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Overnight News Digest Science Saturday June 21st 2025 [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-06-21
x Every machine in a Hospital that diagnoses your body without cutting you open is based on a principle of Physics, discovered by a Physicist who had no interest in Medicine. If you think the world doesn’t need Basic Science, or that somehow Science has failed you, think again. — Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neildegrassetyson.com) 2025-06-17T11:22:49.382Z
Researchers announce game-changing breakthrough on quest to create new-age tree species: 'This is crucial'
Scientists have made a breakthrough in their mission to develop more sustainable, resilient gene-edited trees with a new technique that utilizes biotechnology to improve the genes of poplar trees without leaving behind any foreign DNA. According to a research summary from the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology, the development brings the world one step closer to eco-friendly forestry, as many countries regulate genetically modified organisms. Transgene-free editing, a process that introduces desired genetic changes into an organism without integrating the material used to make the edits, could simplify compliance and improve the efficiency and speed of breeding cycles.
Welcome to the Overnight News Digest with a crew consisting of founder Magnifico, regular editors side pocket, maggiejean, Chitown Kev, eeff, Magnifico, annetteboardman, Besame, jck, JeremyBloom, and doomandgloom. Alumni editors include (but not limited to) Interceptor 7, Man Oh Man (RIP), wader, Neon Vincent, palantir, Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse (RIP), ek hornbeck (RIP), rfall, ScottyUrb, Doctor RJ, BentLiberal, Oke (RIP) and jlms qkw. OND is a regular community feature on Daily Kos since 2007, consisting of news stories from around the world, sometimes coupled with a daily theme, original research or commentary. Editors of OND impart their own presentation styles and content choices, typically publishing each day near 12:00 AM Eastern Time. Please feel free to share your articles and stories in the comments.
Cutie!!
Scientists raise alarm as crucial coastal habitats face growing threat: 'The results are in'
Salt marshes are more than just ecosystems that house various species and protect against floods and erosion — they are vital tools in carbon neutrality. Despite their significant impact on keeping the planet healthy, a new report from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and insurance company Aviva reveals that some salt marshes are suffering because of rising sea levels. As a part of this research and collaboration, data was presented from Aviva's "carbon flux tower," or solar-powered towers that constantly measure the carbon dioxide exchange occurring between the atmosphere and the salt marshes. The company's findings show that salt marshes are carbon "sinks," or capable of storing more carbon than they produce.
Scientists develop game-changing method to generate energy from gentle breeze: 'What excites us most is the simplicity'
Researchers from India are demonstrating that harnessing wind power only requires a flutter. It's a stark contrast to the "world's largest" turbine accomplishments in China and elsewhere. "Yet, there is a quieter, more compact option: a slender strip of material fluttering in the breeze, capable of converting ambient airflow into usable electrical energy," the experts from the Indian Institutes of Technology wrote in a summary published by Tech Xplore. And while the small-scale breeze catchers won't be powering cities, the team said they could energize sensors and lights in remote settings and hard-to-reach areas.
US utility company makes history with plan for first-of-its-kind facility: 'Can also help America lead the world'
In a landmark move, the Tennessee Valley Authority became the first United States utility to seek a permit to build a small modular nuclear reactor. This exciting development could introduce a new generation of cleaner nuclear power. An SMR has the capacity to help the U.S. energy sector meet growing energy demands while reducing planet-warming pollution. As the Associated Press reported, the TVA submitted its construction permit application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The nation's largest public power company aims to develop an SMR at its Clinch River site in Oak Ridge.
MB will be trilled with this story
US firms join forces to test device that can generate mind-boggling amount of power: 'This provides an engineering foundation'
Two U.S. firms have teamed up to test a first-of-its-kind pulser module — a system designed to store electrical energy needed for nuclear fusion — that is capable of producing a whopping 2 terawatts of power. As Interesting Engineering reported, Pacific Fusion Corporation and General Atomics plan to test the module, which will deliver four times more power than the average of the entire U.S. electrical grid from a device that can fit inside a shipping container. If distributed on a commercial scale, the device has the potential to transform society and could lead to significantly lower energy bills and greater efficiency.
some day??
Startup unveils 'generation-defining' vehicle that looks straight out of sci-fi movie: 'Unlike anything else in the world'
It looks like something straight out of Blade Runner, but a new two-wheel electric vehicle from Lit Motors proves that truth is often better than fiction. In a recent video showcasing the prototype, Lit Motors founder and CEO Daniel Kim called the fully enclosed EV "a Ford Model T of the 21st century." The C-1, as it's named, is a "self-balancing car that's unlike anything else in the world," Kim said. With what Kim described as a "world-class team of automotive and robotics experts," Lit Motors has built several prototypes of the C-1 over the last decade. It has a nine-year production plan in progress, with a new beta prototype set to be ready by 2026, according to New Atlas.
x Fascinating. I'm just posting articles today of neat shit because regular life is just too much for me right now. — Ye Olde Punk (@nehoc.bsky.social) 2025-06-19T23:45:42.949Z
James Webb telescope ups the odds that 'city-killer' asteroid 2024 YR4 will hit the moon in 2032
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has taken its final look at the potentially hazardous asteroid 2024 YR4, at least until the potentially hazardous space rock darkens Earth's cosmic doorstep again in 2028. The latest observations reveal that, while Earth faces no risk of impact from the asteroid for the foreseeable future, the moon might not be so lucky. The new observations, taken with JWST's Near-Infrared Camera in May, allowed scientists to calculate the space rock's trajectory with the greatest precision yet, according to a NASA statement . The new predictions suggest there's a 4.3% chance that asteroid 2024 YR4 will collide with the moon on Dec. 22, 2032 — up from the 3.8% odds of a lunar impact reported after JWST initially imaged the space rock in March. "As data comes in, it is normal for the impact probability to evolve," NASA representatives wrote in the statement. "NASA expects to make further observations when the asteroid's orbit around the Sun brings it back into the vicinity of Earth in 2028. "
Mars orbiter captures 1st-ever pic of volcano above clouds. It’s taller than any on Earth
A NASA spacecraft that has been circling Mars for more than two decades recently spotted something it never has before in well over 100,000 orbits of the Red Planet. On a morning horizon in May, the Odyssey spacecraft caught a stunning glimpse of one of the planet's largest volcanoes peeking out above a canopy of clouds. Known as Arsia Mons, the volcano dwarfs Earth’s tallest volcanoes. Odyssey snapped some photos of the volcano in May, which NASA released in June in a blog post. Scientists at the U.S. space agency say the images provide far more than just a striking never-before-seen view of the Martian geography. In fact, studying the features detailed in Odyssey's photos could help NASA prepare for future crewed missions to Mars by better understanding the planet's weather and atmosphere.
Scientists make mind-blowing discovery after studying material that only exists exists for billionths of a second: 'Previously unimaginable'
Scientists have made liquid carbon in a lab for the first time, Interesting Engineering reported. Liquid carbon was thought to be impossible to study under normal conditions. The material only exists for billionths of a second under extreme pressure and temperatures of about 4,500 degrees Celsius, making this record-breaking technology limitless in its potential. Nuclear fusion, combining light atomic nuclei to release massive amounts of clean energy, has long been considered the holy grail of power generation. Fusion could change society by providing unlimited electricity without radioactive waste, helping cities, individuals, and companies save money compared to resource-intensive traditional energy methods.
Manufacturer launches game-changing battery technology that could revolutionize electric vehicles: 'Driving a paradigm shift'
The new Edge574 Blade Cell lithium battery offers revolutionary charging to make electric vehicles more convenient and efficient for everyone. Renewable Energy Magazine reported that ElevenEs, a European specialist in lithium iron phosphate battery technology, developed the new design. It offers intelligent charging, taking EV batteries from 10% to 80% in merely 12 minutes. For reference, the fastest DC chargers take 30-60 minutes to fill a battery to 80%. Level 1 charges can take the better part of a day. This next-gen battery cell has the power to charge 10 times faster than its rated capacity under the right conditions, per Inno Energy. At 77 degrees Fahrenheit, it charges at a rate of 41 miles per minute. At 50 degrees Fahrenheit, it's 27 miles per minute. And at 32 degrees Fahrenheit, it's 21 miles a minute.
A Spanish Lagoon Was Granted Legal Personhood. Then What Happened?
Mar Menor, a 135-square-kilometer (52-square-mile) lagoon in southern Spain, is the only ecosystem in Europe that can be named a victim in a legal case. In September 2022, the Spanish Senate granted the largest saltwater lagoon in the Mediterranean legal personhood. From then on, any human who wanted to help Mar Menor could represent it in court. For those in the budding Rights of Nature movement, who recognize the planet and all its ecosystems as living beings with inalienable rights, the Mar Menor victory was a breakthrough. The first body of water in Europe granted legal personhood, the move caught the region up to similar legal successes elsewhere, such as with Colombia’s Atrato River in 2016 and New Zealand’s Whanganui River in 2017. Protection for Mar Menor came after a series of mass die-offs ravaged the ecosystem. In 2016, excessive nutrient runoff triggered a massive algal bloom that turned parts of the lagoon a misty green and killed 85 percent of its marine vegetation. Then in 2019, and again in 2021, nutrient runoff stripped the lagoon of oxygen, suffocating thousands of fish and crustaceans, and littering its shores with creatures gasping for air.
Experts issue dire warning as growing crisis threatens iconic coastal highway: 'There used to be roads … that are no longer there'
A coastal California town has seen several key land stretches wash away into the ocean, and, if the city doesn't act soon, city officials fear large swaths could erode away forever. What's happening? Carlsbad, California, sits on the Pacific Ocean, about 30 miles north of San Diego. As Bloomberg reported, the city has seen coastal erosion send parking lot asphalt slabs tumbling into the ocean, leaving defunct drain pipes and former curbs exposed. "This coastline's eroding about six inches to a foot a year," Tom Frank, the city's transportation director and chief engineer, told Bloomberg. "There used to be roads along the coastline that are no longer there." Now, the city is trying to figure out how to protect its citizens and infrastructure from further erosion.
Scientists warn that greenhouse gas accumulation is accelerating and more extreme weather will come
Humans are on track to release so much greenhouse gas in less than three years that a key threshold for limiting global warming will be nearly unavoidable, according to a study to be released Thursday. The report predicts that society will have emitted enough carbon dioxide by early 2028 that crossing an important long-term temperature boundary will be more likely than not. The scientists calculate that by that point there will be enough of the heat-trapping gas in the atmosphere to create a 50-50 chance or greater that the world will be locked in to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) of long-term warming since preindustrial times. That level of gas accumulation, which comes from the burning of fuels like gasoline, oil and coal, is sooner than the same group of 60 international scientists calculated in a study last year. “Things aren’t just getting worse. They’re getting worse faster,” said study co-author Zeke Hausfather of the tech firm Stripe and the climate monitoring group Berkeley Earth. “We’re actively moving in the wrong direction in a critical period of time that we would need to meet our most ambitious climate goals. Some reports, there’s a silver lining. I don’t think there really is one in this one.”
A 'new star' has exploded into the night sky — and you can see it from North America
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