AI Wildfire Detection Startup Raises $44 Million
Pano AI, a startup that is using AI to detect wildfires before they explode into massive conflagrations, has raised a $44 million funding round. The San Francisco-based startup says the capital will help it deploy more of its technology in wildfire-prone areas including California and Australia.
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Yahoo
38 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Aussie mum's 340 million-year-old discovery hidden in rural creek
An Aussie woman has shared her excitement after unearthing not one but two astonishing ancient finds in a rural creek bed. Like many loved ones before them, Ashleigh Banks, her young son and nephew wandered down to the water's edge on her aunt's property in NSW's Upper Hunter Region late last month to hunt for treasures. 'We have been finding fossils here for decades,' she told Yahoo News, noting the 'relatively untouched' land has been in her family for eight generations. However, despite their familiarity with the area and its relics, the mum said she's 'always amazed' when she cracks open 'a totally random rock' to find 'something from over 200 million years ago' hidden inside. And that's exactly what happened one recent sunny weekend when Ashleigh took a hammer to two rather plain-looking stones she pulled from the creek bed. While the darker rock had no obvious fossilisation on the outside, the NSW resident told Yahoo it 'cracked perfectly' to reveal an interesting pattern on the inside. 'The lighter rock had fossilisation on the outside and cracked in three to reveal plenty more,' she said, adding her 'enthusiastic' son and nephew were 'so surprised' by the discoveries. Although Ashleigh's passion for fossicking is relatively new, she said several family members have found some 'amazing' relics over the years. 'I recall my grandfather and great uncles telling me there is a treasure trove of fossils on and around the property,' she said. 'I have only recently got into looking for fossils after a trip to Lightning Ridge a few months ago with my partner and children. We really loved fossicking for opals and learning about how they are formed over millions of years from ancient seabeds, similar to the fossils.' What fossils did she find in the creek bed? After reviewing images of Ashleigh's finds, Dr Patrick Smith, Technical Officer Palaeontology at the Australian Museum, told Yahoo the mum had stumbled upon 'some truly classic locals from Australia's deep past'. The shells inside the rocks are strophomenid brachiopods, he said. Specifically, the larger shell is 'most likely from the family schuchertellidae, and quite possibly the genus schuchertella', Dr Smith explained, while the smaller ones belong to another family of brachiopods — productidae, probably the genus marginatia. The two types of fossil shells are 'incredibly common and well-studied', and are most often found in rock layers between Singleton and Muswellbrook, where Ashleigh's aunt's property sits. This means the fossils she found are from the Early Carboniferous Period, more specifically the Viséan Stage, dating them at around 346 to 340-million-years-old, Dr Smith said. 'They were already ancient when the dinosaurs first appeared!' Aussie couple ecstatic after finding $40,000 'clunker' in the outback Renter's 250 million-year-old discovery in inner-city backyard Ancient discovery near popular Aussie camping spot sparks delight During the Carboniferous Period, the Hunter Valley was covered by a shallow sea and appeared very different to how it looks now. 'Imagine coral reefs and marine critters stretching across the region where vineyards and coal mines now sit,' Dr Smith explained. And while brachiopods are often called 'lamp shells' because of their shape, they're not actually related to clams, despite their similar appearance, he added. 'It's great to see interest in these ancient treasures — they're more than just rocks; they're little time capsules from an ocean that existed hundreds of millions of years ago.' Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Yahoo
38 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Green Hydrogen Production Group Closes on Major Investment
A California-based hydrogen production group said it has completed a funding round in support of the company's first 100-kilotonne carbon dioxide removal (CDR) commercial facility. Equatic, which is considered a pioneering company in combined carbon dioxide removal and green hydrogen production, on August 11 announced the successful closure of its Series A round, with Catalytic Capital for Climate and Health (C3H) leading an $11.6-million investment. C3H is a catalytic vehicle by Temasek Trust, along with Kibo Invest, a Singapore-based private investment office with a focus on climate technology. The funding round, with participation from a consortium of global investors, will accelerate the engineering scale-up and commercialization of Equatic's patented seawater electrolysis technology. This substantial capital infusion will support the ongoing engineering of Equatic's CDR commercial facility, alongside further commercialization, manufacturing, and technological development. Equatic's proprietary technology is designed to capture atmospheric carbon dioxide and produce green hydrogen in a single, scalable process, advancing two critical net-zero pathways. 'This investment marks a pivotal moment for Equatic, enabling us to significantly scale our production capabilities and accelerate our mission to deliver durable carbon removal at scale,' said Gaurav N. Sant, founder and chief technology officer for Equatic. 'The Temasek Trust ecosystem has been a foundational partner to Equatic, from early-stage philanthropic backing from Temasek Foundation to catalytic investment through C3H. We welcome Kibo Invest as co-lead and recognize their commitment to invest in companies that are revolutionizing industries and addressing urgent climate challenges.' 'Truly innovative carbon management technologies are needed to mitigate climate change before the consequences become irreversible,' said Lord John Browne, chairman of Equatic's advisory board. Browne also is founder and chairman at BeyondNetZero, and the former CEO of British Petroleum. 'By removing carbon dioxide and simultaneously generating green hydrogen, Equatic's solution provides unique advantages in terms of cost and scalability.' Ryan Tan, head of C3H, said, 'Equatic's technology and approach exemplify the type of bold and scalable innovation that aligns with C3H's mandate. We are delighted to support Equatic's goal in advancing promising climate mitigation solutions that offer permanent, durable carbon removal with green hydrogen production for scalable, tangible impact and commercial benefit.' 'Equatic represents an exciting opportunity to scale deep-tech innovation that addresses two critical needs: decarbonisation and clean energy. As an investor focused on climate solutions, we are proud to partner with C3H and Equatic to help bring this breakthrough technology to commercial scale,' said James Marshall, CEO of Kibo Invest. Equatic's Technology Since commencing operations in 2023, the Equatic technology has been successfully deployed at two pilot plants in Los Angeles and Singapore. The company is now expanding its operations with a demonstration plant in Singapore, known as Equatic-1, and a commercial-scale plant in Canada. In May 2024, Equatic was recognized as a CDR Purchase Prize semifinalist by the U.S. Department of Energy, acknowledging its high-quality, permanent carbon credits and rigorous Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) practices. In September 2024, Equatic announced a significant climate breakthrough with the U.S. manufacture of oxygen-selective anodes, which unlock scalable hydrogen production through direct seawater electrolysis. That same month, Equatic was named a finalist for The Earthshot Prize, a prestigious international recognition for groundbreaking solutions to repair the planet. Equatic's commitment to high-integrity carbon removal is underscored by its adoption of an ISO-14064 standard for MRV, first published by Equatic in May 2023. Subsequently, this standard was validated by two leading carbon removal registries, Isometric and making Equatic one of the only marine companies capable of issuing high-quality CDR credits under either registry, with full transparency and auditability. Buyers of Equatic's CDR credits include Boeing, a leading global aerospace company and other large industrial companies committed to market-based mechanisms for decarbonization. —POWER edited this content, which was contained in a press release from Equatic.
Forbes
41 minutes ago
- Forbes
Apple iPhone 17 Pro: Radical New Design Claimed In New Report
A new report claims that the materials which will be used in the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max (thought to go on sale on Friday, Sept. 19 — read full details of the release schedule here) are going to change significantly from what's in the iPhone 16 Pro right now. There has been persistent talk of a switch from a titanium chassis (which is what the Pro iPhones currently have) to aluminum. The latest leak suggests that an aluminum chassis will be used, and an aluminum backplate, but for a cut-out of glass. Vadim Yuryev, host of the Max Tech YouTube channel has posted on X that explains, 'ass, including a leaked photo of a REAL milled aluminum chassis from @MajinBuOfficial that many people missed,' as he puts it. The post shows what claims to be an iPhone 17 chassis made of metal, with the surrounds for the iPhone's cameras and the camera panel itself made of metal, not glass. If true, and the jury's still out on that, it would be a radical design change. It's been years since the iPhone has had a metal back, favoring glass not least because it makes wireless charging possible. The cut-out on the back would be to allow a glass section, so this form of charging can still happen. Well, it's possible, I guess. Google had a similar system for a recent Pixel phone, (the Pixel 8a) which had a composite material over the metal frame, again to allow wireless charging through a cut-out. And aluminum could allow a lightweight way to build strength into the chassis. Even so, I'll confess that I'm skeptical. Still, Tim Hardwick at MacRumros has a good point: 'Aluminum is roughly 40% lighter than titanium at similar volumes, so we could see the iPhone 17 Pro models carrying less weight. Aluminum is also a far better thermal conductor than titanium, so heat generated by the A19 Pro chip and battery may dissipate faster. Apple is also rumored to be using a new internal design that incorporates a vapor chamber heatsink to improve thermal performance,' he says. More details as they emerge.
