Boom Supersonic broke the sound barrier in a test flight of its XB-1 jet last week, marking an early step in a potential return for supersonic commercial flight. The small aircraft reached a top speed of Mach 1.122 (roughly 750 miles per hour) in a flight over southern California and exceeded the speed of sound for a few minutes.XB-1s supersonic flight demonstrates that the technology for passenger supersonic flight has arrived, said Boom founder and CEO Blake Scholl in a statement after the test flight.Boom plans to start commercial operation with a scaled-up version of the XB-1, a 65-passenger jet called Overture, before the end of the decade, and it has already sold dozens of planes to customers including United Airlines and American Airlines. But as the company inches toward that goal, experts warn that such efforts will come with a hefty climate price tag.Supersonic planes will burn significantly more fuel than current aircraft, resulting in higher emissions of carbon dioxide, which fuels climate change. Supersonic jets also fly higher than current commercial planes do, introducing atmospheric effects that may warm the planet further.In response to questions from MIT Technology Review, Boom pointed to alternative fuels as a solution, but those remain in limited supplyand they could have limited use in cutting emissions in supersonic aircraft. Aviation is a significant and growing contributor to human-caused climate change, and supersonic technologies could grow the sectors pollution, rather than make progress toward shrinking it.XB-1 follows a long history of global supersonic flight. Humans first broke the sound barrier in 1947, when Chuck Yeager hit 700 miles per hour in a research aircraft (the speed of sound at that flights altitude is 660 miles per hour). Just over two decades later, in 1969, the first supersonic commercial airliner, the Concorde, took its first flight. That aircraft regularly traveled at supersonic speeds until the last one was decommissioned in 2003.Among other issues (like the nuisance of sonic booms), one of the major downfalls of the Concorde was its high operating cost, due in part to the huge amounts of fuel it required to reach top speeds. Experts say todays supersonic jets will face similar challenges.Flying close to the speed of sound changes the aerodynamics required of an aircraft, says Raymond Speth, associate director of the MIT Laboratory for Aviation and the Environment. All the things you have to do to fly at supersonic speed, he says, they reduce your efficiency Theres a reason we have this sweet spot where airplanes fly today, around Mach 0.8 or so.Boom estimates that one of its full-sized Overture jets will burn two to three times as much fuel per passenger as a subsonic planes first-class cabin. The company chose this comparison because its aircraft is designed to deliver an enhanced, productive cabin experience, similar to whats available in first- and business-class cabins on todays aircraft.That baseline, however, isnt representative of the average traveler today. Compared to standard economy-class travel, first-class cabins tend to have larger seats with more space between them. Because there are fewer seats, more fuel is required per passenger, and therefore more emissions are produced for each person.When passengers crammed into coach are considered in addition to those in first class, each passenger on a Boom Supersonic flight will burn somewhere between five and seven times more fuel per passenger than the average subsonic plane passenger today, according to research from the International Council on Clean Transportation.Its not just carbon dioxide from burning fuel that could add to supersonic planes climate impact. All jet engines release other pollutants as well, including nitrogen oxides, black carbon, and sulfur.The difference is that while commercial planes today top out in the troposphere, supersonic aircraft tend to fly higher in the atmosphere, in the stratosphere. The air is less dense at higher altitudes, creating less drag on the plane and making it easier to reach supersonic speeds.Flying in the stratosphere, and releasing pollutants there, could increase the climate impacts of supersonic flight, Speth says. For one, nitrogen oxides released in the stratosphere damage the ozone layer through chemical reactions at that altitude.Its not all bad news, to be fair. The drier air in the stratosphere means supersonic jets likely wont produce significant contrails. That could be a benefit for climate, since contrails contribute to aviations warming.Boom has also touted plans to make up for its expected climate impacts by making its aircraft compatible with 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), a category of alternative fuels made from biological sources, waste products, or even captured carbon from the air. Going faster requires more energy, but it doesnt need to emit more carbon. Overture is designed to fly on net-zero carbon sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), eliminating up to 100% of carbon emissions, a Boom spokesperson said via email in response to written questions from MIT Technology Review.However, alternative fuels may not be a saving grace for supersonic flight. Most commercially available SAF today is made with a process that cuts emissions between 50% and 70% compared to fossil fuels. So a supersonic jet running on SAFs may emit less carbon dioxide than one running on fossil fuels, but alternative fuels will likely still come with some level of carbon pollution attached, says Dan Rutherford, senior director of research at the International Council on Clean Transportation.People are pinning a lot of hope on SAFs, says Rutherford. But the reality is, today they remain scarce [and] expensive, and they have sustainability concerns of their own.Of the 100 billion gallons of jet fuel used last year, only about 0.5% of it was SAF. Companies are building new factories to produce larger volumes of the fuels and expand the available options, but the fuel is likely going to continue to make up a small fraction of the existing fuel supply, Rutherford says. That means supersonic jets will be competing with other, existing planes for the same supply, and aiming to use more of it.Boom Supersonic has secured 10 million gallons of SAF annually from Dimensional Energy and Air Company for the duration of the Overture test flight program, according to the company spokespersons email. Ultimately, though, if and when Overture reaches commercial operation, it will be the airlines that purchase its planes hunting for a fuel supplyand paying for it.Theres also a chance that using SAFs in supersonic jets could come with unintended consequences, as the fuels have a slightly different chemical makeup than fossil fuels. For example, fossil fuels generally contain sulfur, which has a cooling effect, as sulfur aerosols formed from jet engine exhaust help reflect sunlight. (Intentional release of sulfur is one strategy being touted by groups aiming to start geoengineering the atmosphere.) That effect is stronger in the stratosphere, where supersonic jets are likely to fly. SAFs, however, typically have very low sulfur levels, so using the alternative fuels in supersonic jets could potentially result in even more warming overall.There are other barriers that Boom and others will need to surmount to get a new supersonic jet industry off the ground. Supersonic travel over land is largely banned, because of the noise and potential damage that comes from the shock wave caused by breaking the sound barrier. While some projects, including one at NASA, are working on changes to aircraft that would result in a less disruptive shock wave, these so-called low-boom technologies are far from proven. NASAs prototype was revealed last year, and the agency is currently conducting tests of the aircraft, with first flight anticipated sometime this year.Boom is planning a second supersonic test flight for XB-1, as early as February 10, according to the spokesperson. Once testing in that small aircraft is done, the data will be used to help build Overture, the full-scale plane. The company says it plans to begin production on Overture in its factory in roughly 18 months.In the meantime, the world continues to heat up. As MITs Speth says, I feel like its not the time for aviation to be coming up with new ways of using even more energy, with where we are in the climate crisis.

If you're the type who prefers to take their repairs into their own hands, Apple now offers the parts and manuals required to repair the M4 MacBook Pro, iMac, and Mac mini.Self-repair enthusiasts can now order parts for M4 Macs, like the Mac miniIn April 2022, Apple launched its self-repair program, after years of encouraging customers to seek out professional, authorized repairs. While the program wasn't well received by right-to-repair advocates at launch, it still gives owners the option to try their hand at repairs.This week, Apple has added the M4 Mac lineup to its repair page, spotted by MacRumors. Apple includes an exploded view and a list of part numbers in the repair page manual for each device. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

Add another one to Apple's list of third-party apps that it has endangered, as Apple Invites threatens the livelihood of event planning app Partiful.Partiful (rear) and Apple Invites on the App StoreIt happens so often that there is a name for it, based on one of the earliest examples of Apple releasing an app or a feature to compete with a third-party rival. Developers know it as Sherlocking, and they know very well that it can be the end of their business.With a glass half-full kind of view, though, there is a way to argue that Apple producing an app to rival yours will actually grow the market. There is even some logic to that, in two ways. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

The projects selected as part of this years International Garden Festival have been announced ahead of the events 26th edition.United by the themeBorders, the Festival will run from June 21st to October 5th, 2025 in Canada. Artistic Directorve De Garie-Lamanque has invited participants to "rethink the notion of border in todays postcolonial context and to transpose these reflections into a garden environment that blurs disciplines."The four projects selected were taken from a total field of 180 submissions by designers from 27 countries. The lineup for the 2025 International Garden Festivalincludes: BACK / GROUND byPatrick Brub | Qubec, Canada

Michael Graves Architecture has acquired Kollin Altomare Architects, the Los Angeles-based firm founded in 1995 by Michael Kollin that specializes in luxury residential and hospitality designs. Their move sets up a key expansion into the Southern California market and pivot into the luxury sector.Kollin said: "By joining forces with MG, we gain access to a powerful network and an expanded toolbox of resources and expertise. This is a pivotal moment for our team as we continue to innovate in the hospitality sector while extending our reach into new markets and project types."After the transition, Kollin will continue to lead the 20-person team, which is split between L.A. and Chicago. MGA has now acquired seven smaller firms in the past three years.

If theres one thing we can all come to expect from Kingdom Come: Deliverance, its the way the game doesnt hold our hand much. Sure, tutorials pop up during normal mode and theres no shortage of explanations via the Help menu. But many explanations dont get unlocked until the accompanying feature is first interacted with in some way in-game. Some vitally important stuff is just left for players to discover on their own entirely. While a couple entries on this list do have a loading screen description, the majority are either secret or only get tutorialized after finding out about it through trial and error. Note that controls are based on controller and not mouse and keyboard. With that, here are 13 things Kingdom Come: Deliverance IIdoesnt tell you.Photo ModeOne of the most pleasant secrets in the game is something the first game didnt have: photo mode. Theres no tutorial or help section introducing this unassuming feature, so youll have to experiment with it yourself. To activate photo mode, press down the L3 and R3 thumbsticks on controllers and the F1 command on keyboard. Its a very light photo mode without fancy filters or camera settings such as zoom and tilt, but its a nice inclusion nonetheless.Saving the GameSome things in KCD2 are vital to know about right from the start, and saving is one of them. The first time youll notice the game saving is after the first cutscene. The game autosaves after key story events and quests. Progress through the main quest gets autosaved frequently, while side quests autosave more semi-frequently. Thankfully, you dont have to rely on autosaves to come back to a game though, since KCD2 includes an exit save slot as well. Every time you exit and save through the menu, it overwrites your previous exit save. Unfortunately, just like the last game, the only way to manually save is by consuming a Savior Schnapps drink. You can buy or craft these given you have the money or materials. You can also manually save with Savior Schnapps through the main menu. These are the only three ways to save the game in KCD2.Using the TorchLike other entries on this list, using the torch was something I had to learn the old-fashioned way. In fact, I was berated and threatened by guards while taking a stroll in town at night because being seen during moonlight hours without a torch is a crime in towns. If you have a torch in your inventory, you must equip it (it has its own slot) and then hold down on the D-pad while out of the menu. The torch replaces your left-hand equipment, such as a shield, but since it gets its own dedicate slot, you can always get your shield out by simply putting the torch away again. The game doesnt tell you this either, but torches dont lose their flame, meaning you can use one as much as you like without needing a new one.Helmet VisorsKCD2s helmets range from rusted up bowls to well-crafted knights wear. The latter tends to be fitted with a visor to protect the eyes during combat. Of course, visors make it difficult to see. To open helmet visors, simply hold up on the D-pad. You can close visors again by holding up D-pad once more.Fast TravelThis one is obvious to KCD fans, but the sequel doesnt tutorialize it so its well worth mentioning nonetheless. Fast travel is indeed featured in the game from the very start. As long as youve visited a town or important area with a blue banner icon on the map, it can be fast-travelled to. Just click on the blue banner of the area you wish to go on the map screen, and an action figure of Henry will move along the closest route to the location. Time and fatigue will be taken into account depending on the distance, and you may face random bandit or wolf encounters with a chance to flee. The encounter rate is dependent on how frequented the route is and if its a particularly hostile area, such as near woods in the night, for example.Wearing Stolen EquipmentLike any dynamic open-world RPG, citizens react to your crimes. In KCD2, you will be threatened and perhaps even arrested or attacked if you wear a stolen item in front of the items previous owner. The random loading screen hints say this from time to time, but many unsuspecting players wont know until its too late.Quest PinsThe menus within KCD2 may look simple enough to navigate, but theres some tricks to get where you want to go faster. Quests, in particular, often require you to head to a very specific location. You can find most quest objectives on the map by heading to the Journal tab and selecting the quest step. The objectives location will show on the map if you have the Journal screen all the way to the right-hand of the screen with the map covering the center. You can even pin the objective location with a red flag by pressing Y button while selecting the specific quest objective.Ladders Instead of LockpicksNeed to get inside a locked building but dont want to participate in that pesky lockpicking minigame? Well, thankfully theres ways to do this. Many buildings have a ladder leading to an open room where you can get inside without having to lockpick the front door. Once inside, the trespassing alert still activates, but at least you didnt waste lockpicks.Troskowitz LaundryClothing accumulates dirt and blood as you adventure through Bohemia, lowering Henrys charisma. Perks can reduce the rate which clothes get dirty, but youll still have to clean them at laundry sites or at a bathhouse. Laundry sites require soap for your clothes to clean. Troskowitz actually has one such laundry site on the eastern edge of the village. Most of the day this laundry site is occupied by a maiden washing clothes, which means its off-limits until after her shift is over. Come back to the site in the evening and you can use this laundry site with soap to clean all of your dirty clothes.Early Game CashTo get anywhere in KCD2, you need some initiative. Dont be too scared to explore woods and trails early on. You can always sneak your way around bandit groups if you see them from afar. Even better are all the abandoned camps dotted across the Trosky region. Every road has a camp or two, and most are either empty or occupied by friendly travelers and dice players. These camps typically have stashes of groschen, food, equipment, and free beds to sleep in. Finding camps is a great way to find early-game loot to use as equipment or sell for cash.Free Troskowitz BedBut thankfully, camps arent the only place youll find a bed. Troskowitz has its own freely available bed located at the northwest corner of the town. Just head up a ways past the northwest stables and youll see a little hut atop a small hill within city bounds no less. You can freely sleep in the bed here without any risk of crime or reputation decrease. The bed is essentially yours. This was a lifeline for me through the early portions of the game, saving me lots of money and time.Bird NestsNests are rough and course and they get everywhere in Trosky. You cant walk more than 20 paces without encountering a nest. That said, the game never tells you how exactly to interact with them. You need a ranged weapon like a longbow or crossbow to knock these nests down. Just aim and fire at the nest and youll receive eggs from the droppings, but use the egg soon since it has a short shelf life.Unique Town PortraitsOne of my favorite aspects of Kingdom Come: Deliverance is its rich and intricate period-specific artwork showcased through the many menus, books, and maps. The maps are especially well decorated, and nowhere is that more true than when zoomed-in. Every village region is adorned with a unique map portrait. Just zoom in three to four levels and youll see a border form around the region with artistic depictions of the various attractions and characteristics of the area.Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is finally here, or it should be by the time youre watching this, and like protagonist Henry of Skalitz, the franchise has come a long way. The first title initially began development in 2012 with crowd-funding going live in 2014 to push its production further. The result was 2018s Kingdom Come: Deliverance, an ambitious title with an emphasis on medieval realism in 15th-century Bohemia.Like the setting, its launch was anything but fantastical, with numerous bugs, loading issues, etc. Performance issues bogged down the PS4 and Xbox One at the time. While it wasnt as disastrous as, say, Cyberpunk 2077, it would take multiple updates to get it to an acceptable state for players.Perish those dark memories, though, because Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a different beast entirely. It performs exceptionally well on PC, and while the PS5 version (the only console we tested) has a few noticeable hang-ups, the results prove more than satisfactory. Without further ado, lets dive into the technical aspects, graphical fidelity and performance of both versions and what makes them shine.Engine Overview and Improvements Over Kingdom Come: DeliveranceKingdom Come: Deliverance 2 runs on Cryteks CryEngine, and while its very much the same engine as the first game in name, there have been heavy modifications. This is also the case for the sequel Stolz-Zwilling even went as far as to say that its very different from what one would call a CryEngine.Kingdom Come: Deliverance wasnt a bad-looking game by any stretch, yet its follow-up boasts some very impressive improvements. Lighting and shadows look more natural and realistic, with the tones more accurately reflecting the latter. The lighting improvements are all the more noticeable on characters, with Henrys facial features coming across as more defined and realistic.It also doesnt hurt that physically based materials are used, which looks impressive all around, whether youre admiring chainlink mail or gawking at shiny pauldrons. Environmental textures have seen a noticeable bump in quality especially on the ground and in foliage, while reflections are more natural.Graphics OverviewIn terms of graphical settings, there is a fair amount to tweak but nothing too crazy, including object quality, particles, lighting, and global illumination. You can also adjust the shader quality, shadows, textures, post-process quality, and details on volumetric effects, characters, and vegetation. A horizontal FOV slider is available alongside motion blur and near depth of field settings, while upscaler options include Nvidia DLSS and AMD FSR 3.1. All the usual options are available, including Quality, Performance, Balanced, and Native AA.Test Rig Hardware and Graphics Settings on PCOur test rig for the PC version consisted of an AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, a Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, 64 GB of DDR4 RAM, and an NVMe PCI-e 4.0 SSD. The resolution was set to 38402160 and the frame rate limit to 120 FPS (with V-Sync enabled) with a horizontal FOV of 95, Object Motion Blur and Near DOF enabled. For the graphics settings, we set everything to Ultra and the anti-aliasing to SMAA 2TX. Nvidia DLSS was also enabled and set to Performance.PC PerformanceEven with everything set to Ultra and 4K resolution, we achieved some very smooth frame rates on PC, hovering at 60 and 65 frames per second throughout (occasionally even going up to 80-82 FPS). During cutscenes, it would drop to 30 frames per second while conversations jumped back up to 60-65.It is worth noting, however, that during NPC-heavy scenes, the frame rate would drop to 49 to 54 frames per second. The same could be observed later during a sequence where multiple NPCs are fighting, and fires are raging dropping as low as 47 frames before going back up again after things calmed down.Its worth noting that the PC version also suffers from slight pop-in emphasis on the slight. Granted, its much less common than on PS5s Quality Mode, but youll still notice it from time to time, especially when riding on horseback.PS5 Performance vs Quality ModePS5 and Xbox Series X benefit from two graphics modes Performance and Fidelity. The former delivers a 25601440 resolution at 30 frames per second, upscaled to 4K courtesy of FSR. The latter offers 60 FPS but at 1080p resolution upscaled to 1440p. There is a noticeable drop in sharpness, and though slight drops are visible at certain points, like in the opening siege, the performance is otherwise very consistent. However, both modes suffer from pop-in its most egregious on Performance and much less so on Quality, but still visible. We also noticed lower frame rates on NPC shadows ahead of the player during the initial horse ride.PC vs PS5 Quality ModeIt should come as no surprise, but the PC version is the clear winner here. In terms of image quality, resolution, and performance, its clearly superior to the PS5 versions Quality mode in every way. The latter shouldnt be discounted, especially with how much fidelity it offers alongside a solid frame rate and sharp image quality, but wed imagine that most would prefer playing Performance Mode for the 60 FPS bump. Heres hoping that the latter has its pop-in reduced to make it more palatable.ConclusionTheres no two ways about it Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a massive step up over the original in terms of optimization and performance. The fact that it achieves this while significantly improving the graphical quality, is also worthy of praise. Youll want to experience it on PC, which can look stunning and deliver solid performance throughout, though some scenes could still use more optimization and polish.However, its great to see that the PS5 version hasnt fallen behind drastically, offering some reliable performance that stays consistent in both Quality and Performance modes. The pop-in is understandably distracting and can occasionally take away from the latters experience, which is all the more annoying because of how good 60 FPS feels. Nevertheless, its leagues ahead of the first games debut on PS4, and truly brings the medieval world to life in stunning detail.Overall, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a strong success for the series in both the graphical department and overall polish. We didnt run into bugs or glitches during our time testing, making for an ideal experience. If youre still on the fence regarding its performance, theres little to fear, though once again, the best possible option, especially in fidelity, is on PC.

Nyota, a 25-year-old male bonobo at Ape Initiative in Iowa, participated in the study. Ape InitiativeIf someone is supposed to give you a snack, but you know that they dont know where that snack is, you wouldobviouslycommunicate its location to them.While this might feel ordinary to us, it demonstrates the ability to understand another persons specific lack of information and act accordingly. This concept is called the theory of mind, and because its involved in many sophisticated human behaviors, scholars have long debated whether close human relatives might also have this capacity.In a bid to resolve this issue, cognitive scientists Christopher Krupenye and Luke Townrow of Johns Hopkins University worked with three male bonobos named Nyota, Kanzi and Teco at the research institute Ape Initiative in Iowa.For their study, published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a bonobo would watch someone place a treat beneath one of three cups in proximity to Townrow. Sometimes, Townrow did not see which cup hid the treat, but the bonobo could only have the treat if Townrow gave it to him.We established a co-operative context to this task, because if I knew whether the treat or the food item was hidden, I would reveal it and then the bonobo would be able to receive that as a reward, Townrow tells NPRsNell Greenfieldboyce.We predicted that if apes are really tracking ignorance, when their partners lacked knowledge they would be pointing more often and more quickly, and thats exactly what they did, Krupenye explains in a statement.After the treat was hidden from view, Townrow would ask the bonobo where the food was, then wait ten seconds. If the bonobo had witnessed Townrow observing the placement of the grape, he would generally wait for the researcher to hand it over. If, however, the bonobo had witnessed the grape placement taking place without Townrows knowledge, he would quickly point to the correct cup.Apes point out hidden treats only when humans are unaware of their locationWatch on The bonobos knew when their partner was ignorant, and they communicated proactively to make sure that their ignorant partner still made the correct choice, Krupenye tells Scientific Americans Jack Tamisiea. This shows that they can actually take action when they realize that somebody has a different perspective from their own, he adds to New Scientists Sophie Berdugo.Wild chimpanzeeswhich are also great apes and close human relativesappear to give warnings to groupmates that havent seen a nearby threat, according to previous research. But the new work is the first study to replicate similar behavior in a controlled setting. It also seems to show that apes can simultaneously hold two conflicting world views in their mind, Krupenye says in the statement: They know where the food is, and they know their partner doesnt.If humans and other great apes possess the theory of mind, it would indicate that the ability to understand and act upon anothers ignorance might have developed in our last common ancestor millions of years ago.It suggests that our ancient human relatives likely also had these abilities and could use them to bolster cooperation and coordination with one another, Laura Lewis, a biological anthropologist at the University of California, Berkeley, who was not involved in the research, tells New Scientist. It also shows that complex language is not a crucial component to this ability, she adds to Scientific American.Moving forward, Krupenye and Townrow hope to investigate how apes think about others minds, as opposed to just their actions. What weve shown here is that apes will communicate with a partner to change their behavior, Townrow says in the statement. But a key open question for further research is whether apes are also pointing to change their partners mental state or their beliefs.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Animals, Anthropology, Apes, Brain, Communication, Human Evolution, Mammals, New Research, Primates, Social Sciences

The earliest traces of lead pollution the researchers identified were 5,200 years old. Joe Daniel Price via Getty ImagesNew research has found that ancient Greece may harbor the oldest known evidence of lead pollution.After analyzing sediment cores from Greeces mainland and the Aegean Sea, scientists identified traces of lead contamination that date back more than 5,000 years. The discovery suggests that human activities were causing lead pollution 1,200 years earlier than previously thought.The lead emissions followed the development of smelting technologies, which produced metals like silver, according to a recent study published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment.Silver was used for jewelry, for special objectsbut it wasnt found in a pure state, co-author Joseph Maran, an archaeologist at Heidelberg University, tells Christina Larson of theAssociated Press.The smelting process released lead into the environment, and traces eventually became embedded in the soil, where todays scientists can study them.The earliest traces of lead pollution the researchers identified were 5,200 years old. They were found in a peat bog in northeastern Greece near the island of Thasos, an ancient hub for silver mining and metalwork.Peat cores dont receive any fluvial [river] input, so its only atmospheric dust that settles into this environment, co-author Andreas Koutsodendris, a scholar at Heidelberg Universitys Institute of Earth Sciences, tells Peter de Kruijff of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.The researchers found that another sharp increase occurred about 2,150 years ago, which coincides with the Roman conquest of the Greek peninsula in around 146 B.C.E. Following this victory, the Romans claimed for themselves the regions wealth of resources, says Maran in a statement.The Roman expansion drove a new demand for silver to mint currency, leading to increased smelting and greater environmental contamination, as Koutsodendris tells the AP. The widespread use of lead for construction, coin production and even tableware further contributed to emission levels.The new research complements previous studies, such as ice core analyses from Greenland, which had already suggested high lead emissions during the Roman era. As Nathan Chellman, an environmental scientist at the University of Nevada at Reno who wasnt involved in the research, tells the AP, the new study adds a more specific and local picture to how lead levels changed.Beyond pollution, the findings highlight the broader environmental consequences of resource exploitation. The Romans expanded mining operations, extracting vast quantities of gold, silver and other metals. Smelting these metals required the Romans to gather large amounts of wood, which also contributed to widespread deforestation and land degradation, per the study.By analyzing the sediment cores, the researchers were also able to track vegetation development in the region, revealing shifts in land use over time.The combined data on lead contamination and vegetation development show when the transition from agricultural to monetary societies took place and how that impacted the environment, says Jrg Pross, a scholar at Heidelberg Universitys Institute of Earth Sciences, in the statement.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Ancient Greece, Gold, Greece, History, New Research, Pollution

Let models explore different solutions and they will find optimal solutions to properly allocate inference budget to AI reasoning problems.Read More