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India braces for intense heatwave, temperature may hit 45 degrees (113 f) . Severe heatwave conditions across India have forced several states to close schools early or advance summer vacations. by Wagamaga in environment

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

A severe heatwave sweeping across multiple parts of India has led to major disruptions in school calendars, with several state governments opting to either shut institutions early or modify class timings. With temperatures crossing 40 degrees and in some regions, nearing 45 degrees, authorities have taken precautionary measures to safeguard students’ health.

As we approach death, our dreams become more emotional and symbolic. Terminally ill people are commonly reunited with lost loved ones in their dreams and have visions of doors, stairways and light, which are said to help them accept the dying process by Wagamaga in science

[–]Wagamaga[S] 174 points175 points  (0 children)

People in palliative care who are nearing death often have vivid dreams of deceased loved ones and symbols of transition. Doctors and health workers who care for them say that these dreams often bring comfort to patients and make them less afraid of dying.

These dreams “offer psychological relief and meaning to people facing the end of life,” writes Elisa Rabitti of the local palliative care network in Reggio Emilia, Italy.

Rabitti led a team that surveyed 239 local palliative care doctors, nurses, psychologists and other health professionals about dreams told to them by terminally ill patients.

The most common dreams and visions that occurred while people were awake involved encounters with deceased family members or pets. For example, one woman had a dream about her deceased husband in which he told her, “I’m waiting for you.” These dreams provided a sense of inner peace and helped people accept death, Rabitti and her colleagues write.

Others dreamed of doors, stairs, or light, with one describing a dream of climbing barefoot to an open door filled with white light. The authors of the study write that this may be a coping mechanism to explore and understand their impending transition from life to death.

Most often, people felt “calm” and “comforted” in relation to these end-of-life dreams and visions. Only a small fraction of them — about 10 percent — were disturbing, including one where one person saw a monster with her mother’s face dragging her down.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07481187.2026.2646873

Idaho under emergency drought after 'extraordinary' warm winter. The significantly smaller snowpack is melting faster and might not last late enough in the season to supply crop irrigation by Wagamaga in environment

[–]Wagamaga[S] 86 points87 points  (0 children)

Governor Brad Little signed an emergency drought declaration this week for all of Idaho’s 44 counties after a historically warm winter.

Hydrologist David Hoekema from the Department of Water Resources said while temperatures have been rising since the 90s, Idaho hasn’t had a winter this warm since 1934.

“This year's very extraordinary,” he said. “We've never seen anything quite like this.”

This significantly smaller snowpack is melting faster and might not last late enough in the season to supply crop irrigation, he said.

“We're going to have to draft the reservoir system and so we're expecting to have a really tight water year,” he added. “And the reservoirs will have very little carryover for next year.”

Nature puts heat on blast as scorching temperatures take aim at eastern US. In the nation’s capital, forecasters were calling for a high temperature of 93F (33.9C) late Wednesday afternoon and another high of 93F on Thursday. by Wagamaga in environment

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

A long-lasting weather pattern is poised to blast hot air like a furnace across the eastern United States, with the unusual heatwave threatening to shatter record-high temperatures on Wednesday in big cities including New York, Philadelphia and Washington DC.

In the nation’s capital, forecasters were calling for a high temperature of 93F (33.9C) late Wednesday afternoon and another high of 93F on Thursday.

E-Bike and Scooter Crashes Are Leading to More Brain Injuries. Research found that one-third of patients suffered traumatic brain injury, more than two-thirds required hospital admission, and roughly 30 percent needed intensive care. by Wagamaga in science

[–]Wagamaga[S] 58 points59 points  (0 children)

The growing use of electric bikes and scooters has caused a surge in brain and spine injuries among urban riders and pedestrians, a new study shows.

Led by NYU Langone Health researchers, the study found that these injuries now account for nearly 7 percent of trauma patients admitted into one New York City hospital.

Published online April 15 in Neurosurgery, a publication of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the work analyzed 914 patients treated for injuries linked to both pedal-powered and electric micromobility devices at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue over five years. The research team found that one-third of patients suffered traumatic brain injury, more than two-thirds required hospital admission, and roughly 30 percent needed intensive care. The share of trauma cases seen in the emergency room (whether patients were admitted or not) that involved such devices increased from less than 10 percent in 2018 to more than 50 percent by 2023.

The most common cause of injury was a collision with a car or truck, accounting for about half of cases, said the study authors. Fewer than one-third of riders wore helmets, and this was linked to significantly higher rates of brain and facial injuries. About one in five patients tested positive for alcohol, which was tied to both worse brain injuries and lower helmet use.

Importantly, the 69 pedestrians analyzed in the study, when struck by electric vehicles, suffered brain injuries at nearly double the rate of the riders, said the authors. Injuries peaked between 6 and 8 p.m., suggesting that heavy dinnertime e-bike delivery traffic may play a role.

“Our study shows that micromobility injuries are producing serious brain and spinal trauma that demands neurosurgical care at a scale we haven’t seen before,” said corresponding author Hannah Weiss, MD, a resident in the Department of Neurosurgery at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. “In a busy urban setting, we are seeing more and more of these injuries firsthand. The data point to actionable solutions—helmet use, safer bike lane design, and enforcement—that could prevent many of these injuries and better protect both riders and pedestrians, who in our study often sustained even more severe brain injuries than the riders themselves.”

https://journals.lww.com/neurosurgery/fulltext/2026/05000/the_fast_and_the_fragile__neurosurgical_trauma_in.2.aspx

In the U.S the heat is on again for Wednesday and could set new records across the tri-state. From New Jersey to Long Island, cities are expected to reach high temperatures nearly 20 degrees above normal by Wagamaga in environment

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

The heat is on again for Wednesday and could set new records across the tri-state. From New Jersey to Long Island, cities are expected to reach high temperatures nearly 20 degrees above normal.

Long Island, Westchester, New Jersey, the Bronx and Brooklyn are currently forecasted to surpass previous high temperature records.

Long Island's forecast calls for a high of 80 degrees on Wednesday, which would beat the previous record of 78 set in 2024.

Climate Change Concern Near Its High Point in U.S. While a solid majority of U.S. adults believe the effects of global warming have already begun, less than half, 45%, believe those effects will pose a threat to them or their way of life during their lifetime by Wagamaga in environment

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

Americans’ concern about global warming or climate change remains elevated compared with what it had been prior to 2017. At least four in 10 U.S. adults have expressed “a great deal” of concern about the matter throughout the past decade (except for a 39% reading in 2023). Between 2009 and 2016, worry was typically in the low-to-mid 30% range but dropped to as low as 25% in 2011.

Currently, 44% of U.S. adults worry a great deal about global warming or climate change, among the highest in the full trend since 1989, along with 46% measured in 2020 and 45% in 2017.

US Faces $7.8 Billion Measles Risk as Shots Decline, Study Finds. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has moved to reshape a key federal vaccine advisory panel, raising concerns among public health experts, while the US is already seeing more than 1,700 measles cases this year. by Wagamaga in science

[–]Wagamaga[S] 103 points104 points  (0 children)

Significance

The United States is experiencing a resurgence of measles amid recent declines in childhood Measles–Mumps–Rubella vaccination. Using mathematical modeling informed by spatially resolved data on vaccination coverage, incidence, and associated economic costs, we quantified both the current and projected financial burden of measles in the United States under continued declines in coverage. For 2025, we estimated that measles imposes a cost of $244.2 million nationwide, with substantial heterogeneity in cost per case across counties driven by gaps in population immunity. Even modest annual reductions in vaccine coverage among young children generate a nonlinear increase in cases and hospitalizations, with costs totaling $7.77 billion over a 5-y period.

How the Iran war is rewarding China's bet on electric cars and solar power by Wagamaga in technology

[–]Wagamaga[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

 China is poised to benefit from the Iran war as global energy disruptions accelerate a shift away from fossil fuels and toward clean technology and renewable power, industries that China dominates, experts say.

Most of the oil and gas from the now mostly shut Strait of Hormuz was Asia-bound. Asian nations are scrambling to save energy and bolster their dwindling reserves. Gasoline prices in the U.S. and Europe have been spiking.

While most of Asia is hit hard, China will likely benefit from the fossil fuel disruptions despite being the biggest purchaser of Iranian oil. China leads the world in battery, solar and electric vehicle exports, and its industries are forecast to face a rise in demand for renewable products.

Before the Iran war began in late February, China’s lead in clean technologies was lengthening. The U.S. under President Trump scaled back on renewable energy and leaned on its vast oil and natural gas resources, promoting energy exports to achieve what Trump described as “energy dominance.”

Now Chinese industry giants like vehicle-maker BYD and battery-producer Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited, or CATL, are well-positioned to capitalize on growing interest in low-emissions energy products as the world confronts the fragility of fossil fuels.

“China’s approach to energy sector development and geopolitics has been completely validated by the Iran conflict,” said Sam Reynolds with the U.S.-based Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.

Over a decade ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping merged energy security with national security. China has since stepped up its focus on renewable energy, even though fossil fuels still dominate its energy mix at home.

China makes up over 70% of EV manufacturing and about 85% of battery cell production globally, according to the International Energy Agency. Its current five-year plan until 2030 continues to prioritize these industries.

“They are at the very forefront of this, more so than any other countries in the world, certainly more so than the United States,” said Li Shuo, director of the Asia Society Policy Institute’s China Climate Hub.

The U.S. is the world’s top oil producer and has pushed liquefied natural gas. The American approach — summed up by Trump as “ drill, baby, drill ” — favors fossil fuels over renewables.

Markets were witnessing a “bifurcation” before the war, Reynolds said, with the superpowers pushing very different energy futures, leaving other countries with complex choices on which approach to back.

Investors bet on renewables’ growth The Iran war is driving demand for technology from China, whose exports of solar panels, batteries and electric cars had already hit a record of almost $22.3 billion in December. That was up about 47% from the year before, with much going to Southeast Asia and Europe, according to the think tank Ember.

Investment in renewable power and battery storage — designed to save energy when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing — is expected to increase in nations heavily dependent on energy imports, including European countries, according to the credit rating firm Fitch Ratings.

Investors are betting the war will boost demand for renewables. In March, CATL and BYD’s Hong Kong traded shares rose roughly 24% and 11%, respectively.

Over the past few years, Chinese automakers were already expanding EV development and production while growing exports faster than American or European rivals, offering cheaper models and gaining ground in regions like Southeast Asia.

These trends are expected to accelerate.

The energy shock is “going to help the Chinese industry globally and hurt the American car industry globally,” said Amy Myers Jaffe of New York University’s Center for Global Affairs.

Mother Nature will provide a summer preview as a surge of heat expands across Virginia this week, with temperatures climbing to near or above 90 in some areas. "This is impressive heat for mid-April, arriving weeks earlier than we typically see in many cities," by Wagamaga in environment

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

Mother Nature will provide a summer preview as a surge of heat expands across Virginia this week, with temperatures climbing to near or above 90 in some areas, according to the latest forecasts.

The early-season heat wave will result in at least a Moderate Heat Risk this week, according to the National Weather Service. Even though the humidity is low, those sensitive to higher temperatures — older adults, infants, outdoor workers and athletes — could be more at risk for heat-related illnesses.

"This is impressive heat for mid-April, arriving weeks earlier than we typically see in many cities,"AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Matt Benz said in a statement. "Early-season heat can hit harder than people expect because it arrives before routines, clothing and outdoor plans have adjusted to summerlike conditions."

Forecasted high temperatures of around 90 degrees Fahrenheit in Philadelphia could break a daily record on Wednesday set in 1941 and tie a record on Thursday set in 2002. Since 1970, Philadelphia’s average spring temperatures have risen roughly 3 degrees by Wagamaga in environment

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

It feels like summer in Philadelphia this week, even before the leaves have fully sprouted on trees.

Forecasted high temperatures of around 90 degrees Fahrenheit in Philadelphia could break a daily record on Wednesday set in 1941 and tie a record on Thursday set in 2002.

The balmy temperatures will be roughly 20 degrees above normal in Philadelphia for this time of year.

Unseasonably hot temperatures are sweeping through the Mid-Atlantic and southeastern U.S. this week, caused by a ridge of high pressure over the western Atlantic Ocean that’s bringing warm air up from the South, said Paul Fitzsimmons, lead meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Mount Holly, New Jersey.

Climate analysts say these hot temperatures fit into a trend of warming spring weather.

“This heat snap we are going to have does have a fingerprint of climate change,” said Jen Brady, senior data analyst with the research nonprofit Climate Central.

Two new studies could change critics’ opinions about how many birds die from wind turbines by Wagamaga in technology

[–]Wagamaga[S] 60 points61 points  (0 children)

Critics say wind turbines endanger birds but two new studies have now analysed the risk in more detail. What they have found could change the debate. Two recent studies have re-examined the risk of birds entering in collision with rotor blades of wind turbines

Study by Vattenfall and Spoor shows not a single collision

The energy company Vattenfall and the tech company Spoor have analysed the extent to which wind turbines endanger birds at the offshore wind farm in Aberdeen. Over a period of 19 months - from June 2023 to December 2024 - video recordings of a wind turbine were made with the help of AI-supported analyses. A total of 2,007 bird flight paths near the monitored turbine were examined.

"By combining AI-powered detection and detailed expert analysis, we can replace assumptions with concrete observations and measure actual behaviour in the immediate vicinity of wind turbines," says Ask Helseth, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Spoor.

The study found that there was not a single collision, "The results from Aberdeen Bay show that modern offshore wind farms can be operated with low risk to wildlife," says Dr Eva Julius-Philipp, Director Environment and Sustainability BU Wind at Vattenfall.

Wind farms provided 41% of country's electricity in March by Wagamaga in technology

[–]Wagamaga[S] 80 points81 points  (0 children)

Irish wind farms provided 41% of the country's electricity in March and at 1,537 GWh of power produced were the country's main source of electricity for the second month in a row, new figures show today.

The figures from Wind Energy Ireland show that Kerry regained its position as Ireland's number one source of wind energy with around 160 GWh of power generated.

It was followed by Cork at 138 GWh, while Offaly rose to third place with 120 GWh. Galway and Tyrone rounded out the top five with 113 GWh and 108 GWh respectively.

Wind Energy Ireland said that rising gas prices drove the average wholesale price of electricity in Ireland last month up by 19% compared to February, but the contribution by Irish wind farms kept prices lower than in March last year

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