The Planet (on, and off)

The world is set to have been hotter in 2023 than in any other year on record, scientists have declared, before a landmark climate summit this month. “We can say with near certainty that 2023 will be the warmest year on record, and is currently 1.43C above the pre-industrial average,” Read more…

Many Americans want to abolish Daylight Saving Time. Since 2018, nearly all states have passed or entertained legislation that would drop the twice-a-year time shift. And 19 states have passed laws or resolutions in support of year-round daylight saving time, according to data from the National Conference of State Legislatures. Read more…

A top scientist has proposed a new way to reconcile the two different ways that our clocks keep time. Meet — wait for it — the leap minute. Later this month, delegations from around the world will head to a conference in Dubai to discuss international treaties involving radio frequencies, Read more…

“Earlier this month, the California Department of Food and Agriculture quarantined 69 square miles of metro L.A. after invasive and destructive Mediterranean fruit flies were found at a home in the Leimert Park neighborhood,” notes The Hill. Officials are now planning to use small planes to drop millions of fruit Read more…

Inhaling polluted air increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, the first study of its kind in India has found. Research conducted in Delhi and the southern city of Chennai found that inhaling air with high amounts of PM2.5 particles led to high blood sugar levels and increased type 2 Read more…

Around 66 million years ago, the Chicxulub asteroid caused a mass extinction event, killing three-quarters of life on Earth, including the dinosaurs. A new study suggests that fine silicate dust from the asteroid, which remained in the atmosphere for up to 15 years, played a more significant role in causing Read more…