Scientists Unable to Reach Bottom of Mysterious Underwater Sinkhole in Mexicohttps://english.aawsat.com/varieties/5004151-scientists-unable-reach-bottom-mysterious-underwater-sinkhole-mexico
Scientists Unable to Reach Bottom of Mysterious Underwater Sinkhole in Mexico
The Taam Ja’ Blue Hole off the southeast coast of Mexico is at least 420m deep
Oceanographers have confirmed that an underwater sinkhole in Mexico’s Chetumal Bay is the world’s deepest, but what really lies at the bottom of the abyss remains a mystery, Britain’s The Independent reported.
The Taam Ja’ Blue Hole off the southeast coast of Mexico is at least 420m deep, beating the Dragon Hole in the South China Sea, whose bottom is about 300m below sea level, it said.
The Taam Ja’ Blue Hole is near the Yucatan peninsula where the dinosaur-killing asteroid struck the planet 66 million years ago. It was believed to be only about 275m below sea level when it was first discovered in 2021.
A more intensive study has now found that its depth is far more, said The Independent.
The researchers found that the pit was at least 420m deep but it could run deeper still. The profiler they had could only function at a depth of 500m, they said.
The water in the hole was found to have layers of varying temperature and salinity.
One layer at about 400m deep had salinity and temperature values close to those of the nearby Caribbean Sea.
This indicates that there may be an underwater seabed connecting the two seas, the researchers said.
Scientists Find New Clues to Reversal of Alzheimer's Brain Damagehttps://english.aawsat.com/varieties/5323353-scientists-find-new-clues-reversal-alzheimers-brain-damage
Scientists Find New Clues to Reversal of Alzheimer's Brain Damage
Elderly women sit at a park in downtown Shanghai March 16, 2012. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
Scientists studying the strongest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease say they have new clues to how it works and how its damaging effects on the brain could potentially be reversed.
Researchers have found a noninvasive way to identify and study cells in the body that contribute to age-related disorders such as cancer, tissue degeneration, and inflammatory diseases.
These so-called senescent cells have stopped dividing and growing but for some reason have not died, as would be expected of old cells. Instead, they undergo significant changes to their shape, metabolic processes, and gene activity, according to Reuters.
Earlier methods of studying these cells would destroy them, the researchers noted in a report of the study in Nature Aging.
Using an analytical technique known as Raman microscopy, which reveals the biochemical composition of cells without harming them, and analyzing individual cells’ genetic activity, the researchers were able to identify unique “barcodes” of senescent cells.
The study was done in mouse cells. The researchers are now working on adapting it for use with human tissue.
“You can imagine that one day we may develop an endoscope that can look inside your body and identify cellular senescence,” Jeon Woong Kang of MIT, one of the senior authors of the study, said in a statement.
Study leader Peter So of MIT noted that senescence “is not just a pathological condition.”
While it can also contribute to sagging skin and muscle weakness in aging individuals, cellular senescence plays critical beneficial roles in embryonic development and tissue regeneration, the researchers noted.
The research is part of a National Institutes of Health initiative called the Cellular Senescence Network.
“The idea behind the NIH Cellular Senescence Network is to take a very comprehensive approach to understand senescence and identify senescent cells, because it plays a role in so many normal physiological conditions and many pathological conditions,” So said.
Growing Privacy Fears in London over Smart Glasseshttps://english.aawsat.com/varieties/5323349-growing-privacy-fears-london-over-smart-glasses
Growing Privacy Fears in London over Smart Glasses
A pair of smart glasses (Meta)
The rise of smart glasses equipped with high-definition cameras raised concerns in London surrounding privacy and consumer technology in public spaces.
According to CNN, videos posted on social media without the knowledge of the concerned person have brought questions about consent and whether existing privacy laws can keep pace with technology that allows people to record almost invisibly.
The glasses — which can capture video, photos and audio from the wearer’s perspective — are growing in popularity. They allow users to listen to music, take calls and snap photos hands-free, and some tech companies believe they could one day be the preferred way to communicate with AI assistants.
Recently, London bars, restaurants, theaters, and public institutions have started to restrict or ban camera-equipped smart glasses while some anti-smart glasses advertisements have appeared at bus stops.
Eyewear giant EssilorLuxottica, which Meta partners with for its glasses, said 7 million pairs of AI glasses were sold in 2025.
Meta is holding its Connect conference this week, where it’s expected to announce new smart glasses without cameras, according to The Information Samsung and Google are expected to debut new jointly developed smart glasses this fall.
But as the technology becomes more widespread, so too has the backlash. Videos posted on social media showing men who appear to film women without their knowledge have raised questions about consent — and whether existing privacy laws can keep pace with technology that allows people to record almost invisibly.
“It makes it harder and harder to protect yourself by just looking around and screening for things,” Irina Raicu, director of the internet ethics program at Santa Clara University’s Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, previously told CNN. “So, the whole notion of consent is kind of disintegrating.”
London A Bellwether for How People Respond to Growing Tech
London, along with New York and Australia, is emerging as a bellwether for how people and businesses are responding to the growing tech.
Some hospitality and entertainment venues have introduced restrictions or bans, and anti-smart glasses advertisements have begun appearing at some bus stations throughout London.
One skewers Kylie Jenner’s ad campaign for Meta glasses, transforming her into a skeletal X-Ray with the tagline: “We’re Always Watching.”
The sentiment echoes a broader ban across the United Kingdom from August that prohibits smart glasses in the courtroom.
Some Londoners told CNN that smart glasses make them feel uneasy in places where people expect a degree of privacy, like bars, restaurants and other social settings.
‘Turn the cameras off’
Popular pub chain Wetherspoons has prohibited customers from recording using the glasses.
“I don’t really want to be filmed when I’m just out having a couple of pints,” Zak, a student at a Wetherspoons pub in central London, told CNN.
He said he had seen videos on TikTok in which people appeared unaware they were being filmed, adding that covering the glasses’ recording light was “ridiculous.”
Serena, another Wetherspoons customer, said she was particularly concerned about the possibility of being filmed without knowing where the footage might end up.
A Wetherspoons spokesperson told CNN, “With regard to Meta glasses, our instinct was to say, ‘turn the cameras off.’”
And while tech companies continue to develop smart glasses, integrating photography and artificial intelligence, Londoners mainly ask how to protect individual privacy when cameras become virtually invisible and integrated into everyday eyewear.
Two Giant Pandas, Emblems of China Soft Diplomacy, Arrive in UShttps://english.aawsat.com/varieties/5323341-two-giant-pandas-emblems-china-soft-diplomacy-arrive-us
This image courtesy of Fedex shows a Fedex plane carrying giant pandas Ping Ping and Fu Shuang upon arrival at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, on September 27, 2026. (Photo by Handout / Courtesy of Fedex / AFP)
Two Giant Pandas, Emblems of China Soft Diplomacy, Arrive in US
This image courtesy of Fedex shows a Fedex plane carrying giant pandas Ping Ping and Fu Shuang upon arrival at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, on September 27, 2026. (Photo by Handout / Courtesy of Fedex / AFP)
Two giant pandas sent by China arrived in the United States on Sunday, Beijing and the Atlanta zoo said, after a leaders' summit that was heavy on symbolism and light on major breakthroughs.
The bears' transfer had already been agreed but the departure was announced Thursday during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Washington.
The black-and-white mammals are immensely popular around the world, and China loans them out as part of a "panda diplomacy" program to foster foreign ties.
A male named Ping Ping and female Fu Shuang departed from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport on a chartered flight at around 3:00 am (1900 GMT Saturday), Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported.
FILE PHOTO: Panda stuffed animals are displayed inside the Panda Pagoda at Zoo Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia, US, December 7, 2023. REUTERS/Megan Varner/File Photo
After a 16-hour flight that crossed the international date line, the bears touched down in the southern US city of Atlanta, Georgia shortly before 7:00 am local time.
Steamed corn buns, bamboo shoots and carrots were prepared to keep the pandas nourished during their flight, Chinese state-run Global Times reported, according to AFP.
The Boeing 777 operated by FedEx -- and nicknamed the "FedEx Panda Express" -- was the top-tracked aircraft on aviation information platform FlightRadar24 as it neared Alaska, roughly halfway into its journey.
The pandas will be hosted for the next 10 years by Zoo Atlanta, which said Sunday it was "elated to welcome Ping Ping and Fu Shuang" to the city.
"This is a thrilling day for Zoo Atlanta and a historic moment for the City of Atlanta, the state of Georgia, and beyond," zoo president Raymond King said in a statement.
A farewell ceremony was held for the pair by the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding before their departure.
Experienced keepers were dispatched by the US side to accompany the duo on their flight, the Global Times reported.
In preparation for their arrival, Zoo Atlanta has renovated its panda facilities and assembled a team of animal caretakers.
It has also ensured a stable and long-term supply of bamboo, grown locally in Atlanta, which has a climate that is very similar to Chengdu.
The bears are not yet visible to the public, and will be housed in a biosecure area of the animal park for a "routine quarantine of around a month," the zoo stated.
Atlanta previously hosted pandas on loan from China starting in 1999, and seven panda cubs have been born at the zoo. All are now back in Chengdu, and Zoo Atlanta has not had any pandas since 2024.
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, vehicles carrying a pair of giant pandas, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, leave the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Chengdu, southwestern China's Sichuan Province, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026.(Xu Bingjie/Xinhua via AP)
Both of the new arrivals were born in 2020. Ping Ping is now six years old while Fu Shuang turns six in October.
Pandas in captivity typically live for around 30 years.
Beijing has sent the furry creatures across the globe for decades as soft-power ambassadors.
In 1972, China gifted a pair of pandas to Washington, following US president Richard Nixon's historic visit to the Communist nation.
Beijing recalled two of its pandas from Japan early this year, following a diplomatic spat that began when Japan's prime minister hinted that Tokyo could intervene militarily in the event of any attack on Taiwan.
لم تشترك بعد
انشئ حساباً خاصاً بك لتحصل على أخبار مخصصة لك ولتتمتع بخاصية حفظ المقالات وتتلقى نشراتنا البريدية المتنوعة
