Science museum in Sao Paulo pioneers climate action with VR simulations

A science museum at the University of Sao Paulo (USP) in Brazil is incorporating virtual reality (VR) technology in its exhibitions, letting visitors explore potential climate solutions in an immersive world.

May 18 marks the International Museum Day, with the theme this year being "Museums for Education and Research".

As a brainchild of the USP Center for Research and Innovation in Greenhouse Gases, the museum's powerful VR equipment empowers researchers, entrepreneurs and startups to test and validate their climate change solutions.

The museum also aims to engage everyday visitors, fostering a deeper understanding of climate change, as well as solutions that can be collectively implemented.

"The visitors are welcome to climb 325 meters [using VR]. Digitally, by using virtual reality, you are able to see all the details of the tower. You see also the spectrum of the rainforest. So, this is a very interesting point because you can correlate the planetary effect due to the greenhouse gases," said Caetano Miranda, a professor at the USP Physics Institute.

Julio Meneghini, a professor at the USP Polytechnic School and director of the science project, said that the museum brings together a technical simulator and artistic studio in one place to encourage public discussion on topics such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Science museum in Sao Paulo pioneers climate action with VR simulations

The Pentagon acknowledged late Friday, local time, that the number of U.S. troops who had died during its operations against Iran was higher than previously reported, raising the official death toll to 21.

The revised figure includes two additional noncombat deaths: an Army National Guard major who died in Kuwait in March and a Navy service member who died in September.

The Pentagon's publicly available database had previously listed a lower death toll. According to the latest data, 865 service members had been wounded in the related operations as of October 9.

Sources familiar with the matter say official statistics fail to fully capture U.S. military casualties from the war with Iran.

Since the start of the war, actual U.S. casualty numbers have exceeded those recorded in the Pentagon's official database, with the records omitting information on hundreds of U.S. service members who were killed or injured, they said.

US troop death toll in Iran war raised to 21