Today's AI systems learn mostly by passively absorbing data, but the brain builds intelligence in the reverse order. Grounded world models in biological organisms and future embodied AI arxiv.org/abs/2607.13560 #neuroscience

Grounded world models in biological organisms and future embodied AI

Recent advances in generative and embodied AI have been driven by large-scale predictive learning over multimodal data. However, the resulting systems remain largely based on passive training regimes ...

arxiv.org

What happens when heatwaves or droughts affect several of the key wheat producing regions at the same time? Our new ERL paper explores the impacts on global wheat production and trade, and identifies countries most vulnerable to production and export shocks. iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1...

The impacts of concurrent heatwaves and droughts on global wheat production and trade

The impacts of concurrent heatwaves and droughts on global wheat production and trade, Vogel, Elisabeth, Sweet, Lily-belle, Ribeiro, Andreia F S, Mora, Camille J, Johnson, Fiona, Zscheischler, Jakob

iopscience.iop.org

Evacuation in the low-density wildland interface. Over 600 houses already gone. #Spokane, Wash.

Cascadia(PNW)@cascadiarevolting.bsky.social · 4d ago

Spokane: #washingtonstate #fires #spokane

"never seen fire get so close to the city’s core" www.spokesman.com/stories/2026...

'When the sun rises, we are going to be in shock': Thousands evacuated in north Spokane as wildfire crosses river into city

Walls of flames and smoke are destroying homes in the Indian Trail Neighborhood and other areas of the city Saturday evening amid one of the worst natural disasters in the city's history.

spokesman.com

Mister Jones@misterjones.bsky.social · 4d ago

Another photo she sent me

Reminder for motorists. When the power’s out, everybody stops. Intersections that do not have power should be treated as a four-way stop.

My thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those 57 who have died trying to reach Ceuta.

I love you, migrant.

Q: "Are we ready for the age of global wildfires?" A: Not at all!

Climate News@climatenews.bsky.social · 2w ago

France is on fire. Spain is on fire. Norway is on fire. Sicily is on fire. Ontario is on fire. Scotland is on fire. Bolivia is on fire. Algeria is on fire. England is on fire. Greta wasn't wrong when she said our house was on fire. We are in a climate emergency. - Greenpeace UK

Wonder what todays young kids will say when shown this news paper in 20 years time?

Jon Worth@jonworth.eu · 2w ago

I‘m fascinated by this front page posted by @adamjschwarz.bsky.social Did the people assembling that know the juxtaposition? Was it people lower in the hierarchy who dared do this, against the editorial line? Or no one assembling this front page made the connection?

Spanish wildfires: the King subtly messages the right and far-right "stay united". Meanwhile in Madrid, ministers and regional leaders exchange jerk-level insults.

Climate change keeps adding to the list of uninsurable assets, Allianz executive says - “Certain locations and perils cannot be covered as we would wish them to be covered" #climatecrisis www.latimes.com/environment/...

Climate change keeps adding to the list of uninsurable assets, Allianz executive says

One major bank now sets loan rates for companies based on their exposure to global warming. BBVA said sectors being targeted are agriculture, real estate and leisure, as well as utilities and infrastr...

latimes.com

Upper cap in property value?

Todd Woody@toddwoody.bsky.social · 2w ago

New: As California’s wildfire insurance crisis drives homeowners to its insurer of last resort, a Bloomberg analysis shows liability risk is concentrated in wealthy enclaves. Experts fear that could bankrupt the program and undermine the private market. Free link. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

July 22: #Bertha has officially made landfall in Louisiana as a 45 mph tropical storm. I must admit, I cannot immediately recall a landfalling tropical cyclone that has such minimal rainfall associated with it. Bizarre!

A blog post raising a glass for slow science 😊 petterhol.me/2026/07/21/i...

I don’t want to hear your elevator pitch

… but I’d love to talk science with you for hours, on the shores of Sakhalin or in bars of Beirut, or in the nearest available seminar room. This is a short armchair-philosophical elegy for slow sc…

petterhol.me

Our latest annual report is out today—all the highlights of 2025, including Wave 15 of our main survey, W17 of the Innovation Panel, increased research use, growing influence on government policy, and a very productive scientific conference…

Understanding Society Annual Report 2025 - Understanding Society

Find out what Understanding Society did during 2025, plus read some of the research and policy impact from the year

understandingsociety.ac.uk

I recently came across the best ever rationale for species introduction to the UK: "I reckon we could just throw the middle spotted woodpecker into the UK. It would be very satisfying to have that gap between lesser and greater filled, regardless of the consequences."

How about we all put down the hot takes and pick up Homer's actual version first? (It's okay, the education system can't cover everything. We'll wait right here while people catch up!)

Climate economics has by far been the legitimate discourse that has done the most to downplay the dangers of climate change. And it’s been the main lens though which policymakers—and non-scientist and non-climate journalists (and pundits)—have understood the crisis.

David Roberts@volts.wtf · 3w ago

We didn't previously integrate wildfire-smoke costs into the supposed cost of climate change for the US, and it turns out to be bigger than all those other costs combined. Oops! Gosh I wonder if we're underestimating anything else. Probably shoulda done something about this. Ah well.

Canada's Boreal Forest isn't a neighborhood park—it’s one of the largest intact ecosystems on Earth. 🌲 It covers roughly 1.3 billion acres (526 million hectares). That is an area comparable to the entire United States.

Sometimes intellectual leadership is needed here, thanks Brent!

Brent Toderian@brenttoderian.bsky.social · 3w ago

It’s always been arrogant to assume that we can predict even most of the costs of #ClimateChange. Let alone presume that we can properly quantify them, and successfully adapt to them. A key word with a lot of our climate failure is arrogance. Along with selfishness and greed. #ClimateCrisis

Multiple interacting Nash equilibria co-evolving by chance into socially suboptimal outcomes? Joke, or perhaps not. I recommend starting with the book "hierarchy in the forest"; last point was serious.

Highly recommend making time for the @c40cities.bsky.social & LSE Nicky Gavron Memorial Lecture recording. @annehidalgo.bsky.social’s speech was extraordinary, and the dynamic with fellow mayors Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr and @mayorgallego.bsky.social was electrifying. www.youtube.com/watch?v=-c9h...

A city for all: leading climate transformation in an era of disinformation

YouTube video by LSE Cities

youtube.com

Let's not blame some research elites for normalising carbon capture discourse, either.

Dr. Genevieve Guenther (she/they)@doctorvive.bsky.social · 3w ago

The reason elite consensus switched on net zero is that the elite realized: 1) Carbon capture doesn’t work, and carbon removal is really challenging. 2) The world is facing trillions of dollars in devalued assets if we actually do phase out fossil fuels. So they decided to let the world burn.

Great to see @stottpeter.bsky.social 's article in the @theconversation.com about our Nature comment (www.nature.com/articles/d41...) on need for global assessment of avoidable climate change risks. We can't have policy makers able to say "We didn't know". theconversation.com/why-climate-...

Why climate scientists need to talk more about the very worst-case scenarios

London probably won’t disappear beneath the waves. But we still need to understand the most dangerous outcomes that remain possible – and avoidable.

theconversation.com

Honor and uplift artists who contribute to a better world. At the same time, clearly recognise those who do not, and hold them accountable, not with anger, but with the firm decision to stop engaging with their work.

More Perfect Union@moreperfectunion.bsky.social · 3w ago

Dua Lipa speaks out about the Albania protests: "I find it so inspiring to see how much people really care. You know, day after day they're hitting the streets, because the government has opened up this part of a beautiful nature reserve to a high-end beachfront development....

How to survive future heatwaves? Make a heat plan. In India, Ahmedabad introduced a heat action plan in 2013, combining forecasts, public alerts, and emergency preparations. The plan helps to avoid 1,190 deaths a year. www.hypertextual.org/p/7-ways-sci...

72% of media articles failed to say what caused event that killed around 2700 UK people, let alone who caused it & why. I imagine most didn't say how how bad it could get, how we can take action, or the win-wins of acting now (only 5% mentioned net zero). www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Most UK media reports on June heatwave failed to mention climate crisis

Exclusive: Analysis of nearly 2,500 articles finds almost three-quarters made no reference to global heating

theguardian.com

Only 40% of Brits think the recent heatwave was 'very likely' down to climate change. Yet #climate scientists say it was "virtually impossible" without human-caused warming. The link went unmentioned in nearly 3/4 of news stories, so the media is letting us down. #EndClimateSilence

Exactly why you can instead visit a local homestay south of Goa... #Karwar.

Scroll@scroll.in · 8mo ago

There is no force more destructive than a wealthy man wanting to fulfil his frivolous desires. Goa has tragically devolved into the ultimate manifestation of this desire, writes Kaustubh Naik. scroll.in/article/1089...

A new research article in Nature Water by Jesse D. Gourevitch and colleagues quantifies a $10.1 billion increase in flood insurance claims due to wetland loss since 1985, emphasizing the need for informed land-use policies. www.nature.com/articles/s44...

The economic value of wetlands in reducing riverine flood losses in the USA - Nature Water

Wetland conservation is an undervalued strategy for managing flood risk exacerbated by climate change. This study quantifies the impact of wetland loss on flood insurance claims across the USA, reveal...

nature.com