Technology

A tech-backed mission to monitor methane pollution launches today

Published

5 months ago

March 4, 2024

A tech-backed mission to monitor methane pollution launches today

A mission to map and track global methane pollution, a powerful greenhouse gas, is scheduled to launch today after years of collaboration between some of the biggest names in tech. It’s called MethaneSAT, a satellite that’s garnered funding and support from Jeff Bezos, Google, and SpaceX, among others.

MethaneSAT is expected to launch today from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 2:05PM PT. Liftoff will be livestreamed on the SpaceX website and on the company’s X profile. The nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund that developed MethaneSAT is also promising a special program starting at 1:40PM PT with key experts and “supporters” to talk about the mission.

Methane pollution is responsible for around 30 percent of global warming that’s raising sea levels and causing more extreme weather disasters. The gas comes from decomposing trash in landfills, methane-emitting microbes in rice paddies, and infamously from livestock burping and pooping. It also routinely escapes from oil and gas fields, pipelines, and even home appliances. After all, so-called natural gas is mostly just methane.

Orbiting Earth in 95 minutes, it’ll have eyes on oil and gas fields that account for roughly 80 percent of global production

It’s all that leaking gas that the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) plans to tackle with MethaneSAT. The group has documented massive amounts of leaking methane already. Between 2012 and 2018, it discovered that US methane emissions were actually 60 percent higher than the Environmental Protection Agency’s estimates.

The group worked alongside 40 research institutions and 50 companies to put together a more comprehensive picture of methane emissions. It was painstaking work taking on-the-ground measurements directly from sources of pollution, which they supplemented with aerial readings taken by aircraft.

MethaneSAT can cover a lot more ground much faster. It should take about 20 seconds to survey the same area that would have taken an aircraft two hours to survey, according to EDF. Orbiting Earth in 95 minutes, it’ll have eyes on oil and gas fields that account for more than 80 percent of global production.

The goal is to quickly see how much methane is escaping and from where, so that measures might be taken to plug all those leaks. Methane is 80 times as potent as carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels when it comes to heating the planet — but only within the first 20 years of entering the atmosphere, and then its potency declines.

Carbon dioxide, on the other hand, lingers in the atmosphere and traps heat for centuries. Since methane is a powerful but comparatively short-lived greenhouse gas, preventing it from leaking is seen as one quick way to have a significant, immediate effect on climate change.

Google announced a partnership with EDF last month to create a global map of methane pollution from oil and gas infrastructure. The company is training AI to spot well pads, pump jacks, and storage tanks in satellite imagery similarly to how it identifies sidewalks and street signs for Google Maps. Matching that infrastructure to emissions data from MethaneSAT might be able to help regulators pinpoint where there are leaks.

An example of what MethaneSAT data would look like on Google Earth. It shows high-emitting sources of methane pollution as yellow dots, and a diffuse plume of methane as a purple and yellow heat map.

Google Earth Engine via EDF

If this mission is successful, it could be a game-changer by allowing policymakers to assess how much progress they’re making on climate action based on real-world measures of pollution rather than estimates based on companies self-reporting their emissions.

“What we’ve learned over our decade of doing field measurements is that actually, when you measure actual emissions in the field, it turns out that the total magnitude of emissions coming from the industry is much higher than what’s being reported by them using engineering calculations,” Mark Brownstein, EDF senior vice president of energy transition, said during a press briefing on Friday.

Building and launching the satellite cost $88 million, according to EDF. The Bezos Earth Fund gave EDF a $100 million grant in 2020 to help get MethaneSAT off the ground, making it one of the project’s biggest funders. MethaneSAT also marks the New Zealand’s Space Agency’s first government-funded space mission.

If all goes to plan, MethaneSAT should start publicly releasing some data by early summer. A complete picture of major oil and gas basins around the world isn’t expected until 2025, data EDF says will be available on MethaneSAT’s website and Google Earth Engine.

Technology

Junji Ito’s terrifying Uzumaki hits Adult Swim in September

Published

6 hours ago

July 27, 2024

Press Room

Junji Ito’s terrifying Uzumaki hits Adult Swim in September

Image: Adult Swim

Adult Swim’s long-awaited adaptation of Uzumaki finally has a premiere date — and an appropriately creepy trailer. The series, based on the classic horror manga from Junji Ito, will start airing on September 28th. Episodes will hit Adult Swim first, and then stream on Max the following day.

Uzumaki follows a cursed town that is — and I promise it’s scarier than it sounds — plagued by spirals. Here’s the full synopsis:

“Let’s leave this town together,” asks Shuichi Saito, a former classmate of Kirie Goshima, a high school girl who was born and grew up in Kurouzu-cho. Everything from a strange whirlwind, billowing smoke from the crematorium, and the residents is turning into spirals. People’s eyes spin in whirls, a tongue spirals, and the…

Technology

New prosthetics restore natural movement via nerve connection

Published

6 hours ago

July 27, 2024

Press Room

New prosthetics restore natural movement via nerve connection

In the world of prosthetics, a groundbreaking advancement is changing the game for individuals with lower-limb amputations.

Researchers at MIT, in collaboration with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, have developed a neuroprosthetic system that allows users to control their prosthetic legs using their own nervous systems.

This innovative approach could bring us closer to a future of fully integrated, naturally controlled artificial limbs.

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A person wearing the neuroprosthetic system (Hugh Herr and Hyungeun Song)

The AMI: A surgical game-changer

At the heart of this breakthrough is a surgical procedure known as the agonist-antagonist myoneural interface, or AMI. Unlike traditional amputation methods, the AMI reconnects muscles in the residual limb, preserving the natural push-pull dynamics of muscle pairs. This seemingly simple change has profound implications for prosthetic control and function.

Illustration of how the neuroprosthetic system works (MIT Media Lab)

Dr. Hugh Herr, a professor at MIT and senior author of the study, explained the significance: “This is the first prosthetic study in history that shows a leg prosthesis under full neural modulation, where a biomimetic gait emerges. No one has been able to show this level of brain control that produces a natural gait, where the human’s nervous system is controlling the movement, not a robotic control algorithm.”

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Dr. Hugh Herr pictured with the neuroprosthetic system (Jimmy Day, MIT Media Lab)

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The power of proprioception

The key advantage of the AMI system is its ability to provide users with proprioceptive feedback, the sense of where their limb is in space. This sensory information, often taken for granted by those with intact limbs, is crucial for natural movement and control. With the AMI, patients regain a portion of this vital feedback, allowing them to walk more naturally and confidently.

In the study, seven patients with AMI surgery were compared to seven with traditional amputations. The results were striking. AMI patients walked faster, navigated obstacles more easily and climbed stairs with greater agility. They also demonstrated more natural movements, such as pointing their toes upward when stepping over obstacles, a subtle but important aspect of a natural gait.

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A person wearing the neuroprosthetic system (Hugh Herr and Hyungeun Song)

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Adapting to real-world challenges

One of the most impressive aspects of the AMI system is its versatility. Patients were able to adapt their gait to various real-world conditions, including walking on slopes and navigating stairs. This adaptability is crucial for everyday life, where terrain and challenges can change rapidly.

The system’s responsiveness was put to the test in an obstacle-crossing trial. AMI patients were able to modify their gait to clear obstacles more effectively than those with traditional prosthetics. This ability to rapidly adjust to unexpected challenges is a hallmark of natural limb function and represents a significant leap forward in prosthetic technology.

A person wearing the neuroprosthetic system (Hugh Herr and Hyungeun Song)

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The science of sensory feedback

The success of the AMI system hinges on its ability to augment residual muscle afferents, which are the sensory signals sent from muscles to the nervous system. Remarkably, even a modest increase in these signals allows for significantly improved control and function. This finding highlights the incredible adaptability of the human nervous system and its ability to integrate and utilize even partial sensory information.

Dr. Hyungeun Song, lead author of the study, notes: “One of the main findings here is that a small increase in neural feedback from your amputated limb can restore significant bionic neural controllability, to a point where you allow people to directly neurally control the speed of walking, adapt to different terrain and avoid obstacles.”

A person wearing the neuroprosthetic system (Hugh Herr and Hyungeun Song)

Looking to the future

While this research represents a significant step forward, it’s just the beginning. The team at MIT is exploring ways to further enhance sensory feedback and improve the integration between the human nervous system and prosthetic devices. The AMI procedure has already been performed on about 60 patients worldwide, including those with arm amputations, suggesting broad applicability across different types of limb loss.

As this technology continues to evolve, we may see even more natural and intuitive control of artificial limbs. The ultimate goal is to create prosthetics that feel and function like a natural part of the user’s body, blurring the line between human and machine.

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A person wearing the neuroprosthetic system (Hugh Herr and Hyungeun Song)

Kurt’s key takeaways

The development of prosthetic limbs controlled by the nervous system marks the beginning of a new era in bionics. It offers hope for improved mobility, independence and quality of life for millions of people living with limb loss. Moreover, it provides valuable insights into the plasticity of the human nervous system and our ability to integrate with advanced technology.

As we continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible in merging biology and technology, we open up new frontiers in human augmentation and rehabilitation. The implications extend far beyond prosthetics, potentially influencing fields such as neurology, robotics and even our understanding of human consciousness and embodiment.

How comfortable would you be with technology that directly interfaces with your nervous system? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

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Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Technology

Here’s your first look at Amazon’s Like a Dragon: Yakuza

Published

13 hours ago

July 26, 2024

Press Room

Here’s your first look at Amazon’s Like a Dragon: Yakuza

Amazon says that the show “showcases modern Japan and the dramatic stories of these intense characters, such as the legendary Kazuma Kiryu, that games in the past have not been able to explore.” Kiryu will be played by Ryoma Takeuchi, while Kento Kaku also starts as Akira Nishikiyama. The series is directed by Masaharu Take.

Like a Dragon: Yakuza starts streaming on Prime Video on October 24th with its first three episodes.