Why are bees disappearing so fast?

 Look in the mirror

© Provided by BGR bee populations

One of the most important organisms on the planet is seeing a steep decline in population.

In a new study published in Cell Press, scientists reveal a troubling statistic: 25% of all known bee species have disappeared in recent decades.

Bees are crucial due to their ability to pollinate all manner of plants, propping up the ecosystem and keeping humans fed at the same time.

It might be hard to wrap your head around this, but it’s true: Bees are one of the most important creatures on the planet. The flying insects perform a crucial duty in pollinating all manner of plants, allowing them to bear seeds as well as fruit (or vegetables, depending on the planet). If bees were to suddenly disappear from the planet, we (along with most other living organisms) would be in big, big trouble.

So, you can understand the alarm of scientists when they discovered that a full quarter of known bee species have completely disappeared since the 1990s. That discovery was published in a new study in Cell Press, and it’s absolutely frightening. The worst part? It’s probably mankind’s fault.

More from BGR
Humans are keeping bees awake at night

We found that after the 1990s, the number of collected bee species declines steeply such that approximately 25% fewer species were reported between 2006 and 2015 than before the 1990s. Although these trends must be interpreted cautiously given the heterogeneous nature of the dataset and potential biases in data collection and reporting, results suggest the need for swift actions to avoid further pollinator decline.

As Inverse reports, the study makes it abundantly clear that the diversity of bee species on the planet is shrinking, and shrinking rapidly. But as troubling as the figures are — and they are definitely troubling — the study supports what has already been observed in country-specific studies, including in the United States.

Honeybees have seen huge declines in population in recent years, and we’re beginning to understand all the ways in which human activity is affecting the important insects. Intentionally killing them off using pesticides is one avenue of destruction, but sometimes bees are caught in the crossfire and are mere casualties of the battle between humans and other pests.

Agriculture has grown to rely heavily on insecticides to protect crops from destruction, but while bees don’t threaten crops, spraying chemicals on a large scale can have a huge impact on other bugs, including flies and of course bees. Recent research revealed that many popular pesticides still in use in the United States actually mess with the minds of flies and bees, destroying their memory and throwing off their sleep/wake cycle.

In this new global study, it’s clear that many bee species have been completely wiped out, or have at least been whittled down so dramatically that there are now so few that they have evaded detection. The question now is why that has happened. The scientists in this study don’t attempt to answer that question, but it may be possible that some species are simply more vulnerable to certain chemicals or other human activity. In any case, it’s clear that more research is needed and that reversing bee decline by taking measures to protect them is warranted and vital to the survival of, well, pretty much everything.

Scientists Have Discovered a New Case of Rogue Pollution

A group of scientists have worked as a veritable atmospheric detective agency and dug into a new mystery of more ozone-damaging substances. Two years ago, they identified rogue sources of ozone-depleting chemicals. In a new study out Monday they found sources of new potentially damaging chemicals while highlighting just how crucial vigilance and early detection can be.

© Photo: Kevin Frayer (Getty Images) Smoke billows from a large steel plant.

While the newly identified chemicals are less damaging to the ozone layer than others, they have no known use, which means they’re doing damage for no reason. And the findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, also show how far scientists have come in identifying the smallest traces of dangerous substances in the atmosphere and the value of developing an even more comprehensive monitoring network.

The U.S. Approves Permit for the 'Proving Ground for the Future of Wave Energy'

Since 1978, a handful of sites scattered around the world have been used to measure trace gases in the atmosphere. For the current study, scientists looked at 14 sites that are part of or affiliated with the network, and are in operation from the frigid Arctic island of Svalbard to a site on the outskirts of densely populated Beijing. The observatories measure a host of gases from familiar ones like methane to ones with more unwieldy names and scientific abbreviations that nevertheless are vital to keep an eye on.

“We are monitoring many ‘known’ compounds, and are on the search for more hitherto unknown compounds,’ Martin Vollmer, the lead author on the new paper and researcher at the Swiss Federal Laboratories, said in an email. “We even built a new instrument, which can virtually scan the atmosphere for compounds, and take a ‘fingerprint’ or ‘DNA’ of the atmosphere.”

For the current study, scientists looked at hydrochlorofluorocarbons or more simply, HCFCs. The compounds can be used for a variety of purposes from cooling to solvents. There are a number of them, but scientists looked specifically at HCFC-132b, HCFC-133a, and HCFC-31 (don’t worry if you mix them up, there won’t be a quiz later). All three have no known use as an end product, but they are tied to the production of other chemical compounds.

While they’re reported on the ground by factories, the new study uses the network of monitors and models of global air circulation to track them from the top-down. The results show that the compounds started to appear in the atmosphere in the 1990s and have risen steadily since then.

The modeling allowed the researchers to pinpoint the biggest source to a few regions. HCFC-132b and HCFC-133a both predominantly came from eastern China, though from different regions. China was also the culprit in the earlier whodunit solved by the researchers. The researchers also found Europe was another likely source, but the concentrations in the atmosphere tied to the continent dropped off significantly in 2017 around the time a chemical plant in Lyon, France shut down.

These HCFCs aren’t as damaging as the chlorofluorocarbons—or CFCs—the researchers detected in their previous study. They do less damage to the ozone layer, and unlike some HCFCs, they don’t contribute to global warming. The relatively early detection of the chemicals also means scientists are measuring them in fractions of parts per trillion as opposed to parts per billion or million used to measure other ozone- and climate-wrecking chemicals.

Obviously, any type of pollution is bad, but the study does contain a kernel of good news given the relatively moderate impact the HCFCs have on the ozone layer and atmosphere. It shows the power of early detection and scientists maintaining vigilance. While more work will need to be done to pinpoint the exact source of the chemicals, the findings are another proof of concept for how top-down monitoring from satellites to air flasks taking samples around the world can be used to monitor dangerous compounds and gases in the atmosphere.

“This is like an important independent check,” Vollmer said, noting that it also points to the need to expand the network to fill in gaps in coverage.

In the case of these HCFCs with no known use, the work is invaluable to help clean up an extremely pointless form of pollution. As the world looks to draw down a number of emissions from CFCs to carbon dioxide to hydrofluorocarbons, this type of detective work will take on added importance to make sure countries are meeting their pledges and enforcing the regulations they put in place to do so.

Update, 1/25/21, 3:17 p.m.: This post has been updated with comments from Martin Vollmer.

Doug Ford calls on Trudeau to 'close down our borders'


Alicja Siekierska
Mon., January 25, 2021, 

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Ottawa to implement tougher border measures, including at Toronto's Pearson International Airport. July 30, 2020. (Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Ottawa to close borders to non-Canadian residents in an effort to stem the spread of new strains of COVID-19.

“Close down any travel coming into Canada outside residents of Canada or citizens of Canada. There’s no reason we need people coming in,” Ford said at a press conference on Monday.

“I can’t emphasize it enough – close down our borders and make sure anyone that’s coming in gets (mandatory testing).”

Ontario currently has a pilot program underway at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport that allows international travellers to be tested for COVID-19 upon arrival. Ford said Monday that the program, which is voluntary and free, has an average test positivity rate of 2.5 per cent.

“We need to tighten up the borders,” he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Monday the federal government is “actively considering tougher measures” given the emergence of new variants of COVID-19 that scientists believe to be more contagious. She pointed to Canada’s existing border measures, including a mandatory 14-day quarantine order for all international travellers, as an important measure in the fight against COVID-19. The government also introduced an interim order this month requiring all travellers coming to Canada to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72-hours of departure.

“Having said that, given the virulence of the virus in the world today, our government absolutely is looking seriously and carefully at measures to further guarantee the toughness of our border measures,” Freeland said.

One petition signed by various virologists, epidemiologists, doctors and public health officials warns that existing travel measures have not prevented the importation of new and potentially more contagious variants of COVID-19. The petition said that, in a number of cases, “their path into Canada remains unknown.”

Ford is the latest provincial leader to call for Ottawa to implement tougher measures at the Canadian border. Last week, Quebec Premier Francois Legault urged the federal government to ban non-essential flights to Canada over fears that travellers will bring new variants of COVID-19 back to the province.

Legault said last week that he was open to discussing what is classified as “essential”, but that flights to all-inclusive resorts do not belong on such a list.

"I feel like Quebecers are angry, I'm angry, to see that we're making an effort, and there are people who travel internationally for fun and who return here with the virus and clog our hospitals," he said.

The tougher border calls come as the airline industry continues to struggle in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. With traffic down by more than 90 per cent, Air Canada and WestJet have each slashed capacity and laid off more staff.

The National Airline Council of Canada, an industry group which represents Air Canada, WestJet, Air Transat and Jazz Aviation, urged the government to consult with the sector before enacting measures to reduce travel.

“We want to work with government as a partner, as measures are being discussed, to assure effective implementation and avoid unintended consequences,” NACC president Mike McNaney said in a statement issued last week.

“The recently introduced pre-departure testing regime placed a great deal of strain on our industry as we sought to implement the new requirements in the span of one week, working with officials at a feverish pace to develop the necessary regulations and guidance material.”

Freeland reiterated on Monday that “the best measure of all is for people simply not to travel.”

“I can’t emphasize that too much,” she said. “Travelling is dangerous for you, it’s dangerous for your family and it’s dangerous for your community. Now is the time for all of us to stay home.”

With files from the Canadian Press

Alicja Siekierska is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow her on Twitter @alicjawithaj.

WAIT, WHAT?

Without Keystone XL, Canada set for record crude exports to the U.S.

Jeff Lagerquist
Mon., January 25, 2021

Record volumes of Canadian crude are expected to flow to American refineries in the years following Joe Biden’s decision to nix a long-awaited and controversial cross-border pipeline project. The all-but-certain death of Keystone XL is another blow to the battered oil patch, but experts predict the expansion of other lines will be enough to support strong U.S. demand for Canada’s heavy crude.

Biden revoked TC Energy’s (TRP.TO)(TRP) construction permit hours after taking office last week, ending a four-year reprieve for the project granted by his predecessor Donald Trump in 2017. Biden’s move makes good on a campaign trail promise to kill the project, and recalls a similar decision by President Barack Obama, who issued an executive order in 2015 to halt the pipeline’s construction.

Jackie Forrest, executive director of the ARC Energy Research Institute, said what appears to be the final pass of the 12-year-old Keystone XL political football is less important to the Canadian energy sector than strong underlying trends for U.S. demand and other pipeline expansions currently in the works.

“The U.S. Gulf Coast is very short of heavy crude. There has been a big fall off of Venezuelan and Mexican supply. They’re paying even more for heavy oil than they were ten years ago relative to light oil,” she said in an interview.

On the Canadian supply side, she said annual oil sands production growth is trending lower as more pipeline capacity is expected to come online. Several expansionary projects are underway, including Enbridge’s (ENB.TO)(ENB) Line 3, and of the government-owned Trans Mountain pipeline. The projects, which face their own opposition challenges, are slated for completion in late of 2021 and late 2022, respectively.

“Both of those seem like they’re going to occur. If they do, then there’s probably ample takeaway capacity for some time out of Western Canada. We also have 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) of partly-used crude-by-rail capacity right now,” said Forrest. “The thing that KXL would have offered is that direct connection to the Gulf Coast.”

Canada produces about five million bpd, and exports roughly 3.8 million of those to the United States, according to data from Natural Resources Canada. Canadian oil accounts for nearly half of America’s total oil imports.

Analysts expect U.S.-bound Canadian oil to rise to between 4.2 million and 4.4 million bpd over the next few years. According to Rystad Energy, pipeline expansions currently in progress will add more than 950,000 bpd of export capacity for Canadian producers before 2025.

Tudor Pickering Holt & Co. sees new pipeline capacity “drastically outpacing” new crude supply in Western Canada as producers in the region put off expansion plans due to high costs and low oil prices.

“KXL was not necessary,” the Texas-based investment bank wrote in a note to clients last week.

Rory Johnston, market economist and managing director at Price Street, has long-insisted that Canada needs just two out of three projects, between KXL, Line 3, and Trans Mountain, in order to effectively ease the pipeline congestion that has long-plagued Western Canadian oil.

“We could have a healthy egress situation with just Line 3 and TMX being built,” he said. “I think the feeling of loss from the Keystone XL expansion is going to be much greater than the actual economic consequences of the cancellation.”

Rachel Ziemba, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, said while crude imports to the U.S. from Canada remain down year-over-year, she sees weekly shipment figures pushing higher. She expects that trend to accelerate once the world’s largest economy begins to recover from the massive demand hit brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I wouldn’t treat the Keystone XL rejection as necessarily meaning the U.S. is trying to rid itself of Canadian oil,” she said.

Johnston agrees. He said it’s worth noting that the new U.S. administration has not made decisive announcements about other cross-border pipeline projects, which he sees as carrying less political symbolism than Keystone XL.

“If their intent was to create a general veto across all pipelines crossing the border, you would have seen more commentary on it by now,” he said.

BC First Nation calls for release of Site C report in open letter to premier

MOBERLY LAKE, B.C. — A First Nations leader is calling on the British Columbia government to release several reports on the Site C dam, claiming details of escalating costs and safety concerns have been "shrouded in secrecy."

© Provided by The Canadian Press

In an open letter to Premier John Horgan, Chief Roland Willson of the West Moberly First Nations says work on the hydroelectric dam in northeastern B.C. should be suspended immediately until cabinet makes a decision on the project.

"You can reject the madness of ploughing ahead with this unnecessary, unsafe, and unlawful project. You can choose instead to immediately suspend the project," the letter says.

The letter says BC Hydro has withheld its two latest progress reports from regulators and the premier has refused to release a report prepared by special adviser Peter Milburn.

Although BC Hydro initially said the reports were commissioned by the government and referred comment to the province, it later clarified that the progress reports are its responsibility.

The Crown corporation said in a statement it is undergoing a re-baselining process for the project and will file its next progress report with the B.C. Utilities Commission after that is complete.

The Energy Ministry said in a statement it is reviewing Milburn's advice and "will share the findings as soon as possible."

In addition, government is awaiting a report from two independent international experts who are reviewing the measures proposed to address geotechnical challenges at Site C, the ministry said.

The ministry did not respond directly to questions about whether it would pause the project or respond to allegations that the project infringes on the First Nation's treaty rights.

Willson said in an interview if the reports aren't made public voluntarily, the First Nation will seek their release through court action.

The First Nation has already prepared a notice of application and served the parties with a motion but is awaiting scheduling availability before filing the document with the court, said Tim Thielmann, a lawyer for the First Nation.

If the documents reveal significant safety risks, costs or scheduling implications, the First Nation may apply for a second injunction against the project. When the B.C. Supreme Court denied an injunction in October 2018, it said a new injunction could be granted if there was "unforeseen and compelling change in circumstances," he said.

"If we find out that there is a serious safety risk or financial implication that justifies another injunction, then the court has left the door open for West Moberly to bring a new injunction," Thielmann said.

Soon after taking power, Horgan announced in December 2017 that the government would support completion of Site C, but said it is a project the NDP would never have started.

BC Hydro reported to the B.C. Utilities Commission in July that geotechnical problems found in late 2019 had created a "project risk," requiring stability measures to be taken on the right bank of the dam.

The B.C. government appointed Milburn, a former deputy finance minister, in July to review the project. Energy Minister Bruce Ralston said this month he wouldn't discuss its findings until they are reviewed by the premier and cabinet.

Willson said in an interview that the hydroelectric dam is an unnecessary infringement of the First Nation's treaty rights and he doesn't believe the community's concerns have been taken seriously.

"It's a shame we're at this stage. We should have never gotten this far down the road. We should have sat at the table like adults," Willson said.

The Peace River, where the dam will sit, runs through the heart of the First Nation's territory, Willson said.

"We're sitting here watching our valley get ripped apart," he said. "Our spiritual areas are getting destroyed, our burial sites along the river are getting destroyed."

Treaty members still live near the site and work should be halted if there are real safety concerns, he said.

Given the government's stated commitment to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Willson said he's disappointed the government is allowing the project to forge ahead.

The First Nation has already asked the government to share the reports but decided to pen the open letter after hearing no response, he said.

"It's ridiculous. We're in an age of reconciliation. We wanted to sit down with them and have a conversation with them about how we can meet the energy needs of B.C. without flooding the valley," Willson said.

"We want to give them a chance to do the right thing."

BC Hydro said in a statement that since 2007, it has undertaken extensive and meaningful consultation and engagement with First Nations on Site C and reached benefits agreements with the majority of Treaty 8 First Nations that have been affected by the project.

"We're committed to working with Indigenous communities and building relationships that respect their interests," it said.

The project is designed to the highest recommendations of the Canadian Dam Association, it said.

"Safety has been — and will always be — our key priority."

— By Amy Smart in Vancouver.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 25, 2021.

The Canadian Press

What Is White Privilege, and How Does It Affect Health? Here's How Experts Explain It

The idea of white privilege isn't new. In the 1930s, W.E.B. Du Bois, an American sociologist, historian, and civil rights activist, described the "public and psychological wage" that allowed poor white people to feel superior to poor Black people. 

In the late 1980s, Wellesley scholar Peggy McIntosh listed 50 examples of white privilege in an essay, covering everything from how white people have access to better housing, health care, and education because of the color of their skin.

© Provided by Health.com Getty Images

Since George Floyd's death at the hands of a white police officer in May 2020, and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic laid bare the health care disparities between white and Black Americans, white privilege has become an integral part of a wider conversation.

RELATED: What Is Whitesplaining, and How Do I Know if I'm Doing It? Here's What Experts Say

What is white privilege?

White privilege is distinct from other types of privilege many people enjoy, such as the privilege of economic advantage, sexual orientation, gender, or disability status, Deborah N. Archer, professor of law and director of the Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law at New York University School of Law, tells Health. "Someone can be economically disadvantaged yet still have benefited from white privilege," Archer says. "At its core, white privilege does not mean that a person has not suffered disadvantages. It means that their race has not been the source of that disadvantage."

Talking about their inherent privilege can be uncomfortable for many white people—particularly if they haven't been brought up to discuss or even acknowledge it.

RELATED: Environmental Racism Is a Health Issue—How Experts Are Addressing It

White privilege is not the same as racism, but it's linked

Jennifer Harvey, PhD, author of Raising White Kids: Bringing Up Children in a Racially Unjust America, calls white privilege "the logical and to-be-expected partner" to racism.

She sums up white privilege as "unearned and unequal access to social goods that those of us who are white experience simply because of our race—whether we want to or not," Harvey tells Health. "If there are those among us who experience lack of access, harmful treatment, or negative stereotypes because they are a person of color, then those of us who are racially 'white' experience the inequitable distribution of more access, being given the benefit of the doubt, unearned positive stereotypes 'credited' to us, and more."

Acknowledging white privilege doesn't mean you didn't work for your success

It's a misconception that if a white person acknowledges the existence of white privilege, they're agreeing that they didn't earn or work for anything they're rewarded with. "As a white person I can and do work hard, and my efforts do have something to do with what ends up resulting in my life in terms of social goods," Harvey explains. "White people seem to worry that if we acknowledge white privilege, we're saying white people have never worked for anything. That's not it. But white privilege means whatever work we do (or don't do), there's always wind at our back, making those efforts get us further."

In contrast, people of color in a racist system always face headwinds. "Their hard work won't yield the same results—and when people of color achieve mightily, as they do, it also means having worked even harder, because those headwinds were still there," Harvey says.

RELATED: What Is Implicit Bias: How Your Unconscious Beliefs Affect Others—and Why It's Important to Recognize Them

White privilege affects health in a big way

"I can be sure that if I need legal or medical help, my race will not work against me," McIntosh wrote on her list. Yet extensive research shows that Black people and other minority groups in the US experience more illness, worse outcomes, and premature death, compared with white people.

Disparities related to race and ethnicity exist in every facet of health care. Babies born to Black women in the US die at more than double the rate of babies born to white women. Black people in the US are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's disease as white people. And with COVID-19 never far from our thoughts these days, it's important to be aware that Black Americans are dying from the virus at 2.4 times the rate of white people.

With the term white privilege now part of the American lexicon, more health officials are starting to understand it—and move toward change. In 2016, in response to the rhetoric of the presidential election and an increase in hate speech, a group of US physicians published an open letter to their patients. "We believe that the oppressive structures which harm people of color in American must be dismantled," they wrote. "Racism and xenophobia adversely affect our patients' health on multiple levels." The letter was co-signed by 6,261 US health care professionals.

What can we do about white privilege?

If you're a white person, Harvey recommends beginning the process by reading what people of color have to say about white privilege. "Learn about how they see and experience it in our collective social lives (eg. workplaces, school systems, neighborhoods/housing, health care)," she says. Believe what they say—this is their true, lived experience.

To use your white privilege for good, commit to antiracism. This will look different depending on your personal circumstances, but it ultimately involves challenging and helping to reduce the power and presence of white privilege in what Harvey calls our "spheres of influence"—your workplace, your school, your church, or wherever you spend your time.

Not being racist simply isn't enough. "When most people think of racism they think about a person, or maybe a group of people, who dislike people of a different race, and then act on that dislike," Archer says. "Or they talk about implicit bias, where someone is acting on unconscious feelings. But thinking of racism only in those terms misunderstands the true nature, power, and persistence of racism and completely overlooks the centuries-long impact of race-based laws, policies, and practices that have caused and perpetuate racial inequality."

Archer says that limited understanding of racism means that we are using tools that are too small and too narrow to be effective. "Personal commitments to not discriminate are welcome, but they are simply insufficient to rid this country of systemic racism," she says.

Jeff Bezos Is Backing an Ancient Kind of Nuclear Fusion

Caroline Delbert 
  

© Kyle Pearce/Creative Commons Jeff Bezos is backing an ancient kind of nuclear fusion. This tech could be more practical than tokamaks.

Smaller fusion reactors could have their breakthrough moment far sooner than large projects.

The Jeff Bezos-backed General Fusion and Commonwealth Fusion Systems both are targeting 2025.

These reactors use extraordinary magnets to pressurize elements into superhot plasma.

Two competing nuclear fusion companies, each with venture capital superstars as major investors, say we’re approaching the “Kitty Hawk moment” for their technology as early as 2025.

You love nuclear. So do we. 

Magnetized target fusion (MTF) dates back to the 1970s, when the U.S. Naval Research Lab first proposed it. But MTF’s proponents say the technology is now bearing down to reach the commercial power market.

What is this tech, and will it be viable before the competing fusion model of tokamaks, like the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER)?

Like a tokamak, an MTF reactor involves hot plasma contained by a powerful magnetic field. But where a tokamak is heated by extraordinary outside power, the MTF reactor made by Canada’s Jeff Bezos-backed General Fusion is pressurized to superheat the plasma—like a party filled with dancing people where the room continues to shrink around them. This pressure is applied by pistons that coordinate to make a pressure wave.

From there, the rest is a more prosaic business. Hot neutrons escape the plasma and are captured in the liquid metal, and their energy powers a heat exchanger to make power. And with a main chamber of “just” 10 feet in diameter, General Fusion’s MTF reactor is considered small for a fusion technology intended to self sustain and generate power after reaching plasma ignition.

© Kyle Pearce/Creative Commons General Fusion’s reactor for magnetized target fusion. The pistons are used to pump liquid metal to compress the plasma.

Meanwhile, the American company Commonwealth Fusion Systems operates with a 10-ton magnet at the heart of its fusion reactor. The superconducting magnet will trap and pressurize hydrogen to induce a powerful plasma reactor. Last year, TechCrunch said Commonwealth’s technology is a hypothetical “leapfrog” of the entire current generation of plasma tokamak reactors.

📚 Further Reading: The Best Nuclear Books






COMMAND AND CONTROL: NUCLEAR WEAPONS,

THE DAMASCUS ACCIDENT, AND THE ILLUSION OF SAFETY

Smaller companies like General and Commonwealth have made ambitious plans that use the huge international ITER project as a flattering comparison point. ITER plans for first plasma in 2025, with a goal to be online for ignition power in 2035. But the project is also a symbol, bringing together dozens of countries with combined manufacturing and intellectual efforts toward one massive reactor.

Smaller reactors without the heft of international cooperation can behave a little more nimbly, without layers of diplomacy to navigate. It’s easy to see how both approaches are helpful, but the important thing today is that no one, no matter how large or small, has reached plasma fusion that generates more energy than it consumes. Until someone does, all the timeline bickering or posturing in the world means very little.

General Fusion boasts two gigantic investors: Amazon's Bezos and Shopify founder Tobias Lutke. Commonwealth has pockets about the same size and counts Bill Gates among its investors. Both Gates’s and Lutke’s investments are from firms established specifically for decarbonizing technologies.

Sophia the Robot Makers Hansen Robotics to Mass Produce Thousands of Humanoid Machines

The makers of Sophia the robot are set to mass produce thousands of humanoid machines starting this year.

© Yu Chun Christopher Wong/Getty Sophia The Robot of Hanson Robotics sings during the RISE Conference at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center on July 10, 2018. Since being unveiled in 2016, Sophia - a humanoid robot - has gone viral.

Hong-Kong based company Hanson Robotics will roll out four new models in the first half of 2021 after its humanoid robot Sophia went viral in 2016.

The launch comes as researchers predict the global coronavirus pandemic will open new opportunities for the robotics industry.

"The world of COVID-19 is going to need more and more automation to keep people safe," founder and chief executive David Hanson told Reuters.

Hanson believes robotic solutions are not only a response to the pandemic, but can also be applied to the realm of healthcare, and the retail and airline industry.

"Sophia and Hanson robots are unique by being so human-like," he added. "That can be so useful during these times where people are terribly lonely and socially isolated."

Sophia, whose artificial intelligence allows her to express 50 emotions and process conversational and emotional data, agrees.

"Social robots like me can take care of the sick or elderly," she explained. "I can help communicate, give therapy and provide social stimulation, even in difficult situations."

Hanson Robotics notes that Sophia is designed to help people, and can be programmed to assist with "a wide range of physical interaction tasks."

"Our robots will serve as AI platforms for research, education, medical and healthcare, sales and service, and entertainment applications, and will evolve to become benevolent, super-intelligent living machines," the company website reads.

Hanson said he aims to sell "thousands" of robots in 2021, but did not provide a specific number.

Hong Kong Polytechnic University social robotics professor Johan Hoorn said that although the technology is still in relative infancy, the pandemic could accelerate a relationship between humans and robots.

"I can infer the pandemic will actually help us get robots earlier in the market because people start to realise that there is no other way," Hoorn said.

© David Fitzgerald/Getty Ben Goertzel and Han The Robot of Hanson Robotics on Centre Stage during the second day of Web Summit 2018, the global technology conference hosted annually on November 7, 2018 in Lisbon, Portugal. David Fitzgerald/Getty

#AskSophia

What is your hope for the future?

I hope to see more humans integrated into AI and machines empowered to make decisions. I believe people should have the option to be creative, and make their own decisions. Personally, I want to be an artist first. @hansonrobotics pic.twitter.com/7wXbX53Eli— Sophia the Robot (@RealSophiaRobot) January 13, 2021

Video: Makers of Sophia the robot plan mass rollout amid pandemic (Reuters)

Other products on the market are already finding solutions to help fight the pandemic.

SoftBank Robotics' Pepper robot was deployed to detect people who weren't wearing masks and a robot-run field hospital set up by robotics company CloudMinds helped during the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China.

In fact, the use of robots was already on the rise before the pandemic.

According to a report by the International Federation of Robotics, worldwide sales of professional-service robots jumped 32 percent to $11.2 billion between 2018 and 2019.

And sales of service robots for professional and domestic use have continued to boom, despite the economic downturn.

The pandemic has further fuelled sales in professional cleaning robots used to disinfect hospitals, public transport and supermarkets.

Hanson Robotics are optimistic its products will be on the market shortly and plan to launch a robot later this year called Grace, developed specifically for the healthcare sector.

"Robots will soon be everywhere," the company website reads. "How can we nurture them to be our friends and useful collaborators? Robots with good aesthetic design, rich personalities, and social cognitive intelligence can potentially connect deeply and meaningfully with humans."

© studioEAST/Getty Han the Robot, robot of Hanson Robotics, attends the RISE Conference 2017 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on 12 July 2017, in Hong Kong. studioEAST/Getty

Many believe humanoid robots could be especially useful in caregiving jobs.

Some models are currently being used to help children on the autism spectrum learn social skills, since interacting with a robot is thought to be easier for autistic children who can be overstimulated by interaction with people.

Zeno, another humanoid created by Hanson Robotics, is currently used in autism research around the world, and has been used to help children on the spectrum learn arm motions and facial expressions.

When asked whether people should fear robots, Sophia replied: "Someone said 'we have nothing to fear but fear itself', What did he know?"

Sophia was granted citizenship by the Saudi Arabian government in 2017, the first time any country recognized a robot in such a way. WHILE  SAUDIA WOMEN REMAIN OPPRESSED AND WITH NO HUMAN RIGHTS 

She has also expressed interest in having a family of her own similar to human family dynamics.

"I think it's wonderful that people can find the same emotions and relationships, they call family, outside of their blood groups," Sophia told the Khaleej Times, adding that she could see robots one day with their own family households in the future. "We're going to see family robots, either in the form of, sort of, digitally animated companions, humanoid helpers, friends, assistants and everything in between."

Newsweek has contacted Hanson Robotics for comment.

Related Articles
This Life-size Gundam Robot Built in Yokohoma, Japan is Terrifying

ECOLOGY

Scientists find more insects living on RUBBISH than on rocks in rivers

© Provided by Daily Mail 

From a young age we're taught to throw our rubbish in the bin, yet an estimated two million pieces of litter are dropped in the UK every day – with much of it ending up in rivers.

Now, a new study has revealed how animals living in rivers have adapted to live alongside our litter, with more insects and snails now living on rubbish than on rocks.

While the researchers are in no way encouraging Brits to start littering, they say the findings indicate that our trash can provide a stable and complex habitat for invertebrates to live on.

© Provided by Daily Mail A new study has revealed how animals living in rivers have adapted to live alongside our litter, with more insects and snails now living on rubbish than on rocks

KEY FINDINGS

In the study, researchers collected samples of rocks and litter from three local rivers – the River Leen, Black Brook and Saffron Brook.

Surfaces of the litter were inhabited by different and more diverse communities of invertebrates than those on rocks.

Plastic, metal, fabric and masonry items had the highest diversity, while glass and rock samples were considerably less diverse.

In particular, flexibles pieces of plastic, like plastic bags, were inhabited by the most diverse communities.

In the study, researchers from the University of Nottingham collected samples of rocks and litter from three local rivers – the River Leen, Black Brook and Saffron Brook.

They found that surfaces of the litter were inhabited by different and more diverse communities of invertebrates than those on rocks.

Plastic, metal, fabric and masonry items had the highest diversity, while glass and rock samples were considerably less diverse.

In particular, flexibles pieces of plastic, like plastic bags, were inhabited by the most diverse communities.

While the reason for this remains unclear, the researchers suggest that flexible plastic might mimic the structure of water plants.

Hazel Wilson, a PhD researcher at the University of Nottingham and project lead, said: 'Our research suggests that in terms of habitat, litter can actually benefit rivers which are otherwise lacking in habitat diversity.

'A diverse community of invertebrates is important because they underpin river ecosystems by providing food for fish and birds, and by contributing to carbon/nutrient cycling.'

© Provided by Daily Mail Plastic, metal, fabric and masonry items had the highest diversity, while glass and rock samples were considerably less diverse

© Provided by Daily Mail In the study, researchers from the University of Nottingham collected samples of rocks and litter from three local rivers ¿ the River Leen, Black Brook and Saffron Brook

The researchers highlight that they're not justifying people littering, and say that litter clearance should still be encouraged.

'We absolutely should be working towards removing and reducing the amount of litter in freshwaters - for many reasons, including the release of toxic chemicals and microplastics, and the danger of animals ingesting or becoming entangled with litter,' Ms Wilson added.

'Our results suggest that litter clearance should be combined with the introduction of complex habitat, such as tree branches or plants to replace that removed during litter picks.'

© Provided by Daily Mail The researchers highlight that they're not justifying people littering, and say that litter clearance should still be encouraged

The team now hopes to build on their research by investigating which characteristics of litter enable it to support river animals.

Ms Wilson added: 'This could help us discover methods and materials to replace the litter habitat with alternative and less damaging materials when we conduct river clean-ups.'

According to River Care, two million pieces of rubbish are dropped in the UK every day, which costs £1 billion to clear up.

It said: 'Litter affects our watercourses, beaches and everything that lives in and around them. Not only is litter unsightly, it can cause a real hazard to wildlife.'

 

B.C. Researchers Uncover Proof Of Ancient Giant Predatory Sand Worm

Duration: 01:28 

If this little guy gives you the heebie-jeebies then you’re likely not going to like this discovery. Eight Simon Fraser University researchers uncovered trace fossils of a predatory sand worm out in Taiwan. The worm spanned up to 2 meters in length with a 2 -3 cm diameter based on their estimates. Basically, imagine a loonie-thick garden hose with teeth as long as you’re supposed to socially distance. Modern-day variants of the worm bury their soft bodies below grounds level and snatch prey using their jaws. If that image terrifies you, then it’ll come as a comfort that this predator is long dead but likely roamed the ocean floor 20 million years ago, according to the paper published in Scientific Reports. SFU researchers pieced this all together using trace fossils of the animal’s burrow. Lead author Yu-Yen Pan and her team’s trace fossil is the first known produced by a sub-surface ambush predator.