Good morning. It's Tuesday, Sept. 15, and welcome to this week's Science & Technology newsletter. First time reading? Sign up here or forward to share with friends.
Amid a new record ocean surface temperature, a forecast of a stronger-than-average El Niño, and a tie for the hottest month on record, we thought it worth starting this week's newsletter with a look at Earth's oceans, including where they came from, how they affect weather and climate, and why they're critical to life on this planet.
We're also breaking down the launch of Europe's first fully commercial orbital rocket, research into a drought early warning system, a hidden chamber at the Great Pyramid of Giza discovered using cosmic rays, and so much more.
Want to share your thoughts on this newsletter? Whether it's something you enjoyed learning about, potential improvements, or a suggested topic for a future issue, simply reply to this newsletter or email [email protected].
—Marco Daniel Machado, 1440 Science & Technology Section Editor
PS—Explore over 100 of our write-ups and thousands of fascinating insights and resources at 1440's hub for Science & Technology. |
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The Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Southern Oceans are the interconnected bodies of salt water that cover about 71% of Earth's surface. Containing 97% of the planet's surface water, oceans harbor an estimated 2 million marine species, including the photosynthetic algae that produce half of all atmospheric oxygen. The oceans buffer against abrupt climate change and regulate and redistribute moisture and solar energy through interactions with the atmosphere, supporting widespread planetary biodiversity.
> Who decided how to divide the world ocean into multiple oceans?
> The Southern Ocean's unique environment led to its recognition as the fifth ocean.
> Watch a breathtaking visualization of global ocean currents, as if seen from space.
The water that formed the oceans is hypothesized to have been expelled from Earth's interior by volcanoes before condensing as precipitation, though some may have been delivered by comets and asteroids. Geologic dating of rocks formed only during underwater eruptions or when sediments accumulated in underwater layers indicates that oceans formed at least 3.8 billion years ago. These underwater volcanoes, alongside runoff of minerals from eroded rocks, continue to add salts to seawater, which many organisms extract to build shells and skeletons.
> Earth's thick early atmosphere may have enabled the first oceans to be over 440 degrees Fahrenheit without boiling.
> Hot springs on the seafloor provide minerals that sustain rich underwater ecosystems kept warm by magma.
> Take an animated dive to the seafloor and view the animals that populate oceans.
By absorbing more than 90% of the excess thermal energy trapped by greenhouse gases, the oceans fuel extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, and can amplify climate patterns, such as El Niño. Oceans also absorb 30% of carbon dioxide emissions, with the resulting acidification threatening marine life, habitats, and food webs.
> The top several meters of the world's oceans can hold as much thermal energy as the entire atmosphere.
> Since the Industrial Revolution, surface ocean waters have become 30% more acidic.
Discover more:
> The world's ocean currents form a global conveyor belt that takes water about a thousand years to travel through.
> The names of Earth's oceans come from geography, Greek mythology, and Ferdinand Magellan.
> Is there any truth to viral videos that show two different-colored bodies of water meeting and claim that oceans do not mix?
Keep learning by exploring all our findings on Oceans here. |
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In partnership with The New England Center for Children |
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What If We’re Looking at Autism Too Late? |
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Early intervention for children with autism is critical, yet infants under six months rarely get the support they need because tools to spot autism haven’t existed. Subtle behavioral deficits like gaps in tracking eyes, social smiling, or cooing, can emerge in the first few months of life.
To bridge this gap, researchers at The New England Center for Children launched a study tracking high-risk infant siblings at weekly intervals. They are using these insights to develop the Early Markers of Autism (EMA), a screening tool designed to help pediatricians spot delays from birth to 18 months.
Though the EMA tool is still in its clinical validation phase, the research is already changing lives. By catching early markers and starting behavioral therapy as early as eight weeks old, symptomatic infants are catching up to typical neurodevelopment milestones. To learn more or help support their mission, click here. |
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1440 brings you the knowledge and context behind the week's stories:
A German company launched Europe's first fully commercial orbital rocket. (More)
> Watch the launch of the two-stage Spectrum vehicle from a Norwegian spaceport.
> ... and what does it mean for a rocket to have stages?
Australians will be able to opt out of social media algorithms, according to draft legislation, to boost online safety. (More)
> Research shows some social media algorithms intentionally push divisive content to bait users into engagement.
> See how an algorithm can train itself to create addictive feeds without human oversight.
The UN encouraged the use of equal-area projections for world maps after adopting the "Correct the Map" resolution in a 164-to-1 vote. (More)
> Learn about different types of world maps and why all of them have inaccuracies.
> Drag continents, countries, and more across this interactive map to compare the true sizes of regions worldwide. |
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Like all great researchers, we love spending time learning about the latest breakthroughs across science and technology. Here's what we found this week.
Analyzing water isotopes may provide an early warning system for droughts.
São Paulo Research Foundation | Staff. Water molecules containing different isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen have different weights, causing them to condense or evaporate at different rates and produce liquid water. Because the resulting isotope ratios correspond to distinct combinations of weather variables, water serves as a "fingerprint" for anticipating future meteorological conditions. (More)
> While water isotopes may be future-facing, we can infer past climate conditions by studying the isotope ratio of carbonate rocks.
> ... but what distinguishes isotopes from elements and ions?
A deep-sea protein assembles into groups of three to endure high pressures.
Kyushu University | Pidot Javier. To understand how some seafloor organisms can survive their extreme environment, researchers subjected a protein derived from a deep-sea bacterium to similar pressures and found it retained structural stability by forming a trimeric structure. The discovery may inform the development of similar light-responsive proteins meant to function in high-pressure conditions. (More)
> Some deep-sea organisms survive thanks to specialized molecules that strengthen proteins and cellular membranes.
> Explore a gallery of captivating animals that live in deep-sea habitats.
Helium concentrations in distant galaxies is consistent with Big Bang model.
Ohio State University | Tatyana Woodall. By analyzing helium signals within nebulae of distant systems, researchers reduced the error in existing estimates of helium abundance. Because about 90% of the universe's helium formed during the Big Bang, the increased precision improved upon the existing alignment between observational data and models of particle abundances seconds after the universe began. (More)
> Observing the beginning of the universe to fully validate cosmic models is impossible because of a "cosmic fog" of elementary particles.
> ... but this timeline shows how the universe evolved according to the Big Bang. |
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In partnership with The New England Center for Children |
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Autism in Infants–What Parents Should Look For |
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We often think of autism as something first recognized in preschool. But research from The New England Center for Children suggests that the most critical window is infancy. Parents can look for early markers like reduced or little eye contact, smiling, cooing, babbling, or reduced interest in people or their name.
Parent coaching with early behavioral therapy can make huge strides in neural development that could alter the trajectory of an autism diagnosis. For example, turning everyday routines into learning opportunities through talking, singing, and active face-to-face engagement. Learn more here. |
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> See a list of the 25 most common passwords, led by 123456.
> Where do spiral galaxies get their arms?
> Because electrons in the outer shells of atoms repel one another, you've never touched anything in your entire life.
> The world's first commercially successful "portable" laptop weighed 24.5 pounds and had no battery.
> In 2017, particles from outer space helped scientists uncover a hidden chamber in the Great Pyramid of Giza.
> When flying just above sandy environments, helicopter blades can feature halos of light as metal rapidly ignites with air.
> Why did payment cards start featuring microchips as replacements for magnetic stripes?
> Certain food combinations, like bacon and eggs and spaghetti and meatballs, taste especially good because of umami synergy.
> Watch how airport scanners use X-rays at multiple energies and angles to see baggage contents.
> Learn why the Big Dipper, Orion's Belt, and other groups of stars are not constellations.
> The air around lightning can get five times hotter than the sun's surface.
> What makes astatine the rarest naturally occurring element on the planet? |
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🔭 Want more? Explore over 100 of our write-ups and thousands of fascinating insights and resources at 1440's hub for Science & Technology. |
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"We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch it, we are going back from whence we came." |
—President John F. Kennedy |
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