Latest news with #UniversityofBarcelona
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Science
- Daily Mail
What lies beneath: Scientists make shocking discovery under the Antarctic Ice Sheet
It is the least explored continent in the world, famous for its harsh and remote environment. Now, scientists have made a shocking discovery lurking beneath the Antarctic Ice Sheet. Researchers have discovered 332 hidden trenches known as submarine canyon networks carved deep into the ocean floor - five times more than previously thought. Some of these underwater trenches reach staggering depths of up to 13,000 feet (4,000m) - roughly as deep as Mont Blanc is tall. Scientists have found roughly 10,000 submarine canyons all over the world. And with just 27 per cent of the sea floor mapped in detail, there are likely to be many more waiting to be found. However, the researchers say those beneath Antarctica's ice are the largest and most impressive anywhere on the planet. David Amblas, of the University of Barcelona, says: 'The most spectacular of these are in East Antarctica, which is characterized by complex, branching canyon systems.' Scientists have made a shocking discovery lurking beneath Antarctica's Ice Sheet (pictured), and it could have big implications for global sea level increases The submarine canyons around Antarctica are so large because they are carved by a phenomenon known as turbidity currents. These are underwater avalanches of sediment and water, which flow at speeds up to 45 miles per hour down the steep slopes of the continental shelf, digging out deep channels as they pass. Dr Amblas says: 'Like those in the Arctic, Antarctic submarine canyons resemble canyons in other parts of the world. 'But they tend to be larger and deeper because of the prolonged action of polar ice and the immense volumes of sediment transported by glaciers to the continental shelf.' These vast canyons play a vital role in a number of important ocean processes. They transport nutrient-rich sediment from the coast to wider ocean, connect shallow and deep waters, and create habitats rich in biodiversity. However, despite being so important, these unique environments remain profoundly understudied - especially in remote, hard-to-reach locations like the Antarctic. In their paper, published in the journal Marine Geology, Dr Amblas and his co-author used the most complete and detailed map of the Antarctic to hunt for previously unnoticed canyons. By analysing the map with a semi-automated method for identifying canyons, the researchers found far more canyons beneath the ice than had previously been expected. Interestingly, these new maps revealed that there is a big difference between the canyons in different parts of the continent. Co-author Dr Riccardo Arosio, a marine geologist from University College Cork, told MailOnline: 'It has been very interesting to discover a striking difference between East and West Antarctic canyons, which had not been observed before.' Dr Arosio says that those in the East form 'long canyon-channel systems, and have more frequent U-shaped profiles'. Meanwhile, canyons in the West of the continent are 'shorter, steeper, and V-shaped'. This is likely because the canyons in the West have been carved by the water released by relatively recent melting of the ice sheet while those in the East are the product of a much longer process of glacial activity. The researchers say this discovery could have much wider implications for how we predict the impacts of climate change. The Antarctic canyons help exchange water between the deep ocean and the continental shelf. This allows cold, dense water formed near the ice sheet to sink into the deep ocean, and drive global ocean circulation currents that help keep the climate stable. At the same time, these canyons also bring warmer waters in from the open sea up to meet the floating ice shelves - driving the ice melt, which is weakening Antarctica's inland glaciers. By affecting how quickly water from the ice sheet enters the ocean, these channels have a direct impact on global sea level increases. However, the ocean models used by organisations such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) don't take the effects of these hidden canyons into account. Dr Arosio says: 'Omitting these local mechanisms limits the ability that models must predict changes in ocean and climate dynamics.' In the future, by gathering more high-resolution data in unmapped areas, the researchers expect to find even more submarine canyons beneath the ice. Properly understanding these canyons and how they affect the circulation of water around the poles could be key to accurately predicting the impacts of climate change. Antarctica's ice sheets contain 70% of world's fresh water - and sea levels would rise by 180ft if it melts Antarctica holds a huge amount of water. The three ice sheets that cover the continent contain around 70 per cent of our planet's fresh water - and these are all to warming air and oceans. If all the ice sheets were to melt due to global warming, Antarctica would raise global sea levels by at least 183ft (56m). Given their size, even small losses in the ice sheets could have global consequences. In addition to rising sea levels, meltwater would slow down the world's ocean circulation, while changing wind belts may affect the climate in the southern hemisphere. In February 2018, Nasa revealed El Niño events cause the Antarctic ice shelf to melt by up to ten inches (25 centimetres) every year. El Niño and La Niña are separate events that alter the water temperature of the Pacific ocean. The ocean periodically oscillates between warmer than average during El Niños and cooler than average during La Niñas. Using Nasa satellite imaging, researchers found that the oceanic phenomena cause Antarctic ice shelves to melt while also increasing snowfall. In March 2018, it was revealed that more of a giant France-sized glacier in Antarctica is floating on the ocean than previously thought.
Business Insider
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Rise Up Trading Hub Unveils AI-Powered Tech Suite for Trading and Financial Education
Delaware, US, July 21st, 2025, FinanceWire Rise Up Trading Hub has officially announced the launch of its proprietary platform, combining algorithmic trading technology with structured financial education. Addressing longstanding gaps in financial literacy and trust in unverified platforms, the company introduces a solution that merges academic rigor with technological innovation. Founded by finance attorney Javier Vásquez Palacios, Rise Up Trading Hub has developed a fully in-house technological ecosystem, built without venture capital and underpinned by proprietary intellectual property. The platform integrates algorithmic trading tools, artificial intelligence, and internationally recognized academic training programs. 'We're not here to replicate existing models. Our goal is to train the next generation of traders and investors by combining technology, formal education, and real-time market analysis,' says Vásquez Palacios, who is also Co-Founder and CFO of ADN Broker and a faculty member of the XXVII International Program in Financial Markets and Economic Analysis at the University of Barcelona. International Recognition and Academic Validation In June 2025, Rise Up Trading Hub was named Breakthrough FX Startup of the Year at Wealth Expo Latam, one of the most influential fintech and trading events in the region. It had become an official academic partner of the University of Barcelona in the XXVII Program in Financial Markets and International Economic Analysis, reinforcing its commitment to high-level financial education and strengthening the connection between Latin America and European academic institutions. A Comprehensive Technological Ecosystem Rise Up Trading Hub offers a robust suite of four integrated platforms: E-learning platform: Combines recorded courses, live classes, and a structured learning path aimed at strengthening the trader's technical judgment. Monitor: An algorithmic scanner that detects harmonic patterns and trading structures in Forex, Futures, and Cryptocurrencies using mathematical logic and confluence zones. Tredi: An AI-powered assistant that serves as a 24/7 personal mentor, merging technical and macroeconomic analysis. WeTrade: A social trading platform compatible with over 5,000 brokers, allowing users to replicate real-time trades and engage in collaborative learning. 'Our role is clear: to be the technical and educational backbone that empowers traders to make accurate, informed, and unbiased decisions,' the founder emphasizes. Global Outlook and the Next Innovation Phase With loyal users in Peru, Colombia, Argentina, Panama, and Mexico, Rise Up Trading Hub aims to reach 100,000 active users over the next three years. The company operates with a multicultural team across multiple countries, while maintaining its corporate base and structural backbone from its U.S. holding. The startup is now entering a new phase of technological innovation, advancing the deep integration of algorithmic trading and artificial intelligence. The team is developing an architecture that fuses mathematical models with machine learning systems, aiming to create autonomous strategic intelligence capable of identifying market opportunities in real time, learning from user behavior, tailoring information complexity to each trader's level, and suggesting actionable scenarios based on historical patterns, macroeconomic data, and personalized performance metrics. 'Our vision is focused: to continue developing technology rooted in algorithmic trading and AI. We believe the future of financial education will be hybrid, personalized, automated, and backed by intelligent decision-making tools,' concludes Vásquez Palacios. A Vision That Transcends Borders The story of Rise Up Trading Hub stands as a compelling example of how Latin America can lead the future of trading education, with scalable, serious, and technologically robust solutions. With a hybrid edtech-fintech model, proprietary technology, and no reliance on external funding, the startup is positioning itself as one of the most promising international ventures in the digital financial education ecosystem. About RiseUp Trading Hub RiseUp Trading Hub is an edtech-fintech company that develops technological solutions for financial education and trading. Its ecosystem includes proprietary platforms powered by artificial intelligence, harmonic pattern scanners, and collaborative trading tools, integrating high-level academic training with practical resources for market operations. With a presence in several Latin American countries and international academic validation, Rise Up Trading Hub aims to transform the way people learn and operate in the digital financial world. Mr
Gizmodo
4 days ago
- Science
- Gizmodo
Radical New Theory Rewrites the Story of the Earliest Universe
Following the Big Bang, our universe expanded at an exponential rate. According to this theory, known as cosmic inflation, the explosive growth produced tiny quantum fluctuations that later evolved into galaxies. Cosmic inflation neatly explains how our universe got so large and mostly homogenous, and that's why it's remained a strong theory in cosmology for decades. But it's far from perfect. Cosmic inflation depends on certain theoretical assumptions that can get rather arbitrary—not ideal for a theory that's supposed to explain why our universe appears the way it does. It's this shortcoming that motivated theoretical physicist Raúl Jiménez from the University of Barcelona in Spain to devise an alternative approach to decoding the dynamics of the very early universe. The resulting proposal, published earlier this month in Physical Review Research, seeks to eliminate the excessive, circumstantial parameters in traditional models that have made it difficult for physicists to agree on a single theory. The proposal, developed by Jiménez and colleagues, is a relatively simple paradigm founded mostly on well-understood principles of quantum mechanics and general relativity. It starts with the assumption that the very early universe existed in what's called a De Sitter space, which sees the universe as a flat-shaped vacuum governed by general relativity. According to quantum mechanics, applying some energy to this—namely the Big Bang—generates quantum fluctuations that give rise to tensor modes, or gravitational waves. These waves organically seeded small bits of density throughout the universe, and those little bits eventually evolved into galaxies, stars, and planets, according to the theory. Critics of traditional inflationary theory argue that it has too many adjustable parameters. One such parameter is the inflaton—hypothetical scalar fields that physicists believe drove rapid expansion in the early universe. But the new theory removes the inflaton from the picture, substituting it with a de Sitter space rocked by gravitational waves. That the new theory removes many adjustable parameters is a big bonus. 'There is no general principle that determines these things, so basically you need to put them in by hand,' explained Arthur Kosowsky, a cosmologist at the University of Pittsburgh not involved in the new work, in an email to Gizmodo. 'Physicists always strive to make models and theories which are in some sense as simple as possible, meaning that the number of arbitrary things you need to put in by hand is as small as possible.' In an ideal world, a solid theory or model shouldn't require so many adjustable variables. A similar problem exists with the all-encompassing Standard Model, which features a whopping 18 free parameters that need to be sorted out every single time. Physicists 'expend lots of blood, sweat, and tears (and money) because most people are convinced that there must be a better, more powerful model which has two or three parameters instead of 18,' Kosowsky said. And indeed, finding a simple, compelling explanation for early cosmic inflation is what motivated the new work, Jiménez told Gizmodo during a video call. The strength of this theory is that it is 'fully falsifiable' in the sense that it either can or cannot explain observational data, he said. However, this is also the theory's weakness, which Jiménez acknowledged: 'Maybe nature didn't choose this theory as the way things work.' Of course, the most valuable thing about falsifiable theories is that they tell us what doesn't work, he added. (While this might seem sketchy, physicists often employ something akin to a process of elimination for unknown phenomena, such as dark matter.) As for Jiménez's newly proposed theory, it's fair to ask whether it will hold up to observational data and survive further mathematical scrutiny. What Is Dark Matter and Why Hasn't Anyone Found It Yet? 'I like the overall philosophy driving this paper, [which is] 'let's see if we can come up with a situation where inflation arises naturally out of some basic physics,'' Kosowsky said. 'If we can, this is both more elegant than adding some speculative and, in some sense, arbitrary physical elements and also is likely to make more specific predictions, which can then hopefully be compared with observations.' 'I believe it's an interesting and novel proposal—it's something that's well worth a closer look,' commented Andrew Liddle, a theoretical cosmologist at the Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences (IA) at the University of Lisbon in Portugal, during a video call with Gizmodo. At the same time, its simplicity could also be its biggest flaw, but only time will tell if more mathematically minded cosmologists take a liking to it, he said. 'There have always been cosmologists who are uncomfortable with inflation [theory]. I'm one of them—and I work on it,' said Marina Cortês, also with the IA, in the same call. 'One of the most uncomfortable things about inflation is that physicists understand everything from the Big Bang onwards, but not the Big Bang and the earliest stages.' Liddle and Cortês, both uninvolved in the new work, said that while cosmologists (including themselves) often disagree on how to best interpret cosmic inflation, the evidence seems to support the notion that inflation did in fact take place. Many physicists have devised alternative explanations, but practically everything has ended up in a 'dustbin' of discarded ideas, Liddle explained. 'But there's no limit to people's imagination,' Liddle said. And the next few decades should see no shortage of new ideas and models—just like this one, according to the two cosmologists. 'Cosmology right now is mostly about these things called tensions, or hints that things are not quite well aligned with the standard cosmological model,' Liddle said. Several questions threatening to usurp what we know about the physical universe—dark energy, the Hubble tension—appear to be coming together in one paradoxical package for scientists, and inflation could be a part of that, Cortês added. No matter what happens, it goes without saying that we're witnessing a time of excitement, chaos, and discovery for cosmology—a sentiment that all the scientists agreed on. 'Not only is the data growing at exponential amounts, but the quality of the analysis is also growing at an exponential quality,' Jiménez said. 'I think that we are living a golden age of cosmology.' 'When we are thinking about inflation, we are trying to take the next step and answer the question of why the universe looks the way it does, and not just describe how it looks,' Kosowsky said. 'Is this due to some deep physics principle yet undiscovered? It could be, and this is what keeps us working hard to push back the boundaries of our understanding.'
News18
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Caroline Garcia Ties The Knot With Borja Duran In Fairytale Wedding
Last Updated: The 31-year-old Frenchwoman wed her partner, Duran, a Spanish professor at the University of Barcelona on Sunday. French tennis ace Caroline Garcia, who is set to retire at the end of the 2025 season, tied the knot on Sunday with her partner, Borja Duran, a Spanish professor at the University of Barcelona. Compatriot Alize Cornet shared a clipping from the wedding ceremony as the duo who collaborate on the 'Tennis Insider Club' exchanged vows and rings. 🎊 VIVE LES MARIÉS👰♂️ Caroline Garcia a scellé son union avec Borja Duran hier Tous nos vœux de bonheur 💖 (🎥 emocionsdeblanc) — We Are Tennis France (@WeAreTennisFR) July 20, 2025 Garcia, who has won 11 titles in her career, first reached the No. 4 spot in September 2018, however, following several inconsistent years filled with doubts and injuries, she took a break from tennis in March 2022 to recover from a foot injury. The pause proved beneficial as she enjoyed a successful second half of the season, winning several titles, including the WTA Finals, and reaching the semifinals at the U.S. Open. Two years ago, Garcia revealed in an interview that she struggled with bulimia for a period, triggered by losses and the pain from her lingering foot injury, which affected her daily life. Garcia, who missed the Wimbledon due to a back injury, was shown the exit door early in the French Open 2025 as she wet down to Bernarda Pera in her opening fixture at the fabled red clay of the Roland Garros. view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The Star
7 days ago
- Climate
- The Star
Spanish expert urges protection for elderly after 1,180 heat-related deaths in two months
Barcelona, Spain, July 18 (Xinhua) -- Extreme heat has a serious impact on health, especially for older people, a professor of Physical Geography at the University of Barcelona said in an interview with Xinhua on Friday, calling for more social support. "The main threat is that excessive and extreme heat kills. It has a serious impact on health, especially for older people - many of whom live alone and suffer from chronic illnesses," warned Javier Martin-Vide. His remarks come amid a troubling surge in heat-related deaths across Spain. According to the Spanish Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, 1,180 people died from high temperatures between May 16 and July 13 - a staggering 1,300 percent increase compared to the same period last year, when 114 deaths were recorded. Martin-Vide emphasized that many elderly Spaniards live alone in poorly insulated dwellings without air conditioning, calling for urgent measures, including regular visits by social and healthcare workers to ensure seniors stay hydrated and live in safe conditions during heatwaves. Government data reinforces his concerns. The ministry reported that 95 percent of the victims were over the age of 65, and 59.2 percent were women. The intensity and duration of this summer's heat have been unprecedented. In the first week of July, heat-related deaths rose by 47 percent compared to the entire month of June. Temperatures in parts of Spain reached as high as 40 degrees Celsius, triggering 76 red alerts for extreme heat - a dramatic rise from zero during the same period in 2024. The regions most affected were in northern Spain, particularly Galicia, La Rioja, Asturias, and Cantabria. Spain's meteorological office, AEMET, registered an average national temperature of 23.6 degrees Celsius in June, 0.8 percent higher than the previous historical maximum set in 2017. It forecasts that July will continue the extreme heat trend, with a 70 percent probability that the average monthly temperature will exceed historical norms. Martin-Vide agreed with AEMET's forecast, noting that "the current temperatures resemble those of the hottest years in August, not (what's typically expected for) June or July."
