to be fast approaching, but nobody knows when. This point is widely believed to be about 49 qubits — a vital ‘unit’ of information for quantum computers, the quantum equivalent of the bits that represent 1 or 0 in a conventional computer. — when quantum computers demonstrate their superiority over conventional machines. As it currently stands, Google’s researchers appear to be leading the race for a 49-qubit machine, with a 22-qubit machine, although the company has yet to officially confirm this, and IBM has announced a 16-qubit machine. Both companies are developing their machines using superconducting circuits cooled to extreme temperatures. Earlier this week Google and a California-based startup called Rigetti Computing announced software for converting chemical simulations into a form that a quantum computer can handle. This new software, called OpenFermion is freely available and designed to work with other quantum computers, including IBM’s. To find out more check out New Twists in the Road to Quantum Supremacy.
Super-fast Blockchain gets even faster
Trials conducted on Blockchain, the technology that underpins cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, have shown that financial transactions can be performed 50 percent faster than first anticipated, outperforming market leaders including VISA for global payments. Blockchain is a public ledger that allows secure and almost instantaneous transfer of cryptocurrencies across the world. Called the 'Red Belly Blockchain', researchers from the University of Sydney, in Australia, have demonstrated that it can perform more than 660,000 transactions per second on 300 machines in a single data centre, compared with VISA’s network that has a peak capacity of around 56,000 transactions per second, and the Bitcoin network that is limited to around seven transactions per second. The Red Belly Blockchain was also tested across 14 diverse geographical regions, from Australia to the US, Canada, UK, Germany, Brazil, Japan, India, South Korea and Singapore, confirming that the blockchain achieved better performance than existing technologies used by financial institutions, even when the machines that provide the service are located in different continents. To find out more check out Fast and safe blockchain being developed at University of Sydney.
Are transparent panels the future for solar energy?
The Holy Grail for solar energy are the development of transparent, see-through solar panels that resemble glass and can be used as windows, but at the same time convert sunlight into electricity. In a new study, published in the journal Nature Energy, researchers from Michigan State University, in the United States, have investigated the efficiency of current solar technologies, and have determined that transparent panels could be scaled-up to cover the estimated 5-7 billion square metres of glass surfaces in the United States, potentially providing around 40 percent of the country's energy needs. Similar analysis conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy last year, has estimated that rooftop solar has the potential to meet the same amount of power by using conventional panels. By these estimates, the new study suggests that the two types of technologies — running in unison — could effectively provide all of the U.S.'s power needs. To find out more check out Emergence of highly transparent photovoltaics for distributed applications.
Learning how to control your dreams
In a new study, researchers from the University of Adelaide in Australia have found a specific combination of techniques that can increase the chances of having lucid dreams, in which the dreamer is aware that they are dreaming and is able to control what happens while dreaming. Although previous studies have described techniques for lucid dreaming, they have reported low success rates. Published in the journal Dreaming, the new study involved three groups of participants, and investigated the effectiveness of three different lucid dream induction techniques:
- reality testing – checking several times a day to see whether or not you’re dreaming.
- wake back to bed – waking up after five hours, then staying awake for a short period before going back to sleep in order to enter a REM sleep period, where dreams are more likely to occur.
- MILD (mnemonic induction of lucid dreams) – waking up after five hours of sleep and then intentionally remembering that you are dreaming before returning to sleep by repeating the phrase: "The next time I'm dreaming, I will remember that I'm dreaming," as well as imagining yourself in a lucid dream.
Of the 47 people who combined all three techniques, participants achieved a 17% success rate in having lucid dreams over the period of just one week, and among those who were able to go to sleep within the first five minutes of completing the MILD technique, the success rate of lucid dreaming was as high as 46% of attempts. The research allows scientists to explore the potential benefits and applications of lucid dreaming. To find out more go to Reality testing and the mnemonic induction of lucid dreams: Findings from the national Australian lucid dream induction study.
One in six deaths caused by pollution
An estimated nine million deaths annually, around one in six people, die from the effects of pollution, according to a new study published in the Lancet. From dirty air in India and China, to tainted water in sub-Saharan Africa and toxic mining operations in South America, according to the study, pollution kills around three times more people each year than HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined, with most of those deaths in poor and developing countries. The research, conducted over two years on data collected from 130 countries documenting the causes of disease and premature deaths, and includes both outdoor pollution tainted by mercury, arsenic and other harmful particulates, and household air dirtied by the burning of wood, dung and other organic materials, found that poor air quality was the most significant pollution-related killer. Resulting in an estimated 6.5 million deaths in 2015 from heart disease, strokes, lung cancer and other respiratory problems, the largest number of were deaths attributable to pollution occurring in India and China, with an estimated 2.5 million and 1.8 million deaths, respectively. Other severely affected countries include Pakistan, Bangladesh and Kenya. To find out more check out The Lancet Commission on pollution and health.