🌊 Hurricane Beryl lashes the Caribbean with 150 mph winds, Boeing gets ‘sweetheart deal’ on fraud charges, 60-million-year-old seed fossil reveal dinosaur extinction helped spread grapes

Plus: Moss found in Tibet, Antarctica might be capable of withstanding Mars-like environment                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 July 02, 2024 | [Read Online]( In Coordination with IE+ [Ready to upgrade your Interesting Engineering experience? With IE+ subscription, you get:]( - Ad-free content - Premium newsletter — The Blueprint Weekly - Special discount for IE Academy, IE Shop & webinar [Subscribe for 1$ now]( Hurricane Beryl has intensified to a Category 5 hurricane, wreaking havoc across the southeastern Caribbean islands. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) posted on X, stating, “Beryl Becomes a potentially catastrophic Category 5 hurricane In the Eastern Caribbean. Expected to bring life-threatening winds and storm surge to Jamaica later this week.” On Monday, Beryl made landfall on Carriacou in Grenada, becoming the earliest Category 4 storm in the Atlantic. Fueled by record-warm waters, it wreaked havoc, tearing off doors, windows, and roofs of homes. For more on this development, check out today’s [Must-Read.]( 🔥Today’s job of the day as featured on [jobs.interestingengineering.com](: >[Â]([Engineer III - Collaboration & Messaging]( Reading Time: 4 mins Did a friend forward this e-mail to you? [Subscribe here.]( MUST READ 🌊 [150 mph roof-ripping winds hit Caribbean: Hurricane Beryl declared Category 5]( Grenada’s Prime Minister, Dickon Mitchell, confirmed one fatality and mentioned that [communication lines were largely down](, making it difficult to assess the full extent of the damage on Carriacou and Petite Martinique. “In half an hour, [Carriacou was flattened](,” Mitchell said during a press conference. He later communicated via Facebook that the government was mobilizing relief supplies to the affected islands and urged residents to stay indoors. The storm caused widespread damage from St. Lucia to Grenada. Streets were filled with debris like shoes, trees, and fallen power lines. Banana trees were broken, and livestock were found dead in fields, with homes nearby leaning dangerously. By late Monday, Beryl’s winds had reached [260 km/h (160 mph)](, and they are expected to change in strength in the coming days. 🛫 [US: Boeing gets ‘sweetheart deal’ on fraud charges, victim families angry]( The US Department of Justice (DoJ) is preparing to charge Boeing with fraud in connection to two fatal crashes five years ago. However, it is reportedly considering offering the aerospace giant a [plea deal](. This news has infuriated the families of the passengers who died in the tragic accidents involving Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, which claimed a total of [346 lives](. The proposed plea deal terms, as revealed to the families of the victims, include Boeing paying a fine, facing a [three-year probation period](, and working under a corporate monitor. The details of the deal were shared with the families during a conference call on Sunday, which led to a wave of anger and frustration. 🍇 [Death of dinosaurs helped spread grapes, reveal 60-million-year-old seeds]( The extinction of dinosaurs could have paved the way for the spread of grapes. Paleontologists at Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History discovered ancient grape seed fossils—ranging between [60 to 19 million years](—from the rocks of the Colombian Andes. Through these super-old fossils, the team identified [nine new species]( of ancient grapes from Colombia, Panama, and Perú. Grapes have an excellent fossil record going back 50 million years. Interestingly, the oldest grape seed fossils discovered in India are around 66 million years old, corresponding with the [catastrophic asteroid impact](that changed Earth’s existence. HOT TOPICS OF THE DAY SCIENCE > Researchers in Beijing, China claim that they have developed a new kind of food: a nutrition-rich rice embedded with meat. Basically, they have developed a way to grow meat cells directly on rice grains. ([More]() > Scientists believe desert moss could be a crucial component for Mars colonization. In a new study, researchers from China explained that Syntrichia caninervis—a moss found in the Mojave desert, Tibet, and Antarctica—is capable of withstanding harsh Mars-like conditions. ([More]() > At NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, AR technology and robotics are revolutionizing the assembly of the Roman Space Telescope by enhancing precision and efficiency, leading to significant time and cost savings during construction. ([More]() ENERGY > ITER, the world’s largest fusion experiment, is now closer to going online after the special magnets needed to build the reactor’s core arrived in southern France. ([More]() > Researchers at Oxford University in the UK are studying a dormant volcano on the Caribbean island of Montserrat and the geofluids that flow below dormant volcanoes. They are confident in extracting critical battery metals and energy from them. ([More]() > Walmart Canada continues its march towards a 100% alt fuel fleet with the deployment of its first hydrogen fuel cell-powered Nikola Tre. ([More]() INNOVATION > A British-Australian mining company’s facility in Canada is set to debut a novel carbon-free aluminum smelting technology. This is in an effort to accelerate the shift to more environmentally friendly production methods. ([More]() > Swedish greentech company Eolus has just applied for a new 2.2 gigawatt (GW) offshore wind farm permit. The estimated output of 11.7 terawatt-hours (TWh) per year from the project will be enough to meet half the power needs of Stockholm. ([More]() > Living brain cells wired into organoid-on-a-chip biocomputers can now learn to drive robots, thanks to an open-source intelligent interaction system called MetaBOC. This remarkable project aims to re-home human brain cells in artificial bodies. ([More]() VIDEO > Satellite footage shows Hurricane Beryl on the move, with speeds predicted to reach up to 155mph (250km/h). ([More]() > A 'hay devil' has been caught on camera in a Cotswold town. The whirlwinds occur in calm, very sunny conditions when a fast-rising column of warm air begins to rotate. ([More]() IE QUIZ: THE RESULTS In yesterday’s quiz, we asked, Which alphabet will come for the unknown value? The answer is: B Ready for more brainy challenges? Gear up for future IE quizzes by following us on [Instagram]( and [Facebook!]( FROM THE WEB > X-rays reveal gnarled remains of an ancient Roman military [sandal]( > A collection of "unexpected treasures" has been found shipwrecked in mysterious circumstances in the waters of the [Bahamas]( > Australia is on track for the worst year of whooping cough since 2016 as cases surge across the [country]( > A second Donald Trump presidency could be "the death knell for high-speed rail" in the United States, says Obama-era transportation [secretary]( > Scientists are working to understand how the US-Mexico border wall is affecting the area’s [biodiversity]( > Genetic testing can't always reveal the sex of a baby because gender and sex are both more complicated than X and Y [chromosomes]( Additional Reads --------------------------------------------------------------- [⚙️ Mechanical:](Explore the wonders of mechanical engineering. [🛩️ Aerospace:]( The latest on propulsion, satellites, aeronautics, and more. [🧑🏻‍🔧 Engineer Pros:]( The latest in engineering news, career updates, and insider knowledge. [🧠AI Logs:]( Insights into the intricacies and developments within the realm of artificial intelligence. [🎬 IE Originals:]( Weekly round-up of our best science, tech & engineering videos. [🟩 Sustainability:]( Uncover green innovations and the latest trends shaping a sustainable future for the tech industry. [⚡Electrical:]( From AI to smart grids, our newsletter energizes you on emerging tech. [🎓 IE Academy:]( Master your field and take your career to the next level with IE Academy --------------------------------------------------------------- Want to share your feedback? [contact@interestingengineering.com](mailto:contact@interestingengineering.com?subject=User%20feedback%20for%20the%20Blueprint) --------------------------------------------------------------- //link.mail.beehiiv.com/ss/c/u001.K6ndGU8d_KOkj4UfGsJPEcktYIaxSR7SdCQbODD_GYGnsx9za6C1sEpqYvc81lIl4tfEpOmm8xUuBEuIh5zJrlfb1rsr5ND63XCkm8kVGSM8t1uZRVycYZUIEwgtjnu7Nnj-cx5JwttVGvCCDyvISTcMFpp64URT7I1oXLjx4LQKblpGDWQywI_pj0F1kjRrtjUwtb2M_Z5Gay1GlxIWkaYwJ4wzsI2C8oA7nRscNVgfVSWryEFljbNEta9b0xsDvjTZwHTflvs2ithQPNbk7AH6tBXEDYWmSLW4wYrH_tdBoty6dEwL1Hbt5cp6mmYFbNV9-32rsZ1qNTGYF_3QXf1aP1mftAIuCybqchBoQiV4vcCxcw5ZLkdgppms5d4I2p_gvK5gX07pb1VVICKMfy02cc0vcpcYmOzOYTO0Zew/47p/SVlLjW2aT46hjSHTBaNOLQ/h50/h001.ToytMSs6XAaGqbJE-frPlxiqp-y-hjKTUsWoh8hvnjY//link.mail.beehiiv.com/ss/c/u001.O7cX42TEUwaVzaXjvY3lIBaVSA5HCDbqRL0r1mrSAZjXlQfx3AeIAMCqNceFzEl_q_WARK627ZB44CnqOlm3oTZ0yZKe8JXrMhFD-jMzqqvjp4J32PN1uuhmS8YPt7FAcRddKkfA6zrJyQ_MwUm_Cj6Mun0JeuvHN7E-6WhVtR7h8zg2ilVmD7Ej6WLcSt7r5VF3DEK3F17g7HCVgsIF-lzcInBjGcHwvLxlrahQjec0WTOFQCUfumzrFuWaiPqNqGNjhUHOUTJrT6hYk6EhVld2Xuml5VjYX5FgQHnLExQI6N_2qcHYpuT6-YQmdB5k1uUoBHww7uM-XODY-MPAxNsMmJoi0TwF0hPq8xe9hh_CfcR_uxe628PyLwZXPShWncCQ6LF-3jBzzl1LfWJZGQ/47p/SVlLjW2aT46hjSHTBaNOLQ/h52/h001.3Ow6QFT6QUYAvMiHYafHKuQOz9z3B9YS3PmKci9gag8//link.mail.beehiiv.com/ss/c/u001.lXP8MAk3H8kfS_nzsfeb6jWgiQY_x4ZXj58uyQyAyaI0CN1hGvPpnFTKRJASHsrgFRI6zYgMz7Ggye5P1topNMUNMsuuY4b3iLyuTPdFF6tfIApB3BuuNjln4raz9DTCy24HAAf2yxwlbJcZRxeP2bU9WG-jrAnUejfwu5JSNBLRoWpe6q55AjzHdw0RYlZi-11aofb8ZbODyhePtWSFZj0hLZfPYBH0o9kq2Lf5ycStgny1cYa42aYN25JPkxw1eATz3eGYvHf8fIXqSwJDldqShxx5O3D-N5ypB_M-KLll7rJ571neqjUyXKCJ7WeI8a8X8002ekV5MmQoPy6lSxLOs9urOXBi4w01ZtxMu9O1uvdunq7YXFTseTz61uBA0Vm3yvW3HNypYjgJmrH3GA/47p/SVlLjW2aT46hjSHTBaNOLQ/h54/h001.jrMRuVk07u4JWtT_tJKEOUuU7gG65E0UYMNe_um5Z4U Update your email preferences or unsubscribe [here]( © 2024 The Blueprint 530 5th Ave New York, New York 10036, United States of America [Terms of Service](