AI algorithms can now detect asteroids faster + Could oil and gas tech be a boon for the climate?

The kind of things that make us thankful for robots: Asteroid detection AI algorithms: A new AI algorithm has discovered a 180-meter-wide potentially hazardous asteroid that is predicted to pass within 225k km of Earth — bringing it closer to us than the moon, the University of Washington’s DiRAC Institute said in a statement. The algorithm, which is currently under trial, was developed for the Vera C. Rubin Observatory to “identify near-Earth asteroids with fewer and more dispersed observations than required by today’s methods,” the press release states.

Too close for comfort, but there’s no immediate threat: While the asteroid, dubbed 2022 SF289, is not yet identified as a threat nor is it expected to collide with our planet, scientists are using the AI algorithm to keep an eye on the body, as well as other potential threats, according to Space.com.

The algorithm is making the monitoring process much easier: Typical monitoring for asteroids that are deemed “potentially hazardous” entails taking pictures of parts of the sky at least four times every night. The new AI algorithm, on the other hand, is able to do the same job twice as fast with the support of the Rubin Observatory’s state-of-the-art 8.4-meter mirror and 3.2k megapixel camera, the statement notes.

Could oil and gas drilling technology actually be a boon for renewables? Geothermal startup Fervo Energy recently achieved a breakthrough by using fracking technology in geothermal power production during a test of a commercial-scale power plant that would generate 3.5 MW of electricity — enough energy to power about 2.6k homes. The technology from the oil and gas industry — the perennial enemy of the climate — can be wielded for climate action and his vision for the future of geothermal energy, Fervo co-founder and CEO Tim Latimer said in an interview with Time.

Fracking? This technique for extracting oil and natural gas from underground rock formations uses a combination of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing — i.e. injecting specialized fluid into the rock to create fractures or fissures that allow for a greater flow of fossil fuels. In Fervo’s case, the company uses the technique to produce geothermal energy rather than extract fossil fuels: It drills sideways into hot, porous rocks then pumps water in, producing steam to generate electricity.

The economics of Fervo’s technique: Fervo’s technology allows it to drill to deeper wells at a lower cost. The most economical sources of geothermal power have traditionally been “really hot, shallow, productive, natural basins,” says Latimer. “But those sites got tapped [decades] ago … so the reason geothermal hadn't expanded was that once you cherry pick these geologic hotspots and try to move on to [deeper] places, the tech didn't exist to make it cost effective.”