Latest news with #Ebb
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
A drop in the ocean: does experimental technology hold the key to saving the world's seas?
In October 2024, a US company called Ebb Carbon announced the world's largest marine carbon removal deal to date, signing a multimillion-dollar agreement with Microsoft to try to help fix a very real problem in the world's seas: ocean acidification. Ebb plans to use a method called electrochemical ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) to mimic the natural process of ocean alkalisation – in other words, it wants to add huge amounts of alkaline materials to ocean waters that scientists now know are acidifying at an alarming rate. Ebb is not alone. In September 2024, Canada's Planetary Technologies raised just over $11m (£8m) from companies including Evok Innovations and BDC Capital to enhance ocean alkalinity, while in 2025, another firm, Equatic, sold 60,000 carbon removal credits to Boeing, to enable it to do the same. The sector's growth – part of the larger carbon removal market – has been astronomic, and has started to ring alarm bells for many ocean scientists across the world. 'The jury's still out on the damage that OAE could do,' says Dr James Kerry, an expert on coral reefs and senior research fellow at James Cook University. He says if too much alkalinity is added to the water, an event called precipitation can occur: carbonates could create minerals in the water that act as pollutants. 'It might block light levels; it might be mistaken as food by marine creatures.' Around the world, ocean acidification is rising. As the ocean absorbs 30% of excess atmospheric carbon, it sets up a chain of chemical reactions that results in the ocean's pH becoming dangerously acidic, which in turn affects humans and marine life. Global seawater pH has decreased 40% since preindustrial times, with nearly half of that decrease occurring since the 1980s. On the west coast of the Americas, upwellings of deep-sea waters contributed to a mass acidification event in 2012 which contributed to kelp forests dying along more than 220 miles (350km) of coastline. These shifts in the ocean's acidity affect the smallest creatures most, in particular crustaceans such as shellfish or crabs, which are unable to build their skeletons in such conditions. While few doubt that ocean acidification is a real and growing problem, the concern is that the science behind geoengineering solutions, which manipulate the Earth's natural processes to try to solve a problem, is in its infancy. Yet hundreds of millions of dollars are being poured into enacting these solutions. Big companies buy credits in carbon dioxide (CO2) removal projects as a way to offset their own emissions, allowing them to meet their sustainability targets or comply with regulations. Total carbon removal purchases (not just those for marine projects) rose from £41m in 2022 to more than £1.9bn in 2024, according to the Wall Street Journal. Some experts say the industry could grow to £37bn by 2030, driven by industries that struggle to reduce their emissions, in particular aviation, cement and steel production. We'll be able to de-acidify the coastal ocean, which is where most of the life forms thrive Ben Tarbell, CEO, Ebb Carbon 'In all sorts of mitigation approaches, everything is about scale,' said Dr Christopher Gobler of Stony Brook University. 'If not scaled large enough, they'll have no effect. If over-scaled, they could push pH too high, which could create problems for certain organisms, such as sea grasses.' Ben Tarbell, CEO of Ebb, says that the question of scale is 'fundamental to any climate solution' and that the firm is conscious of doing this safely and responsibly. 'We precisely measure and meter alkalinity that is introduced to the ocean,' he says. 'We continuously track key water indicators like pH, and can shut down automatically if any thresholds are approached.' He also points to a study done with scientists and the local Lower Elwha Klallam tribe in Port Angeles, Washington, that the company undertook into testing the effects of alkaline enhancement on salmon in carefully controlled conditions. As the industry moves forward, many are looking to Ebb and its Microsoft deal to see what happens next. Now operating in Washington state in the US at less than 100 tons a year of carbon removal, this summer the company will move to a new plant in Port Angeles, just 30 miles (50km) away, which can remove 1,000 tons of carbon a year. 'This plant will enable us to have confidence to then build much, much bigger plants,' says Tarbell. The company builds its infrastructure on to existing desalination plants. 'Our approach to ocean alkalinity enhancement can achieve over 2bn tons of CO2 removal a year in the coming decades.' He adds: 'We will not fix the entire bulk of the ocean, but we'll be able to de-acidify the coastal ocean, which is where most of the life forms thrive.' Since the technologies these companies use are new, international and national legislative bodies are struggling to keep up. . While an international legal consensus on how to control ocean alkalinity enhancement is reached, some companies are forging ahead with field trials. In 2022, Canada's Planetary Technologies drew ire for its experiments in St Ives Bay in Cornwall, UK. Its ocean alkalinity enhancement techniques became the target of a months-long campaign by local people, surfers, wildlife organisations and business owners, who all felt that they were not given sufficient information about what damage these experiments might do. Some, such as Sue Sayer, founder of the Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust, worried about damage to the local ecosystem, in particular the grey seal population. 'In the best-case scenario, there are no impacts on the seals; in the worst-case scenario there's no fish, no seals, no surfers, no tourism, no economy,' she said at the time of the protests. Related: How the 'evil twin' of the climate crisis is threatening our oceans Planetary Technologies no longer operates in the UK, but by 2024 it had announced a new round of funding, including a carbon credit sale to Microsoft. It said in April this year that the Cornish trial 'demonstrated great potential' but that it had since decided not to pursue a full programme in Cornwall 'due to commercial infeasibility'. When asked about its new round of funding and the Cornwall protests, the company declined to comment. Many scientists are not opposed to exploring the possibilities of geoenginering, especially as the pressure to do something more than simply reduce emissions grows. 'The ultimate cause of global ocean acidification is rising CO2 to the atmosphere from rising emissions,' says Gobler. But, he says, as the 'toolbox' to fight emissions is being developed, 'being able to examine the net CO2 effect of each approach probably should be a consideration'. Brad Ack, CEO of Ocean Visions, a marine carbon removal nonprofit, underlines this. 'There's one driver line of pain that we're seeing on the planet, and that is the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. And there's only two ways to affect that. One is to stop putting the CO2 in, and the other is to take it out.' But many want to look at other solutions first and are worried about the speed of progress of this manmade approach. Kerry suggests looking to more nature-based solutions, such as marine habitat restoration and protection as a way to mitigate the problem. Other issues that firms face is accurately assessing how much carbon is removed by OAE. Factors as varied as water depth, temperature, tides and seafloor variability all affect how much atmospheric carbon is removed and how long it will be sequestered. Dr David Ho, of [C]Worthy, a marine carbon removal nonprofit that offers formulas for techniques such as ocean alkalinity enhancement, believes that carbon removal efforts should be driven at government level. 'It makes sense that these companies have to sell credits to survive,' he says. 'At the same time, they have no way to prove that what they're doing is effective – that's a big problem.' • This article was amended on 10 June 2025. Global seawater pH has decreased by 40% since preindustrial times, not increased by 40% as stated in an earlier version.
Winnipeg Free Press
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Playing the team game
Small Ceremonies is the debut novel of Kyle Edwards, an Anishinaabe writer and journalist from Lake Manitoba First Nation and a member of Ebb and Flow First Nation. Edwards was previously named Emerging Indigenous Journalist by the Canadian Association of Journalists, and is currently a provost fellow at the University of Southern California. (In 2014, Edwards was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press sport department.) Despite its title, the novel engages with big societal issues through vibrant, colourful characters. The novel takes place in Winnipeg's North End and explores the lives of urban Indigenous people, most of whom lack connection to a First Nation, except for one family displaced by flooding. The book's central characters are Tomahawk (Tommy) Shields and Clinton Whiteway, two Grade 12 students attending the fictional St Croix high school, where they play for the Tigers, the school's hockey team. The team has never won a game in living memory; this could be its last season, as the league plans to expel the Tigers, supposedly due to safety concerns of visiting teams. JEMIMAH WEI PHOTO Kyle Edwards' debut novel features a large cast of characters, each of whom are given an opportunity to speak their truth. The book takes place over Tommy and Clinton's final year of high school as the Tigers battle through loss after loss, getting close to victory but never quite tasting it. This is a symphonic novel with a large number of characters, each receiving their own chapter or chapters, reminiscent of katherena vermette's The Circle, where each participant in a sentencing circle is given an opportunity to speak their truth. In Small Ceremonies we hear from an unnamed omniscient narrator and 13 other characters. It can be difficult at times to keep track of the relationship between characters and the main plot of the novel, the further the narrative strays from the Tigers and their hockey season. However, these other voices provide a deeper understanding of the forces working against Tommy and Clinton. An important theme of the novel is the challenge faced by Indigenous youth from the North End as they attempt to better themselves. Some of the novel's most poignant moments come when Edwards describes the lives of criminally involved individuals and how pressure from others, bad choices, trauma and substance abuse come together in a potent mixture: 'to this day I can hear the cracking sound of his head hitting the ground, and as I darted toward my Corolla he stayed there, motionless and unconscious, and if I could do it differently today I believe I would stay there with him until help arrived. I have to believe it.' Another heart-wrenching chapter describes Tommy's alienation when he visits the University of Manitoba as a prospective student. As he approaches the campus, Edwards writes 'He knew nothing of the southern neighbourhoods of the city other than that's where richer people lived, and that's where the university was. He wasn't sure of the statistics, for all he knew he was wrong, but he was pretty sure no one like him lived out here, they were only visitors made to feel welcome.' However Tommy is resilient, as are many of the novel's characters, and later as he looks down at the Red River from a student residence, Edwards writes 'He had never seen the river from this high before, never fully grasped its size and beauty, how it appeared to be alive. He wondered where it began and why it was coming all this way and where it would take him.' Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. The large cast of characters also provides insight into the various perspectives that exist within Indigenous communities. We see the struggle to fit in experienced by Floyd Redhead, a St Croix student who is Afro-Indigenous. We also get to enjoy a success story via Tommy's sister, Sam, whose academic triumphs provide a needed injection of hope. Another character who is in many ways a success is Pete Mosienko, of mixed-race Indigenous and European heritage, who works at the Tigers' home arena and faithfully tends to the building and the ice despite the disappointment in his own past. As Tommy and Clinton careen through the hockey season, they encounter adults who help them and try to change the course of their lives for the better, as well as others who severely let them down. We see the impact of intergenerational trauma intersecting with systemic racism against Indigenous people, as illustrated by the continued lack of success of the Tigers, season after season. The hockey team's continued effort to buck the trend comes to embody the hopes of the entire community, which are very modest: one win would mean the world. Small Ceremonies The end of the novel may not satisfy all readers, as it feels a little rushed, and Edwards chooses stark realism over emotional fulfillment, allowing 'bad' characters to escape without consequence while 'good' characters pay the price. However, Small Ceremonies is an important and very moving read that brings attention to a part of our city where the stories of the people who walk the streets every day seldom enter the consciousness of those beyond the railroad tracks. Zilla Jones is a Winnipeg-based writer of short and long fiction. Her debut novel The World So Wide was published in April.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Headspace Unveils Stratified Care Model Powered by Empathetic AI Companion, Ebb
Headspace's proprietary empathetic AI companion is available today to over eight million employees and their families across 2,000+ companies Starting January 2026, AI triage will route employees to the right level of mental health care faster to improve clinical outcomes and lower costs for employers SANTA MONICA, Calif., May 21, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Headspace, the world's most accessible and comprehensive mental health platform, today unveiled its stratified care model for organizations, powered by Ebb, its empathetic AI companion. Traditional and new employee assistance programs (EAPs) often default to therapy, regardless of clinical necessity or individual preference. With this in mind, Headspace is taking a stratified approach to care, leveraging conversational AI to evaluate a member's needs, symptoms and risk factors at the onset and then intelligently guide them to the most appropriate level of care within Headspace's ecosystem—whether coaching, therapy, psychiatry, self-guided tools, or work-life services. By ensuring timely, appropriate support based on each person's needs, a stratified approach prevents downstream costs associated with worsening symptoms, comorbid conditions, and lost productivity—helping employers and health plans lower overall mental health spend. Headspace's new care model includes: Ebb, an empathetic AI companion for employees: Built by a team of clinical psychologists and data scientists, Ebb is a conversational AI tool trained in motivational interviewing, an evidence-based methodology that can help people make positive behavioral changes. With the guidance of Ebb, employees can engage in self-reflection, process thoughts and emotions, and receive personalized content recommendations from over 5,000 meditations and activities in the Headspace library. Headspace first launched its AI companion, Ebb, to its direct-to-consumer member base in the U.S., UK, Australia and Canada last fall. Since then, over two million messages have been exchanged on topics ranging from relationship challenges, work frustrations, sleep issues, boundaries and self-care. Smarter triage and personalized care plans that adapt to employee needs: The new care model uses a measurement-based care approach that combines clinically validated assessments with AI-driven insights to identify each member's needs, severity level, and preferences—resulting in care plans tailored to individual goals. As needs evolve, members stay engaged through real-time progress tracking, goal setting, and timely support from Ebb, content, a coach, or a therapist. Today 62% of Headspace's enterprise members engage in two or more care modalities, signaling the desire for a personalized, integrated care plan that fits into their daily lives. Personalized provider matching: Employees can access support across modalities—including 24/7 phone and text support, video, and in-person care—and select from over 15,000 licensed providers (plus 70,000+ via extended networks). Provider matching powered by machine learning will consider availability and identity preferences to foster strong therapeutic alliances, resulting in better outcomes. Whole-person support through benefits navigation: Employees can easily find the right care—whether that's mental health support or other employer-sponsored benefits. This connected experience improves benefits utilization and helps HR leaders connect physical and mental health benefits for holistic support. Global scalability with multilingual and culturally responsive care: Support will span more than 100 languages for clinical and coaching services, with award-winning content and navigation tools expanding to 27 languages—enabling scalable, culturally relevant mental health care for diverse global populations. "Everyone deserves mental health support—but not everyone needs the same kind," said Dr. Jenna Glover, Chief Clinical Officer at Headspace. "We were an early pioneer of end-to-end mental health care, knowing that people experience better outcomes when they engage in the right combination of human and self-guided care, not just a one-size-fits-all approach. We're now taking that to the next level with our stratified care model, which is designed to adapt with members as they move through their care journeys, ensuring they get what they need, when they need it." "A lot of traditional EAPs focus just on therapy, but we knew our team needed more than that," said Lisa Mosby, Chief People Officer at bartaco. "Sometimes it's therapy or coaching, sometimes it's a meditation or a sleepcast to unwind after a long shift. We wanted to make mental health support feel natural and accessible—something people could use every day, not just in a crisis. That's what made Headspace's approach stand out for us." To learn more about how Headspace supports more than 4,500 organizations globally, visit Availability: Ebb, Headspace's empathetic AI companion, is available to organizations as of May 2025. Smart triage and personalized care plans coming January 2026. Real-time progress tracking and goal setting will be available as of January 2026. Personalized provider matching coming January 2026. Digital benefits navigation will be available as of January 2026. Global language expansion will occur throughout 2026. About Headspace Headspace is your lifelong guide to better mental health. By combining AI and cutting edge technology, clinical science and human care, we provide people around the world with always-there support, ranging from our meditation and mindfulness content, self-guided care, mental health coaching, and therapy – all in one app. We partner with leading employers, health plans and partners, bringing even more support to their populations, including psychiatry, EAP, care navigation and work-life services. Our team of experts ranges from mental health clinicians to Emmy award-winning producers, and data scientists, working together as one to help millions of people around the world build resilience and feel better. In a busy, complicated world, Headspace is here to remind you that your mind matters. To learn more, please visit View source version on Contacts Sara LindseyDirector of Communications, Headspace919 802 8475press@
Time of India
16-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
NASA study reveals why the moon look so different on each side
NASA study reveals why the moon look so different on each side The moon, Earth's only natural satellite, has been a source of fascination for centuries, not just for its mesmerizing phases but also for the stark differences between its two sides. While the side that faces Earth, known as the nearside, is characterized by vast, dark plains called "mare," the far side is marked by rugged, heavily cratered terrain. This striking asymmetry has puzzled scientists for decades. Now, an in-depth study using data from NASA 's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission is providing new clues about why the moon's two hemispheres look so different. The findings, published in the journal Nature, shed light on the moon's internal structure, revealing significant differences between its nearside and farside that are deeply linked to its volcanic past and gravitational interactions with Earth. Understanding the GRAIL mission and its significance NASA's GRAIL mission, launched in 2011, consisted of two robotic spacecraft, Ebb and Flow, which orbited the moon to create the most detailed gravitational map of the lunar surface to date. The mission's primary goal was to measure variations in the moon's gravitational field, providing critical insights into its internal structure and geological history. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like ثلاجات غير مباعة متاحة الآن – انقر وشاهد الأسعار! ثلاجات | إعلانات البحث ابحث الآن Undo The GRAIL mission achieved this by precisely measuring the distance between the two spacecraft as they orbited the moon. Even tiny changes in this distance, caused by variations in the moon's gravitational pull, provided data about the moon's interior composition, crust thickness, and subsurface anomalies. This approach has proven crucial for understanding the forces that shaped the moon's contrasting hemispheres. Why the two sides of the moon are so different 1. Tidal deformation and gravitational asymmetry One of the key findings from the GRAIL mission is that the moon's interior is not uniform. Researchers discovered that the lunar nearside flexes slightly more than the farside during its elliptical orbit around Earth, a phenomenon known as tidal deformation. This difference in flexibility is primarily driven by Earth's gravitational pull, which exerts a greater influence on the side facing our planet. Ryan Park, the study's lead author and supervisor of the Solar System Dynamics Group at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, explained, 'Our study shows that the moon's interior is not uniform: the side facing Earth - the nearside - is warmer and more geologically active deep down than the farside.' This increased flexibility suggests that the lunar nearside has a significantly different internal structure, which likely played a role in its distinct surface features. 2. Volcanic activity and heat distribution The study also confirmed a long-standing theory that the moon's nearside was once more volcanically active than the farside. Billions of years ago, intense volcanic activity on the nearside led to the formation of vast plains of basaltic rock, which are still visible today as the dark regions known as "mare." In contrast, the farside is covered with lighter, older crust that has remained largely untouched by large-scale volcanic processes. According to the research, this volcanic activity concentrated heat-producing, radioactive elements like thorium and titanium in the nearside mantle, resulting in a significant temperature difference between the two hemispheres. The nearside mantle is estimated to be about 180-360 degrees Fahrenheit (100-200 degrees Celsius) hotter than the farside mantle, creating a long-term thermal imbalance that has shaped the moon's geology over billions of years. 3. Crustal thickness and surface composition Another major factor contributing to the moon's asymmetry is the difference in crustal thickness between the two sides. The GRAIL data revealed that the nearside crust is significantly thinner than the farside crust, allowing magma from the moon's interior to more easily reach the surface in the past, leading to extensive lava flows. This difference in crustal thickness likely explains why the nearside has large, flat plains while the farside remains rugged and heavily cratered. The thinner nearside crust also contributed to the accumulation of radioactive, heat-producing elements, further enhancing the thermal imbalance between the two hemispheres. Implications for lunar exploration and future missions The findings from the GRAIL mission have far-reaching implications for future lunar exploration. Understanding the moon's internal structure is critical for developing accurate lunar positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) systems, which will be essential for the success of future crewed missions to the moon and beyond. Additionally, the methods used in this study to map the moon's gravitational field could be applied to other celestial bodies, such as Saturn's moon Enceladus and Jupiter's moon Ganymede, both of which are considered potential candidates in the search for extraterrestrial life. Connecting lunar findings to Earth's stability Beyond its scientific interest, the moon plays a vital role in stabilizing Earth's rotation and generating ocean tides, which have shaped the evolution of life on our planet. Understanding the moon's internal dynamics and geological history not only deepens our knowledge of our closest neighbor but also provides insights into the early solar system and the forces that shaped it. As Park noted, 'Our knowledge of the moon has expanded through human and robotic missions that have revealed details about its surface and interior, yet many questions about its deep structure and history remain.' This continued exploration promises to uncover more secrets about the moon's complex geological past and its ongoing influence on Earth. Also read | NASA fired the employee they once celebrated, then tried to erase her story — here's who she is
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
The moon's very different sides explained in new NASA study
Scientists have discovered key differences under the moon's surface that may explain why its two hemispheres look so different. The moon's near side, the side visible to Earth, is dark and covered in the remnants of ancient lava flows. Its far side, which we can't see from Earth, is rugged and rocky. Scientists have long suspected the differences could be explained by what's inside the moon but until now, couldn't prove it. "We found that the moon's near side is flexing more than the far side, meaning there's something fundamentally different about the internal structure of the moon's near side compared to its far side," said Ryan Park, who led the team from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "When we first analysed the data, we were so surprised by the result we didn't believe it. So we ran the calculations many times to verify the findings. "In all, this is a decade of work." The team studied data gathered by the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission. Read more from climate, science and technology: For that mission, two spacecraft, Ebb and Flow, were sent to orbit the moon for a year between 2011 and 2012. They used that data to map how the moon responds to Earth's gravitational pull as it orbits. The moon's gravity slightly fluctuates as it circles the Earth which causes it to flex. That movement helped the scientists to understand the moon's deep internal structure and discovered that the moon's near side is internally warmer than its far side. Although this helps with crucial understanding of the moon, it may also help us understand other planets. In fact, the team have already used their technique to map the internal structures of planets like Jupiter and the Vesta asteroid. "There are many opportunities in the future to apply our technique for studying the interiors of intriguing planetary bodies throughout the solar system," said Mr Park.
