Monthly Archives: February 2021

He also had something to say about fellow billionaire Elon Musk.Mars Person

When it comes to securing humanitys survival in the face of climate change, billionaire Microsoft founder Bill Gates would rather save Earth than flee from it.

Escaping to Mars, a dream goal for SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and other techno-utopian thinkers, just isnt for him, Gates said on The New York Times podcast Sway. Instead, he argues that theres more important work to be done here on Earth, like investing in decarbonizing various industries or developing and distributing vaccines. Compared to all that, Gates simply doesnt see the appeal of traveling or escaping to the Red Planet.

To be fair, Gates also took time to commend Musk on the podcast, saying that what he accomplished with his electric vehicle company Tesla is one of the greatest contributions to climate change anyones ever made.

But he also said that tackling electric vehicles is easy compared to the work it will take to clean up other industries, and investing in rockets or Mars journeys instead of focusing on those other problems is a missed opportunity.

Were basically not doing enough on the hard stuff: steel, cement, meat, Gates said. And sadly, the things people think about the electricity, passenger cars are a third of the problem. So we have to work on the two-thirds.

When it comes to rockets, and especially rockets to Mars, Gates says hed rather spend his money on things like vaccines or other measures to help people on Earth.

No, Im not a Mars person, Gates said on Sway. I know a lot of Mars people. But, you know, Im not subject to that.

When it comes to that cost-benefit analysis, in other words, the vaccines will win every time and Bill Gates is a practical guy.

READ MORE: Innovation, Not Trees. How Bill Gates Plans to Save the Planet. [The New York Times]

More on Mars: NASA Report Recommends Aggressive Funding for Nuclear-Powered Mars Mission

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Bill Gates Says That Going to Mars Is Silly - Futurism

Cities are so heavy that they're bending the Earth's crust.Sinking Cities

Cities are literally starting to sink under their own weight even as climate change is causing sea levels to rise, ScienceAlert [one word] reports.

In a study published in the journal AGU Advances, Tom Parsons, a geophysicist at the United States Geological Survey (USGS) agency, found that cities such as San Francisco may have sunk up to 80 millimeters, or just over three inches, in its history.

It may even be a lot more than that, as Parsons calculations dont even account for infrastructure, vehicles, or people.

Its a bad predicament, in other words, for the Bay Area and likely other metropolises. At the same time that risk is growing from rising sea levels, the cities themselves are sinking down toward the ocean.

Parsons found that subsidence, the gradual downward settling of the grounds surface, was not insignificant in built-up metropolitan regions.

As global populations move disproportionately toward the coasts, this additional subsidence in combination with expected sea level rise may exacerbate risk associated with inundation, Parsons writes in his paper.

Cities have built up so much that the city of San Francisco could weigh as much as 1.6 trillion kilograms, enough to literally bend the rocky outermost shell of the Earth, otherwise known as the lithosphere.

Such an immense weight could even end up changing levels of our planets fault blocks, large masses of rock created by tectonic stresses in the Earths crust.

In his paper, Parsons argues that satellite or air photos could be used to make more detailed analyses in likely flood zones as sea levels continue rising. Flooding is the greatest hazard associated with subsidence, as Parsons explains in his paper.

As the effects of climate change come into focus, coastal cities are under the threat of literally going under. And that risk will only grow if theyre simultaneously sinking into the Earth.

READ MORE: The Colossal Weight of Cities Is Making Them Sink, Even as Sea Levels Are Rising [Science Alert]

More on geology: Geologists Say a New Ocean Is Opening up in Africa

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Cities Are So Heavy That They're Sinking Into the Earth - Futurism

Image by LionFive via Pixabay / Futurism

The number of new coronavirus cases decreased in 44 US states this past week an improvement thats mirrored by much of the rest of the world.

On average, there were about 82,000 new confirmed COVID-19 infections per day throughout the United States over the last week, according to Axios. Case numbers in a handful of states are still on the rise, but the numbers represent a 24 percent drop in overall coronavirus infections, nation-wide, below the previous week. Around the world, similar reductions in coronavirus cases are happening too: The World Health Organization announced Wednesday that theres been a 16 percent drop in new cases over the past week, according to Deutsche Welle.

Thats great news, and it will make things much easier on healthcare systems around the world. But, to be absolutely clear, the pandemic is far from over, and everyone has to stay vigilant if we ever want it to be.

Theres no single, outstanding reason why cases are on the decline. Instead, its likely a combination of factors including the accelerating vaccine rollout, policy changes with the presidential transition, and shifts in personal behavior, University of Florida biostatistician Natalie Dean suggested on Twitter.

In addition, the holiday season is finally over. So the spike in cases linked to peoples increased travel and, as Dean put it, our temporarily expanded social networks might have finally receded, returning us to a sort of baseline level of new infections.

Theres another, perhaps less-robust observation: Infections in the US hit their peak and started to decline right when Donald Trump was banned from Twitter.

Many of those explanations are US-centric, of course, but DW reports that the WHO credits lockdowns and increased vaccinations as major factors in the global decrease in new COVID-19 infections.

We may not know what the exact, specific factors that made the biggest difference were until well after the fact, when epidemiologists and other experts have time to pore over and make sense of all the data.

But in the meantime, the obvious recommendation is to keep on staying put, wear your masks, wash your hands, and get a vaccine as soon as you can.

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Coronavirus Cases Around the World Are Finally Dropping - Futurism

"So my wife my dog and my newborn daughter slept in the garage in our Model 3 all nice and cozy."Heat Seeker

Texas was gripped by a deep freeze this week, bringing the second largest state in the United States to its knees. Millions are still without power, while many more continue to lack access to clean water or even water at all.

Amid rolling blackouts, Texans are having to get creative to stay warm, as homes predominantly use electricity as a heat source in the state.

But Tesla owners had an ace up their sleeve. Thanks to their vehicles hefty batteries, some opted to sleep in their cars with the heater running without running the risk of dying from carbon monoxide poisoning, as The New York Post reports.

So my wife my dog and my newborn daughter slept in the garage in our Model 3 all nice and cozy, one user on the subreddit TeslaMotors wrote, as quoted by the Post. If I didnt have this car, it would have been a very rough night.

Thanks to a two-way vehicle-to-grid feature included in Teslas PowerWall, the companys home battery solution, some users were able to power their homes using the batteries in their Tesla vehicles, VICE reports.

Others were able to weather the storm by drawing backup power from their PowerWalls. Some who opted to install solar panels on their roofs were also able to store enough energy in their PowerWall systems to use during blackouts.

Using electric vehicles as a form of survival isnt exactly a long term solution to Texas power grid woes but at least it can offer a hand while political leaders face off with electric grid operators to get the state back on its feet.

READ MORE: Elon Musk slams Texas power grid operator for being unreliable [New York Post]

More on Texas: Elon Musk, Who Moved to TX For Less Regulation, Is Furious That the Power Went Down

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Texans Are Sleeping In Their Teslas to Survive Freezing Cold - Futurism

Diamonds, Bugattis, sushi ... and scantily clad butts.

That's what surrounded Floyd Mayweather at his 44th birthday bash on Thursday night -- a wild "futuristic" event in Florida.

The boxing superstar rolled up to "The Venue" in Fort Lauderdale for a massive bash dubbed, "Floyd's Futuristic 44th Birthday Extravaganza."

He arrived in one of his $2 million Bugatti supercars -- dripping in millions of dollars worth of diamond chains.

On the way in, he was asked for an update on his recently postponed exhibition boxing match with Logan Paul -- is it still going to happen?

"I know it's going to happen," Floyd said ... "We just want make sure everything is right and everything is where it should be."

Inside, the party was wild -- tons of food, live music, booze, and hot ladies on rollerskates to entertain the crowd.

The venue is called "The Venue" -- it's a massive 32,000 square foot event space "outfitted with the most advanced technology in sound and lighting, special effects including laser capability and 3D Projection Mapping," according to its website.

In other words, it's super high tech.

Celeb guests included Rick Ross, Larsa Pippen, Jacquees (who performed) and President Joe Biden's brother, Frank Biden.

Floyd's cake was pretty cool too, complete with money and a private jet ... he shared the party with friend Jas 'Limitless' Mathur who plunked down $700k for the bash. We're told there was $200k worth of champagne, ice sculptures and dancers to complete the vibe.

We're told there was a COVID protocol in place -- people were screened at the door, temperature checks and an emphasis on social distancing.

That said, Floyd did not appear to be wearing a mask at any point of the evening.

Mayweather doesn't actually turn 44 until Feb. 24th -- but he clearly wanted to get the party started early.

More photos and videos to come shortly ...

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Floyd Mayweather Throws Wild 44th Bday Bash for Himself, Gives Logan Paul Update - TMZ

"Representing all parts of our society is a concern that we take very seriously."Recruitment Drive

The European Space Agency (ESA) is about to hold its first astronaut recruitment drive in 11 years, and its hoping to make the future of space exploration more representative.

The new drive is focused on making crewed space missions more diverse, according to The Associated Press. That means the ESA wants to send more women into space 495 of the 560 people to ever leave Earth have been men. And, in a world first, the ESA announced that the time has come to open the astronaut application process to those with physical disabilities a huge step toward better inclusivity and representation in space programs.

The entire recruitment process will take 18 months, after which the ESA will choose a new cohort of astronauts from the pool. For the entire history of Earths space programs, people with physical disabilities have been excluded from the process due to physical requirements meant to prepare crewmembers for the rigors of life in space. But the ESA is now opening those doors, through what its calling the Parastronaut Feasibility Project.

Representing all parts of our society is a concern that we take very seriously, ESA Human and Robotic Exploration Director David Parker told the AP. Diversity at ESA should not only address the origin, age, background or gender of our astronauts, but also perhaps physical disabilities.

The ESAs push for a more inclusive space program isnt just important from a symbolic standpoint. It could also lead to the development of new tools that make space travel simpler and safer. Not only for the people who need specific equipment or considerations, but for everyone else who would benefit from the new avenue of research as well.

We are looking towards the Moon and Mars, ESA director general Jan Worner told the AP. We need very excellent astronauts for the future. To go farther than we ever have before, we need to look wider than we ever have before.

READ MORE: European Space Agency seeks diversity in new astronaut drive [The Associated Press]

More on astronaut selection: Breaking: NASA Announces Its Moon Landing Astronauts

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Europe Invites People With Disabilities to Become Astronauts - Futurism

"I do think all rich countries should move to 100 percent synthetic beef."Got Beef

During the 1990s, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates picked up a bad boy reputation for taking a hard line in the companys antitrust spat with the United States government.

But for decades since stepping away from the software giant, Gates has rebranded as a philanthropist and policy advocate for humanitarian and policy issues including public health, climate change, and hunger.

Now, in an electrifying interview with MIT Tech Review that touches on all those initiatives and more, Gates is coming down hard in favor of fake meats and even recommending that every single rich country on Earth move away from real beef as soon as possible.

Gates said that what he called the 80 poorest countries will still be eating actual cows for a while. But hes optimistic about the developed worlds path to fake meat.

I do think all rich countries should move to 100 percent synthetic beef, the billionaire told MIT Tech. You can get used to the taste difference, and the claim is theyre going to make it taste even better over time.

Interestingly, Gates said hes optimistic that plant-based beef replacements can replace meat from actual cattle without lab-grown meat taking over the market. To underscore the point, he slammed Memphis Meats a lab meat company that he has himself invested in and praised a pair of plant-based competitors with which he also has had financial relationships.

Now the people like Memphis Meats who do it at a cellular level I dont know that that will ever be economical, he said in theMIT Tech interview. But Impossible and Beyond have a road map, a quality road map and a cost road map, that makes them totally competitive.

Of course, Gates is an influential thinker and policy shaper but take it all with a grain of salt. After all, this is the guy who thought Internet Explorer was going to dominate the browser market.

READ MORE: Bill Gates: Rich nations should shift entirely to synthetic beef [MIT Tech]

More on Bill Gates: Bill Gates Says the Next Horrible Virus Could Be Engineered by Terrorists

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Bill Gates Says All Wealthy Nations Should Switch to Synthetic Beef - Futurism