Telescope #136

SUSTAINABILITY

• Turkey's first "Climate Law Proposal" was presented to the Presidency of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. The proposal, which aims to combat climate change with a green growth climate and a net zero emission budget, includes activities to reduce greenhouse emissions and adapt to climate change, planning and implementation tools, revenues, permits and inspections, and the procedures of the legal and institutional framework related to these, which are essential in combating climate change. DETAIL

• UNFCCC will organise two “Climate Weeks” a year, with a new format more closely focused on turbo-charging talks on key issues including climate finance, the “just transition” away from fossil fuels and the development of carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. The events aim to assemble government negotiators, technical experts and representatives from civil society and business with the goal of building political momentum and accelerating progress ahead of the year’s main negotiating sessions usually held in Bonn in June and the headline COPs in November. DETAIL
• US state department officials have been denied permission to participate in an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) meeting in China next week, Axios reported. A contract for an IPCC working group technical support unit was also “recently terminated by NASA”, it added. Axios also reported that NASA and NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) are in line for a “10% reduction in staff”, which could “imperil” the work of the National Weather Service. DETAIL
• To help meet the cost of moving about 10,000 residents from low-lying homes menaced by rising sea levels and floods, the remote Pacific Ocean nation of Nauru aims to sell citizenships for the climate-threatened island. DETAIL

• The Social Security Institution increased the support amount provided to mothers with children aged 0-36 months, under the EDUCARE II Project supported by the European Union, from 325 Euros to 510 Euros, on the condition that they employ a trained caregiver. DETAIL
• The Kültepe excavations, where archaeological findings and documents dating the history of Kayseri back 6 thousand years were unearthed, also shed light on important information about the history of Anatolia. The research showed that the climate change seen in northern Syria 4,200 years ago was also experienced in Anatolia. DETAIL
• Disposable plastic containers could be leaching dangerous chemicals into your takeaway food, potentially increasing your risk of cardiovascular disease. DETAIL

• Ice loss from the world's glaciers has accelerated over the past decade, scientists said on Wednesday, warning that melting may be faster than previously expected in the coming years and drive sea levels higher. In a first-of-its-kind global assessment, an international team of researchers found a sharp increase in melting over the past decade, with around 36 percent more ice lost in the 2012 to 2023 period than in the years from 2000 to 2011. DETAIL

HEALTH

• AI chipmaker Nvidia and research partners have created what they call the largest artificial intelligence system yet for biological research, the company said on Wednesday, aiming to speed up breakthroughs in medicine and genetics. DETAIL

• A new study suggests afternoon naps boost the brain's problem-solving skills, with rapid eye movement (REM) sleep – the dreaming stage of sleep, theoretically linked to storing memories and processing emotions – particularly important. DETAIL
• The humble mushroom is a fungi with plenty of potential. Previous research has shown mushrooms can reduce depression risk, improve brain cell growth, and guard against cancer – and a new study shows they may protect against influenza too. DETAIL

DIGITAL / TECHNOLOGY / SCIENCE / ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

• Microsoft has unveiled Majorana 1, the world’s first quantum processor built using topological core architecture, an innovative and completely new type of material for quantum processors. The company plans to develop a fault-tolerant prototype (FTP) of a scalable quantum computer over the next few years, a press release shared with Interesting Engineering said. DETAIL

• Crunchbase will abandon its roots as a historical data provider to become an AI-powered predictions engine that forecasts startup funding rounds, acquisitions and company growth trajectories. The San Francisco-based company announced today it will relaunch its platform with AI models that can predict future business events with up to 95% accuracy, betting that artificial intelligence will fundamentally reshape how investors and companies make decisions about private markets. DETAIL
• Chinese scientists have made a major leap in optical imaging with a new laser technology capable of capturing ultra-high-resolution images over vast distances. The powerful system could redefine global surveillance capabilities, potentially enabling Beijing to observe foreign military satellites in unprecedented detail or even identify human faces from low-Earth orbit. DETAIL
• Meta reportedly plans to develop software that can power robots built by other companies—like Android does for smartphones—rather than launching its own Meta-branded robot. DETAIL
• Developed by researchers in England and Scotland, the artificial intelligence system called Intellipig aims to detect signs of stress or possible pain by analyzing the facial expressions of pigs. Scientists at the University of the West of England Bristol and Scotland’s Rural College say this system can be used to improve animal welfare on farms. The artificial intelligence can report possible discomfort to farmers by examining the eye, ear and mouth movements of pigs. DETAIL
• Perplexity AI, one of the leading players in the field of artificial intelligence, is introducing its new deep research feature. The tool aims to provide more comprehensive and professional answers to users' complex questions. With this step, Perplexity aims to gain strength in competition with giants such as OpenAI and Google. DETAIL
• Google has unveiled an experimental artificial intelligence system that “uses advanced reasoning to help scientists synthesize vast amounts of literature, generate novel hypotheses, and suggest detailed research plans”, according to its press release. “The idea with [the] ‘AI co-scientist’ is to give scientists superpowers,” says Alan Karthikesalingam at Google. The tool, which doesn’t have an official name yet, builds on Google’s Gemini large language models. When a researcher asks a question or specifies a goal – to find a new drug, say – the tool comes up with initial ideas within 15 minutes. Researchers who have been given access to it are enthusiastic about its potential, but it isn't yet clear whether it can make truly novel discoveries. DETAIL

ENERGY / TRANSPORTATION

• Toyota has unveiled its third-generation fuel cell system, which is intended for passenger cars, commercial vehicles, trains, ships, and stationary applications. The market launch is planned for 2026. DETAIL

• A Chinese research team has developed a unique method that could help used lithium-ion batteries regain near factory-fresh capacity and performance, China Media Group (CMG) reported on Thursday. The findings of the research team from Fudan University in Shanghai were published in the academic journal Nature on Wednesday. DETAIL

• A team of researchers from Fraunhofer FFB and the German University of Münster has analysed the ownership structures and geopolitical dependencies along the supply chain for electric car batteries. The results of the study show that China is clearly in the lead when it comes to securing raw materials. DETAIL
• Anadolu Isuzu announced that it has started mass production of its small electric pickup truck, BIG.e, developed for last-mile transportation. DETAIL

CURIOSITY

• In the latest wave of the U.S. bureaucracy reduction campaign led by U.S. President Donald Trump along with Elon Musk, who financed his investment, more than 9,500 employees from the Departments of Energy, Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Health, and Human Services were laid off on Friday. DETAIL
• Taiwan faces rising labor shortages in semiconductor factories. Some openings are filled by high-school and college students who work as interns, doing basic operations and maintenance. The students need to go back to university to qualify for higher-skilled engineering positions. DETAIL
• With the new regulation planned to be valid in the EU, driving license holders are only planned to drive until the age of 75. Accordingly, it has been shown that the loss of reflexes experienced by the elderly can lead to traffic accidents, and the reaction delay in this situation has occurred in many cases. DETAIL
• Archaeologists have discovered a king's tomb for the first time in 100 years after the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb. The tomb of King Tuthmosis II, who reigned approximately 3,500 years ago, was found in the Valley of the Kings in West Luxor, Egypt. The ruins, which are considered the most important discovery of recent years, offer important clues about the pharaoh period! DETAIL