Category Archives: Transhuman News

The Olympics are all about emotion the drama of world-class competition, the pageantry of medal ceremonies, and the moment-to-moment celebrations of the human spirit in action.

Futuristic Technology At The Olympics: AI, IoT, And Robots

The 2022 Winter Games kicked off on February 4th in Beijing, China. Despite the fact that the Games feel a little different because of COVID restrictions, nearly 3,000 athletes from 91 countries are competing in 109 events across events like alpine skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, luge, bobsled, snowboarding, and speed skating.

And behind the scenes, there are huge technological advances helping athletes become better, faster, and stronger.

Lets take a look at how artificial intelligence, the IoT, and intelligent devices are being used at the Olympic Games.

Teams looking for a competitive edge are using AI technologies for player training, performance, health, and safety. That includes things like:

Cameras and sensors in equipment like bike pedals or shoes that can continuously stream data to coaches, so they can make adjustments.

Smart wearables and that measure lung capacity, heart rate, and movement, so sports physicians, physical therapists, and team doctors can reduce injuries and help players heal faster.

Monitoring equipment that helps coaching staff predict the next move of the opposing team or individual competitor.

AI programs that can analyze performance data to create personalized solutions for training, rest, and nutrition.

AI-enabled physical tests that can detect early signs of fatigue or stress-related injuries.

Artificial intelligence tools like computer-vision cameras give the Olympic audience the ultimate viewing experience.

AI-powered 3D Athlete Tracking (3DAT) uses cameras with computer vision and artificial intelligence to give fans near-real-time data during races and events. AI provides biomechanical analysis of athlete speed, distance traveled, and time remaining to display on screen and use in overlays during replays.

Upcoming viewer-oriented innovations around scoring, positioning systems, and timekeeping are currently in development for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

Inventors and scientists at the Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) in China created a robotic curling coach that uses a combination of image recognition, AI, and an automatic control system to help teams refine their performance.

The robot simulates the curling throwing process, which can help athletes predict potential game situations before they occur. The HIT team will unveil the robotic curling coach to the world at the Beijing Olympics.

Get a little preview of how the robot works in this short video:

In an effort to keep the spread of COVID-19 under control at this years games, organizers decided to bring in robot chefs to prepare and deliver meals onsite for the athletes and their support teams.

The advancements include things like:

An AI-enabled chef-bot that prepares burgers and other hot meals

A coffee robot that grinds beans and brews java

A ceiling-mounted robot arm that delivers meals to people sitting in socially-distanced cubicles

Super-efficient bartender robots that mix up favorite cocktails

Watch the kitchen and bar bots in action in this video:

AI, robots, and the Internet of Things are playing a key role at this years Winter Olympics so look for some of this cutting-edge technology as your cheer for your favorite athletes this year and beyond.

To stay on top of these and other trends, sign up for my newsletter, and check out my books Tech Trends in Practice and Business Trends in Practice.'

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Futuristic Technology At The Olympics: AI, IoT, And Robots - Forbes

From a health standpoint, the company says that Flippy can help curb the spread of food-borne pathogens by using thermal imaging technology to detect when the meat is fully cooked (via CNN). It also helps limit human exposure to food, potentially reducing the spread of illness. From a customer service standpoint, Miso Robotics also believe Flippy will free up workers to "focus on creating memorable moments for customers."

Food service robots have been on the rise in recent years, becoming particularly useful in the face of social distancing and labor shortages. Robotics companies now produce robots for just about every restaurant task imaginable, from assembling pizzas to serving lattes (via FastCasual.com). China has notably utilized robotic chefs, bartenders, and servers at the 2022 Olympic games in Beijing to reduce human-to-human interactions in dining halls in an effort to keep COVID-19 at bay.

Now, robotics could provide a potential solution to the labor shortages that have plagued the fast food industry in recent years. "Having Flippy 2 be a new hire at 100 of our White Castle locations keeps us on a path to achieve big goals at White Castle," said White Castle COO Jeff Carper. "Our partnership with Miso continues to lead the way on what's next for back of house restaurant operations looking to empower team members with technology."

While this technology represents a big step forward for the fast-casual restaurant industry, the broader implication of robotics on the human work force of the future is as yet unknown.

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This Futuristic Chef Could Be Coming To Your Local White Castle - Tasting Table

The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh plans to make the state a hub of electric vehicles and drone units.

The Technical Education Department in Uttar Pradesh has decided to encourage technical and vocational institutes to introduce courses tailored to suit the requirements of these industries.

"Electric vehicle and drone industries are two most booming segments in the technology sector. Experts suggest that these segments are set to expand in the coming days. We want to enable students to benefit from this boom," said Alok Kumar, secretary, technical education.

"The industrial training institutes (ITIs) in the state could introduce courses in drone pilot and drone technicians' courses soon," he said.

The technical education department has asked educational institutes and experts from the concerned industries to curate a course which can be introduced at the earliest.

"The move is part of our efforts to introduce job-oriented courses. The technical education department also takes suggestions from representatives of various segments in the industries to refine technical courses," he said.

He added that courses in machine learning and artificial intelligence have already been introduced.

Professor P K Mishra, vice-chancellor of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University (AKTU) said, "In addition to training of manpower in assembly and flying, AKTU will also be involved in research and development in the area. A state of art workshop will be organised at the Centre for Advanced Studies at the university too," he said.

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The above article has been published from a wire agency with minimal modifications to the headline and text.

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Futuristic India: Uttar Pradesh to Be the Next Hub for Electrical Vehicles and Drone Units | The Weather Channel - Articles from The Weather Channel |...

Image by Getty Images/Futurism

In her new book The Genesis Machine, futurist and founder of the Future Today Institute Amy Webb warns that terrorists could create synthesized viruses in a lab and use them for nefarious purposes.

Scientists have managed to replicate potentially harmful viruses like the poliovirus and smallpox before. Its a contentious issue: somesay the work could lead to scientific breakthroughs, but to others it amounts togovernment-funded saber-rattling.

In an excerpt from the book published this week by The Atlantic, Webb points out that in 2011, Erasmus Medical Center virologist Ron Fouchier was able to change the DNA of the H5N1 bird flu virus to make it transmissible from bird to humans and from human to human.

Fouchiers research was funded by the US government, according to Webb, but due to the sheer risks involved, the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity asked academic journals to redact portions of Fouchiers paper to ensure details didnt end up in the wrong hands.

Then in 2017, the Trump administration revealed new guidelines on ways to fund and encourage the study of gain-of-function projects, meaning research that alters the genetics of microorganisms to enhance their biological functions.

To other nations, this broadcasts a clear message, Webb writes. The United States is working on viral bioweapons. The last thing we need right now is a biological arms race.

But the cat is out of the bag open-source research papers and even mail-order genetic material that can be used in home labs could land in the hands of bad actors, according to the researcher.

Other scientists agree as well. In a 2020 paper on the future threat of synthetic biology, a team of researchers warned that engineered pathogens could be used to build unnatural biological weapons.

And its a very real threat, especially considering in most cases, there are no vaccines.

Traditional force protection the security strategies to keep populations safe wont work against an adversary that has adapted gene products or designer molecules to use as bioweapons, Webb argues in her book.

Webb is not only one with such a view.

If youre deliberately trying to create a pathogen that is deadly, spreads easily, and that we dont have appropriate public health measures to mitigate, biosecurity expert Piers Millett told Vox in 2018, then that thing you create is amongst the most dangerous things on the planet.

Any potential answers to weaken the threat would be far from straightforward.

Banning gain-of-function research isnt tantamount to stopping work on synthetic viruses, vaccines, antivirals, or virus tests altogether, she added, adding that they could be harnessed for beneficial functions such as antibiotics as well.

But given the risks involved, she said, we should monitor this type of work as closely as we monitor the development of nuclear technologies.

READ MORE: The Next Pandemic Could Start With a Terrorist Attack [The Atlantic]

More on viruses: Elon Musk Goes on Paranoid Rant About Vaccines

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Scientists Warn That Terrorists Could Release a Horrifying Virus - Futurism

Looks like Teslas in hot water again.Limited Range

Looks like Teslas in hot water again and this time its from South Korea.

Antitrust regulators there are investigating the electric carmaker for allegations that it exaggerated how far its cars can drive on a single charge, Reuters reports. If true, Tesla could be in violation of the countrys Act on Fair Labeling and Advertising.

We plan to hold a meeting to decide the level of sanctions against the automaker, a Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) official told the news organization.

Tesla claims that its Model 3 has an estimated range of 358 miles on a single charge, according to its website. However, the KFTC says that cold temperatures can bring that range down dramatically, which would amount to false advertising.

Cold weather can indeed impact how long electric cars can hold a charge as well as how long it takes to charge it, according to a report from electric car battery research firm Recurrent (which has no relation to Futurisms owner, Recurrent Ventures), due to how low temperatures slow down the chemical reactions in battery cells.

If the KFTC finds Tesla guilty, itll be yet another stumble for a company thats been having quite the optics struggle as of late. Earlier this month, the company was sued by a former employee who claims she suffered rampant racism and painful abuses reminiscent of the Jim Crow erawhile working there.

READ MORE: S. Korea investigates possible exaggerated advertising in Teslas mileage [Reuters]

More on Tesla: Elon Musk Says Tesla Doesnt Make Political Contributions Even Though It Absolutely Does

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Tesla Accused of Exaggerating How Far Its Cars Can Drive on a Charge - Futurism

I saw absolutely no synergy between working for a manufacturer of washing machines and the kind of thing I normally do. But it turns out you can do quite a lot of design work on a rectangle, laughs J Mays. J isnt some affectation, but his given first name, and Mays has recently finished a three year posting with the white goods manufacturer Whirlpool, during which, among other brands, he revamped the swanky stand mixer concern KitchenAid.

He says he came to appreciate, especially during the pandemic, just how much the kitchen is the heartbeat of a family home, but for 40-plus years hes been more comfortable in the garage. Mays headed the design teams behind the likes of the Audi TT, the Aston Martin DB9, the New Beetle, the Land Rover LR3/Discovery, the benchmark 021C concept car with Marc Newson, as well as Fords update of the Mustang and one of its global best-sellers, the 2011 Fiesta. Indeed, for some 16 years he was Fords chief creative officer.

These days hes teaching car design at the Royal College of Art in London and pondering his next move furniture, maybe while overhauling his house there. Outside is parked a Ford Ranger Wildtrak; one perk of his past employment is a lifetime supply of Ford cars.

I got it to help me move house, but then got stuck with it due to this global supply shortage of [silicon] chips, he says. I dont think my neighbors know what to make of it. Some think its cool. Others I think are appalled by its sheer Americanness. I think some think its an F-150. And I have to tell them, No, thats waaaay bigger

As an insider to the design process, Mays isnt overly concerned with the image his car projects. But he remains certain its projection and fantasy that still shape our car choices. Our homes are what we are, what we drive is who we want to be is his mantra. Its why a driver of the new Defender, he suggests by way of example, is unlikely to need the extra water packs you can affix to its side. But it looks cool, he says. It gives the driver the opportunity to escape reality. Hes big on car design being able to, as he puts it, be part of a cultural narrative. And thats why hes somewhat down on the quality of car design today.

I dont want to sound like the old guy bemoaning the good old days, says Mays, who grew up in Oklahoma around his parents auto parts shop and then studied car design at the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, but theres the death of nuance in almost all our culture nowadays its just louder and cruder and you can see that in the cars coming out too. Language without culture is a dead language, and design language without culture is a dead design language, too, because theres no dialogue you can create with potential customers. Theres no relationship there. Its not easy to design a distinctive car, but its not that hard either. And theres a lot of vanilla out there now.

(L-R) Phil Martens, Bill Ford and J Mays show off the new Ford Mustang in Detroit in 2004.

Bill Pugliano/Getty

Its why Mays is big on car designs being rooted in their country of origin, even Americanness in a leafy London suburb. It may play to stereotype, but Germans propensity towards the decorous, detail-oriented and craft-minded shows in their cars, he contends. That kind of association gives people a visual receipt for what theyre interested in buying into, he explains. People want a Mustang in part because theyre buying into that old American notion of unlimited freedom, of all roads heading west. And it can work against you too. When General Motors bought Hummer it was just as Hummer was coming to be associated with the Iraq War. But a Range Rover is still pure Balmoral and the [British] Royal Family. Drivers want to connect to this kind of thing.

Its why, he says, the updated Fiat 500 has become a talisman of national pride for Italy, and why the Mini, a reworking of the swinging 60s classic, mostly works. Its also why the lookalike Opel Adam just doesnt. Theres no story there to be told, says Mays.

Free of any industry ties, Mays is happy to speak candidly like this. He lauds Land Rover, Porsche and especially Volvo for their exemplary expressions of their founding cultures; not so much Mercedes and another old employer, BMW, which seems to be all over the place at the moment. Its often designers who get the blame for a bland car as they take the glory for an iconic one but, Mays says, its typically management that has to be held responsible. And the marketing team, he adds: Its easy to accumulate the data to say you should make a car that looks like the three others already in that category. Well, that doesnt make for a more interesting car

It helps to make for the likes of the Ford Five Hundred, by his own admission, one of his misfires. Thats the thing I still cant believe I had a hand in designing, he moans. It was just so derivative, so generic. I did do a few stinkers. The [revamped] Thunderbird hasnt held up well. The Audi TT has.

Thats because the TT, truly an iconic car, arguably best exemplifies Mayss distinctively curvy, at once familiar and futuristic, period-inflected aesthetic that has been referred to as retro. Just check out his woefully underrated Ford Flex. Indeed, he kickstarted a derivative retro theme across the industry. Not that it was referred to as such. It makes me cringe when I hear car designers say, Oh, I dont want to do retro, says Mays. Why not?! Theres this slightly elitist attitude towards referencing the past, but if we didnt have retro in other creative disciplines, film, for example, wed hardly have any films at all. Retro helps the customer connect the dots to what the story of a car is.

Its not just about being cute. If you want cute, look perhaps to the automobiles in the Disney-Pixar animated Cars franchise or, better still, Zootopia, because Mays designed those too. And theres some challenge in designing a car for a giraffe, or for a moose, he chuckles. I couldnt work out where to put the mooses antlers so I opted for a convertible. It may have been an animation but it was all still about serious design. But then cars and animals are so often connected, if only just in name: from the Barracuda to the Wildcat, via the Colt, Puma and Scorpion, and, of course, Mays Mustang and Beetle. I think, he suggests, again there must be some connection to the wild animal we see ourselves as being like, or the one wed like to ride. It doesnt always work though. The AMC Marlin anyone? The VW Rabbit?

Yet the Rabbit sounds about right for cars denuded of the combustion engine, of the oily smells and guttural noises that can make driving a multi-sensory experience. The age of the electric vehicle may bring an end to all that. And yet, somewhat surprisingly, Mays is right behind this revolution, while conceding that the speed with which it actually comes about is likely less about the vehicles themselves so much as the much harder task of establishing the energy supply and the infrastructure to charge them, especially in a country so geographically vast and diverse as the U.S. That, he suggests, will require collaboration between governments and carmakers, and hes not so sure how proactive either side is being. Happen, though, it must.

Its true that were losing the romance that cars had when musicians used to write songs about cars, says Mays. But theres been a generational shift. I read a study which suggests that if youre in your 50s, say, you still trust an aircraft with analog dials, but that if youre in your 30s youre more comfortable with there being a digital interface. It used to be that youd see a Rolls-Royce and think, Wow, impressive. And now you think, Wow, thats tone deaf. Times change. And thats fine. I think Ive probably said all I have to say in car design anyway.

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After a Career Dreaming Up Cars, J Mays Is Ready to Say What He Really Thinks - InsideHook

Stunning might be the best way to describe Starward Industries debut trailer for The Invincible, as the inhospitable alien planet of Regis III strikes a fine balance between barren and captivating. The little we have seen so far of the game has been highly polished, an impressive feat considering the scale of the world and the developers status as an independent studio. The Invincibles source material, a novel from Stanisaw Lem of the same name, likewise provides fertile soil for gamers hoping for a new retro-futuristic universe to explore. We had the opportunity to interview Starward founder Marek Markuszewski to learn more about The Invincible, including in-depth details about its story-driven structure and how it will immerse us in its world in a way most games have not.

As a bonus, check out an exclusive piece of backpack concept art below.

The Escapist: Tell us about yourself and your role at Starward Industries. Why is the team at Starward the perfect group to tackle something like The Invincible?

Marek Markuszewski: My name is Marek Markuszewski, I am the founder of the studio, and the man behind the idea of adapting one of Lems prose, which thankfully is an idea that everyone in the studio is on board with! Many of the people at Starward have previously worked on larger-scale projects such as The Witcher franchise, Dying Light, and loads more. I myself have gained experience over the years at CD Projekt Red as a producer on titles such as The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine.

Our studio was built from scratch. I strongly bet on the experience and independence of potential coworkers. This is how in the beginning I managed to select a dozen or so amazing people. And now we are a group of more than 20 creative individuals with different skills and specializations, who together form a complete, mutually inspiring creative organism. It was about choosing people who are not only extremely talented and experienced, but also ones that can quickly find themselves in the project and understand the idea behind our first game and the studio itself. We are committed to making games where quality comes first.

Can you walk me through The Invincibles core gameplay loop?

Marek Markuszewski: The Invincible is first and foremost a narrative-driven game. Its a game in which the story takes center stage. While playing, we want players to be transported to a different world. To give players as much of a sense of being someone else, we centered our gameplay around immersion. Any action that the player will perform, we designed and implemented it so that it supports the narrative at any given moment.

Thinking about gameplay mechanics, our dialogue system is quite a feature and plays a major role in the game. We have a few pieces of equipment that stay with Yasna for most of the time and help her survive, navigate, search, communicate, and solve the unknowns.

Lets talk about scope. How big is Regis III?

Marek Markuszewski: Regis III is similar to Mars in size. However, we do not offer a whole planet to explore. Its not an open-world game, but we do have some semi-open-world areas along our path, with different sizes depending on whether were traveling on foot or we have vehicles available like rovers, transporters, energobots, or maybe even flying saucers. Our journey will lead you through several distinctive environments offering very different themes, moods, and experiences.

Can we expect The Invincible to be a long game, or is this a shorter experience?

Marek Markuszewski: Were aiming for a shorter but intensive experience. You can expect several hours of main storyline and an additional few hours of side activities. Players can explore their surroundings and find additional information which may have an impact on the ending.

Will The Invincible be an action-oriented experience, a slow-burn sci-fi adventure focused on telling a gripping story, or maybe something in-between?

Marek Markuszewski: Its a rather unhurried, but a very intense story like Lems book itself. The focus is on the experience within the given environments. Each successive story episode brings the player closer to the truth and awakens inner reflections, providing a great emotional charge. Moving around Regis III, the player becomes a witness to unusual phenomena, and the people they meet along the way add to the slow change that takes place within the main characters.

We put great emphasis on the construction of the world, on the creation of characters, their motivation, personality, dialogues, and choices. To us, this could be the trick that can guarantee a cinematic experience. But The Invincible is also, or perhaps above all, an adventure with twists and turns. There will be moments where you will have to make tough decisions, tough choices, and time will not be on your side. Those moments will create tension. And there will be a few moments of action too.

How will The Invincible offer an immersive experience? Im curious to know if there will be a traditional HUD or if Starward is going for a more minimalistic approach.

Marek Markuszewski: Were taking a minimalistic approach with designing HUD elements, definitely. However, were not taking any shortcuts with interactions all of those have full animation support, letting players feel closer as the protagonist with the world and objects around them.

There are plenty of elements and mechanics that strengthen the immersiveness of The Invincible. To give you a few examples: We have a complex system for basic movement simulating wearing a space suit with a heavy helmet. No fake effect on HUD or fixed helmet to camera its a real 3D object visible from the FPP (first-person perspective) camera, behaving according to the characters state and movement of the head, with environment effects visible on the front glass shield like dust, rain, or the steam of a breathing character. Our character also leaves a variety of marks on the ground such as footsteps, which are different depending on the type of terrain. The terrain type and its slope influence the speed of movement and animations.

Were of course building an immersive world with consistent well-researched and thought-through design of surroundings, vehicles, and robots. We want everything in that world to be there for a reason.

To give you another example from a different design area, we want to take immersion much further through our approach to the dialogue system and dialogues in general. Our character does not speak without the players input. Players do decide when Yasna should start a conversation and what tone she goes with. We want our dialogues to be natural, organic, and smooth, both in tone and in design.

What sort of tone is Starward going for in The Invincible?

Marek Markuszewski: Our games tone is quite bitter, but not without a spark of hope for the future. It is about humanity as such, its penchant for extending the boundaries of Earth and the consequences that follow. We tell the story of man using both elements of irony, praising his achievements, and presenting the complexity of the human individual.

Its described as a thriller, but is The Invincible a scary game?

Marek Markuszewski: In The Invincible you wont have any jumpscares, but in the course of the gameplay the player should feel anxiety. Inner uncertainty, the feeling of being lost, fear of the unknown is intertwined in the game with the real, external threat to the protagonists life and fear for her companions. I think players will get a sense of unease by the discovery that theyll make on Regis III, a scientific phenomenon and a reflection on the human species. However, the game The Invincible is also full of winks and ironic comments which we hope gives it a bit of lightness too.

What are some examples of how players can guide the direction of the games story?

Marek Markuszewski: The games style of progression is linear, with the games story and direction closely linked to the players choices. We wanted people to have a personal experience, in which they direct the story through the words they pick and actions they take. There will be moments in which you will have to choose your course of action.

Do you ignore your commanders advice and take a route which your instinct says its right, or do you follow the mission plan? Do you take one particular route through a dangerous passageway that will buy you more time, or do you stay on safe ground and risk that the time thats afforded to you will run out? The choices players will make will not only impact the mission, but also that of their relationships with other characters. They will also lead to one of the multiple endings that we have in our game.

The Invincible is inspired by Stanisaw Lems novel of the same name. Can you talk about the connections to the novel and similarities we can expect in the game?

Marek Markuszewski: We use Lems description of the world and technology, and we weave and incorporate his concepts and ideas on humanity and what we can possibly find in this vast universe. We also keep the atmosphere from the book and its message. We have provided iconic scenes from the book but with new characters embedded. The players can also meet its characters, but the events we tell in the game are shown from a new perspective. Fans of the book will come across those memorable scenes that Lem brought to us all those years ago.

In short, we didnt want to tamper with the characters and events of the book. I think that thanks to our chosen treatment, and our adaptation of the source material to our medium and our chosen genre (a FPP narrative adventure), we create a version of events that will also give something new to the fans of the book itself.

What are some of the challenges that come with adapting literature into a video game?

Marek Markuszewski: Adapting books always involves considerable challenges, but it is also a huge opportunity. By translating literature into game scenarios we can offer readers a deeper, more interactive experience. We also work with material that is often already well established in culture, tested as a source of reflection, entertainment, and reaching out to people.

However, this is not an easy process. We have to deal with specific rules in the world of the literary original, the already established visions of fans, the vision of the space, or the assumptions towards the characters. As with any visual adaptation, our vision of the source materials might be different to someone else. Defining a new complex world is also a great challenge. We had to create a visual world and fill it with details which sometimes were mentioned in the book without descriptions. However, we do hope that people will feel that we did the book justice and that we can bring even more new people to the worlds and stories written by Lem.

Can we expect the PC and console versions to launch simultaneously?

Marek Markuszewski: Yes. We plan to release The Invincible simultaneously on both consoles and PC.

Is there anything else youd like to add about The Invincible, Starward, adaptations, or anything else?

Marek Markuszewski: We encourage everyone to get a feel of the atmosphere of the game by visiting our website: theinvinciblegame.com. You can find a lot of interesting materials, regularly developing comic stories interweaving with the story from the game, news from our studio, and loads more. Join us on our socials too for all those little sneaky little bites of info. And finally, add us to your Wishlist on Steam and Follow our News updates there. We will be sharing more info on The Invincible throughout the year.

We thank Marek Markuszewski for his time! The Invincible is currently scheduled to launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X | S, and PC in 2022.

This interview about The Invincible has been edited for clarity and brevity.

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The Invincible Interview: A Fully Immersive Retro-Futuristic Adventure - The Escapist

The American Wests megadrought has made the region the driest its been in more than a millennium, scientists say.

A new paper in thejournal Nature Climate Change details work studying the soil in the Southwestern United States that found that the years between 2000 and 2021 was the driest 22-year period since at least 800 CE.

When measuring soil moisture in the Southwest and reconstructing conditions from centuries past, UCLA climate scientist and lead author of the study Park Williams toldthe Associated Press that when it comes to the megadrought the US entered in the early 2000s, the worst-case scenario keeps getting worse.

Before 2021, Williams and his co-researchers Benjamin Cook and Jason Smerdon of Columbia Universitys Lahmont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, NY hypothesized that the years 2000-2018 megadrought was the driest on record for the region since the 1500s a record its now surpassed, thanks to the new findings.

By studying ancient records in the form of tree rings, the researchers found that 2002 was the driest single year on record since 1580 until 2021, that is.

I was wondering if wed ever see a year like 2002 again in my life and in fact, we saw it 20 years later, within the same drought, Williams toldthe AP.

Researchers had hoped this uberdrought might be abating in 2019 due to record rainfalls, but found in 2020 that it was only getting worse, the AP reports.

For this drought to have just cranked up back to maximum drought intensity in late 2020 through 2021 is a quite emphatic statement by this 2000s drought saying that were nowhere close to the end, Williams told the AP, adding that so far, the drought in 2022 has already been five percent drier than the previous record from the 16th century.

Beyond measuring the American Wests driest epochs, the researchers also calculated its causes and, very unsurprisingly, found that 42 percent of this megadrought is associated with anthropogenic (read: human-caused) climate change.

This is right in line with what people were thinking of in the 1900s as a worst-case scenario, Williams told the AP. But today I think we need to be even preparing for conditions in the future that are far worse than this.

As Jonathan Overpeck, the dean of environment at the University of Michigan, told the news wire, this study is an important wake-up call.

Climate change is literally baking the water supply and forests of the Southwest, Over peck continued, and it could get a whole lot worse if we dont halt climate change soon.

READ MORE:West megadrought worsens to driest in at least 1,200 years [The Associated Press]

More megadroughts:Scientist Warns of Megadrought That Could Collapse Entire Civilizations

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The American West's "Megadrought" Is The Worst It's Been in 1,200 Years - Futurism

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has reportedly donated roughly $5.74 billion of $16.4 billion worth he got from selling five million Tesla shares last year to charity, MarketWatch reports and the contribution appears to have been made just days after UN World Food Program (WFP) executive director David Beasley called on Musk to contribute billions toward battling the world hunger crisis.

Theres just one problem: we have no idea where the money went. And Musk may have also used the opportunity to reap the tax benefits of making such a large donation the oldest move in the billionaire playbook.

Back in November, Musk balked at the suggestion, taking Beasleys suggestion wildly out of context.

If WFP can describe on this Twitter thread exactly how $6B will solve world hunger, I will sell Tesla stock right now and do it, Musk tweeted at the time. But it must be open source accounting, so the public sees precisely how the money is spent.

Beasley fired back, though, providing a detailed plan on how the funds would be spent.

If the latest report turns out to be true, theres a chance Musk may have been impressed by that effort and decided to pony up.

It sounds as though the WFP hasnt received any funds yet, though.

Whether WFP receives any of this money is yet to be seen, but I am excited to hear that Elon is engaged, Beasley told MarketWatch in a statement on Tuesday. This is an amazing and great first step.

Musk also reached out to his Twitter followers in January to figure out what causes to donate to.

[By the way], critical feedback is always super appreciated, as well as ways to donate money that really make a difference (way harder than it seems), he wrote.

Theres a decent chance Musk poured the money into his own philanthropic organization, the Musk Foundation. He wouldnt be the first billionaire to have stuffed their own charities.

The donation makes Musk Americas second-biggest donor after Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates in 2021, according to Reuters. But it still amounts to a tiny fraction of his net worth.

Musk also spent much of his time last year whining about taxation plans put forward by US politicians Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, calling them out for going after the ultra rich.

Then in December, Musk bragged that he will pay over $11 billion in taxes this year, an amount that roughly makes up the rest of the five million Tesla shares he didnt donate to charity.

And if you opened your eyes for 2 seconds, you would realize I will pay more taxes than any American in history this year, he added. Dont spend it all at once oh wait you did already.

But many experts saw through the ruse. The shares are a ticking tax time bomb, as Brian Foley, an executive compensation consultant, told The New York Times in November. Offhand I cant think of any way for him to get around paying the tax.

Donating, of course, couldve saved Musk a sizeable sum.

His tax benefit would be huge, Bob Lord, associate fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, told Reuters. Hed save between 40% and 50% of the $5.7 billion in tax, depending on whether he could take the deduction against his California income and hed avoid the gains tax he would have to pay if he sold the stock.

Its still unclear,in other words,whether Musk decided to give away billions for the good of the world or to minimize his tax bill. But in either case, its arguably better than nothing.

READ MORE: Elon Musk gave 5 million Tesla shares to charity, but World Food Program has not received anything yet [MarketWatch]

More on Musk and charity: Theres a Reason Elon Musk Is Suddenly Desperate to Sell Tesla Stock

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Elon Musk May Have Donated $6 Billion to Fight World Hunger, But Nobody Seems Sure - Futurism