Latest news with #BlueWhale
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Science
- Indian Express
Meet Earth's biggest animals: From ocean giants to land legends
Blue Whale – Ocean giant The largest animal ever, the blue whale reaches up to 100 feet and 200 tons. Found in most oceans, its heart is car-sized—yet it feeds mainly on tiny krill.
IOL News
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Sir David Attenborough turns 99 and urges the world to save our oceans
His words frame a film that blends decades of experience with a fresh urgency, documenting both the devastation and the resilience of our marine ecosystems. "After almost 100 years on the planet, I now understand the most important place on Earth is not on land, but at sea," he says. For Attenborough, the message is clear: if humanity hopes to combat climate change and protect biodiversity, the battle must begin beneath the waves. The new cinema-length documentary 'Ocean' explores the critical role the seas play in sustaining life on Earth and highlights their current state of peril. As Sir David Attenborough celebrates his 99th birthday, the renowned naturalist marks the occasion not with reflection, but with action, launching what he considers one of the most important films of his long and influential career. Premiered at London's Royal Festival Hall with King Charles III in attendance, 'Ocean' brings into sharp focus the damage caused by industrial fishing, especially bottom trawling—a practice still permitted and, in many places, subsidised. Footage in the film reveals how heavy chains dragged along the seabed destroy habitats, release carbon dioxide, and discard up to 75% of unintended catch. Attenborough describes the method as "a wasteful way to catch fish", and warns that unless practices change, the oceans' ability to support life, including our own, will diminish rapidly. Yet 'Ocean' is not a tale of despair. The film also chronicles remarkable recoveries, offering a message of hope. The near-extinction and subsequent rebound of the world's whale populations stands as a key example. In the 20th century alone, nearly three million whales were killed. Species like the Blue Whale were reduced to just one percent of their population. Attenborough recalls believing they would never return. But public outcry led to a global ban on commercial whaling in 1986, and since then, whale numbers have steadily increased. Scientists now say this revival shows how the ocean can recover more quickly than previously imagined—if given the chance. This optimism threads through the film, and Attenborough's voice reminds viewers that the world's leaders have already committed to protecting a third of the oceans. With a UN conference on the horizon, he hopes 'Ocean' will galvanise action to honour that promise. Keith Scholey, one of the film's directors and a long-time collaborator of Attenborough's, reflects on his enduring drive and energy. Even at 99, Attenborough remains a force, both creatively and in his mission to awaken global awareness. The documentary's closing message is one of cautious optimism. A healthy ocean not only supports marine life but also helps lock away carbon dioxide, a critical factor in the fight against global warming. IOL News
Reuters
07-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Israel Aerospace to sell autonomous submarines to Greek Navy
JERUSALEM, May 7 (Reuters) - State-run Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) ( said on Wednesday it signed a deal to sell its BlueWhale autonomous submarine system to the Greek Navy. IAI did not disclose financial details. BlueWhale is a large uncrewed underwater vehicle weighing 5.5 tons and can perform a wide range of covert maritime missions, including intelligence-gathering above the sea surface, submarine and underwater target detection, acoustic intelligence collection and searching for and detecting naval mines on the seabed, IAI said. It said that the autonomous submarine can perform a significant portion of a crewed submarine's operations for several weeks and that the system has been successfully deployed for thousands of diving hours. As part of the partnership, the Hellenic Aerospace Industry (HAI) will take on a role in the production and technological evolution of BlueWhale. The HAI, IAI said, will have access to IAI's technology, with opportunities for technology transfer and active involvement in projects of substantial operational significance.
South China Morning Post
30-04-2025
- Science
- South China Morning Post
China launches ‘Blue Whale' – world's first high-speed typhoon-proof uncrewed submersible
China has launched the world's first high-speed uncrewed submersible, a vessel that can operate underwater for 30 days, withstand extreme weather, and launch research rockets, marking a major advance in the country's maritime technology Advertisement The 'Blue Whale', which measures 11 metres (36 feet) long and weighs 12 tonnes, and combines the functions of both a high-speed surface craft and an underwater vessel, was launched in Zhuhai on Monday. It can reach surface speeds of up to 36 knots – similar to a destroyer or a US Navy torpedo – and can sail hundreds of kilometres before rapidly diving up to 60 metres underwater to avoid storms, according to state news agency Xinhua. While submerged, it can remain static for more than a month, like the stealth capabilities of a nuclear submarine. Chen Dake, the project's lead scientist from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said the launch was a milestone in China's independent marine technological innovation, providing a vital strategic tool for marine exploration, Xinhua reported on Monday. Currently designated for civilian use, the Blue Whale is expected to make significant contributions to typhoon research. Advertisement Wu Guosong, chief engineer of the submersible uncrewed vessel project at the Zhuhai-based tech firm Yunzhou, told Xinhua that the vessel's AI decision-making system uses deep learning algorithms, tripling operational efficiency in complex ocean environments when compared to manual controls.
CNBC
28-04-2025
- Business
- CNBC
Fund manager owns just one Mag 7 stock after dumping Meta stake: ‘You have to pick the stock you really believe in'
Nvidia is in — and Meta is out. That's according to Stephen Yiu, co-founder and lead fund manager of London's Blue Whale Growth Fund. The fund held 29 stocks as of the end of March this year, with top holdings including Apollo , Nvidia, Broadcom and TSMC , and more than a third of its investments are in the technology sector. It employs a long-only strategy and has returned 139% since its inception in 2017, significantly outperforming the IA Global Sector average. Over the year-to-date, however, it's down 9.6% amid a broad slowdown in the tech sector. Selling Meta Speaking to CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe" on Monday, Yiu said the fund had exited its position in Meta – one of only two so-called "Magnificent 7" it owned, alongside Nvidia. Of those seven megacap stocks – Meta, Tesla , Nvidia, Alphabet , Microsoft , Apple and Amazon – Meta has sustained the smallest losses since the beginning of the year, losing around 6.5% of its value. "We do like the AI story on the back of Meta's user base of 3 billion users across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp," Yiu said on Monday. However, he argued that Meta's business model made the company particularly susceptible to the impacts of a U.S. or global slowdown, which was looking more likely amid mounting trade tensions. "A U.S. recession is going to impact the top line of the business, which is still 100% … digital advertising," he explained. For the Blue Whale fund, Yiu said the Meta exit was an "unusual" move. "Currently we're running just over 5% in cash on the back of the exit on Meta," he said, noting that usually, the fund's cash holding would be "close to zero." "This is a long-only strategy, so we'd normally be quite fully invested," he added. "Ultimately, the reason we don't own the Mag 7 outside Nvidia is because ... their return on investment capital profile is coming down." Retreat from discretionary goods The Blue Whale fund also downsized some of its other investments alongside cashing out of Meta, Yiu said. "We've also reduced some of our holdings, like in Nintendo , in luxury and some others that we think are going to see a bit of impact … the world stock market over a few weeks ago was down over 20%, I think people are going to [rethink] whether they're going to buy a new ski jacket from Moncler next ski season." In a note to clients last week, Yiu said the Nintendo Switch 2's $449.99 price tag combined with tariff uncertainty "raises questions about future demand." Shares of Nintendo rose after the console was announced — a reaction Yiu said the Blue Whale fund "took advantage of … to lower our exposure." Nvidia bull Reiterating a broad optimism toward AI, Yiu said the fund's management team preferred companies "on the receiving end of any spending." As such, Yiu and his team are bullish on chipmaker Nvidia, despite the company's stock shedding around 17% so far this year. "If you look at the Mag 6 outside of Nvidia that are spending over $300 billion [on AI], I would probably say about half of that will be going to Broadcom or Nvidia, which makes the company very profitable with free cash flow," Yiu said. He acknowledged that many market watchers had argued Nvidia is "a difficult stock to own now" as it has been caught up in the conversation around tariffs and international trade negotiations. However, Yiu argued that "you have to pick the stock that you really believe in long term, and you might need to ride out the volatility in between." Outside of the tech space, Yiu noted that other companies in the flagship Blue Whale fund's portfolio had reported "strong results" amid market volatility. Among them were life sciences firms Sartorius and Danaher , tobacco giant Philip Morris , semiconductor machinery maker Lam Research , and medical supplies manufacturer Biologix.
