Articles from ‘elocal magazine’

In a world over saturated with voices, anger offers a way of finally being heard, but is emotion overriding our will to fix the world’s problems? · As key elections play out across 2024, many in civic society will speak profoundly about the importance of institutions and how collectively, we the people, need to bolster them against the rising tide of populism and authoritarianism. · However, the same institutions that advocate for this appear…

The Maldives is a key player in the Indian Ocean, positioning itself to benefit from India and China’s rivalry. · India is about to start withdrawing its military personnel from the Maldives – 80 men in uniform who operate two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft that provide humanitarian and medical services in the Indian Ocean nation. · After years of close relations with India, the Maldives elected a new president, Mohamed Muizzu, last year.…

Incorporating a phase-change material into concrete, researchers have created a self-heating material that can melt snow and ice for up to 10 hours without using salt or shovels. The novel material could reduce the need for plowing and salting and help preserve the integrity of road surfaces. · According to the US Department of Transportation (DOT), more than 70% of roads are in snowy regions. Snow and ice accumulation reduces road friction and…

Nights of old: Four-poster is Britain's oldest bed slept in by 15 generations of same family · With an ornately-carved headboard, it has been the luxury resting place for residents of Berkeley Castle  · IF you’re looking for a good knight’s kip this 400-year-old bed ticks all the boxes. · The ancient four-poster has been slept in by FIFTEEN generations of the same aristocratic family. · And it is believed to be the oldest still in use in…

Whether you see AI as an incredible tool with massive benefits or a societal ill that only benefits massive tools, a powerful new chip can train them faster than ever. Cerebras Systems has unveiled the world’s fastest AI chip – the Wafer Scale Engine 3 (WSE-3), which powers the Cerebras CS-3 AI supercomputer with a peak performance of 125 petaFLOPS. And it’s scalable to an insane degree. · Before an AI system can churn out a cute-but-uncanny…

The Tower of London holds a principal place in the complex story of England's Medieval Jewish community. Medieval Jews sought refuge from anti-Jewish attacks at the Tower, but they also experienced it as a place of imprisonment, persecution, and execution. · Exciting recent research by Historic Royal Palaces has revealed the full extent to which Jews and Christians coexisted at the Tower of London. This research provides a more nuanced…

The Beeline Moto is likely the simplest, most user-friendly electronic motorcycle navigation device you can buy. Its new successor, the Moto II, keeps things simple but adds some handy new features like a mini map view. · Both versions of the British-designed Moto are slim hockey-puck-shaped devices that twist-mount onto the bike's handlebars, and communicate with an iOS/Android app on the user's smartphone via Bluetooth. A data connection is…

During excavations two years ago at the famous ancient Anatolian city of Çatalhöyük, archaeologists uncovered a large furnace-like structure that would have been used as a communal oven. They also found traces of vegetable and food remains inside the structure, including an unusual spongy residue with a curious texture. Testing carried out at the Necmettin Erbaken University Science and Technology Research and Application Center (BİTAM)…

One of the great temples constructed during the Neo-Babylonian period (626-539 BC), the golden age of the city of Babylon, was the Temple of Ninmakh. The temple was built adjacent to the famous Processional Way and the Ishtar Gate, the main gate that led into the city of Babylon, and stood as a testament to divine reverence and architectural mastery. · Within the inner sanctum of the Temple to Ninmakh was a woman-exclusive zone where devotees…

After successful pilot programs, UCLA has partnered with Singapore’s national water agency and others to build the world’s largest ocean-based carbon dioxide removal plant capable of removing 3,650 metric tons (8,046,873 lb) of the greenhouse gas per year while producing 105 metric tons (231,000 lb) of carbon-negative hydrogen. · According to the World Bank, average global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in 2020 were 4.3 metric tons (9,500 lb)…