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News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘First contact': Fears as alien object speeds toward earth
A mystery object tearing towards Earth at break-neck speed has raised fears that aliens are on their way here. Scientists warn that the odd entity, which astronomers are calling 31/Atlas, could be an ET craft set to launch probes on our planet. Estimated at more than 12 miles (19 kilometres) wide, it is whizzing through our solar system on a trajectory that will bring it within about 170 million miles (274 million kilometres) of us on December 19. A trio of scientists from Harvard University, led by astrophysicist Avi Loeb, have published a paper speculating whether it could be 'hostile' extraterrestrial technology. Nick Pope, who used to investigate UFOs for the UK's Ministry of Defence, said: 'It is not beyond the realms of science fiction that 31/Atlas could be an alien spaceship of some kind. 'It's an unusual size, unusual acceleration, unusual course and unusual behaviour — those things combined very closely match a sort of mapping or survey mission. 'Of course, this could turn out to be just a comet or an asteroid — albeit an interstellar one, so interesting and incredibly rare. 'The good thing is this is a testable hypothesis. 'The clock is ticking down. We will know soon enough whether we're dealing with first contact … or just a big rock.' Here, Nick sets out the six key theories proposed by Harvard experts. 1. It's too large to be an asteroid. We do know asteroids in our solar system range in size but this is much bigger than average 2. Its rate of acceleration seems unusual for a natural object. The European Space Agency and Hubble space telescope calculate it is travelling at about 130,000mph (209,215km/h) NASA says at that speed, it is the fastest solar system visitor. 3. We spotted it very late. This was because it was coming in from the centre of the galaxy, where there are a lot of obstacles, light and stars. If you wanted to covertly send a probe into our solar system, this is exactly the course you would choose. 4. Its course makes it very hard to intercept. At critical points where it might do something technological, such as perform a non-natural manoeuvre, it is blocked by the sun. 5. Passing close to Venus, Mars and Jupiter. This is like a mapping or survey mission. There is a very low probability of that happening naturally — the report suggests close to 0.005 per cent. That is statistically minute. 6. We won't see it. At its closest approach, the sun will be between the Earth and Atlas so we won't be able to see it. Again, this is exactly the course you would choose, as it can do all its sneaky braking manoeuvres and changes of course without us seeing it. It might do one of two things if this is technological. It could change course and come to Earth itself. Or it could, if it's a mothership, deploy some probes that would come to Earth.
News.com.au
13 hours ago
- News.com.au
Sounds serious: NYC noise pollution takes a toll
Tim Mulligan moved to central Manhattan so he could be closer to work and avoid a daily ordeal on the rattling, screeching subway, just one part of the urban noisescape that tests New Yorkers every day. "Even with your earbuds in, turned all the way up, you can't hear anything for the whole commute, and you're ruining your ears at that level," said Mulligan, a US Marines veteran who lives with PTSD. At his home close to New York's tourist hub Times Square, Mulligan has sealed his windows with high-density soundproof foam, draped them with double thick curtains and invested in earplugs to sleep. On the street he has resorted to noise-cancelling headphones, and he prefers bikes to the subway for getting around. New Yorkers and visitors to the megacity of 8.5 million people are bombarded with blaring sirens, loud locals, raucous bars and car horns almost constantly. A city-wide hotline received 750,000 noise complaints in 2024, the most commonly complained about quality of life issue. The city that never sleeps, perhaps because it can't, is one of the few built up US areas with a noise code regulating sound from vehicles, construction, businesses, and recreation. It has even installed cameras with sensors to detect and penalize violators. Nine-in-ten New Yorkers are at risk of hearing loss from daily exposure to noise levels exceeding 70 decibels, the healthy average, a Columbia University study conducted between 2010 and 2012 found. The report's author, professor Richard Neitzel, is now leading the first national study on noise in which 200,000 volunteers wear smart watches to track sound levels. "It looks like somewhere around one-in-four Americans are exposed to noise levels that could hurt their hearing over the long term," said Neitzel, a professor at the University of Michigan. - 'You can't undo it' - Among young people aged 18 to 25, the primary source of excess noise exposure comes from headphones. Overall, more people are exposed to high levels of environmental noise than to noise from their headphones, Neitzel added. Although the percentage of the population exposed to noise is similar to those exposed to air pollution, acoustic issues are not prioritized by residents and officials like air quality is, Neitzel said. There is clear evidence that excess noise is linked to poor sleep, cardiovascular issues, depression, cognitive decline, premature births and poor academic performance. Tinnitus, a permanent ringing in the ear affecting three out of 20 study participants, is increasingly prevalent. Loud music is even used to promote increased consumption, said Shane Newman, who manages a popular Mexican restaurant in Manhattan's trendy Hudson Yards development. "You have a drink in the music, it feels like a nice vibe and... they end up staying longer," he told AFP. Audiologist Michele DiStefano said the effects of noise on well-being have "not really been studied well enough." "The longer you have the exposure, and the higher the level, the (greater) degree of hearing loss you'll have" -- particularly for young people, she warned. "Once it does affect your hearing, you can't undo it, but you can actually prevent it," she said. "There's really a push to educate the younger generations on how you don't have to just have really loud noise at a concert -- it can be cumulative."
ABC News
19 hours ago
- ABC News
Australian companies in US–China tariffs limbo accuse Austrade of abandoning small business
It has been a busy and frustrating week in the shipping warehouse at Apéro. The Brisbane-based maternity label is packaging up its last parcels to the United States after making the call to halt orders to this lucrative market. "It's tough to make a decision," co-founder Laz Smith says. Apéro has made this decision in response to US President Donald Trump's sweeping changes to taxes on imported goods into the States. It's not the only online fashion retailer in this position. Data given to ABC News shows shipping from Australia to the US is dropping, as business "uncertainty" about Trump's tariffs continues. Apéro's woes began on "liberation day" in April, when Trump announced global tariffs, with help from a gigantic placard. Tariffs are a tax on goods as they enter a nation's borders. Officially, Australia is getting a "baseline" rate of just 10 per cent. Yet Australian companies like Apéro, which manufacture in China, are actually getting the far higher tariffs being lobbed on the Asian superpower. China's tariffs have wildly fluctuated since April, with a semi-truce between the two superpowers in May now settling them at just over 40 per cent. "It's basically a quasi-global trade war," Smith says. "And we just don't know what the playing field is, and the players can change their mind at any time." US and China are reportedly bargaining for a firm deal, but deadlines on this keep being delayed. The next is in November. "What's tricky is they are now negotiating over pretty substantial trade disagreements," Oxford Economics head of global trade, Harry Murphy Cruise, says. "I really feel for (Australian businesses caught up in this) simply because they don't have any certainty whatsoever. "They don't know what's going to happen in November. They may not know what's going to happen next week. Although, they do. Next week, another Trump curveball is coming their way. Until now, packages worth less than US$800 ($1,200) were exempt from import taxes when they arrived in the US. But on August 30, this "de minimis" tax exemption, once used by Temu and Shein, is being closed off for all countries, including Australia. Felicity Dean, who is a trade expert at The University of Queensland, believes this could result in fees of US$80 on Australian orders into the US. Others have been interpreting the new looming rules more optimistically, as just applying Australia's "baseline" 10 per cent tariff to orders. Apéro's Smith says it has been struggling to get firm guidance ahead of August 30, including from Australia Post. "I think they're still struggling to catch up to what's going on," he says. Australia Post didn't answer specific questions from ABC News. "Australia Post is investigating paying duties and taxes through an approved third-party platform provider on behalf of our merchants," it wrote on Monday. ABC News also understands Australia Post is halting "transit" shipping as it deals with this evolving situation. As retailers like Apéro grapple with uncertainty, data given to ABC News by a tech company that facilitates online orders is showing the real-world impact. "There's been a 36 per cent drop in volume since April in terms of outbound shipments from Australia to the US," Shippit's chief executive, Rob Hango-Zada, says. "All the tariff changes, and more specifically the de minimis change, has actually meant that retailers have had to pull back from the US market. Some Australian retailers in Shippit's network have been relocating their shipping logistics to American shores, Hango-Zada says. This means importing goods in bulk into the US, which means the products receive tariffs on their lower wholesale value. "We've had a couple of fashion retailers in particular that have completely pivoted their operations," Hango-Zada says. Nashie is one apparel brand that is already doing this local distribution model in the US. Its founder, Tom Wilson, says it has helped insulate them somewhat. Yet it also means Nashie has to directly pay its own tariff bills. Its garments are made in China, and Nashie is being impacted by the 40.6 per cent tariff on that nation. Its last tariff bill this month was six figures. "I was very salty sitting in the Commonwealth Bank paying that as an international transaction," Wilson says. Nashie has been raising prices for American shoppers to deal with this whirlwind, but doesn't want to have to keep doing this. Wilson wants far more support for Australia's fashion industry. Apero's Smith agrees and is calling on Australia's trade department to do more as the uncertainty drags on. "We've never heard from AusTrade, and it's quite crazy," he says. "I think there's a lot of labels and brands that do a lot trade in the US, and we haven't heard a single thing from how to navigate this. It's all on our own backs." ABC News has repeatedly asked for an interview with Australia's trade minister, Don Farrell. He declined for this story, citing timing issues.
