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Record-breaking heat
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Brainy chip Sophisticated chip can handle two types of algorithm p12
Home DNA testing Complaints filed over consumer genetic testing kits p14
Predicting solar AI could lower energy bills and carbon emissions p16
Really smart watch Soothing app can boost exam performance p17
Carbon emissions
JOE GIDDENS/PA WIRE/PA IMAGES
China on track for climate goals
Record-breaking heat Met Office confirms the highest temperature ever recorded in the UK, following an extreme European heatwave. Michael Le Page reports AS THE world warms, more all-time national heat records have been set. The 38.7°C recorded in Cambridge (pictured) on 25 July during the recent European heatwave has now been confirmed as the highest temperature ever recorded in the UK. The UK Met Office took several days to confirm the record, first checking the instrument located in Cambridge University Botanic Garden that recorded it. The 25 July also saw all-time national records set in Germany (42.6°C), Belgium (41.8°C), Luxembourg (40.8°C) and the Netherlands (40.7°C). Many more places across Europe recorded their highest ever temperatures. The heatwave was caused by a
weather pattern that drew hot air from Africa northwards across a broad swathe of Europe. Such patterns occur from time to time, but because parts of North Africa are now 2°C hotter on average than in pre-industrial times, the plume of hot air was much hotter than it would have been without global warming. “When the weather patterns, like we saw last week, bring air from this region to our shores, it can bring a stronger signal of climate change with it too,” said Peter Stott at the Met Office in a statement. The heatwave disrupted travel in the UK as overhead wires on railways sagged and tracks buckled in the heat. Severe thunderstorms
triggered by the heat and humidity also caused flight delays. The July heatwave in Europe came just a few weeks after a June heatwave set records. Many other parts of the world have also had record heat this year. So far this year, 11 countries have recorded their hottest ever temperatures, according to weather records compiler Maximiliano Herrera. None have recorded their coldest ever temperatures. The latest heat records aren’t likely to last long. The world has warmed around 1°C since pre-industrial times and is on track to warm 3 or 4°C by 2100. As warming continues, heatwaves will become ever more extreme. ❚
CHINA’S emissions may peak at 13 to 16 gigatonnes of CO2 between 2021 and 2025 - years earlier than its target of “around 2030” in the Paris climate agreement (Nature Sustainability, doi.org/c8w5). This reflects the nation’s efforts to mitigate climate change as part of an economy that focuses on high quality, instead of high speed, says Haikun Wang at Nanjing University, China. China accounts for a quarter of all humanity’s emissions, making it a crucial part of efforts to meet the Paris goal of limiting temperature rises to 2°C. ❚ Adam Vaughan
Animal intelligence
World’s smartest dog has died WHO’S a clever girl? Chaser, a border collie who learned over 1000 words, died last week, aged 15. Chaser’s exceptional vocabulary earned her the epithet “world’s smartest dog”. Her owner, John Pilley, trained Chaser for up to 5 hours a day for three years, using 800 toys, 116 balls and various plastic items. He would show Chaser an object, say its name up to 40 times, then hide it and ask her to find it. In a test of Chaser’s lexical prowess, she was tasked with getting 20 toys one by one. Out of 838 trials she never got fewer than 18 out of 20 right. ❚ Sam Wong 3 August 2019 | New Scientist | 7
Brainy chip Sophisticated chip can handle two types of algorithm p12
Home DNA testing Complaints filed over consumer genetic testing kits p14
Predicting solar AI could lower energy bills and carbon emissions p16
Really smart watch Soothing app can boost exam performance p17
Carbon emissions
JOE GIDDENS/PA WIRE/PA IMAGES
China on track for climate goals
Record-breaking heat Met Office confirms the highest temperature ever recorded in the UK, following an extreme European heatwave. Michael Le Page reports AS THE world warms, more all-time national heat records have been set. The 38.7°C recorded in Cambridge (pictured) on 25 July during the recent European heatwave has now been confirmed as the highest temperature ever recorded in the UK. The UK Met Office took several days to confirm the record, first checking the instrument located in Cambridge University Botanic Garden that recorded it. The 25 July also saw all-time national records set in Germany (42.6°C), Belgium (41.8°C), Luxembourg (40.8°C) and the Netherlands (40.7°C). Many more places across Europe recorded their highest ever temperatures. The heatwave was caused by a
weather pattern that drew hot air from Africa northwards across a broad swathe of Europe. Such patterns occur from time to time, but because parts of North Africa are now 2°C hotter on average than in pre-industrial times, the plume of hot air was much hotter than it would have been without global warming. “When the weather patterns, like we saw last week, bring air from this region to our shores, it can bring a stronger signal of climate change with it too,” said Peter Stott at the Met Office in a statement. The heatwave disrupted travel in the UK as overhead wires on railways sagged and tracks buckled in the heat. Severe thunderstorms
triggered by the heat and humidity also caused flight delays. The July heatwave in Europe came just a few weeks after a June heatwave set records. Many other parts of the world have also had record heat this year. So far this year, 11 countries have recorded their hottest ever temperatures, according to weather records compiler Maximiliano Herrera. None have recorded their coldest ever temperatures. The latest heat records aren’t likely to last long. The world has warmed around 1°C since pre-industrial times and is on track to warm 3 or 4°C by 2100. As warming continues, heatwaves will become ever more extreme. ❚
CHINA’S emissions may peak at 13 to 16 gigatonnes of CO2 between 2021 and 2025 - years earlier than its target of “around 2030” in the Paris climate agreement (Nature Sustainability, doi.org/c8w5). This reflects the nation’s efforts to mitigate climate change as part of an economy that focuses on high quality, instead of high speed, says Haikun Wang at Nanjing University, China. China accounts for a quarter of all humanity’s emissions, making it a crucial part of efforts to meet the Paris goal of limiting temperature rises to 2°C. ❚ Adam Vaughan
Animal intelligence
World’s smartest dog has died WHO’S a clever girl? Chaser, a border collie who learned over 1000 words, died last week, aged 15. Chaser’s exceptional vocabulary earned her the epithet “world’s smartest dog”. Her owner, John Pilley, trained Chaser for up to 5 hours a day for three years, using 800 toys, 116 balls and various plastic items. He would show Chaser an object, say its name up to 40 times, then hide it and ask her to find it. In a test of Chaser’s lexical prowess, she was tasked with getting 20 toys one by one. Out of 838 trials she never got fewer than 18 out of 20 right. ❚ Sam Wong 3 August 2019 | New Scientist | 7