Spain manager rejects 'Barcelona's complaints' after Gavi suffers serious knee injury
Spain manager Luis de la Fuente defends playing Gavi after the Barcelona midfielder suffered a serious knee injury against Georgia.
1970-01-01 08:00
'Lost City' deep in the Atlantic is like nothing else we've ever seen on Earth
The reality of what lies within our oceans has fascinated people since time immemorial, so it’s no wonder we’ve created countless myths about the watery depths. But step aside, Atlantis, scientists have discovered a real Lost City beneath the waves, and this one is teaming with life. The rocky, towering landscape is located west of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge mountain range, hundreds of metres below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, and consists of massive walls, columns and monoliths stretching more than 60 metres (200ft) tall. To be clear, it’s not the home of some long-forgotten human civilisation, but that doesn’t make its existence any less significant. The hydrothermal field, dubbed the “Lost City” upon its discovery in the year 2000, is the longest-lived venting environment known in the ocean, Science Alert reports. Nothing else like it has ever been found on Earth, and experts think it could offer an insight into ecosystems that could exist elsewhere in the universe. For more than 120,000 years, snails, crustaceans and microbial communities have fed off the field’s vents, which spout out hydrogen, methane and other dissolved gases into the surrounding water. Despite the absence of oxygen down there, larger animals also survive in this extreme environment, including crabs, shrimps and eels. Although, they are, admittedly, rare. The hydrocarbons produced by its vents were not created by sunlight or carbon dioxide, but by chemical reactions way down on the seafloor. This is how life on our planet may have originated some 3.7 billion years, and how it could be formed on others. "This is an example of a type of ecosystem that could be active on Enceladus or Europa right this second," microbiologist William Brazelton told The Smithsonian back in 2018, referring to the moons of Saturn and Jupiter respectively. "And maybe Mars in the past." The tallest of the Lost City’s monoliths has been named Poseidon, after the Greek god of the sea, and it measures more than 60 metres high. Meanwhile, just northeast of the tower, is a cliffside where the vents “weep” with fluid, producing "clusters of delicate, multi-pronged carbonate growths that extend outward like the fingers of upturned hands", according to researchers at the University of Washington. There are now calls for the Lost City to be listed as a World Heritage site to protect the natural phenomenon, particularly given humans’ propensity to destroy precious ecosystems. Back in 2018, it was confirmed that Poland had won the rights to mine the deep sea around the thermal field. And whilst, in theory, the Lost City would not be touched by such works, as Science Alert notes, the destruction of its surroundings could have unintended consequences. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings
1970-01-01 08:00
Orlen to Buy Kufpec’s Assets in Norway for $445 Million
Poland’s largest refiner Orlen SA agreed to purchase oil and gas producing assets on the Norwegian continental shelf
1970-01-01 08:00
Taiwan Export Orders Fall at Slower Pace on China Demand Rebound
Taiwan’s export orders contracted at the slowest pace in more than a year, delivering an encouraging sign for
1970-01-01 08:00
Pop star Shakira appears in a Barcelona court on the first day of her tax fraud trial in Spain
Global pop star Shakira has arrived at a Barcelona courthouse to attend the first day of her trial for allegedly defrauding Spanish tax officials of millions of euros
1970-01-01 08:00
Japan to Start Digital Securities Trading From Next Month
Osaka Digital Exchange Co. will begin Japan’s first trading of digital securities next month in the form of
1970-01-01 08:00
Football transfer rumours: Liverpool plot Diaz swap; Barcelona & Real Madrid join Sane race
Monday's football transfer rumours, with updates on Luis Diaz, Leroy Sane, Raphinha, Ivan Toney & more.
1970-01-01 08:00
Burna Boy and Rema win inaugural Billboard Afrobeats awards
The Nigerian artists are the first winners in the new category at the Billboard Music Awards in the US.
1970-01-01 08:00
Microsoft hires ousted OpenAI boss Sam Altman
Microsoft has hired OpenAI co-founder and former chief executive Sam Altman just days after he was ousted from his company. Mr Altman was fired on Friday, less than a year after launching the hugely successful AI chatbot ChatGPT, with OpenAI’s board saying it “no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI”. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was reportedly “furious” about being blindsided by Mr Altman’s firing, despite the tech giant being a key investor of the artificial intelligence firm. On Monday, Mr Nadella announced that both Mr Altman and fellow OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman would be joining his company. “We’re extremely excited to share the news that Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, together with colleagues, will be joining Microsoft to lead a new advanced AI research team,” Mr Nadella wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “We look forward to moving quickly to provide them with the resources needed for their success.” Mr Altman replied to the post: “The mission continues.” Mr Altman had previously posted a picture of himself wearing an OpenAI guest pass over the weekend, together with the caption: “First and last time I ever wear one of these.” Mr Nadella followed up his original post on X with further details about what Mr Altman’s new role might be within the company. “I’m super excited to have you join as CEO of this new group, Sam, setting a new pace for innovation,” he wrote. “We’ve learned a lot over the years about how to give founders and innovators space to build independent identities and cultures within Microsoft, including GitHub, Mojang Studios, and LinkedIn, and I’m looking forward to having you do the same.” Read More OpenAI in talks to bring Sam Altman back days after CEO ouster, reports say OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman ousted as CEO ChatGPT Plus stops signups after major update ChatGPT creator mocks Elon Musk in brutal tweet ChatGPT goes offline ChatGPT update allows anyone to make their own personalised AI assistant
1970-01-01 08:00
Hostage Talks Progress as Heavy Israel-Hamas Fighting Grips Gaza
Israeli forces engaged in heavy fighting with Hamas in the northern Gaza Strip overnight as the US said
1970-01-01 08:00
China Drafts List of 50 Real Estate Firms Eligible for Funding
Chinese regulators are drafting a list of 50 developers eligible for a range of financing, according to people
1970-01-01 08:00
China Congratulates Argentine Vote Winner Despite ‘Assassin’ Jab
China congratulated Javier Milei for winning the presidential election in Argentina, even after he questioned the need to
1970-01-01 08:00
