In the spotlight
AI-powered misinformation is the world’s biggest short-term threat, claims new report
ibtimes-uk, 12.01.2024
A new report published by the World Economic Forum (WEF) claims AI-powered misinformation is the world’s biggest short-term threat. With 2024 being dubbed by many as “the year of elections”, their Global Risks Report expressed fears that a wave of artificial intelligence-driven misinformation and disinformation could influence democratic processes and polarise society.
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Extreme weather events most severe global risks over next 10 years: WEF
downtoearth, 12.01.2024
Extreme weather events have scaled up the ladder from last year to emerge as the most severe risk the world needs to prepare for in 2024 through 2026, according to the Global Risks Report 2024.
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Digital transition
AI to impact 40% of jobs around the world, IMF chief says
euronews-en, 15.01.2024
The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) will impact 60 percent of jobs in advanced economies and some emerging markets around the world, according to International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva.
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Beware of AI-generated misinformation about April’s total solar eclipse, say experts
forbes, 14.01.2024
Is it safe to look at a total solar eclipse? It’s a question that will be asked a lot online in the coming months as the U.S., Canada and Mexico countdown to a rare total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024.
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The 15 best robots and AI tech we saw at CES 2024
zdnet, 10.01.2024
Artificial intelligence (AI) remains one of the buzziest technologies around, and it’s no surprise that it’s been a main attraction at CES 2024. Although AI was mainly represented in chatbots in the past year, companies are now finding more innovative ways to incorporate the technology into hardware, including everything from futuristic robots to laptops and onto products that would have never been possible before.
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Environmental sustainability
A single-celled microbe is helping corals survive climate change, study finds
eurekalert, 11.01.2024
New research highlights the role of microorganisms in protecting corals from heat-stress.
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Israel’s war in Gaza has ‘immense’ effect on climate catastrophe
guardian, 09.01.2024
The first months of conflict produced more planet-warming gases than 20 climate-vulnerable countries do in a year, a study shows. Plus, a Greenland startup is shipping glacier ice to the UAE.
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Mobility & Energy
Press Release: Last chance to see the EarthCARE cloud and aerosol satellite in Europe
esa, 12.01.2024
EarthCARE is the largest and most complex of all of ESA’s trailblazing Earth Explorer missions – missions that deliver critical information to understand how our world functions and the impact that human activity is having on natural processes.
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Norway becomes first country to back deep-sea mining despite environmental concerns
euronews-en, 11.01.2024
Norway has become the first country in the world to greenlight the controversial practice of deep-sea mining. A bill passed in the Norwegian Parliament on Tuesday (9 January) will accelerate the undersea hunt for minerals needed to build green technology such as batteries for electric vehicles.
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Science policy & Communication
Ofcom ‘watching’ as EU investigates Twitter/X for illegal content
thetimes, 15.01.2024
The UK’s communications regulator Ofcom is monitoring closely the European Union’s decision to investigate X, formerly known as Twitter, for potentially breaking laws on hate speech and disinformation.
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Agriculture & Food
Human activity facilitates invasive plants’ colonization in Mediterranean ecosystems
alphagalileo, 12.01.2024
Some invasive plants can form persistent banks of seeds that remain under the soil for years, and this makes their eradication practically impossible. Over time, this invisible population of large quantities of living, buried plants – in seed form -, will reoccupy ecosystems and displace the typical flora of the natural environment.
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Health
The 12 changes that happen to your body when you start taking ‘miracle’ slimming drug Ozempic – from burps and wrinkles to skinny fingers (but it CAN stop snoring)
dailymail, 12.01.2024
Your digestion slows down. The drug also slows the rate at which food passes through the gut – making people feel full for longer. So whereas it might normally take just five or ten minutes for food that you’ve eaten to leave your stomach – it can take an hour or more on GLP-1 drugs.
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EU initiatives
EU puts its weight behind home-grown processor for its new €273M supercomputer
sciencebusiness, 11.01.2024
When Europe inaugurates its first exascale supercomputer later this year, the event will be a major step towards European sovereignty in computing. Unlike previous EU-backed supercomputers launched within the EuroHPC joint undertaking, the Jupiter system will be powered by European microprocessors designed by SiPearl, a European start-up.
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Research and technology organisations call for balanced EU approach to research security
sciencebusiness, 11.01.2024
EU’s upcoming recommendations for tackling foreign interference in research must walk a fine line between protecting security and enabling international collaboration, research and technology organisations say.
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Curious news
Blue Monday: no, today isn’t the most depressing day of the year
RTERadio, 15.01.2024
The start of the new year can lead people to become reflective and connect with what may or may not be serving or working for them in their life. Analysis: some people find January hard but Blue Monday is an unhelpful piece of pseudoscientific nonsense. If you think Blue Monday is real, think again.
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Scientists discover what wiped out the largest great ape to ever live
independent-UK, 12.01.2024
An ancient species of great ape was likely driven to extinction when climate change put their favourite fruits out of reach during dry seasons, scientists reported Wednesday.
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