Mysterious phenomenon that's causing this summer to fly by... as experts reveal the devastating consequences
Earth has seen a stretch of historically shorter days this month as the planet's rotation mysteriously accelerates.
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Times
4 hours ago
- Times
Boeing and Airbus ground green plane projects
Two years ago, Boeing pulled an airliner out of the Victorville 'boneyard' in California — one of the giant desert storage lots for unwanted aircraft — and flew it 50 miles west to a classified plant for some radical surgery. The 25-year-old MD-90, which in its former life carried passengers for Delta Air Lines and China Southern, was to be the test bed for technology that would cut the greenhouse gases emitted by future aircraft. Its existing wings were to be cut off and replaced with long, thin versions supported by struts projecting from the bottom of a new, deeper fuselage. Boeing and Nasa, which was funding the work, had high hopes for the X-66A, as the plane was renamed. Or they did until four months ago, when the project was abruptly put on ice. Two months earlier, something similar happened to one of Europe's big environmental projects. In February, Airbus said it would 'pause' development of the ZEROe hydrogen plane, an aircraft with no carbon emissions that it had planned to have in service by 2035. The two manufacturers enjoy a near-duopoly in the airliner market, and delays to their flagship green programmes have sounded an alarm on airlines' plans to get to net zero — adding no additional carbon to the atmosphere — by 2050. 'The airline industry does in my view have a serious intent to meet net-zero targets but faces increased challenges in doing so', John Strickland, an independent aviation consultant, said. 'Alternative technologies are being pushed further out, which means an increased emphasis on the use of sustainable aviation fuel, which is still in limited supply.' The delays may also create another obstacle to the planned expansion of Heathrow. The airport said on August 1 that it would 'only deliver expansion in a way that is consistent with net zero 2050'. And some analysts believe the hold-up increases the chances of a challenge to Boeing and Airbus from new entrants more eager to take up the environmental mantle. Aviation is estimated by the International Energy Agency to account for 2.5 per cent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, with a slightly greater — 4 per cent — contribution to global warming thanks to the creation of vapour trails. In the UK, it has a greater share of direct emissions: 9 per cent this year, according to the Climate Change Committee, the government's independent advisers. That share is forecast to grow to 11 per cent by 2030 and 16 per cent by 2035. That global emissions share is also likely to increase. After a severe decline during the pandemic, flights are now increasing fast. Iata, the airline trade body, has said passenger numbers will grow nearly 6 per cent this year to just under 5 billion and could hit 16 billion by 2050. As other energy-intensive industries find ways to cut their carbon emissions — electricity replacing blast furnaces in steel, new technology for making cement, and electric vehicles for land transport — aviation's share of total CO₂ could, by some estimates, rise to 20 per cent by 2050. Carbon-cutting technology for aviation is proving slow to arrive. Most experts think battery-power will be limited to small commuter aircraft, but there are high hopes for hydrogen. Airbus had invested significantly, including a plan to test a hydrogen fuel-cell engine on a modified A380 superjumbo. But it paused work in February, saying progress on 'key enablers', in particular the production of large amounts of hydrogen from renewable energy, was 'slower than anticipated'. Boeing has been less interested in hydrogen, but said the X-66A could lead to a 10 per cent reduction in emissions. When it cancelled the project it said it would instead concentrate on other designs for thinner, more efficient wings. Neither manufacturer appears in any rush to bring out radical designs. Airbus's plan to replace its bestselling A320 family of aircraft envisages something familiar to passengers today, albeit with engines that can be powered by conventional fuels or 'sustainable' replacements. That plane is unlikely to enter service until 2035 at the earliest, and probably much later. Boeing, which has been beset by a series of crises in the past year, also appears to be in no hurry. At its quarterly results on July 29, chief executive Kelly Ortberg said: 'I don't think the market is ready yet for a new airplane.' • Boeing 737 Max 8: which airlines use the plane and is it safe? Slow progress on alternative technology means airlines' hopes rest on the rapid introduction of sustainable fuels — hydrocarbons not pumped from the ground, but made from plants or re-used oils, or directly synthesised. However, the current supply is tiny — a mere 0.53 per cent of total aviation fuel worldwide last year, according to Air Transport Action Group (Atag), which brings together airlines, airports and aerospace manufacturers. Atag's Waypoint 2050 report concluded that making enough sustainable fuel to hit net zero would require the construction of 5,000 refineries, costing $1.45 trillion over the next 25 years. IBA, the aviation consultancy, has forecast production of sustainable fuels will hit 18 million tonnes a year by 2035 — but that will be 23 million tonnes short of demand. Environmental campaigners are scornful. 'The only serious remedy [to increasing CO₂ emissions] is demand restraint,' Dr Douglas Parr, policy director at Greenpeace UK, said. 'Everything else — the nonsensical offset schemes, the utopian technology forecasts and now the implausible optimism surrounding 'sustainable' aviation fuel — is primarily a collection of elaborate misdirection techniques.' If aviation's emissions do grow as a proportion of the total, Airbus and Boeing could face societal pressure to do more. Nick Cunningham, managing partner at Agency Partners, an aerospace analysis firm, recently published a note on how 'complacency' on decarbonisation posed an 'existential risk' to the companies. Cunningham said planemakers were understandably reluctant to make large investments in new technology. 'Boeing does not at the moment have the financial resources to develop an all-new aircraft. Airbus has reason to be wary because some of its development programmes — the A380 and the A400M for example — ended up way over budget.' • Net zero by 2050 struggles with reality The Chinese aerospace industry could be a potential challenger. There are now 16 Comac C919s, the first modern Chinese airliner, in service, with a second, larger aircraft, the C929, expected to begin commercial flights towards the end of the decade. Cunningham said, however, that carbon reduction is not China's main goal. 'There could be a challenge from China, but for the moment it is concentrating on replacing imports of western aerospace equipment,' he said. One potential rival to the Airbus-Boeing hegemony is JetZero, a California-based company set up in 2021. It has ambitious plans to build a radical new type of passenger aircraft: a blended wing body, where the wings and fuselage are one smooth shape. The Northrop Grumman B-2 stealth bomber, used by the US Air Force in the recent attacks against Iran, is such a design. JetZero claims its design could cut emissions in half compared to conventional designs. It has secured backing from two big US carriers, United Airlines and Alaska Airlines, including a commitment from them to buy aircraft. The USAF has awarded it a development contract for a potential new transport aircraft. 'JetZero is extremely interesting,' Cunningham said. 'The backing it has from airlines and the air force give it credibility, and it has very ambitious production plans. Its design would be more efficient than conventional aircraft, and crucially it would lend itself to a switch to hydrogen fuel when that is adopted.'
The Guardian
5 hours ago
- The Guardian
Aether review – dazzling lecture about a medium, a magician and a mathematician
There are known knowns, there are known unknowns and there is Emma Howlett's play, a smart feminist take on the mysteries of the physical universe and the eternal limits of science. If that sounds too weighty a theme for a night out at the fringe, well, Howlett, who also directs, has planned ahead and built a fluid, ever-shifting production that spins her ideas with a dazzling lightness of touch. This is pure ensemble theatre: you cannot put a match between Sophie Kean, Abby McCann, Anna Marks Pryce and Gemma Barnett as they weave five historical stories as a tight unit, breathing as one. Supported by a residency by the Hugo Burge Foundation and written with Summerhall's Anatomy lecture theatre in mind, Howlett's production for TheatreGoose exploits the academic setting by turning the audience into students (pens and whiteboards in hand) and the actors into public speakers, using an overhead projector to put them in the spotlight (neat lighting design by Ed Saunders). Two of the stories are unexpected; not the one about Hypatia, the ancient Egyptian mathematician and astronomer who was murdered by angry Christians; nor the one about Vera Rubin finding evidence of dark matter in the 20th century; and not the modern-day tale about Sophie, a PhD student drawing on data from Cern in the hope of breaking new ground, while her obsessiveness drives her girlfriend away. More surprising are those of Adelaide Herrmann, famed for performing the bullet-catch magic trick in her vaudeville show; and of Florence Cook, a 15-year-old medium, hoodwinking a credulous scientific establishment with her messages from beyond. Howlett is intrigued by fiction as well as fact. Juxtaposed and intercutting, these stories form a collage of truth and illusion, one that embraces the existential fear of always having more to learn about an evasive universe. As concerns go, it is on the esoteric side, but Aether is never less than accomplished. At Summerhall, Edinburgh, until 25 August All our Edinburgh festival reviews
Scottish Sun
7 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Nasa's futuristic observatory could finally find ALIENS as it hunts for hidden habitable worlds, say experts
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) NASA is plotting a new mission that could be the one to finally uncover alien life in the universe. Or, it may uncover a darker fact: that we humans are completely alone, on the unique oasis we call Earth. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 Planet K2-18b, which astronomers believe has water in its atmosphere, orbits within the habitable zone of a distant star Credit: ESA/UCL 6 Scientists will be looking for signs of oxygen, ozone and methane in a planet's atmosphere, as these are the chemicals that suggest there might be life on the surface Credit: NASA The ambitious project, slated to arrive sometime in the 2040s, will require technologies that are yet to be developed and demonstrated. Fortunately, plans for those technologies are underway as part of an international effort. The Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) will be tasked with scouting out some of the nearly 6,000 exoplanets that have been discovered since the early 1990s. 'If we're going to find evidence of alien life beyond our solar system in our lifetime, the Habitable Worlds Observatory represents our best opportunity," Dr Caroline Harper, head of space science at the UK Space Agency, told The Sun. "This groundbreaking mission could finally answer one of humanity's most profound questions: are we alone in the universe?" Dr Shyam Balaji, a theoretical physicist at King's College London, said that finding a planet with a stable atmosphere and potential signs of life would be "a turning point". "It would reshape how we see our place in the cosmos, and even short of detecting life," he said. "Simply confirming that other habitable worlds exist would profoundly change our understanding of the universe and of our own planet's uniqueness." The HWO will look for chemical patterns - what scientists call biosignatures - around Earth-sized planets that lie within the habitable zones of nearby stars. Scientists will be looking for signs of oxygen, ozone and methane in a planet's atmosphere, as these are the chemicals that suggest there might be alien life on the surface. The relative abundance of these three molecules in Earth's atmosphere, for example, cannot be explained by any non-biological processes. Best-ever sign of ALIEN life found on distant planet as scientists '99.7% sure of astounding biological activity signal' "With the Habitable Worlds Observatory, we'll be able to examine their atmospheres directly, looking for chemical patterns like oxygen and methane coexisting that are difficult to explain without biology," Dr Balaji explained. "That wouldn't be absolute proof of life, but it would be the strongest evidence we've had yet." The HWO will not only try to find signs of life on distant worlds, but it will even take photos of them. It should be able to beam back pictures of planets human astronauts could only dream of laying their eyes on. While thousands of exoplanets have been detected, only a handful have been directly photographed. Instead, we often rely on painted impressions of distant worlds - where artists are guided by scientists as to what the data says a planet might look like. 6 An artist's impression of Kepler-186f, an Earth-size planet orbiting a distant star Credit: NASA Ames/JPL-Caltech/T. Pyle Current plans indicate that HWO - a large spacecraft similar to Hubble or Webb space telescopes - should be able to image a planet that is 10billion times fainter than its host star. Scientists also believe that HWO will also be able to detect Earth-like moons of giant extrasolar planets, and spot eclipses of giant planets and their lunar satellites. Funding pressures are real. And such ambitious missions are always vulnerable to delays. Dr Shyam Balaji, a theoretical physicist at King's College London The idea for HWO was first pitched some 15 years ago, and has since snowballed into becoming "the first specifically engineered to identify habitable, Earth-like planets… and examine them for evidence of life," according to Nasa. By the time project jumps from paper into real-life, tangible tech, the HWO - or the core parts of the idea, at least - will be roughly 50 years old. That's if the mission survives President Donald Trump's proposed cuts to Nasa, in which the US space agency is forecast to lose nearly 20 per cent of its workforce. But experts are cautiously hopeful that HWO will make it off the ground. "Funding pressures are real," said Dr Balaji. "And such ambitious missions are always vulnerable to delays." "But the scientific case is compelling and public interest is high," he added. "So I think it has a good chance of moving forward even if the schedule slips." Deputy executive director of the Royal Astronomical Society, Dr Robert Massey, said: "I think the value of it is so big, that it's just a really exciting mission. "I don't want to sit there and say this should be funded over something else, because that's the thing we have to avoid doing. But if it goes ahead, it will be an incredibly exciting project." 6 This artists impression shows a view of the surface of the planet Proxima Centauri b Credit: Getty While Earth is the only planet known to host life, scientists estimate there could be hundreds of millions of potentially habitable worlds in our galaxy, the Milky Way. These worlds are very far away from Earth - with the closest potentially habitable world, Proxima Centauri b, located 4.2 light-years away. To spot these planets, even through the glare of their nearest star, HWO will need some next-generation instruments on board. Of the many instruments that HWO will have installed, it will need a tool to block out scattered light. "If you put your thumb up in front of the sun, you can sort of look around it. The problem you have is that we've got an atmosphere so all the sunlight scatters," Dr Massey explained. "But if you do that in space, block out the light of the star, there's no atmosphere. "If you get the size of that right, then you could see planets in orbit around that star - and actually study them and look for the chemistry of their atmosphere." 6 Of the many instruments that HWO will have installed, it will need a tool to block out scattered light Credit: NASA Like Hubble and Webb, HWO will have a large mirror to help with detecting and imaging distant worlds. The primary mirror will be at least six metres in diameter, so it needs to be segmented one way or another. No decisions have yet been made on the detailed design of either mirror, telescope or spacecraft. Whether we find life or not, the implications will be transformational - not just for space science, but for our understanding of humanity's place in the universe. Dr Caroline Harper, head of space science at the UK Space Agency Though HWO is expected to be pretty large - and will require a powerful rocket like Nasa's Space Launch System, SpaceX's Starship or Blue Origin's New Glenn to launch it into space. The European Space Agency (ESA) and UK Space Agency (UKSA) are interested in becoming partners in the project, just like they are on the Webb telescope. Speaking at Nasa's Habitable Worlds Observatory conference in Washington, DC, earlier this week, Dr Harper promoted the UK's ambition to lead an instrument on the mission. "The UK has developed exceptional expertise in exoplanet science and cutting-edge instrumentation," she said. "We now have the chance to build on these strengths and take part in what could be the most significant scientific discovery in human history. "Whether we find life or not, the implications will be transformational - not just for space science, but for our understanding of humanity's place in the universe.' 6 Rocky planet Earth-like planet, Proxima Centauri b Credit: Getty All you need to know about planets in our solar system Our solar system is made up of nine planets with Earth the third closest to the Sun. But each planet has its own quirks, so find out more about them all... How old is Earth? Plus other facts on our planet How many moons does Mercury have? What colour is Venus? How far away is Mars to Earth? And other facts on the red planet How big is Jupiter? How many moons does Saturn have? Does Uranus have rings? How many moons does Neptune have? How big is Pluto? How hot is the Sun?
