New_Scientist_3_08_2019

3 August 2019 | New Scientist | 7

AS THE world warms, more

all-time national heat records have

been set. The 38.7°C recorded in

Cambridge (pictured) on 25 July

during the recent European

heatwave has now been confirmed

as the highest temperature ever

recorded in the UK.

The UK Met Office took several

days to confirm the record, first

checking the instrument located

in Cambridge University Botanic

Garden that recorded it.

The 25 July also saw all-time

national records set in Germany

(42.6°C), Belgium (41.8°C),

Luxembourg (40.8°C) and the

Netherlands (40.7°C). Many more

places across Europe recorded

their highest ever temperatures.

The heatwave was caused by a

weather pattern that drew hot air

from Africa northwards across

a broad swathe of Europe. Such

patterns occur from time to time,

but because parts of North Africa

are now 2°C hotter on average

than in pre-industrial times, the

plume of hot air was much hotter

than it would have been without

global warming.

“When the weather patterns,

like we saw last week, bring air

from this region to our shores,

it can bring a stronger signal of

climate change with it too,” said

Peter Stott at the Met Office in

a statement.

The heatwave disrupted travel

in the UK as overhead wires on

railways sagged and tracks buckled

in the heat. Severe thunderstorms

triggered by the heat and humidity

also caused flight delays.

The July heatwave in Europe

came just a few weeks after a

June heatwave set records. Many

other parts of the world have

also had record heat this year.

So far this year, 11 countries

have recorded their hottest

ever temperatures, according

to weather records compiler

Maximiliano Herrera. None

have recorded their coldest ever

temperatures.

The latest heat records aren’t

likely to last long. The world

has warmed around 1°C since

pre-industrial times and is on

track to warm 3 or 4°C by 2100.

As warming continues, heatwaves

will become ever more extreme. ❚

Met Office confirms the highest temperature ever recorded in the UK,

following an extreme European heatwave. Michael Le Page reports

Carbon emissions

China on track for

climate goals

CHINA’S emissions may peak

at 13 to 16 gigatonnes of

CO 2 between 2021 and

2025 - years earlier than its

target of “around 2030” in

the Paris climate agreement

(Nature Sustainability,

doi.org/c8w5).

This reflects the nation’s

efforts to mitigate climate

change as part of an

economy that focuses on

high quality, instead of high

speed, says Haikun Wang

at Nanjing University, China.

China accounts for a

quarter of all humanity’s

emissions, making it a

crucial part of efforts to

meet the Paris goal of

limiting temperature rises

to 2°C. ❚ Adam Vaughan

Animal intelligence

World’s smartest

dog has died

WHO’S a clever girl? Chaser,

a border collie who learned

over 1000 words, died last

week, aged 15. Chaser’s

exceptional vocabulary

earned her the epithet

“world’s smartest dog”.

Her owner, John Pilley,

trained Chaser for up to

5 hours a day for three years,

using 800 toys, 116 balls

and various plastic items.

He would show Chaser an

object, say its name up to

40 times, then hide it and

ask her to find it.

In a test of Chaser’s lexical

prowess, she was tasked

with getting 20 toys one by

one. Out of 838 trials she

never got fewer than 18 out

of 20 right. ❚ Sam Wong

Record-breaking heat

News

JOE GIDDENS/PA WIRE/PA IMAGES

Hidden canyon

Concealed valley

could affect melting

of Greenland’s ice p

Brainy chip

Sophisticated chip

can handle two types

of algorithm p

Home DNA testing

Complaints filed over

consumer genetic

testing kits p

Predicting solar

AI could lower energy

bills and carbon

emissions p

Really smart watch

Soothing app

can boost exam

performance p