NY fines big energy $75 billion for climate change

Welcome to this edition of Over a Cup of Coffee!

Thank you for reading this newsletter diligently every week.

The newsletter now supports comments and likes. If you like something or want to add something to the story, just click to contribute.

We would love to hear your thoughts.

In this newsletter

• Dogs can live a year longer with this pill

• Celestial events in January 2025!

• NY fines big energy $75 billion for climate change

• Homo juluensis: New species of humans discovered

Dogs can live a year longer with this pill

Pet lovers know they are adopting a heartbreak when they get home a pet, because your pawsome companion will pass away in the next few years. A new pill could help push this heartbreak a little into the future as it increases lives of dogs by an entire year. 

US biotech start-up Loyal, has launched LOY-002 a beef-flavoured, daily pill that aims to blunt and reverse metabolic changes associated with aging. LOY-002 targets frailty by curbing aging-related increases in insulin. 

A team of researchers at the University of Washinton and Texas A&M University are collaborating on the Dog Aging Project where they are testing the impact of rapamycin on longevity. Rapamycin used as an immunosuppressant in humans is also inexpensive to produce at scale. 

The drug is being used to regulate cell growth and metabolism in dogs aiming for improvement in their heart and cognitive functions. Interestingly, the drug is also being tested for longevity in humans, so research in dogs could lead to longevity pills for humans too. 

Celestial events in January 2025!

January brings the opportunity to witness four bright planets in a single row with the naked eye. 

Venus and Saturn: Low in the southwest sky after sunset.

Jupiter: Shining brightly high overhead.

Mars: Rising in the east.

Uranus and Neptune will require a telescope to be seen clearly.

Venus and Saturn Conjunction: Throughout January, Venus and Saturn will appear to move closer together in the evening sky and be at their closest on the nights of January 17th and 18th.

Mars Opposition: In January, Mars will reach "opposition," meaning it will be directly opposite the Sun in the sky, forming a straight line with Earth and its brightest. Mars oppositions occur about every two years.   Get away from city lights for the best viewing experience.

January 13th - Full Moon and Mars Conjunction: The full Moon will appear very close to Mars in the night sky. In some locations, the Moon will actually pass in front of Mars (an occultation) as it rises in the east. Throughout January, Mars will be visible in the western sky during morning twilight.

For more information head over to NASA’s page. 

Dear readers,

Coffee Table Science is run by a small team of science enthusiasts who are passionate about sharing interesting science.

We DO NOT make any profits from this newsletter or our Instagram page. But there are costs to running this project. Sending this newsletter costs us $40 a month.

If you enjoy reading this newsletter, consider supporting it and keeping the light bulb on.

NY fines big energy $75 billion for climate change

Governor of New York State Kathy Hochul has signed a bill into law that will charge fossil fuel companies $75 billion over 25 years for climate damages. The money will go into a fund to pay for infrastructure projects related to mitigating the effects of climate change, known as a "Climate Superfund." The law applies to companies responsible for more than 1 billion tons of global greenhouse gas emission

State representatives claim that major companies knew about the possible devastation fossil fuels would unleash on the planet. The money raised will be used to improve transit systems, sewage and water, roadways, and protecting major harbors. But who is ultimately going to pay this $75 billion? 

Experts suggest that it will be the people who will end up footing this bill. Even though big oil raked in $1 trillion in profits past few years, they won’t dip into this money to pay the fine. Instead the burden will be shifted to the consumers and the matter could end up in the courts to be decided for the next few years. 

Homo juluensis: New species of humans discovered

Researchers at the University of Hawaii have identified a new species of humans dubbed Homo juluensis in fossil samples found in eastern Asia. Records suggest that the species lived 300,000 years ago in small groups and survived till about 50,000 years ago. 

The study also suggests that the relatively newer species of humans known as Denisovans, were also part of Homo juluensis. It also helps us get a clearer idea about  ancient fossil samples found in China, Korea, Japan and southeast Asia. 

The research findings were published in Nature Communications. 

Drop your comments by clicking on the newsletter!

If you like this newsletter, you will also like Breefx, which carries interesting facts and insights about the world around us. Sign up today to get their next issue directly in your inbox.

Thanks for reading.
Until next time,
Adya