☔ Dubai's heaviest rainfall, Global first quantum feat, Ancient lava tube

Torrential rainfall has crippled the United Arab Emirates, causing widespread flooding across the nation. According to the UAE government, it is the heaviest downpour in 75 years.

The heavy rainfall has inundated cities and disrupted major transportation networks. Access to basic infrastructure facilities like metro stations and shopping centers has also been hampered. For more on this story, don’t forget to check out today’s Must-Read.

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> Product Cybersecurity Engineer
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🎙 New podcast Sci-fi to reality: the quest to harness solar power from space

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☔ Year’s worth of rain pounds Dubai in 24 hrs, flights canceled, malls flooded

Major UAE cities have been plagued with flash floods that are inundating streets, highways, and other transport networks. Dubai, the country’s most populous city, received over 142 mm (5.59 inches) of rain in just 24 hours. Notably, this exceeds the average annual rainfall in Dubai by one and a half times.

For reference, Dubai International Airport — the world’s busiest international travel hub — receives an average annual rainfall of just 94.7mm (3.73 inches). The airport has been forced to divert its air traffic and cancel several flights.

The extreme weather conditions have disrupted normal life in the UAE, with the country’s inland regions also facing deluge-like situations. They have reported receiving rainfall of over 80 mm (3.2 inches) in 24 hours, which is just shy of the annual average of around 100 mm.

🖥️ In a global first, scientists create, store, and retrieve quantum data

A collaboration of scientists from various universities in the UK and Europe have stored and retrieved data from quantum computers, marking a “crucial connection for ‘quantum internet,'” in a global first.

This is an essential step in quantum networking as the world gears up for the next generation of computing. With its ultrafast computational speeds, quantum computing is touted to solve the world’s problems in designing new drugs, understanding the properties of materials, and optimizing financial risk.

Quantum computers built today are already way ahead of their binary counterparts and are getting even better with adding more quantum bits in the processing and error correction packages.

🌋 This lava tube sheltered humans herding livestock for over 7000 years

An archaeological excavation recently took place at Umm Jirsan, situated in the volcanic field of Harrat Khaybar in Saudi Arabia. The discoveries offer insights into the lives of ancient peoples in Arabia, covering a vast timeline from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age periods, spanning approximately 10,000 to 3,500 years ago.

Archaeologists found that Umm Jirsan, a large lava tube roughly 125 kilometers (77 miles) north of Medina, has provided shelter to humans herding livestock for at least the past 7,000 years.  

The lava tube was comprised of rock art and faunal records, which implied the pastoralist use of the lava tube and its nearby regions. Additionally, cattle, sheep, goats, and dogs were depicted, attesting to the prehistoric livestock practices and herd composition of the region.

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HOT TOPICS OF THE DAY

SCIENCE

> In May 2020, a father and daughter—Justin and Ruby Reynolds—from Braunton, Devon, discovered the fossilized remains of a gigantic jawbone. Now, an analysis reveals more about the 202 million-year-old newly discovered giant ichthyosaur. (More)

> Researchers just discovered that queens of a certain bumblebee species can survive underwater while diapausing. No doubt, her survival is critical because she has to create a new colony in the next season. (More)

> Did cloud seeding drown Dubai? In this approach, airplanes are used to introduce chemicals and small particles, such as potassium chloride salts, into rain clouds to increase precipitation. (More)

ENERGY

> Decision-makers have been reluctant to invest in wind energy due to a perception that wind farms require a lot of land compared to electric power plants driven by fossil fuels. A new study paints a different picture. (More)

> A NASA mission testing a new way of navigating our solar system is ready to hoist its sail into space—not to catch the wind, but the propulsive power of sunlight. (More)

> CETO Wave Energy Ireland (CWEI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Carnegie Clean Energy, has achieved a milestone as part of the ACHIEVE project, coming one step closer to deploying its CETO wave energy converter in the Basque Country, Spain. (More)

INNOVATION

> MIT engineers developed something called “nanostitching.” The glue could make way for lighter and more durable composite materials for the aerospace industry. (More)

> A pioneer in humanoid robots, Boston Dynamics’ Atlas has undoubtedly advanced the game and captured the imagination of millions throughout its life. After nearly 11 years of service, the U.S. robotics firm has decided to retire the robot. (More)

> Researchers at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at Cornell University in the U.S. have installed climate-controlled chambers to measure, verify, and monitor various methane and other gas emissions from the respiration process in cows. (More)

VIDEO

> Dubai has been hit with its biggest rainstorm in 75 years. The city got over a year's rainfall in the space of one night. Scientists are linking the storm with climate change - meaning it won't be the last. (More)

> Footage of the UK's DragonFire laser weaponry system has been declassified. The weapon is seen destroying airborne drones and mortar shells. DragonFire is intended to be a technology demonstrator for a larger future project. (More)

> Underwater inspection regimes have traditionally required humans in boats. Now, underwater drones can cut the tedium, the expense, and the ecological impact. Find out more on how in this video! (More)

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