Latest news with #TheBigOne
Business Journals
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Journals
The Beat: New UChicago VC fund targets deep-tech startups
Welcome to Chicago Inno's The Beat, a twice-weekly look at the people, companies and ideas that are shaping Chicago's innovation economy. The Big One A new $25M venture capital fund launched Thursday to support the deep-tech ventures coming out of the University of Chicago ecosystem. GET TO KNOW YOUR CITY Find Local Events Near You Connect with a community of local professionals. Explore All Events Harper Court Ventures — funded through UChicago and the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and independently managed by MFV Partners — will focus on scaling pre-seed and seed-stage companies associated with the university's labs, the Polsky Center or alumni. Investors in the fund include the UChicago Endowment as well as several members of UChicago's Board of Trustees. The fund will target startups in high-impact sectors, such as those working on quantum computing, life sciences, energy and artificial intelligence innovations. READ MORE: $25M VC fund launches to back UChicago deep-tech startups More from The Beat On its 10-year anniversary, Chicago venture capital firm M25 announced its largest fund to date. Nearly half of workers in a recent survey say their companies have issued return-to-office mandates in 2025 — illustrating a larger trend of fading workplace flexibility. Drive Capital returns $500M to investors In a single week, Drive Capital returned about $500M in cash and stock to investors during a lull in liquidity for limited partners nationwide. The Columbus, Ohio-based venture capital firm, which set up a Chicago office in 2023, last Friday distributed two-thirds of its shares of Root Inc., worth nearly $140 million, to outside limited partners in its first fund from 2013, according to SEC filings. READ MORE: Drive Capital returns $500 million to investors amid national liquidity lull Sign up for the Business Journal's free daily newsletter to receive the latest business news impacting Chicago.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
3.6 Magnitude Earthquake Rattles U.S. Town Near Volcano
The United States has dealt with a flurry of earthquakes this month, raising concerns about "The Big One." Last week, the United States Geological Survey detected a trio of earthquakes in California in a 24-hour span. The first earthquake had a 2.9 magnitude. Although the other two earthquakes weren't that impactful, there are concerns about a sizable earthquake leveling the West Coast. "Since it has been more than 144 years since the last major earthquake, the clock is ticking," researchers at the University of California, Berkley said. "It is very likely that the Hayward fault will rupture and produce a significant earthquake within the next 30 years." Virginia Tech professor Tina Dura agreed that California could face "The Big One" at some point in the future. "But geologically speaking, we're well within the window of possibility. The last event was in 1700, and paleoseismic records show these earthquakes recur roughly every 200 to 800 years," Dura told Newsweek. "The National Seismic Hazard model shows that there is a 15% chance of a large (over magnitude 8) earthquake happening sometime in the next 50 years." While we're not sure when or if this will happen, the US Geological Survey confirmed that a 3.6 magnitude earthquake was detected this Friday. A small town in Idaho was rocked by this earthquake Friday. The earthquake actually occurred 126 miles from the Yellowstone's caldera, a volcanic depression at that park. "These tremors usually shake areas within the Yellowstone Caldera and nearby fault zones, but the supervolcano can also influence seismic activity over 100 miles away," Daily Mail's report stated. "A new study recently showed that Yellowstone's magma chamber is just 2.3 miles or about 12,500 feet below Earth's surface." Geologists are still investigating this incident. We're certainly hoping the United States avoids a catastrophic earthquake.3.6 Magnitude Earthquake Rattles U.S. Town Near Volcano first appeared on The Spun on May 23, 2025
New York Post
10-05-2025
- Science
- New York Post
Underwater volcano off Oregon coast ‘ballooning' with lava — and set to erupt for first time since 2015
A submarine volcano 300 miles off the coast of Oregon could erupt for the first time since 2015, spewing 'very fluid lava' into the sea where scientists were recently recording more than 1,000 daily earthquakes. Axial Seamount has exhibited increasing volcanic activity, with scientists able to measure the swelling of the underwater structure in the Pacific Ocean — indicating that the top could blow off with lava any time between now and the end of the year, NBC reported. 'This volcano is similar to ones in Hawaii that erupt very fluid lavas,' Bill Chadwick, volcanologist and research professor at Oregon State University, told the outlet. Advertisement 4 The Axial Seamount has exhibited a surge in volcanic activity. Public Domain 'They tend to inflate like a balloon in between eruptions. At Axial, the sea floor is actually rising, and that's a big signal.' In 2015, Axial Seamount had a massive eruption that leaked out a surreal amount of magma, with one lava flow measuring 450 feet thick, the report stated. Advertisement 'For reference, that's about two-thirds the height of the Space Needle in Seattle,' Chadwick explained. 'That's a lot of lava.' Despite the intensity of the explosion, the volcano poses no threat to humans. Shockingly, the Axial Seamount, located 4,626 feet below sea level, is so deep underwater that an eruption may not even be noticeable from the waters just above, scientists said. 'Even if you were out on a boat right over the seamount when it's erupting, you probably would never know it,' Chadwick told NBC News. Advertisement 4 The submarine volcano could erupt for the first time in ten years. Tim – 4 An eruption in 1998 produced this submarine lava flow. The underwater spewer is located between the two tectonic plates that are separating — which puts pressure on the seafloor, fueling volcanic activity. Axial Seamount has erupted three times in the past 30 years — in 1998, 2011, and 2015. Advertisement The submarine volcano isn't the only seismic activity West Coasters may have in store. 4 The Axial Seamount is located 4,626 feet below sea level. NOAA Hundreds of miles of Pacific Northwest coastline could tumble into the sea if the Cascadia Subduction Zone, an undersea fault line about 100 miles off the North American coast, is hit by 'The Big One,' according to a recent study. The 600-mile earthquake hotspot could see shorelines from northern California to Vancouver, Canada, sinking 6 feet or more. Luckily, the Cascadia Subduction Zone is 'located quite a distance away' from Axial Seamount, Forbes reported Friday — so there shouldn't be fears of an Earth-shaking one-two punch.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
‘Big One' coupled with rising ocean could leave many in Northwest living in flood zones, study finds
High water on U.S. 101 in Tillamook in December, 2023. The Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake, coupled with rising sea levels, will cause up to 6 feet of coastal erosion and put many communities on top of new floodplains, a new study finds. (Oregon Department of Transportation/Flickr) If the once-every-500-year Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake doesn't do enough damage to the coastal Northwest on its own, frequent and widespread flooding from rising seas that follows will take care of the rest, new research found. Oregon, Washington and California are overdue for the recurring seismic event — popularly referred to as 'The Big One' — which last occurred in 1700 and could cause Northwest coastlines to lower and retreat by more than 6 feet as land erodes into the sea. Coupled with rising seas from climate change, many more coastal communities, such as Seaside, Oregon and Aberdeen, Washington, will essentially be on top of newly created floodplains and tidal zones amid rising waters. The findings from researchers at Virginia Tech, the University of North Carolina, the University of Oregon and scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey were published last week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. They found that if The Big One were to occur in 2100, when waters along the Pacific coastline might be three feet higher than today as global ice sheets melt, it's likely 6.6 feet of Northwest coast would subside into the sea. That means more than 17,000 people in the region would soon be living on top of expanded coastal flood plains, double the number currently living in such flood zones today. Researchers' modeling shows that triple the number of structures, such as hospitals, airports and water and electricity plants, as well as roads, would be exposed to frequent flooding in the aftermath as are today, and could remain that way for centuries. 'One of the best ways to think about it is that you could have a coastal forest or a salt marsh that you're walking your dog along, and then this earthquake happens, and that land, physically, almost instantaneously, in a few minutes, subsides, potentially half a meter to almost 2 meters,' said Andrea Hawkes, a professor of earth and ocean sciences at the University of North Carolina in Wilmington who worked on the study. 'All the sudden, instead of standing on dry land, you are now in the tidal zone.' It's not just a hypothetical. The study mentions several historical earthquakes that led to fundamental changes in coastal landscapes and the loss or relocation of whole towns. The Great Chilean Earthquake of 1960 — the biggest ever recorded at a magnitude of 9.5 — caused more than 8 feet of coastal land in some parts of the country to slide into the sea, submerging pine forests and farms underwater and turning them into tidal marshes. The Great Alaska earthquake in 1964 lowered coastal areas by more than 6 feet, the researchers wrote. In the aftermath, some communities had to relocate to higher ground because of increased tidal flooding. Similar coastal earthquakes in Sumatra and Japan in more recent history have also led to land loss and migration. The Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake could reach a magnitude similar to that of the Great Chilean Earthquake, between 8.0 and 9.0, according to seismologists. Hawkes said the point of the study is to improve preparation and planning in the coastal Northwest, not panic. 'The earthquake is kind of something you can't really do anything about, right? It's gonna happen,' she said. 'But as you plan where you build in the coastal zone, something to keep in mind is that the sea level is continuing to rise, and that when you have these events, they will cause land farther upland to subside.' She said there are communities along the coast that are already planning on moving or building critical infrastructure further inland because of projected sea level rise. The study Hawkes was part of, she said, can help them go further, by considering the impacts of The Big One. 'A lot of places are doing really good work in terms of moving schools, hospitals, community centers, to higher places, or, they're really thinking about it,' she said. 'It would be a shame if you missed it by X meters because you didn't think about this other thing that's coming.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Steve Doocy Tears Up While Announcing Major Change to Fox & Friends Role — Watch
Longtime Fox & Friends co-anchor Steve Doocy announced on Thursday that his role at the morning show is changing in a big way. Doocy, who has co-hosted the Fox News program since 1998, shared that he is dropping his work week down to three days instead of five, and he'll now be based in Florida as host of the show's remote segments and occasional live hits. More from TVLine Fox News Taps Lara Trump, President's Daughter-in-Law, to Host New 'Common Sense' Weekend Program Fox News' Sean Hannity and Ainsley Earhardt Engaged Fox News Host Neil Cavuto Exits Network After 28 Years - Watch His Farewell Message to Viewers 'After decades of getting up at 3:30 and driving into New York City in the dark, today is the last day I will host this show from the couch,' Doocy revealed on Thursday's broadcast. 'I'm not retiring. I'm not leaving the show. I'm still a host, but it's time for a change.' (Watch his full announcement here.) He added that his new role will 'make it easier for me to report from Florida and other parts of America that don't get a lot of network airtime. I'll be going from the Carolinas to the Keys, from middle America to Mar-a-Lago. Call me the coast-to-coast host.' Plus, he still plans to join 'the couch crew for commentary' remotely, assuring viewers that they will 'still hear my voice and my opinions loud and clear.' Though Doocy said he was delighted to no longer wake up in the middle of the night for his work commute, he got emotional when acknowledging his friends and colleagues in New York that he won't see every day. 'I have a lot of friends in this skyscraper. I'm going to miss seeing them in person,' a choked-up Doocy went on. 'The security guys, the cafe crew, especially the hair and makeup team, because they are geniuses at what they do. And the closest to my heart: the Fox & Friends team, working day and night producing America's No. 1 cable morning news show.' Doocy then gave individual kudos to Fox & Friends co-hosts Brian Kilmeade, Ainsley Earhardt and Lawrence Jones, who cued up a sizzle reel of highlights from Doocy's many years at Fox & Friends. Will you miss Doocy in his current capacity? Drop a comment below with your thoughts on his announcement. The Biggest TV Cast Exits of 2025 (So Far) View List Best of TVLine Yellowjackets Mysteries: An Up-to-Date List of the Series' Biggest Questions (and Answers?) The Emmys' Most Memorable Moments: Laughter, Tears, Historical Wins, 'The Big One' and More 'Missing' Shows, Found! The Latest on Severance, Holey Moley, Poker Face, YOU, Primo, Transplant and 25+ Others
