Liver tissue from a person with extra fat in the organ.Credit: IKELOS GmbH/Dr. Christopher B. Jackson/Science Photo Library
For the first time, the US Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug to treat an obesity-linked liver disease that is on the rise around the globe and is becoming a leading driver of liver failure and transplants.
The drug, called resmetirom, has been shown to reduce scar tissue in the liver and other hallmarks of a disease called metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). MASH is often associated with the metabolic turmoil that can accompany obesity and diabetes, and in severe cases can lead to liver failure or cancer.
The disease affects an estimated 5% of the world’s adults. “It’s a huge population,” says Na Li, a hepatologist at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus. “And I think we have made a big step forward to improve their care.”
Worth the wait?
That step has been a long time coming: despite the clear need, pharmaceutical companies have struggled to develop a successful treatment for MASH. Last year, Intercept Pharmaceuticals in Morristown, New Jersey, abandoned a highly anticipated drug called obeticholic acid, amid concerns from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that its modest effectiveness was not enough to outweigh safety risks.
“Many trials over the years have failed, even those that initially looked promising,” says Li. “That’s the tragedy we’ve had.”
Fatty liver disease: turning the tide
MASH is caused by an accumulation of toxic, fatty molecules in the liver. Over time, this leads to inflammation and tissue damage. As the liver begins to accumulate scar tissue, a process called fibrosis, its ability to function declines. (MASH was called nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH, until professional societies adopted new nomenclature last year.)
Resmetirom boosts the liver’s ability to respond to thyroid hormone, which in turn stimulates the organ’s metabolism of fatty acids. In a year-long, multinational clinical trial in 966 people with MASH, researchers found that the drug reduced inflammation and fat build-up in 30% of participants who received the highest dose of resmetirom, compared with about 10% of those who took a placebo1. Fibrosis improved in about 26% of the highest-dose group, compared with 14% of the placebo group, making resmetirom the first candidate MASH drug to reduce fibrosis. It will be marketed as Rezdiffra and will be available to people with moderate to severe liver scarring.
Long-term benefits in doubt
The drug’s effectiveness, coupled with relatively mild side effects, was exciting and suggested that there could finally be a way to treat MASH, says Maya Balakrishnan, a gastroenterologist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. But the FDA granted resmetirom accelerated approval: for the drug to stay on the market, its developer, Madrigal Pharmaceuticals in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, will eventually need to provide long-term evidence that it produces meaningful benefits.
“Only time will tell,” says Balakrishnan. “In the end, what matters is: does this drug improve survival?”
Disease progression: Divergent paths
In the meantime, researchers are eagerly anticipating results from a study of semaglutide, a popular weight-loss drug, against MASH. Weight loss has been associated with a reduction in MASH severity, but an early clinical trial of semaglutide in participants with MASH yielded mixed results: some hallmarks of the disease improved, but liver fibrosis did not2. Still, researchers hope that semaglutide could help, and that the larger ongoing trial will provide clearer results, says Li.
In the meantime, resmetirom could be the best recourse for people with MASH. But physicians must be clear about the limited data on the drug when they discuss resmetirom with their patients, says Balakrishnan.
Access will be another issue, she says. Many of the people most in need of treatment are members of disadvantaged communities in which obesity and diabetes are prevalent. They often have limited access to health care, and it’s not yet known how much resmetirom will cost. “Who are the patients who are going to be able to access the medication?” says Balakrishnan. “It’s definitely a big concern.”
Potential blockbuster
Access in other countries will have to wait. Madrigal Pharmaceuticals’ clinical trials of resmetirom focused on the United States, says Claudia Oliveira, a pathologist at the University of São Paulo in Brazil. “We did not get the opportunity to see this drug in patients in Latin America,” she says. “But we all have expectations about the drug, because the results of the trial were very, very interesting.”
“Madrigal is a small company and chose to focus on a more limited geographic footprint for our trials,” a spokesperson for the company told Nature.
That decision likely helped speed the company’s first approval, says Norberto Chavez Tapia, a hepatologist at Médica Sur in Mexico City. Soon, he predicts, resmetirom will be investigated in clinical trials around the world.
After that, depending on the drug’s price and effects on transplants and survival, resmetirom could be welcomed in many health-care systems, says Tapia: “It’s a very attractive drug for us, worldwide.”
Toronto-based AI chip startup Taalas has emerged from stealth with $50 million in funding and the lofty aim of revolutionizing the GPU-centric world dominated by Nvidia.
Founded by Ljubisa Bajic, Lejla Bajic, and Drago Ignjatovic, all previously from Tenstorrent (the creator of Grayskull), Taalas is developing an automated flow for quickly turning any AI model – Transformers, SSMs, Diffusers, MoEs, etc. – into custom silicon. The company claims that the resulting Hardcore Models are 1000x more efficient than their software counterparts.
The startup also says that one of its chips can hold an entire large AI model without requiring external memory, and the efficiency of hard-wired computation enables a single chip to outperform a small GPU data center.
Casting intelligence directly into silicon
“Artificial intelligence is like electrical power – an essential good that will need to be made available to all. Commoditizing AI requires a 1000x improvement in computational power and efficiency, a goal that is unattainable via the current incremental approaches. The path forward is to realize that we should not be simulating intelligence on general purpose computers, but casting intelligence directly into silicon. Implementing deep learning models in silicon is the straightest path to sustainable AI,” said Ljubisa Bajic, Taalas’ CEO.
“We believe the Taalas ‘direct-to-silicon’ foundry unlocks three fundamental breakthroughs: dramatically resetting the cost structure of AI today, viably enabling the next 10-100x growth in model size, and efficiently running powerful models locally on any consumer device. This is perhaps the most important mission in computing today for the future scalability of AI. And we are proud to support this remarkable n-of-1 team as they do it,” said Matt Humphrey, Partner at Quiet Capital which led the two rounds of funding alongside Pierre Lamond, an advisor at Eclipse Ventures.
Taalas says it will be taping out its first large language model chip in the third quarter of 2024, and aiming to make its chips available to the first customers in Q1 2025.
As environmental, social and humanitarian crises escalate, the world can no longer afford two things: first, the costs of economic inequality; and second, the rich. Between 2020 and 2022, the world’s most affluent 1% of people captured nearly twice as much of the new global wealth created as did the other 99% of individuals put together1, and in 2019 they emitted as much carbon dioxide as the poorest two-thirds of humanity2. In the decade to 2022, the world’s billionaires more than doubled their wealth, to almost US$12 trillion.
The evidence gathered by social epidemiologists, including us, shows that large differences in income are a powerful social stressor that is increasingly rendering societies dysfunctional. For example, bigger gaps between rich and poor are accompanied by higher rates of homicide and imprisonment. They also correspond to more infant mortality, obesity, drug abuse and COVID-19 deaths, as well as higher rates of teenage pregnancy and lower levels of child well-being, social mobility and public trust3,4. The homicide rate in the United States — the most unequal Western democracy — is more than 11 times that in Norway (see go.nature.com/49fuujr). Imprisonment rates are ten times as high, and infant mortality and obesity rates twice as high.
Reducing inequality benefits everyone — so why isn’t it happening?
These problems don’t just hit the poorest individuals, although the poorest are most badly affected. Even affluent people would enjoy a better quality of life if they lived in a country with a more equal distribution of wealth, similar to a Scandinavian nation. They might see improvements in their mental health and have a reduced chance of becoming victims of violence; their children might do better at school and be less likely to take dangerous drugs.
The costs of inequality are also excruciatingly high for governments. For example, the Equality Trust, a charity based in London (of which we are patrons and co-founders), estimated that the United Kingdom alone could save more than £100 billion ($126 billion) per year if it reduced its inequalities to the average of those in the five countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that have the smallest income differentials — Denmark, Finland, Belgium, Norway and the Netherlands5. And that is considering just four areas: greater number of years lived in full health, better mental health, reduced homicide rates and lower imprisonment rates.
Many commentators have drawn attention to the environmental need to limit economic growth and instead prioritize sustainability and well-being6,7. Here we argue that tackling inequality is the foremost task of that transformation. Greater equality will reduce unhealthy and excess consumption, and will increase the solidarity and cohesion that are needed to make societies more adaptable in the face of climate and other emergencies.
Social anxieties drive stress
The underlying reasons for inequality having such profound and wide-ranging impacts are psychosocial. By accentuating differences in status and social class — for example, through the type of car someone drives, their clothing or where they live — inequality increases feelings of superiority and of inferiority. The view that some people are worth more than others can undermine people’s confidence and feelings of self-worth8. And, as studies of cortisol responses show, worry about how others see us is a powerful stressor9.
People queue for food parcels in Lagos, Nigeria.Credit: Temilade Adelaja/Reuters
Rates of ‘status anxiety’ have been found to be increased in all income groups in more-unequal societies10. Chronic stress has well-documented effects on mortality — it can double death rates11. Health-related behaviours are also affected by stress. Diet, exercise and smoking all show social gradients, but people are least likely to adopt healthy lifestyles when they feel stressed.
Violence and bullying are also linked to competition for social status. Aggression is frequently triggered by disrespect, humiliation and loss of face. Bullying among schoolchildren is around six times as common in more-unequal countries12. In the United States, homicide rates were five times as high in states with higher levels of inequality as in those with a more even distribution of wealth13.
Status compels consumption
Inequality also increases consumerism. Perceived links between wealth and self-worth drive people to buy goods associated with high social status and thus enhance how they appear to others — as US economist Thorstein Veblen set out more than a century ago in his book The Theory of the Leisure Class (1899). Studies show that people who live in more-unequal societies spend more on status goods14.
Our work has shown that the amount spent on advertising as a proportion of gross domestic product is higher in countries with greater inequality. The well-publicized lifestyles of the rich promote standards and ways of living that others seek to emulate, triggering cascades of expenditure for holiday homes, swimming pools, travel, clothes and expensive cars.
The ‘Bill Gates problem’: do billionaire philanthropists skew global health research?
Oxfam reports that, on average, each of the richest 1% of people in the world produces 100 times the emissions of the average person in the poorest half of the world’s population15. That is the scale of the injustice. As poorer countries raise their material standards, the rich will have to lower theirs.
Inequality also makes it harder to implement environmental policies. Changes are resisted if people feel that the burden is not being shared fairly. For example, in 2018, the gilets jaunes (yellow vests) protests erupted across France in response to President Emmanuel Macron’s attempt to implement an ‘eco-tax’ on fuel by adding a few percentage points to pump prices. The proposed tax was seen widely as unfair — particularly for the rural poor, for whom diesel and petrol are necessities. By 2019, the government had dropped the idea. Similarly, Brazilian truck drivers protested against rises in fuel tax in 2018, disrupting roads and supply chains.
Do unequal societies perform worse when it comes to the environment, then? Yes. For rich, developed countries for which data were available, we found a strong correlation between levels of equality and a score on an index we created of performance in five environmental areas: air pollution; recycling of waste materials; the carbon emissions of the rich; progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals; and international cooperation (UN treaties ratified and avoidance of unilateral coercive measures).
That correlation clearly holds when social and health problems are also factored in (see ‘Unequal outcomes’). To show this, we combined our environmental performance index with another that we developed previously that considers ten health and social problems: infant mortality, life expectancy, mental illness, obesity, educational attainment, teenage births, homicides, imprisonment, social mobility and trust. There’s a clear trend, with more-unequal societies having worse scores.
Source: Analysis by R. G. Wilkinson & K. E. Pickett
Other studies have also shown that more-equal societies are more cohesive, with higher levels of trust and participation in local groups16. And, compared with less-equal rich countries, another 10–20% of the populations of more-equal countries think that environmental protection should be prioritized over economic growth17. More-equal societies also perform better on the Global Peace Index (which ranks states on their levels of peacefulness), and provide more foreign aid. The UN target is for countries to spend 0.7% of their gross national income (GNI) on foreign aid; Sweden and Norway each give around 1% of their GNI, whereas the United Kingdom gives 0.5% and the United States only 0.2%.
Policymakers must act
The scientific evidence is stark that reducing inequality is a fundamental precondition for addressing the environmental, health and social crises the world is facing. It’s essential that policymakers act quickly to reverse decades of rising inequality and curb the highest incomes.
First, governments should choose progressive forms of taxation, which shift economic burdens from people with low incomes to those with high earnings, to reduce inequality and to pay for the infrastructure that the world needs to transition to carbon neutrality and sustainability. Although governments might baulk at this suggestion, there’s plenty of headroom. For example, tax rates on the highest incomes in the United States were well above 70% for about half of the twentieth century — much higher than today’s top rate of 37%. To shore up public support, governments need to make a strong case that the whole of society should contribute to funding the clean energy transition and good health.
To build a better world, stop chasing economic growth
International agreements to close tax havens and loopholes must be made. Corporate tax avoidance is estimated to cost poor countries $100 billion per year — enough to educate an extra 124 million children and prevent perhaps 8 million maternal and infant deaths annually. OECD member countries are responsible for more than two-thirds of these tax losses, according to the Tax Justice Network, an advocacy group in Bristol, UK. The OECD estimates that low- or middle-income countries lose three times as much to tax havens as they receive in foreign aid.
Although not yet tried, the merits of a consumption tax — calculated on the basis of personal income minus savings — to restrain consumption should also be considered. Unlike value-added and sales taxes, such a tax could be made very progressive. Bans on advertising tobacco, alcohol, gambling and prescription drugs are common internationally, but taxes to restrict advertising more generally would help to reduce consumption. Energy costs might also be made progressive by charging more per unit at higher levels of consumption.
Legislation and incentives will also be needed to ensure that large companies — which dominate the global economy — are run more fairly. For example, business practices such as employee ownership, representation on company boards and share ownership, as well as mutuals and cooperatives, tend to reduce the scale of income and wealth inequality. In contrast to the 200:1 ratio reported by one analyst for the top to the bottom pay rates among the 100 largest-worth companies listed on the FTSE 100 stock-market index (see go.nature.com/3p9cdbv), the Mondragon group of Spanish cooperatives has an agreed maximum ratio of 9:1. And such companies perform well in ethical and sustainability terms. The Mondragon group came 11th in Fortune magazine’s 2020 ‘Change the World’ list, which recognizes companies for implementing innovative business strategies with a positive global impact.
Reducing economic inequality is not a panacea for health, social and environmental problems, but it is central to solving them all. Greater equality confers the same benefits on a society however it is achieved. Countries that adopt multifaceted approaches will go furthest and fastest.
It’s unclear whether Tim Berners-Lee knew the magnitude of his authoring of the 1989 paper titled “Information Management: A Proposal“. But it was undoubtedly a transformative moment for humanity and has impacted society and business in profound ways.
35 years on from a mere proposal, we have interconnected systems all around the world that are powering large-scale big data analytics workloads, cloud-enabled quantum computing and artificial intelligence (AI) agents that are integrated into software components — like Microsoft‘s Copilot module. There may yet be further room for growth, with the metaverse and holographic projection possibly next in line as data transmission capabilities increase over the coming years.
Although the web was first proposed with Berners-Lee’s paper, the building blocks were in place for a few years beforehand by the US Department of Defense, when it decided to implement TCP/IP into its network. Thus, Arpanet was born. This eventually evolved into the model that’s become the web we use today — but it was a simple idea then, and pales into comparison compared with the intricately connected systems that govern every aspect of our lives.
The post-AI internet
The amount of data, for example, on the internet has exponentially surged — especially in the last few years. In 2018, IDC predicted that data would swell from 33ZB (or one billion terabytes) to 175ZB by 2025. Other estimates suggest it’s even greater, with 64ZB in 2020 ballooning to 181ZB by next year, according to Statista.
Considering what form the data takes is also key. With high-speed connections becoming more mainstream, the amount of video content has increased to the extent that it now represents 53.72%, according to a study published in 2022.
Now, however, there are also rising concerns over how much of the internet is real. A “shocking amount” of the content on the internet is fake, according to scientists with Amazon Web Services (AWS) in a recently published paper. More than half (57.1%) of all the sentences on the web have been translated into two or more other languages, suggesting AI tools like large language models (LLMs) were used to create and translate them. It reinforces findings by 404 media, showing Google News is inadvertently promoting AI-generated content.
If Berners-Lee has anything to say about the future of the internet, we might adopt a new protocol known as Solid. Spearheaded by his new company, Inrupt, it leans on Web 3.0 principles and the prioritization of user privacy. Whether or not this idea takes off, however, remains to be seen.
What do you do when you forget to load a file onto your laptop and it’s now languishing at the other end of your house on a different device? In my case, I usually end up pausing whatever I’m doing, getting up and marching over to the file location, uploading it to a cloud server, then heading back to where I started and downloading the file onto the device I was originally using. In short, it’s a hassle.
This is a conundrum I often faced until very recently. Well, it probably sounds like a very minor conundrum, and I can’t really deny that. But sometimes the most minor things can feel pretty aggravating when they happen again and again. Convenience is worth a lot more than you’d think.
Being a forgetful person, this is not an uncommon problem for me. Fortunately, I’ve come across an app that allows me to fetch those forgotten files while remaining safely ensconced on my sofa. It’s the lazy man’s dream.
The app is called Screens 5, and it works like a portal from one device to the next. For example, I can open Screens 5 on my iPad and see a list of all my connected devices. I then tap on one and it loads up that computer, tablet, or phone right from the iPad. It’s like I’m sitting in front of the connected device when I’m on the other side of the house.
Control everything
(Image credit: Future)
That makes it sound like Screens 5 is a small fix to a small problem, but its capabilities are much wider. As long as your target device is switched on, you can access it from anywhere, even on the other side of the globe. It’s especially helpful if you know your target device will always be on, such as if you want to grab a file off of a home server. In that case, as long as you’ve got Screens 5 installed everywhere, you’re never far away from your other devices.
Crucially, Screens 5 isn’t just a viewport – you can directly control one device from the other. So, if I’m using Screens on my iPad, I can just slide my finger across the display and it moves the mouse on my Mac. I can open apps, start typing, copy and paste files, and more. Better yet, Screens 5 even lets me drag and drop files from the connected device onto the one that’s sitting in front of me, and vice versa. There’s no need to upload anything to Dropbox and no need to email anything to myself, I can just move the file where it needs to go in seconds.
(Image credit: Future)
Sure, I know what you’re thinking – there are already fast ways to share files between devices automatically, such as syncing things using a cloud storage service. That’s true, but those are pretty one-dimensional solutions. With Screens 5, I can take control of another device as well as sync files to it, regardless of its operating system and form factor. That’s something the likes of Google Drive and iCloud can’t offer.
Besides, Screens 5 is useful for much more than just file sharing. You can work on a document you left open on a different computer, update your device from miles away, or take a quick screenshot of one device from another.
It’s also a neat way to help someone with a problem they’re having on their device. Instead of going around in circles trying to describe the fix to them, you can just take charge of the target device and apply the solution yourself.
(Image credit: Future)
There are some complications to be aware of. To get Screens 5 to work with my Windows PC, for example, I had to install a complementary component called a VNC server. That sounds complicated but setting it up is a breeze. Screens 5 requires a second app called Screens Connect to (you guessed it) connect all your devices. Installing Screens Connect on Windows also installs a VNC server, so the hard work is finished by the time you’ve closed the setup wizard.
I also wouldn’t recommend trying to control your iMac or Windows PC from an iPhone screen, as controls can get very fiddly on such a small device. But you can at least zoom in if required. So if you need to use Screens and all you have in hand is your phone, it’s doable.
Overall, though, those are minor nuisances and not ones I experience very often. The VNC server in particular is a one-off problem, and Screens 5’s developer has included enough tools – such as a floating bar with thumb-sized buttons for common controls like the function keys and system settings – that make navigating your way around a small phone screen a little easier.
At the end of the day, I’m glad to have come across Screens 5. I may not be able to cure my forgetfulness completely, but at least I’ve got an app that can make it a little less problematic.
One of world’s largest oil platforms, the North Sea’s Gullfaks C, sits on immense foundations, constructed from 246,000 cubic metres of reinforced concrete, penetrating 22 metres into the sea bed and smothering about 16,000 square metres of sea floor. The platform’s installation in 1989 was a feat of engineering. Now, Gullfaks C has exceeded its expected 30-year lifespan and is due to be decommissioned in 2036. How can this gargantuan structure, and others like it, be taken out of action in a safe, cost-effective and environmentally beneficial way? Solutions are urgently needed.
Many of the world’s 12,000 offshore oil and gas platforms are nearing the end of their lives (see ‘Decommissioning looms’). The average age of the more than 1,500 platforms and installations in the North Sea is 25 years. In the Gulf of Mexico, around 1,500 platforms are more than 30 years old. In the Asia–Pacific region, more than 2,500 platforms will need to be decommissioned in the next 10 years. And the problem won’t go away. Even when the world transitions to greener energy, offshore wind turbines and wave-energy devices will, one day, also need to be taken out of service.
Source: S. Gourvenec et al. Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev.154, 111794 (2022).
There are several ways to handle platforms that have reached the end of their lives. For example, they can be completely or partly removed from the ocean. They can be toppled and left on the sea floor. They can be moved elsewhere, or abandoned in the deep sea. But there’s little empirical evidence about the environmental and societal costs and benefits of each course of action — how it will alter marine ecosystems, say, or the risk of pollution associated with moving or abandoning oil-containing structures.
So far, politics, rather than science, has been the driving force for decisions about how to decommission these structures. It was public opposition to the disposal of a floating oil-storage platform called Brent Spar in the North Sea that led to strict legislation being imposed in the northeast Atlantic in the 1990s. Now, there is a legal requirement to completely remove decommissioned energy infrastructure from the ocean in this region. By contrast, in the Gulf of Mexico, the idea of converting defunct rigs into artificial reefs holds sway despite a lack of evidence for environmental benefits, because the reefs are popular sites for recreational fishing.
A review of decommissioning strategies is urgently needed to ensure that governments make scientifically motivated decisions about the fate of oil rigs in their regions, rather than sleepwalking into default strategies that could harm the environment. Here, we outline a framework through which local governments can rigorously assess the best way to decommission offshore rigs. We argue that the legislation for the northeast Atlantic region should be rewritten to allow more decommissioning options. And we propose that similar assessments should inform the decommissioning of current and future offshore wind infrastructure.
Challenges of removing rigs
For the countries around the northeast Atlantic, leaving disused oil platforms in place is an emotive issue as well as a legal one. Environmental campaigners, much of the public and some scientists consider anything other than the complete removal of these structures to be littering by energy companies1. But whether rig removal is the best approach — environmentally or societally — to decommissioning is questionable.
Energy crisis: five questions that must be answered in 2023
There has been little research into the environmental impacts of removing platforms, largely owing to lack of foresight2. But oil and gas rigs, both during and after their operation, can provide habitats for marine life such as sponges, corals, fish, seals and whales3. Organisms such as mussels that attach to structures can provide food for fish — and they might be lost if rigs are removed4. Structures left in place are a navigational hazard for vessels, making them de facto marine protected areas — regions in which human activities are restricted5. Another concern is that harmful heavy metals in sea-floor sediments around platforms might become resuspended in the ocean when foundations are removed6.
Removing rigs is also a formidable logistical challenge, because of their size. The topside of a platform, which is home to the facilities for oil or gas production, can weigh more than 40,000 tonnes. And the underwater substructure — the platform’s foundation and the surrounding fuel-storage facilities — can be even heavier. In the North Sea, substructures are typically made of concrete to withstand the harsh environmental conditions, and can displace more than one million tonnes of water. In regions such as the Gulf of Mexico, where conditions are less extreme, substructures can be lighter, built from steel tubes. But they can still weigh more than 45,000 tonnes, and are anchored to the sea floor using two-metre-wide concrete pilings.
Huge forces are required to break these massive structures free from the ocean floor. Some specialists even suggest that the removal of the heaviest platforms is currently technically impossible.
And the costs are astronomical. The cost to decommission and remove all oil and gas infrastructure from UK territorial waters alone is estimated at £40 billion (US$51 billion). A conservative estimate suggests that the global decommissioning cost for all existing oil and gas infrastructure could be several trillion dollars.
Mixed evidence for reefing
In the United States, attitudes to decommissioning are different. A common approach is to remove the topside, then abandon part or all of the substructure in such a way that it doesn’t pose a hazard to marine vessels. The abandoned structures can be used for water sports such as diving and recreational fishing.
This approach, known as ‘rigs-to-reefs’, was first pioneered in the Gulf of Mexico in the 1980s. Since its launch, the programme has repurposed around 600 rigs (10% of all the platforms built in the Gulf), and has been adopted in Brunei, Malaysia and Thailand.
How to stop cities and companies causing planetary harm
Converting offshore platforms into artificial reefs is reported to produce almost seven times less air-polluting emissions than complete rig removal7, and to cost 50% less. Because the structures provide habitats for marine life5, proponents argue that rigs increase the biomass in the ocean8. In the Gulf of California, for instance, increases in the number of fish, such as endangered cowcod (Sebasteslevis) and other commercially valuable rockfish, have been reported in the waters around oil platforms6.
But there is limited evidence that these underwater structures actually increase biomass9. Opponents argue that the platforms simply attract fish from elsewhere10 and leave harmful chemicals in the ocean11. And because the hard surface of rigs is different from the soft sediments of the sea floor, such structures attract species that would not normally live in the area, which can destabilize marine ecosystems12.
Evidence from experts
With little consensus about whether complete removal, reefing or another strategy is the best option for decommissioning these structures, policies cannot evolve. More empirical evidence about the environmental and societal costs and benefits of the various options is needed.
To begin to address this gap, we gathered the opinions of 39 academic and government specialists in the field across 4 continents13,14. We asked how 12 decommissioning options, ranging from the complete removal of single structures to the abandonment of all structures, might impact marine life and contribute to international high-level environmental targets. To supplement the scant scientific evidence available, our panel of specialists used local knowledge, professional expertise and industry data.
The substructures of oil rigs can provide habitats for a wealth of marine life.Credit: Brent Durand/Getty
The panel assessed the pressures that structures exert on their environment — factors such as chemical contamination and change in food availability for marine life — and how those pressures affect marine ecosystems, for instance by altering biodiversity, animal behaviour or pollution levels. Nearly all pressures exerted by leaving rigs in place were considered bad for the environment. But some rigs produced effects that were considered beneficial for humans — creating habitats for commercially valuable species, for instance. Nonetheless, most of the panel preferred, on balance, to see infrastructure that has come to the end of its life be removed from the oceans.
But the panel also found that abandoning or reefing structures was the best way to help governments meet 37 global environmental targets listed in 3 international treaties. This might seem counter-intuitive, but many of the environmental targets are written from a ‘what does the environment do for humans’ perspective, rather than being focused on the environment alone.
Importantly, the panel noted that not all ecosystems respond in the same way to the presence of rig infrastructure. The changes to marine life caused by leaving rigs intact in the North Sea will differ from those brought about by abandoning rigs off the coast of Thailand. Whether these changes are beneficial enough to warrant alternatives to removal depends on the priorities of stakeholders in the region — the desire to protect cowcod is a strong priority in the United States, for instance, whereas in the North Sea, a more important consideration is ensuring access to fishing grounds. Therefore, rig decommissioning should be undertaken on a local, case-by-case basis, rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach.
Legal hurdles in the northeast Atlantic
If governments are to consider a range of decommissioning options in the northeast Atlantic, policy change is needed.
Current legislation is multi-layered. At the global level, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS; 1982) states that no unused structures can present navigational hazards or cause damage to flora and fauna. Thus, reefing is allowed.
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But the northeast Atlantic is subject to stricter rules, under the OSPAR Convention. Named after its original conventions in Oslo and Paris, OSPAR is a legally binding agreement between 15 governments and the European Union on how best to protect marine life in the region (see go.nature.com/3stx7gj) that was signed in the face of public opposition to sinking Brent Spar. The convention includes Decision 98/3, which stipulates complete removal of oil and gas infrastructure as the default legal position, returning the sea floor to its original state. This legislation is designed to stop the offshore energy industry from dumping installations on mass.
Under OSPAR Decision 98/3, leaving rigs as reefs is prohibited. Exceptions to complete removal (derogations) are occasionally allowed, but only if there are exceptional concerns related to safety, environmental or societal harms, cost or technical feasibility. Of the 170 structures that have been decommissioned in the northeast Atlantic so far, just 10 have been granted derogations. In those cases, the concrete foundations of the platforms have been left in place, but the top part of the substructures removed.
Enable local decision-making
The flexibility of UNCLOS is a more pragmatic approach to decommissioning than the stringent removal policy stipulated by OSPAR.
We propose that although the OSPAR Decision 98/3 baseline position should remain the same — complete removal as the default — the derogation process should change to allow alternative options such as reefing, if a net benefit to the environment and society can be achieved. Whereas currently there must be an outstanding reason to approve a derogation under OSPAR, the new process would allow smaller benefits and harms to be weighed up.
The burden should be placed on industry officials to demonstrate clearly why an alternative to complete removal should be considered not as littering, but as contributing to the conservation of marine ecosystems on the basis of the best available scientific evidence. The same framework that we used to study global-scale evidence in our specialist elicitation can be used to gather and assess local evidence for the pros and cons of each decommissioning option. Expert panels should comprise not only scientists, but also members with legal, environmental, societal, cultural and economic perspectives. Regions outside the northeast Atlantic should follow the same rigorous assessment process, regardless of whether they are already legally allowed to consider alternative options.
For successful change, governments and legislators must consider two key factors.
Get buy-in from stakeholders
OSPAR’s 16 signatories are responsible for changing its legislation but it will be essential that the more flexible approach gets approval from OSPAR’s 22 intergovernmental and 39 non-governmental observer organizations. These observers, which include Greenpeace, actively contribute to OSPAR’s work and policy development, and help to implement its convention. Public opinion in turn will be shaped by non-governmental organizations15 — Greenpeace was instrumental in raising public awareness about the plan to sink Brent Spar in the North Sea, for instance.
EU climate policy is dangerously reliant on untested carbon-capture technology
Transparency about the decision-making process will be key to building confidence among sceptical observers. Oil and gas companies must maintain an open dialogue with relevant government bodies about plans for decommissioning. In turn, governments must clarify what standards they will require to consider an alternative to removal. This includes specifying what scientific evidence should be collated, and by whom. All evidence about the pros and cons of each decommissioning option should be made readily available to all.
Oil and gas companies should identify and involve a wide cross-section of stakeholders in decision-making from the earliest stages of planning. This includes regulators, statutory consultees, trade unions, non-governmental organizations, business groups, local councils and community groups and academics, to ensure that diverse views are considered.
Conflict between stakeholders, as occurred with Brent Spar, should be anticipated. But this can be overcome through frameworks similar to those between trade unions and employers that help to establish dialogue between the parties15.
The same principle of transparency should also be applied to other regions. If rigorous local assessment reveals reefing not to be a good option for some rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, for instance, it will be important to get stakeholder buy-in for a change from the status quo.
Future-proof designs
OSPAR and UNCLOS legislation applies not only to oil and gas platforms but also to renewable-energy infrastructure. To avoid a repeat of the challenges that are currently being faced by the oil and gas industry, decommissioning strategies for renewables must be established before they are built, not as an afterthought. Structures must be designed to be easily removed in an inexpensive way. Offshore renewable-energy infrastructure should put fewer pressures on the environment and society — for instance by being designed so that it can be recycled, reused or repurposed.
If developers fail to design infrastructure that can be removed in an environmentally sound and cost-effective way, governments should require companies to ensure that their structures provide added environmental and societal benefits. This could be achieved retrospectively for existing infrastructure, taking inspiration from biodiversity-boosting panels that can be fitted to the side of concrete coastal defences to create marine habitats (see go.nature.com/3v99bsb).
Governments should also require the energy industry to invest in research and development of greener designs. On land, constraints are now being placed on building developments to protect biodiversity — bricks that provide habitats for bees must be part of new buildings in Brighton, UK, for instance (see go.nature.com/3pcnfua). Structures in the sea should not be treated differently.
If it is designed properly, the marine infrastructure that is needed as the world moves towards renewable energy could benefit the environment — both during and after its operational life. Without this investment, the world could find itself facing a decommissioning crisis once again, as the infrastructure for renewables ages.
Several people are typing, and they’re all saying Netflix’s Leave the World Behind is wildly prescient. The movie, directed by Sam Esmail, opens on a world where communication has been knocked out following a cyberattack. And earlier this week, when nearly all of Meta’s platforms—Facebook, Instagram, Threads—went down, people took to (other) social media platforms to post and hand-wring about the apocalypse.
Most of the posts, per usual, were jokes: wry observations to help soothe the agita that comes with being alive when everything feels unstable. “Another dry run for Leave the World Behind,” wrote one X user. “I fear we are moving close to a Leave the World Behind scenario,” wrote another. “These tech glitches are increasingly [sic] with regularity.”
But there was also a more conspiratorial undercurrent. For those who don’t know, Leave the World Behind was produced by Barack and Michelle Obama through their company Higher Ground Productions. Ever since the movie’s release, a conspiracy theory has persisted online that the film is somehow a warning about the widespread disorder to come.
This same thread emerged late last month when an AT&T network outage wreaked havoc on US cellular networks. “The predictive programming of the Obama’s [sic] movie, Leave the World Behind, is becoming a little too real right now,” one user wrote on X. “I wouldn’t put it past our own federal government to institute a terrorist or cyber attack, just to blame it on foreign countries like China and Russia.”
Odds are that nothing of the sort happened. Leave the World Behind is based on a 2020 book by Rumaan Alam and, according to the film’s director Sam Esmail, the former US president came on as a production partner only after the script was pretty much done. “I would just say [the conspiracy theorists] are pretty wrong in terms of his signaling,” he told Collider. “It had nothing to do with that.”
Not that facts have ever gotten in the way of an online conspiracy before. Case in point, this week’s big trailer drop: Civil War. When the first trailer for Alex Garland’s next film dropped in December, online right-wing pundits speculated that it was also predictive programming, something meant to prepare the populace for events already planned by those in power. When the new trailer dropped this week, people on Reddit and elsewhere seemed to be fretting that the film will become, as The Hollywood Reporter put it, “MAGA fantasy fuel.”
Ultimately, reactions like these to Leave the World Behind and Civil War merely serve as proof that they’re effective as works of fiction. They’re not part of some psyop to placate the public—they’re reactions to a political era that is fraught at best. Comfort is not a prerequisite for good filmmaking; movies are supposed to be unsettling sometimes. Concerns about a movie being too real are just signs that the filmmakers have tapped in to the collective psyche. Rather than think that Esmail or Garland—or Obama, for that matter—are trying to send some warning, perhaps consider the circumstances for why you’re worried that they might.
In the last 18 months artificial intelligence (AI) has exploded into our lives making huge changes that will roll out over the coming years. Companies are also pushing to develop new Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) AI models, But what other technologies can we expect to see in the near future. This guide provides an overview of new inventions and technologies that will soon be available in our everyday lives.
The tech landscape is shifting at an incredible pace, and it’s set to reshape the way you experience the world. From the energy that powers your home to the way you travel and communicate, prepare to be amazed by the innovations that are transitioning from bold ideas to tangible solutions. Let’s dive into the realm of virtual reality, where Disney is making waves with its “Hollow Tile” VR technology. This isn’t just any virtual reality—it’s a system designed to track your movements with precision, offering you an immersive experience like no other. Imagine stepping into your favorite movie or exploring distant lands, all from the comfort of your living room.
New Technologies and Inventions
Solar Container’s Foldable Photovoltaic Modules
Solar Container has revolutionized the solar energy industry with its foldable photovoltaic modules, designed for ease of transport and quick installation. These innovative modules can be compactly folded to fit into a standard shipping container, greatly reducing logistical challenges and costs associated with the deployment of solar panels. Upon arrival at the installation site, the system can be easily unfolded and set up, ready to harness solar energy, making it an ideal solution for remote or underserved locations in need of reliable and sustainable power sources.
Harvard University’s “Water Strider” Robot
Harvard University’s engineers have developed a robot inspired by the water strider insect, capable of mimicking its ability to hop across water surfaces. This robotic creation leverages a sophisticated mechanism that allows it to exert force without breaking the water’s surface tension, enabling it to move or jump over water just like its biological counterpart. The “Water Strider” robot opens new avenues for aquatic robotics applications, including environmental monitoring and waterborne sensor deployment.
John Cockerill’s “Cockerill IX” High-Speed Light 4×4 Vehicle
John Cockerill’s “Cockerill IX” is a cutting-edge, high-speed, light 4×4 vehicle outfitted with a versatile universal combat module. This vehicle is designed for modern warfare, offering rapid deployment, high mobility, and adaptability on the battlefield. Its modular design allows for quick changes in armament, catering to a wide range of mission requirements. With armor that protects against various threats and the option for a hybrid powertrain, the “Cockerill IX” represents the next generation of military vehicles.
Disney’s “Hollow Tile” VR Technology: Disney has introduced a revolutionary VR technology called “Hollow Tile,” which enables users to move freely in virtual spaces while physically staying in one place. The technology utilizes rotating tiles that respond to user movements, providing an immersive experience that’s realistic and highly interactive. This innovation extends beyond VR gaming to theatrical productions, where dancers can perform with dynamic virtual backgrounds.
A Humanoid Robot from the Startup Figure
The startup Figure has introduced a humanoid robot capable of performing complex tasks autonomously, including brewing coffee. This robot, equipped with advanced AI, has demonstrated the ability to learn new skills through observation and pass these abilities onto other robots. Its deployment in manufacturing plants, as seen in its collaboration with BMW, showcases its potential to handle hazardous, complex, or monotonous tasks, thereby enhancing efficiency and safety in industrial settings.
Trigo’s Two-Seater Transformer Electric Car
Trigo has unveiled an innovative two-seater Transformer electric car that addresses urban mobility challenges by featuring adjustable wheel width. This unique design allows the vehicle to switch between a narrow mode for navigating through tight spaces and a wider stance for enhanced stability at higher speeds. Such versatility makes it an ideal solution for city driving, offering a practical and sustainable alternative to traditional vehicles, especially in congested urban environments.
EPFL’s Robotic Arm Controlled by Breathing
Developed by researchers at EPFL, this innovative robotic arm is controlled by the user’s breathing, offering a hands-free way to interact with the environment. Designed to serve as an additional limb, this technology enables individuals to perform tasks when their hands are occupied or assist those with limited mobility. By integrating seamlessly with human movements, this robotic arm represents a significant advancement in assistive technology, expanding the capabilities and independence of its users.
Jetoptera’s Innovative Aircraft with Bladeless Engines
Jetoptera is pioneering the future of aviation with its innovative aircraft powered by bladeless engines. These engines offer superior efficiency, reduced fuel consumption, and significantly lower noise levels compared to traditional engines. The technology facilitates smoother transitions between vertical and horizontal flight, making it an ideal choice for a range of applications from civilian transport to military operations. Jetoptera’s aircraft are setting new standards for speed, efficiency, and environmental friendliness in the aviation industry.
Owl University’s Gyroscopic Transport Project “Cab Owl”
Owl University’s “Cab Owl” is a groundbreaking gyroscopic transport project that features an autonomous electric drive system balancing on a single rail. This unique design enables the vehicle to navigate urban environments with minimal footprint, offering an innovative solution to public transportation challenges. The “Cab Owl” aims to provide a sustainable and efficient alternative to traditional transit systems, potentially transforming urban mobility with its space-saving and eco-friendly approach.
Flytrex’s Drone-Based Food Delivery Service
Flytrex has launched a pioneering drone-based food delivery service that promises to dramatically reduce delivery times to as little as 5 minutes. By leveraging advanced drone technology and sophisticated routing algorithms, Flytrex aims to streamline the delivery process, offering a fast, efficient, and contactless option for food delivery. This service represents a significant leap forward in the logistics of food delivery, potentially transforming the way restaurants and consumers interact, especially in urban environments where traditional delivery methods face numerous challenges.
Top Secret Company’s V1 Vehicle
The Top Secret Company’s V1 vehicle merges the efficiency of an electric bicycle with the aerodynamic and protective features of a velomobile, incorporating magnetic bearings for a unique wheel rotation mechanism. This innovative design enhances the V1’s mobility and comfort, allowing for travel in various weather conditions without the typical limitations of conventional bicycles. The enclosed structure and advanced propulsion system of the V1 vehicle aim to redefine personal transportation, offering an eco-friendly and versatile alternative to traditional vehicles.
Skydio’s UAVs with the “Scout” Feature
Skydio has revolutionized unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology with its “Scout” feature, which enables drones to maintain constant visual contact with a designated object, regardless of flight dynamics. This capability is crucial for a wide range of applications, from surveillance and reconnaissance missions to cinematic production, allowing operators to focus on flight control while ensuring the target remains in the frame. The Scout feature exemplifies Skydio’s commitment to advancing drone technology, enhancing operational efficiency, and expanding the potential uses of UAVs.
Lamborghini’s Licensing of TAQ Organic Fast-Charging Batteries
Lamborghini is embracing the future of electric vehicles by licensing TAQ‘s organic fast-charging battery technology. These batteries offer rapid charging capabilities, lightweight design, and durability, surpassing traditional battery technologies in performance and sustainability. Lamborghini’s adoption of organic fast-charging batteries underscores the automotive industry’s shift towards more eco-friendly and efficient electric vehicles, promising enhanced performance and a reduced environmental impact. This strategic move not only highlights Lamborghini’s commitment to innovation but also sets a new benchmark for the integration of advanced energy solutions in high-performance vehicles.
AI-Based Thermal Sensing Control Systems
AI-based thermal sensing control systems represent a significant advancement in health monitoring and patient care, enabling contactless measurement of vital signs such as body temperature, heart rate, and breathing rate. These systems are invaluable in settings requiring minimal physical contact, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering a fast, accurate, and non-invasive way to monitor health indicators. Beyond healthcare settings, these systems have applications in security, workplace safety, and smart home technologies, showcasing the versatility and potential of AI-driven health technologies.
Versatile Robotic Manipulators with AI and Interchangeable Modules
Engineers have developed versatile robotic manipulators equipped with AI and interchangeable modules, capable of performing a vast array of tasks ranging from 3D printing to cooking. These robots can adapt to various roles, making them highly valuable in manufacturing, research, and domestic settings. The integration of AI allows these manipulators to learn and improve over time, enhancing their efficiency and effectiveness. This technology exemplifies the convergence of robotics and artificial intelligence, paving the way for more autonomous and flexible robotic systems.
“Holobox,” A Device for Communicating with Life-Sized Holograms
The “Holobox” introduces a futuristic way of communication, allowing users to interact with life-sized holograms over the internet. This technology brings a new dimension to remote interactions, offering a more immersive and engaging experience compared to traditional video calls. Whether for personal communication, business meetings, or education, the Holobox has the potential to bridge geographical distances and bring people closer together in a virtual yet lifelike manner, marking a significant step forward in telepresence technology.
“Pearl,” World’s Largest Kinetic Sculpture on Icon of the Seas
The cruise ship Icon of the Seas is home to “Pearl,” the world’s largest kinetic sculpture, which captivates guests with its mesmerizing movements that respond to the sea’s waves. This intricate installation consists of thousands of individual tiles, controlled by a sophisticated computer system to create fluid, dynamic patterns that reflect the ocean’s ever-changing state. “Pearl” represents a harmonious blend of art and technology, enhancing the cruise experience with its unique, wave-inspired performances.
Mag LS3’s “Robo Guard” for Autonomous Surveillance of Secured Perimeters
Mag LS3’s “Robo Guard” is an innovative solution for the autonomous surveillance of secured perimeters, equipped with advanced cameras and AI-driven analysis capabilities. This robotic guard can patrol predefined routes or respond to alarm signals, offering a reliable and efficient security solution for a wide range of facilities, from industrial sites to critical infrastructure. The integration of AI enables the Robo Guard to analyze situations in real-time, enhancing security measures with its autonomous operational capabilities.
NASA and KBR’s Robotic System for Autonomous Construction Using Special Lattice Blocks
NASA and KBR have collaborated to develop a robotic system capable of autonomously constructing structures using special lattice blocks. This system consists of multiple robots working in tandem to assemble and connect these blocks, paving the way for the construction of habitats and other structures in extraterrestrial environments, such as the Moon or Mars. The project demonstrates the potential for robotic systems to undertake complex construction tasks in challenging environments, reducing the need for human labor and making space exploration and colonization more feasible.
These aren’t just inventions and technological marvels; they’re practical answers to the challenges you face every day. They represent significant progress in enhancing human capabilities. As these technologies come to life, they will profoundly change how you live, work, and connect with others. The dawn of a new technological era is here, and these innovations are leading the charge.
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The H1 humanoid robot has achieved a new world record by reaching a maximum speed of 3.3 meters per second, which is comparable to human running speeds. The robot, which is also capable of performing complex dance moves, demonstrates advanced dynamic coordination and power landing capabilities. The H1 robot, standing at approximately 180 cm tall and weighing 47 kg, is equipped with a depth camera and a 3D LiDAR for navigation.
A Chinese startup has created the H1 humanoid robot, a machine that can run at a speed of 3.3 meters per second. That’s a new record! This robot isn’t just quick; it moves with a grace and power that’s almost human. It’s getting closer to running just like we do. Xingxing Wang, the Founder of Unitree Robotics, independently developed his first robot, a simple bipedal robot, in the winter break of the first year of university in early 2010.
The H1 is quite the sight. It stands tall at 180 cm and weighs 47 kg. It’s built in a way that lets you add arms and other parts to it. This makes the H1 perfect for many jobs. Think about factories, emergencies, or even keeping watch. It’s expected to reach speeds of up to 5 meters per second soon. That’s going to make a big difference in work that covers large areas or in dangerous places.
This robot knows where it’s going, thanks to its top-notch sensors. It has a depth camera and 3D LiDAR. These help it move through tough terrain without trouble. High precision and knowing what’s happening around it are key for the H1. Plus, you can control it with your smartphone, which makes it easy to use.
H1 Humanoid Robot runs at 3.3 meters per second
Here are some other articles you may find of interest on the subject of developing humanoid robots and current technologies in the field :
The H1 costs about as much as a fancy car, $90,000. But it could save money and help businesses do more. Speed isn’t its only skill. The H1 can climb stairs, jump, and even dance. It’s got moves that show off its amazing coordination.
The company doesn’t just make humanoid robots. They have robotic dogs too. Each one is made for a different job. The strong B2 model can run fast, jump high, and carry loads. The Go2 model is for everyday people and schools. This shows that the startup wants to reach all kinds of customers.
With the H1 and its robotic dog friends, we’re at a turning point in robotics. They’re ready to do all sorts of things. They have new and exciting features, and they’re priced to sell. These robots are setting the stage for a time when they’ll be a big part of work life. They’ll make things faster and safer in many industries. For full specifications or details on the amazing H1 humanoid robot developed by Unitree jump over to the official website.
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Oppo unveiled a new device at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, the new Oppo Air Glass 3 prototype and the devcie works with Oppos AndesGPT via a smartphone, and Oppo smartphone users will soon be able to connect their devices to Microsoft’s Copilot.
Thanks to its ability to understand various data types, including text, images, video, and audio, multimodal AI technology is able to process and interpret more complex user scenarios, unlocking new potential in user interactions, such as voice and visual. While XR (extended reality) devices present new possibilities in implementing these features, they require both advanced functionality and lightweight designs if they are to truly take on the role of a personal, everyday smart assistant. Driven by this vision, OPPO has introduced the all-new OPPO Air Glass 3 prototype to explore the possibilities of AI technology based on cross-device collaboration between XR devices and smartphones.
Weighing just 50 grams, the OPPO Air Glass 3 features a self-developed resin waveguide with a refractive index of 1.70, a display brightness uniformity of more than 50%, and a peak eye brightness of more than 1,000 nits. Together, these ensure the OPPO Air Glass 3 provides a wearing experience that is close to that of a regular pair of glasses while also providing the best full-color display of its kind. Thanks to the access to OPPO AndesGPT provided by the Air Glass APP on the smartphone, users only need to lightly press the temple of the OPPO Air Glass 3 to activate the AI voice assistant and begin performing a range of tasks.
You can find out more information about the new Oppo Air Glass 3 prototype over at the Oppo website at the link below, the devcie is a prototype at the moment and we are looking forward to finding out more details about it.
Source Oppo
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