Environment News: 6 August 2025 - 10 August 2025

November 6, 2025, 4:16 PM EST. A multidisciplinary team of 70 undergraduates from Sonoma State University, UNH, and Howard University designed and built the CubeSat called 3UCubed to study space weather. Launching from Vandenberg no earlier than 10:19 a.m. PST on November 10, 2025, the mission will gather data on the thermosphere and how the solar wind interacts with Earth's upper atmosphere in the polar regions. Data will be combined with NASA's IMAP measurements to understand auroral and cusp regions and improve forecasts that protect communication networks, power grids, and GPS. This initiative illustrates how undergraduate students gain hands-on experience through the CubeSat Launch Initiative.

November 6, 2025, 4:14 PM EST. For nearly 25 years, fieldwork in Bangladesh has used GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) to measure crustal motion, subsidence, and sea-level rise. The author maintains a network of 16 stations, with the goal of precise positioning to about 2 mm horizontally and 6 mm vertically, enabling detection of tectonic motion and land sinking at less than 1 mm/y. Despite progress, only three stations are transmitting data back to the U.S.; the current mission is to repair red sites and install new white ones, from Dhaka to Sylhet and Comilla. The effort includes collaboration with Dhaka University, training by engineers from the EarthScope Consortium and NSF funding, and local logistics such as Dhaka Metro travel and a veteran driver. The work blends science, capacity building, and infrastructure deployment.

November 6, 2025, 4:12 PM EST. D-Wave Quantum (QBTS) reported revenue that doubled year over year and cash reserves swelling to $836M, driven largely by warrant exercises. Yet the Q3 results reveal a gap between hype and reality: a $140.8M net loss, offset by $121.9M non-cash warrant charges, and management signaling only modest R&D acceleration. Three quotes from the call capture the tension: (1) claiming only D-Wave's Advantage2 solves a useful problem that can't be done classically; (2) attributing the loss to non-cash warrant remeasurements; (3) saying we have significantly more cash now, implying capital-driven momentum more than immediate growth. The takeaway for investors: narrative power can outweigh near-term progress in an emerging field, urging cautious skepticism about the hype.

November 6, 2025, 4:10 PM EST. Michael Burry, famed for predicting the 2008 crisis, has placed nearly $1.1 billion in bearish bets against Nvidia and Palantir, arguing that the current AI boom may be a bubble waiting to burst. The move rekindles debate over AI valuations as the hedge fund manager returns to X after a two-year hiatus, using cryptic posts and pop-culture references from The Big Short and WarGames to signal caution. Burry's wager underscores investor concerns that enthusiasm for AI-driven stocks could outpace fundamentals, even as Nvidia and Palantir remain industry heavyweights. Whether this marks a lasting shift or a cautionary signal for markets and tech watchers remains a central question.

November 6, 2025, 4:08 PM EST. AI is not delivering an immediate revenue revolution for SaaS. The most tangible effects today are on the supply side: AI is helping engineers write, test and modernize code faster, reshaping teams and reducing debt, which in turn improves product quality and update cadence for customers. On the demand side, AI features are proliferating but rarely justify higher prices, as buyers expect them as standard rather than premium. The biggest near-term opportunity sits in legacy modernization, where AI-enabled tooling can accelerate transformations and reduce friction for incumbents. Four principles frame the myth vs reality: 1) AI transforms software engineering, not immediately SaaS revenue; 2) AI features don't reliably drive premiums; 3) legacy modernization is a major near-term win; 4) demand-side impact remains uneven.