Category Archives: Futurism

In BriefA researcher in the U.K. has developed the world's firstsynthetic, soft tissue retina. Because it doesn't contain any hardmaterials, the device should be able to bypass many of the problemsposed by current mechanical implants. Easy on the Eyes

Anyone whos ever had a stray eyelash or a piece of dust land in their eye can attest to the pain even the tiniest foreign object can cause. While this sensitivity is essential for keeping our eyes in working order, it can also be a problem for those with retinal implants.

The retina is a light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of the eye that plays an important role in sight, and damage to it can lead to blindness. For the past few years, retinal implants have been restoring vision for patients with such problems, but those implants have all been mechanical devices, which can wreak havoc on already damaged eyes.

The human eye is incredibly sensitive, which is why foreign bodies like metal retinal implants can be so damaging, leading to inflammation and/or scarring, University of Oxford researcher Vanessa Restrepo-Schild explained in a university news release. To that end, she led a team in creating the worlds first synthetic, soft tissue retina.

The team used lab-created biological tissue for its artificial retina, and because it doesnt incorporate any rigid foreign materials, the device is less likely to cause problems once implanted. A biological synthetic implant is soft and water-based, so much more friendly to the eye environment, explained Restrepo-Schild.

So far, the team has only tested its implant in a lab environment, so the next steps are testing it with living tissues and expanding on its functionality. Restrepo-Schild is optimistic about the future practical uses of her creation: I hope my research is the first step in a journey towards building technology that is soft and biodegradable instead of hard and wasteful.

An estimated 39 million people worldwide are blind, and the Oxford team is just one of many developing bionic eyes to help them regain their vision.

Right now, the only bionic implant approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the United States is Second Sights Argus II. That system requires the implantation of a device comprising an antenna, an electronics case, and an electrode array on the patients eye. That implant works in conjunction with a pair of glasses, a video processing unit (VPU), and a cable worn outside the body to restore some of the users vision.

Other researchers are skipping the eyes altogether in their quest to bring sight to the blind. Monash University professor Arthur Lowerys bionic eyes feed information from a glasses-mounted camera directly into the brain via electrodes. This means it could be used by someone with severely damaged eyes or even no eyes at all.

Beyond helping people with impaired vision, bionic eyes could eventually give superpowers to those who already have no trouble reading the eye chart. Those implants could allow us to see in different light spectrums, give us telescopic sight, or even record what we see and wirelessly upload it to our social networks. The possibilities are endless, and breakthroughs like that of Restrepo-Schild put us one step closer to that age of superhuman sight.

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Researchers Just Found a Way to Create Better Bionic Eyes - Futurism - Futurism

In BriefNASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, scientists have discoveredthe largest wave of ultra-hot gas ever rippling through the Perseusgalaxy cluster. Studying this phenomenon can teach us more aboutthe universe. Great BigWave

Scientists have found a huge wave of ultra-hot gas rippling through the nearby Perseus galaxy cluster. And when we say huge, we mean really freaking giant.

At around 200,000 light-years across twice the size of our own Milky Way galaxy researchers suspect its the largest wave ever discovered in the known Universe, and its most likely been rolling through space for billions of years.

The wave is a type of Kelvin-Helmholtz wave, which occurs when two fluids traveling at different speeds move past each other. The most familiar example are the beautiful curling waves that crash over themselves at the beach as a result of wind blowing across the surface of the ocean.

But Kelvin-Helmholtz waves have also been discovered pulsing through our atmosphere, and have even been spotted on other planets and the surface of our own Sun.

Using data from NASAs Chandra X-ray Observatory, researchers have now found evidence of the most massive example of one of these waves to date.

The Perseus galaxy cluster is located in the Perseus constellation around 240 million light-years away, and is around 11 million light-years across, made up of a number of galaxies surrounded by a vast cloud of scorching hot gas thats so hot it only glows in X-rays.

While studying X-ray images of the Perseus cluster, researchers saw something odd a strange bay shape that kept appearing without any clear origin.

At first they thought it might have something to do with a black hole in the region, but using data from NASAs Chandra X-ray Observatory combined with radio observations and computer simulations, scientists have now discovered that this bay shape is actually a giant wave.

We think the bay feature we see in Perseus is part of a Kelvin-Helmholtz wave, perhaps the largest one yet identified, said lead researcher Stephen Walker, from NASAs Goddard Space Flight Centre.

Based on their computer simulations, the team suggests that billions of years ago, the galaxy cluster was settled, with a cooler central region of gas reaching temperatures around 30 million degrees Celsius (54 million degrees Fahrenheit), surrounded by an area with gas three times hotter.

But then a smaller galaxy cluster seems to have grazed past Perseus, sloshing those two regions together like cream stirred into coffee, creating an expanding spiral of cold gas.

Over the next 2.5 billion years, the researchers predict that the gas spread about 500,000 light-years from the centre of the cluster, creating massive waves that roll around the edges for hundreds of million of years before dissipating.

Perseus is one of the most massive nearby clusters and the brightest one in X-rays, so Chandra data provide us with unparalleled detail, said Walker.

The wave weve identified is associated with the flyby of a smaller cluster, which shows that the merger activity that produced these giant structures is still ongoing.

Getting more insight into how waves in galaxy clusters such as Perseus form and evolve doesnt just help us understand our Universe, it also allows the researchers to get an idea of the strength of the clusters magnetic field.

If it was too weak, the wave would be much bigger than the one we see today. If it was too strong, it wouldnt form at all.

The research has been published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

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A Colossal Wave of Burning Gas Was Just Discovered Rippling Through Space - Futurism

In BriefPolit Casillas, a systems engineer from NASA's Jet PropulsionLaboratory, is developing a new type of fabric for use at NASA. Theapplications for future missions will be many, includingprotection, building, and insulation.

One would think NASA was preparing for a some sword fights in space! At least, thats the impression one might get when they see the new armor NASA is developing for the first time. Officially, they are referring to it as a new type of space fabric, one which will provide protection to astronauts, spaceships, and deployable devices. But to the casual observer, it looks a lot like chain mail armor!

The new armor is the brainchild of Polit Casillas, a systems engineer from NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Inspired by traditional textiles, this armor relies on advances made in additive manufacturing (aka. 3D printing) to create woven metal fabrics that can fold and change shape quickly. And someday soon, it could be used for just about everything!

As the son of a fashion designer in Spain, Casillas grew up around fabrics and textiles, and was intrigued by how they are used for the sake of design. Much in the same way that textiles are produced by weaving together countless threads, Casillas prototype space fabric relies on 3D printing to create metal squares in one piece, which are then strung together to form a coat of armor.

In addition to his work with this new space fabric, Casillas co-leads JPLs Atelier workshop, which specialized in the rapid-prototyping of advanced concepts and systems. This fast-paced collaborative environment works with different technologies and looks for ways to incorporate new ones (such as 4-D printing) into existing designs. As Casillas described this concept in a NASA press release:

We call it 4-D printing because we can print both the geometry and the function of these materials. If 20th Century manufacturing was driven by mass production, then this is the mass production of functions.

The space fabrics have four essential functions, which include reflectivity, passive heat management, foldability, and tensile strength. With one side reflecting light and the other absorbing it, the material acts as a means of thermal control. It can also fold in many different ways and adapt to shapes, all the while maintaining tensile strength to ensure it can sustain forces pulling on it.

These fabrics could be used to protect astronauts and shield large antennas, deployable devices, and spacecraft from meteorites and other hazards. In addition, they could be used to ensure that missions to extreme environments would be protected from the elements. Consider Jupiters moon Europa, which NASA is planning on exploring in the coming decade using a lander aka. the Europa Clipper mission.

Here, and on other ocean worlds like Ceres, Enceladus, Titan and Pluto this sort of flexible armor could provide insulation for spacecraft. They could be used on landing struts to ensure that they could change shape to fit over uneven terrain as well. This kind of material could also be used to build habitats for Mars or the Moon like the South Pole-Aitken Basin, where permanently-shadowed craters allow for the existence of water ice.

Another benefit of this material is the fact that it is considerably cheaper to produce compared to materials made using traditional fabrication methods. Under ordinary conditions, designing and building spacecraft is a complex and costly process. But by adding multiple functions to a material at different stages of development, the whole process can be made cheaper and new designs can be implemented.

Andrew Shapiro-Scharlotta is a manager at the JPLs Space Technology Office, an office responsible for funding early-stage technologies like the space fabric. As he put it, this sort of production process could enable all kinds of designs and new mission concepts. We are just scratching the surface of whats possible, he said. The use of organic and non-linear shapes at no additional costs to fabrication will lead to more efficient mechanical designs.

In keeping with how 3-D printing has been developed for use aboard the ISS, the JPL team not only wants to use this fabric in space, but also manufacture it in space as well. In the future, Casillas also envisions a process whereby tools and structural materials can be printed from recycled materials, offering additional cost-savings and enabling rapid, on-demand production of necessary components.

Such a production process could revolutionize the way spacecraft and space systems are created. Instead of ships, suits, and robotic craft created from many different parts (which then have to be assembled), they could be printed out like whole cloth. The manufacturing revolution, it seems, loometh!

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3D Printed Space-Age Chain Mail Is in Development at NASA - Futurism

In Brief Stephen Hawking adjusted his doomsday timer for Earth, slashing 900 years from his initial 1,000-year estimate. According to the famous physicist, humanity has a century left to evacuate the planet and become multi-planetary species. Escaping Earth

Over the past century or so, humanity has accomplished a great deal of innovation. We learned tofly (at least with the help of airplanes), built huge machines, cured diseases, and developed computers, the Internet, and smart devices. At the same time, weve caused our fair share of destruction, too: in the form of several wars two of which were world wars and, of interest as of late,man-made climate change. Now, renowned physicist Stephen Hawking thinks we have 100 years left before doomsday and we need to get offEarthlong before that comes to pass.

This isnt the first time Hawking has givena doomsday prediction. In recent years, hes warned about how super artificial intelligence (AI) would end humankind and how contacting extraterrestrial life would go bonkers for humanity. Then in November of last year, he said we have 1,000 years to leave Earth. Now, hes cut it down to 100 leaving us to wonder just how bad the past six months have been. Theyd arguably have to have been pretty bad forHawking to drastically cut our time on Earth by 900 years in one fell swoop.

The details of Hawkings latest doomsday warning will be featured in a new BBC documentary airing on June 15 called Expedition New Earth, where he suggests that humanity needs to be a multi-planetary species within the next century in order to survive.

Hawking explains that humankinds days on Earth are already numbered because of climate change, asteroid strikes, epidemics, and overpopulation. The only way to survive? We need to change planets, and fast. A lot could happen in 100 years, and weve proven that were capable of discovering and developing many things within a century.But could we really go multi-planetary in that timeframe?

Tesla and SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk thinks so, and hes already outlined plans to make it happen. The destination for humanity in his mind? Mars. And while the Red Planet isnt exactly that near, neither is it too far. Musk intends to land people to Mars by 2025and set up a colony by 2033 which is well within Hawkings timeline. However, reaching Mars and setting up a stable habitatcould take a couple more decades at least. Fortunately, there are others working on it, too:NASA already has a program for getting to Mars, and Chinas also working on its own mission to the Red Planet.

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Stephen Hawking: Humanity Only Has 100 Years Left on Earth Before Doomsday - Futurism

The Age of CRISPR

The past several months have been no less than astounding ones for the CRISPR gene-editing tool. In September, 2016, researchers in Germany discovered a way to use CRISPR to edit out cancer mutations.In November, Chinese researchers used CRISPR technology on a person for the first time. Then, inJanuary if this year, researchers uncovered two distinct anti-CRISPR proteins that could lead to a CRISPR off switch and greater control over the gene editing tool in human subjects.

Now, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh have used CRISPR to target cancers command center, increasing survival rates and shrinking aggressive tumors without harming healthy cells in mice. The method targets fusion genes, mutations that develop when two distinct genes combine into a single, hybrid gene one that often leads to cancer. They published their results in Nature Biotechnology earlier this week.

The team transplanted human liver and prostate cancer cells into mice, and then used the CRISPR fusion gene targeting tool to treat them. The control groups treatment targeted fusion genes that werent present in their bodies making it ineffective. Their tumors grew nearly 40 times larger, and spread to other parts of the body in most cases. None of the control group survived the test period.

The treatment for the experimental group targeted fusion genes that were present in their tumors, and the tumors shrunk by up to 30 percentand didnt spread. Most impressively,all of the animals that received the experimental treatment survived to the end of the test representing an increase in survival rate from 0 to 100 percent.

The fact that these fusion genes are genetically unique makes them an easy target for CRISPR, which can target them and replace them with something else. In this case, researchers replace them with genes that kill cancer, ensuring healthy cells stay well something chemotherapy cant do.

While these dramatic results are exciting, they do not necessarily mean that the treatment will be effective in people, and no plans for clinical trials have been announced as of yet. Before the treatment is tested in humans, the researchers hope to improve it. Although the current research demonstratesthat the technique can force the cancer cells into remission, the scientists want totest whether it could entirely wipe the cancer out instead.

This is the first time that gene editing has been used to specifically target cancer fusion genes, Jian-Hua Luo, lead author of the study, said in a press release. It is really exciting because it lays the groundwork for what could become a totally new approach to treating cancer. Other types of cancer treatments target the foot soldiers of the army. Our approach is to target the command center, so there is no chance for the enemys soldiers to regroup in the battlefield for a comeback.

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New CRISPR Technique Targets and Destroys Cancer's Command Center - Futurism

In Brief Sorry, Tesla and Apple fans. The companies have no plans to collaborate any time soon, according to Elon Musk. During yesterday's first-quarter earnings call with investors, the CEO confirmed that Apple isn't interested in working with Tesla at the moment. Highly Unlikely

Back in 2015, an investor made a bold claim that Apple would buy Teslawithin 18 months. Its been more than two years since that prediction was made, and Tesla and Apple are still independent entities and it looks like they will stay that way.

During yesterdays first-quarter earnings call with investors, Tesla CEO Elon Musk shared his thoughts on the chances of Tesla working with Apple on an electric car. Yeah, I dont think they want to have that conversation, he said, according to Business Insider. Ive at least not heard any indication that they do.

Musk was reiterating a point he made back in February in an interview with Bloomberg about how a merger with Apple was highly unlikely: Id be very concerned in any kind of acquisition scenario, whoever it is, that we would become distracted from that task which has always been the driving goal of Tesla.

Analysts and journalists have made comments about how a merger or a collaboration with Apple would be beneficial for Teslaand vice versa. Tesla, largely due to Musk, has the innovative mind that Apple seems to sorely lack these days. At the same time, Apple has the earnings and capital thatTesla is arguably in need of.

Hopes for such a pairing, which has the potential to be one of the best combos in the tech industry, have been fueled by Apples recent progress in the autonomous vehicle game. The Cupertino-based company has already received approval to test self-driving vehicles on California roads, which was confirmation that Apple is working on an autonomous car. Tesla is also busy working on its newest electric vehicle, the Model 3, with production well on its way and a final unveiling slated for July.

For now, Apple and Tesla seem content to continue forging their own paths with separate vehicles, but whether those paths will intersect in the future is anybodys guess.

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Elon Musk Is Setting the Record Straight on Rumors Regarding a Major Tesla Collaboration - Futurism

In Brief During a recent Senate committee hearing, SpaceX laid out its plans for building a global internet network by launching more than 4,000 satellites into orbit. The company's application to the FCC was completed in November, and it is eager to move forward with its plan. AWorldwide Network

The fact that youre able to read this article means you are one of the more than 3.77 billion people in the world that has access to the internet. While thats already a good number more than half of the worlds population, in fact some 3 billion othersdont have such access. Thankfully, a number of efforts are underway to bring the internet to the farthest corners of the globe, and one of those is being put forth by SpaceX.

Back in November, Elon Musks company filed an application with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC)as part of its plan to create a high-speed, global internet network. At yesterdaysSenate hearingon U.S. broadband infrastructure, SpaceX confirmed this plan.

SpaceX plans to bring high-speed, reliable, and affordable broadband service to consumers in the U.S. and around the world, including areas underserved or currently unserved by existing networks, explained Patricia Cooper, SpaceXs VP for satellite government affairs, in a prepared statement during the hearing.

SpaceX plans to improve internet speeds and overall connectivity in the U.S.and the rest of the world by putting 4,425 satellites into orbit between 2019 and 2024. The satellites will be transported into space in multiple batches via the companys Falcon 9 rockets.

The United Nations recently declaredinternet access a basic human right, and because it bypasses some existing complications to bringing internet service to far-flung areas, SpaceXs endeavor would be a huge step forward in the effort to ensure all of the worlds citizens enjoy that right.In large measure, the disparity in available service to rural and hard-to-reach areas is the result of the heavy, up-front capital expenditures necessary to achieve connectivity to these locations, Cooper said.

However,Elon Musks companyisnt the only one working toward global interconnectivity through improved internet service. Facebook is using massive, solar-powered drones to beam internet to the farthest corners of the world, AT&T wants to deliver wifi through existing power lines, and governments are getting in on the action, too, with New York and Canada planning initiatives to bring broadband to all citizens.

SpaceX is eager to contribute to the cause. SpaceX looks forward to being part of the solution to expand access to high-speed, reliable, and affordable broadband internet connectivity in the United States and worldwide, Cooper said. Theweb of satellites proposed by SpaceX would bring faster and more robust web access to more people, so now its just a matter of whether or not theyll get the governments go-ahead.

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SpaceX Just Laid out a Plan to Give Everyone Internet Access - Futurism

In Brief The Chinese National Space Administration has publicly announced a partnership with the European Space Agency on developing a lunar base. This collaboration could lead to shared projects in the future. Todays Race To Space

It seems that the modern agesspace race is here, and all sights are set on the Moon. But this time, the goal isnt just to get an astronaut onto Earths natural satellite, but instead space agencies around the world are coming together to build a human outpost. Some of the biggest players hail from China and Europe, andtheir respective space agencies have announced that they are engagingin international collaboration to realize aMoon Village vision.

Even though Chinas space program is relativelynew compared to other space programs developed by the worlds superpowers, the Chinas space agency has quickly proven itself since its first manned spaceflight in 2003. Currently, the countrys National Space Administration (CNSA) is aiming to collect samples from the Moon by the end of this year while also conducting a mission to the far side of the Moon to bring back additional samples sometime next year.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has been paying close attention to Chinas progress, with the ESA looking toward to future collaborationby calling for joint proposals since 2014. All this cooperation would explain the remarks about a shared lunar base on Chinese state media by Chinas space agencys secretary general, Tian Yulong, which was later confirmed by Pal Hvistendahl, an ESA spokesperson.

When it comes to international collaboration, we are all left with a net-positive outcome. Someclassic examplesof this include the International Space Station,with eleven member states, and CERNs Large Hardon Collider, which is utilized by 22 member states. Both enormous projects built on theinternational brotherhood that has propelled us forward in space commercialization, humanitarian aid, vaccine development, and more.

But aside from technological advances, we see the power of scientific collaboration to deconstruct societal barriers. Borders become bridges and science sparks conversations. Maybe the United States will take hints from the ESAs commitment to China.

Currently, its illegal for NASA scientists to collaborate with any Chinese state employees on issues related to space. This is also the reason that Chinese astronauts cannot visit the ISS. But, perhapsthe prospects of a lunar base could change that, as a lunar base would give us a great jumping off point for deep space exploration, mineral excavation, andlow-orbit space commercialization.

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Global Superpowers Are Racing to Build a Base on the Moon - Futurism

In BriefHumans may sometimes take all they can do with their hands forgranted. An appreciation for that dexterity is inspiring roboticsinnovators to develop ways of improving hand function in robots. Handy Bots

Its quite common for humans especially those who work in manufacturing to tie a knot, strip the casing off a cable, insert a pin in a hole or use a hand tool such as a drill. They may seem like simple tasks, but are really very complex and involve extremely fine finger and hand motions.

Though robots are getting more and more involved in factory work and in a wide range of other types of jobs including in the service industry and health care their dexterity is not nearly as impressive. Since people first brought them to work in automotive factories more than 50 years ago, we have built robots that can weld, paint and assemble parts quite well. Todays best robotic hands can pick up familiar objects and move them to other places such as taking products from warehouse bins and putting them in boxes.

But robots cant orient a hand tool properly say, lining up a Phillips head screwdriver with the grooves on a screw, or aiming a hammer at a nail. And they definitely cant use two hands together in detailed ways, like replacing the batteries in a remote control.

Human hands are excellent at those tasks and much more. To even come close to rivaling what our hands are easily capable of, robot hands need better agility, reliability and strength and they need to be able to sense more accurately and move even more finely than they do now, to figure out what theyre holding and how to grip it best. For robots to be able to work alongside humans, well have to figure out how to make robots that can literally lend us a hand when our own two are not enough.

My research group at Northeastern University is working on doing just this, in particular for humanoid robotslike NASAs Valkyrie, which has three fingers and a thumb on each hand. Each digit has knuckle-like joints, and each hand has a wrist that can rotate easily. Were working on creating motions combinations of arm, wrist, finger and thumb movements that collectively accomplish a task, like moving a wrench in a circle to tighten a bolt, or pulling a cart from one place to another.

Rather than making each robot a custom machine tailored for a very specific task, we need to design multi-use robots, or even such capable machines that they might be called general purpose good for almost any task. One key to the success of these types of robots will be excellent hands.

Our work focuses on designing a new class of adaptable robot hands capable of precise fine movements and autonomous grasping. When robots are able to hammer in nails, change batteries and make other similar movements basic for humans but very complex for robots well be well on our way to human-like dexterity in robotic hands.

Achieving this goal also involves inventing new designs that incorporate hard and soft elements the way human bone gives strength to a grip, with skin spreading the pressure so a wine glass doesnt shatter.

Modern technological improvements are making the development process easier. With 3D printing, we can make prototypes very quickly. We can even make low-cost disposable components to try different arrangements of mechanisms, like two- or three-fingered grippers for simple pick-and-place tasks or anthropomorphic robot hands for more delicate operations.

These abilities are already second nature to humans through vision and proprioception (the ability to sense the relative positions of body parts without looking or thinking about it). Once were able to achieve them in robots, theyll be able to do things like detect if a grasp is too strong and is squeezing an object too hard.As electronic cameras and sensors get smaller, were able to incorporate them in new ways. For instance, if we put pressure sensors and cameras in a robotic hand, they can give feedback to the robot controller (whether human or automated) when a grip is secure, or if something starts to slip. One day they may be able to sense which direction the slipping object is moving, so the robot can catch it.

Another milestone will be developing methods for robots to figure out what motions they need to make in real time, including sensing whats going on in their hands at each moment. If a robot hand can detect changes in objects it is handling, or manipulate items while holding them, they could help with those common manual tasks like knot-tying and wire-stripping.

Working with two hands together is even farther into the future, though it would provide a significant boost, particularly for manufacturing. A robot that can operate a drill with two hands or pass machine parts from one hand to the other would be big improvements, allowing factories to automate even more steps in their processes.

We humans havent developed these systems yet. Achieving human-like autonomous robot dexterity will keep robotics researchers, technologists and innovators busy in the foreseeable future. It wont slow down the ongoing robotics revolution in manufacturing, because current processes still have lots of room for automation to improve safety, speed and quality. But as we make robots even better, theyll be able to give us a hand.

Taskin Padir, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Northeastern University

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

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The Next Generation of Robots Will Be Remarkably Human-Like - Futurism

As the Arctic loses ice and breaks high temperature records, it experiences a profound shift into a new state of normal. This is as clear a sign as any that climate changes worst effects are already here. Taken in context with the jarring changes scientists have already tracked including alarming accidental findings such as green ice caused by microorganism growth in waters at unprecedented high temperatures the findings from the northernmost regions of our planet all spell out the urgency of the climate change fight in no uncertain terms.

River ice now melts one month earlier than it did only 15 years ago, and in at least one instance a melting glacier cut off its water source, causing an entire river to disappear over the course of four days. Thinning sea ice, glaciers riddled with holes, unusual cycles of seasonal ice, and disruptions to the Arctic food chain are all apparent.

Like the rest of the planet, the Arctics warmest temperatures in recorded history occurred between 2011 to 2015. However, unlike the rest of the planet, temperatures are rising twice as fast in the Arctic. Over the past four decades, sea ice has declined by 65 percent. In fact, whereas most sea ice used to remain frozen, now, for the first time, most Arctic sea ice is new.

These changes have worldwide consequences. A new survey shows that, without action to curb CO2 emissions, sea levels may rise an additional foot. According to a report from the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme, scientists are now measuring changes in the Arctic that are significant enough to have global repercussions from flooding in coastal cities and extreme record temperatures to intensifying monsoons.

Even so, Environment and Climate Change Canada cryosphere scientist Ross Brown insists there is hope. The report also shows that aggressive intervention can slow the warming of the Arctic that climate change is causing. If strong enough steps to reduce emissions were taken, parts of the Arctic, including sea ice cover, could recover.

There is a choice there to be made, and if we can actually follow through, there is a chance well be able to stabilize the changes that are happening, he said to E&E News. I dont know if its optimism, but I think it shows that if we do take action, there is a real concrete result to it.

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In 10 Years, Humans Have Utterly Transformed the Arctic - Futurism