As grizzly bears expand their range in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming into places where they haven’t been seen in a century or more, they’re increasingly encountering humans. From a report: Things intensified last summer as trails and campgrounds across the region flooded with inexperienced tourists seeking refuge in the outdoors during the coronavirus pandemic. Grizzly attacks spiked. Bear managers were inundated…
Tag: Wyoming
Our world is losing ice at a record rate
The rate at which ice is disappearing across the planet has been speeding up, with 65% since the 1990s, a survey of global ice loss using European Space Agency satellite data reveals. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/esa-satellites-show-record-rate-ice-loss…
Exxon Holds Back on Technology That Could Slow Climate Change
Carbon capture can make money for oil giants, and scientists say we need it. Is the industry willing to invest enough? From a report: Elk and pronghorn antelope migrate each fall through southern Wyoming, where the sparsely vegetated landscape slowly gives way to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Interrupting this serene vista is a dense web of steel pipes, tanks,…
Clovis made stone tools for only around 300 years
The Clovis, some of North America’s earliest inhabitants, only made stone tools during a brief 300-year period from 13,050 to 12,750 years ago, new research shows. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/clovis-stone-tools-300-years…
Several US Utilities Back Out of Deal To Build Novel Nuclear Power Plant
Eight of the 36 public utilities that had signed on to help build an innovative new nuclear power plant in the U.S. have backed out of the deal. Science Magazine reports: The withdrawals come just months after the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS), which intends to buy the plant containing 12 small modular reactors from NuScale Power, announced that completion…
South Park Creators Have New Political Satire Series With AI-Generated Deepfakes
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Register: Trey Parker and Matt Stone, best known for their cartoon South Park, have created a new comedy deepfake series called Sassy Justice. The star of the show, Fred Sassy, is a local news reporter from Cheyenne, Wyoming, with the face of US President Donald Trump. Other notable characters include, erm, “Dialysis King”…
Corgi-size pterosaurs walked in the rain 145 million years ago
Researchers in Wyoming have discovered a pterosaur trackway dating to 145 million years ago. Source: https://www.livescience.com/pterosaurs-walked-in-rain.html
Wildfire sunsets and sunrises
The western half of North America is getting some spectacular sunrises and sunsets now, as wildfires rage. Photos here from the EarthSky Community. Source: https://earthsky.org/todays-image/photos-wildfire-sunsets-us-west-aug-sep-2020…
Delta Aquariids 2020: All you need to know
Late July presents the nominal peak of the Delta Aquariid meteor shower, but this long and rambling shower is officially active from about July 12 to August 23 each year. Source: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-delta-aquarid-meteor-shower…
A Volunteer Supercomputer Team is Hunting for Covid Clues
The world’s fastest computer is now part of “a vast supercomputer-powered search for new findings pertaining to the novel coronavirus’ spread” and “how to effectively treat and mitigate it,” according to an emerging tech journalist at Nextgov. It’s part of a consortium currently facilitating over 65 active research projects, for which “Dozens of national and international members are volunteering free compute…