Rich nations fall short on climate finance pledge

Wealthy countries are falling short on a decade-old promise come due to ramp up climate finance for the developing world, according to a semi-official report released Friday.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-rich-nations-fall-short-climate.html

Scientists and students publish blueprints for a cheaper single-molecule microscope

A team of scientists and students from the University of Sheffield has designed and built a specialist microscope, and shared the build instructions to help make this equipment available to many labs across the world.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-scientists-students-publish-blueprints-cheaper.html

Climate change and food demand could shrink species' habitats by almost a quarter by 2100

Mammals, birds and amphibians worldwide have lost on average 18% of their natural habitat range as a result of changes in land use and climate change, a new study has found. In a worst-case scenario this loss could increase to 23% over the next 80 years.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-climate-food-demand-species-habitats.html

TikTok owner ByteDance eyes asset listings in Hong Kong: report

ByteDance, the Chinese parent of viral video platform TikTok, is in talks to raise $2 billion from investors before a possible listing of some of its businesses in Hong Kong, according to a report.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-11-tiktok-owner-bytedance-eyes-asset.html

Ancient skeleton find in Germany offers clues on prehistoric era

German researchers are piecing together the life of a prehistoric woman who died more than 5,000 years ago in the Neolithic period, after her skeleton was found during excavation works for wind turbines.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-ancient-skeleton-germany-clues-prehistoric.html

Could PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X be swansong for consoles?

The upcoming release of a ninth generation of video game consoles by Sony and Microsoft is set to be a sales slam dunk with consumers seeking entertainment during pandemic confinement, but could it also be their swansong as the habits of gamers change?

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-11-playstation-xbox-series-swansong-consoles.html

Indonesians collect old phones to help students get online

When a garbage collector came to Ghina Ghaliya's house in the Indonesian capital and asked if she had an old mobile phone his children could use to access the internet, it sparked an idea for a broader campaign to help students stuck at home by the coronavirus.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-indonesians-students-online.html

Eta back to sea as Central America tallies damages and dead

As the remnants of Hurricane Eta moved back over Caribbean waters, governments in Central America worked to tally the displaced and dead, and recover bodies from landslides and flooding that claimed dozens of lives from Guatemala to Panama.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-eta-sea-central-america-tallies.html

Uber's food delivery business outshines core rides service

Uber's food delivery business brought in more money during the third quarter than its signature rides business, showing just how much consumer behavior has changed—and how far the company has adapted—since the pandemic struck.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-11-uber-food-delivery-business-outshines.html

WhatsApp takes on Google, Alibaba in India's phone payment battle

WhatsApp on Friday entered an increasingly tense battle between multinational giants such as Google and Alibaba for a chunk of India's fast growing digital payments market.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-11-whatsapp-google-alibaba-india-payment.html

Diversity, streaming reshape video games for a new generation

In the quarter of a century since Sony launched the groundbreaking PlayStation, video games have exploded into the biggest form of entertainment in the world, and analysts say the growing diversity of billions of players is reshaping the industry.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-11-diversity-streaming-reshape-video-games.html

Toyota ramps up full-year forecasts as sales recover

Toyota on Friday almost doubled its full-year forecasts, saying sales and production were recovering quickly from the coronavirus pandemic, which has shredded the global auto market this year.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-11-toyota-ramps-full-year-sales-recover.html

Court orders FDA to assess environmental impact of GM salmon

A federal court judge ordered the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday to conduct an environmental assessment of genetically modified salmon that he said was required for the agency's approval of the fish.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-court-fda-environmental-impact-gm.html

Virgin Galactic plans 1st New Mexico space launch this month

Virgin Galactic said Thursday that it expects to launch its first manned test flight into space from New Mexico this month.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-virgin-galactic-1st-mexico-space.html

Plastics and rising carbon dioxide levels could pose combined threat to marine environment

The combined environmental threat of plastic pollution and ocean acidification are having significant impacts on species living in our oceans, according to new research.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-plastics-carbon-dioxide-pose-combined.html

Game 'pre-bunks' political misinformation by letting players undermine democracy

A short online game in which players are recruited as a "Chief Disinformation Officer", using tactics such as trolling to sabotage elections in a peaceful town, has been shown to reduce susceptibility to political misinformation in its users.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-game-pre-bunks-political-misinformation-players.html