Strange light in the sky attracts the attention of stargazers
Professor Jesse Rogerson says the strange bowtie-shaped light which captured the attention of stargazers was the spent stage of a rocket which launched from Florida.
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Globe and Mail
2 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
US Firm Achieves Second Thorium Breakthrough at Idaho National Lab's Reactor
The glowing blue core of the Advanced Test Reactor at Idaho National Laboratory. CHICAGO, Aug. 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Clean Core Thorium Energy (CCTE) announces the second major milestone for its patented Advanced Nuclear Energy for Enriched Life (ANEEL™) fuel, which has now reached a burnup level of over 45 gigawatt-days per metric ton (GWd/MTU) in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at the U.S. Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory (INL). This achievement outpaces the capabilities of conventional nuclear fuels used in Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) and CANDU reactors. In May 2024, twelve ANEEL™ fuel rodlets were loaded into the ATR for irradiation to achieve three burnup level targets. The first successful irradiation of four rodlets surpassed 20 GWd/MTU last year. CCTE is excited to report that the second set of four rodlets have exceeded 45 GWd/MTU—six to seven times the average discharge burnup for PHWR/CANDU reactors that are designed to use natural uranium fuel. The newly irradiated rodlets are currently cooling in the ATR water pool and will soon be transferred to INL's Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) for detailed post-irradiation examination. The final four rodlets will remain in the ATR for continued irradiation, with expected burnup levels exceeding 60 GWd/MTU. These results underscore ANEEL™ fuel's potential to redefine performance and sustainability standards in the nuclear industry. Developed by CCTE, the fuel uniquely combines thorium with High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) to offer a safer, more efficient, and proliferation-resistant alternative for existing and future PHWR and other CANDU reactor fleets worldwide. Mehul Shah, Founder and CEO of CCTE Thorium Energy, said: 'This second burnup milestone is a transformative moment for CCTE and for the future of nuclear energy. ANEEL™ fuel is not just demonstrating superior technical performance—it's proving that thorium-based solutions can meaningfully address global challenges of energy security, nuclear waste, and proliferation. Our successful partnership with INL is helping unlock a new era for advanced nuclear fuels.' Dr. Koroush Shirvan, Head of Fuel Design at CCTE and Professor at MIT, added: 'The collection of this data positions ANEEL™ fuel as a prime candidate for near-term deployment in PHWRs' Dr. Michael Worrall, Technical Lead for the CCTE ATR Irradiation at INL, noted: 'ANEEL's performance in the ATR is a strong indicator of the promise thorium-based fuels hold in supporting future energy goals and diversifying the nuclear fuel landscape.' Dr. Daniel Wachs, National Technical Director for the DOE Advanced Fuels Campaign (AFC) and Nuclear Fuels and Materials Directorate Fellow at INL, said: 'The partnership between INL and CCTE is a great example of how the INL and private sector innovators can collaborate to rapidly develop advanced nuclear technologies with the potential to impact the marketplace worldwide.' Gamma scanning of ANEEL irradiated capsules at the INL's hot cell facility. About Clean Core Thorium Energy Clean Core Thorium Energy is a U.S.-based nuclear innovation company developing advanced nuclear fuel solutions using thorium and HALEU. Its patented ANEEL™ fuel is designed to enhance the safety, economics, and nonproliferation profile of PHWRs and CANDU reactors while drastically reducing nuclear waste. Learn more at Follow us on LinkedIn and X. About Idaho National Laboratory Managed by Battelle Energy Alliance for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Nuclear Energy, INL is the nation's leading center for nuclear energy research and development. INL is celebrating 75 years of scientific leadership in energy, security, and environmental innovation. Learn more at Follow INL on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X. Media Contact: Milan Shah Email: info@
CTV News
9 hours ago
- CTV News
Rabbits with ‘horns' in Colorado are being called ‘Frankenstein bunnies.' Here's why
This photo provided by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources shows a deceased Eastern cottontail rabbit infected with Shope papillomavirus in October 2021. (Iowa Department of Natural Resources via AP) DENVER — A group of rabbits in Colorado with grotesque, horn-like growths may seem straight out of a low-budget horror film, but scientists say there's no reason to be spooked — the furry creatures merely have a relatively common virus. The cottontails recently spotted in Fort Collins are infected with the mostly harmless Shope papillomavirus, which causes wart-like growths that protrude from their faces like metastasizing horns. Viral photos have inspired a fluffle of unflattering nicknames, including 'Frankenstein bunnies,' 'demon rabbits' and 'zombie rabbis.' But their affliction is nothing new, with the virus inspiring ancient folklore and fueling scientific research nearly 100 years ago. The virus likely influenced the centuries-old jackalope myth in North America, which told of a rabbit with antlers or horns, among other animal variations. The disease in rabbits also contributed to scientists' knowledge about the connection between viruses and cancer, such as the human papillomavirus that causes cervical cancer. The virus in rabbits was named after Dr. Richard E Shope, a professor at The Rockefeller University who discovered the disease in cottontails in the 1930s. News about the rabbit sightings in Fort Collins, 65 miles (105 kilometres) north of Denver, started getting attention after residents started spotting them around town and posting pictures. Kara Van Hoose, a spokesperson for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the agency has been getting calls about the rabbits seen in Fort Collins. But she said that it's not uncommon to see infected rabbits, especially in the summer, when the fleas and ticks that spread the virus are most active. The virus can spread from rabbit to rabbit but not to other species, including humans and pets, she said. The growths resemble warts but can look like horns if they grow longer, Van Hoose said. The growths don't harm rabbits unless they grow on their eyes or mouths and interfere with eating. Rabbits' immune systems are able to fight the virus and, once they do, the growths will disappear, she said. Finley reported from Norfolk, Virginia. Ben Finley And Colleen Slevin, The Associated Press
CBC
11 hours ago
- CBC
People often miscalculate the impact of climate choices — like owning a dog — study says
It turns out many people aren't great at identifying which personal decisions contribute most to climate change — and some of the ones that do may come as a surprise. A study recently published by the National Academy of Sciences found that when asked to rank actions, such as swapping a car that uses gasoline for an electric one, carpooling or reducing food waste, participants from a U.S. cohort weren't very accurate when assessing how much those actions contributed to climate change, which is caused mostly by the release of greenhouse gases that happen when fuels like gasoline, oil and coal are burned. "People over-assign impact to actually pretty low-impact actions such as recycling, and underestimate the actual carbon impact of behaviours much more carbon intensive, like flying or eating meat," said Madalina Vlasceanu, report co-author and professor of environmental social sciences at Stanford University in California. The top three individual actions that help the climate, including avoiding plane flights, choosing not to get a dog and using renewable electricity, were also the three that participants underestimated the most. Meanwhile, the lowest-impact actions were changing to more efficient appliances and swapping out light bulbs, recycling, and using less energy on washing clothes. Those were three of the top four overestimated actions in the report. Vlasceanu said marketing focuses more on recycling and using energy-efficient light bulbs than on why flights or dog adoption are relatively bad for the climate, so participants were more likely to give those actions more weight. How the human brain is wired also plays a role. "You can see the bottle being recycled. That's visible. Whereas carbon emissions, that's invisible to the human eye. So that's why we don't associate emissions with flying," said Jiaying Zhao, who teaches psychology and sustainability at the University of British Columbia. Zhao added it's easier to bring actions to mind that we do more often. "Recycling is an almost daily action, whereas flying is less frequent. It's less discussed," she said. "As a result, people give a higher psychological weight to recycling." Of course, there is also a lot of misleading information. For example, some companies tout the recycling they do while not telling the public about pollution that comes from their overall operations. "There has been a lot of deliberate confusion out there to support policies that are really out of date," said Brenda Ekwurzel, a climate scientist with the non-profit Union of Concerned Scientists. Pets, flying and other climate change contributors Dogs are big meat eaters, and meat is a significant contributor to climate change. That is because many of the farm animals, which will become food, release methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. Beef is especially impactful, in part because around the world cattle are often raised on land that was illegally deforested. Since trees absorb carbon dioxide, the most abundant greenhouse gas, cutting them to then raise cattle is a double whammy. "People just don't associate pets with carbon emissions. That link is not clear in people's minds," Zhao said. Not all pets are the same, however. Zhao owns a dog and three rabbits. "I can adopt 100 bunnies that will not be close to the emissions of a dog, because my dog is a carnivore," she said. The owner of a meat-eating pet can lower their impact by looking for food made from sources other than beef. Zhao, for example, tries to minimize her dog's carbon footprint by feeding her less carbon-intensive protein sources, including seafood and turkey. Planes emit a lot of carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides, as well as contrails, or vapour trails that prevent planet-warming gases from escaping into space. A round-trip economy-class flight on a 737 from New York to Los Angeles produces more than 1,300 pounds (590 kilograms) of emissions per passenger, according to the International Civil Aviation Organization, a United Nations agency. Skipping that single flight saves about as much carbon as swearing off eating all types of meat a year, or living without a car for more than three months, according to UN estimates. Learning from mistakes Some of the biggest climate decisions individuals can make include how they heat and cool their homes and the types of transportation they use. Switching to renewable energy minimizes the impact of both. Recycling is effective at reducing waste headed for landfill, but its climate impact is relatively small because transporting, processing and repurposing recyclables typically relies on fossil fuels. Plus, less than 10 per cent of plastics actually get recycled, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Other decisions with overestimated impact, including washing clothes in cold water and switching to more efficient light bulbs, are relatively less important. That is because those appliances have a relatively small impact compared to things like plane flights, so improving on them, while beneficial, has a much more limited influence. Experts say the best way to combat a misunderstanding of climate impacts is with more readily available information. The study backs up that hypothesis. After participants finished ranking actions, the researchers corrected their mistakes, and they changed which actions they said they'd take to help the planet.
