Imagery

The world's coral reefs are close to 25 percent larger than we thought. By using satellite images, machine learning and on-ground knowledge from a global network of people living and working on coral reefs, we found an extra 64,000 square kilometers (24,700 square miles) of coral reefs – an area the size of Ireland.That brings the total size of the planet's shallow reefs (meaning 0-20 meters deep) to 348,000 square kilometers – the size of Germany. This figure represents whole coral reef ecosystems, ranging from…

While carbon dioxide gets the lion's share of attention when it comes to , there are other factors at play. Methane is responsible for about 30 percent of the rise in global temperatures since the Industrial Revolution, according to the International Energy Agency. About 40 percent of from human activity stem from the energy sector. Identifying and mitigating these emissions is said to be one of the most critical actions we can take in the short term to combat climate change.To that end, and the Environmental Defense…

Humans are racing to harness the ocean’s vast potential to power global economic growth. Worldwide, ocean-based industries such as fishing, shipping, and energy production generate at least U.S.$1.5 trillion in economic activity each year and support 31 million jobs. This value has been increasing exponentially over the past 50 years and is expected to double by 2030.Transparency in monitoring this “blue acceleration” is crucial to prevent environmental degradation, overexploitation of fisheries and marine resources, and …

In a groundbreaking revelation, the XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) observatory, spearheaded by Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), has provided an initial glimpse of the extraordinary data it will soon gather as it embarks on its scientific operations later this year. A snapshot released by the satellite's science team showcases a conglomerate of hundreds of galaxies and a spectrum of stellar remnants from a nearby galaxy, offering scientists an intricate understanding of its chemical…

Satellite imagery and machine learning offer a new, far more detailed look at the maritime industry, specifically the number and activities of fishing and transport ships at sea. Turns out there are way more of them than publicly available data would suggest, a fact that policymakers should heed. As a shared global resource, the oceans are everyone’s business, but of course not every country or region has the same customs, laws or even motivations. There is the automated identification system (AIS) increasingly…

Pope Francis on Thursday called for an international treaty to ensure artificial intelligence is developed and used ethically, arguing that the risks of technology lacking human values of compassion, mercy, morality, and forgiveness are too great.Francis added his voice to increasing calls for binding, global regulation of AI in his annual message for the World Day of Peace, which the Catholic Church celebrates each Jan. 1. The Vatican released the text of the message on Thursday.For Francis, the appeal is somewhat…

The company's banner on the front of the New York Stock Exchange.BlackSkySatellite imagery venture BlackSky delivered its first quarterly profit Wednesday, as the company works to keep up momentum into the end of the year.BlackSky reported net income of $675,000 for the third quarter, improving from a net loss of $13.1 million reported for the same period a year ago. The company brought in $21.3 million in third-quarter revenue, up 26% from a year prior.Chief Financial Officer Henry Dubois said on the company's earnings…

Google will exclude gameplay imagery from its Shocking Content policy next month. The Publisher Restrictions guidelines will be updated to include the exception on August 30, the Ads Manager team has confirmed to Search Engine Land. Why we care. It’s important for marketers to ensure they are staying compliant with Google policy changes to avoid potential penalties and exclusions. What’s new? Once the new updates are rolled out, gameplay content will only be excluded if it…

Liftoff of United Launch Alliance’s Delta 4-Heavy rocket on June 22, 2023.Gif: ULA/GizmodoThere’s plenty of smoke in the air—and not just from Canada’s raging wildfires. Indeed, the past month was witness to a steady cadence of rocket launches and rocket tests, all spewing out excitement and hope. At the same time, probes already working in space beamed back evidence of their important work. Humankind’s expanding reach into space was on full display over the past 30 days, as these incredible new images attest. Liftoff…

On Monday, the “DeSantis War Room” Twitter account posted a video featuring manipulated imagery of Donald Trump embracing and kissing Anthony Fauci on the cheek. The video’s been gaining traction but, according to AFP, while three of the video’s images are verifiably real, another three “have the hallmarks of AI-generated imagery.” Furthermore, three media forensics experts told AFP the images in question sport the characteristics of AI imagery. The images are used as part of an ad attempting to portray Donald…