Telescope #99

“The road split into two in the forest, I chose the less traveled path. That made the difference.”? Frost

SUSTAINABILITY

• Claudia Sheinbaum, of the ruling party Morena, is projected to become Mexico's first woman president after a landslide victory in Sunday's election, according to a quick count by the country's electoral commission. Sheinbaum, a climate scientist and formerly the head of Mexico City's government, beat opposition candidate Xóchitl Gálvez, a former senator from a coalition called Fuerza y Corazón por México. DETAIL

• Nations gathered at mid-year UN climate talks in Bonn, Germany, should make “serious progress” towards setting a new climate finance goal for after 2025, according to Simon Stiell, the head of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Climate Home News reports. DETAIL
• With the "Women's Support Package in Export" implemented by Odeabank and HDI, export companies with marketing distribution will be provided with affordable resources under HDI guarantee. DETAIL
• The 2024 Paris Olympics aren't just about sports but aim to showcase sustainable food, too. With over 13 million meals to be served during the Olympic and Paralympic Games, organizers see a monumental opportunity to spotlight cuisine that's not just delectable but also comes with a lower environmental impact. DETAIL

• Chemicals in most sunscreens can kill or bleach coral, even at extremely low concentrations. And an estimated 14,000 tons of sunscreen enter waterways every year. The problem is especially acute in areas with heavy tourism and recreation. While reef-safe sunscreens are slowly gaining market share, a new formulation called Reef Relief goes a step further with ingredients that actively support coral health. DETAIL

• Unilever, USAID, and EY unite to form the CIRCLE Alliance, aiming to reduce plastic waste and promote circular economies. The initiative focuses on supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs in the plastics value chain to scale sustainable solutions. DETAIL
• Global investment in clean energy technology and infrastructure is set to hit $2 trillion this year, twice the amount going into fossil fuels, an International Energy Agency report showed. Total energy investment is expected to exceed $3 trillion for the first time in 2024, the IEA said in its annual World Energy Investment report. DETAIL

HEALTH

• The world’s first clinical trial to administer gene therapy to both ears in children born with inherited deafness has been conducted. More than 26 million people worldwide are born with congenital deafness. Unfortunately, no pharmaceutical drugs or treatments are available today to cure genetic deafness. This innovative gene therapy experiment has shown promise in recovering hearing in both ears affected by OTOF gene mutations that cause autosomal deafness. DETAIL

• Sony Group Corporation (Sony) today announced the development of a microsurgery assistance robot capable of automatic surgical instrument exchange and precision control. The prototype will be unveiled at the Sony booth during the 2024 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA2024), which opens in Yokohama on May 13. Watch the video...

DIGITAL / TECHNOLOGY / SCIENCE / AI

• Researchers at Huazhong University of Science and Technology have achieved a significant breakthrough in emotion recognition technology, introducing a novel system that could transform the way we interact with machines and monitor mental health. The new technology, known as Domain Generalization and Residual Network-Based Emotion Recognition from Physiological Signals (DGR-ERPS), leverages complex physiological signals to accurately determine human emotions. DETAIL
• TikTok is working on a clone of its recommendation algorithm for its 170 million U.S. users that may result in a version that operates independently of its Chinese parent and be more palatable to American lawmakers who want to ban it, according to sources with direct knowledge of the efforts. DETAIL
• AMD, Broadcom, Cisco, Google, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), Intel, Meta and Microsoft today announced they have aligned to develop a new industry standard dedicated to advancing high-speed and low latency communication for scale-up AI systems linking in Data Centers. DETAIL
• Pop-culture powerhouse Japan wants to expand its overseas market for video games, manga and anime fourfold to $130 billion in about a decade, the government has said. DETAIL
• Xiaomi plans to integrate its humanoid robot CyberOne in its manufacturing process. Xiaomi unveiled the CyberOne, its first humanoid robot in 2022, which is reportedly equipped with high power density actuators. It joins the company's Cyber series robots – the CyberDog and CyberDog 2. Watch the video...

• MIT creates coin-sized 3D printer that can fit in your palm. It could enable clinicians to create custom medical device components and allow engineers to produce rapid prototypes directly at job sites. DETAIL

• China's ByteDance, parent of social media app TikTok, plans to invest around 10 billion ringgit ($2.13 billion) to set up an artificial intelligence hub in Malaysia, the country's trade minister said on Friday. DETAIL

ENERGY / TRANSPORTATION

• In collaboration with Nepalese Airlift, 8KRAW, and local guides, DJI has completed the world’s first drone delivery on Mount Everest. Conducted in April this year, the test serves as proof of concept for using drones to deliver supplies to mountaineers rapidly and safely. This remarkable feat was achieved using DJI’s FlyCart 30, which has a maximum carrying capacity of 33 pounds (15 kg). The drone needed to carry the load safely and under extreme conditions at high altitudes. The FlyCart 30 carried three oxygen bottles and three pounds (1.5 kg) of other supplies during the tests. It was flown from Everest Base Camp, at 17,389 feet (5,300 meters) above sea level, to Camp 1 which is at 19,685 feet (6,000 meters) above sea level. Watch the video...

• China announced that it has commissioned the world's largest solar power plant.? The facility, built on an area of 200,000 decares, will produce 6.09 billion kWh of electricity annually with a size of 5 GW. DETAIL
• Archer Aviation gets the green light to operate an electric air taxi service / The electric vertical takeoff and landing company is only the second firm to receive Part 135 certification from the FAA. DETAIL

• New water-based heat pump delivers 400% more heat than the energy it uses. SeaWarm’s heat pump can harness energy from any water body, offering a more sustainable solution for powering homes and businesses. DETAIL

CYBERSECURITY

• The FBI's multi-year investigation into the ransomware group Lockbit has resulted in a website takedown, arrests, dozens of criminal charges, and now the retrieval of over 7,000 decryption keys. The federal agency is now looking to help any Lockbit victims and encourages anyone who thinks their data may have been seized to contact the FBI. DETAIL
• Apple is reportedly going to shake up the password manager market by launching its own app. The app, dubbed Password, will make its debut at next week's Worldwide Developers Conference, according to Bloomberg. DETAIL

HUMAN / CURIOSITY

• A digital accessory for a video-game gun sold for more than $1 million on Wednesday, according to the brokers, marking one of the biggest such purchases ever. An anonymous buyer acquired the Counter-Strike 2 digital enhancement, known as a skin, after topping two rivals’ bids of $1 million, one broker said. The rare gun accessory features wood details and a blue-and-yellow tie-dye design. DETAIL