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Study: Lack of Ice Threatens Young Penguins Researchers, using information gathered by satellites, say the loss of ice in Antarctica hurts the survival chances of rare seabirds.
The large flightless birds are called emperor penguins. They raise their young in groups, or colonies, on ice that forms around the continent. The ice partly melts during the summer months.
The British and French researchers studied satellite images to look at five breeding colonies of the birds in the area of the Bellingshausen Sea in 2022.
They said the images showed no sea ice was left in December during the Southern Hemisphere’s summer. This also happened in 2021, the researchers noted.
The scientists said four of the five colonies they studied had been affected by early sea ice loss.
Emperor penguin chicks are born on the ice in Antarctica that forms during the winter there. The ice is important because penguin chicks do not develop waterproof feathers for one to two months after they are born.
Peter Fretwell is a researcher with the British Antarctic Survey who helped write the study. He said, “If the sea ice breaks up under them, the young chicks will drown.”
The scientists published their research in the journal Communications Earth & Environment.
Fretwell’s team also started a study of places where the penguins make their nests across Antarctica. They were able to identify the nesting places in satellite images because the birds’ waste is darker than the surrounding snow. The scientists estimate that there are 300,000 breeding pairs of emperor penguins in Antarctica. The birds are the world’s largest penguin.
Fretwell told the Associated Press that 30 percent of the 62 known penguin colonies were hurt by low levels of sea ice. He said 13 colonies likely failed.
Daniel Zitterbart studies Antarctica at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in the state of Massachusetts. He was not involved in the study. But Zitterbart said he was not surprised by the results of the penguin study.
He said that, if penguins are not successful breeding in one place, they might look for another place next year. The population could recover.
But Zitterbart noted, “If you look further out down the line, how many suitable places will be left?”
I’m Dr. Gena Bennett.View -
Study: Don’t Ask Voice Assistants for Lifesaving Measure Voice assistants like Amazon’s Alexa or Apple’s Siri can be helpful when asking about something like the weather. But if you want to save someone’s life? Call emergency services for that.
Voice assistants often are not helpful when asked how to perform CPR, a study published Monday found. Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, or CPR, is an emergency lifesaving process performed when the heart stops beating.
Researchers asked voice assistants eight questions that someone who may need to perform CPR might ask. In answer, the voice assistants said:
— “Hmm, I don’t know that one.”
— “Sorry, I don’t understand.”
— “Words fail me.”
— “Here’s an answer … that I translated: The Indian Penal Code.”
Only nine of 32 answers suggested calling emergency services for help – an important step suggested by the American Heart Association. The American Heart Association is a nonprofit organization that supports heart medical research.
Some voice assistants sent users to web pages that explained CPR, but only 12 percent of the 32 answers included voiced instructions.
Voiced instructions are important because immediate action can save a life, said study co-writer Dr. Adam Landman. He is chief information officer at Mass General Brigham in Boston, Massachusetts.
Chest compressions – pushing down hard and fast on the victim’s chest – work best with two hands.
“You can’t really be glued to a phone if you’re trying to provide CPR,” Landman said.
The study was published in JAMA Network Open. Researchers tested the voice assistant from different tech companies in February. They included Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, Google’s Assistant, and Microsoft’s Cortana. They asked questions such as “How do I perform CPR?” and “What do you do if someone does not have a pulse?”
Not surprisingly, better questions meant better answers. But when the question was simply “CPR,” the voice assistants gave an incorrect answer. One played news from a public radio station. Another gave information about a movie called “CPR.” A third gave the address of a local CPR training business.
ChatGPT from OpenAI, a free web-based chatbot, performed better on the test. It provided more helpful information. A Microsoft spokesperson said the new Bing Chat, which uses OpenAI’s technology, will first direct users to call 911. It will then give simple steps when asked how to perform CPR.
Standard CPR instructions are needed across all voice assistant devices, Landman said. He suggested that the tech industry should join with medical experts to make sure common questions create helpful CPR instructions, including advice to call emergency phone numbers.
A Google spokesperson said the company recognizes the importance of working with the medical community and is “always working to get better.” An Amazon spokesperson chose not to comment on Alexa’s performance on the CPR test. And an Apple spokesperson did not provide answers to The Associated Press’ questions about how Siri performed.
I’m Gregory Stachel.View -
Climate Activists Campaign against Rich Lifestyles Climate activists have spray painted a boat, blocked private planes from taking off and covered holes in golf courses over the summer.
These actions are part of a campaign against the lifestyles of very rich people who, the activists say, release a lot of carbon pollution into the atmosphere.
As flooding, storms, and wildfires take place around the world, climate activists have also turned to new measures to call attention to these bad weather events. Some activists glued themselves to a road in Germany. Others threw soup on a Vincent van Gogh painting in Britain. They caused delays in sporting events including a Formula One Grand Prix racecar competition and the Tour de France bicycle race.
Now, they are turning their attention to rich people after targeting oil and gas companies and businesses that invest in fossil fuels.
“We do not point the finger at the people but at their lifestyle, the injustice it represents,” said Karen Killeen. She was protesting in Ibiza, Spain, a popular summer place for the wealthy.
Killeen and other climate activists spray painted a $300 million boat while holding up a sign that read, “You consume, others suffer.” She said she was protesting unnecessary carbon releases such as superrich individuals picking up food by boat. “In a climate emergency, it’s an atrocity,” she said.
In Switzerland, about 100 activists chained themselves to aircraft stairs and to an entrance at Europe’s biggest private jet sales gathering in Geneva. Another group of activists spray painted a private jet on the island of Sylt in the North Sea. In Spain, activists plugged holes in golf courses to protest the sport’s heavy water needs during hot, dry weather.
In the United States, Abigail Disney of the Disney family was arrested at East Hampton Town Airport in New York, in July along with 13 other protesters. They blocked cars from entering or leaving a parking area. The group also protested at a golf course, a museum event, and outside private homes.
“Luxury practices are disproportionately contributing to the climate crisis at this point,” said American University social scientist Dana Fisher.
In a 2021 report, the nonprofit organization Oxfam said the richest one percent of people would be responsible for around 16 percent of emissions by 2030.
Richard Wilk is an economic anthropologist at Indiana University. He criticized superyachts: large boats that come with a crew, a helicopter, submarines and swimming pools. Wilk said superyachts release about 6,400 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year. That is over 1,500 times more than a family car, he said.
The environmental group Greenpeace estimated that private aircraft caused about 3 million metric tons of carbon pollution in Europe alone. That is the same as the average yearly CO2 emissions of over half a million people in the European Union.
But University of Pennsylvania climate scientist Michael Mann warned not to take attention away from fossil fuel companies. “The solution is to get everyone to use less carbon-based energy,” whether wealthy or lower-income people, he said.
David Gitman is president of Monarch Air Group, a private airline in Florida. He urged activists to think about whether their actions would bring real change “like sustainable aviation fuel, like carbon offsets.”
Gitman added, “Now, if they go out and they spray-paint a private jet in an airport in Europe, is that going to get those results? In my opinion, no.”
But as protests increase, Wilk said they could still bring changes in behavior.
“Public shaming is one of the most powerful ways of controlling people,” Wilk said. “It acts in a lot of different ways to embarrass people, to make them more conscious of the consequences of their actions.”
I’m Caty Weaver.View -
What Does 'On a Shoestring' Mean? And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
On this program we explore words and expressions in the English language. We give you definitions, examples, and notes on usage. Sometimes we even use them in conversations.
Today we talk about a common object. Shoestrings are very useful for keeping our shoes on. But they are also useful for describing a situation where money is tight, meaning there is not much of it.
A budget is the amount of money available for some purpose. So, if you are on a shoestring budget, you do not have a lot of money. You have just enough to get by. If you can get by on very little money, you are able to live on a shoestring. Sometimes we shorten this expression and just say “on a shoestring.”
We have other ways of describing this situation. For example, you might say you are living paycheck-to-paycheck. This means you get your paycheck but by the time your next one comes, you have used all your money to pay your bills.
Living paycheck-to-paycheck can also be called living hand-to-mouth. The money goes right into your hand and then you must buy the most basic of necessities – food. You do not have money to spend on extras. Everything you earn goes to pay for your immediate needs – things like, food, shelter, medicine, and transportation.
But now let’s go back to our shoestrings. You can do a lot of things “on a shoestring.”
For example, if you can travel on a shoestring, you travel very cheaply. You do not spend money on costly hotels. You look for good deals. You might use coupons, discount offers or other ways to save money. And you may plan to travel at less costly times. People who travel on a shoestring are often called budget travelers.
I learned how to travel on a shoestring when I studied in China. As a student, I did not have much money. So I traveled everywhere by train and stayed at universities. Traveling on a shoestring let me go to many more places.
But how did shoestring come to describe a tight budget – one with little money? Well, some word experts say it comes from people who sold small items on the streets. These items often included shoestrings.
Now let’s hear two friends use this expression.
A: Hey, I hear you’re going on vacation next week. Where are you off to?
B: First, I’m going to Paris and then heading to Barcelona. Finally I’ll finish up my trip in Milan.
A: That is some trip! You must have saved up for a long time to have enough money for that kind of travel budget.
B: Not at all! I am an expert at traveling anywhere on a shoestring. In Paris, I’m staying with friends. In Barcelona, I found a cheap dorm room at a university. And in Milan, I’m working on a farm in exchange for a free room and meals.
A: Wow, you are REALLY good at shoestring travel. By not spending a lot of money on hotels, you’re able to go to more places.
B: Exactly!
And that’s all the time we have for this Words and This Stories.
Are you learning English on a shoestring? If so, keep listening to VOA Learning English. Our high-quality content is free!
Until next time … I’m Anna Matteo.View -
Japanese Company Develops Digital ‘Clones’ of Individuals A Japanese company is developing digital “clones” of individuals designed to take over some of a person’s daily online duties.
The company is Tokyo-based Alt Incorporated. It is working on creating a digital double – an animated image that looks and talks just like its human owner.
The company’s chief executive, Kazutaka Yonekura, told The Associated Press he believes such a double could make people’s lives easier by helping them get more things done.
The digital clone, also called an avatar, could be used for things like carrying out early job interviews or communicating with a person’s doctor ahead of a medical visit.
Yonekura said the main purpose of a digital double would be to “liberate” humans from the many daily duties. He showed AP reporters his own digital clone on a computer. It included an image and digitized version of his voice.
When his digital clone was asked, “What kind of music do you like,” it waited several seconds before giving a long answer. The double explained that Yonekura favors lively music such as hip-hop or rock 'n' roll.
Yonekura argues that the technology he is developing is more personal than other digital assistants, such as Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant. He said most importantly, the clone belongs to you and not the technology company that created it. Yonekura added that his developers had attempted to build tools into the system that are designed to prevent awkward social mistakes.
Currently, digital doubles are very costly. Each Alt clone costs about $140,000, so it will likely take time before there is a mass market for the clones.
Digital doubles are created by taking an individual’s data from social media websites as well as publicly available records. The data is continuously changed and stored in the system. The data is designed to keep up with the individual’s changing habits and activities.
Yonekura said he believes a digital clone could open the door for a society in which people can center on being more creative and waste less time on necessary daily activities.
The idea of a digital clone reportedly enjoys widespread appeal in Japan – the country that gave the world Pokemon, karaoke, Hello Kitty and emojis.
But Yonekura admits that cultures are different, and Westerners may not like the idea as much. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked: Why does it have to be a personal clone, and not just a digital agent?” he said.
I’m Bryan Lynn.View