Lifeboat Foundation

Exposure to certain pollutants, like fine particles (PM2.5) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), during pregnancy and childhood is associated with differences in the microstructure of the brain´s white matter, and some of these effects persist throughout adolescence. These are the main conclusions of a study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a centre supported by “la Caixa” Foundation. The findings, published in Environmental Research, highlight the importance of addressing air pollution as a public health issue, particularly for pregnant women and children.

An increasing amount of evidence suggests that air pollution affects neurodevelopment in children. Recent studies using imaging techniques have looked at the impact of air pollutants on the brain’s white matter, which plays a crucial role in connecting different brain regions. However, these studies were limited in that they only looked at one timepoint and did not follow the participants throughout childhood.

“Following participants throughout childhood and including two neuroimaging assessments for each child would shed new light on whether the effects of air pollution on white matter persist, attenuate, or worsen,” says ISGlobal researcher Mònica Guxens. And that is what she and her team did.

The world’s largest maker of advanced chips has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of a global race to develop artificial intelligence.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. shares hit a record high after the chipmaker topped quarterly estimates and raised its target for 2024 revenue growth, allaying concerns about global chip demand and the sustainability of an AI hardware boom.

Following a concept world premiere in 2022 and a track demo at Le Mans a couple months ago, the Alpine Alpenglow is back, this time serving as a spectacular highlight of the 2024 Paris Motor Show. Alpine has equipped the latest Alpenglow with an all-new “Hy6” twin-turbo V6 engine developed from the ground up to run on hydrogen. The Hy6 doubles the power of the last Alpenglow so the new car not only looks like an extreme track-only supercar, it performs and sounds like one, too.

Alpine originally revealed the Alpenglow at the 2022 Paris Motor Show as a blueprint for its more sustainable sporting future. The concept appeared loosely derived from the extreme styling of the student-crafted A4810 Alpine had shown earlier that year, and came to Paris with the promise of a hydrogen-engine-based drive system of undisclosed size and layout.

The concept continued along as a stunning but mysterious piece of event jewelry right up until this past May, when Alpine officially turned concept car into “rolling laboratory” for a dynamic track debut at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and, a month later, Le Mans. Ahead of those demonstration runs, the French automaker finally threw some tender red meat to the starved gearhead masses, confirming a 340-hp 2.0-liter turbo-four hydrogen combustion engine powering the wheels.

Inaction on the water crisis could put more than half of the world’s food production at risk by 2050, experts warned in a major report published Thursday.

Researchers at the University of Liverpool and collaborators have arrived at a new understanding of bacterial photosynthesis. Using novel techniques, investigators have unveiled intricate detailed images of the key photosynthetic protein complexes of purple bacteria. These images shed new light on how these microorganisms harness solar energy.

At Impactsure Technologies, we’ve helped clients of banks generate guarantees and contracts through preapproved clauses in a matter of a few seconds without the need to go through a complex process of vetting that would have otherwise taken many days. It not only enhances the customer experience but also makes it easier to manage the processes efficiently. The clients are able to manage their contracts well, manage the content, ensure appropriate vetting and scrutiny are done effectively, manage the timelines, and incorporate the electronic signing options in a seamless way.

As contract management complexities continue to increase in the banking and enterprise sectors, the adoption of GenAI emerges as strategically crucial for organizations seeking to enhance operational efficiency, mitigate risks and maintain regulatory compliance. By harnessing the power of AI-driven automation, banks and enterprises can streamline contract processes, optimize resource utilization and confidently navigate the complicated legal landscape.

A combination of GenAI, NLP and ML represents a paradigm shift in contract management, empowering banks and enterprises to easily manage the complexities of the modern business environment with agility and resilience. By embracing AI-driven solutions, organizations can unlock new opportunities for growth, innovation and sustainable success in an increasingly competitive and rapidly evolving environment.

Many scientists are studying different materials for their potential use in quantum technology. One important feature of the atoms in these materials is called spin. Scientists want to control atomic spins to develop new types of materials, known as spintronics. They could be used in advanced technologies like memory devices and quantum sensors for ultraprecise measurements.

In a recent breakthrough, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and Northern Illinois University discovered that they could use light to detect the spin state in a class of materials called perovskites (specifically in this research methylammonium lead iodide, or MAPbI₃). Perovskites have many potential uses, from solar panels to quantum technology.

The work is published in the journal Nature Communications.

Rising emissions and climate change boost demand for renewable energy.

Researchers have developed a method to produce hydrogen gas from water using only solar power and agricultural waste like manure or husks.

The interlocking bricks, which can be repurposed many times over, can withstand similar pressures as their concrete counterparts. Engineers developed a new kind of reconfigurable masonry made from 3D-printed, recycled glass. The bricks could be reused many times over in building facades and internal walls.

What if construction materials could be put together and taken apart as easily as LEGO bricks? Such reconfigurable masonry would be disassembled at the end of a building’s lifetime and reassembled into a new structure, in a sustainable cycle that could supply generations of buildings using the same physical building blocks.

That’s the idea behind circular construction, which aims to reuse and repurpose a building’s materials whenever possible, to minimize the manufacturing of new materials and reduce the construction industry’s “embodied carbon,” which refers to the greenhouse gas emissions associated with every process throughout a building’s construction, from manufacturing to demolition.