Month: March 2021

Categories
Entertainment

What to stay up for on TV this spring

What to look forward to on TV this spring

Spring has sprung, as has spring television.

Hopefully this particular spring will include plenty of rainy days, perfect for staying indoors and seeing the endless new seasons and new shows that are on the way over the next few months. There is a lot to get upset about and there is pretty much something for everyone that will be on their way very soon.

Perhaps you have been waiting for the new and final season of Supergirl or a new show about dog grooming! Both arrive on March 30th and Elliot Stabler returns to NBC on April 1st. 22 vets from The Challenge are returning for an All Stars season. Cristin Milioti tries to escape her technically brilliant husband in Made for Love, and Manifest eventually returns to that plane with some answers.

From there, April is a full TV party. The new seasons of Younger, Everything’s Gonna Be Okay and The Handmaid’s Tale are joined by the debuts of The CW’s Kung Fu, Netflix’s epic Shadow and Bone, ABC’s Rebel, Freeforms Cruel Summer, Kate Winslet as a detective in HBO’s Mare of Easttown, John Stamos on Disney + with Big Shot, Jamie Foxx‘s semi-autobiographical comedy on Netflix and Topher GraceReturn to TV sitcoms with Home Economics. And that’s only April!

Categories
Technology

Why Trump’s Social Media Community Will Be an Epic Failure

Why Trump's Social Media Network Will Be an Epic Failure

I’ve seen a lot of stupid startup pitches in my day, but a Donald Trump branded social media network takes the stupid pie.

I can only imagine that we are exactly two months before the FBI’s birthday and that Team Trump is determined to make the old agency perfect Gift this year. Or maybe Trump just likes losing money.

For those who aren’t up to date, here’s a video from Trump’s spokesman discussing the matter yesterday:

Donald Trump spokesman Jason Miller:

“I think we’ll see Pres. Trump is returning to social media with his own platform in likely two or three months. “Pic.twitter.com/csi3VUtzfs

– Alex Salvi (@alexsalvinews) March 21, 2021

Here’s the meat from Miller’s foray:

I think we’re going to see President Trump return to social media with his own platform in about two or three months. And this is something that I think will be the hottest ticket on social media. It will completely redefine the game and everyone will wait and watch to see what exactly President Trump does.

I honestly don’t think Trump is stupid enough to start his own social media network (Miller prefixed things with “I think”). I’m more inclined to believe that Gab or Parler or something like that will restart with a Trump partnership.

But I really hope so Trump founds his own network. As a journalist, it’s always nice to say, “I told you.” And like I said, the FBI would love it. I just don’t see how anyone with a basic understanding of the technology market can even imagine for a second that this is a viable concept.

Here’s why:

  • If the network were technically solid, innovative, and viable without Trump, you’d have to be an idiot to start it with it. Trump automatically cuts your potential US user base in half and gets worse in non-US markets.
  • A Trump social media network needs to be uncensored (or what’s the point?). But you can’t be both anonymous and uncensored if you want to avoid being completely bothered by trolls, bots, and bad actors.
  • If anonymous logins aren’t allowed, the FBI will park on them. It’s safe to say that a Trump network doesn’t have the resources to fend off the U.S. government like Apple.
  • Without self-regulation, an online business is not sustainable as there are only a limited number of hosts available on the scale required to support enough users to make a profit.
  • There aren’t enough hardcore, conservative advertisers for a Trump-branded social media network to operate under the traditional ad-based social media paradigm.

The core problem of a Trump network is the same as with any ad-based endeavor: you get more flies on honey than you do trying to convince people that the US government was overthrown by a plot against you.

It may sound like I’m joking here, but I’m not. That’s the problem. Trump’s brand is based on convincing people that he is the rightly elected President of the United States with no evidence to support that claim. The number of advertisers willing to pay money to support this idea is certainly small.

The only upside here is that Trump is very popular and people love to see what he’s going to do next. The downside is that he could be linked to another violent coup attempt at any time. Even if indirectly, until he recognizes the absolute legitimacy of the current US administration, it will be inextricably linked to acts of violence committed on his behalf by those who believe in his unfounded lies.

And as long as this is the case, his social media network cannot survive with traditional advertising revenue.

Of course, there are other ways to fund a social media company as well. Trump could target conservative major investors or develop a subscription-based model. But none of them are sustainable beyond a few months.

Social media companies need a massive user base to be profitable. And if you’re already restricting your audience to people who don’t find Trump uncomfortable, then it’s kind of silly to then further restrict it to people willing to pay for social media.

Trump may have conservative support in the upper echelons, but his main supporters are the workers who donate for his political causes. Like tithing in the Church, these supporters may not give in large amounts, but they do give often. And just like tithing in the Church, the relationship changes completely when a nominal fee is charged.

You can’t keep a social media network going with VC investments alone. Without advertising money or a massive subscriber base, the network is already doomed. Also, there will be bigger problems than just convincing donors or users to stand up for the privilege of supporting Trump:

A. The Trump Social Media Network will be the biggest hacking target there is.

B. When hacked, crimes will be exposed.

C. Many other crimes are publicly allowed because Trump supporters are not that smart.

– Brianna Wu (@BriannaWu) March 21, 2021

But let’s put on our fancy hats and our clown noses and pretend a Trump-backed social media network can do it make a profit. The next problem: Trump’s brand is anti-censorship.

Unfortunately for Team Trump, the reality of running a social media network is that you have two options: either prohibiting people from shouting “fire” in a crowded theater, or living with a paradigm that a large percentage of them do User is only there to scream “fire” in crowded theaters.

If you don’t have rules against harassment, all you have is harassment. This is just Internet 101. You can’t stop people from arguing. And unless you ban liberals or censor anti-conservative rhetoric, you will have a platform awash with people who oppose Trump, his views and his supporters.

The alternative is a censored network backed by Donald Trump – which would be really fun. Especially since conservatives are notorious for failing to understand the right to freedom of expression.

Image Credit: XKCD

So uncensored? Team Trump has to do what no other platform has managed: find a company willing to host an uncensored social media network. Which probably won’t happen, at least not in the US.

At least it has to be something Rules that prevent, for example, the recruiting of minors, the promotion of violence, and the sale of illegal weapons and drugs. And, as Parler found out the hard way, if you have policies against illegal activity and promoting violence, you need to demonstrate that you have the ability to deal quickly with users violating your regulations.

Trump is going to need a damn good AI team to create some powerful content moderation algorithms. It is one thing to label your network as conservative, another to relate it directly to the face of the right-wing conspiracy theorist movement. That’s quite a target for bad actors.

In order for the Trump-backed network to do the bare minimum to get long-term hosting, it is “censored” just like Twitter and Facebook.

And we still don’t even understand what happens if the U.S. government gives the Trump network the same treatment Apple has received for years. If every court with a hate crime in its district across the country starts submitting the entire database of the network’s user records, Team Trump will be better prepared for an endless battle against law enforcement.

But, hey, don’t let anyone stop me from signing up. It might sound like a bad idea on paper, but when you look at it from the FBI’s perspective, what could be better than a social media network designed to bring millions of anti-government conspiracy theorists together on a single website?

Categories
Sport

March Insanity Schedule At this time: Occasions, Channels, Outcomes for the second spherical NCAA match video games on Monday

March Madness Schedule Today: Times, Channels, Results for Saturday's first round NCAA tournament games

Another day, another opportunity for incredible surprises in the March madness.

A day after five teams seeded no higher than 12 won their opening round matches, we saw three more shocking results in the opening round of the second round on Sunday. Eight seed Loyola Chicago handled 1 seed Illinois, 11 seed Syracuse overtook 3 seed West Virginia, 15 seed Oral Roberts was only the second team on its seed line to produce the Sweet 16 and 12 seed Brought Oregon State to Resume its Cinderella Pass 4-Seed Oklahoma State.

MORE MARCH FURIOUS: Live scores | Updated bracket | Television program

What can the fans of the NCAA tournament expect on Monday? There are many interesting matchups, starting with the 7-Seed Oregon, which is playing its first game of the tournament against the 2-Seed Iowa and Sporting News Player of the Year Luka Garza. Then Gonzaga, the top overall seed, can sharpen his teeth on Oklahoma with 8 seeds, sparking a strong win over Missouri with missing key players.

Eight-seed LSU vs 1-seed Michigan might be the most competitive game – and the most momentous – but also keep an eye on 5-seed Colorado vs 4-seed state Florida. Then there is Maryland with 10 seeds versus Alabama with 2 seeds.

All of this should make for an exciting end to the opening weekend of the NCAA tournament. Sporting News has everything you need to watch every single game. How to turn on:

MORE: Watch selected March Madness games live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)

March Madness Schedule: What Games Are Playing Today?

Monday March 22nd

game Time (ET) channel
No. 7 Oregon 95No. 2 Iowa 80
No. 1 Gonzaga 87, No. 8 Oklahoma 71
No. 14 Abilene Christian versus No. 11 UCLA 5:15 pm TBS
No. 13 Ohio versus No. 5 Creighton 6:10 p.m. TNT
No. 8 LSU versus No. 1 Michigan 7:10 p.m. CBS, fuboTV
No. 5 Colorado versus No. 4 Florida State 7.45 p.m. TBS
No. 10 Maryland versus No. 2 Alabama 8.45 p.m. TNT
No. 6 USC versus No. 3 Kansas 9.40 p.m. CBS, fuboTV

LIVE: Follow SN’s March Madness bracket for points and more

How to Watch and Stream NCAA Tournament Games

All times east

No. 14 Abilene Christian versus No. 11 UCLA

  • Time: 5:15 pm
  • TV channel: TBS
  • Live broadcast: March Madness Live
  • Broadcast team: Brian Anderson, Jim Jackson and Allie LaForce

No. 13 Ohio versus No. 5 Creighton

  • Time: 6:10 p.m.
  • TV channel: TNT
  • Live broadcast: March Madness Live
  • Broadcast team: Ian Eagle, Grant Hill and Jamie Erdahl

No. 8 LSU versus No. 1 Michigan

  • Time: 7:10 p.m.
  • TV channel: CBS
  • Live broadcast: Paramount + fuboTV
  • Broadcast team: Andrew Catalon, Steve Lappas and AJ Ross

No. 5 Colorado versus No. 4 Florida State

  • Time: 7:45
  • TV channel: TBS
  • Live broadcast: March Madness Live
  • Broadcast team: Brad Nessler, Steve Lavin and Evan Washburn

No. 10 Maryland versus No. 2 Alabama

  • Time: 8.45 p.m.
  • TV channel: TNT
  • Live broadcast: March Madness Live
  • Broadcast team: Brian Anderson, Jim Jackson and Allie LaForce

No. 6 USC versus No. 3 Kansas

  • Time: 9.40 p.m.
  • TV channel: CBS
  • Live broadcast: Paramount +, fuboTV
  • Broadcast team: Ian Eagle, Grant Hill and Jamie Erdahl

March Madness scores, results

No. 7 Oregon 95, No. 2 Iowa 80
No. 8 Oklahoma versus No. 1 Gonzaga
No. 14 Abilene Christian versus No. 11 UCLA
No. 13 Ohio versus No. 5 Creighton
No. 8 LSU versus No. 1 Michigan
No. 5 Colorado versus No. 4 Florida State
No. 10 Maryland versus No. 2 Alabama
No. 6 USC versus No. 3 Kansas
Categories
Science

Millennial CO2 and temperature – watts with that?

Millennial CO2 and temperature - watts with that?

Guest contribution by Willis Eschenbach

My mind runs to strange corners of the climate issue. I had to think about how little atmospheric CO2 has changed for the most part over the past two thousand years. Here are the CO2 data from ice cores (colored dots) and from the Mauna Loa CO2 measuring stations (red / black line).

Figure 1. Ice core CO2 and Mauna Loa instrumentally measured CO2.

Notice that there is a good match between the thirteen different ice cores and a good match over the period of overlap between the ice core and the instrumental CO2 data.

To see how CO2 has been affecting temperature since the point of the year, I took this CO2 dataset and overlaid it on the Ljundqvist reconstruction of the temperature variability of the extra-tropical northern hemisphere from 30 ° N to 90 ° N. It is a decadal average record that goes from 1st to 1999. I also added in the most recent Berkeley Earth decadal averages for the period since the end of the study for 2000-2009 and 2010-2019. (Since one is a proxy dataset and the other is an instrumental dataset, I adjusted the Berkeley Earth dataset to match the variance of the proxy dataset over the period it overlapped from 1850 to 1999 This is the same procedure that Ljundqvist used in his reconstruction for the black dashed line.)

Here is this graphic.

Figure 2. Ljungqvist decadal temperature reconstruction at 90 to 30 ° N, to which I added ice core and instrumental CO2, as well as the last two decades of Berkeley Earth mean temperatures of 90 to 30 ° N (blue circles). The ice core data are a slight smoothing of the individual ice core data points shown in Figure 1.

In Figure 2 we see the early “Roman Warm Period”, which lasted until around AD 200. Then the temperatures fell until around 500 AD. After that, the world warmed up again to the “Medieval Warm Period”. Then the temperatures cooled down to the “Little Ice Age”, which ended around the year 1700 AD, and finally the temperatures warmed up in attacks and beginnings in the three centuries since the Little Ice Age.

Here are my questions about this historic temperature record:

• Why did the temperature drop after the Roman Warm Period? Why didn’t it just stay warm?

• Why did cooling begin in AD 200 and not AD 600?

• Why did temperatures warm up around AD 550 and continue to warm around the peak of the Medieval Warm Period around AD 1000? It could have stayed cold … but it wasn’t.

• Why did it warm from 550 to 1000 AD and not from around 800 to 1300 AD?

• What caused the constant cooling from around 1000 AD to the depths of the Little Ice Age, where temperatures reached their lowest point around 1700 AD?

• Why did it cool down from AD 1000-1700 and not, for example, AD 1250-1850?

• Why didn’t the world keep cooling to true icing instead of stopping in AD 1700? Given the Milankovich cycles and the length of the other warm interglacials, we are overdue for another true ice age.

• Why did temperatures warm up again at the end of the Little Ice Age instead of just staying at the temperature of 1700 AD?

• Why has it warmed in attacks and beginnings from the Little Ice Age to the present?

Here’s why all of this is important.

NOT ONE CLIMATE SCIENTIST KNOWS THE ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS.

Not one.

And from Figure 2 above it is clear that the answer is not “CO2” …

Without enough understanding of climate to know the answers to these questions, it is absolutely impossible to say that recent warming is not just more natural variations in earth temperature.

In terms of variability, I note in Figure 2 that the extratropical surface temperature of the Earth’s northern hemisphere has hiked around in a range of around 1.5 ° C for the past 2000 years. The surface temperature of the earth is in the order of 288 Kelvin. Including the variance adjustment, this represents a temperature fluctuation on the order of one percent over a period of two thousand years. For me, this is the most interesting thing about climate – not how much it changes over time, but how little it changes.

This thermal stability is not due to thermal inertia – the land in each hemisphere fluctuates around 15 ° C over the course of each year, and the ocean in each hemisphere fluctuates around 5 ° C every year.

I say that this surprising and extraordinary stability is due to the thermoregulatory effect of emerging climate phenomena such as dust devils, tropical cumulus fields and thunderstorms, the El Nino / La Nina mechanism, which pumps excess heat to the poles, tornadoes and hurricanes. I am describing this theory of emergent thermoregulation in a number of posts listed in my 2021 index of my posts here in the Emergence section. These prevent the earth from heating up or cooling down excessively.

In any case, my thoughts recently wandered to the question of two thousand years of temperature and how they are not controlled by CO2 …

Today was sunny and the ground was dry for the first time in a while, so I spent way too much of the afternoon under my truck loosening and removing the RV hold-downs. There is nothing quite like discussing the concept of excessive rotational inertia with an unruly bolt, a bolt where you can only use one hand to turn the wrench to remind a man of his lack of meaning in this wondrous world of miracles glad i own an impact wrench but there are places where it can’t work.

But as the I Ching says, “promotes endurance”, and after using end keys, sockets, breaker bars, deep-walled sockets, two impact wrenches and more than a few bad words, I got it all done.

The best of the sunshine to everyone, life is good

w.

Technical note: Some people have asked is it okay to splice proxy and instrument data, or more generally two sets of data that supposedly measure the same phenomenon?

My answer is absolutely yes IF two conditions are met:

Condition 1: There is enough time overlap between the records to verify that the two records give the same answer. In this case, for example, there is an overlap between instrument and proxy data for both the ice core / instrument CO2 and proxy / instrument temperature records. Figure 1 shows the overlap of the ice core and Mauna Loa CO2. Here is a close up of the overlap between the Ljungqvist temperature and the Berkeley Earth variance adjusted temperature.

Figure 3. Close up, Ljungqvist temperature and variance adjusted Berkeley Earth temperature overlap

In Figures 1 and 3, you can see the overlap, respectively, and make sure that the proxy and instrument records clearly match.

Condition 2: The fact of the splice is made plain and clear without attempting to hide it. In both diagrams the period of overlap is clearly shown and the presence of the splice is also confirmed in the text

Here is a post of mine that covers splicing, appropriately titled “Splicing Clouds”.

Usual notice: I can defend my own words. I cannot defend your interpretation of my words. So if you leave a comment, please quote the exact words to which you are referring.

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Categories
Health

Covid circumstances happen in additional than half of the US because the nation races for vaccinations

Covid cases occur in more than half of the US as the country races for vaccinations

Paramedics arrive at the emergency room at Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego, California with a patient with Covid-19.

Bing Guan | Bloomberg | Getty Images

New cases of Covid-19 rise again in more than half of the U.S. as officials battle to vaccinate more people before highly contagious variants spread across the country.

According to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, the seven-day average of new cases in 27 states rose 5% or more on Sunday. In the US, the nation recorded an average of 54,308 new cases per day for the past week – a 1% increase from the previous week after months of rapidly declining case numbers.

Even as the US accelerates the pace of vaccinations, firing around 2.5 million shots a day, some health officials have warned the country that it remains in a precarious position. The lifting of restrictions in many states and the proliferation of more contagious varieties in the US threaten to reverse the nation’s progress. Since the peak earlier this year, cases, hospitalizations and deaths have decreased dramatically.

‘Serious Threat’

The lifting of restrictions is “a serious threat to the progress we have made,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters at a news conference on Monday. She said she was concerned about an inevitable surge in some cases. “We are at a critical point in this pandemic, a fork in the road.”

New deaths continue to fall daily, likely aided by prioritizing vaccination among the elderly and those with comorbid conditions who are most likely to die from Covid-19. About 68.8% of those over 65 received at least one vaccine on Sunday, according to the CDC. In total, more than 124.4 million doses have been given, but most of them are for two-dose vaccines.

With increasing optimism about the steady surge in vaccinations, many states have begun easing restrictions on businesses and gatherings, despite the CDC warning not to do so. Although some states, such as New Jersey, are beginning to consider delaying reopening further as cases increase.

The Chief Medical Officer of the White House, Dr. Anthony Fauci, last week urged states not to declare victory prematurely.

He said he was concerned about a number of states and cities withdrawing their public health measures and dropping mask mandates.

“So it’s unfortunate, but not surprising to me, that the number of cases per day is increasing in areas – cities, states, or regions – even though vaccines are being distributed in a pretty good range of 2 (million) to 3 million per day” said Fauci on Friday. “That could be overcome if certain areas prematurely withdraw the containment and public health measures we are all talking about.”

B.1.1.7 in Michigan

In addition to the urgency of having people vaccinated quickly, there is also the threat of new variants, which in large parts of Europe and other parts of the world have apparently already led to high voltage peaks. The CDC has forecast that the more contagious and potentially deadly variant B.1.1.7 discovered in the UK could become the dominant strain in the US by the end of the month.

Some health officials have said variant B.1.1.7 could be the cause of some particularly worrying bumps seen in several states, including Michigan, where cases have increased dramatically in recent days. According to Hopkins, Michigan reports an average of nearly 3,000 new cases per day, up about 50% from the previous week.

The rise in cases is due to the state allowing indoor restaurants to reopen on Feb. 1, pushing schools to offer face-to-face learning by March 1, and restaurant and gathering restrictions earlier this month has loosened. The recent surge there even prompted Fauci recently to ask Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer to “hold back” on the reopening.

In addition to easing restrictions, Michigan also has the second highest number of B.1.1.7 cases of any state in the country after Florida. The state has 616 cases of the variant, according to the CDC, although there are likely many more cases that have not yet been confirmed, meaning the tribe could be fueling the outbreak there.

Categories
Entertainment

Quavo’s sister and Saweetie’s aunt enter the chat and go head-to-head over the couple’s current breakup!

Quavo's sister and Saweetie's aunt enter the chat and go head-to-head over the couple's recent breakup!

Roommate, social media is still burning for the latest news that Quavo and Saweetie have officially called it over and are driving all of the Icy girls into a frenzy. Now that both Quavo and Saweetie have brought up the split, their family members are also clapping – especially Quavo’s sister and Saweetie’s aunt.

Fans are still trying to process the shocking news that Quavo and Saweetie are no longer the golden couples of hip hop … and if the first 24 hours are any indication, things could get really ugly as rumors, subliminals and receipts continue to fly. As of now, it seems like the former couple addressed the situation as publicly as they care to – but it’s their relatives who are just getting started.

First, it was Quavo’s sister Shara, who apparently didn’t appreciate Saweetie’s tweets, who apparently claimed that Quavo cheated on her was the reason for their breakup. So she went to her Instagram Stories and wrote this:

“I’ve been quiet long enough … I’m seeing this turn into a bash feast for my brother, and it’s not going to happen at all. Neither of you will know what Saweetie is like in real life, but I know and it’s not that good at all … “

Then Saweetie’s aunt said “aht aht” and added her two cents on Twitter:

“Now now! Do we need Whitty to broadcast this MF? I’m not as nice as old Shara! What she hasn’t gone to is talking bad about my niece, I’m becoming very disrespectful of mine. Ever since we got our noses in that.” Other people’s business … Talk about how she was silent long enough. Girl, it hasn’t even been 24 hours. GTFOH ”

She added a little more seasoning to the output, adding:

“And listen … I would never have talked about it … their business is the business, I keep TF away from it, but if sisters want to put themselves in it it becomes my business.”

However, Shara wasn’t done yet and jumped once more to defend Quavo:

“Who’s Whitty B ** ch? I don’t know about you and you don’t know about me, but I know that your niece is a self-centered woman who knows what the body likes! You want to ventilate this, let it run, this is not what you want! Trust me! Only reason I was nice to you because of Qua! “

Phew Chile! We’ll definitely keep you updated on this ongoing drama.

Would you like tea right in your inbox? Give us a call at 917-722-8057 or click here to sign up!

Categories
Science

Extra audio from endurance: the grinding of the wheels on the Mars regolith

More audio from endurance: the grinding of the wheels on the Mars regolith

Since we are not (yet) able to set foot on Mars, we have had experience with robot proxy through our rovers, including Perseverance, which landed last February 18th. In addition to the photos we’ve collected of the surface over the decades, our ever-improving data connection to Mars made it possible to see videos of Perseverance’s landing. This dramatic deployment of the parachute and the dust spray from the landing thrusters – amazing! I’m not ashamed to admit that I cried. Through perseverance, we experience the exploration of Mars with a different meaning – SOUND! Sound from another planet !! Using the Perseverance Entry, Descent and Landing Microphone (EDL Mic), we recently made audio recordings of Perseverance’s wheels rolling over the Mars regolith (broken rocks and dust or “earth”). The following audio segment is an edited portion of the sound highlights from a longer 16-minute raw audio file.

NASA engineers combined three segments from the recorded raw audio file as the Perseverance Mars rover rolled over a section of the Jezero crater on Sol 16 of the mission. Sections 0: 20-0: 45, 6: 40-7: 10 and 14: 30-15: 00 were combined in this 90-second highlight clip. It has been processed and edited to filter out some of the noise.
C. NASA / JPL-Caltech

And if you haven’t seen the video of Perseverance’s landing here, this is it!

Endurance relegation and touchdown – c. NASA / JPL

The grinding

Vandi Verma, senior engineer and rover operator at NASA JPL, notes that Percy’s wheels are quite noisy because they are made of metal rather than rubber. The rover’s wheel design has also been improved over the previous Curiosity rover. Both rovers have wheels made of flight aluminum with titanium spokes. Since Martian rocks experience little weathering, they have sharp edges and have damaged the wheels of Curiosity in the course of their mission. As a result, rover operators have changed how / where they navigate. The Perseverance wheel design consists of a thicker aluminum than Curiosity (1 mm compared to 0.75 mm) and a new profile design. During testing, it was shown that the new profile is more resistant to sharp stones and increases the traction of Perseverance compared to that of Curiosity.

Red arrows indicate broken aluminum profiles on Curiosity’s wheels captured by the rover’s cameras. c. NASA / JPL – Caltech

The rover’s wheels dragging against the battle ground aren’t the only sounds picked up from the surface. Perseverance has a second microphone on the SuperCam, an all-in-one camera, microphone, and LASER that can be used to search for organic compounds that indicate past lives on Mars. The laser can hit stones up to 7 meters away and remove surface dust, allowing SuperCam to scan the target cleanly. Persistence ended up in the Octavia Butler landing zone in Jezero Crater due to the crater’s ancient identity as a lake billions of years ago. Where there was water, there may have been life, and SuperCam can identify soil types that may have retained ancient microbial fossil specimens. The integrated microphone of SuperCam monitors the firing of the laser, but has also detected the Martian wind! I got chills when I heard this. You hear the atmosphere of another world!

Audio by Martian Wind from Perseverance Rovers SuperCam c. NASA / JPL

Endurance Rover wheels wrapped in protective cover.
The wheels have a diameter of 52.2 cm. c. NASA / JPL Comparison of Curiosity and Endurance Profile Design c. NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS

Take flight

Perseverance is currently looking for a suitable place to deploy its companion Ingenuity – the first flying rover we ever sent to another world. As soon as an “airfield” is found, Ingenuity begins an evaluation period of 30 sols (a Mars day that lasts 24 hours 39 minutes) with five planned test flights. When the test flights are over, perseverance and ingenuity begin their main task in search of signs of the old life. As part of the mission, Perseverance will pack and store Martian soil samples for a future return trip to Earth. Eventually, these samples can be opened and examined in laboratories on our own planet. Doesn’t sound like the beginning of a science fiction film at all.

Hovering Above Mars: Universe Today Video by Fraser Cain

While Perseverance is still on Mars, you can stay up to date on the location in real time via the Where is Perseverance website. In the meantime, we’re all eagerly awaiting Ingenuity’s first flight. Stay tuned!

Functional picture: Some of the first Perseverance tire tracks captured by one of Percy’s Hazcams or Hazard Avoidance Cameras. c. NASA / JPL

More to discover:

Another first: Endurance captures the sounds of driving on Mars (nasa.gov)

Perseverance Rover’s SuperCam Science Instrument delivers initial results (nasa.gov)

Better tires to ride on Mars – Universe Today

Perseverance Rover Location map – NASA Mars

The Mars helicopter is online and ready to fly – Universe today

On Vandi Verma NASA Mars, scientists encourage girls to reach for the stars Reuters

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Categories
Sport

NBA Energy Rankings – What LeBron James’ harm means for our newest replace, plus a brand new No. 1 rises

NBA Power Rankings - What LeBron James' injury means for our latest update, plus a new No. 1 rises

LeBron James’ high ankle sprain — combined with Anthony Davis’ continued right leg issues — has a massive impact on the Western Conference playoff picture. What does it mean for our NBA Power Rankings moving forward?

Add the fact that the NBA-best Utah Jazz are showing signs of a midseason funk, the race for the No. 1 in the West is wide open.

In the Eastern Conference, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the streaking Milwaukee Bucks have rediscovered the formula that has led to back-to-back regular-season crowns. Milwaukee now sits just two games behind the Philadelphia 76ers for the East lead behind six straight wins, but the Bucks aren’t the biggest story in the conference right now.

The Atlanta Hawks are winners of eight straight, including a victory Saturday over the Lakers in the game LeBron exited early. Can Trae Young & Co. hold on to a top-four seed?

Here’s where our panel sees all 30 teams right now.

Note: Throughout the regular season, our panel (ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, Nick Friedell, Andrew Lopez, Tim MacMahon, Dave McMenamin, Eric Woodyard, Royce Young and Ohm Youngmisuk) is ranking all 30 teams from top to bottom, taking stock of which teams are playing the best basketball now and which teams are looking most like title contenders.

ESPN

Previous rankings: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13

1. Philadelphia 76ers
2020-21 record: 30-13
Previous ranking: 4

Philly has maintained the top spot in the Eastern Conference without Joel Embiid for the past week, picking up three wins to stay a game ahead of the Nets. They head west this week — including two games in L.A. against the Lakers and Clippers — as president of basketball operations Daryl Morey weighs how big of a swing he should take to increase his team’s chances of making it out of the East. — Bontemps

This week: @GSW, @LAL, @LAC

2. Utah Jazz
2020-21 record: 30-11
Previous ranking: 1

Since Utah’s 24-5 start, the Jazz are 6-6 and rank 21st in defensive efficiency during that span (113.9 points allowed per 100 possessions). “We need to understand that we haven’t accomplished s—,” Rudy Gobert said Thursday after a loss to the Wizards. “We get upset when people laugh at us on TV and disrespect us. It’s on us to respect ourselves. We’re not the champions. We’re not a team that can just cruise and turn it on come playoff time. We have to stay hungry.” — MacMahon

This week: @CHI, BRK, MEM, MEM

3. Brooklyn Nets
2020-21 record: 29-14
Previous ranking: 2

Blake Griffin debuted Sunday against the Wizards, and he did the most important thing: He dunked. It’s become a bit of a deal that he hadn’t done his signature thing since 2019, and after assuring ESPN’s Malika Andrews last week that he absolutely still could, the former Lob City mayor threw one down, and did it to score his first points as a Net. He played 15 minutes, took two shots, scored two points and grabbed two boards. His role will grow as he acclimates, but the Nets aren’t in need of too much from Griffin. If he can turn back the clock even a little, that’s a pretty big X factor to have off the bench. — Young

This week: @POR, @UTA, @DET

4. Phoenix Suns
2020-21 record: 28-13
Previous ranking: 3

1 Related

In Sunday’s game against the Lakers, Suns point guard Chris Paul joined an exclusive club. With his ninth assist, Paul became the sixth player in NBA history to reach 10,000 career assists, joining John Stockton (15,806), Jason Kidd (12,091), Steve Nash (10,335), Mark Jackson (10,334) and Magic Johnson (10,141). At his current average, Paul would get by Johnson later this season. — Lopez

This week: @MIA, @ORL, @TOR, @CHA

5. Milwaukee Bucks
2020-21 record: 27-14
Previous ranking: 7

Sunday was a well-deserved off day for Milwaukee. After Saturday’s win over San Antonio, the Bucks have won six straight and 11 of their last 12 games as they take aim at getting back atop the Eastern Conference. With the recent success, the narrative around this team is will it translate into the playoffs, but for now that’s fine with reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. “I kinda like that we’re under the radar,” he said after the Spurs game. — Woodyard

This week: IND, BOS, BOS, NYK

6. LA Clippers
2020-21 record: 27-16
Previous ranking: 6

Head coach Ty Lue moved Marcus Morris Sr. into the starting 5 with Nicolas Batum coming off the bench in an effort to get the Clippers to play more consistently, and they’ve held the last three opponents to an average of 100.6 points. The Clippers can use some help at point guard, especially with Patrick Beverley (knee) out, so it remains to be seen if they are able to do anything with their limited trade assets at the deadline. The Clippers, though, are in a stretch of playing 11 of 13 games at home, giving Lue’s team more practice time as they wait for injured starters Serge Ibaka (back) and Beverley to return. — Youngmisuk

This week: ATL, @SAS, @SAS, PHI

7. Los Angeles Lakers
2020-21 record: 28-15
Previous ranking: 5

The defending champions started Markieff Morris, Wesley Matthews, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma and Dennis Schroder on Sunday against the Suns, ending their weekend with back-to-back losses. Times are tough for the Lakers, with LeBron James out indefinitely with a high ankle sprain, Anthony Davis (calf strain and tendinosis) sidelined at least another week and Marc Gasol still working to get his wind back after missing a couple of weeks because of health and safety protocols. “These challenges strengthen you throughout the course of a season … and will benefit you come playoff time,” head coach Frank Vogel said. — McMenamin

This week: @NOP, PHI, CLE, ORL

8. Denver Nuggets
2020-21 record: 25-17
Previous ranking: 8

Nikola Jokic’s MVP campaign continues to look stronger, especially with Joel Embiid and LeBron James sidelined due to injury. The Nuggets won three straight before losing to New Orleans despite another triple-double from Jokic. Before being held to 108 points by the Pelicans, Michael Malone’s offense averaged 127 points during the streak. Michael Porter Jr. continues to have a hot hand, shooting 50% or better in 12 of his last 14 games. Denver, though, hits the road for three straight games this week, and the bench can use the injured Monte Morris back. — Youngmisuk

This week: @ORL, @TOR, @NOP, ATL

9. Portland Trail Blazers
2020-21 record: 25-17
Previous ranking: 9

The Blazers are close to being whole again after CJ McCollum returned last week. It’s a process in getting him all the way back, though, with reduced minutes and return to play management. But he showed all the signs the Blazers need with 32 points against the Mavs on Friday. Damian Lillard has shouldered so much of the load to this point that there’s concern about late-season fatigue, especially as the schedule crunches. With McCollum, and possibly some of the more developed role players, that burden will be eased. — Young

This week: BRK, @MIA, @ORL, @TOR

10. Dallas Mavericks
2020-21 record: 22-19
Previous ranking: 10

Luka Doncic scored 117 points over the past three games, shooting 59.5% from the floor and 54.5% from 3-point range in that span. It’s the second-highest-scoring three-game stretch in franchise history, trailing only a 118-point, three-game run Doncic had last month. “When you feel like this, everything’s great,” Doncic said after scoring 37 points in three quarters during Sunday’s rout in Portland, when he hit his first eight 3-point attempts. — MacMahon

This week: @MIN, IND, @NOP

11. Miami Heat
2020-21 record: 22-21
Previous ranking: 11

The Heat had won 11 of 12 before dropping three straight to close the week. The surprise was that the re-energized group dropped back-to-back contests at home against the Pacers — a team they swept out of the bubble playoffs last season. Miami needs Tyler Herro to get back on track — he’s just 16-for-55 (29%) over his last four games. — Friedell

This week: PHO, POR, @CHA

12. San Antonio Spurs
2020-21 record: 22-17
Previous ranking: 13

San Antonio’s Keldon Johnson had himself quite the performance Thursday against the Cavaliers. Johnson finished with 23 points and 21 rebounds — including 11 offensive boards — in the Spurs’ win. Johnson became the first Spur since Tim Duncan in 2013 to record a 20-point, 20-rebound game. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Johnson became the first player listed at 6-foot-5 or shorter to have 11 offensive rebounds in a game since Adrian Dantley did it for the Jazz on April 6, 1985. — Lopez

This week: CHA, LAC, LAC, CHI

13. Atlanta Hawks
2020-21 record: 22-20
Previous ranking: 17

Atlanta continued its winning ways under new interim coach Nate McMillan with their eighth straight victory Saturday in a win over the Lakers. McMillan’s eight wins are the most for an interim coach after taking over for a team since Lawrence Frank started 13-0 for the New Jersey Nets in 2003-04. The Hawks are also doing it in a variety of ways, including stepping up their defense. Since McMillan took over on March 2, the Hawks have the league’s second-best defensive rating at 105.2. — Lopez

This week: @LAC, @SAC, @GSW, @DEN

14. Boston Celtics
2020-21 record: 21-21
Previous ranking: 12

The NBA is back! Catch all the 2020-21 season action on ESPN, ABC and the ESPN App.

Wednesday, March 24
• Celtics at Bucks, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
• Nets at Jazz, 10 p.m. on ESPN
Friday, March 26
• Celtics at Bucks, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
• Hawks at Warriors, 10 p.m. on ESPN
All times Eastern

After ugly losses to Cleveland and Sacramento, Boston bounced back and beat Orlando on Sunday. Now the Celtics embark on a four-game road trip that includes a pair of prime-time showdowns in Milwaukee on Wednesday and Friday with the NBA’s trade deadline looming — and everyone in Boston waiting to see if Danny Ainge is going to use the $28 million trade exception to improve the roster. — Bontemps

This week: @MEM, @MIL, @MIL, @OKC

15. Golden State Warriors
2020-21 record: 22-21
Previous ranking: 14

A 2-2 week isn’t bad given all the Warriors’ injuries and COVID-19 issues. Stephen Curry missed two games because of a bruised tailbone. James Wiseman, Eric Paschall and Kevon Looney all missed time because of health and safety protocols. The good news: Second-year guard Jordan Poole continues to play well and is earning more minutes almost every time he hits the floor. Since returning from the G League bubble on March 1, Poole is averaging 20.9 points a game. — Friedell

This week: PHI, @SAC, ATL

16. New York Knicks
2020-21 record: 21-22
Previous ranking: 15

All four games the Knicks played this week were within five points — including a one-point win over Orlando Friday and a one-point loss to Philadelphia Sunday. In a difficult second-half schedule, every shot at a win matters, which makes the two games against Washington this week important, as New York tries to stay out of the play-in games in a compacted East playoff race. — Bontemps

This week: WAS, WAS, @MIL

17. Charlotte Hornets
2020-21 record: 20-21
Previous ranking: 16

With LaMelo Ball expected to miss the rest of the season because of a fractured right wrist, the Hornets face the kind of injury that can derail a team’s season. Not only was Ball the front-runner for Rookie of the Year, there was an excitement around his game that made the Hornets nationally relevant for the first time in years. With Ball out, it will be up to Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward to pick up even more slack offensively. The issue for the Hornets, as it has been all year, is that their defense remains porous. They come into Monday’s game against the Spurs having given up at least 116 points in four straight games. — Friedell

This week: @SAS, @HOU, MIA, PHX

18. Indiana Pacers
2020-21 record: 19-22
Previous ranking: 18

Before an overtime win over Miami, Indiana had lost four of its last five games and eight of its last 10 as it searches for answers even with the addition of Caris LeVert. Indiana has dropped to ninth place in Eastern Conference — it headed into Sunday’s slate with a 54.4% chance to make the playoffs, according to ESPN’s Basketball Power Index. — Woodyard

This week: @MIL, DET, @DAL

19. Memphis Grizzlies
2020-21 record: 19-20
Previous ranking: 19

Ja Morant’s jump shot is the glaring flaw in the developing star point guard’s game. He’s shooting only 22.9% on 3-pointers this season, the lowest clip by a significant margin among the 182 players with at least 100 attempts. That allows defenders to consistently go under screens when Morant runs pick-and-roll, daring him to shoot and mitigating the advantage of his rare explosiveness. According to NBA.com/stats, Morant is averaging 0.82 points per possession as a pick-and-roll ballhandler, ranking 36th in efficiency among 41 players with at least 200 such possessions. — MacMahon

This week: BOS, @OKC, @UTA, @UTA

20. Chicago Bulls
2020-21 record: 19-22
Previous ranking: 22

All-Star guard Zach LaVine continued to play lights out with 19 30-point games this season, third most in the NBA behind Bradley Beal and Damian Lillard. However, the Bulls continue to tweak their lineup and rotations to try and find sustainable success, such using Tomas Satoransky and Thaddeus Young as starters instead of Coby White and Wendell Carter Jr. — Woodyard

This week: UTA, CLE, @SAS

21. New Orleans Pelicans
2020-21 record: 18-24
Previous ranking: 21

Once again, it was an up-and-down week for the Pelicans. On Tuesday, the Pelicans gave away a 17-point lead in the final six minutes to the Trail Blazers and then dropped an eight-point game to Portland two days later. They responded with a 113-108 victory at Denver on Sunday, bouncing back without their starting point guard Lonzo Ball (right hip flexor strain). Against the Nuggets, Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson each had 30 points. It was the third time they’d done so in the same game this season, tied for the most in the league among any duo according to ESPN Stats & Information research. — Lopez

This week: LAL, DEN, DAL

22. Toronto Raptors
2020-21 record: 17-25
Previous ranking: 20

The Raptors have lost eight in a row, including a dispiriting loss to the Cavaliers Sunday after blowing yet another lead in the final two minutes Friday against Utah. After plummeting to 11th in the East, we’ll see if Toronto will decide to move on from Kyle Lowry and Norman Powell between now and Thursday’s trade deadline. — Bontemps

This week: @HOU, DEN, PHO, POR

23. Oklahoma City Thunder
2020-21 record: 18-24
Previous ranking: 23

Sunday’s game against the Rockets had an unstoppable force versus an immovable object kind of vibe to it, except the exact opposite. The Rockets were on a 19-game losing streak. The Thunder had four starters sitting and started the second youngest lineup in NBA history. Houston was still a 4.5-point favorite at tipoff, but if we’ve learned anything from OKC this season, they could start two members off their PR staff and probably still be competitive. Sunday, it was Lu Dort scoring 23 and coming up with a game-winning block. There’s something about the Thunder’s ability to play within a system and maximize their roster that has an extremely Spursian feel. — Young

This week: @MIN, MEM, BOS

24. Sacramento Kings
2020-21 record: 17-25
Previous ranking: 25

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More than halfway through the season, Kings rookie Tyrese Haliburton says Sacramento is still searching for itself. “I don’t know that we’ve found our identity yet,” Haliburton told reporters after a loss to Philadelphia on Saturday. “I don’t know that we’ve found exactly what makes us play our best basketball.” The quote is apt for the week the Kings had: going 2-2 amid their six-game road trip and finding out that Marvin Bagley III will not require surgery on his fractured left hand, but will still be out at least another month. Not the best, not the worst. — McMenamin

This week: @CLE, ATL, GSW, CLE

25. Washington Wizards
2020-21 record: 15-26
Previous ranking: 24

The Wizards are heading in the wrong direction after appearing to turn their season around. Since winning seven of eight games in February, Washington has dropped eight of its last 10 games. And it doesn’t get any easier: The Wizards’ loss in Brooklyn on Sunday started a 14-game stretch, during which 10 games are on the road. They are five games out of the eighth spot and they’ll be without sharpshooter Davis Bertans for the next few weeks due to injury. — Youngmisuk

This week: @NYK, @NYK, DET

26. Cleveland Cavaliers
2020-21 record: 16-26
Previous ranking: 26

What you loved about the Cavs’ win over the Raptors on Sunday was Collin Sexton (36 points, 4 assists, 2 steals) and Darius Garland (15 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds) filling up the boxscore. What you hated about Cleveland’s young backcourt performance? The duo combined for 12 of the Cavs’ 26 turnovers as a team — a wild number that kept the Raptors within reach despite Cleveland being red-hot from deep (17-for-33 for 51.5%). — McMenamin

This week: SAC, @CHI, @LAL, @SAC

27. Orlando Magic
2020-21 record: 14-28
Previous ranking: 27

Let’s start with the good news. The Magic pulled off a surprise win over the Nets on Friday, which included 38 points in 36 minutes from Aaron Gordon and that snapped a nine game losing skid. The bad news: The Magic are now 14-28, above only the Pistons in the East. The biggest question left for this team this season may be whatever the front office decides to do before Thursday’s trade deadline. — Friedell

This week: DEN, PHX, POR, @LAL

28. Detroit Pistons
2020-21 record: 12-30
Previous ranking: 28

One of the highlights this week for the Pistons was handing the Rockets their franchise-worst 19th straight loss on Friday night. For a Motown franchise in the midst of rebuilding, they have to celebrate all of their wins and use them as opportunities for growth. Detroit also beat Toronto on Wednesday behind 28 points and 12 rebounds from rookie forward Saddiq Bey. — Woodyard

This week: @IND, BRK, @WAS

29. Minnesota Timberwolves
2020-21 record: 10-32
Previous ranking: 30

Before the draft, the general feeling was there was no true No. 1 overall caliber prospect and the lottery in general was weak. But Anthony Edwards is looking every bit a top pick type of player. His 42 points against the Suns was the exclamation point on what’s been a breakout month: “Ant-Man” is averaging 26.1 points per game in March, setting and resetting career highs almost nightly. — Young

This week: OKC, DAL, HOU, HOU

30. Houston Rockets
2020-21 record: 11-30
Previous ranking: 29

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Rockets now own an unfortunate NBA record: the longest losing streak by a team that began the streak over .500. Houston has lost 20 straight since an 11-10 start. The spotlight leading up to Thursday’s trade deadline is on Victor Oladipo, whose post-All-Star break performance (25.0 points and 5.6 assists per game, 46.4% from the floor) might boost his trade value. — MacMahon

This week: TOR, CHA, @MIN, @MIN

Categories
Science

Finish of the snow? Finland believes the winter snow won’t soften this summer time – what is the level?

"What happened to global warming?" - Watts up with that?

Guest essay by Eric Worrall

In Finland, the piles of snow that accumulated during road clearance this year are so large that some of the snow is still frozen even after winter has returned.

In the Finnish capital region, the piles of snow built up this winter may not melt in summer

FINLAND MARCH 15, 2021

THE CAPITAL REGION Finland received so much snow this winter that the meter-high stakes that are being transported to designated snow dump areas may not melt over the course of the summer, reports Helsingin Sanomat.

In Uusimaa, for example, the amount of snow was 1.7 times higher than in January of the previous year, according to Foreca.

Helsingin Sanomat wrote on Friday that the piles of snow on the dump in Herttoniemi in the east of Helsinki are almost 20 meters high. In Maununneva, a north-western neighborhood of the city, trucks have thrown around 16,000 loads of snow on the landfill Tero Koppinen, Production Manager at Helsinki City Construction Services (Stara).

The snow plowed by roads forms a large structure, known by locals as the Alps, also on the only blanket of snow in Espoo in Vanttila.

…

Read more: https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/domestic/18867-snow-piles-built-up-this-winter-may-not-melt-during-summer-in-finnish- capital -region.html

The fins mostly seem to take this as a joke, perhaps a chance to cool off on warm summer days. And most likely, this event will not have any long-term consequences.

But history teaches that when ice ages strike, they can strike abruptly with very little warning.

The world suddenly froze 12,800 years ago. Temperatures sank again on ice ages and stayed cold for over 1000 years.

In 2009, a group of scientists studying high-resolution sediment samples from Lough Monreach, an ancient lake in Ireland, claimed that the return to Ice Age conditions may have occurred over a period of less than a year. In the words of the lead researcher, “It would be like taking Ireland today and taking it to Svalbard, which creates icy conditions in a very short time.”

Ice ages are not uncommon in our current geological epoch. It is the recovery from cold temperatures that is unusual, not the icing. For most of the last 115,000 years, the world was locked in a hard ice age, with huge sheets of ice covering Europe and Canada. The Holocene, our current short break from extreme glaciation, only dates back the last 12,000 years.

As climate alarmists show off their worthless computer models and shout that the world is overheating, paleoclimatologists are aware that the world is by no means unusually warm, but is currently in the grip of quaternary glaciation, a period of unusual cold that has so far lasted 2.6 million years . What we are experiencing right now is the Holocene, a brief break from the vast ice sheets that define much of the Quaternary.

A return to extreme cold is unlikely in our lives. Notable geological events rarely occur in a human timeframe. But at some point in the future a return to icing is inevitable. Let’s hope our descendants retain the technological and engineering skills they need to hold the ice back when the ice finally returns to challenge our beautiful homes.

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Categories
Health

India Covid-19 vaccination marketing campaign, weighs the director of the Serum Institute

India Covid-19 vaccination campaign, weighs the director of the Serum Institute

India will likely take at least three to four months to complete Covid-19 vaccination efforts for frontline workers and people over 60 or with underlying health conditions, the executive director of the Serum Institute of India said Thursday.

In January, the South Asian country launched the world’s largest vaccination campaign for around 300 million people out of its massive population of 1.3 billion. According to the Indian Ministry of Health, more than 36 million people had been vaccinated by Wednesday evening.

“The number of doses required in India is enormous,” Suresh Jadhav told CNBC’s Capital Connection, adding that the vaccination program is a gigantic task that cannot be completed in a short period of time.

“This program will continue at a rate of about 50 (million) to 60 million doses per month and cover that population of 300 million in an additional three to four months,” he said.

Jadhav attended the Asian Development Bank’s Southeast Asia Development Symposium 2021 this week.

Based in Pune, India, the Serum Institute has become a key player in the Covid vaccination effort in both India and around the world. It is the largest vaccine maker in the world by volume, making the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca and Oxford University, known locally as Covishield.

It has delivered millions of doses to the Government of India as well as Covax, a global vaccination initiative jointly led by the World Health Organization Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. Covax’s goal is to ensure a fair distribution of the shots in less affluent countries.

An exterior view of the Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd., which is manufacturing a Covid-19 vaccine on November 23, 2020 in Hadapsar, Pune, India.

Pratham Gokhale | Hindustan Times | Getty Images

In response to growing demand for its Covid vaccine, Adar Poonawalla, CEO of the Serum Institute, asked foreign governments to be patient last month and said, without further explanation, the company had been asked to meet domestic demand first.

Jadhav stated that the Serum Institute is able to fulfill current orders from the Indian government and said it has already delivered around 59 million doses to Covax. He added that the Serum Institute plans to expand capacity by late April or early May to add another 40 to 50 million doses to production.

Currently, the Serum Institute can reportedly produce more than 70 million doses per month.

Last week, the U.S., Japan, and Australia pledged to help Indian companies expand their Covid vaccine manufacturing capacity and add more doses to the global supply pool.

India also uses a locally developed vaccine from Bharat Biotech, which was developed in collaboration with the Indian State Council for Medical Research.

Clarification: This article has been updated to take into account that Covax is jointly managed by the World Health Organization as well as Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations.