Abnormal heat has been recorded in India

Harvest in the country is literally on fire. The same problem is observed in neighboring Pakistan, where temperatures have reached 50 degrees in recent days. India has already imposed a ban on food exports. Pakistan is one step away from this decision.

In Japan, they came up with moisture-resistant paper to replace plastic

Japanese scientists have developed Choetsu spray coating, which gives the paper the useful properties of plastic - water resistance, strength and flexibility. Fluid-treated paper could be a sustainable replacement for some container plastics - it's completely biodegradable. Over time, substances from the coating will decompose into carbon, water and silicon - they are not dangerous to the environment. In the future, the scientists want to adapt Choetsu to other materials such as glass, ceramics and plastics. The spray will protect them from dirt and make them more durable.

An American student has developed a robotic arm controlled by the power of thought

17-year-old student from the US state of Virginia, Benjamin Choi, has developed a robotic arm with artificial intelligence, controlled by the power of thought. The teenager printed the details of the prosthesis on a 3D printer and connected them using bolts and rubber bands. It took about 30 hours to produce the components. A special helmet picks up brain waves and feeds them into an algorithm that controls the mechanized arm. The signal recognition accuracy is 95%, the developer claims.

Cats know the names of their friends

Japanese scientists conducted experiments with cats and stated that they know the nicknames of other pets - this was indicated by the manifestation of the deceived expectation effect in the behavior of animals. The cats were shown photographs of familiar animals, while simultaneously calling out their nicknames: real or invented. In the second case, the pets looked at the photo longer. According to them, cats associate animals with their names. When they do not match, pets are surprised - this reaction is expressed in a longer viewing of the image.

VR mask

Austrian engineers have created an AirRes VR mask that makes it difficult for the user to breathe in "unfavorable" virtual conditions. For example, it becomes harder for the player to breathe if their character walks through smoke. Thanks to breath sensors, the mask also allows you to inflate balloons or play the harmonica in a virtual space.

Scientists fed the computer with energy from blue-green algae for six months

Researchers from the University of Cambridge managed to run a computer for six months using blue-green algae as an energy source. The computer worked in cycles of 45 minutes. It was used to calculate sums of consecutive integers to simulate a compute load that required 0.3 microwatts of power and 15 minutes of idle time that required 0.24 microwatts.

Interesting conclusion.

The University of Lausanne studied the 100,000 most popular sites on the Internet and came to a funny conclusion. They remember more than just what you write in messages, contact forms, or email forms. The data that you wrote but did not confirm is also remembered. That is, hypothetically, if you entered one of your email addresses when choosing a mail for registration, then changed your mind and registered for another, the site will still remember both addresses and associate them with you.

New antidepressant.

An antidepressant was isolated from the bark of a tropical tree. The scientists isolated the alkaloid, which they named GB18. It blocks opioid receptors and thus can act as an antidepressant. A decoction of the bark of Galbulimima belgraveana acts as an analgesic and antipyretic. The properties of GB18 may be useful in the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders - scientists are going to adapt it for human use and create medicines based on it.

Party submarine.

A battery-powered party submarine has been built in the Netherlands. U-Boat Worx has built a 35-metre battery-powered submarine that can dive to depths of up to 200 meters and is specifically designed to host the most "prestigious and memorable events on the planet." It accommodates up to 120 guests, not counting the crew. Inside the submarine, there is a restaurant, a gym, a water casino and even a water park, as well as a wedding hall. At the same time, no decompression is required during the ascent of the submarine: the air pressure in the lungs of each passenger is protected in an air-conditioned environment with full pressure.

Japanese startup

A Japanese startup has created a deepfake business video conferencing app that dresses users in office suits and tidies up their hair.

The Pollen Club online wellness service for allergy sufferers has compiled a flowering calendar

This project will help allergy sufferers to track what is blooming right now, learn more about the symptoms and quickly find an antihistamine right on the Market. It's May now. And judging by the calendar, this month the main allergen is birch. And the affected areas are the eyes, bronchi, nose, throat, skin.

Spain will be the first EU country to give women "menstrual leave"

The legislative initiative will be considered by the Cabinet of Ministers on May 17, 2022. If the law is approved, Spain will become the first European country to allow women to receive up to three days off during their period. In addition to providing "menstrual leave", the Spanish government wants to oblige schools to provide female students with pads. Also, personal hygiene products will be given free of charge to women in difficult life situations.

The President of El Salvador showed the project of the future city

It will be built on the slope of a volcano in the south of the country through the issuance of bitcoin bonds in the amount of $10 billion. Bitcoin City will receive energy from the geothermal sources of the Conchagua volcano. They will also be used for cryptocurrency mining.

Scientists have learned how to stop the reproduction of Toxoplasma

This will make the cats safe. They found two genes, without which it is impossible for the Toxoplasma gondii parasite cell to leave the host cell. The discovery was made using a genetic screening method based on the Cas9 genetic scissors. The parasite Toxoplasma gondii provokes toxoplasmosis, an infectious disease that is transmitted from cats to humans. People can also get it when they eat raw or undercooked meat. Often, toxoplasmosis is asymptomatic. In addition, Toxoplasma is related to Plasmodium falciparum, a malaria pathogen that kills hundreds of thousands of people worldwide every year. A new discovery could help rid cats of Toxoplasma gondii and thereby make them safe for humans.

Engineers have created an ultra-thin chip that is charged by human blood glucose

Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have created a silicon chip with dozens of glucose fuel cells that convert the chemical energy of sugar in human blood into electricity. Chip could power next-generation medical implants

Speleologists have found in the south of China a 200-meter deepening with a primeval forest

At the bottom of a funnel 150 meters wide in Leie County, there are trees the height of a 13-story building, about 40 meters. According to experts, the relict forest system may be teeming with life and have new species of insects and plants unknown to science.

New study: Computer games are still good for kids

A study appeared in the journal Scientific Reports that examined the impact of leisure on the intellectual abilities of 5,000 children growing up from 10 to 12 years old. According to the results, those who spent most of their time watching videos and chatting demonstrated below-average intellectual skills. But gamer children got a good increase in IQ. For example, a child gamer scored 2.5 extra IQ points in 2 years compared to peers from social networks.

In the US, an inexperienced passenger landed a plane safely after the pilot lost consciousness

The incident occurred on board a Cessna 208 aircraft en route from an international airport in the Bahamas to Florida. About 112 km north of the destination, the pilot collapsed. Instead of panic, passenger Darren Harrison independently figured out how to contact the dispatcher and outlined the situation. After that, the dispatcher began to give the man the necessary instructions and explain the intricacies of controlling the aircraft. As a result, the passenger managed to land safely, and the pilot, who lost consciousness, was immediately taken to the hospital.

Google will release glasses-translator

At the Google I / O exhibition, the corporation showed a working concept of glasses that translate the speech of the interlocutor in real time and show the translation on the screen.

The people of Thailand will be given a million cannabis bushes to grow at home

On June 9, a new law will come into force in Thailand allowing residents to grow cannabis with a low content of psychotropic substances and use it for medical purposes, subject to notification to local authorities. It is possible to sell grown products only after obtaining the appropriate license. The Thai government, where a third of the working population is employed in agriculture, is actively promoting cannabis cultivation as a source of income. According to the Minister of Health, the cultivation of marijuana and hemp can bring additional income to the residents and the country's budget of more than 10 billion baht (about 288 million US dollars) per year.