Latest news with #Earthlings
Canada News.Net
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Canada News.Net
Comedy-drama 'Resident Alien' cancelled after four seasons
Washington DC [US], July 25 (ANI): The comedy drama 'Resident Alien', which stars Alan Tudyk in the lead role, has been cancelled at USA Network ahead of its ongoing season finale episode, reported Variety. The sci-fi series first debuted in 2021 on Syfy but moved to USA after three seasons. 'Resident Alien' premiered on its second network in June with the start of Season 4, reported Variety. While the series' fate has already been decided, USA is set to air the final three episodes on their originally slated dates in the coming weeks, reported Variety. 'I knew going into it that this was likely going to be our final season,' series creator and showrunner Chris Sheridan told TV Insider, as quoted by Variety. 'Creatively, that was exciting because I knew we could spend the time wrapping up some storylines and driving toward an ending. I'm so proud of how good Season 4 is and especially proud that we were able to finish as strongly as we did, with a finale that is probably my favorite episode of the series,' added Sheridan as quoted by the outlet, reprted Variety. Sheridan also promised that the Season 4 finale gives the series 'a very satisfying ending while also leaving the door cracked open for any future this world may have. I can't wait for everyone to see it,' as quoted by Variety. Alan Tudyk stars in 'Resident Alien' as an extra-terrestrial that has crash-landed on Earth with a mission to wipe out mankind. But, after stealing a small-town physician's identity, he starts to develop an affinity for Earthlings. The cast also includes Sara Tomko, Corey Reynolds, Alice Wetterlund, Levi Fiehler, Elizabeth Bowen, Judah Prehn and Meredith Garretson.
CBC
5 days ago
- Health
- CBC
Should the government assist low-income people with air conditioning?
Hello, Earthlings! This is our weekly newsletter on all things environmental, where we highlight trends and solutions that are moving us to a more sustainable world. Keep up with the latest news on our Climate and Environment page. Should the government assist low-income people with air conditioning Christena Abbott is a senior living in a highrise apartment in Toronto. On the day we spoke, the temperature was 31 C. It was the first of what ended up being a three-day heat wave. "I have asthma, I'm diabetic, on insulin. I have six pinched nerves … and I cannot take heat at all," she said. Fortunately for Abbott, she has a portable air conditioner. "I can't live without it," she added. But not everyone is as fortunate as Abbott. Low-income families living in multi-unit dwellings face the greatest challenges during heat waves and are by far the most affected. A 2024 study published in the journal Environmental Research: Health found that those living on income assistance were 2.4 times more likely to die during a heat wave during the B.C. heat dome of 2021. "Ninety-eight per cent of the people who died during that event died indoors," said Jacqueline Wilson, counsel at the Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA). "When you look at those findings, the lesson from that is tackling the indoor air temperature because that was found to be the way that people were most at risk." As fossil fuels continue to be released into the atmosphere, and the climate continues to warm, Canadians will be faced with more frequent and intense heat waves, but having access to air conditioning isn't equitable. "Access to cooling … we've been thinking of it as a luxury…. But now our heat waves are becoming hotter, longer, more frequent," said Caroline Metz, managing director for climate resilience and health at Intact Centre for Climate Adaptation. "They're happening earlier in the season, so people aren't quite ready, and they're happening in places that haven't had heat." There's been a push for a maximum temperature bylaw for buildings in cities such as Toronto, Ottawa and Hamilton. But if something like that is put into place, who would pay for it? "I think we do need either a federal program or provincial programs," Metz said. "We want to establish providing financial support for cooling assistance." Theresa McClenaghan, executive director and counsel at CELA said studies show that heat is the biggest threat to life from climate change, particularly for those in under-resourced communities. And, she notes, climate change doesn't respect borders. "It's a five-alarm fire, right? It's a major, major emergency. And that means all the jurisdictions have the ability to act and should act, and they should act in concert, but they shouldn't wait for each other," said McClenaghan. There are some programs at the municipal and provincial level across the country, but they target specific groups. Most recently, Toronto started a program for seniors, and B.C. has a program where people can receive a free portable air conditioner, but only if they are clients of a Home Care Program or Mental Health Substance Use Program and they've received a recommendation letter. But there's no guarantee someone will receive a unit, as there is a limit on how many air conditioners are available. If maximum temperature limits are enacted across the country, buildings would have to be retrofitted, but, as many buildings in cities were built in the 1960s and '70s, they may not be able to withstand a power-load increase. Metz suggested that perhaps the first step would be for municipalities to have an electrical evaluation to assess their capabilities. Remember Christena Abbott? Well, she's also a leader at ACORN Canada (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now), a community union of low- and moderate-income people advocating for better rights. And that building she's living in? It was built in 1967. But this year, her building owner, WoodGreen — Toronto's largest non-municipal affordable housing provider — is retrofitting the building with new, more efficient windows. Next year? Heat pumps that will provide cooling to all of its residents. Ultimately, WoodGreen is looking for a zero-carbon building certification. And they have assured residents there will be no rent increase. The project received funding from the local municipal government and utility, but was mostly funded with federal housing grants and loans. Wilson says federal involvement is needed to ensure cooling for low-income tenants is affordable, "so that the most vulnerable people are getting the cooling and they're not having this cost burden added to budgets that can't sustain it." Check out our podcast and radio show. In one of our newest episode s: Planning to hit the road this summer? How about travelling 8,500 kilometres in an EV? That's what Carl Duivenvoorden is doing on his zero emissions journey across Canada. He shares some of the tips he's learned along the way, including the best and worst places for charging, and explains why EV road tripping is an efficient — and cheaper — option for the adventurous. After that, we'll take a trip down the EV misinformation highway, in search of answers to common claims that electric vehicles aren't really that green. What On Earth drops new podcast episodes every Wednesday and Saturday. You can find them on your favourite podcast app or on demand at CBC Listen. The radio show airs Sundays at 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m. in Newfoundland and Labrador. Check the CBC News Climate Dashboard for live updates on wildfire smoke and active fires across the country. Set your location for information on air quality and to find out how today's temperatures compare to historical trends. Reader Feedback Last week, we shared the story of a woman who moved away from her wildfire-prone community after her home burned down. Lawrence Walker wrote, "I enjoyed reading the article, but I disagree with her choice. I survived the Bush Creek East Wildfire in 2023…. I lost everything but my house, which I stayed behind and saved. Why would you move when there is no fuel left and you are safe from any wildfires for the next 20 years? Who knows when and where the next wildfire is going to happen. It could be right where she moves too." Traditionally, places that have burned recently haven't been expected to burn again for 10 to 30 years because most of the fuel has been used up. But recent observations show there can be enough fuel left to sustain another, lower-intensity fire as soon as the next year after a wildfire, Canadian Forest Service researcher Marc-André Parisien told Cabin Radio. A study of forests that reburned within two to 12 years found that high-severity fires led to high-severity reburns, but lower-severity fires were found to provide some protection against severe fires for up to 22 years. The Big Picture: PFAS in the Great Lakes Do you know the name of the largest surface freshwater system on the planet? If you guessed the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River, you're right. The massive watershed supplies drinking water to roughly 40 million people in North America, including eight million Canadians. It also happens to be tainted by toxic forever chemicals, also known as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). There are thousands of different types of PFAS, and some have been linked to pretty serious health risks, including cancer. It's not just affecting the water — some species of fish are also contaminated, prompting the province of Ontario to issue warnings. The good news: so far, concentrations of PFAS found in tap water from the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence are within Canada's latest health guidelines. But forever chemicals are still being used as a common ingredient in everything from non-stick cookware to industrial manufacturing, which is why water quality experts CBC News spoke with are worried PFAS will continue to accumulate in the water. They're hopeful Canada will learn from past mistakes, and crack down on the pollutants before concentrations get too high. — Jaela Bernstien No doubt there's a drought — scientist says N.L. water levels are historically low Running out of water on an island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean may seem like an impossible idea — but that's exactly what's happening in Newfoundland. Paula Dawe, a scientist with the province's water resources management team, says more than 40 of the division's water monitoring stations are showing lower levels than normal and 10 of them are at all-time lows. Although that may come as a shock, Dawe says it shouldn't. "A lot of what we're seeing right now is what was predicted in the climate change projections about ... 20 years ago," Dawe said. "[We knew] the temperatures were going to be increasing in Newfoundland and Labrador, that stream flow was going to be lower, that waters were going to be warmer in the summer, that there would be less snowpack and it would be melting earlier." Just this summer, Dawe said she heard about groundwater wells drying up and salmon rivers having to close due to high water temperatures. Northwest River near Terra Nova Park has had to close several times this month for that reason. The area from Gander to St. John's is experiencing a moderate drought, according to data from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The ground is drier than usual on the central part of the island, while most of Labrador is spared, said Dawe. Dawe said heat records will continue to be broken in the coming years due to climate change. "What was once considered extreme ... historically is going to become the new normal," she said. There is a high potential for water shortages this year, Dawe said, but there are ways people can curb that. Some of her tips include waiting until it's absolutely necessary to wash a car or water the lawn. Dawe even recommends putting a brick in toilet tanks to displace some of the water. If communities are experiencing water shortages, Dawe encourages them to contact the province's Water Resources Management Division for support and co-ordination. —Maddie Ryan
UPI
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- UPI
Movie review: Confusing tone hinders 'Fantastic Four: First Steps'
1 of 5 | From left, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Vanessa Kirby, Pedro Pascal and Joseph Quinn are the new "Fantastic Four," in theaters Friday. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios and Marvel July 22 (UPI) -- The Fantastic Four: First Steps, in theaters Friday, is a confusing reintroduction of the comic book superheroes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Failing to balance its tone, the movie is just no fun. The movie opens with Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) already four years into being The Fantastic Four. So it is not their "first steps" at all. The title also alludes to Sue and Reed's baby, but it's hardly more relevant to him. In fact, a TV montage of the team's past adventures features scenes that look like they're from a much more fun movie. It also covers how a space accident rendered the four team members with super powers. On Earth 828, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) brings word that Galactus (Ralph Ineson) will devour the planet and nothing can be done. So the Fantastic Four try to figure out how to negotiate with and/or stop Galactus. It appears to be the 1960s on Earth 828, although a date is never given. It could be that the world just features '60s-style architecture and technology, and that those rock n' roll oldies are the current top 40. Most of the Marvel movies take place on Earth 199999. The idea of a retro-futuristic Fantastic Four sounds fun. Reed has a robot assistant named Herbert, uses reel-to-reel cassettes, and their Times Square has a bunch of fake movie and Broadway billboards, paired with the real Coca-Cola and Pan Am. It's not really a period piece though, because the setting is not the actual historical '60s. It's just the Marvel aesthetic with some retro veneers. The plot of First Steps rarely has fun with these concepts. The main story is about, once again, the fate of the entire world and the pressure on the Fantastic Four as the only Earthlings powerful enough to possibly stop Galactus. Ben and Johnny's occasional good zingers don't balance out the fact that the film strives to be epic, monumental and important. Galactus' plot involves Reed and Sue's baby. Say what one will about Star Wars' Darth Vader, but when he blew up an entire planet he didn't single out any babies. Of the four iterations of The Fantastic Four on screen, only the 2005 movie and its sequel seemed to realize the franchise is supposed to be fun. They might not have always succeeded, but the intention was correct. Even the unreleased Roger Corman production can be forgiven for working with what they had. The last two reboots had all the resources of major studios and went for a gravitas that doesn't work in either of those adaptations. When Galactus reaches New York it's far less impressive than a Godzilla or King Kong movie. He lacks the animalistic personality of those creatures, so he's just generically going through the motions. The cast commits to what little they've been given. Reed is burdened more with his vast intellect than his stretching abilities. Ben just wants to be friendly despite his girth and power as a rock monster. Quinn's Johnny is much tamer than Chris Evans' depiction in the 2005 version, which he reprised in a Deadpool & Wolverine cameo. Perhaps Evans pushed the PG-13 too far for Disney's comfort so they held Quinn back. As the Human Torch, there are no consequences for Johnny flaming on indoors. The Silver Surfer has the most presence, not just because of her alien appearance but due to Garner's body language too. Sue is left mostly to scolding the boys, unfortunately, so Kirby is the most underserved. This iteration of Fantastic Four will appear in The Avengers: Doomsday, as confirmed by a mid-credits scene set four years later. Maybe these characters will play well with the others, but on their own the clash of tonal elements brings down the vibe. Fred Topel, who attended film school at Ithaca College, is a UPI entertainment writer based in Los Angeles. He has been a professional film critic since 1999, a Rotten Tomatoes critic since 2001, and a member of the Television Critics Association since 2012 and the Critics Choice Association since 2023. Read more of his work in Entertainment.
New York Post
16-07-2025
- Science
- New York Post
Largest Martian meteorite sells for a whopping $5.3M at auction: ‘Geological time capsule from another world'
This record-breaking rock had losing bidders seeing red. At one of Sotheby's Geek Week events, hosted at NYC's own American Museum of Natural History, this Martian meteorite smashed through bidding expectations, which were between $2M to $4M. Advertisement This meteorite, affectionately dubbed NWA 16788, isn't just any space rock, though. At a stunning $5.3 million, not only did it fetch the highest price of any meteorite ever, it's also the largest, most scientifically significant piece of Mars that we Earthlings have access to. At 54 pounds, the meteorite is approximately the size of two basketballs. 'NWA 16788 is a geological time capsule from another world,' Sotheby's representatives wrote. 'With fewer than 400 Martian meteorites ever recorded, and most no larger than a pebble, this specimen offers the biggest tangible connection to a planet that has captivated humanity for centuries.' Advertisement The space rock was discovered in November 2023 by a meteorite hunter — yes, that's a real job — in the middle of the Nigerian Sahara desert. The supermassive shooting star is made up of Martian magma and is among the 5.4% of Martian meteorites to boast the particularly rare geological classification, olivine-microgabbroic. AP Unsurprisingly, the meteorite from the Red planet is, in fact, red. According to Sotheby's analysts, who have examined it up close and personal, it's a deep, rusty shade with a glassy crust. 'NWA 16788 shows minimal terrestrial weathering, indicating that its physical and chemical makeup have not been significantly altered since its arrival in the Sahara Desert,' Sotheby's explained in the release. 'In other words, NWA 16788 is likely a relative newcomer here on Earth, having fallen from outer space rather recently.' Advertisement According to Sotheby's, researchers believe this rock was launched off the red planet when another forceful asteroid hit Mars' surface. AFP via Getty Images Before it was sold, the meteorite was publicly exhibited at the Italian Space Agency in Rome and in a private gallery in Tuscany. Though the buyer, who was not publicly identified, certainly paid a pretty penny for the rights to the rock, some scientists have reservations about the whole affair — particularly because of the possibilities for new research the meteorite presents. Advertisement 'It would be a shame if it disappeared into the vault of an oligarch. It belongs in a museum, where it can be studied, and where it can be enjoyed by children and families and the public at large,' Steve Brusatte, a professor of paleontology and evolution at the University of Edinburgh, told CNN. A mere chunk of mineral it may be, but this meteorite is far from lonely in its exorbitant price. In 2020, a 4½-pound meteorite crashed through an Indonesian man's roof. According to experts, the rare rock was over 4.5 billion years old and was worth almost $2M. In the end, this meteorite was also purchased by a private meteorite collector. However, meteorites typically land in oceans, deserts, forests and other uninhabited areas, much like NWA 16788.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Yes, Superman's kryptonite is (sort of) real
Superman's only major weakness—aside from bright red capes—is kryptonite. The fictional mineral was first described in 1943 during an episode of The Adventures of Superman radio serial, but it would take another six decades before fans learned its chemical ingredients. In the 2006 film Superman Returns, kryptonite was finally described as an amalgamation of 'sodium-lithium-boron-silicate-hydroxide with fluorine.' In a bit of cosmic coincidence, international regulators also officially recognized a nearly identical material that same year—and like its comic book mineral dopplegänger, jadarite may have major ramifications for Earth's inhabitants. In 2004, workers at a drill site in Serbia's Jadar Valley extracted a white, earthy silicate material unlike any previously documented mineral. Subsequent analysis from the Natural History Museum in London and Canada's National Research Council confirmed its unique composition, and in 2006, experts announced jadarite to the world. As luck would have it, Lex Luthor stole a sample of kryptonite labeled with jadarite's almost exact ingredients in that summer's Superman blockbuster. Jadarite doesn't glow or weaken Kryptonian heroes—although it does glow pinkish-orange under UV light. Regardless, it may still become a powerful tool for Earthlings transitioning away from fossil fuels. As Australia's National Science Agency explains, jadarite contains significant amounts of the rare earth elements lithium and boron. Lithium is a key ingredient in reusable electric batteries, while boron is often integrated into various alloys and ceramic glasses. 'Unlike many new mineral discoveries, which are often brought to light under the microscope and contain unusual combinations of rare elements, jadarite occurs as a multi-million tonne deposit and is composed of common elements,' the National Science Agency reports. In 2021, the United States Geological Survey estimated a hypothetical mine at the site could supply about 1.51 percent of the world's lithium demand. The jadarite in Serbia remains the only known deposit of its kind, making it a highly desired piece of property. But like kryptonite, jadarite has its downsides. Rare earth mines have come under increasing scrutiny from international regulators, scientists, environmentalists, and local communities due to their potential harmful effects on surrounding regions. In 2020, for example, the Rio Tinto mining company drew international condemnation after destroying a Western Australian cave site previously used by Indigenous peoples for over 46,000 years. Watchdogs have also highlighted numerous rare earth mine sites across China for labor violations, water pollution, and other ecological concerns. Jadar Valley is no exception. Although Rio Tinto revealed plans to begin construction on a jadarite mine in 2017, environmental reviews concluded the operation would consume massive amounts of water, as well as leach various acids and chemicals into around 4,900 acres of arable land. The reports also cited underground water salinization and river pollution. In 2022, Serbia announced the project's cancellation following waves of mass protests. Jadarite's future influence on Earth's energy industry remains uncertain. Like kryptonite, its potential is both promising and problematic. And with no Superman to intervene on our behalf, it'll be up to humans to determine the best way forward.
