2nd October 2023

New telescope with 4x resolution of James Webb

Work has begun on the seventh and final mirror of the Giant Magellan Telescope, which is expected to provide four times the image resolution of previous observatories.

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29th September 2023

Supercontinent predicted to make Earth uninhabitable in 250m years

A study on Pangaea Ultima finds that the hypothetical supercontinent will make Earth uninhabitable for most forms of life in 250 million years, due to extreme temperatures.

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28th September 2023

UK to deploy its first military laser

A high-energy laser weapon developed by Raytheon is now operationally ready and will be integrated onto the UK's Wolfhound military vehicle.

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27th September 2023

Genetically modified bacteria break down plastics in saltwater

A genetically engineered marine microorganism is shown to break down PET in saltwater. This plastic, used in everything from water bottles to clothing, is a significant contributor to microplastic pollution in oceans.

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25th September 2023

Palm oil alternative is better for health and environment

A new palm oil substitute called PALM-ALT is shown to be healthier, as well as 70% better for the environment than conventional palm oil and is described as "the holy grail to replace it."

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23rd September 2023

Extinction risk for largest flower

The iconic genus Rafflesia, which includes the world's largest flower, is reportedly at risk of extinction due to habitat loss.

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21st September 2023

X-ray laser could transform atomic-scale research

A major upgrade of the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) has been completed. This latest version is 8,000 times faster and 10,000 times brighter, enabling scientists to observe molecular events in unprecedented detail.

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20th September 2023

World's first factory for humanoid robots

A new factory will produce the human-centric, multi-purpose robot "Digit" at scale in the U.S.

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19th September 2023

Lithium deposit in U.S. volcano could be world's largest

Geologists report the discovery of what may be the largest known deposit of lithium, located in the crater of a dormant volcano along the Nevada–Oregon border, and estimated to contain up to 40 million tonnes of the metal.

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18th September 2023

New record length for quantum coherence

A new record time for quantum coherence is reported, with a single-photon qubit encoded for 34 milliseconds. This is 55% longer than the previous record set in 2020.

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15th September 2023

2030 – High-speed rail begins in California

[Updated and moved from 2029 to 2030, based on a new reference]

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12th September 2023

California moves forward with high-speed rail plans

The United States' first 220 mph electrified trains could be in operation by 2030.

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10th September 2023

AI training models will be "1,000x larger in three years"

DeepMind co-founder Mustafa Suleyman predicts that AI will continue its exponential progress, with orders-of-magnitude growth in model training sizes over the next few years.

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7th September 2023

2075 – Meat consumption is declining globally

By 2075, human consumption of meat has finally peaked and is declining globally.

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4th September 2023

Low-oxygen planets may impede advanced civilisations

Astrobiologists theorise that low-oxygen planets would be unlikely to produce advanced civilisations, as the discovery of fire requires easy access to open air combustion, which is only possible when oxygen partial pressure is above 18%.

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31st August 2023

Huge new offshore wind project approved in U.S.

The U.S. Department of the Interior has announced its approval of the Revolution Wind project. Located off the coast of Rhode Island, it will supply 704 megawatts (MW) of clean energy, more than 16 times the current offshore wind capacity of the United States.

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26th August 2023

Particles hint at fifth fundamental force

Scientists at Fermilab report the most precise measurement yet of the magnetic moment of the muon. These particles are shown to wobble faster than predicted by the Standard Model, hinting at a possible fifth fundamental force.

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23rd August 2023

2027 – Bougainville becomes an independent country

Following an independence referendum held in 2019, a self-governing region of Papua New Guinea breaks away in 2027 to form the world's newest country.

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21st August 2023

Wind-powered cargo ship sets sail

New, ground-breaking wind technology has the potential to decarbonise large cargo vessels, which are currently responsible for about 2% of global emissions.

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19th August 2023

2004

Various new entries added for the year 2004.

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16th August 2023

Megaton-scale direct air capture (DAC) projects announced in U.S.

Two gigantic new DAC facilities are being developed in the U.S., which together could remove millions of metric tons of CO2 from the atmosphere each year. These projects are the largest ever investment in engineered carbon removal.

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13th August 2023

2028 – NEO Surveyor hunts for potentially hazardous asteroids

NEO Surveyor is a space-based infrared telescope, designed to survey the Solar System for potentially hazardous asteroids.

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9th August 2023

2031 – Generative AI is a trillion-dollar market

By 2031, the market for generative AI has seen a nearly 50-fold increase compared with a decade earlier, growing from $23bn to over a trillion dollars annually.

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6th August 2023

2057 – Collapse of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC)

Today, in 2057, a complete shutdown of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation is underway. Its collapse is one of the biggest climate tipping points of the 21st century.

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2nd August 2023

Aging process slows when older mice share circulatory system of young

A process of surgically joining the circulatory systems of a young and old mouse slows the aging process at the cellular level and lengthens the lifespan of the older animal by up to 10%.

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