All posts tagged: giant

Global energy giant RWE halts US offshore wind because of Trump

Global energy giant RWE halts US offshore wind because of Trump

Published by skeptic

Photo: RWE Global renewable developer and energy giant RWE has halted its US offshore wind operations “for the time being” because of the “political environment” the Trump administration has created. RWE, Germany’s biggest electricity producer, said in March that it had dialed back its US offshore wind activities. But now, CEO Marcus Krebber said in a speech transcript, which he’ll deliver at the company’s Annual General Meeting in Essen on April 30, that its US offshore wind business is now closed (but it wasn’t all bad news):  In the US, where we have stopped our offshore activities for the time being, our business in onshore wind, solar energy, and battery storage has so far been developing very dynamically. At the start of this year, we reached an important milestone when our US generation capacity hit the 10 gigawatt mark. The construction of a further 4 gigawatts is secured. He went on to say that renewables have created regional value and jobs, but that the company remains “cautious given the political developments.” RWE has introduced more …

125 million-year-old giant venomous scorpion fossil unearthed in China

125 million-year-old giant venomous scorpion fossil unearthed in China

Published by skeptic

A newly discovered scorpion fossil is rewriting the story of ancient ecosystems. This rare find, named Jeholia longchengi, lived 125 million years ago and belonged to the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota of northeastern China. Measuring 10 centimeters in length, it was a giant among its kind, standing out as the largest known scorpion fossil from the Mesozoic era. The discovery sheds new light on the food web of this prehistoric world, where scorpions played a much larger role than previously understood. A Rare and Unusual Find Scorpions have walked the Earth for over 400 million years, yet their fossils remain scarce. Unlike insects trapped in amber, these arachnids lived in environments where fossilization was unlikely. Scorpions have walked the Earth for over 400 million years, yet their fossils remain scarce. (CREDIT: Science Bulletin) Most known Mesozoic scorpion fossils come from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber, while compression fossils are rare. The newly identified Jeholia longchengi is the first Mesozoic scorpion fossil ever found in China, and only the fourth terrestrial scorpion fossil unearthed in the country. This …

Mice with woolly mammoth traits could pave the way for the resurrection of an ice age giant

Mice with woolly mammoth traits could pave the way for the resurrection of an ice age giant

Published by skeptic

A US biotech company has genetically modified mice to have traits from the extinct woolly mammoth. Researchers at Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences endowed their mice with the thick, shaggy hair of the mammoth and its efficient fat metabolism, which helped it survive in icy conditions. Colossal’s ultimate goal is to introduce these woolly mammoth traits, along with others, into modern elephants. This general area of science has become known as de-extinction. However, elephants have long gestation (pregnancy) periods, exhibit complex social behaviour, and experimentation on them raises significant ethical challenges, including the issue of animal welfare. Therefore, the researchers have chosen mice for the initial experiments. Mice breed quickly, and their genes are easier to modify, which allows scientists to test and refine their methods in an animal they understand well. Instead of trying to clone a dead mammoth, Colossal is trying to transform an modern elephant into a mammoth. The process begins with ancient DNA. Colossal’s team extracted genetic material from woolly mammoth remains preserved in Arctic permafrost – a natural archive that has …

US military wants to grow giant biological structures in space

US military wants to grow giant biological structures in space

Published by skeptic

DARPA envisions growing structures hundreds of metres long Science Photo Library / Alamy Stock Photo The US military is brainstorming ways to build large structures in space, from telescope antennas to elevator tethers. By growing these objects in microgravity using biological organisms, they hope to avoid the costly and painstaking process of launching components from Earth. “We have yet to unlock the potential of biology for space production and manufacturing,” says Michael Nayak, program manager for the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The combination of biology and mechanical engineering could unlock new ways to “manufacture at unprecedented… Source link

A peek into a stellar nursery has revealed six baby giant worlds

A peek into a stellar nursery has revealed six baby giant worlds

Published by skeptic

astronomer: A scientist who works in the field of research that deals with celestial objects, space and the physical universe. astrophysicist: A scientist who works in an area of astronomy that deals with understanding the physical nature of stars and other objects in space. brown dwarf: A would-be star that never became massive enough to sustain nuclear fusion. celestial object: Any naturally formed objects of substantial size in space. Examples include comets, asteroids, planets, moons, stars and galaxies. chemical: A substance formed from two or more atoms that unite (bond) in a fixed proportion and structure. For example, water is a chemical made when two hydrogen atoms bond to one oxygen atom. Its chemical formula is H2O. Chemical also can be an adjective to describe properties of materials that are the result of various reactions between different compounds. cloud: A plume of molecules or particles, such as water droplets, that move under the action of an outside force, such as wind, radiation or water currents.  colleague: Someone who works with another; a co-worker or team member. …

Chile’s giant ‘living fossil’ frog faces threat from climate change and humans

Chile’s giant ‘living fossil’ frog faces threat from climate change and humans

Published by Sam

SANTIAGO: A giant frog species that hopped alongside dinosaurs and is considered a “living fossil” is now losing ground in its native Chile as climate change and human intervention damage its habitat. The Calyptocephallela gayi, or Helmeted Water Toad, is one of the largest frogs in the world, growing up to over 30cm in length and weighing up to 1kg. The amphibian has seen little genetic variation for millions of years, but now its future is at risk, scientists say. “It’s sad that a species that managed to coexist with dinosaurs, that managed to resist a mass extinction, is now threatened by human beings,” said Melissa Cancino, a veterinarian and founder of Proyecto Anfibia, a group dedicated to amphibian research and education in Chile. Source link

How Edna Ferber’s Novel ‘Giant’ Changed Texas

How Edna Ferber’s Novel ‘Giant’ Changed Texas

Published by Sam

When Edna Ferber’s Giant was published in 1952, Texans were not pleased. Ferber’s sweeping novel about cattle, oil, and the winds of change brought a reform-minded Virginia woman, Leslie Benedict, to a Texas ranch, where she has the temerity to suggest that the denizens might treat their nonwhite, non-male neighbors a little better. Show some kindness to the Mexican immigrants—or “wetbacks,” as they’re routinely called in Giant—living in poverty down the road. Acknowledge that women might be capable of and interested in thinking about politics. Ferber, a waggish, literary New Yorker born and raised in the Midwest, known for novels including Show Boat and So Big, had done the unpardonable—she had messed with Texas—and Texas let her know how it felt. Julie Gilbert recalls some of the vitriol in her new book. Giant Love: Edna Ferber, Her Best-Selling Novel of Texas, and the Making of a Classic American Film. “Carl Victor Little in his Houston Press review suggested that she be lynched,” Gilbert writes. Little dismissed Ferber’s “‘brand of fiction’ as steeped in backstairs gossip …

Why timekeeping is now on the verge of a giant leap forward in accuracy

Why timekeeping is now on the verge of a giant leap forward in accuracy

Published by skeptic

Time is vital to the functioning of our everyday lives: from the watches on our wrists to the GPS systems in our phones. Communication systems, power grids, and financial transactions all rely on precision timing. Seconds are the vital units of measurement in timekeeping. Surprisingly, there is still debate over the definition of the second. But recent advances in the world’s most accurate forms of timekeeping may have just changed the game. Accurate timekeeping has always been part of humankind’s social evolution. At the Neolithic monument of Newgrange in Ireland, a special opening above an entrance allows sunlight to illuminate the passage and chamber on the shortest days of the year, around December 21st, the winter solstice. Some 2,300 years ago, Aristotle said that “the revolution of the outermost sphere of the heavens” should be the reference for measuring time. The Greek philosopher believed the cosmos was arranged into concentric spheres, with Earth at the centre. Water clocks, which appeared around 2,000BC, are among the oldest instruments for measuring time. They do this by regulating …

Giant rat border agents could help put a stop to wildlife poaching

Giant rat border agents could help put a stop to wildlife poaching

Published by skeptic

agent: A person or thing (it can be a chemical or even a form of energy) that plays some role in getting something done. agile: Able to move quickly (and pivot as needed) with skill and little apparent effort. Sometimes the term is applied to thinking and project management as well as to athletic pursuits. behavioral ecologist: A scientist who studies how animal behavior relates to where animals live. biodiversity: (short for biological diversity) The number and variety of species found within a localized geographic region. conservation: The act of preserving or protecting something. The focus of this work can range from art objects to endangered species and other aspects of the natural environment. ecologist: A scientist who works in a branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings. mammal: An animal distinguished by possessing hair or fur, the secretion of milk by females for the feeding of their young, and (typically) the bearing of live young. They also are warm-blooded (or endothermic). pangolin: Any …