A summer marked by deadly heatwaves across Asia, Europe, and North America last year turns out to have been the hottest in the Northern Hemisphere in at least 2,000 years, according to a new study published in the journal Nature.
Technology
Ancient trees show how hot summers have gotten
Officially, 2023 went down in history books as the hottest on record for the planet — but those records only started in 1850. To see how drastically the climate has changed over millennia, the authors of the new paper studied ancient tree rings to gauge fluctuations in temperatures over the years.
The results show us how extreme the weather is becoming. And while temperatures have reached unprecedented peaks, they’re also a warning of what’s to come unless policymakers do more to turn down the heat.
The cross section of a tree can tell us about its life and the world in which it lived
“Personally, I’m not surprised, but I’m worried,” Jan Esper, lead author of the study and a professor of climatology at Johannes Gutenberg University, said in a briefing with reporters. “The longer we wait, the more expensive it will be and the more difficult it will be to mitigate or even stop [global warming].”
For this study, Esper and his colleagues were limited to data they could collect from the Northern Hemisphere outside of tropical regions. Most of the oldest meteorological stations, dating as far back as the mid- to late 1800s, are located in the Northern Hemisphere. And of those, 45 of 58 are in Europe. To look further back in time and across a broader area, they relied on tree rings from the wood archives of archaeologists.
The cross section of a tree can tell us about its life and the world in which it lived. Many trees add a layer of light-colored “earlywood” each spring and a layer of dark “latewood” each summer. Counting up the rings shows the tree’s age. Thicker rings might indicate a warmer year in trees that time their growing seasons with changes in temperature.
This is a treasure trove of data in cooler climates with defined seasons. But unfortunately, again, it’s found mostly in the Northern Hemisphere. There’s a dearth of this data in more arid and tropical regions in the Southern Hemisphere, where there might be fewer trees or trees that don’t share the same growing patterns.
A treasure trove of data in cooler climates with defined seasons
Working with what they had, the researchers found that land temperatures in the summer of 2023 in the Northern Hemisphere were 2.2 degrees Celsius higher than average temperatures between the years 1–1890. On paper, that might look like a small difference. When it comes to life on Earth, that is a significant shift.
It’s a steeper rise in temperature than the goal set out in the landmark Paris agreement, which strives to stop global temperatures from climbing more than 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius higher than they were before the Industrial Revolution.
Two degrees Celsius of global warming would be enough to shift 13 percent of Earth’s ecosystems to a new biome, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Much of the Amazon rainforest is in danger of becoming a savannah, for example. Coral reefs would decline by 99 percent, and nearly 40 percent of the world’s population could experience severe heatwaves at least once every five years.
We saw a deadly taste of that already last year, with record-breaking heatwaves across Europe, North America, and China that would have been “extremely rare or even impossible without human-caused warming,” according to an international collaboration of researchers called World Weather Attribution.
It was a particularly sweltering year in part because of an El Niño climate pattern that dealt a double whammy alongside climate change in 2023. El Niño hasn’t ended yet, so that combo is already expected to make this summer another scorcher. Meeting the goals of the Paris accord would stop climate change in its tracks, however, if countries around the world can transition to clean energy by 2050.
“I am not concerned about myself because I’m too old, but I have two children and there are many other children out there. And for them [global warming is] really dangerous,” Esper said. “So we should do as much as possible as soon as possible.”
Technology
The Setapp Mobile iOS store is shutting down on February 16th
Setapp Mobile was a bold, breakthrough project that aimed to provide EU iOS users with access to alternative app marketplaces – creating a new app ecosystem where both developers and users could thrive. We are proud of what we have accomplished with it over the past two years and still believe passionately in this vision.
As a result of still-evolving commercial conditions, we have determined that it is not viable to continue development or support for Setapp Mobile within Setapp’s current business model.
While we are disappointed to discontinue Setapp Mobile, we are looking forward to pursuing the development of other innovations. We are excited to focus efforts on various projects that will launch later this year. This includes Eney, a first-of-its-kind AI assistant native to macOS, and new enhancements to Setapp Desktop.
Technology
Breakthrough device promises to detect glucose without needles
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The idea of tracking blood sugar without needles has challenged health tech for years. For people with diabetes, constant monitoring is critical, yet the tools remain uncomfortable and invasive. Finger pricks hurt. Traditional continuous glucose monitors still sit under the skin. That daily burden adds up fast.
Recently, one small device has been drawing significant attention for tackling that problem in a very different way.
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WEIGHT LOSS EXPERTS PREDICT 5 MAJOR TREATMENT CHANGES LIKELY TO EMERGE IN 2026
A small breath-based device called isaac aims to alert users to glucose changes without needles or sensors under the skin. (PreEvnt)
Why noninvasive glucose tracking matters
Blood sugar levels can rise or fall quickly. When changes go unnoticed, the risks increase, from long-term organ damage to sudden hypoglycemia. Monitoring can be especially difficult for:
- Small children
- Older adults
- Anyone who struggles with needles
At the same time, glucose tracking has surged among people without diabetes. As GLP-1 medications gain popularity, many people now track their blood sugar to understand how food affects their bodies. The need for simpler tools keeps growing.
Even Apple has spent years trying to bring no-prick glucose tracking to wearables. Despite heavy investment, the feature has yet to arrive.
NEEDLE-FREE GLUCOSE CHECKS MOVE CLOSER TO REALITY
Instead of finger pricks, the device analyzes acetone and other compounds in exhaled breath linked to blood sugar levels. (PreEvnt)
How the PreEvnt isaac monitors glucose using breath
One of the most talked-about health devices at CES 2026 came from PreEvnt. Its product, called isaac, takes a nontraditional approach to glucose awareness. Instead of piercing skin or using optical sensors, isaac analyzes your breath.
The device measures volatile organic compounds, especially acetone, which has long been associated with rising blood glucose. That sweet fruity breath is a known marker of diabetes. By detecting changes in those compounds, isaac can alert users to potential glucose events. The device is small, about the size of a quarter, with a loop so it can be worn on a lanyard or clipped to clothing or a bag.
The breath-based design is intended to reduce how often users need finger-prick blood tests, while providing early alerts for glucose-related changes.
The device is named after the inventor’s grandson, Isaac, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at just 2 years old. The inventor, Bud Wilcox, wanted to reduce the number of painful finger pricks his grandson faced each day. That personal motivation led to years of collaboration with scientists, designers and engineers. Research and development included work with Indiana University under the direction of Dr. M. Agarwal. The goal was simple but ambitious: Alert families to blood sugar events earlier while reducing the physical and emotional toll of constant testing.
How the isaac device fits into daily life
Isaac is designed to fit into everyday routines. Users breathe into the device, which processes the reading and sends the data to a companion smartphone app. The app, still in its final stages of development, focuses on awareness and safety. Current features include:
- A timeline for logging meals
- A history of breath readings
- Alerts that can notify emergency contacts
This matters because people with diabetes can become disoriented or incapacitated during hypoglycemic events. Early alerts give caregivers or family members a chance to step in. A single charge lasts all day and supports multiple breath tests. The device comes with a USB-C charging cradle and cable.
Who isaac is designed for
According to PreEvnt, isaac is being developed for:
- Type 1 diabetics
- Type 2 diabetics
- Prediabetics
It may also appeal to people focused on metabolic health. As mentioned, the device is still undergoing development and FDA review and is not yet for sale in the U.S. The companion app will launch on iOS and Android closer to availability.
TYPE 1 DIABETES REVERSED IN LANDMARK STUDY, PAVING THE WAY FOR HUMAN STUDIES
Designed for everyday use, the isaac wearable device pairs with a smartphone app to log readings and send alerts when needed. (PreEvnt)
Clinical trials and FDA review for the isaac device
PreEvnt first introduced isaac publicly at CES 2025. Later that year, the device entered active human clinical trials. Those studies compare isaac’s breath-based alerts with traditional blood glucose monitoring methods.
Trials began with adolescents who have Type 1 diabetes and later expanded to adults with Type 2 diabetes. The company is now working toward regulatory review with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Because this technology is new, PreEvnt is pursuing a de novo pathway, which allows devices to be evaluated while standards are still being defined. According to the company, regulators have shown strong interest as the data continues to come in.
Isaac does not claim to replace medical-grade glucose meters. The device is being developed to supplement existing monitoring methods by offering breath-based alerts tied to glucose-related changes.
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Kurt’s key takeaways
Noninvasive glucose monitoring has long felt like a future promise that never quite arrives. The attention around isaac at CES 2026 suggests that promise may finally be getting closer. If clinical trials continue to deliver strong results and regulators give approval, breathing into a small device could one day replace at least some finger pricks. For families living with diabetes, that shift could make daily life easier and safer.
Would you trust a breath-based device to warn you about rising blood sugar before symptoms appear? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com
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Technology
Disney deleted a Thread because people kept putting anti-fascist quotes from its movies in the replies
”Share a Disney quote that sums up how you’re feeling right now!”
That’s what Disney posted on Threads the other day, and people immediately replied with lines from Star Wars, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and even Mary Poppins. The throughline between all the quotes: they were pretty pointedly anti-fascist and clearly aimed at the current administration.
Apparently, Disney either couldn’t handle the anti-fascist messaging of its own movies or was too afraid of pissing off the powers that be, because it quickly deleted the post. Thankfully, one resourceful Threads user recorded it for posterity, reminding us that yes, the human world is, in fact, a mess.
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