Un empleado de Sports Illustrated le pidió una vez a Heinz Kluetmeier que nombrara la foto olímpica más memorable que había tomado.
Ese empleado era yo.
El famoso fotógrafo deportivo no lo dudó.
“Tendría que decir la foto del hockey olímpico de Lake Placid”, dijo. “Esta es la única portada que hemos publicado sin lenguaje de portada. No lo necesitaba”.
Esa foto me llegó Portada SI, 3 de marzo de 1980la imagen definitiva del momento deportivo decisivo para los estadounidenses en el siglo XX: la celebración del equipo de hockey estadounidense tras su improbable victoria sobre la Unión Soviética en los Juegos Olímpicos de Lake Placid.
Una de las fotografías de Kluetmeyer de los estadounidenses celebrando. (Foto: Heinz Kluetmeier/Sports Illustrated vía Getty Images)
Kloetmeier, nacido en Berlín pero educado en Estados Unidos, fue contratado por Time Inc. en 1969 para trabajar como fotógrafo para la revista Life and Sports Illustrated. Su carrera incluyó fotografiar más de 100 portadas para Sports Illustrated, incluidas imágenes memorables de Mark Spitz y Michael Phelps.
Murió el martes temprano a la edad de 82 años debido a complicaciones de la enfermedad de Parkinson y un derrame cerebral. John Wertheim de SI Crea un hermoso obituarioDijo que Kluetmeyer “no tomó fotografías, sino que las regaló”.
“Heinz Kluetmeier fue uno de los mejores fotógrafos de nuestro tiempo”, dijo su ex colega de SI, Robert Beck, en una publicación de Instagram. “Técnicamente estaba años por delante de sus compañeros, pero también entendía que eran las emociones de sus modelos las que hacían que sus fotografías fueran verdaderamente especiales.
“Si alguna vez instalas una cámara remota, se lo debes a Heinz. Si alguna vez instalas una cámara en una piscina. Juegos Olímpicos (o en cualquier otro lugar), le debes a Heinz. Si buscas ángulos diferentes, se lo debes a Heinz. Podría seguir. Quería ver excelentes fotos tuyas, pero también apreciaba una sólida ética de trabajo.
“Siempre me ha interesado la fotografía submarina y la revista tiene un historial de intentar algo diferente y adelantarse a la curva”, dijo Kloetmeier en 2008. Ese año, un montón de personas lo vieron en la revista y dijeron: “Intentemos eso”. La primera vez que conseguí permiso para poner una cámara subacuática fue en Barcelona tras meses de negociación. La cámara se había sumergido el año anterior en el Campeonato Mundial de Natación.
“Uno de los miembros del comité técnico dijo que podía ponerlo en la piscina y que si a nadie le gustaba, lo sacaría antes de la carrera. El chico que estaba a mi lado y que me iba a ayudar a sacarlo de la piscina. En Perth, Australia, estaba Mel Stewart, entonces campeón mundial y poseedor del récord en los 200 m mariposa. Así que, en su honor, lancé una cámara a la piscina para su carrera en Barcelona. Teníamos una lente de ojo de pez y el agua estaba muy tranquila. Durante la primera vuelta de su natación, se podía leer el marcador a través del agua. Encima de él, cuando estábamos colocando la cámara, recuerdo que un guardia armado dijo: “No puedes poner esta cámara. Podría ser una bomba.' Finalmente le dije al encargado de la piscina: 'Voy a ir en traje de baño a la piscina, y si hay algún problema, me lanzaré y lo sacaré. No hubo problema'. fue publicado en la revista.
“Hoy en día, cada vez más gente quiere hacerlo, por lo que casi hay que racionar el espacio en el fondo de la piscina. Es un inmueble muy valioso, pero los chicos quieren obtener buenas fotografías.
La serie Red Magic 10 Pro es contratación Se lanzará en China el 13 de noviembre. Se espera que incluya una variante Red Magic 10 Pro y una variante Red Magic 10 Pro+, sucesora del Red Magic 10 Pro. Magia Roja 9 Pro y Magia Roja 9 Pro+Que se presentó en el país en noviembre de 2023. La compañía había confirmado previamente el chipset y la información de visualización de los próximos teléfonos. Ahora, un alto ejecutivo de Red Magic ha revelado detalles del sistema de enfriamiento de la línea.
Sistema de refrigeración Red Magic 10 Pro
La serie Red Magic 10 Pro vendrá con el sistema de refrigeración Ice X, que utiliza un compuesto de metal líquido, según Weibo. correo Escrito por el gerente general de Red Magic Gaming Products, James Jiang. Afirma que estos serán los primeros teléfonos de la industria en utilizar esta tecnología. Se dice que es capaz de reducir la temperatura de los teléfonos hasta 21 grados. De ser cierto, esto será beneficioso para los usuarios, especialmente para los jugadores móviles.
Jiang explica que la nueva tecnología de enfriamiento utilizada en los teléfonos de la serie Red Magic 10 Pro tiene una “estructura sándwich” donde “las capas superior e inferior están compuestas de aleaciones de baja temperatura y la capa intermedia está basada en indio”. Añade que se dice que las capas de metal líquido tienen una conductividad térmica más alta que el “gel de disipación de calor” y “absorben rápidamente el calor, se transforman de sólido a líquido y vuelven al estado sólido después de enfriarse”.
Además de la nueva tecnología de refrigeración, se confirma que la serie Red Magic 10 Pro tendrá ventiladores mejorados, “grafeno altamente conductor debajo de la pantalla” y otros componentes mejorados de disipación de calor, según el ejecutivo.
Características de la serie Red Magic 10 Pro
Los teléfonos inteligentes de la serie Red Magic 10 Pro funcionarán con SoC Snapdragon 8 Elite. ellos cierto Mostrar pantallas BOE de 6,85 pulgadas y resolución de 1,5K con una frecuencia de actualización de 144 Hz, brillo de 2000 nits, cámaras frontales debajo de la pantalla y una relación pantalla-cuerpo del 95,3 por ciento.
Fugas anteriores sugerido Los teléfonos de la serie Red Magic 10 Pro pueden ser compatibles con carga rápida por cable de 100 W. El Red Magic 10 Pro+ está diseñado para llevar una batería de 7.050 mAh y un sensor de huellas dactilares en pantalla.
Los enlaces de afiliados pueden generarse automáticamente; consulte nuestro sitio web Declaración de ética Para más detalles.
Dos adolescentes fueron arrestados por presuntamente hacerse pasar por agentes federales del orden público mientras atacaban y robaban a hispanos en el condado de Orange y otras partes del oeste de Estados Unidos.
Laurentio Passino y Vasile Alexandru, ambos de 19 años, fueron arrestados el jueves por la noche unas cinco horas después de dos robos en anaheim El Departamento de Policía de Anaheim dijo en un comunicado de prensa que ya se había informado.
Los investigadores descubrieron que en ambos robos, “los sospechosos se acercaron a las víctimas, se identificaron como empleados de ICE, exigieron dinero a las víctimas y luego huyeron en una camioneta azul”, dice el comunicado.
Los agentes encontraron el SUV Audi Q7 azul de los sospechosos. Fullerton Passino y Alexandru fueron detenidos.
Fueron ingresados en la cárcel de la APD por múltiples cargos, incluidos varios cargos de robo, y se encuentran detenidos sin derecho a fianza, dijo la policía. Los registros de la cárcel muestran que Bassano está detenido en el centro Theo Lacy, mientras que Alexandro no apareció en la búsqueda.
Los investigadores creen que “Alexandro y Pacino cometieron robos similares en Anaheim, el condado de Orange y el oeste de los Estados Unidos” dirigidos a hispanos utilizando una placa para pretender ser agentes de la ley antes de “exigir la propiedad de la víctima”.
Además del SUV Audi, también utilizaron un SUV Volkswagen Atlas plateado o gris, dijo la policía.
Los investigadores piden que cualquier persona que tenga información se comunique con el detective de robos John Carey al 714-765-1973 o [email protected], la Sección de Detalle de Asaltos Mayores al 714-765-1947 o Crime Stoppers del Condado de Orange al 855-TIP-OCCS o. occrimestoppers.org.
A NATO research vessel conducting studies of marine mammals in the Mediterranean Sea (pictured in 2009).Credit: U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Kristen Allen via Mil image/Alamy
Science has been essential to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the political and military alliance founded 75 years ago this month. The 32-country alliance is admitting more members as it faces evolving geopolitical and military threats. The organization’s scientific work focuses largely on defence and civil-security projects that, for instance, investigate how climate change is affecting war, how emerging technologies could enhance soldiers’ performance and how to reduce discrimination and intolerance among military personnel. “The role of science and technology for NATO is likely to grow significantly over the next two decades,” predicts Simona Soare, a defence-technologies researcher at Lancaster University, UK.
How does NATO use science?
“We’re looking to make sure that we can provide scientific advice to the nations of NATO to enable them to maintain a technical and military advantage,” says Bryan Wells, a chemist and the organization’s chief scientist. Wells works at NATO’s Brussels headquarters, where world leaders gathered earlier this month to mark the organization’s 75th anniversary.
NATO has a complex organizational structure including both military and civilian staff. The civilian part of NATO is headed by a senior political figure from a member state and also includes diplomats representing member countries. The military part is headed by senior military personnel.
Much of NATO’s research and development (R&D) takes place through the Science and Technology Organization (STO), a network of more than 6,000 scientists at universities and national laboratories and in industry. They work together on defence research projects. NATO’s member states and non-member countries together contribute around €350 million (US$380 million) annually for the work of this network, says Wells.
The STO also has its own research laboratory, the Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE) in La Spezia, Italy. The laboratory employs around 150 people and is led by Eric Pouliquen, a physicist who has worked on underwater remote sensing.
NATO’s civilian arm provides grants for a Science for Peace and Security (SPS) research programme, headed by Claudio Palestini, a researcher in communications engineering.
The programme funds studies in areas such as counterterrorism and cyber defence. Earlier this month, the SPS programme updated its priorities. These now include studies on the impact on defence and security from climate change and from AI; protecting underwater infrastructure, and what it calls “hybrid threats”, which includes interference in elections and disinformation. Each of its larger grants is worth between €250,000 and €400,000 and lasts for two to three years.
Wells says the STO publishes research — mostly from the CMRE — in peer-reviewed journals where possible. “We recognize if we can publish openly, it’s very beneficial to do that,” he says.
However, many of its research projects are classified. NATO also does not publish a detailed breakdown of its R&D income and expenditure by country; nor does it release its funding trend data.
What sort of research is NATO doing?
Projects cover a spectrum of fields including using autonomous undersea surveillance to hunt for and identify mines; tracking and identifying submarines; quantum radar; and synthetic biology.
NATO is concerned that climate change has significant impacts on security. Melting sea ice creates more routes for naval shipping in the Arctic, for example, and NATO and non-NATO countries are increasingly operating in the region.
NATO is also interested in how temperature changes could affect the security of its member and non-member countries as well as of military installations around the world. In a 2024 review paper in the Texas National Security Review, CMRE researchers — along with colleagues from the University of St Andrews, UK, the University of L’Aquila, Italy, and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich — found that submarines could become more difficult to detect using sonar in the North Atlantic Ocean as water temperature rises.
In another study, presented at last week’s conference of the European Geosciences Union in Vienna , CMRE researchers working with scientists at the universities of Princeton in New Jersey and Central Florida in Orlando assessed how extreme weather might affect 91 NATO military bases and installations. The researchers found that multiple bases and installations are likely to become susceptible to climate change as emissions continue to rise.
In another project, last year one of NATO’s research vessels moored vertical lines holding oceanographic and acoustic recorders in the Arctic Ocean. The intention was to monitor temperature, salinity and ambient noise throughout the water column. Other research projects are looking at the use of new materials for military clothing in warmer climates, says Wells.
In 2022, NATO also published the first of a series called Climate change and Security Impact Assessment. It is also developing a methodology to map greenhouse-gas emissions from NATO-member military activities and installations.
Personnel from NATO and the Royal Jordanian Navy lower an unmanned undersea vehicle into the Gulf of Aqaba (pictured in 2022).Credit: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Dawson Roth
How has NATO’s expansion affected science?
NATO’s membership has more than doubled since its founding on 4 April 1949. Finland and Sweden are the latest countries to join. Three more — Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia and Ukraine — want to become members.
More members potentially means more funding and support for research and development, as well as access to a bigger pool of scientific expertise. However, Finland and Sweden both participated in NATO’s collaborative research for several years before they joined, says Wells.
Soare says that NATO’s defence science originally focused on aerospace, to help its members catch up after the Soviet Union launched Earth’s first artificial satellites — Sputnik 1 and Sputnik 2 — in 1957. “Throughout the cold war, ensuring air superiority was considered crucial,” she says.
What about a role for science in diplomacy?
In 1958, NATO established research fellowships and projects in what later became its Science for Peace and Security programme, to boost collaboration between nations including the United States and the Soviet Union. “Science provided a path for superpower adversaries to cooperate,” says Paul Arthur Berkman, founder of the Science Diplomacy Center in Falmouth, Massachusetts.
The fellowships and collaborative projects continued to provide a point of contact between NATO and Russia until 2014, when Russia invaded Crimea. That year, Russia, Romania and the United States were jointly developing a system to connect telemedicine capabilities across all three countries to provide medical care in remote and emergency situations. However, the invasion prompted NATO to freeze cooperation with Russia.
Berkman, who in 2010 co-organized and chaired the first dialogue between NATO and Russia regarding environmental security in the Arctic, is concerned at the alliance’s shift away from using science as a “safety valve” in its relations with Russia. He warns that cutting off scientific dialogue with Russia undermines democracy and nations’ ability to tackle global challenges such as climate change.
“Open science is akin to freedom of speech. If we turn off open science, in a sense we’re undermining democracy,” says Berkman.
The laboratory stalwart Caenorhabditis elegans gets a memory boost from being placed on ice.Credit: Heiti Paves/Science Photo Library
Roundworms have short memories, forgetting new information just two to three hours after learning it. But put them on ice and they don’t forget — until they are returned to room temperature, a study finds1.
The worms, the laboratory workhorse Caenorhabditis elegans, only retain their memories if they’re cooled quickly. If they are allowed to acclimatize to the cold by spending the night in cool conditions before they are trained and placed on ice, they forget the information as fast as usual. If they are given the drug lithium, they also hang onto their memories for longer than normal, even at room temperature.
The work speaks to the mysteries of how memories are made and discarded. It also raises questions about why the keenness of a worm’s memories changes under different environmental conditions.
The research is “terrific”, says molecular biologist Ilya Ruvinsky at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, who was not involved in the research. “Forming memories is an intrinsically interesting problem. But it doesn’t happen in isolation.”
The research was led by geneticist Oded Rechavi at Tel Aviv University in Israel and posted on the preprint server bioRxiv on 3 April. It has not yet been peer reviewed.
Worms on ice
You can’t just ask a worm if it remembers something. To get around this, scientists train a worm to dislike a smell it would normally like by exposing the worm to that smell as it endures a short period of starvation. Two hours after learning to dislike the odour, the worm has forgotten the negative association and is once again attracted to the smell.
Unpicking the link between smell and memories
To study memory formation, Rechavi’s then-graduate student Dana Landschaft Berliner put worms on ice. She found that the animals retained their smell-related memories while chilled for at least 16 hours. As soon as the creatures were taken off the ice, however, their memory ‘clock’ seemed to restart; after three hours, they had forgotten their aversion to the smell.
Berliner identified several ways to affect worm memory. When the worms were cooled overnight before the memory training, they quickly forgot the odour, as usual. Worms given lithium and then put on ice held onto their memories just like counterparts that hadn’t received lithium. But worms given lithium also retained their memories at room temperature, whereas unmedicated animals did not.
‘Forgetting switch’
The key to these responses might be a signalling molecule called diacylglycerol. In C. elegans, it is known to regulate cellular processes related to memory and learning, and to be essential for smell-related learning.
In both the ice and lithium treatments, memory preservation was linked to reduced levels of diacylglycerol, the authors found. The team dubbed the diacylglycerol circuit the “forgetting switch” because of its involvement in delaying memory loss.
The connection between low diacylglycerol levels and lithium makes sense: lithium is known to inhibit an enzyme that makes a precursor to diacylglycerol. This is considered to underlie lithium’s effect in people with bipolar disorder, Rechavi says.
The scientists also found that memory retention is related to cell-membrane rigidity, which increases in the cold. Two strains of mutant worm that have unusually rigid membranes were slower than normal worms to forget, even at room temperature. Physical hardening of the membrane seems to delay forgetting, the experiments showed.
Why forget?
As for the future, this research raises interesting questions on many levels: molecular, biochemical, genetic and evolutionary, says Rechavi. “Why do they forget, when the worms are perfectly capable of maintaining the memories longer?” He asks. “Is it because they’re optimizing for something? Perhaps there’s a reason for holding memories for the particular duration that they do.” And do these trade-offs occur in other animals?
Rechavi’s lab is currently investigating whether similar memory phenomena happen in other organisms that can survive cold temperatures, such as tiny animals called tardigrades and certain turtle species. “It will keep us busy for a long time,” he says.
Mayton Motion has developed a wireless adapter that transforms a car’s navigation screen into a functional laptop-like display. Users can access a range of new features by connecting the device via the car’s USB port.
AutoPro X is powered by Android Auto/Samsung DeX (it only works with Samsung Galaxy models that support DeX) and offers Bluetooth pairing, so users can connect game controllers, keyboards and other devices to the screen. This isn’t necessarily the greatest of ideas, since it could end up being a distraction for the driver, but we’d hope for some common sense to be used here.
Mayton says the AutoPro X allows all manner of functionality such as GPS, YouTube or OTT streaming, internet browsing, email, social media, Chat GPT, document processing, gaming, and voice recognition.
Back on Kickstarter
AutoPro X has a ‘Screen Select Mode’, which allows drivers to adjust the display size to either fill the screen or show it in the original ratio.
AutoPro X is available to back on Kickstarter, with Early Bird pricing at $140.
The device is compatible with vehicles that can be connected to Samsung Galaxy phones and Android Auto. Your car does have to support wired Android Auto. Mayton says, “The easiest way to check is to connect your vehicle with a cable and see if Android Auto works. If it does, you should be able to use our product.” You can also browse the compatible phones and vehicles list on the Kickstarter page.
As with any crowdsourced projects, you should be aware that backing a product doesn’t mean that it will be completed or that you will receive the item you backed. That said, at the time of writing, $142,984 had been pledged, well above the $5000 goal, so it’s looking positive.
Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed!
It’s rare for a press release to accurately capture my personal reaction to a product, but the Cuisinart marketing department nailed it this time: the Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker really is the sundae station of my dreams.
The machine has just hit the UK market (it’s also available in the US), and it’s like someone took a Pizza Hut Ice Cream Factory and shrunk it down to countertop size, which is specially good news for adults who might feel they’re too old to really enjoy that all-you-can-eat, candy-packed extravaganza in public, but would like the opportunity to do so in private.
It’s primarily an ice-cream maker, and you can whip up 1.42 liters / 1.5 quarts of soft-serve in as little as 20 minutes – although don’t leave it until you’re hanging out in the sunshine to get started, because you will need to chill the mix in its double-insulated bowl, in your freezer, for 16-24 hours before that. However, unlike other perfectly good ice cream makers (say, the Ninja Ice Cream Maker NC300, which we were fans of when we tested it), it doesn’t stop there.
(Image credit: Cuisinart)
First, it’s a soft-serve machine, which means it’ll dispense a satisfying swirl of ice-cream at the pull of a lever. Second, Cuisinart has taken care of the extras too, and turned the whole thing into a complete sundae station. On one side you’ll find three topping dispensers, for sprinkles, chocolate chips, or whatever, and on the other side, a hoop for safely stacking your cones, like a pro. Finally, there’s a warming plate and a tiny little saucepan for hot-fudge drizzle. I mean come on. It’s adorable.
As well as ice cream (regular or dairy-free), Cuisinart says you can use the Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker to make sorbet, frozen yoghurt, and slushies. Intriguingly, the picture to illustrate that last option appears to show a bottle of wine, so while frosé isn’t specified, it looks like a strong possibility – I’m not sure what you’d do with the sprinkles there, but I’m sure you could figure something out.
• Timekeeping is determined by ultraprecise devices called atomic clocks, but it is also aligned with Earth’s rotation, mainly for historical reasons.
• Because the planet’s rate of rotation fluctuates, this alignment is maintained with the occasional addition of ‘leap seconds’ to the official time standard.
• Now, Earth’s rotation seems to have accelerated, outpacing the time standard, and raising the possibility that an unprecedented ‘negative’ leap second might soon be required — a daunting prospect in a world reliant on consistent timekeeping.
In 1967, the internationally accepted definition of the second changed. The time measurement standard had been linked to Earth’s rotation, but instead became determined by a quantum transition between two states of a caesium atom. The change was motivated by accuracy: caesium atomic clocks keep time on the basis of the ultrastable frequency of the photons exchanged in the quantum transition. This seemed like a safer bet than Earth’s movements, which weren’t as regular as was first assumed.
Read the paper: A global timekeeping problem postponed by global warming
But sailors still relied on the Sun and stars to navigate, and they wanted a time standard that remained tied in some way to Earth’s rotation. It was therefore decided that the new international reference, known as coordinated universal time (utc), would be set by atomic clocks, but kept apace with the rotational angle of Earth, which is known as universal time (ut1). Since 1972, utc has been adjusted to meet this goal by adding a leap second whenever the discrepancy between the two standards approaches one second.
Atomic clocks have enabled the development of great technologies, such as satellite navigation and, in an age of the global navigation satellite system (GNSS), celestial navigation is much less relevant than it was in 1972. GNSS satellites themselves have onboard atomic clocks that regulate their timekeeping, and the insertion of a leap second generates risk of failures. Perhaps more importantly, the addition of leap seconds can have drastic effects on computer infrastructure in the increasingly connected modern world (see go.nature.com/44y88yp).
For these reasons, after more than 20 years of discussion, metrologists proposed that utc be kept in line with Earth’s rotation, but that the tolerance for adding an adjustment be increased to a value larger than one second2. This proposal, which delays the need to make any adjustment for at least another century, was adopted by the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) in 2022.
The CGPM resolution stipulates that the maximum difference between the two times (denoted ut1 − utc) will be increased in or before 2035, and that the details of the new maximum and how it is to be implemented will be decided at the next CGPM meeting in 2026 (see go.nature.com/3vqddy2). Most delegates urge a quick implementation of the new rules, although others ask for more time to adapt their systems. The radiocommunication sector of the International Telecommunication Union — the organization that regulates the transmission of time signals — endorsed the CGPM decisions at the World Radiocommunication Conference in 2023.
utc is currently computed using data from about 450 atomic clocks, which are maintained in more than 80 institutions around the world. It is disseminated in real time by these time laboratories, by means such as radio or telephone signals, the Internet or optical fibre protocols, and also through GNSS signals. Since 1972, irregularities in Earth’s movement have called for 27 leap seconds to be added — at irregular intervals and with a maximum of only 6 months’ notice each time. The irony is that metrologists now face the challenge of removing a leap second from utc for the first time, because Earth’s rotation is gradually getting faster than the time standard set by atomic clocks (Fig. 1).
Figure 1 | Synchronizing the international time with Earth’s rotation. Agnew1 calculated the difference between international atomic time (tai), which is measured using ultraprecise quantum devices known as atomic clocks, and universal time (ut1), which is determined by Earth’s rotation. tai, with the addition of occasional ‘leap seconds’, defines coordinated universal time (utc), which is kept in alignment with ut1. Earth’s current rate of rotation suggests that the first negative leap seconds might soon be necessary owing to a combination of geophysical effects. Agnew’s calculation shows that accelerated melting of the polar ice caps has delayed the need for these adjustments. (Adapted from Fig. 2d of ref. 1.)
A negative leap second has never been added or tested, so the problems it could create are without precedent. Metrologists around the world are following the unfolding discussion attentively, with the view to avoiding any unnecessary risks. What would be necessary, as in good metrological practice, is to calculate the uncertainty associated with predictions of Earth’s rotation. This information would allow researchers to evaluate the probability that a negative leap second will be required — and assess the related risks — so that they can anticipate any such change before 2035. Unfortunately, this task remains formidable (ref. 3 and go.nature.com/4armrvz), so Agnew’s suggestion that the change could be delayed is welcome news indeed.
JERRY X. MITROVICA: In search of lost time
Earth’s rotation is an imperfect timekeeper. This imperfection is imperceptible to humans, but the exquisite accuracy of atomic clocks makes it clear that the time taken for the planet to make one full turn varies from day to day.
On a millennial timescale, changes in Earth’s rotation reflect the combined effect of three geophysical processes4. First, friction between ocean water and the sea floor — both in shallow seas and in the deep ocean — has progressively slowed Earth’s rotation. This effect is known as tidal dissipation. Second, since the last ice age ended, Earth has undergone shape adjustments that have increased its rotation rate. These ongoing changes have brought the planet back to a shape that is more spherical than the flattened form it took when massive ice sheets existed in its polar regions. Finally, the coupling between Earth’s iron core and its outer rocky mantle and crust means that any change in the angular momentum of the core must be balanced by a change of equal magnitude and opposite sign in the mantle and crust.
The leap second’s time is up: world votes to stop pausing clocks
Although the individual contribution of each process is somewhat uncertain, their sum is known precisely: it has led to an increase in Earth’s rotation period of 6 millionths of a second per year4. This slowing might seem trivially small, but its effect is responsible for a phenomenon known as clock error. This error describes a discrepancy in the timing of eclipses: events recorded by ancient astronomers seem to have occurred at times that differ from those predicted by assuming that Earth’s rotation rate has remained unchanged since ancient times. Clock error increases with the age of the eclipse and reaches around 4 hours for eclipses that were observed 2,500 years ago5.
The effects of tidal dissipation and shape adjustments have not changed appreciably since the advent of modern atomic timekeeping, but the impact of core–mantle coupling on Earth’s rotation varies on multiple timescales as a result of the fluid nature of the outer core. And herein lies the probable cause of timekeeping’s most recent dilemma: leap seconds have been required with much lower frequency since 2000 than in the previous 30 years, which indicates that Earth’s rotation rate is accelerating. Given the stability of tidal dissipation and shape-adjustment effects over this period, the main culprit must be core–mantle coupling. However, Agnew’s findings suggest that there is another factor at play.
Agnew analysed changes in Earth’s rotation and in its gravity field — changes in the latter arising through the redistribution of mass on Earth’s surface. His analysis demonstrates persuasively that core–mantle coupling has led to accelerated rotation, but that there has also been a pronounced deceleration owing to the onset of major melting of polar ice sheets that began near the end of the twentieth century. This human-induced process is slowing rotation by moving melted ice mass from the poles to lower latitudes.
Core–mantle coupling alone could have necessitated a negative leap second in about two years’ time. According to Agnew’s calculations, changes in polar ice mass have delayed this eventuality by another three years, to 2029. But no realistic projection of future ice-mass changes will thwart the need for a negative leap second beyond the next decade. Unless international timekeeping guidelines change soon, the myriad technological foundations of human society must be updated in preparation for this unprecedented event, and for the disappearance of 23:59:59 on a single day in the not-too-distant future.
Porsche has released a new video of the Porsche 911 Dakar in action on the ice and snow, the car is driven by racing driver Jukka Honkavuori and he takes on skier Aksel Lund Svindal on the snow.
The 911 Dakar was unveiled back in November, the car is designed to be a more off-road capable version of the 911 and it comes with a range of features and upgrades that make it ideal for off-road. Let’s see how it performs in the ice and snow in this new video.
The Porsche Ice Experience in Finland is nothing if not true to its name. A bitterly cold wind lashes the landscape in this Arctic setting, yet two professional sportsmen are set to face off on a snow-covered ski run. One of them sits behind the wheel of a Porsche 911 Dakar; the other stands on skis. This is racing driver Jukka Honkavuori versus Porsche brand ambassador and skiing legend Aksel Lund Svindal. Both men know all about pushing themselves to the limit in the severest of conditions.
That said, Honkavuori has a home-court advantage, because the Finn is a head instructor for the Porsche Ice Experience and driving on snow and ice is second nature to him. He also races in the Mobil 1 Supercup, among other events, and is a Porsche Track Experience instructor.
For his part, Svindal is no stranger to unusual challenges – the Norwegian former ski racer and two-time Olympic gold-medallist recently traversed the Moroccan desert with his high-performance skis and sports car for 9:11 Magazine, for example.
You can find out more information about the new Porsche 911 Dakar over at Porsche at the link below, it certainly looks very impressive on snow and ice from the video.
Source Porsche
Filed Under: Auto News
Latest timeswonderful Deals
Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, timeswonderful may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.
Audi has revealed a special edition version of its Audi e-tron GT, the Audi RS e-tron GT Ice Race Edition and just four right-hand drive versions of the car will be made, a total of 99 cars worldwide, each one with cost £150,630 on the road.
Its starting point is a fully electric RS e-tron GT finished in Florett Silver metallic with a black CFRP roof. This is then embellished by a striking foil wrap incorporating silver and white accents referencing snow crystals and ice lakes, and violet detailing representing the bright shades of wintersports eyewear. The foil features targeted transparencies and so does not tint the entire surface, and the white tones it adds achieve a three-dimensional effect against the monochrome silver background. White renderings of the four rings at the front and rear echo the ice race edition concept car, and in combination dark privacy glass the 21-inch black alloy wheels provide striking contrast.
The colour scheme is continued in the interior, which features an Audi exclusive leather package in a diamond silver and black colour combination with violet contrast stitching, and extends the coverage of supple Fine Nappa leather beyond the seats to the upper parts of the centre console, the instrument panel, the door rails and the door armrests. RS floormats with diamond silver piping and violet stitching around the RS logo also set the tone, while Audi exclusive insignias in the Dinamica microfibre door trim inserts attest to the model’s very special status.
You can find out more details about this limited edition Audi RS e-tron GT Ice Race Edition over at the Audi website at the link below, it certainly looks very interesting from the photos.
Source Audi
Filed Under: Auto News
Latest timeswonderful Deals
Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, timeswonderful may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.
