US Supreme Court sides with Germany

 in Nazi-era art dispute

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court's ruling Wednesday in a multimillion-dollar dispute over a collection of religious artworks will make it harder for some lawsuits to be tried in U.S. courts over claims that property was taken from Jews during the Nazi era.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The justices sided with Germany in a dispute involving the heirs of Jewish art dealers and the 1935 sale of a collection of medieval Christian artwork called the Guelph Treasure. The collection, called the Welfenschatz in German, is said to now be worth at least $250 million.

The heirs argued that their relatives were forced to sell the collection of gold and silver artworks, including elaborate containers used to store Christian relics, intricate altars and ornate crosses, for below market value.

The heirs originally pressed their claims in Germany, but a German commission found the artworks’ sale was made voluntarily and for fair market value. A suit was then filed in the United States. Germany and the state-run foundation that owns the collection, which is on display in Berlin’s Museum of Decorative Arts, argued the case did not belong in American courts.

Foreign nations generally cannot be sued in U.S. courts, although there are exceptions spelled out in the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act.

“The heirs have not shown that the FSIA allows them to bring their claims against Germany. We cannot permit them to bypass its design,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in an opinion for a unanimous court

Germany argued that an exception permitting certain suits against foreign countries in the U.S. does not cover those countries' disputes with their own citizens over property. The Supreme Court agreed.

Roberts wrote that Americans would be “surprised ... if a court in Germany adjudicated claims by Americans that they were entitled to hundreds of millions of dollars because of human rights violations committed by the United States Government years ago.” He said Germans' reaction to this case might be expected to be the same.

In a statement, Hermann Parzinger, the president of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation that owns the collection, welcomed the decision. He said it was the foundation's “long-held belief that this case should not be heard in U.S. court."

Nick O’Donnell, who represented the heirs of the art dealers, said in a statement that his clients were “obviously disappointed.” The case now goes back to a lower court for additional arguments on remaining issues, and O'Donnell said the heirs are considering their next steps.

Because of the decision in the Guelph Treasure case, the justices also sent a different dispute involving a suit against Hungary back to a lower court for further consideration. That case was filed in 2010 by 14 survivors of the Hungarian Holocaust, including some who survived being sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp. They are seeking to be compensated for property taken from them and their families when they were forced to board trains to concentration camps.

Both cases were argued in December. At the time, the Trump administration urged the justices to side with Germany and Hungary.

The cases are Hungary v. Simon, 18-1447, and Germany v. Philipp, 19-351.

Jessica Gresko, The Associated Press

Feds ramp up efforts to help residents of Hong Kong immigrate to, stay in Canada


OTTAWA — The federal government is moving forward on efforts to help citizens of Hong Kong remain in Canada rather than return home amid China's clampdown on democracy.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

One of several new immigration programs designed to give Hong Kong residents a safe haven in Canada will open for applications on Monday.

The program is open to Hong Kong residents who've graduated with a Canadian post-secondary diploma or degree in the last five years or hold an equivalent foreign credential.

They'll be eligible to receive a work permit for up to three years, which could in turn open up the option for them to remain in Canada permanently.

While the program is available both to people living in Hong Kong and those already in Canada, given COVID-19 travel restrictions, it's expected the majority of those who will benefit initially are already here.

"With flexible open work permits and a fast-track to permanent residency, skilled Hong Kong residents will have a unique opportunity to develop their careers and help accelerate Canada’s economic recovery," Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said in a statement.

Details of the other two programs — one targeting residents with one year of work experience in Canada and the second for recent graduates coming directly from Hong Kong — are still being worked out.

All were announced last fall as demands grew for the Canadian government to do more in response to the Chinese government's move to implement new laws and measures in Hong Kong understood as efforts to suppress the freedom of people living there.

Word that the open work permit program will open on Feb. 8 comes as the Chinese government appears to be putting pressure on Canadians in Hong Kong.

China doesn't legally recognize dual nationality in Hong Kong, but as many as 300,000 people living there are believed to hold both Chinese and Canadian permanent residency.

Concerns are now rising that China will start enforcing the law on dual nationality more broadly which could cut Canadians off, for example, from consular access.

In recent weeks, reports have surfaced of people who hold both Chinese and Canadian passports being detained and forced to pick a nationality.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 4, 2021.

Stephanie Levitz, The Canadian Press

UCP co-founder urges Alberta premier to 'fire yourself' from intergovernmental post

EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Jason Kenney is getting some unsolicited advice from the co-founder of the United Conservative Party: fire yourself as the intergovernmental affairs minister.

© Provided by The Canadian Press
Brian Jean says Kenney’s “fight everyone” approach is not getting the job done for Albertans on critical issues, including energy and federal relations.


“Fire yourself as intergovernmental affairs minister and appoint a new one,” Jean wrote in a guest column published Wednesday by Postmedia.

“Ideally, we would use a ‘good cop, bad cop’ approach, and this (new) minister could be the good cop to assist you in negotiations.

“We are currently without a good cop, and we are missing out on co-operation from other governments.”

While Kenney is at it, said Jean, he could impart a softer diplomatic tone throughout his government.

“Those in your government too often pick fights with Albertans and others rather than asking them to help solve problems," he wrote.

“Albertans want the premier’s and ministers’ offices to be staffed by grown-ups who can be trusted to maturely address the issues facing Albertans.”

Jean helped create the UCP by joining his Wildrose party with Kenney's Progressive Conservatives. Jean ran against Kenney for the UCP leadership and lost.

Asked about Jean’s comments, Kenney said he hadn’t read the article, but noted: “It’s easy to sit on the sidelines and be an armchair quarterback as we make our way through these multiple crises at the same time.”

In answer to a similar question on CHED radio Kenney said: “We were elected to fight for this province’s best interests, not to sit back passively and let others determine our future for us.”

Kenney often has a combative rhetorical style in pursuing Alberta’s vital interests, most recently on the Keystone XL oil pipeline expansion.

U.S. President Joe Biden cancelled the trans-border line last month on his first day in office in keeping with a campaign promise. The decision cost Alberta $1.5-billion in direct investment, perhaps more given Kenney's government also pledged another $6 billion in loan guarantees.

The premier -- who once publicly dismissed Justin Trudeau as “an empty trust-fund millionaire who has the political depth of a finger bowl” -- accused the prime minister of not fighting hard enough to change Biden’s mind and urged Ottawa to issue retaliatory trade sanctions.

He accused Biden of "insulting” Canada on his first day in office.

Kenney is also battling Michigan’s environmentally focused opposition to Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline under the Great Lakes. He has called Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer “brain dead.” Whitmer was national co-chair of Biden’s presidential campaign.

Kenney's government has also focused on what he has called shadowy global foes and environmentalists who he says are seeking to undermine Alberta's oil industry. He set up a $30-million-a-year "war room" and struck a public inquiry into foreign funding of oil opponents. Critics say both endeavours have been undermined by self-generated mistakes and controversies.

The government has been publicly tangling with doctors, teachers, academics and organized labour as it seeks to reform everything from pensions to to health care to public-sector wages.

Also Wednesday, Kenney responded to a call from UCP caucus member Drew Barnes for Alberta to hold a referendum on independence as a message to Ottawa to take seriously the province's concerns about energy development and revenue-sharing.

“Ottawa has to be 100 per cent aware of the consequences of not giving Albertans resource movement and a fair deal,” Barnes said in an interview.

“Albertans everywhere, every day, are telling me the desire to stand up to Ottawa is stronger than ever.”

Kenney said UCP founding documents make it clear the party is loyal to a united Canada.

“MLAs have a right to speak their mind, but this government will continue to fight for a strong Alberta within the Canadian Confederation,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 3, 2021

Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press

ONTARIO

Ten years ago the province was asked a question about old quarries and drinking water. Water authorities are still waiting for an answer


WATERLOO REGION — The organization in charge of protecting Waterloo Region’s drinking water has been waiting 10 years for the province to address the risk old aggregate pits and quarries pose to local drinking water.

When an aggregate pit that was operating below the water table is no longer active, ground water can fill up the pit. This body of water acts as a direct conduit between the surface and ground water, according to local experts.

The Lake Erie Region Source Protection Committee is concerned that if these ponds are close to wells taking in ground water for municipal supply, they represent a risk as the ponds are open to any kind of contamination from sources such as bacteria, salt, or fertilizer, and more.

The Lake Erie Region Source Protection Committee is one of 19 watershed organizations designated by the province to protect public drinking water. Waterloo Region is located within the Grand River watershed which is included in the Lake Erie region jurisdiction.

The committee asked the government to add aggregate mining in general to the Clean Water Act in 2010 as part of the act’s list of potential threats. They were told no.

In February 2011, the source committee sent a second, more specific request. They asked that ponding of ground water in old below-water-table aggregate mines be included as a local threat applying solely to the Lake Erie region. The committee feels such ponds could be a direct risk to drinking water if they are located near a public well.

Ten years later, they are still waiting for an answer.

Over the 10 years, the Aggregate Resources Act has undergone multiple adjustments. As well, the provincial government has changed leadership over the decade.

“I think the committee has been patient with recognizing that there’s been a lot of activities at the provincial level with regards to those changes with the Aggregate Resources Act regulations,” says Martin Keller, the source protection program manager with the Grand River Conservation Authority.

“It is something that the committee feels pretty strongly about. They feel that it is something that they would like to get an answer back. In October 2020, the issue of ponding in closed below-water-table aggregate mining pits was still a standing agenda item.”

The committee’s chair, Wendy Wright, made mention of the long-standing agenda item last month. “I just noticed that it’s coming up to 10 years since we made that first request for that information and by the time we get to the next meeting that clock will have ticked over. I can hardly believe it’s been that length of time that this has been on the agenda.”

If ponding in old below-water-table quarries is added as a local threat, the committee can create a plan to address it, request changes in provincial or municipal regulation, and alter activities that relate to ponding if they pose a risk to a source of public drinking water.

The province’s latest update on the issue was delivered in October by its representative, Olga Yudina. She says the ministry was waiting to respond until the updates to Aggregate Resources Act were complete. Now that the changes to the act are complete, Yudina says the province is revisiting the discussion.

Keller says groundwater typically has some sort of protection provided by the land on top of it. But this is not the case with a pond formed in a decommissioned quarry.

“Contamination can get in there, potentially,” says Keller. “It doesn’t mean it has to, but the potential is there and the committee comes from the point of view that those things should be addressed proactively so that things can be prevented or measures can be put in place to minimize impact.”

People should know that “the committee is taking its job seriously and identifying things that they think need to be addressed and looked after,” says Keller.

Keller did not list any specific pits he is concerned about.

Leah Gerber’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. The funding allows her to report on stories about the Grand River Watershed. Email lgerber@therecord.com

Leah Gerber, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Waterloo Region Record

IT IS NORTH KOREA PUNKIN THE USA

The SolarWinds Hack Just Keeps Getting More Wild

Now the Chinese are involved. That’s one of the newest allegations to emerge in the SolarWinds scandal, the supply chain “cyber Pearl Harbor” that seems to have enveloped the entire U.S. government, as well as the private sector.

© Photo: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP (Getty Images)

While officials had previously stated Russian hackers were “likely” behind the extensive penetration into federal networks, a new story now claims hackers from China may have exploited a different vulnerability in the same software to gain entry to a payroll agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

According to Reuters, anonymous sources are saying a different threat actor managed to exploit SolarWinds software to worm its way into the National Finance Center, a federal payroll agency with USDA. The news organization reports:

The software flaw exploited by the suspected Chinese group is separate from the one the United States has accused Russian government operatives of using to compromise up to 18,000 SolarWinds customers, including sensitive federal agencies, by hijacking the company’s Orion network monitoring software.

It’s just the latest in a seemingly endless flood of news involving the massive cyber intrusion scandal. Investigators have sought to understand the extent of the breach, but they are struggling. Case in point: the recent discovery that nearly a third of the victims of the so-called “SolarWinds” scandal were not actually SolarWinds customers and, therefore, had been compromised by other (so far unknown) means.

The whole debacle was initially discovered in December. If you’ve been asleep since then, here’s the run-down: Investigators discovered that hackers had infiltrated networks throughout the government, Fortune 500 companies, and other entities using trojanized malware that had been affixed to software updates for SolarWinds’ Orion, a popular IT management program.

Other recent updates include:

The new CEO of SolarWinds, Sudhakar Ramakrishna, claims hackers were potentially reading the company’s emails for at least nine months. “Some email accounts were compromised. That led them to compromise other email accounts and as a result our broader [Office] 365 environment was compromised,” the CEO told the Wall Street Journal.

The floundering company has also announced it has recently patched three newly discovered vulnerabilities. Two of those were in the original Orion software that led to the network break-ins at federal agencies; the other was in a different product, the SolarWinds Serv-U FTP. This Serv-U vulnerability would’ve allowed “trivial remote code execution with high privileges,” Threatpost writes.

The newly confirmed head of the Department of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, has said that he will thoroughly investigate the hack. He also promised to enhance the government’s overall defensive capabilities through “a review of the government’s Einstein incident detection program and CISA’s Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program to assess if they’re truly effective in addressing cyberthreats.”

Chemists create and capture einsteinium, 

the elusive 99th element
Harry Baker 

Scientists have successfully studied einsteinium — one of the most elusive and heaviest elements on the periodic table — for the first time in decades. The achievement brings chemists closer to discovering the so-called "island of stability," where some of the heftiest and shortest-lived elements are thought to reside

.

© Provided by Live Science An illustration showing the atomic structure of the chemical element einsteinium, which has 99 electrons in its shells.

The U.S. Department of Energy first discovered einsteinium in 1952 in the fall-out of the first hydrogen bomb test. The element does not occur naturally on Earth and can only be produced in microscopic quantities using specialized nuclear reactors. It is also hard to separate from other elements, is highly radioactive and rapidly decays, making it extremely difficult to study.

Researchers from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) at the University of California, recently created a 233-nanogram sample of pure einsteinium and carried out the first experiments on the element since the 1970s. In doing so they were able to uncover some of the element's fundamental chemical properties for the first time.

Related: Elementary, my dear: 8 elements you never heard of
Very hard to study

Physicists know almost nothing about einsteinium.

"It is hard to make just because of where it is in the periodic table," co-author Korey Carter, an assistant professor at the University of Iowa and former scientist at Berkeley Lab, told Live Science.

Like other elements in the actinide series — a group of 15 metallic elements found at the bottom of the periodic table — einsteinium is made by bombarding a target element, in this case curium, with neutrons and protons to create heavier elements. The team used a specialized nuclear reactor at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, one of the few places in the world where einsteinium can be made.

However, the reaction is designed to make californium — a commercially important element used in nuclear power plants — and so it makes only a very small amount of einsteinium as a byproduct. Extracting a pure sample of einsteinium from californium is challenging because of similarities between the two elements, which meant the researchers ended up with only a tiny sample of einsteinium-254, one of the most stable isotopes, or versions, of the elusive element.

"It is a very small amount of material," Carter said. "You can't see it, and the only way you can tell it is there is from its radioactive signal."

However, getting the einsteinium is only half the battle. The next problem is finding a place to keep it.

Einsteinium-254 has a half-life of 276 days — the time for half of the material to decay — and breaks down into berkelium-250, which emits highly damaging gamma radiation. Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico designed a special 3D-printed sample holder to contain the einsteinium and protect the Berkeley Lab scientists from this radiation.

However, the element's decay also created other problems for the researchers.

"It's decaying consistently, so you lose 7.2% of your mass every month when studying it," Carter said. "You have to take this into account when you are planning your experiments."

The team at Berkeley Lab was used to dealing with other elements with short half-lives. Even so, the team began their work just before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which meant that they lost valuable time and were unable to complete all the planned experiments.
Surprising results

The main finding from the study was the measurement of the einsteinium bond length — the average distance between two bonded atoms — a fundamental chemical property that helps scientists predict how it will interact with other elements. They found that einsteinium's bond length goes against the general trend of the actinides. This is something that had been theoretically predicted in the past, but has never been experimentally proved before.

Compared with the rest of the actinide series, einsteinium also luminesces very differently when exposed to light, which Carter describes as "an unprecedented physical phenomenon." Further experiments are needed to determine why.

The new study "lays the groundwork for being able to do chemistry on really small quantities," Carter said. "Our methods will allow others to push boundaries studying other elements in the same way."

The team's research could also make it easier to create einsteinium in the future. In that case, einsteinium could potentially be used as a target element for the creation of even heavier elements, including undiscovered ones like the hypothetical element 119, also called ununennium. One of the ultimate goals for some chemists would be to then discover hypothetical superheavy elements that have half-lives of minutes or even days — meaning they "live" on this island of stability — compared with the microseconds at most for the half-lives of other heavy elements.

The study was published online Feb. 3 in the journal Nature.

Originally published on Live Science

Siemens Energy unit picked to install 'next generation turbines' at $9 billion offshore wind hub

The East Anglia Hub will be able to power millions of homes once fully up and running.

Several large-scale offshore wind projects are being planned for the U.K., where authorities want offshore wind capacity to hit 40 gigawatts by the year 2030.

© Provided by CNBC

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy has been given the nod to supply and install turbines for the £6.5 billion (around $9 billion) East Anglia Hub, a major offshore wind development planned for waters off the east coast of England.

In a statement Tuesday, project developer Scottish Power Renewables said the plan was to use over 200 "next generation turbines" for the scheme which, if fully realized, will consist of the East Anglia ONE North, East Anglia TWO and East Anglia THREE facilities.

SPR did not provide specific details of the turbines slated to be used by the wind farms but described them as "some of the world's most powerful and productive."

According to the firm, which is part of the Iberdrola Group, the East Anglia Hub will be able to produce as much as 3.1 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy, powering millions of homes in the process.

Planning consent has been granted for East Anglia THREE, while planning applications for the other two projects are in the process of being examined. If the project progresses smoothly, construction will start in 2023 and wrap up in 2026.

The East Anglia Hub is one of several large-scale offshore wind projects being planned for the U.K., where authorities want to increase offshore wind capacity to 40 GW by the year 2030. The U.K.'s operational offshore wind capacity currently stands at a little over 10.4 GW.

Last October, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he wanted the country to become the "world leader in low cost clean power generation."

Other projects in the pipeline include the Dogger Bank Wind Farm, which will be located in waters off the northeast coast of England and have a capacity of 3.6 GW.

Current facilities in operation include Hornsea One, in waters off Yorkshire, England, which has a capacity of 1.2 GW.

The U.K. is not the only country where wind power is starting to play an increasingly important role.

 

On Tuesday, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said daily electricity generation from wind hit a record 1.76 million megawatt-hours on December 23, 2020.

This, the EIA added, represented "about 17% of total electricity generation on that day."

"On average, EIA estimates that wind accounted for 9% of U.S. electricity generation in 2020," it went on to state. 

The first offshore wind farm in the U.S., the 30 megawatt, five turbine Block Island Wind Farm, only started commercial operations at the end of 2016.

When it comes to offshore wind, America still has some ways to go before it catches up with the U.K.

Change is coming, however, with a number of significant projects now planned for waters off the East Coast.

These include the Empire Wind and Beacon Wind projects, which are backed by oil and gas giants Equinor and BP.

Arctic Ocean was fresh water at least TWICE over past 150,000 years

© Provided by Daily Mail MailOnline logo

The Arctic Ocean spans more than five million square miles and although the water is salty, thousands of years ago the vast ocean was a filled with freshwater.

Researchers found the Arctic Ocean as well as the Nordic Seas did not contain sea-salt in at least two glacial periods - once about 70,000 to 60,000 years ago and also 150,000 to 130,000 years ago.

The ocean at these times was capped with a massive ice sheet of ice that measured about 2,952 feet, which trapped the fresh water from circulating out from the area.

The team also determined that because sea levels were much lower during these time periods, large icebergs extended to the sea floor that also restricted the exchange of water masses.

The flow of glaciers, ice melt in summer and rivers also drained into the Arctic Ocean, also delivered large amounts of fresh water to the system that could not escape.

© Provided by Daily Mail 

The Arctic Oceans spans more than five million square miles and although the water is salty, thousands of years ago the vast ocean was a filled with freshwater. The ocean was capped with a massive ice sheet of ice that measured about 2,952 feet, which trapped the fresh water from circulating out from the area

The Arctic Ocean surrounds the North Pole in the middle of the North Hemisphere and itself is surrounded by Eurasia and North America.

Scientists from Germany's Alfred Wegner Institute and the Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research conducted a detailed analysis of the commotions of marine deposits in the Arctic Ocean to uncover what secrets they may tell of the ocean.

The results showed the ocean, along with the Nordic Seas, contained freshwater and capped with a massive sheet of ice.

The sheet of ice kept the water from flowing into the North Atlantic for short periods, but the experts say sudden freshwater inputs could explain rapid climate oscillations for which no satisfying explanation had been previously found

.

© Provided by Daily Mail 

The team also determined that because sea levels were much lower during these time periods, large icebergs extended to the sea floor that also restricted the exchange of water masses

According to their study, the floating parts of the northern ice sheets covered large parts of the Arctic Ocean in the past 150,000 years.

Once about 70,000 to 60,000 years ago and also about 150,000 to 130,000 years ago, and during both these periods, freshwater accumulated under the ice, creating a completely fresh Arctic Ocean for thousands of years.

The next step was determining how the large basin that is connected by several straits with the North Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean could go from sea-salt to entirely fresh water.

Professor Ruediger Stein, geologist at the AWI and the MARUM, said: 'Such a scenario is perceivable if we realize that in glacial periods, global sea levels were up to 42 feet lower than today, and ice masses in the Arctic may have restricted ocean circulation even further.'

Near shallow connections, like Bering Strait or the sounds of the Canadian Archipelago, were above sea level at the time, which cutting off the water flow to the Pacific Ocean entirely.

In the Nordic Seas, large icebergs or ice sheets extending onto the sea floor restricted the exchange of water masses.

The flow of glaciers, ice melt in summer, and rivers draining into the Arctic Ocean kept delivering large amounts of fresh water to the system, at least 1200 cubic kilometres per year.

A part of this amount would have been forced via the Nordic Seas through the sparse narrow deeper connections in the Greenland-Scotland Ridge into the North Atlantic, hindering saline water from penetrating further north. This resulted in the freshening of the Arctic Ocean.

Dr Walter Geibert, geochemist at the Alfred Wegener Institute, said: 'Once the mechanism of ice barriers failed, heavier saline water could fill the Arctic Ocean again.'

'We believe that it could then quickly displace the lighter freshwater, resulting in a sudden discharge of the accumulated amount of freshwater over the shallow southern boundary of the Nordic Seas, the Greenland-Scotland-Ridge, into the North Atlantic.'

These results mean a real change to our understanding of the Arctic Ocean in glacial climates,' said Geibert.

'To our knowledge, this is the first time that a complete freshening of the Arctic Ocean and the Nordic Seas has been considered - happening not just once, but twice.

'

© Provided by Daily Mail 

The team also determined that because sea levels were much lower during these time periods, large icebergs extended to the sea floor that also restricted the exchange of water masses

To uncover these findings, the team conducted a geological analysis of ten sediment cores pulled from different areas of the ocean, along with Fram Strait and the Nordic Seas.

And the stacked deposits mirror the climate history of the past glacials.

When investigating and comparing the sediment records, the geoscientists found that an important indicator was missing, always in the same two intervals.

'In saline sea water, the decay of naturally occurring uranium always results in the production of the isotope thorium-230. This substance accumulates at the sea floor, where it remains detectable for a very long time due to its half-life of 75,000 years,' Geibert explained.

Massive ice 'volcano' forms in Kazakhstan

Duration: 00:50 

A natural phenomenon in Kazakhstan's largest city has created an enormous structure that resembles a volcano made of ice.

VEGAN SCIENCE
Scientists Taught Spinach How to Send Emails to Help Fight Climate Change — and This Isn't a Joke

Scientists have found a way to teach spinach to send emails. But it's not just for fun or to tell you about a huge sale event — these specific messages are meant to warn people about climate change or explosive materials, according to EuroNews

.

© Provided by Travel + Leisure Richard Bord/Getty

According to a study published in the scientific journal Nature Materials, engineers at MIT created a new method for detecting major changes in our climate thanks to the root systems in spinach plants.

"Plants are very environmentally responsive," said Professor Michael Strano, who led the study, in a statement to EuroNews. "They know that there is going to be a drought long before we do. They can detect small changes in the properties of soil and water potential. If we tap into those chemical signalling pathways, there is a wealth of information to access."

The new technology, called "plant nanobionics," uses the spinach plant roots to detect nitroaromatics in groundwater. Nitroaromatic compounds are found in man-made industrial chemicals (often found in explosives), according to EuroNews. According to the study, when the "carbon nanotubes" inside the spinach roots detect these compounds, they could send a signal to an infrared camera, which then triggers an email alert to scientists who conducted the study.

"Plants are very good analytical chemists," said Strano to EuroNews. "They have an extensive root network in the soil, are constantly sampling groundwater, and have a way to self-power the transport of that water up into the leaves."

Strano added that the study has helped to "overcome the plant/human communication barrier." This method could also apply to detecting pollution or changes in the environment in order to help fight climate change, EuroNews reported.

In addition, another study from American University also found that spinach could be used to power fuel cells for metal-air batteries –– which are more energy-efficient alternatives for lithium-ion batteries that are often used for electronics like laptop computers and smartphones, according to EuroNews.

Aside from being a nutritious addition to your salads and smoothies, the modest spinach plant also seems to be doing the work to save the planet too.

Andrea Romano is a freelance writer in New York City. Follow her on Twitter @theandrearomano.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/99442.The_Secret_Life_of_Plants

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/525843.Supernature#:~:text=SUPERNATURE%20-%20The%20legendary%2C%20ground-breaking%20book%20about%20the,doubt%20that%20science%20is%20stranger%20than%20the%20supernatural.