Author Archives: Danzig

Winter is a Great Time to Take Care of Your Legs Do Unsightly Veins Only Occur as You Age? – Magazine of Santa Clarita

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Varicose and spider veins are a common problem found in approximately 25% of the population. A common misconception is that they tend to occur only in older patients and women. In reality, they can be found in men and women of any age. Heredity is another risk factor for venous disease.Why do Spider and Varicose veins occur more in the legs?Because we stand or sit for prolong periods of time. We make the leg veins work much harder than in any other part of our body. Leg veins normally carry blood back from the feet to the heart. Vein valves keep blood flowing in one direction. However, in many people, the valves and veins become abnormal and allow blood to flow backwards towards their ankles. This is called venous reflux. This then exerts pressure on the surface skin veins that bulge out. If left untreated, this can result in leg pain, restless legs, itching, cramping, swelling, ankle discoloration and thickened skin. Ultimately, it can cause open wounds or ulcers at the ankles. Left untreated this may lead to more serious medical issues.Spider veins can be erased with sclerotherapy where a chemical is injected into the fine veins, causing them to seal and disappear. For venous reflux, invasive surgical vein stripping is no longer necessary. The abnormal veins can be closed using endovenous catheter ablation which is a minimally invasive treatment. Phlebectomy can also be performed where multiple tiny incisions are made to remove the bulging veins. All of these can be done safely and comfortably in the office, with minimal downtime afterwards.At the L.A. Vein Center, Dr. Larisse K. Lee, a board certified vascular and general surgeon, offers all of these treatments. If needed, we perform an in house ultrasound evaluation so a rapid diagnosis can be made. We evaluate every patient thoroughly and tailor a treatment plan according to the individuals needs. We accept Medicare and most major PPO insurance. Call 818-325-0400 to schedule an appointment today.

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Winter is a Great Time to Take Care of Your Legs Do Unsightly Veins Only Occur as You Age? - Magazine of Santa Clarita

This beautiful island near England is offering free accommodation – Happytrips

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An unpaid but interesting jobIf you are comfortable with working on a small island known for its conservation and sustainability, applying for the post of a volunteer assistant warden on Lundy Island, located 19 km off the coast of southwest England, may be a viable option for you.

What are the roles and eligibility?

The island authorities require two assistant wardens for the seabirds from April to July 2021. They also need two assistant wardens for the Atlantic Grey Seals from July to September 2021, and an assistant ranger between April and October.

About Lundys diverse marine and wildlifeLundy is home to reefs, kelp forests, caves and the biggest seabird colony in Englands southwest. Species of birds like the kittiwake, razorbill, guillemot, Manx shearwater and puffins have their habitat there. There are 330 different plant species being protected by the island staff.Amenities on the islandNo cars are run on the island, and its 23 self-catering accommodations do not have televisions, radios or telephones. It has a tavern, a 40-person campsite and a general store. The best time to visit the island is from spring to autumn, i.e. March 31 to late October.

Lundy Island was bought by philanthropist businessman Jack Hayward in 1969 and handed over to the National Trust. It is the UK's most important wildlife sanctuary, and has aced ecotourism, using renewable energy and being plastic-free.

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This beautiful island near England is offering free accommodation - Happytrips

3,800-year-old baby in a jar unearthed in Israel – Livescience.com

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Archaeologists in Israel have unearthed a 3,800-year-old jar that contains something surprising the skeleton of a baby.

Though such infant burials are not so uncommon, it's a mystery why the infants were buried in this way, said Yoav Arbel, an Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologist who was part of the team that found the jar.

"You might go to the practical thing and say that the bodies were so fragile, [maybe] they felt the need to protect it from the environment, even though it is dead," Arbel told Live Science. "But there's always the interpretation that the jar is almost like a womb, so basically the idea is to return [the] baby back into Mother Earth, or into the symbolic protection of his mother."

Related: Photos: A walk through Israel's Old Jaffa

The 4,000-year-old city of Jaffa, where the jar was found, is the older part of Tel Aviv, the second most populated city in Israel after Jerusalem. It was one of the earliest port cities in the world, and has been almost continuously occupied since about 900 B.C., Arbel said

"We're talking about a city that was ruled by a lot of different people," Arbel said. "Let's say that a lot of flags flew from its mast before Israel's flag of today."

Despite how strange the baby burial seems to modern eyes, it's not an unusual find for the region.

"There are different periods when people buried infants in jars in Israel," Arbel said. "The Bronze Age all the way to less than 100 years ago."

The finds were detailed in the 100th issue of the journal Atiqot, which includes more than 50 other studies on archaeology from Jaffa.

Because Jaffa has been almost continuously used for four millennia, the other finds described in the journal span the Hellenistic, Crusader and Ottoman periods. For instance, at another site, Arbel and his team found a big rubbish pit brimming with pieces of imported amphorae (ceramic vessels) dating to the Hellenistic period, from the fourth to the first centuries B.C. These roughly 2,300-year-old amphorae, which were used to hold wine, were crafted on various Greek Aegean Islands such as Rhodes and Kos, Arbel said. This one pit provides more evidence that trade routes between Jaffa and Greece were robust, Arbel said.

Archaeologists also found: 30 coins dating to the Hellenistic, Crusader (12th13th centuries), late Ottoman (late 18thearly 20th centuries) and British Mandate (1942) periods; the remains of at least two horses and pottery dating to the Ottoman Empire; 95 glass vessel fragments from Roman and Crusader times; and 232 seashells, including those from the Mediterranean Sea, land snails and three mother-of-pearl buttons.

There's also the witty, ancient Greek mosaic discovered near a A.D. fourth- or fifth-century necropolis, saying "Be of good courage, all who are buried here. This is it!"

In essence, it means "this is life!" and that death is everyone's shared destiny, said Zvi Greenhut, head of the publication department at the IAA, told Live Science.

Originally published on Live Science.

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3,800-year-old baby in a jar unearthed in Israel - Livescience.com

Couple celebrates 73rd anniversary – The Daily Standard

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Thursday, December 24th, 2020

By Leslie Gartrell

Paul and Rita Linton laugh Thursday afternoon as they try to remember when they. . .

CELINA - Sunlight seeped into Paul and Rita Linton's Celina home through tall, floor-to-ceiling windows in mid-December.

The extra light warmed the room, but it wasn't necessary. The room was already light and warm as the Lintons spoke about their relationship and love for each other. The couple are celebrating 73 years of marriage today.

"It doesn't seem that long ago," Rita Linton, 91, said with a tinge of surprise at how quickly time has passed.

The pair met through mutual friends when they were in high school. Both are from Van Wert County and lived through World War II. Paul Linton said his parents would ration gasoline like many families did at the time. Most families would make one trip into town, usually on a Saturday, and let their kids run around Main Street while they ran errands.

Rita Linton was a regular at the roller rink, and Paul Linton had his dad's car the night they met. He offered to drive her home and later offered to take her on a date on Easter Sunday.

Dates on holidays are a pattern with the Lintons. Paul Linton, also 91, said his parents married on Christmas Day and he wanted the same thing. The best they could do was Christmas Eve.

The couple married on Christmas Eve, 1947, when they were both 19. The two were wed at a parsonage in Van Wert, with two of their friends as their only witnesses.

Rita Linton described the day as simple and relatively plain. Her father had died, and she would never have asked her mother to help pay for the special day.

Quick-witted and more outspoken than her husband, she said looking back it may have been wiser to have a different wedding date. People already had plans, no photographers were available, and they didn't really have a honeymoon planned. Paul Linton said they spent their wedding night in Columbus and had wedding photos taken a few weeks afterward.

"It was kind of dumb," she said with a chuckle. "The holidays are always busy, and you cheat yourself out of a gift."

The two lived with Paul Linton's father for a while until they found a place of their own to rent.

"It was a shack, but we were happy," he said.

The Lintons have cycled through several different career paths throughout their lives. While they lived in their "shack," the couple raised chickens and Paul Linton farmed about 80 acres for a local farmer until he died.

After that, they worked at an apple orchard in Mendon. The Lintons said while the working conditions weren't their favorite, they enjoyed getting their three young children involved in making cider or picking apples.

The couple moved to a farmhouse near Celina in the early 1960s, where they were proud to see their children blossom and thrive. Paul Linton worked at the New Idea Co. for more than 22 years, while his wife worked at National Seal and later as a nurse at Van Wert Hospital for 14-15 years.

Eventually, Paul Linton began work at Tractors Inc. and worked his way up the ranks from shop worker to president and then became a major shareholder of the company.

After he retired he took up woodworking, which he has done for more than 20 years. Rita Linton gushed about how her husband makes gorgeous stained bowls, decorations and containers, which largely go to the grandkids nowadays.

She said she could be a lot to handle, especially when the pair were in the early stages of their relationship. Sensitive, extroverted and outspoken, the retired nurse said she and her husband had to learn how to communicate effectively.

Paul Linton agreed. The complete opposite, he is more soft-spoken, not one to complain and hasn't been known to share his feelings readily.

"One thing that's very important is to share your life, your feelings, with each other," she said. "That's not to say you'll get your way all the time. But you'll be heard. Talking and sharing is part of being married."

The Lintons were realistic about their relationship. A successful 73-year marriage doesn't come without its hiccups or arguments. If the two did have a spat, Rita Linton said they made a point of never going to bed mad at each other.

"There are times you get aggravated, but try not to go to bed angry," she advised.

Their faith has also played a large role in their relationship. Before the pandemic, the two went to church every Sunday at Grand Lake United Methodist Church. Paul Linton served on several different committees, ushered almost every Sunday and has been a trustee.

Rita Linton related back to the Bible when she spoke of what she loved most about her husband.

"He has the patience of Job," she said warmly. "He'd have to have (patience) to live with me. I speak how I feel. If something hurts me, I let him know. I don't hold it in. And he may not give me the right answers, what I want to hear, but he has the patience of Job."

Paul Linton attributes his success - as a father, a businessman and a husband - to his wife. Knowing she was raising the kids to be good people, keeping the lights on at home all while finding time to work gave him room to succeed.

"She raised the kids, kept the books, kept the bills paid," he said. "I could do more work and be more successful with her help at her home."

A spouse is a person you cherish for a lifetime, despite bumps in the road and obstacles in the way. Paul Linton said even now at 91, some things he wishes he would have done differently to treat his wife the way she deserves. He advised young couples to keep the future in mind.

"You look back at all the things you should have done for her that you didn't," he said. "It's kind of late now to do it. But you look back, there's a lot more things you should have done for your partner than what you actually did."

The Lintons have shared a lifetime of love, along with three children, eight grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

"They're all over the place," Paul Linton joked.

Getting the family together to celebrate Christmas and their anniversary is out of the question this year thanks to the pandemic. However, the two are more than happy to spend their time celebrating by thanking God for their long, happy lives together.

"We share our successfulness and being here to God," Rita Linton said. "Give him the credit (for) keeping us here and keeping us going."

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Couple celebrates 73rd anniversary - The Daily Standard

Top 10 Asian American achievements of 2020 – Northwest Asian Weekly

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By Nina HuangNorthwest Asian Weekly

In a turbulent year of ups and downs mostly downs there were still a few bright spots within the Asian and Asian American community that stood out. Here are our top 10 Asian and Asian American achievements of 2020.

1. Kamala Harris and many firsts

Kamala Harris became the first Black and Indian American woman to become the vice president-elect with the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. She made history again when she and President-Elect Joseph Biden were named Times Person of the Year. Harris is the first vice president to be featured on the cover and be named Times Person of the Year.

2. Asian Americans made history again this election

Democrat Adrian Tam becomes the only openly gay Asian American in Hawaiis House of Representatives. Tam beat Nicholas Ochs, a leader of the Hawaii chapter of the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group, with 63%t of the vote.

Democrat Nikil Saval becomes the first South Asian American elected to Pennsylvanias state senate.

Democrats Jenifer Rajkumar and Zohran Mamdani made history when they became the first South Asians voted into the lower house of the New York state legislature.

Democrat restaurateur and activist Francesca Hong won the 76th Assembly District becoming the first Asian American to serve in the Wisconsin state Legislature.

Democrat Marilyn Strickland, a former mayor of Tacoma, will be the first Black person to represent the Pacific Northwest (Washington, Idaho, and Oregon) in Congress and will be the first Korean American woman ever elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Democrat Mai Vang became the first Asian woman to be elected to the Sacramento City Council.

Democrat Alex Lee won Californias 25th Assembly District race. At 25, hell become Californias youngest Asian American state legislator ever, the first openly bisexual state legislator, and the first Gen Z assembly member.

Democrat Jocelyn Yow became the youngest woman of color to be sworn in as the mayor of Eastvale in Riverside County in California.

Republican Michelle Steel flipped Californias 48th District, which encompasses most of the Orange County coast. She will be one of the first Korean American women to serve in U.S. Congress.

Republican Young Kim won a congressional seat in Orange Countys 39th Congressional District.

3. Asias impressive COVID-19 response

Asian countries and city-states like Taiwan, Vietnam, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore have generated global praise and envy from other countries for their impressive responses to the global pandemic. Having learned from the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak of 2003, these governments were better prepared for COVID-19.

For instance, in Taiwan, government officials rapidly produced and implemented a task list, and ramped up mask production early on. Experts say that closing Taiwans borders early and tightly regulating travel have made a tremendous impact fighting the virus.

Here in the United States, Asians, especially Asian immigrants, were among the first to adopt judicious COVID response strategies such as mask-wearing, hand-washing, and social distancing, showing that there is always much to be learned from the Asian community, at home and abroad.

4. Panda gives birth

A little black and white miracle was born in August at the Smithsonians National Zoo in Washington, DC. Zookeepers were surprised to find out that giant panda Mei Xiang had tissue consistent with fetal development during her ultrasound a week before she gave birth to Xiao Qi Ji (little miracle in Chinese). Cheers to some paw-sitive and cute news for 2020.

5. Dave Chang wins $1 million

Famed chef David Chang became the first celebrity to win $1 million on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire for Southern Smoke Foundation, a nonprofit that provides crisis relief organization for people in the food and beverage industry. With the help of his friend and ESPN journalist Mina Kimes (a fellow Korean American), they answered the million dollar question correctly.

Chang was asked to name the first U.S. president to have electricity in the White House.

6. Fifteen-year-old Gintanjali Rao was named Times Kid of the Year

Gintanjali Rao was named Time magazines first-ever Kid of the Year. She uses technology to tackle issues ranging from contaminated drinking water to opioid addiction and cyberbullying.

She is on a mission to create a global community of young innovators to solve some of the worlds biggest problems. Rao was chosen from more than 5,000 nominees.

7. Asians who are out of this world

Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi successfully completed NASAs first commercial crew program flight, as part of SpaceXs Crew Dragon spacecraft Resilience.

Jonny Kim will be the first Korean American to join a NASA mission in space. The 36-year-old, who was once a Navy Seal and a doctor, will also be part of NASAs 2024 missions to walk on the moon.

Aerospace and defense company Northrop Grumman announced that they would name their new spacecraft after the late Kalpana Chawla (S.S. Kalpana Chawla), who was the first Indian-born woman to fly into space.

8. Asians making statements in the literary scene

Taiwanese American Charles Yu won this years National Book Award for Fiction for Interior Chinatown. The novel tackles on-screen Asian representation and stereotypes. The book has also been longlisted for the 2021 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction and was also a finalist or shortlisted for the Prix Mdicis tranger award. This is Yus fourth book.

In addition, the Whiting Foundation has awarded Ling Ma as one of 10 emerging writers and also with $50,000, for Severance, her fictional debut novel about a zombie pandemic.

On the nonfiction side, the Whiting Foundation awarded Jia Tolentino with the honors.

9. Overdue recognition for Chinese American veterans

An estimated 20,000 Chinese Americans who fought under the American flag during World War II have been given official recognition by the U.S. Congress for their patriotism and service. They were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, which is the highest honor that Congress can award.

10. Carvey Ehren Maigue wins sustainability award

Carvey Ehren Maigue, a 27-year-old engineering student from Mapua University in the Philippines, became the first-ever winner of James Dyson Awards Sustainability Award. He invented a technology, AuREUS, or Aurora Renewable Energy and UV Sequestration, that turns spoiled, damaged crops into solar panels. He beat out 1,700 other entries from 27 countries and won the 30,000 (USD $39,931) cash prize.

Nina can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

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Top 10 Asian American achievements of 2020 - Northwest Asian Weekly

6 biggest fears to overcome if you want to be successful in 2021, according to a futurist – CNBC

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Research shows the that the biggest barrier to ongoing success isn't time, money or resources it's resistance to change and lack of risk tolerance.

As fast-moving and unpredictable as today's world is, we're all forced to adapt on a daily basis. In my years of research as a futurist, I've found that fear comes in six flavors. If you shift your perspectives and learn to conquer them, the possibilities will be endless in 2021.

Whether it's in yourcareeror a relationship, yourisk being left behind if you stay put and don't continue to grow.

Don't try to predict the future. Instead, study events as they take shape, and adapt. Design a portfolio of smart bets to take bets in the form of changing decisions and actions. Constantly revise them as you gain new information.

It can sometimes feel uncomfortable to be in your own company or left to operate with little or no support from others, especially amid a pandemic.

But there are ways to push forward. Take small steps to build trust and strong relationships with your colleagues, friends and family members. Be part of the team, but reclaim your relationship with yourself, too.

Having a hostile personal or professional interaction with others can often get ugly. But when we always try to avoid these situations, problems don't get fixed.

Ask yourself: What's worth your time, and what isn't? Take a step back and think about the best ways to tackle them. Begin addressing them one step at a time, updating your strategy based on the results you get.

You didn't get the job. A potential client is avoiding you. Your product or service got refused. We've all been there.

Maintain confidence and keep forging ahead. You're going to hear "no" more often than "yes" in life. And sometimes, no often simply means "no for now" so don't hesitate to try later, as circumstances can change.

Research shows that the need to stay on top of everything and manage circumstances and people around us is often rooted the fear of losing control.

Instead of questioning your ability to command or adapt to situations that don't go your way, accept that certain variables are beyond your control. Focus on things that you have the power to manage.

Big, meaningful goals take time to achieve. And you may experience more than a few setbacks before getting there.

Experiment frequently. Fail fast and often, but fail smartly use failure as a way to test new strategies and solutions to course-correct as you go until you find success. Just don't make the same mistake twice.

Scott Steinbergis a futurist, keynote speaker on business trends and the bestselling author of"Fast >> Forward"and"Think Like a Futurist."An award-winning strategic consultant, Scott was named by Fortune magazine as a leading expert on innovation. Follow him onTwitter.

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6 biggest fears to overcome if you want to be successful in 2021, according to a futurist - CNBC

Kids on TikTok Are Convinced We’re Living in a Simulation – Futurism

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Hot New Trend

For the past few weeks, simulation theory has been spreading across TikTok.

A growing number of TikTokers are signing on to or at least considering the idea that our world is a giant, Matrix-like simulation, as demonstrated in a roundup by YourTango. The idea spreading across the platform is that some super-advanced civilization, be it human or alien, built a virtual environment so powerful that we, as cognizant as we feel, are all just digital characters living in a sophisticated video game.

Simulation theory first proposed in 2001 by Oxford philosopher Nick Bostrom spread across the app after TikToker Heidi Wong posted a video that introduced the hypothesis and argued that were more likely to live in a simulation than reality, citing recent advances in video game graphics as evidence.

Out of all these simulations theres only one base reality, so statistically we are more likely to be in a simulation, Wong argued.

YouTango also pointed to personalities on the platform including Scarlett Mills, Emily Montgomery, and Ashley Lanese that jumped on the trend.

Basically we are living inside a video game, said TikToker Nikki Jain. Honestly, this does make sense if you think about how realistic video games are getting day by day and all the little glitches you see in the world that are unexplainable would make sense behind this theory.

To be clear, theres not yet any way to test the simulation hypothesis, and the fact that its hard to actively disprove doesnt make it true no matter how many big names, including Elon Musk advocate for it.

But that isnt stopping TikTokers from trying. Though it may be tongue-in-cheek, other accountshave started posting what they call glitches in the Matrix, according to YourTango, which might include objects seemingly appearing out of nowhere or cars hitting invisible objects.

READ MORE: What Is The TikTok Computer Simulation Theory? Why TikTokers Are Convinced Were Living In A Real-Life Truman Show [YourTango]

More on Simulation Theory: Simulation Theory May Cause the Annihilation of our Universe.

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Kids on TikTok Are Convinced We're Living in a Simulation - Futurism

Apple Is Reportedly Releasing a Self-Driving Car in 2024 – Futurism

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Project Titan

According to a Reuters exclusive, tech giant Apple is planning to produce a self-driving passenger car to be released as soon as 2024 despite several layoffs hitting the companys automobile efforts over the last couple of years.

The project, known as Project Titan, was reportedly first approved by CEO Tim Cook six years ago. Rumors surrounding Apples efforts to built a car started swirling in 2015. Ever since then, the project has been kept tightly under wraps.

Apple may have ambitious plans for its automotive efforts that span beyond just self-driving capabilities. According to Reuters, the company is designing a new battery that could radically reduce the cost of batteries and increase range.

If there is one company on the planet that has the resources to do that, its probably Apple, an unnamed Project Titan team member told Reuters. But at the same time, its not a cellphone.

Self-driving tech will reportedly rely on lidar, not unlike the sensors built into Apples iPhone 12 Pro and iPad Pro devices that were released this year.

A new monocell battery design could free up a ton of space inside the battery pack. Its next level, Reuters source said. Like the first time you saw the iPhone.

READ MORE: Exclusive: Apple targets car production by 2024 and eyes next level battery technology [Reuters]

More on Apples car: Apple Lays Off 200 Workers From Secretive Self-Driving Car Project

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Apple Is Reportedly Releasing a Self-Driving Car in 2024 - Futurism

NASA Killed All Its Monkeys on the Same Day, Investigation Reveals – Futurism

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Mass Euthanasia

NASA euthanized all 27 primates at the agencys Ames research center in California in February 2019, The Guardian reports, causing outrage among animal welfare groups. According to the newspaper, the culling eliminated all the agencys monkeys.

According to animal rights advocates, the monkeys could have easily gone to sanctuaries. John Gluck, an expert in animal ethics at the University of New Mexico, told the Guardian that the animals were apparently not considered worthy of a chance at a sanctuary life. Not even a try? Disposal instead of the expression of simple decency. Shame on those responsible.

21 of the monkeys reportedly had Parkinsons, according to documents obtained by the newspaper.

US House representative Kathleen Rice (D-NY) is pushing NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine for an explanation.

I look forward to an explanation from administrator Bridenstine on why these animals were forced to waste away in captivity and be euthanized rather than live out their lives in a sanctuary, Rice told The Guardian.

The monkeys were held by drug research company LifeSource BioMedical, which had leased space at Ames from NASA.

The animals were reportedly not part of any research. According to the companys CEO Stephanie Solis, LifeSource BioMedical agreed to accept the animals, acting as a sanctuary and providing all care at our own cost, until their advanced age and declining health resulted in a decision to humanely euthanize to avoid a poor quality of life.

Despite efforts to stop the use of primates in laboratory research, countless labs around the country continue to use monkeys in their research. In 2017 alone, a record 76,000 primates were used by US biomedical researchers, according to data released by the US Department of Agriculture.

READ MORE: Revealed: Nasa killed all 27 monkeys held at research center on single day in 2019 [The Guardian]

More on primates: Scientists Are Running Out of Primates to Test Vaccines On

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NASA Killed All Its Monkeys on the Same Day, Investigation Reveals - Futurism

Scott Underwood column: 2020 wasn’t what it was cracked up to be – The Herald Bulletin

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After we got past Y2K, 2020 towered like a beacon of light, attracting the moths of prognostication. Twenty years before, the 20/20 promise of perfect vision was simply too enticing to ignore.

Some projected spectacular advances in technology, breakthroughs in health care and sweeping changes in the world order.

Few foresaw that a spiky microscopic ball would completely dominate the landscape in 2020, wreaking death, depression and recession.

Before we give 2020 one last kick in the pants, lets look back at what the past year was supposed to bring.

In 1997, futurists Peter Schwartz and Peter Leyden predicted that Americans would be voting electronically from home long before 2020 rolled around.

While the novel coronavirus prompted many states to expand mail-in voting, can you imagine the controversy that electronic home voting would have caused in the 2020 election? The lawsuits would still be flying.

Schwartz and Leyden took another flyer when they predicted that China was on the path to democracy.

The Chinese people, of course, still suffer under the yoke of authoritarian rule, and the government still draws scrutiny for human rights violations, particularly against the Uighurs, minority Muslims whove been subjected to reeducation camps.

While the idea that the Chinese intentionally unleashed the coronavirus on the rest of the world has been thoroughly discredited, theres no doubt that the Chinese government is more than capable of harming people at home and abroad.

In 2005, Ray Kurzweil, a futurist and computer scientist, wrote that by the 2020s, nanobots would be used inside the human body to feed cells and remove waste. Kurzweil projected that these nanobots would render eating and drinking obsolete.

Yuck. That sounds like an even worse 2020 than the one we got.

Kurzweil also thought that print books would be dead by 2020, greatly exaggerating the demise of an industry.

Last year, 650 million printed books sold in the United States, according to statistica.com.

Schwartz and Leyden predicted that almost every new car sold would be a hybrid in 2020 and that most would use hydrogen power.

They were a little bit off. Hybrids, plug-in hybrids and all-electric cars account for just 4% of the light vehicle market today in the United States, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

Few cars sold in the country use hydrogen power.

The Space Studies Board of the National Research Council predicted in 1996 that NASA would coordinate possible human exploratory missions to the moon and Mars within the next quarter century, explicitly projecting that humans would land on Mars by 2018.

While weve sent eight unmanned missions to Mars, men walking on the red planet are limited to fictional accounts.

And this one seems fitting to end.

Dave Evans, a futurist for Cisco Visual Networking, predicted that there would be no more need for predictions from futurists.

By 2020, predicting the future will be commonplace for the average person, he said in 2012. We are amassing unprecedented amounts of data New image and video analysis algorithms and tools will unlock this rich source of data, creating unprecedented insight. Cloud-based tools will allow anyone to mine this data and perform what-if analysis, even using it to predict the future.

Well, we certainly all could have used that technological crystal ball going into 2020. If wed known what was coming, we would have been highly motivated to build a time machine and leap a year ahead.

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Scott Underwood column: 2020 wasn't what it was cracked up to be - The Herald Bulletin

Elon Musk Reveals That Apple Refused to Buy Tesla – Futurism

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Clash of the Titans

According to a recent Reutersexclusive, tech giant Apple is working on a self-driving car that could hit the market as soon as 2024. The vehicle, known as Project Titan, has been in the works for over six years.

Despite layoffs, Apple has ambitious plans for its first foray into the passenger vehicle market: a radically redesigned car battery that uses next-level technologies. The report was short on details about this new battery tech beyond it using a monocell battery design.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk reflected on the surprising announcement via Twitter Tuesday afternoon and revealed some interesting history between the two companies.

There was a time, Musk revealed, that he tried to interest Apple in buying the nascent Tesla.

During the darkest days of the Model 3 program, I reached out to Tim Cook to discuss the possibility of Apple acquiring Tesla (for 1/10 of our current value), Musk wrote in a separate tweet.

Tesla had to overcome numerous production challenges with its Model 3. The sedan faced several years of delays, with the company struggling to scale up production fast enough to meet demand. At one point, Musk resorted to sleeping on a couch at the companys factory in Fremont, California.

But Cook refused to take the meeting, Musk recalled.

Musk also weighed in on Reuters reporting that Apple will be using a next-generation battery. According to Musk, Tesla may already have implemented similar technologies in its cars.

Tesla already uses iron-phosphate for medium range cars made in our Shanghai factor, Musk wrote.

A monocell is electrochemically impossible, as max voltage is ~100X too low, he added. Maybe they meant cells bonded together, like our structural battery pack?

More on the iCar: Apple Is Reportedly Releasing a Self-Driving Car in 2024

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Elon Musk Reveals That Apple Refused to Buy Tesla - Futurism

2020 Catalyzed Crowdsourcing and HeroX is Poised to Take Crowdsourcing Mainstream in 2021 – WFMZ Allentown

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VANCOUVER,BC, Dec. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --HeroX, the social network for innovation and the world's leading platform for crowdsourced solutions, today announced several milestone accomplishments despite a year of unprecedented challenges. This year HeroX, whose network matches problem solvers with challenges in need of resolution, achieved headway in its mission of taking crowdsourcing mainstream. Weathering a pandemic that made collaborative problem-solving both necessary and logistically difficult, HeroX met the moment with record participation and prize-winning innovation and a Partner Program that now spans across the globe.

"This year brought with it once-in-a-century challenges, and we had millions of people at home and online, eager to make a difference," said Christian Cotichini, CEO of HeroX. "Governments, companies, and communities could turn to the HeroX crowd for cutting-edge solutions, safely tapping into a worldwide network of talent. Problem-solvers accelerated the production of ventilators, designed innovative masks, and made 3D printing templates accessible to those in need. COVID catalyzed crowdsourcing, and it is here to stay: we have seen that it is the most resilient and innovative means of problem solving out there."

Homebase to a network of millions of solvers across the world, with over 450 Challenges from individuals to large companies and organizations, HeroX is a bridge between untapped talent and seemingly intractable problems. HeroX provides the platform for individuals, companies, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations to create challenges that reach the widest possible pool of potential problem solvers. HeroX invites the mad geniuses, the misfit tinkerers, the undiscovered experts, and the out-of-the-box thinkers, without excluding anyone based on their location, background, or credentials. HeroX has a singular purpose: breakthrough innovation.

Founded by three titans, HeroX was developed to democratize crowdsourcing: Cotichini is a serial entrepreneur and recognized leader in the crowdsourcing and open-innovation industry; Peter Diamandis is the futurist and the founder of XPRIZE; and Emily Fowler, is the intuit and the CEO of Purpose Ventures. They shared a common vision: offer sizable rewards for sizable problems. They wanted anyone with a problem, no matter how big or small, to be able to tap the collective genius of humanity even if they didn't have the millions of dollars required to do so, and they wanted anyone, anywhere, to have access to participate.

Their mission has undoubtedly been a successful one. HeroX has partnered with Boeing, the National Institutes of Health, NBC, lululemon, and NASA, among others, and has awarded over $50M to solvers, sourcing talent from over 180 countries worldwide.

NASA has hosted a multitude of challenges on the HeroX platform, including the wildly successful crowdsourcing challenge, NASA's Lunar Loo, attracting nearly 20,000 international solvers, and generating over 380 news features across the globe. The challenge produced designs for the first zero-gravity toilet in time for the 2024 visit to the Moon. The challenge also engaged youth through Lunar Loo Jr., which was open to innovators under 18.

Other notable prize competitions include Exploring Hell, designing a rover that can withstand Venus' hellacious heat, Make America Vote, crowdsourcing solutions to get more people to the polls, and the lululemon Healthier Communities, tapping the crowd for innovative ways to use store locations and community hubs to improve mind, body, and the local community at large.. HeroX also created COVID-19 Central for pandemic-related challenges. Here, problem solvers have been able to share rapidly evolving research and better aggregate the diverse insights of globally distant research teams.

"Providing an outlet to access a public community at scale to receive diverse perspectives outside of their walls will be a big value add," said Coby Skonord, CEO, Ideawake.

"HeroX is proud to add partners such as Maven, Ideawake, yet2, Brightidea and TAM Hub in 2020," said Cotichini. "We are living in an increasingly interconnected world, and our combined networks of over 2 million problem solvers is closing the gap between idea generators and idea users. With much of the world still suffering from the impact of COVID-19, there is a new crowd out there, ready to make a difference and dream up the inventive solutions we need for today's pressing problems."

ABOUT HEROX

HeroX is a social network for crowdsourcing innovation and human ingenuity, co-founded in 2013 by serial entrepreneur, Christian Cotichini and XPRIZE Founder and Futurist, Peter Diamandis. HeroX offers a turnkey, easy-to-use platform that supports anyone, anywhere, to solve everyday business and world challenges using the power of the crowd. Uniquely positioned as the Social Network for Innovation, HeroX is the only place you can build, grow and curate your very own crowd.For more information, go to herox.com

Media Contact:Alexandra Pony261985@email4pr.com250.858.0656

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2020 Catalyzed Crowdsourcing and HeroX is Poised to Take Crowdsourcing Mainstream in 2021 - WFMZ Allentown

Report: Electric Cars Could Be Cheaper Than Gas Ones in Just 2 Years – Futurism

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Driving Competition

In a matter of just two to three years, electric cars are on track to become cheaper than their gasoline-powered alternatives, according to a new report by energy research firm BloombergNEF.

According to the report, the market average for batteries will hit just $101 per kWh by 2023. Analysts have long predicted that for electric vehicles to match the price of gas ones, the cost would have to meet a $100 per kWh threshold and federal and state tax credits could end up pushing it below that figure, as Car and Driver notes.

The reason why the price of energy storage is such an importantautomotive indicator is because the battery pack accounts for roughly a quarter of an EVs total cost, making it the number one determinant of price.

It could be the electric car industrys watershed moment: once dipping below the price of gasoline-powered engines, electric vehicles will look far more attractive to far more consumers.

In other parts of the world, that threshold has already been breached. For instance, the report notes that battery packs for e-buses in China have already been sold at less than $100 per kWh.

Prices of electric cars have already dropped considerably this year due to increasing order sizes, growth in [battery electric vehicle] sales and the introduction of new pack designs, according to the report. New technologies and falling manufacturing costs,it predicts, could drive prices down even further.

Theres also the chance that next-generation solid-state batteries could be manufactured at 40% of the cost of current lithium-ion batteries, according to the report, when produced at scale.

The report also predicts that average prices of battery packs could plunge to just $58 per kWh by 2030.

READ MORE: Battery Pack Prices Cited Below $100/kWh for the First Time in 2020, While Market Average Sits at $137/kWh [BloombergNEF]

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Report: Electric Cars Could Be Cheaper Than Gas Ones in Just 2 Years - Futurism

NASA Says It Will Fly a Canadian to the Moon – Futurism

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Collab?

NASA just struck a historic deal with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) that will entail, for the first time in history, a non-US astronaut orbiting the Moon.

The agreement says that the CSA will help NASA with its upcoming Artemis Moon missions in exchange for a seat on some of the flights, according to Space.com. Not only is the CSAs support good news for the Artemis missions specifically, but its a major international development in the future of crewed space exploration.

The CSA agreed to provide robots and technical support for upcoming Artemis missions. In exchange, Space.com reports that a Canadian astronaut will be added to the crew of the Artemis 2 mission, which will test NASAs Orion spacecraft while it orbits the Earth, as well as a later mission to NASAs upcoming lunar space station, Gateway.

This will make Canada only the second country after the U.S. to have an astronaut in deep space and send the first Canadian around the Moon, Navdeep Bains, Canadas government minister of innovation, science and industry said at a Wednesday press conference, according to Space.com.

At the same press event, CSA astronaut David Saint-Jacques compared the upcoming Artemis 2 mission to 1968s Apollo 8, which served as a similar test run prior to the Moon landing in 1969.

Its a mission to test the [spacecraft] equipment and the navigation; as you can imagine, navigation from the planet will be one of the biggest challenges, he said, according to Space.com.

READ MORE: Canadian astronauts will start flying to the moon in 2023 with NASAs Artemis missions [Space.com]

More on Artemis: NASAs Moon-Bound Orion Spacecraft is Officially Fit for Flight

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NASA Says It Will Fly a Canadian to the Moon - Futurism

Google Reportedly Forcing Its Researchers to Say Its Tech Is Good – Futurism

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Careful Packaging

When Google AI scientists publish work on topics deemed to be sensitive, the company subjects them to extra scrutiny and makes sure that they portray the technology in a positive light.

Starting this past summer, according to a bombshell NBC News investigation, the company imposed a sensitive topics reviewthat seems to be preventing scientists from accurately tackling the potential dangers of emerging technology especially ones developed by Google and other Alphabet companies.

Under the guise of not disclosing trade secrets, the reports suggest that Google may be more concerned with its public perception than with publishing important, well-executed research.

Maybe thats not surprising corporations arent known for their commitment to a free and open debate but it is eyebrow-raising coming from a company where the slogan used to be dont be evil.

Googles alleged mishandling of controversial topics in AI especially its recent ousting of top AI ethicist Timnit Gebru who had spoken out about issues with the company has brought the company under new scrutiny over the past several weeks. Now, Gebrus colleague Margeret Mitchell, a senior scientist at Google, is speaking up.

If we are researching the appropriate thing given our expertise, and we are not permitted to publish that on grounds that are not in line with high-quality peer review, then were getting into a serious problem of censorship, Mitchell told NBC.

Googles new review policy guides scientists to take great care to strike a positive tone, according to internal correspondence obtained by NBC. Scientists also are told to refrain from mentioning Google products when writing about sensitive topics, distancing their own work from the ethical conundrums of facial recognition, self-driving cars, and other forms of controversial technology.

For example, one paper on recommendation AI like that deployed by YouTube to suggest new videos, originally said the tech can promote disinformation, discriminatory or otherwise unfair results and insufficient diversity of content. The final version, after the review, said it could promote accurate information, fairness, and diversity of content.

READ MORE: Google told its scientists to strike a positive tone in AI research, documents show [NBC News]

More on Google: Google Ousts Top AI Ethicist

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Google Reportedly Forcing Its Researchers to Say Its Tech Is Good - Futurism

A Guy Who Drives NASA’s Mars Rover Is Dishing About the Experience – Futurism

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In less than two months, NASA is planning to land its next rover on the surface of Mars. If all goes well, Perseverance will take off on its adventure in mid-February, carrying out a number of scientific experiments along the way including the launch of a tiny helicopter.

In a new Medium post, NASA engineer Evan Hilgemann explains what itsactually like to drive a Mars rover. Last year, Hilgemann was selected to join the team of engineers responsible for driving the six-wheeled Curiosity rover across the desert-like landscapes of the Red Planet.

Since signals take 22 minutes to travel from Earth to Mars, the rover will have to take care of numerous navigational tasks by itself. However, most of what rovers do is actually heavily scripted and planned ahead on Earth, Hilgemann writes.

Perseverance is kitted out with a number of 3D-capable cameras, allowing it to see its near and distant surroundings. These navcams allow teams back on Earth to virtually recreate the terrain the rover is covering.

Hilgemann and his team are responsible for making sure the rover isnt in any danger. For instance, the suspension system of the rover can only handle rocks and ledges up to a couple of feet high so anything larger must be avoided, the engineer writes. The rover also has to avoid small rocks and loose sand to make sure it doesnt get stuck or wear out its wheels too much.

The team has several different ways to actually drive the rover. It can send the rover a list of instructions, a process known as blind driving, or it can use visual odometry, where the rover stops about every meter to send a picture back of what it sees. A computer then can tell it if its safe to proceed.

The rovers most advanced navigation mode is autonav. As its name suggests, the mode turns Perseverance essentially into a self-driving car.

Because autonav has to stop frequently to take multiple images and crunch data, it is also the slowest driving mode, Hilgemann writes. Curiosity only covers about 100 feet in an hour in autonav mode.

Once it lands on the Red Planet in February, Perseverance should get on the road fairly quickly. That is, if everything goes according to plan and NASAs lander survives the infamous seven minutes of hell as it descends through the planets thin atmosphere.

Thanks to a few key upgrades when it comes to navigation, Perseverance will be able to drive at least twice as fast as Curiosity thanks to new dedicated computing resources and better algorithms, Hilgemann writes.

One of the rovers most ambitious goals is to collect samples and prepare them to be picked up later by a probe and carried back home to Earth.

READ MORE: How to drive a Mars rover [Medium]

More on Perseverance: NASA Just Powered Up Its Mars Helicopter

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A Guy Who Drives NASA's Mars Rover Is Dishing About the Experience - Futurism

For NASA, It Should Be Mars or Bust – The Wall Street Journal

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Since the Apollo program ended almost 50 years ago, every newly elected U.S. president has been vexed by the same question: Where next to send astronauts?

NASAs current target is the moon, but the moon belongs to a previous generation of American pioneers. A grander, more fitting ambition for the space program that first landed human beings on another heavenly body is Marsa destination that NASA has been preparing to reach since the days of its early visionaries. It is now time to realize their dream.

The Artemis program is NASAs centerpiece today for human spaceflight. Its aim is to put astronauts on the lunar surface by 2024, but the prospects for that date are dim. There is still no well-defined mission plan, and work on the Artemis rocket and capsule are behind schedule and over budget.

As for sending astronauts to Mars, NASA has somehow always been a couple of tantalizing decades away, thanks to the shifting priorities of successive presidents. Consider the switch-ups just since 1988, when George H.W. Bush pushed for a return to the moon, to be followed by a mission to Mars. Bill Clinton canceled the lunar plan (to say nothing of Mars) and embraced the International Space Station. George W. Bush revived the moon-Mars sequence. Barack Obama nixed the moon part of the program, saying that NASA had been there, done that, and opted instead for an asteroid mission and then Mars. Donald Trump rejected the Mars plan, choosing instead to reach the moon with Artemis, but NASA still says that Mars is on its agenda.

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For NASA, It Should Be Mars or Bust - The Wall Street Journal

How AI Will Help the U.S. to Mars and Beyond – Nextgov

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Technology has evolved rapidly since Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin first walked on the moon in 1969. Even the technology that landed NASA's Pathfinder mission on Mars in 1997 wouldn't stand up to the smartphone computers we now carry in our pockets.

NASA's Artemis program plans to send more astronauts to the moon in 2024 and eventually progress to Mars. Engineers have spent years developing and refining technology to ensure that these missions safely and efficiently gather the information we need for further exploration.

The future of space exploration will heavily rely on software systems, artificial intelligence and machine learning to predict conditions, object movements and make the technology we've spent so many years developing gather more information in less time.

Let's take a look at some of the ways AI and ML will play a role in the future of space exploration. More specifically, looking at how AI will enable humans to establish permanent colonies on Mars and beyond.

Space Weather Prediction

Mars is a very hazardous environment. It has no magnetic field, which means there's very little protection from solar flares and cosmic rays. This also means that it doesn't retain heat energy like Earth, causing extreme temperature changes from day to night. According to NASA, the average temperature on Mars is about minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit. In the wintertime, the poles can drop as low as minus 195 degrees Fahrenheit, while, in the summer, it can reach up to 70 degrees near the equator.

Such drastic temperatures demand an accurate weather model that can alert and prevent the crew from adverse exposure. Today it's relatively easy for anyone to predict weather patterns on Earth because we have centuries of meteorological experience to reference. We don't have that luxury at Mars. For several years, orbiting Martian probes and rovers have been collecting vast amounts of weather data. Still, there's no way for a human to analyze the data fast enough to understand how the weather patterns change confidently. That's why we need AI.

Similar to how we have a weather app on our phones with predictions about how the day will unfold, AI and ML programs can analyze the weather data and make accurate predictions about how the weather on Mars changes and where and when it will be safe for humans.

Launch Window Prediction

There is a need for more accurate launch windows on the same token as predicting weather patterns to create safer space exploration. Even today, this is an issue on Earth with a relatively stable and forgiving climate, but still, we witness a high frequency of scrubbed or delayed launches. To mitigate the chance of leaving supplies or humans stranded on Mars, we need a highly robust and reliable system. It should determine, many weeks in advance when we can or cannot launch on demand. Drones, rovers and satellites are already making consistent trips to space, and humans may be soon to follow as we learn more about where to travel and land.

Launch Window Prediction is a developing technology that uses AI in conjunction with a weather prediction model to safely determine critical launch conditions and give launch commands like GO/NOGO.

Years in the future, if rockets are traveling between the Earth and Mars, the same technology is even more important for return trips from the red planet. This is why it's so critical that AI and ML are busy analyzing weather data on and around Mars to accurately predict when it's safe for a rocket to be there.

Systems Control Automation

One of the driving factors to further space exploration is efficient communication with the rovers in space. Right now, the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory is doing a lot of computer vision and autonomous driving with the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Mission. There's roughly a 20-minute communication time delay between the rover and NASA scientists, which slows down their research.

If the best a robot can do is 20 minutes, imagine the communication delay with people on Mars instead of a robot. Flight surgeons, mission directors and the entire support team will not have real-time instant communications with Martian astronauts like we do today with the Space Station.

To streamline research, all communication between Martian astronauts and NASA would require some kind of automation. The chance of failure amid uncertainty is so high; we can't risk letting a single person manage and maintain the crew's livelihood. Eventually, we can bring flight surgeons, mission directors and the entire support team to Mars, where they work with field researchers and astronauts. However, we cannot afford to bring 5 to 10 times the number of people that style of familiar collaboration would require in the near future. Instead, we must look to AI companions and support robots.

An example of this AI robot/human relationship can be found in 2001: A Space Odyssey film. HAL 9000 (perhaps SAL 9000, the friendly version) is a robot-human companion that monitors the crew and colony's health and activities. It manages food production, task and repair management, and science goals and directives.

Innovative technology is what landed us on the moon over 50 years ago. The same mindset will get us to Mars. Still, it requires a shift in how we employ technology to help us make missions safer and deliver faster results, focusing on developing programs to inform launches first and then hardware to house them.

Modern AI and ML technologies push the limits of what was previously thought possible for space exploration. These are just a few examples of concepts and programs in development today. It's not so much about embracing the unknown as it is teaching ourselves about it before we conquer it.

Michael Limotta is the co-founder and an AI Architect for Aerospace and Physics at Proximai.

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How AI Will Help the U.S. to Mars and Beyond - Nextgov

Balkan mystic predicts world will see ‘cataclysms and disasters’ – Metro.co.uk

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The mystic predicted 2021 will see a strong dragon seize humanity (Picture: Shutterstock)

The clairvoyant who supposedly foresaw 9/11 and Brexit has predicted that 2021 will be a year of suffering.

Vangelia Gushterova, known as Baba Vanga, lost her vision when she was 12 years old and claimed God gave her the gift of clairvoyance.

She died in 1996 after making predictions up until 5079, which are revealed each year.

Also known as the Nostradamus of the Balkans, she said 2021 will see the world suffer from a lot of cataclysms and great disasters.

The consciousness of people will change, she added.

Difficult times will come. People will be divided by their faith. We are witnessing devastating events that will change the fate and destiny of humanity.

She said Donald Trump would suffer from a mysterious disease that will leave him deaf, and cause brain trauma, someone in Russia will try to assassinate Vladimir Putin and Islamic extremists will use an arsenal of chemical weapons against Europeans.

She claimed a strong dragon will seize humanity. The three giants will unite. Some people will have red money. I see the numbers 100, 5, and many zeros.

Some interpreters think the dragon is a nod to Chinas rising power in the world.

Not everything was full of doom, as the woman claimed humans would find the cure to cancer next year and the production of petrol would stop because trains would fly using sunlight.

Baba Vanga is said to have predicted Brexit when she said Europe would cease to exist by 2016 and the UK voted to leave the EU in the same year.

But it is hardly the empty spaces and wasteland, nearly devoid of any form of life the fortune teller promised.

Believers also think she saw the 9/11 attacks before they happened in 2001 when she said: Horror, horror! The American brethren will fall after being attacked by the steel birds. The wolves will be howling in a bush, and innocent blood will be gushing.

But she also thought Barack Obama would be the last American president which was not true.

Many have doubted whether the predictions which come out every year were legitimately from her, as they were never written down.

Before the world ends in 5079, apparently humans will make contact with aliens within the next 200 years, there will be an end to world hunger in 2028, Mars colonies will be acquiring nuclear weapons by 2256 and Earth will become uninhabitable by 2341.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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Balkan mystic predicts world will see 'cataclysms and disasters' - Metro.co.uk

The Midnight Sky ending explained – what happened to Earth? – digitalspy.com

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The Midnight Sky ending spoilers follow.

It's the end of the world as we know it in Netflix's big Christmas release The Midnight Sky and George Clooney does not feel fine.

As well as directing, Clooney plays terminally ill scientist Augustine Lofthouse, who faces a race against time to stop Sully (Felicity Jones) and the rest of the crew on the Aether from returning to Earth following a mysterious global catastrophe.

And if that weren't enough of a challenge for Augustine, he also realises he's not alone at the Barbeau Observatory in the Arctic as a child (Caoilinn Springall) has been left behind but can he do anything to save her?

The two storylines come together as The Midnight Sky arrives at an emotional climax which solves one mystery, but leaves another major question about what happened to Earth mostly unanswered.

So we thought we'd delve into what happens, and what's revealed during The Midnight Sky to explain what's happened. Needless to say, major spoilers are ahead.

Philippe AntonelloNetflix

The movie is set in February 2049 and takes place three weeks after "the event", but it's never explicitly stated what this event was.

It's clear that life is over on Earth as an early flashback sees the other scientists leave the observatory to go back to their families to spend their final moments together. "Terminal patient outlives the rest of humanity. Someone should put you in a medical journal," Augustine is told when he decides to stay.

During the early parts of the movie, Augustine is seen monitoring the Air Quality Index of the area around the observatory for the rising radiation levels. It appears that by the time of The Midnight Sky, this radiation has taken over the entire planet, with the poles the last places to be affected.

It's definitely a worldwide event, as when Sully has trouble contacting Earth from Aether, she mentions that she's tried contacting the likes of China, Russia, Australia and India and hasn't received any reply.

The suggestion is that it was an environmental issue that caused the catastrophe. When Augustine does get in touch with Sully later on, he says: "I'm afraid we didn't do a very good job of looking after the place while you were away."

Good Morning, Midnight: SOON TO BE THE MAJOR NETFLIX FILM 'THE MIDNIGHT SKY'

While The Midnight Sky is based on a book called Good Morning, Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton, the catastrophic event isn't revealed in that book either, so we can't take any clues or answers from that.

It doesn't seem as though it was a surprise event, as the reason that Aether is in space was to confirm that K-23 (one of Jupiter's moons discovered by Augustine) is suitable for human life. Even with Aether on the way back from K-23, there was set to be a K-23 colony flight on the way there from Earth, as well as supplies.

It's unclear whether this colony flight got to K-23 or not, but anyone left on Earth wasn't going to survive as Augustine tells Sully: "All survivable areas are underground and those are temporary."

Philippe AntonelloNetflix

We don't want to be too bleak because it's Christmas, but we fear the colony flight didn't get to K-23 either as Sully says she "couldn't make contact" with it. Add that to Augustine later telling Sully that "I don't know all the details, I know it was a mistake" (which could refer to that flight) and things don't seem good.

Augustine is terminally ill with an unspecified illness, but Clooney explained in the press notes that he could have been suffering from radiation poisoning. "I wanted to be in the end stages of something, whether it was lung cancer or something caused by the environment," he noted.

All things considered, even though we don't know exactly what happened on Earth, it was definitely something that couldn't be reversed and that human life as we know it couldn't survive from. Merry Christmas!

But what about Iris, the girl that Augustine discovers is left behind at the observatory? Does this mean she's doomed to die alongside Augustine? Well, about that...

Now, this is the other major question of The Midnight Sky that we can actually answer, as all is revealed in the final moments of the movie.

While Augustine is trying to make his way to Lake Hazen weather station to contact Aether, Sully and the rest of the Aether crew are experiencing their own set of challenges. They can't contact Earth, but since they've been away two years, they're unaware this is because of the catastrophic global event.

Philippe AntonelloNetflix

After they're unexpectedly knocked off course, they have to travel through an unmapped area of space to get back to Earth. Bad idea. Shortly after Sully first makes contact with Augustine, the Aether encounters a meteor storm that knocks out their radar and communications.

Sully, Adewole (David Oyelowo) and Maya (Tiffany Boone) go on a spacewalk to fix everything, but it leads to Maya being fatally wounded after they're caught in a second meteor storm. They do manage to get communications back up and before Sully talks to Augustine, they get their first devastating look at Earth.

Augustine tells Sully that there's no safe entry point for them and suggests that they use Earth's gravity to slingshot back towards K-23. (It's a bit like that manoeuvre in The Martian, but they'd be starting a new Earth and not saving Matt Damon.)

After getting a heartbreaking message from his wife that says his sons are sick (sent 10 days earlier), Mitchell (Kyle Chandler) makes the decision to head back to Earth anyway to "keep a promise" to his family. Sanchez (Demin Bichir) decides to join him to take Maya's body back as she would have been the same age as his daughter, who died when she was four.

Philippe AntonelloNetflix

It's left to Sully and Adewole (and their unborn daughter) to head back to K-23, but not before one final message to Augustine. Sully tells him that it was Augustine who got her interested in space as he worked with her mother Jean (Sophie Rundle) who we've seen in flashbacks during the movie.

Sully is actually Iris Sullivan and she is Augustine's daughter who he never met as he was too focused on his work when he was younger. The Iris we've seen on Earth with Augustine is just a figment of his imagination, formed from the only glimpse he got at Iris when she was younger. It's the push he needs to make contact with Aether and save her.

"It's very nice to finally meet you," Augustine tearfully tells Sully, before asking Sully to explain what it's like on K-23. As she does, we see Augustine head outside of the Lake Hazen weather station and imagine what Sully saw, but it's likely just his dying fantasy as he's fulfilled his mission to save his daughter.

The final sequence of The Midnight Sky sees Sully and Adewole head back out to K-23: "I guess it's just us now."

For Clooney, he thinks the ending of the movie is hopeful, rather than downbeat. "If you finish the film without the last five minutes, in many ways, it's a film about regret because of the character that I play," he told Digital Spy and other press.

Philippe AntonelloNetflix

"He gets redemption and I think redemption is a really big, important thing that washes over us and gives us hope... That last moment, what makes that all so hopeful and so interesting is that there's David and Felicity and there's the moment of, 'Oh what are we going to do', but there's also the moment of 'OK, let's get to work'.

"When Felicity stands up and she's clearly pregnant, you get the sense of a continuum, that we're going to be OK. We may not get out of all of this alive, but we'll get out of it intact and I think that's what makes it hopeful."

Jones added: "I think it's a huge moment for her. I think she has a sense deep down of a search for that person and there's a sense that something in her life has become complete.

"It is, I feel, quite a profound moment for her that we see and that's what was such a beautiful part of the film, that dynamic between Augustine and Sully and that discovery of that relationship at the end is so incredibly moving."

The Midnight Sky is available to watch now on Netflix.

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The Midnight Sky ending explained - what happened to Earth? - digitalspy.com