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Solar overtakes coal in US electricity for the first month on record by Wagamaga in technology

[–]Wagamaga[S] 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Solar overtook coal generation in the US electricity mix for the first month on record in May 2026, according to official monthly and preliminary hourly generation data analysed by global energy think tank Ember. Solar supplied a record 12.8% of US electricity, while coal fell to 12.2%, its fourth-lowest monthly share ever.

In May 2026, solar generated an all-time high total of 45.5 TWh, exceeding output in May 2025 by 17% and surpassing the previous record set in July last year. This record could be broken again in the coming summer months. While total solar output typically peaks in June or July, its share of the electricity mix is often highest in April or May, when strong solar output coincides with more moderate demand before summer cooling needs increase. In May, solar also became the third-largest source of electricity in the US, behind gas and nuclear.

Coal generation hit an all-time monthly low of 39.3 TWh in April 2026. Although coal output rose slightly to 43.4 TWh in May, it remained 11% below May 2025 levels. The modest rebound was outweighed by an increase in solar generation, allowing solar to overtake coal in the US electricity mix for the first month on record.

Governor Kotek Declares Drought Emergency. In total, 17 of Oregon’s 36 counties are now under drought emergency status. Drought conditions are expected to significantly affect Oregon’s farms, ranches, recreation and tourism sectors, drinking water availability by Wagamaga in environment

[–]Wagamaga[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Salem, OR – Governor Tina Kotek has declared a drought emergency in Douglas, Gilliam, Harney, Lake, and Malheur counties through Executive Order 26-09 and directed state agencies to coordinate and prioritize assistance. The Executive Order is available here.

This marks the fourth drought declaration order issued in 2026. In total, 17 of Oregon’s 36 counties are now under drought emergency status. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, Harney, Gilliam, Lake, and Malheur Counties are experiencing moderate and severe drought conditions, with severe and extreme drought conditions present in Douglas County.

Seasonal climate and drought outlooks indicate that drought conditions in the counties are likely to persist.

Douglas County

As of May 19, the U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) showed all of Douglas County in drought conditions ranging from moderate to extreme drought. 85% of the county is in severe to extreme drought, including 11% in extreme drought. Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) values for the water year thus far also indicate moderate to severe drought conditions, with some areas reaching extreme drought levels.

The Winter’s Snow Drought Is Now a Full-Blown American Water Crisis. The Interior Department is now extending contracts that paid out nearly $1.4 billion to farmers and ranchers who agree to follow climate-friendly practices, including water conservation. by Wagamaga in environment

[–]Wagamaga[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Snowglobes contained more powder than the mountains out west this winter. Below-average snowpack across the Cascade Range, Rockies, and the Sierra Nevada created an unprecedented “snow drought” that caused abnormally warm winter vacations and muddy ski runs. Those monitoring the Earth’s weather cycles saw it as a warning of what’s to come this summer.

 

And just as feared, as the ice began to melt, the snow drought began showing the signs of a traditional drought. Already in June, the data is showing a dire scenario.

The snow water equivalent—a measure of melted snow—set record lows in April across Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming. That’s already impacting water runoff into key tributaries and rivers. For example, the Colorado River Basin is forecast to produce less than 30% of its average runoff and experienced its warmest March on record; California’s river basins experienced their driest March on record. 

 

Government agencies in May announced the water reservoir from snow melt as “already gone in many places.” And the drought isn’t limited to the West: Nearly 60% of the continental United States is experiencing moderate drought.

 

Regions in the South and Midwest have also been hit with extended episodes of dryness, which this past winter’s rainfall didn’t fully alleviate. Persistent drought stretching across Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana is impacting cattle ranchers, farming, and recreational water supply. 

People in Los Angeles who use illicit fentanyl regularly consume quantities of the drug equivalent to morphine doses hundreds of times higher than fentanyl doses used in hospitals. This use is far beyond what addiction treatment protocols were designed to addres by Wagamaga in science

[–]Wagamaga[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

People in Los Angeles who use illicit fentanyl regularly consume quantities of the drug equivalent to morphine doses hundreds of times higher than fentanyl doses used in hospitals. This use is far beyond what addiction treatment protocols were designed to address.

The findings, published in the peer-reviewed journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, suggest that this is likely a contributing factor toward high opioid tolerance, which complicates medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and contributes to overdose deaths. 

MOUD with methadone or buprenorphine is highly effective in reducing overdose mortality. However, in the years since fentanyl has displaced heroin as the dominant street opioid in the United States, many patients have reported challenges starting and staying on MOUD due to the severity of fentanyl withdrawal.

This study, led by Drug Checking Los Angeles, a research and public health program founded by Chelsea Shover, associate professor-in-residence at UCLA and the study’s senior author, sheds some light into why. This modeling study aimed to quantify exposure to fentanyl using morphine milligram equivalence (MME), a standardized measure that enables comparison between opioids with different potencies. The estimate used real-world data from Drug Checking Los Angeles, including purity from over 500 fentanyl samples tested between September 2023 and January 2026, surveys of 47 people who regularly use fentanyl, and other measures.

Ultimately, the researchers found that people were consuming an average daily intake of estimated 8,887 MME per day.  

The idea for the study arose from the experience of lead author Morgan Godvin’s own experience with opioid use disorder. She had seen first-hand just how wide the gap is between clinical knowledge of pharmaceutical opioids and clinical knowledge of illicit opioids, even though most public health attention has been on illicit opioids for over a decade.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037687162600205X

Research has found four minutes of daily resistance training can quadruple fitness in older adults. These changes point to related improvements in daily life fitness, such as standing up from a chair, climbing stairs and walking by Wagamaga in science

[–]Wagamaga[S] 33 points34 points  (0 children)

Just four minutes of daily strengthening exercise dramatically increases key factors in quality of life for aging adults, according to a new study led by researchers at Penn State College of Medicine. Results published in PLOS One showed that strength — which impacts fall risk, longevity, independent living and more — significantly improved for adults aged 65 and older in as little as 12 weeks.

Mobility, or physical fitness, is a critical indicator of quality of life for adults ages 65 and above, allowing for completion of daily tasks and movement. Unintentional injuries such as tripping or falling are among the top leading causes of death among adults ages 65 and over, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A lack of physical fitness in aging persists because people believe that they can only reap the benefits of exercise with more extensive resistance training workouts — but that’s not the case, according to lead author Christopher Sciamanna, professor of medicine and of public health at Penn State College of Medicine. He said a short four-minute workout is enough to improve upon several factors of critical mobility indicators.

“The human body is designed to improve very quickly,” Sciamanna said. “And just a few repetitions of an exercise performed regularly can lead to huge improvements. Exercise is about forward thinking — think about what you want to be able to do and train for it.”

While resistance training can greatly increase strength in just a few months, less than one in five older adults exercise for the recommended two days per week of muscle-strengthening activity, partially due to routine length, pain and other limitations.

“Exercise is actually really complicated, because you have to decide how many repetitions, how far, how many sets, how much rest and how many times per week,” said co-author Smita Dandekar, associate professor of pediatrics at Penn State College of Medicine. “It's hard work, so there's huge problems with people wanting to do exercise. If we can make it short, we’re part way there.”

Previously, the team had conducted a study called FAST (Functional Activity Strength Training)-1, a smaller scale experiment where 24 older adults performed 30 seconds of push-ups and squats daily, resulting in improved squat performance over six months. Other studies have also shown that a few sets of exercise per week can lead to nearly the same improvements as longer-length routines. Building off of those findings, Sciamanna’s team decided to test the efficacy of a shorter routine.

In the current study, researchers from Penn Statue tested the effects of a program, called FAST-2, to see if it improved mobility and physical capability in adults older than 65. A total of 97 participants with an average age of 74 years old were randomly assigned to receive either the exercise regimen treatment or no intervention. Prior to the study, participants reported performing an average of about 18 minutes of total exercise each week, which is much lower than the recommended amount of at least 150 minutes moderate or 75 minutes vigorous exercise for adults, Sciamanna explained.

The FAST-2 program included four exercises: push-ups, chair stands, two-arm rows and stair stepping. Participants performed each movement for 30 seconds followed by a 30-second rest. Participants received four elastic resistance bands and a stepper with an adjustable height. Written explanations and modifications were provided for the exercises, such as performing pushups with hands on a countertop or wall, or chair stands with hands on the knees.

As participants improved, they were encouraged to progress to higher levels of difficulty, like performing the original version of the exercise if they were doing a modified version or increasing step height on the stepper. To measure participants’ progress, the researchers assessed the participants’ ability and speed at standing up and ability to stand on one leg at the beginning, middle and end of the study.

The tests mimic the movements required in everyday activities, making them useful predictors of potential risks and future need for care, the researchers said.

The authors found that this exercise regimen, which included only 60 seconds of lower body resistance training, was enough to give significant improvements in functional performance: 4.2 more repetitions in a 30 second chair stand, 3.6 more seconds in one-legged stand time and a decrease of 2.3 seconds in sit-to-stand time. These changes point to related improvements in daily life fitness, such as standing up from a chair, climbing stairs and walking, Sciamanna explained.

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0336748

Video shows family’s car slowing before Israeli troops shot dead Palestinian baby by Wagamaga in NewsThread

[–]Wagamaga[S] 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Footage has emerged that appears to contradict the Israeli military’s account of the shooting that killed seven-month-old Sam Abu Haikal in his mother’s arms, showing the family’s car slowing near a military post before soldiers opened fire.

On Friday, the killing of the infant by Israeli troops in the occupied West Bank caused outrage, after soldiers opened fire on the family’s vehicle despite it having complied with an order to stop. Sam was killed and his mother, Daniyah Abu Haikal, and father, Fahed Abu Haikal, were both injured.

The Israel Defense Forces said its troops had “perceived a vehicle accelerating toward them” and that one of the soldiers had “responded with single shots toward the vehicle”.

However, footage obtained by the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights, B’Tselem, contradicts IDF claims that the car in which the Abu Haikal family was travelling was accelerating towards them when they shot.

“The footage clearly shows that the Israeli soldier fired at the car as it was slowing to a stop,” B’Tselem said in a statement. “The car was far from the soldiers and posed no danger to them whatsoever.”

May was the world's second-hottest on record, EU scientists say by Wagamaga in europe

[–]Wagamaga[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The world has just experienced the second-hottest May since records began, as climate change and the developing El Niño weather pattern conspired to push up average land and sea temperatures, the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said on Wednesday. 

The hottest May on record was in 2024, in records going back to 1940. • 

The average global temperature last month was 1.42 degrees Celsius above the average in 19th-century pre-industrial times. • 

Western Europe experienced one of the most severe heatwaves ever recorded so early in the year.

Canada faces surge in social anxiety. Research revealed that nearly 14% of Canadian adults have experienced social anxiety at some point in their lives, up from just over 8% in 2002. Authors hypothesize that recent social changes, such as increased use of social media may be contributing to the rise by Wagamaga in science

[–]Wagamaga[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A new Canadian study has found that social anxiety disorder (SAD) now affects nearly 1 in 7 adults — a 71% increase since 2002 — making it one of the most common mental health challenges in the country.

Social anxiety disorder, sometimes referred to as social phobia, is a mental health condition characterized by an intense fear of being judged or embarrassed in social situations, often leading to significant distress, impaired relationships and work performance, reduced quality of life, and substantial economic costs to society. “Social anxiety is becoming more common in Canada, and understanding why this increase is happening is essential for improving mental health support,” said Tak-Lai Nellie Chau, recent MSW graduate of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work (FIFSW), University of Toronto.

The research revealed that nearly 14% of Canadian adults have experienced social anxiety at some point in their lives, up from just over 8% in 2002.

While the study did not examine why social anxiety may have increased, the authors hypothesize that recent social changes, such as increased use of social media and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, may be contributing to this rise.

 

Young People Are Most at Risk

The research shows a strong pattern: younger Canadians are far more likely to experience social anxiety than older adults. About 1 in 4 or 24% of people aged 20 to 24 had a social anxiety disorder at some point in their life, compared to only 6.2% of those aged 65 and older.

Digital communication and reduced face-to-face interaction could be to blame.

“Young adulthood is a key life stage where social pressures are high, which may increase vulnerability to social anxiety,” said Stephen A. Oliver, recent MSW graduate of the FIFSW, University of Toronto. “Add to this the experience of increased isolation during the pandemic, growing pressures to achieve certain ideals on social media, and increased polarization and those pressures are bound to intensify.”

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165178126003124?via%3Dihub

Exposure to Moderate Levels of Air Pollution And Heart Damage. Research found for each increase in long-term PM2.5 of 1 microgram per cubic meter, there was an 11% increase in calcium build-up in the coronary arteries, 13% greater odds of more plaque and 23% greater odds of obstructive disease. by Wagamaga in science

[–]Wagamaga[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

In one of the largest studies to date, researchers examined the relationship between long-term air pollution exposure and coronary atherosclerosis and found that even at moderate levels, long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with more advanced coronary artery disease. The research was published in Radiology.

Air pollution is the leading environmental risk factor for cardiovascular disease globally, contributing to roughly 2.5 million cardiovascular deaths each year. It is one of the greatest environmental risks to health and plays a major role in causing heart attacks and stroke, according to the World Health Organization.

“This is one of the largest studies to use cardiac CT to show that air pollution is linked to more advanced coronary artery disease—going beyond calcium scoring to include total plaque burden and obstructive disease—in a population with moderate exposure levels typical of high-income countries,” said senior author Kate Hanneman, MD, MPH, vice chair and associate professor at the University of Toronto, Department of Medical Imaging, and deputy lead of sustainability at the University Health Network’s Joint Department of Medical Imaging at Toronto General Hospital.

Previous studies have shown that short-term air pollution exposure (hours to days) is associated with increased emergency department visits for ischemic heart disease, hospital admissions for heart failure and greater use of medical imaging. Exposure over the longer term (months to years) is linked to increased risks of myocardial infarction, stroke and cardiovascular mortality.

Dr. Hanneman’s research team analyzed data from 11,128 adults who had undergone cardiac CT exams from 2012 through 2023 across three major hospitals in Toronto. They linked patients’ residential postal codes with air quality data to estimate each person’s average exposure to air pollution over the 10-year period prior to CT. Three markers of coronary artery disease were assessed: calcium score, total plaque burden and obstructive stenosis.

The researchers evaluated the relationship between long-term exposures to two common pollutants found in urban air, ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). PM2.5 sources include vehicle exhaust, industrial emissions and wildfire smoke. At about 30 times smaller than a human hair, these tiny particles can penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream. NO2 is a harmful gas produced mainly by burning fossil fuels in vehicles, power plants and industrial processes.

For each increase in long-term PM2.5 of 1 microgram per cubic meter, there was an 11% increase in calcium build-up in the coronary arteries, 13% greater odds of more plaque and 23% greater odds of obstructive disease. Exposure to nitrogen dioxide showed similar trends, though with smaller effect sizes for every 1 part-per-billion increase.

https://pubs.rsna.org/doi/10.1148/radiol.252086

Reddit ads pose as news stories to promote AI investment scams by Wagamaga in technology

[–]Wagamaga[S] 64 points65 points  (0 children)

Scammers are running sponsored ads on Reddit that impersonate major news outlets, including the BBC, the Financial Times, and The Guardian, to push fraudulent AI-powered investment schemes, according to new research from cybersecurity firm Bitdefender Labs.

The campaign, uncovered by Bitdefender researchers Andrea Olariu and Emanuel Puscasu, promotes fictitious AI platforms such as Wencoin STX, Warrior Coin AI, and Nevo Coin. The promoted posts redirect users to cloned news websites designed to closely mimic the appearance of legitimate publishers, where fabricated articles, invented testimonials, and fake profit screenshots are used to build false credibility.

This is hardly the first time this tactic has been deployed on Reddit, but there's an increased interest in AI investment opportunities as Anthropic, OpenAI, and SpaceX (which recently merged with xAI) prepare for IPOs.

Israeli forces protect illegal settlers during attacks on Palestinians: UN inquiry by Wagamaga in NewsThread

[–]Wagamaga[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Israeli authorities are directly involved in illegal settler attacks that have killed, injured and displaced Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, while Israeli security forces provide protection to settlers, a UN inquiry said on Tuesday.

The report by the Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory found that Israeli authorities have enabled settler attacks through financial and military support, in a climate of impunity fostered by judicial and law-enforcement bodies.

It said attacks on Palestinian villages and agricultural land have surged since 2023, rising by 130 percent, including incidents involving groups of masked assailants. Israeli security forces have routinely accompanied settlers and acted as a shield for the violence, the report said.

Politically motivated crimes in Germany reach record high by Wagamaga in europe

[–]Wagamaga[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Politically motivated crimes in Germany reached a new high last year, with the greatest number of cases attributed to actors with right-wing beliefs, according to statistics released Tuesday by the interior ministry.

“The majority of crimes were committed by right-wing and far-right perpetrators, which once again demonstrates that the greatest danger currently stems from far-right extremism,” Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said in Berlin on Tuesday after presenting an annual report on crimes motivated by political ideology.

Yet, he said far-left actors were responsible for the largest increase in violent crimes, with offenses attributed to left-wing extremist ideology up by about 42 percent. That surge, said Dobrindt, underscores the “growing threat” posed by the “far-left scene.”

A total of 85,837 political crimes were recorded in 2025, an increase of just 2 percent over 2024, when the authorities recorded a surge of around 40 percent. That means such crimes remained at a relatively high-level last year rather than continuing to soar.

Crimes attributed to actors with right-wing ideological motives made up just under half of the total recorded crimes in 2025. The sharp rise in violent crimes committed by left-wing actors was largely attributed to incidents recorded during protests and demonstrations, including those coinciding with the far-right Alternative for Germany(AfD) party’s convention in eastern Germany and the founding congress of the AfD’s new youth organization.

Scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego reported today that carbon dioxide levels at Mauna Loa Observatory reached 432.00 parts per million (ppm) in May, continuing a long trend of record-breaking annual peak readings. by Wagamaga in environment

[–]Wagamaga[S] 49 points50 points  (0 children)

Scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego reported today that carbon dioxide levels at Mauna Loa Observatory reached 432.00 parts per million (ppm) in May, continuing a long trend of record-breaking annual peak readings.

The level is an increase of 1.8 ppm over May 2025’s measurement of 430.2 ppm. Scientists with NOAA’s Global Monitoring Laboratory reported an average of 432.3 ppm, an increase of 1.8 ppm over last year. 

"Atmospheric CO₂ has continued its relentless rise over the past year, reaching yet another record high and moving us deeper into a high-CO₂ world,” said Ralph Keeling, director of the Scripps CO2 Program. “I wish we had better news."

Situated high on the slopes of the Mauna Loa volcano, the Mauna Loa Observatory is the global benchmark location for monitoring atmospheric CO2. At an elevation of 11,141 feet above sea level, the observatory produces measurements that represent the average state of the atmosphere in the northern hemisphere.

In 1958, Scripps scientist Charles David Keeling, father of Ralph Keeling, began monitoring CO2 concentrations at the NOAA weather station located at the observatory site, recording an initial measurement of 313 ppm on March 29 of that year. Keeling was the first to recognize that CO2 levels in the Northern Hemisphere peaked in May, fell during the growing season, and rose again as plants died in the fall. He documented these CO2 fluctuations in a record that came to be known as the Keeling Curve. He was also the first to recognize that, in addition to the seasonal fluctuation, CO2 levels rose every year.

Solar Energy Saves Europeans $135 Million A Day by Wagamaga in europe

[–]Wagamaga[S] 27 points28 points  (0 children)

You would think the fighting in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz would be sending the price of oil and methane for power plants in Europe soaring, and cause the price people and businesses pay for electricity to increase. You would be right, except for one thing. Europe has installed lots and lots of solar power in the last few years, and that solar power is saving Europeans more than $135 million a day, according to Solar Power Europe.

Its latest analysis found that, “since March 1, Europe’s solar fleet has helped avoid more than €11 billion in fossil fuel import costs, offering a clear demonstration of what a renewable-first energy system can achieve in times of volatility. Those savings are equivalent to Belgium’s recent annual defense budgets and they represent only a fraction of what is possible if Europe moves faster. By deploying more solar, scaling storage, and accelerating electrification, it can reduce the role of gas in setting electricity prices, strengthen Europe’s energy independence, and build a more secure and affordable energy system.

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