Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

In the shadow of the world’s worst nuclear disaster, thousands of feral dogs roam the eerie quiet of the <keyword id="24385385" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chernobyl-Exclusion-Zone" source="keywords">Chernobyl Exclusion Zone</keyword> (CEZ), a 1,000-square-mile area abandoned by humans since 1986. These dogs, descendants of pets left behind during the hurried evacuation, are now the focus of a fascinating new study. Scientists are diving deep into their DNA to explore how decades of exposure to radiation might have shaped their genomes — and possibly even sped up evolution. The research analysed the DNA of 302 feral dogs living at the nuclear power plant and compared them to their counterparts just 10 miles away in Chernobyl City. The findings revealed significant genetic differences between the two groups. While this doesn’t definitively prove that radiation is the culprit, it offers tantalising clues about the long-term effects of living in a radioactive environment. So, why study these dogs? According to Elaine Ostrander, a dog genomics expert involved in the research, the goal is to unravel how these animals have genetically adapted to survive and reproduce in such a harsh environment. Ostrander wonders if they possess mutations that allow them to live and breed successfully in this region. However this isn’t the first time scientists have wondered whether radiation could drive evolution. Back in 2016, researchers observed that Eastern tree frogs within the CEZ were more commonly black instead of their usual green. They theorised that the darker pigmentation, linked to a mutation in melanin, helped neutralise radiation. Could the same be true for Chernobyl’s dogs? While the study offers a starting point, proving a direct link between radiation and genetic changes is no easy task. Other factors, like inbreeding or environmental stress, might also explain the differences. As one environmental scientist noted, isolating radiation’s impact from everything else is “incredibly difficult.” Still, the implications of this research stretch far beyond the CEZ. Understanding how organisms adapt to extreme environments could shed light on the impacts of radiation, help refine evolutionary theories, and even inspire new approaches to tackling challenges like climate change. For now, Chernobyl’s wild dogs remain a living puzzle, their resilience offering a unique window into the interplay of genetics, environment, and survival in one of the planet’s most hostile landscapes. The findings of this research have been published in Science Advances.

Could radiation really be making Chernobyl’s wild dogs evolve? A new study suggests so!

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Russia's army has suffered tremendous casualties and equipment losses in Ukraine.</li><li>But a battlefield deadlock is shifting things in Moscow's favor, a new US intelligence report said.</li></ul>Russia's military has suffered serious damage in the Ukraine war, but after more than two years of hard fighting, the deadlock on the battlefield is shifting the momentum in Moscow's favor, according to a newly released US intelligence assessment.The war has "incurred major, lasting costs for Russia," members of the US intelligence community wrote in an annual threat <a target="_blank" href="https://www.odni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/ATA-2024-Unclassified-Report.pdf">assessment</a>, which was originally published in early February but released to the public on Monday.In the latest assessment, the US notes that Moscow's campaign not only "failed to attain" the subjugation of Ukraine that Russian President Vladimir Putin sought when he initiated a full-scale invasion, but it also united the West behind Kyiv, support for which materialized through security assistance and economic aid.The US said that Russia has suffered more losses in Ukraine than at any point since World War II, pegging the country's high casualties at "roughly" 300,000. This figure, which is based on information available as of late-January, is much lower than more recent Western estimates.<div type="image" title="Ukrainian soldiers fire missiles from a Grad PC3B at Russian positions on March 5, 2024." height="3580" width="5370" msid="108413367" hostid="261" sizebytes="1851038"></div>Britain's defense ministry said earlier this month that more than <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/DefenceHQ/status/1764244391630184736">355,000 Russian soldiers</a> have been killed or wounded in Ukraine and that February saw Moscow suffer its highest casualty rate of any month during the war, averaging nearly 1,000 losses each day."The Russian military has and will continue to face issues of attrition, personnel shortages, and morale challenges," the US intel report said, but "its reliance on mines, prepared defensive positions, and indirect fires has helped it blunt Ukraine's offensives in 2023." There's been only limited movement over the past year. "Nonetheless, this deadlock plays to Russia's strategic military advantages and is increasingly shifting the momentum in Moscow's favor," the report continued. "Russia's defense industry is significantly ramping up production of a panoply of long-range strike weapons, artillery munitions, and other capabilities that will allow it to sustain a long high-intensity war if necessary.""Meanwhile, Moscow has made continual incremental battlefield gains since late 2023, and is benefitting from uncertainties about the future of Western military assistance," the report added.<div type="image" title="A destroyed Russian tan on a road in the foreground with a Ukrainian serviceman rides a tractor pulling a military vehicle behind it, all beneath a grey sky" height="1392" width="2000" msid="108413368" hostid="261" sizebytes="388184"></div>Last month, Russia <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-air-superiority-avdiivka-could-be-devastating-for-ukraine-2024-2">captured</a> the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka after a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-new-offensive-bears-similar-catastrophic-tactics-bloodied-army-bakhmut-2023-11">bloody months-long campaign</a> that came at a severe cost to Moscow, which expended a high amount of personnel and armored vehicles in the fight. The win has been characterized as Putin's biggest victory since <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-bakhmut-longest-bloodiest-battle-comes-high-cost-russia-2023-3">the fall of Bakhmut</a> last spring.War experts and British intelligence have said that Russia is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-pushing-past-avdiivka-before-ukraine-can-make-new-defenses-2024-2">building off the momentum</a> of capturing Avdiivka and has advanced deeper into eastern Ukraine in recent weeks, taking advantage of the battlefield landscape by moving forward before Kyiv can build new defenses.A top White House official told reporters last week that Russia had captured several towns and villages west of Avdiivka and said Ukraine is having trouble holding its defensive lines due to a lack of military support from the US.<div type="image" title="Ukrainian soldiers fire artillery in the direction of Bakhmut on March 5, 2024." height="5000" width="7500" msid="108413369" hostid="261" sizebytes="2873738"></div>Although US intelligence asserts that Russia will have to endure "a multi-year recovery after suffering extensive equipment and personnel losses" in Ukraine, the report predicts that Moscow will ultimately be able to overcome its current deficiencies though other means.One area of focus is the rebuilding of its ground forces. The US said Russia's successful military recruiting and increased defense spending will eventually leave it with a larger military than what it currently has, though it may not necessarily be a better one. But as it works to improve its more traditional conventional forces, Moscow will be more dependent on nuclear and space-related capabilities to provide strategic deterrence."Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has resulted in enormous damage at home and abroad," the report said, warning that "Russia remains a resilient and capable adversary across a wide range of domains and seeks to project and defend its interests globally and to undermine the United States and the West."

Ukraine has been a disaster for Russia's troubled army, but the deadlock is shifting things in Moscow's favor, US intelligence says

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Baltimore's largest bridge collapsed after a cargo vessel, the Dali, crashed into it.</li><li>Experts told BI that a mechanical failure aboard the ship could have caused the crash.</li></ul>The destruction of Baltimore's largest bridge early Tuesday morning has raised major questions about how such a disaster could have happened.The National Transportation Safety Board <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/NTSB_Newsroom/status/1772615395846848689">said</a> it has launched an investigation into the incident, in which <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-we-know-dali-francis-scott-crash-collapse-maryland-bridge-2024-3">a cargo vessel — the Dali</a> — collided with one of the bridge's support beams, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/francis-scott-key-bridge-baltimore-collapses-after-struck-large-boat-2024-3">bringing it crashing down</a>. It's unclear if there are any fatalities.Much is still to be learned about what happened.Both the FBI and the White House have said that nothing so far indicates nefarious intent or a terror attack. And Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said that "the preliminary investigation points to an accident," <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/1772627733559857516">NBC News reported</a>.But what is clear is that one of modern shipping's largest vessels met with a bridge that was never meant to fend off such an impact, experts told Business Insider.Henry Lipian, an expert at Introtech Accident Reconstruction and Forensics, said in a call with BI that while current information is limited, "the first thing that comes to mind to me is some kind of a mechanical failure, where either there's a problem with the steering of the ship or maybe a generator went out."Lipian, who received specialist training in watercraft crash investigation during his time in the US Coast Guard, said this is more likely than "any mismanagement by the pilot or the captain."Port pilots bring specialist knowledge of local waters and channels to guide visiting ships until they are out in open water.The Maryland Association of Pilots was not available for comment on whether one of its pilots was in control of the Dali at the time of the collision.Gov. Moore said in a news conference that the crew on the ship notified authorities they had lost power.Moore told reporters that the ship was moving at a "very rapid speed" and that the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/baltimore-bridge-collapse-cargo-ship-mayday-call-traffic-2024-3">mayday call stopped a greater disaster from occurring</a>, with cars redirected away from the bridge.He also said the bridge was "fully up to code" and had no structural issues.An unclassified Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency report seen by <a target="_blank" href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/live-updates/baltimore-key-bridge-collapse/?id=108500215#108501855">ABC News</a> said that the ship signaled to authorities that it had "lost propulsion" and was potentially going to crash.A loss of propulsion would have had an effect on the rudder's ability to steer effectively, Lipian told BI. "If the rudder went out, now the ship's going to be at the mercy of the wind and the currents," he said.The size of the vessel, even if it was moving slowly, would have created enormous kinetic energy, he said."There's no brakes on a ship," Lipian added. "You either have to reverse your engines or let it coast, and there's not enough time to drop any anchors."<h2>A modern ship meets an old-school bridge</h2><a target="_blank" href="https://www.lloydslist.com/LL1148649/UPDATED-Maerskoperated-containership-hits-Baltimore-bridge-causing-collapse">According to shipping publication Lloyd's List</a>, the Dali is part of a modern generation of massive container ships with extended cargo capacity."The MV Dali had a gross tonnage of 95,000 tons, a length of about a hundred meters," Tim Broyd, a professor at University College London and a former president of the UK's Institution of Civil Engineers, told BI.That wasn't common when the Francis Scott Key Bridge was first designed, he said."Almost certainly when the bridge was designed, there was little to no consideration given to a hundred-thousand-ton ship hitting it," Broyd said.But regardless of its age — construction on the bridge finished in 1977 — there's little chance it would have survived a head-on impact of this kind.Instead of building bridges strong enough to withstand a direct impact from a ship, engineers focus on deflecting a wayward vessel from its path.This is achieved by putting structures in place around the base of the bridge.While it looks like some of these were in place around the piers supporting the structure, they were likely not built to deflect a cargo ship like the Dali, Lorna Wharton, head of public affairs for COWI, an engineering and architecture consultancy, said in an email.In fact, engineers would struggle to design a bridge capable of stopping a ship as large as the Dali, she said.Newer bridges, built with heavier cargo ships in mind, may include larger gaps between the supporting piers, Broyd said. But "commercially, you can't make every bridge able to withstand a direct hit from a hundred thousand-ton vessel," he said."There's a balance between the amount of money you spend and the ability to withstand ever lower probability risks," he added.Others see a much more worrying reality."This disaster reveals how exposed America's critical infrastructure is to sudden and devastating accidents as well as intentional destruction," said Rick Geddes, an infrastructure policy expert and director of the Cornell University Infrastructure Policy Program, in a statement seen by BI."Improved resilience should be on everyone's mind as aging infrastructure is rebuilt," he added. "Enhanced protection against ship-bridge collisions will certainly become more salient."Broyd said that the fact that this collision happened at all points to a failure in the entire system of moving freight from the port down the river, rather than a flaw in the design of the bridge itself.If it was indeed a mechanical failure that caused the Dali to crash, Lipian said, his next question would be to ask who was maintaining any systems that may have broken."Ships are very, very complicated machines," he said. "So in the future, there might be more information that we can glean in the human error part, like why did a mechanical condition fail?"As Mark Richards director of NESTA consulting engineers, put it: "It's the full set of circumstances here, I think, which have led to the demise."

The Baltimore bridge disaster is what happens when 95,000 tons of modern cargo ship meets America's aging infrastructure, experts say

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The American Red Cross responds to nearly twice as many disasters today compared with a decade ago.</li><li>The US has already seen 15 billion-dollar disasters in 2023 so far.</li><li>The relief group plans to spend $1 billion over the next few years on more staff and financial aid.</li></ul>Hurricane Idalia, which struck western Florida on Wednesday and moved through the Carolinas as a tropical storm, could be the opening round of what scientists predict <a target="_blank" href="https://newsletter.businessinsider.com/click/32565684.5796/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubm9hYS5nb3YvbmV3cy1yZWxlYXNlL25vYWEtZm9yZWNhc3RlcnMtaW5jcmVhc2UtYXRsYW50aWMtaHVycmljYW5lLXNlYXNvbi1wcmVkaWN0aW9uLXRvLWFib3ZlLW5vcm1hbD91dG1fbWVkaXVtPW5ld3NsZXR0ZXImZW1haWw9Y2JvdWRyZWF1JTQwaW5zaWRlci5jb20meD04MTI4ZTI5ZTMwN2Q4YzI2MjI4NzBjNDNkMmU4MzFhMjJjZTUwMDkyNTVhMTUwZDU0NzE3MDM1ZThjYjBkMGE2/628bdf90094963f5ad0eef3eB65b0114d">will be an "above normal" Atlantic hurricane season</a>. Officials <a target="_blank" href="https://newsletter.businessinsider.com/click/32565684.5796/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZmxvcmlkYWRpc2FzdGVyLm9yZy9ldmFjdWF0aW9uLW9yZGVycy8_dXRtX21lZGl1bT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyJmVtYWlsPWNib3VkcmVhdSU0MGluc2lkZXIuY29tJng9ODEyOGUyOWUzMDdkOGMyNjIyODcwYzQzZDJlODMxYTIyY2U1MDA5MjU1YTE1MGQ1NDcxNzAzNWU4Y2IwZDBhNg/628bdf90094963f5ad0eef3eB5c01f592">in about two dozen counties ordered residents</a> to evacuate from the Big Bend region, where the Florida Panhandle curves into the peninsula, and hundreds of thousands were without power. During these major disasters, many evacuees head to shelters run by the American Red Cross, which is racing to expand its services as hurricanes, flooding, and wildfires become more extreme due to the climate crisis. Just before Hurricane Idalia made landfall, the relief organization <a target="_blank" href="https://newsletter.businessinsider.com/click/32565684.5796/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucmVkY3Jvc3Mub3JnL2Fib3V0LXVzL25ld3MtYW5kLWV2ZW50cy9wcmVzcy1yZWxlYXNlLzIwMjMvcmVkLWNyb3NzLWhlbHBzLWNvbW11bml0aWVzLWRldmFzdGF0ZWQtYnktdGhlLWNsaW1hdGUtY3Jpc2lzLmh0bWw_dXRtX21lZGl1bT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyJmVtYWlsPWNib3VkcmVhdSU0MGluc2lkZXIuY29tJng9ODEyOGUyOWUzMDdkOGMyNjIyODcwYzQzZDJlODMxYTIyY2U1MDA5MjU1YTE1MGQ1NDcxNzAzNWU4Y2IwZDBhNg/628bdf90094963f5ad0eef3eBe6293296">announced that it plans to spend</a> at least $1 billion over the next several years to respond to climate-fueled disasters and support survivors for longer periods of time. "Today we're responding to nearly twice as many disasters as we were a decade ago," Jennifer Pipa, the American Red Cross' vice president of disaster programs, told Insider. "When we see that kind of monumental increase in demand for our services, we acknowledge that we can't continue to do the same way of business."So far this year, the US has already seen 15 billion-dollar disasters. The Red Cross has responded to <a target="_blank" href="https://newsletter.businessinsider.com/click/32565684.5796/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYnVzaW5lc3NpbnNpZGVyLmNvbS9sYWhhaW5hLW1hdWktd2lsZGZpcmUtd2hhdC13ZW50LXdyb25nLWNsaW1hdGUtY29sb25pYWxpc20tMjAyMy04P3V0bV9tZWRpdW09bmV3c2xldHRlciZlbWFpbD1jYm91ZHJlYXUlNDBpbnNpZGVyLmNvbSZ4PTgxMjhlMjllMzA3ZDhjMjYyMjg3MGM0M2QyZTgzMWEyMmNlNTAwOTI1NWExNTBkNTQ3MTcwMzVlOGNiMGQwYTY/628bdf90094963f5ad0eef3eB06accbbe">the deadliest wildfire</a> of the last century in Maui, a typhoon that struck Guam in June, record rainfall and <a target="_blank" href="https://newsletter.businessinsider.com/click/32565684.5796/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYnVzaW5lc3NpbnNpZGVyLmNvbS9zYWZlLXBsYWNlcy1mb3ItY2xpbWF0ZS1jaGFuZ2UtdmVybW9udC1mbG9vZHMtMjAyMy03P3V0bV9tZWRpdW09bmV3c2xldHRlciZlbWFpbD1jYm91ZHJlYXUlNDBpbnNpZGVyLmNvbSZ4PTgxMjhlMjllMzA3ZDhjMjYyMjg3MGM0M2QyZTgzMWEyMmNlNTAwOTI1NWExNTBkNTQ3MTcwMzVlOGNiMGQwYTY/628bdf90094963f5ad0eef3eB68871132">flooding in the Northeast</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://newsletter.businessinsider.com/click/32565684.5796/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYnVzaW5lc3NpbnNpZGVyLmNvbS9jYWxpZm9ybmlhLXJpdmVyLWluLXNreS1jYXVzZXMtZmxvb2RzLXRob3VzYW5kcy1ldmFjdWF0ZS0yLWRlYWQtMjAyMy0zP3V0bV9tZWRpdW09bmV3c2xldHRlciZlbWFpbD1jYm91ZHJlYXUlNDBpbnNpZGVyLmNvbSZ4PTgxMjhlMjllMzA3ZDhjMjYyMjg3MGM0M2QyZTgzMWEyMmNlNTAwOTI1NWExNTBkNTQ3MTcwMzVlOGNiMGQwYTY/628bdf90094963f5ad0eef3eBcf4a5c89">atmospheric rivers</a> and a tropical storm in California, wildfires up and down the West Coast, and deadly tornadoes in the South and Midwest. The Red Cross and other emergency responders are sometimes forced to return to the same places year after year when disasters strike, and they see the resiliency of those communities erode over time. Pipa said the average recovery time after natural disasters is longer, meaning people are staying in shelters longer and require extra support to transition to sustainable housing. "We've found that 60 to 90 days post-disaster, many national organizations that have come in to provide immediate support have left and are no longer present, so resources aren't available for families," Pipa said. "That's why we're bringing in what we call bridge assistance."To address longer-term needs, the Red Cross has identified some of the most vulnerable communities and is providing families with more direct financial aid for security deposits, home repairs, and child care. The relief organization is also extending case work for up to a year, which assists people with access to healthcare, food, and housing. Nearly 400 households affected by Hurricane Ian in 2022 and the atmospheric rivers in California have participated. The Red Cross is adding 69 staffers, the majority of whom will be located at the local level. By the end of 2024, these employees will be in 15 counties across a dozen states.Establishing relationships with small nonprofits, religious organizations, and other community groups before disaster strikes is also part of the strategy, Pipa said. These groups don't always know how to plug in to a disaster-relief operation or access federal dollars, but they're often critical to delivering food to rural residents or providing healthcare."There are three distinct barriers to recovery: housing, food insecurity, and physical and mental health," Pipa said. "Those are all things that we see consistently keep folks from transitioning from shelters to their next recovery step. The Red Cross won't ever be everything to everyone. So connecting families with community partners that have expertise in these areas results in better outcomes for families."

The climate crisis is forcing the American Red Cross to expand its disaster-recovery work

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Dome homes are built to withstand extreme weather — ideal for areas prone to natural disasters.</li><li>Dome homeowners said the structures' energy efficiency saves them money on energy bills.</li></ul>When Pamela Voss and her husband were looking for a serene, secluded home in eastern Texas, they were amazed to stumble upon a unique dwelling in their area: a geodesic <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/natural-disaster-proof-dome-homes-houses-housing-apocalypse-bunker-2023-7">dome home.</a>"I'd never really considered a dome home, but when we looked at the house, I said: 'This is so cool — wow, what I can do with this house,'" Voss told Insider."It's like living in a planetarium," she added.But dome-shaped homes are more than just unique places to live. The structures are also weather-resistant, and known to withstand extreme winds and rain. The unique structure could also save homeowners money in the long run.<h2>Dome homes can protect homeowners from extreme weather, which is on the rise due to the climate crisis</h2>Mike South, president of the Texas-based Monolithic Dome company, said roughly half his customers wanted a dome home because of climate and weather concerns."We actually had a father and son come to us — the son built a dome home and the dad made fun of him the whole time," South said. "Then, a tornado came through and fell on the Dad's house, cutting it in half. The son's dome also had a tree fall on it, but it was fine.""So not long after, I was building the Dad a dome, too."<div type="image" title="An aerial view of a dome-shaped house surrounded by grass and trees." height="1926" width="3000" msid="102473836" hostid="261" sizebytes="1151260"></div>Extreme weather events <a href="https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2023/demo/hhp/hhp53.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">displaced nearly 3.4 million US adults</a> in 2022, the Census Bureau found. And the number of displacements due to weather each year has steadily risen in recent years, an expert told <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/climate-change-displaced-millions-from-homes-extreme-weather-natural-disaster/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CBS News</a>."We live in Texas, and dome homes can withstand tornadoes very well," Voss said. "They're super safe."Texas is particularly prone to tornadoes — the state saw <a href="https://data.elpasotimes.com/tornado-archive/texas/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">142 tornadoes in 2022</a> and has seen 32 so far in 2023. Extreme weather events in the state caused over $1.4 billion in property damage in 2022, <a href="https://www.weather.gov/media/hazstat/state22.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to the National Weather Service.</a>Bryan Bremner, who has lived in a Washington state dome home since 2003, said his dome could likely withstand a hurricane or tornado.Other dome homes have features like solar power panels and backup generators that make them ideal for withstanding extreme weather events, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/16/climate/climate-geodesic-dome-house.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times has reported.</a><h2>Homeowners can choose between geodesic and monolithic dome homes, which come with different bonuses</h2>There are two types of dome homes that are sweeping the market: geodesic domes, like Voss' home, and monolithic domes, like Bremner's.Geodesic homes are constructed of smaller triangular components that provide structural rigidity. Monolithic domes are made of a single continuous piece of material, such as reinforced concrete, in Bremner's case.<div type="image" title="A view of a geodesic dome ceiling." height="3024" width="4032" msid="102473839" hostid="261" sizebytes="575662"></div>South said one bonus of monolithic domes is that the construction yields less waste than geodesic domes since it's one continuous piece of material.Bremner also said monolithic dome homes can be more leak-proof than geodesic domes since no individual components can come apart.Ultimately though, the homeowners agreed that dome homes in general are exceptionally resilient."Dome homes will last forever," Voss said.<h2>Dome homes cost roughly the same as their traditional counterparts — and could save homeowners money in the long run</h2>A typical dome home in a rural area can cost between $350,000 and $450,000, an expert told <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/16/climate/climate-geodesic-dome-house.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times</a>. In comparison, a typical American home in May cost an average of <a href="https://www.zillow.com/research/may-2023-market-report-32756/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$350,000</a>, according to Zillow data.Voss said they bought their 4,000-square-foot dome home in 2021 for just under $500,000."They really hold their value," Voss said.<div type="image" title="A blue and gray dome-shaped home surrounded by trees." height="2280" width="3041" msid="102473841" hostid="261" sizebytes="685088"></div>Sometimes, monolithic domes can cost 15-20% more than the average home, South said.But there are ways to mitigate that extra expense. Bremner said he bought his dome home for about $150,000 in 2001, saving money by installing his own wiring and renovating the home himself.Dome homes are also <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/incandescent-light-bulbs-banned-what-to-know-why-switch-leds-2023-8">energy efficient</a>, Voss and South agreed, saving homeowners money on heating and cooling.Compared to her previous traditional homes, Voss noted her air conditioning and heating bills have gone down by 30% — and that the home only needs one AC unit, while a traditional home of the same size would likely need two.One challenge that is pervasive across the dome-home industry is securing a loan, given the unique aspects of the buildings. Voss recalled visiting several large banks and being denied each time. She said it took her and her husband several weeks to get a loan from a small private lender.But South said future homeowners may find better luck as dome homes become more popular."They're starting to become more mainstream," he said.

Homeowners living in dome-shaped houses say they protect against natural disasters and save them money on bills

<ul class="summary-list"><li>I was a military wife for 21 years, and I learned a lot in that time.</li><li>Nothing in life is guaranteed, which has helped me let go of control.</li></ul>"You knew what you were signing up for." I heard this often during my 21 years as a military wife. But I disagree. Like anything in life, you don't know what you don't know.Sure, I knew some things to prepare for when I married my military husband. But even those things didn't always go as expected. For example, I knew we'd move a lot. I thought we'd settle in each location for four years. Instead, we uprooted every one to three years, starting over every time. This lifestyle also brought angst I couldn't have possibly foreseen: gnawing anxiety as I worried whether anyone would hire me or be open to friendship if they found out we could be leaving in a year; the gut-wrenching agony of waiting weeks for a five-second phone call just to know my sweetheart was safe; the heartbreak of our children's despair when their dad couldn't come home on the date we'd long been anticipating. You don't know until you're living it, and by then you're in quicksand. There's no turning back.<h2>The ups and downs over the years taught me that nothing is guaranteed</h2>In the military, even when something was "set in stone," there was always the possibility of last-second changes. Then COVID-19 happened, and I realized that life's sudden upheavals aren't necessarily unique to military life. It's just life. It's messy and awful and wonderful all at once, and we have two choices: We can fall victim to the stress of uncertainty, or we can decide to develop solid resilience skills so it can't consume us.Nothing's for sure, even when we think — or we're told — that it is. It can be hard to accept change when we had our hearts and minds set on things going a certain way, but letting go of our need for control allows for endless possibilities. In fact, life's twists often yield positive outcomes I could have never designed or executed myself. <h2>Remember everything is temporary</h2>A lack of options creates a sense of helplessness, which can overwhelm a person, so military life taught me to always think ahead. I anticipate what elements of the plan could go haywire and prepare at least one alternative. It's an exercise in agility that's repeatedly helped me — and my family — bounce back from adversity. I always try to find the message in the mess. What seems like a disaster on the surface is often life's way of getting our attention. It shakes things out of the shadows and forces us to face the deeper issues we've been too busy or afraid to address. Approaching these "messes" with curiosity helps me to see such inconveniences as true blessings in my life.In the military, your location and house are dictated to you. Sometimes we were relocated to places we had no desire to go: places where we thought we might never survive the unwelcoming community, cramped living space, dreary climate, or creepy wildlife ambushing us inside our home — such as scorpions (true story).I witnessed others who were overcome by their misery over circumstances outside their control. I didn't want that for us. I quickly learned to remind myself that nothing is forever. This helped me endure the seasons of life that felt unpleasantly not how I wanted them to be. Overall, I learned there's something to be grateful for in every unexpected situation if we're open to it. When we stop letting the roller coaster of life rule our mental and emotional well-being, everything changes for the better.

I was married to the military for 21 years. The roller-coaster lifestyle taught me essential resilience skills.

Profiles of resilience: Meet 53 Ukrainians who left everything behind when Russia attacked

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Climate preparedness was in its early stages in southwest Florida, where Ian caused the most damage. </li><li>Millions in government funding have been earmarked for coastal-restoration projects. </li></ul>In the days after Hurricane Ian destroyed homes and cut off power in Jennifer Hecker's community near Punta Gorda, Florida, she was rushing to arrange a boat for her staff so they could start testing water for pollution. Diesel slicks, building debris, raw sewage, industrial chemicals — the remnants of the Category 4 hurricane were choking floodwaters and putting public health at risk.Hecker is the executive director of the <a href="https://www.chnep.org/about-the-chnep">Coastal &amp; Heartland National Estuary Partnership</a>, one of 28 groups around the country that the Environmental Protection Agency set up to protect areas where freshwater meets the ocean and the surrounding wetlands. Hecker's group conducts research to improve water quality and restore estuaries, which are natural buffers against coastal erosion and flooding."This hurricane is going to be a turning point for many communities," she told Insider from an office near Sarasota. "We have to become more resilient, because these storms are becoming more severe and more frequent due to changes in our climate." The state and the Biden administration combined are spending billions to help communities prepare, but those efforts were just getting underway when Ian made landfall last week. Now those working to build up Florida's natural defenses are calling for more urgent action. Emerging from one of the costliest disasters in US history, with <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Business/hurricane-ians-damage-reach-65-billion/story?id=90693223">estimates of up to $75 billion</a> in damage and 100 deaths and counting, how and where to rebuild southwest Florida's coastal towns in this era of climate crisis will be a major question for residents and local and state officials.<h2>The cost to prepare Florida for future storms will be staggering</h2>Lee and Collier counties, where Fort Myers and Naples are located, suffered some of the most catastrophic damage. As the planet warms and sea levels rise, storms like Hurricane Ian — with its massive storm surges and rainfall — are more likely. Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state's Republican-controlled legislature created a resiliency fund last year that awards grants to communities for projects to mitigate flooding and sea-level rise — marking the first statewide strategy to protect coastal and inland infrastructure with dedicated spending. The DeSantis administration awarded <a href="https://protectingfloridatogether.gov/sites/default/files/documents/FY2021-22_Resilience_RFGP_Awards.pdf">$404 million</a> through June, and <a href="https://www.flgov.com/2022/06/08/governor-ron-desantis-announces-more-than-500-million-building-upon-his-historic-commitment-to-enhancing-community-resiliency/">another $500 million was included</a> in the latest state budget.But the costs for beefing up Florida's defenses are sure to be massive. One estimate put the price of building seawalls in Lee and Collier counties alone <a href="https://www.climatecosts2040.org/files/state/FL.pdf">at more than $3.5 billion per county</a>. The report didn't factor in other adaptation measures, such as upgrading stormwater and sewer systems or raising roads. Hecker said preparedness efforts in her region of southwest Florida have been limited so far."This is something my organization has prioritized," Hecker said. "We are assisting the 10 counties we serve with conducting comprehensive vulnerability assessments that look at the impacts of climate change, which clearly are already underway."Hecker said the effort received more than $4.5 million over five years from the EPA under the bipartisan infrastructure law, which President Joe Biden signed last year. The estuary partnership is using the money to hire contractors to help cities and counties conduct the assessments and inform coastal-restoration projects like oyster and mangrove reefs. The state resiliency fund is also providing <a href="https://protectingfloridatogether.gov/sites/default/files/documents/RF%20statewide%20plan%20PFT%5B2%5D.pdf">nearly $600,000</a> over several years for a specific shoreline project in Punta Gorda.Nationwide, the infrastructure law authorized more than $50 billion over five years for state, local, and tribal governments to upgrade infrastructure to better withstand droughts, wildfires, floods, hurricanes, and other natural disasters. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/infrastructure-law#:~:text=It%20provides%20nearly%20%243%20billion,resilience%2C%20and%20weather%20forecasting%20infrastructure.">also received $3 billion</a> for coastal restoration and improving weather-forecasting capabilities."These kinds of grant programs want to see that local governments and agencies are coordinating amongst themselves, rather than having a bunch of sharp elbows," said Brad Cornell, a policy director for Audubon Florida, which works to conserve wildlife habitat. "If they're not working together, we can't solve this problem effectively." Cornell lives a mile from the beach in Naples and said his house was spared by Hurricane Ian, though he lost power for several days. He is part of the <a href="https://www.fgcu.edu/swflresiliencycoalition/#ParticipatingJurisdictions">Southwest Florida Regional Resiliency Coalition</a>, aimed at uniting the municipal governments in Lee, Collier, and Charlotte counties with natural-resource managers to study the region's climate vulnerabilities and identify the best ways to mitigate them. The coalition, hosted by Florida Gulf Coast University, is in its formative stages and only had a few meetings before Ian struck. As of July, Collier and Lee counties "elected to take a hiatus" and "will reconsider their formal relationship sometime in the future," <a href="https://www.fgcu.edu/swflresiliencycoalition/files/NEWS-071322-Email-to-all.pdf">according to meeting minutes</a>, although cities in those counties are participating. The county managers' offices didn't return Insider's request for comment. "The coalition is way overdue," Cornell said, adding that Hurricane Ian might motivate officials to come to the table. "We can't keep playing roulette," he said. "I've lived in Florida for 30 years and evacuated three times. This time, the storm surge was devastating."Storm surges — when wind forces push water onshore — are one of the biggest threats to lives and property during hurricanes and storms. <h2>It's not just the coasts, everywhere in Florida is vulnerable</h2>Millions of people <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/09/28/florida-population-growth-hurricane-ian-path/">have moved to coastal areas in southwest Florida</a> in recent decades and fueled new property development, leaving the region more vulnerable to storm surges and flooding. Hecker said moving inland isn't a simple or realistic solution. Farther inland in Orlando, homes flooded up to the rooftops due to unprecedented rainfall during Hurricane Ian. Southern Florida is built on top of porous rocks, so rising seas also bubble up from underground, she noted. Many people also don't have the resources to pack up and leave. "There really isn't a place in Florida that isn't vulnerable," she said. "It's really just the degree of vulnerability. We're the third-most-populous state in the country, so you can't just say everyone needs to move out."Stronger buildings, road systems, and other infrastructure that can withstand hurricanes will be key, Hecker said. Some of the poorest residents were living in the lowest-lying neighborhoods, so environmental justice needs to be considered when rebuilding as well. Restoring coastal mangrove forests, wetlands, and reefs that act as natural buffers would also make communities like Naples more protected during storms, Cornell said. "That's where floodwaters can go rather than pushing it through drainage canals and pumps and all the infrastructure we built to pretend like we're building resilience," he said.

Hurricane Ian hit southwest Florida just as the state put historic amounts of money into climate resilience. Now officials have to move faster.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Jamie Dimon underlined mounting pressures on the US economy and financial markets.</li><li>The JPMorgan CEO expects more market volatility and sees a greater risk of defaults and meltdowns.</li></ul>Jamie Dimon has flagged the growing risk of an economic disaster, and warned US consumer spending could falter by next summer."We're just getting closer to what you and I might consider bad events," the JPMorgan CEO said during the bank's third-quarter earnings call, according to a transcript on Sentieo, a financial research site.JPMorgan's net income <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/jpmorgan-q3-earnings-banks-jamie-dimon-inflation-rates-russia-ukraine-2022-10">shrank</a> by 17% year-on-year to below $10 billion last quarter. The decline was driven by the bank adding a net $808 million to its credit reserves, in anticipation of worsening economic conditions that could create a spike in loan defaults.The gathering storm clouds could dissipate into a "soft wind" or mild recession, or coalesce into an economic "hurricane," Dimon said on the Friday call, <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/jamie-dimon-economic-hurricane-warning-requires-preparation-jpmorgan-balance-sheet-2022-6">echoing</a> his June warning.The banking giant's boss underscored the significant amount of debt in the financial system, noting it fuels market volatility, reduces liquidity, and increases the risk of something breaking down."We don't see anything that looks systemic, but there is leverage in certain credit portfolios, there is leverage for certain companies," he said.Dimon described the <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/bonds/bank-of-england-bond-buying-pound-yields-qe-markets-economy-2022-9">historic spike</a> in British government-bond yields — which roiled the country's pensions sector and spurred an emergency market intervention by the Bank of England — as a "bump in the road," and said he expects similar incidents to occur."There are going to be other surprises," he said. "Someone is going to be offside."The JPMorgan chief ruled out a US banking meltdown, as he believes the sector is extremely robust. However, he suggested quantitative tightening (QT) and big changes to US dollar flows could cause trouble for hedge funds and overseas banks, or in credit and foreign-exchange markets.Dimon touted the resilience of US consumer spending, noting household finances remain solid and credit-card debts haven't ballooned. That said, he suggested steep inflation — exacerbated by the Russia-Ukraine war and volatile energy prices — and rising borrowing costs would deplete people's pandemic savings by the middle of 2023."It's quite predictable," he said. "It will strain future numbers."Read more: GOLDMAN SACHS: Buy these 12 stocks that Wall Street is underestimating — setting the stage for outperformance in 2023

You Searched For "disaste resilience" and got 9 results

Could radiation really be making Chernobyl’s wild dogs evolve? A new study suggests so!

BI India Bureau

Ukraine has been a disaster for Russia's troubled army, but the deadlock is shifting things in Moscow's favor, US intelligence says

Jake Epstein

The Baltimore bridge disaster is what happens when 95,000 tons of modern cargo ship meets America's aging infrastructure, experts say

Marianne Guenot,Mia Jankowicz

The climate crisis is forcing the American Red Cross to expand its disaster-recovery work

Catherine Boudreau

Homeowners living in dome-shaped houses say they protect against natural disasters and save them money on bills

Katie Hawkinson

I was married to the military for 21 years. The roller-coaster lifestyle taught me essential resilience skills.

Leah Borski

Profiles of resilience: Meet 53 Ukrainians who left everything behind when Russia attacked

Haven Orecchio-Egresitz,John …

Hurricane Ian hit southwest Florida just as the state put historic amounts of money into climate resilience. Now officials have to move faster.

Catherine Boudreau

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon warns an economic disaster may be looming - and sees consumer spending drying up by the summer

Theron Mohamed

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides