Charlotte, a stingray residing in an aquarium with no male rays, surprised people worldwide with her sudden pregnancy, sparking interest in parthenogenesis, which refers to virgin conception in scientific terms.
While virgin births may seem rare, experts point out that many species, like zebra sharks, California condors, and Komodo dragons, can reproduce asexually through parthenogenesis. Understanding this process could aid in conservation efforts.
Mercedes Burns, a biologist at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, stated, “There’s nothing unnatural about asexual reproduction,” emphasizing the remarkable strategies animals employ for successful reproduction.
The buzz surrounding Charlotte’s pregnancy arose when the Aquarium and Shark Research Institute announced her condition. Speculation on social media suggested she was impregnated by a neighboring shark or through parthenogenesis.
Kevin Feldheim, a researcher at Chicago’s Field Museum, debunked the shark theory, emphasizing the genetic differences between sharks and stingrays. Genetic testing post-birth will confirm if the offspring resulted from parthenogenesis.
Researchers are just beginning to explore parthenogenesis in various species. This phenomenon has been observed in 15 elasmobranch species since 2007.
Although common in animals, parthenogenesis is rare in mammals due to genetic mechanisms preventing it. Meiosis and fusion with polar bodies are key in spontaneous parthenogenesis.
The prevalence of parthenogenesis in the wild remains unknown, but it is easier to detect in captive environments. Vertebrates’ ability to reproduce asexually remains a mystery.
Research suggests parthenogenesis could be an environmental response or a chance occurrence in cell division.
Experts have revealed that this is the first time a humpback whale of this species has been documented engaging in any form of sexual activity.
The social behavior of humpback whales has been extensively observed and documented for many years. However, in a recent study published in Marine Mammal Science, researchers shared the first photographs of this species engaging in sexual intercourse.
The report was authored by marine biologist Stephanie Stack and two photographers, Lyle Kranichfeld and Brandi Romano, who captured the interaction in January 2022 in the waters off the coast of Maui, Hawaii.
Kranichfeld, 44, remarked, “We recognized the scientific importance of this event. Even if our findings were not published or did not lead to any significant outcomes, we understood that this unique behavior was significant for the scientific community and those studying whales.”
The encounter involved a male whale that seemed to be unhealthy or injured and a healthy male whale. The report mentioned that the ailing whale appeared weakened and infested with lice, which are known to thrive on debilitated humpback whales.
The researchers suggested that the weakened whale may have sought refuge near the photographer’s boat to protect itself from other whales. Kranichfeld emphasized that they never approached the whales in the water or attempted to swim with them, as both actions are illegal.
Tragically, the emaciated whale eventually succumbed after circling the boat and trying to swim away from the healthier whale. The healthy whale then used its pectoral fins to hold the other whale in place and engaged in sexual activity.
The newly described plant Relictithismia kimotsukiensis is only above ground for a few days a year.
Shuichiro Tagane
This small plant, which feeds mainly on fungi and has no pigments, was named as the first new genus of plant in Japan since 1930.
It was discovered in June 2022 by an amateur botanist in Kyushu’s Kimogen Mountains, but it has taken some time to confirm its uniqueness. So far, researchers have found only five individuals in a single location, and estimate that the total population may reach as few as 50.
This plant grows up to 3 cm in height and 2 cm in width and emerges from the ground in just one week each year. It belongs to a group of plants known as fairy lanterns, which gives it its scientific name. Relictithismia kimotsukiensis.
Unlike most other plants, fairy lanterns do not produce the green pigment chlorophyll needed for photosynthesis. Instead, they get their energy from fungi. “This adaptation gives them an alien-looking appearance when compared to more familiar photosynthetic plants,” he says. Kenji Suetsugu from Kobe University in Japan, and was one of the scientists who described the new species.
“The unique appearance of this new plant species certainly evokes images of squid or extraterrestrial life forms, making it a truly unusual and fascinating addition to the plant world.”
Mr. Suetsugu proposed a Japanese name for this plant. Mujina’s tabletranslated as “raccoon candlestick.”
After Suetsugu first learned about the existence of the plant, it took nearly a year for him to realize that the plant was growing there. It was a moment of “joy and relief,” he says. Because he feared it might take 10 years to collect the specimens he needed to adequately describe it.
He hopes the Japanese government will protect the plant as an endangered species and take steps to protect its population because of its proximity to roads.
“[The discovery] This challenges the notion that new species can only be found in remote or unexplored areas, and suggests that even well-studied areas may hold undiscovered botanical treasures.” says Mr. Suetsugu.
A map showing the expected surface temperature anomalies in 2024 if a strong El Niño event occurs.Blue dots indicate areas where record heat is expected
Ning Jiang et al., Scientific Reports
Climate models predict this year will be the hottest 12 months on record as El Niño conditions persist in the Caribbean, Bay of Bengal, South China Sea, Alaska and parts of the Amazon.
“These are places where the risk of extreme events is increased, and these extreme events are really harmful,” team members say. michael mcfaden NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, Seattle, Washington.
“They negatively impact human health and increase the risk of wildfires. And in the ocean, they increase the risk of marine heatwaves, damaging marine ecosystems, fisheries and corals,” he said. Masu.
Earth’s surface temperatures are currently at record highs in many parts of the world. The main reason is global warming caused by carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels. However, in addition to this, the strong El Niño phenomenon that started in mid-2023 is causing temperatures to rise further.
When an El Niño event occurs, warm water spreads across the surface of the Pacific Ocean toward South America. This vast area of warm water transfers large amounts of ocean heat to the atmosphere, causing an increase in surface temperature.
The reverse phase, known as La Niña, reverses this process. Cold water spreads over the surface of the Pacific Ocean away from South America, absorbing heat from the atmosphere and lowering the surface temperature.
This means that the Earth’s average surface temperature typically reaches record levels during El Niño periods and then drops during La Niña periods.
McFadden and his colleagues used a computer model that took into account aerosol pollution and volcanic eruptions in addition to El Niño to try to predict where in the world record heat would occur. Their regional forecast is the average surface temperature for the period from July 2023 to June 2024.
“Even if it’s not exactly timed to a specific season, there’s real value in having this kind of warning,” McFayden says. “It gives us a grace period to prepare how best to protect life, property, marine resources and economic development.”
The research team considered two scenarios: a strong El Niño and a milder El Niño. It’s now clear that a strong El Niño is occurring, and in fact, it’s likely to be in the top five strongest El Niños since 1950, McFadden said.
In this strong El Niño scenario, the research team predicts that the global average surface temperature from July 2023 to June 2024 would be 1.1°C to 1.2°C warmer than the 1951-1980 average. Masu.
this is Equivalent to a temperature above 1.4-1.5 °C average from 1850 to 1900, new scientist This is considered a pre-industrial benchmark. This suggests that the model is underestimating the temperature since it is already above this level. From January 2023 to January 2024, the Earth’s average surface temperature was more than 1.5 °C above the 1850-1900 average, and in January 2024 it was 1.7 °C above this level.
Temperature records have already been broken during El Niño, especially in the tropics, he said. maximiliano herrera, an independent climatologist who tracks extreme temperatures. “This is amazing,” he says. “We are experiencing record heat and it is inevitable.”
Water molecules are key components in the formation of planetary systems. Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) have detected water vapor in the disk around the young star HL Taurus, where planets may be forming. Their analysis suggests that the hard lower limit for water vapor availability within the interior 17 astronomical units of the Taurus HL system is 3.7 Earth Oceans.
This ALMA image shows water vapor (blue tints) in the protoplanetary disk around HL Taurus. Near the center of the disk, where young stars live, the environment is hotter and the gas brighter. The red ring is a previous ALMA observation showing the distribution of dust around the star.Image credits: ALMA / ESO / National Astronomical Observatory of Japan / NRAO / Facchini other.
Water molecules are undoubtedly one of the most important molecular species in the entire universe.
Water is a highly efficient solvent, so it played a key role in the emergence of life as we know it on Earth.
For this reason, chemical characterization of exoplanetary atmospheres often focuses on detecting this specific molecule.
Water, formed from common hydrogen and oxygen atoms, is so abundant in both gas and ice form that it plays a fundamental role in the physics of planetary system formation.
Dr Stefano Facchini, an astronomer at the University of Milan, said: “We never imagined that we would be able to image oceans of water vapor in areas where planets are likely to form.”
The HL Taurus system is believed to be less than 100,000 years old and has a radius of about 17.9 billion km. It is located 450 light years away in the direction of the constellation Taurus.
The protoplanetary disk of HL Taurus is unusually large and bright, making it a perfect place to look for signs of planet formation.
New ALMA observations reveal that there is at least three times more water inside the disk than in Earth's entire ocean.
Dr Leonardo Testi, an astronomer at the University of Bologna, said: “It is truly amazing that we can not only detect water vapor 450 light-years from us, but also obtain detailed images and spatially resolve it.” said.
Spatially resolved observations with ALMA allow astronomers to determine the distribution of water in different regions of the disk.
“Participating in such an important discovery of the iconic HL Taurus disk was beyond my expectations given my first research experience in astronomy,'' said Dr. Mathieu Vander Donk, an astronomer at the University of Liege. he said.
Dr Facchini said: “Our recent images reveal that significant amounts of water vapor are present at distances from the star that include gaps where planets may now be forming.” said.
“This suggests that this water vapor could influence the chemical composition of planets that form in those regions.”
“To date, ALMA is the only facility capable of spatially resolving water in cold planet-forming disks,” said Professor Wouter Bremings, an astronomer at Chalmers University of Technology.
ESO astronomer Dr Elizabeth Humphreys said: “It's really exciting to be able to witness first-hand in photographs the ejection of water molecules from icy dust particles.”
“The dust particles that make up the disk are the seeds for planet formation, colliding and clumping together to form even larger bodies orbiting the star.”
“Our findings show how the presence of water influences the development of planetary systems, similar to our own solar system about 4.5 billion years ago,” Dr. Facchini said.
of findings It was published in the magazine natural astronomy.
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S. Facchini other. HL Resolved ALMA observations of water in the inner astronomical unit of the Tau disk. Nat Astron, published online on February 29, 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41550-024-02207-w
IIt’s a strange feeling to have childhood memories constantly shot out of a game cartridge the size of a matchbox. That’s certainly been my experience with C64 Collection 3, the latest in a series of vintage game compilations put together by Blaze Entertainment for their Evercade retro console. Each of these little carts contains a dozen or so classic titles from various arcade manufacturers and home computers, all emulated to a fairly high standard. This is a must-see for me and probably many other C64 veterans as well. There are several reasons for this.
For one, it includes Paradroid, which I think is one of the best home computer games ever made. This is Hewson’s top-down, multi-directional sci-fi blaster with beautiful style and terrifying difficulty, one of the earliest examples of the now ubiquitous hacking mini-games.
Playing in 2024, nearly 40 years after its original release, I’m amazed at how well the game has held up in terms of visuals and gameplay when viewed on my LED TV via an Evercade VS console. It looks vivid. Exploring this game’s vast spaceship again on a big TV in your living room, rather than just a dodgy PC emulator, was a far more emotional experience than you’d expect from a very old game about shooting robots.
There are also two more true classics here. The cave exploration puzzle game Boulder Dash and the multiplayer sports sim Summer Games II. Like Paradroid, these hold up well to 21st-century scrutiny, but the latter is nothing like the visual delight I remember from my school days. It’s nice to be able to go to the pause menu and change the aspect ratio or add the traditional CRT effect scanlines. And, I won’t lie, the built-in save feature is nice too.
Elsewhere, the selection of compilations is a bit more vague, but that’s a nice thing about Evercade’s compilations. Even fans like me can find something new to discover. There are a lot of titles by Hewson (one of the great British developers of the time) that I’ve never played before. Among them is Netherworld, another multi-directional scrolling game. Golden Ax style side-scroller Deliverance: Stormlord II. And Cybernoid II combines Contra and R-Type with a great SID chip soundtrack.
But the most unexpected treat is still the inclusion of Epyx’s breakdancing. It’s a street dance game (a forerunner of the rhythm-action genre) in which you have to imitate the movements of computer-controlled performers. It’s very kitschy and totally awful, but I remember buying it because I was into hip-hop. I played it a lot while repeatedly renting Breakdance: The Movie from my local video haven. It was so strange to encounter it again so many years later.
C64 Collection 3 is a strange, endearing, and scattered compilation that not only fills in the gaps left by its two predecessors but also mines strange nostalgic seams. Even if you never owned a computer in the ’80s, these games are worth checking out as museum exhibits. These games show how much the original home computer contributed to arcade culture but also how far it was moving away in the mid-1980s. Based on these prototypes, we are experimenting with new ideas. Yes, you can find most of these games online for free if you know how to download and use emulators and find ROMs. But I like the ease and convenience of the Evercade. I appreciate the save feature, and I love that the game looks fine even on my stupid TV. These games hold special memories for me and probably many others as well. If I’m going to go back anyway, I want to do it in style.
Type 2 diabetics who have stopped taking weight loss drugs such as Ozempic or Wegovy can avoid regaining lost weight by adopting a ketogenic diet. This finding from a small study challenges the concept that people must take these drugs indefinitely to prevent unwanted weight gain.
Ozempic and Wegovy belong to a class of drugs called GLP-1 agonists, which reduce appetite and stimulate the release of insulin. These are commonly prescribed to help people with type 2 diabetes regulate their blood sugar and lose weight. However, the assumption was that people would have to continue taking the drug over a long period of time or they would regain the weight they had lost.
Shaminy Athinarayanan The woman and her colleagues at Virta Health, a US telemedicine company that treats type 2 diabetes, decided to test that assumption. Their inspiration to do so came from previous research showing that low-carbohydrate diets like the ketogenic diet help people with type 2 diabetes manage blood sugar levels and weight.
Researchers tracked the weight and blood sugar levels of 308 adults with type 2 diabetes living in the United States who received nutritional therapy at Virta Health. They were all using GLP-1 agonists at enrollment. Participants were advised to follow a ketogenic diet. They were instructed to eat less than 30 grams of carbohydrates each day, or less than 50 grams if vegan, and about 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight each day. They were encouraged to eat until they were full, regardless of calories. Health coaches and qualified medical professionals communicated virtually with participants as needed.
After 3 to 9 months, half of the participants stopped using the GLP-1 agonist. All participants continued on the ketogenic diet for an additional year. At this point, the researchers found no significant differences in body weight or blood sugar levels between the two groups. On average, participants who stopped taking GLP-1 agonists gained only about 1 kg. In contrast, those who continued taking the drug gained about 2 kg. Most participants in both groups had blood sugar levels below the diagnostic criteria for diabetes.
“This study suggests that continued use of GLP-1 agonists is not necessary for many people if: [they] Appropriate intervention is required,” says Athinarayanan. “You can stop. [these medications] Maintain weight and blood sugar levels safely and effectively. ”
It says this could be helpful for people who can’t take the drug due to shortages or side effects. priya jaisinghani At New York University Langone Health. But she says people should talk to their doctor before starting a low-carb diet, as there can be risks, especially for people with underlying health conditions like kidney disease or eating disorders. He also noted that the study was sponsored by Virta Health and had a small number of participants. So “this is not the be all and end all,” Jaisinghani said. “But it shows the difference that diet makes.”
Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., is facing a 2.1 billion euros ($2.3 billion) lawsuit from 32 media groups, such as Axel Springer and Schibsted. The media groups are alleging losses due to Google’s practices in digital advertising.
The lawsuit comes as antitrust regulators are tightening the grip on Google’s advertising practices. It was initiated by publishers from various European countries like Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, and more, accusing Google of creating a less competitive market due to its illegal conduct.
The media companies’ lawyers, Geradin Partners and Steck, stated that the losses incurred by the publishers could have been avoided if Google hadn’t abused its dominant position. This could have led to higher advertising revenues for the media companies and lower fees for ad tech services, ultimately benefiting Europe’s media landscape.
The lawsuit is supported by previous actions taken against Google, such as the French competition authority’s fine in 2021 and the European Commission’s complaint last year. Analysts predict that Google may need to adjust its practices and pricing due to increased regulatory scrutiny.
A spokesperson for Google dismissed the lawsuit as “speculative and opportunistic,” emphasizing the company’s collaboration with European publishers to enhance their advertising tools.
Despite Google’s disagreements with antitrust violations, publishers worldwide have expressed concerns about Big Tech’s dominance in advertising and the subsequent decline in their revenue share. Google remains the leading digital advertising platform globally.
The group of media companies chose to file the lawsuit in Dutch courts, citing the country’s reputation for handling antitrust claims effectively in Europe. Companies like Krone, DPG Media, TV2 Danmark A/S, and others are part of the collective seeking legal action against Google.
Will cats continue to adopt their famously adorable, overbearing “cat-like” demeanor when forced to endure tons of attention from an enthusiastic public? Simona Cannas and colleagues at the University of Milan in Italy have produced some data that may draw attention to this question.
Their research, “Evaluation of cat behavior during cat shows” was published in the Veterinary Behavior Journal, focusing on the 82 cats at the cat show. (Researchers use technical terminology to describe the event as a “feline exposition.”)
They collected the data with great care. “An observer stood in front of the cage once every hour from 10:00 to 17:00, a total of 8 times for each cat.”
“An analysis of the behavior exhibited by cats on the day of the fair revealed that most of the cats were sleeping (93.9%), resting (62.2%), and looking at their surroundings (92.7%).”
The researchers’ conclusions are still up for debate as to what these cats had in mind. The study concluded that “the cat show environment represents a stressful and stimulating situation for cats. Nevertheless, our results identified few behaviors that cause discomfort or stress. Hmm…further research is needed to confirm and deepen our results.”
What a thread
Very long and thin things make a huge difference in what is possible depending on the length-to-thin ratio that catches the eye of mathematicians.
According to a press release, Researchers at North Carolina State University welcome the development of a “filamentary supercapacitor.” The name comes from the fact that the device is thread-like and can act as a capacitor, storing and releasing electrical charge in a controlled manner. The press release quotes Wei Gao, co-inventor of the technology.
She said: “Imagine being able to make a thread, a regular textile thread, that also becomes a battery. You can basically hide it in your clothes. You will be able to add additional functionality.”
We may be entering an era of thin technology.
As Feedback pointed out (October 1, 2022), the new city planned as part of Saudi Arabia’s Neom project is designed to be 170,000 meters long and 200 meters wide. Could North Carolina’s filamentous supercapacitor technology be integrated into the exoskeletons of Saudi Arabia’s cities? It would be a dramatic leap into the future for a country that claims to want to break away from its current economic dependence on oil.
This suddenly almost plausible possibility is indicative of the foresight of former Duchess of Windsor Wallis Simpson, who wrote almost a century ago that “one can never be too rich or too thin.” He is said to have said.
Measuring addiction
The old saying “If it can be measured, it must be important” has haunted many research efforts to explain why it is important to measure two out of five fingers on a person’s hand. Specifically, the second and fourth fingers. The two-finger quest is similar to addiction in a way. In some cases, this exploration considers addiction itself, perhaps better understood by measuring fingers.
Typically, explanations for finger proportions have spread in vague form, with the idea that hormone levels in the womb before birth somehow explain the relative length of a person’s fingers years later.
There are many and imaginative studies focusing on finger ratios. The types of important mysteries that researchers are trying to explain vary widely.
How diverse is it? Here we introduce some of the themes that have been addressed in numerical ratio research published in recent years. “Hunting success among Hadza hunters.” University students’ religious beliefs. “Parental income disparity and children’s digit ratio.” Artistic ability. “Age at first marriage among semi-nomadic people in Namibia.” “Psychological characteristics in a sample of cave explorers.” A bite wound caused during a fight. “Management Skills of Managers Employed in Public and Private Organizations in Udaipur City”; and “Number of Sex Partners”.
And addiction. Mehmet Gülcan Gülok and his colleagues from various institutions in Turkey recently published “Second to fourth digit (2D:4D) ratio for heroin and cannabis addicts” in the Journal of Ethnicity in Drug Abuse. Like most digit ratio studies, this one was done with great care. “We took the subject’s 2D and 4D lengths using a sensitive caliper and calculated 2D:4D.” And as always, it’s full of promise. “Our findings seem promising regarding whether prenatal hormonal factors are important in the pathogenesis of addiction.”
Did that title have a solemn meaning? Is it really interesting? Both? No matter what the intent, Feedback is a tribute to the creator. Their language appealed to Mason Porter’s olfactory and linguistic sensibilities and alerted us.
Mark Abrahams hosted the Ig Nobel Prize ceremony and co-founded the magazine Annals of Improbable Research. Previously, he was working on unusual uses of computers. His website is impossible.com.
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Lawsuits have been brought against OpenAI and Microsoft by news publishers, alleging that their generative artificial intelligence products violate copyright laws by illegally using journalists’ copyrighted works. The Intercept, Raw Story, and Alternet filed suit in federal court in Manhattan, seeking compensation for the infringement.
Media outlets claim that OpenAI and Microsoft plagiarized copyrighted articles to develop ChatGPT, a prominent generative AI tool. They argue that ChatGPT ignores copyright, lacks proper attribution, and fails to alert users when using journalists’ copyrighted work to generate responses.
Raw Story and AlterNet CEO John Byrne stated, “Raw Story believes that news organizations must challenge OpenAI for breaking copyright laws and profiting from journalists’ hard work.” They emphasized the importance of diverse news outlets and the negative impact of unchecked violations on the industry.
The Intercept’s lawsuit names OpenAI and Microsoft as defendants, while the joint lawsuit by Raw Story and AlterNet focuses solely on OpenAI. The complaints are similar, with all three media outlets represented by the law firm Loevy & Loevy.
Byrne clarified that the lawsuits from Raw Story and AlterNet do not involve Microsoft directly but stem from a partnership with MSN. Both OpenAI and Microsoft have yet to comment on the allegations.
The lawsuits accuse the defendants of using copyrighted material to train ChatGPT without proper attribution, violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The legal action is part of a series of lawsuits against OpenAI for alleged copyright infringement.
Concerns in the media industry about generative AI competing with traditional publishers have led to a wave of legal battles. The fear is that AI-generated content will erode advertising revenue and undermine the quality of online news.
While some news organizations have sued OpenAI, others like Axel Springer have opted to collaborate by providing access to copyrighted material in exchange for financial rewards. The lawsuits seek damages and profits, with the New York Times lawsuit aiming for significant monetary compensation.
Singapore, Singapore, February 29, 2024, Chainwire
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A former director of Blockchain Global, an Australian cryptocurrency company that went bankrupt and owed creditors $58 million, has been banned from leaving the country.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission secured an interim travel ban in the Federal Court on February 20, claiming director Liang “Alan” Guo was a flight risk.
Mr. Guo, a Chinese national, was ordered to hand over his passport to the court.
The hearing was held in Guo’s absence, so he did not have an opportunity to respond immediately to the verdict.
Mr Guo, along with fellow directors Sam Lee and Ryan Hsu, were referred to ASIC by the liquidator for alleged breaches of company law. ASIC is investigating the allegations.
Mr Lee and Mr Xu were also involved in a cryptocurrency investment scheme known as HyperVerse, which was the subject of a Guardian Australia investigation and which defrauded investors around the world of US$1.89 billion. It is said that Guo is not believed to be involved in the HyperVerse project.
Mr Lee, who currently lives in Dubai, is facing charges in the US for his involvement in the Hyperverse scheme, which the US Securities and Exchange Commission has described as a “pyramid scheme and pyramid scheme”. He has not responded to the charges.
In a Federal Court judgment released on Wednesday, Mr Justice Button said the charges against Mr Guo were “very serious” and agreed to ban him from leaving Australia until August 20.
These included allegations of transferring investor funds for personal gain.
“ASIC also revealed that while Mr. Guo was a director, he transferred $2.6 million from the bank account where investor funds were held, with some of the money being applied to his personal mortgage account and personal bank account. “It was also pointed out,” the judgment said.
“ASIC also revealed that Mr. Guo held 23.11 Bitcoins, said to be worth approximately $1.8 million, owned by Blockchain Global and transferred them to a virtual currency wallet controlled by Mr. Guo on December 8, 2019. He also mentioned that he had done so.”
ASIC said Mr Guo was “the only person left in Australia closely involved in Blockchain Global’s operations” given that Blockchain Global’s other directors left Australia shortly after the bankruptcy. He claimed that there was.
“ASIC anticipates that the interviews and interrogations of Mr. Guo will be critical to the progress of the investigation, and as a result, we anticipate that brief evidence may be forwarded to the Director of Federal Public Prosecutions.'' the judgment stated.
According to the ruling, ASIC expects it will take 12 months to investigate and submit a summary of the evidence to the DPP.
Among his reasons, Mr Button commented on apparent delays in the investigation into ASIC, which was launched on January 16 following Guardian Australia’s investigation into HyperVerse.
“It is not clear why an investigation was initiated when Blockchain Global failed. Nevertheless, the investigation, although in its early stages, is progressing steadily.”
ASIC said in a statement that it applied for the travel restriction order “out of concern that Mr. Guo may leave the country while the investigation continues.”
“As the hearing took place in Mr. Guo’s absence, Mr. Guo has not yet had the opportunity to respond to ASIC’s application or the basis on which ASIC asserts that the order is necessary.”
Mr Guo has so far not responded to Guardian Australia’s questions about the allegations against him in the liquidator’s report submitted to ASIC.
Unusually warm temperatures, dry grass, and a sudden strong wind cold front combined to create the conditions for the devastating wildfires that raged through parts of Texas this week.
The winds that sparked wildfires in the Texas Panhandle came at the perfect time for destruction, “like a hurricane hitting land at high tide,” said Texas climatologist John Nielson Gammon. Ta. He added that hot, dry temperatures, which may be promoted by climate change, helped create the conditions for these fires to start.
On Monday, temperatures reached the mid-80s in some parts of the state's arid region and several wildfires began burning.
The next day, arctic air swept in from the north on a severe cold front. Winds on either side of that front could exceed 50 miles per hour, causing flames to roar through the dormant grass, Nielsen-Gammon said. The cold front arrived in the late afternoon when wind speeds were highest and changed direction as it passed, maximizing the rate of fire spread.
It is not clear how the fire started.
Firefighters work at the scene of the Smokehouse Creek Fire near Amarillo in the Texas Panhandle on Tuesday. Hanazuka Fire Department
“The timing of the weather during the day was probably the worst,” Nielsen-Gammon said. “If wildfires were to occur, these weather patterns would occur.”
The fire spread through the area so quickly that firefighters had little chance to extinguish it.
“Those fires were, all things considered, very fast-moving for a wildfire. We've seen speeds in the 5 to 10 mph range,” said National Weather Service meteorologist in Amarillo. Christian Rangel said. “The strong winds really helped push them around and get them out of control.”
The region's topography also plays a role, with open land facilitating fire establishment and rapid spread, while making firefighting difficult.
Although the area is mostly flat, it is characterized by “broken terrain” with sand and grass that makes it difficult to access, said Luke Canclairs, chief of forecasting services for the Texas A&M Forest Service. It can be difficult to do so. As a result, once a fire hit the plains, it was difficult to extinguish it quickly.
“A fire moving at about 8 miles per hour may not sound that fast, but when you have a large fire front and you're trying to contain a large area, it can far outpace the firefighting effort,” Kankleerts said. .
The Texas Panhandle is used to in-the-face winds and roller-coaster temperatures. But the fires would not have been as likely to occur if it weren't for unseasonably warm temperatures and dry conditions made more likely by climate change.
“This particular event would not have been as devastating had it happened at the same time several decades ago,” Nielsen-Gammon said. “These high temperatures can occur early in the season and usually occur when the grass is dormant, so there is a lot of dry fuel available.”
John Abatzoglou, a climatologist at the University of California, Merced, said wind was the biggest factor in the size of the nearly 1 million-acre fire, according to the federal government's wildfire tracking website Inchweb.
“This is primarily a wind-driven fire,” Abatzoglou said, adding that the role of climate change is “more subtle than we generally think.”
Abatzoglou said winds initially blew from the west, spreading the fire in the shape of an oval on the map, but then turned about 90 degrees and began pushing that line southward.
Abatzoglou said there is little hard evidence about how climate change is changing wind speeds.
Temperatures in the Borger area near where the fire started reached 85 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday, the news agency said. National Weather Service data.
Rangel said the Amarillo forecast area “has set records at many weather stations,” with relative humidity readings below 20 percent in many parts of the state and the landscape on the verge of flaming. added.
That’s the joke Hanna Einbinder’s Gen Z character Ava plays to her baby boomer employer Deborah Vance in the first season of the HBO show Hux. “I had horrible nightmares about getting voicemails,” she says. Ha – Gen Z hates voicemail. Baby boomers can’t understand jokes without a punch line. “What?” Jean Smart’s Vance screeches. Ha, everyone gets fed up with it, and each generation refuses to give an inch to the other.
Sorry to mix up Gen X, but in the context of this particular Flashpoint, we need to talk about voice memos. (Or audio message, or voice text. Not to be confused with voice-to-text conversion, which is something else entirely. Okay, Grandma?)
For me, it started a few years ago when a friend left me a voice memo because she was driving and couldn’t respond to a text in the traditional way. This was a hassle, but it was done with safety in mind, so it wasn’t a problem. Over time, the goalposts shifted. Voice messages are now appearing in other contexts as well, often starting with a half-apology, “I can’t type,” or a coy plea for understanding because someone has their hands full. The pretext was efficiency, allowing the sender to communicate while walking down the street or unloading a stack of dishwashers, and if the tone was self-conscious, it was because of my generation. This is because voice memos are not native and could not be safely predicted. How the message medium is delivered.
Anyway, that was the beginning. Since then, of course, people have been seduced by the prospect of a bottomless bucket into which to throw their meager ideas and have quickly lost their minds. (I just looked it up and it turns out that when it comes to voice memos, the only limit is the amount of internal storage on your iPhone. And your imagination!)
I remember the moment several years ago when the first communication that followed what would become the standard voice memo protocol took place. The friend I hung up with left me 3 consecutive messages, each lasting over 3 minutes, and sent me more messages. Lost in her thoughts, she hung up and left another message, which she deleted, before launching into a three-minute finale. Then I stared at my phone in horror. This wasn’t a message; it was an audience for a one-woman show, a podcast I didn’t subscribe to. Sure, she was my friend, but this wasn’t even a friendship. This was a hostage-taking.
Given the similarities, it’s still strange that voice messages are embraced in places where voicemail has been phased out. Voice Memos’ interface and access points are more appealing than voicemail because they are embedded within the flow of an existing text conversation. And perhaps voice memos benefit from being a channel associated only with friendship. The bank won’t leave me a voice WhatsApp. And as far as I know, there’s no spam or robo voice memos either. And as, recent polls In the United States, more than 60% of Americans say they have sent a voice message, and the majority of users are under 30 years old. The number is huge. In 2022, WhatsApp will be approx. 7 billion voice messages Sent on the app daily.
It’s hard not to see all of this as a small expression of rising levels of narcissism in general. Aside from the completely uninvited invasion of time, the solipsism of one-sided conversations, and the fact that you have to wait for minutes at a time to get to the point of your message, the main problems with voice memos are quite large. The gap between the message sender’s idea of how interesting the message is and the reality of the person experiencing the 90-second set. Your whimsical flights are not as fancy or whimsical as you think. Also, other people don’t need to know your raw reactions to what’s happening in the city while you’re talking.
Anyway, this was all just my opinion, last week a dear friend left me three voice memos in a row and I decided to retaliate with one of my own late in the game. I’m not an early adopter. I’ve never left a voice memo before, and my first note was something like, “Is this on?”
Ha! I thought. How fascinating this looks! And then I left. my god. Have you ever done one of these? I started on point, but something in my kitchen caught my eye and I did it for 15 seconds. I got sidetracked by thoughts about mutual friends. Then my kids came in the door and started yelling at me about something – oh she’s going to love this I thought! That’s practically the audio truth! I ended with a joke. What a wonderful gift for the recipient! What a moment for me. What a performance!
WWho is behind the most notorious ‘deepfake’ apps on the internet? The Guardian’s new podcast series ‘Black Box’ has been trying to answer that question for months now, as we explore a hall of mirrors. It was like wandering.
The app, ClothOff, has hundreds of thousands of followers and has already been used to generate dozens of images of underage girls in at least two cases. The photos have traumatized the girls, outraged their parents and left police at a loss as to how to stop it.
Producers Josh Kelly, Alex Atack and I followed Cross-Off’s footsteps to a nondescript, seemingly vacant address in central London. We’ve encountered fake businesses, distorted voices, and fake employee photos.
This was a frightening insight into the future we’re all heading into in our careers. In the age of artificial intelligence, is everything you see and hear on your screen real?
The search for ClothOff is just one story to tell about the times we live in. We’re in the first few years of AI infiltrating our lives, but it’s not yet deep enough that we can’t remember what life used to be.
We wanted to take a snapshot of this moment in time to explore the impact AI is already having on the world and look for clues about what’s to come. We met the scientists who pioneered AI software until they dramatically turned against it last year. We’ve heard stories of people reminiscing about their first dates with their boyfriends (smartphone chatbots), and stories of heartbreaks when the same lover turned cold due to system girlfriend updates. Ta.
We’ve been hearing about the prospect of AI systems that can detect cancer years before doctors and machines could offer desperate people what no one else has: humanity.
Everywhere we go, we encounter an even bigger mystery: people using AI. What has fascinated us again and again is the way in which we are already reshaping what it means to be human in a series about artificial intelligence that is not just about technology, but actually about us.
michael safi Presenters, today’s highlights
This week’s picks
Ash Sarkar, one of the hosts of If I Speak. Photo: Antonio Olmos/Observer
Hear Me Out Wide range of weekly episodes available Get to know some of the dramatic talents of multiple stars in this chatty theater podcast from actor Lucy Eaton. They each choose their favorite speech and act it out in a private chat, giving it a Desert Island Disc feel for the stage. In the first episode of the new series, hear Mark Gatiss perform Hamlet’s “Longing” and “Rage” “Speech the Speech” soliloquy from Jack Thorne’s Motives and Clues. Alexi Duggins
dead river Wide range of weekly episodes available This alarming story focuses on one of the most devastating environmental catastrophes in history: the 2015 Mariana Dam disaster in Brazil. The disaster led to the largest class action lawsuit in British history involving 700,000 claimants. It’s an emotional and worrying listen, packed with music that tugs at your heartstrings as you hear locals talk about their fears that the dam is sick. advertisement
The Blame of Fame: Milli Vanilli Wide range of weekly episodes available You may already know the story of Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvern, but Insecure’s Amanda Seales brings you the inside story in this fun podcast. When German producer Frank Farian asks the tight-trousered pop duo to make a deal with the devil, they are exposed as impostors, leading to exploitation and tragedy. Hannah Verdier
Time Capsule: Silver Chain Wide range of weekly episodes available The 1970s swing scene is the stuff of myth and legend, so when Paul Ditty heard that the secret club Silver Chain had kept a stash of newsletters in a safe deposit box, he couldn’t resist investigating. His brilliant unraveling of the mysterious Minnesota club begins with a simple question. How did they find the time to swap partners? HV
if i speak Wide range of weekly episodes available Novara Media journalists Ash Sarkar (above) and Moya Lothian-McLean have questions on their minds, including “Can I really be friends with my boss?” and “Are dating apps dead?” By grappling with questions, he swaps politics with personal (of sorts) issues. “Should I give my mom some money?” As Sarkar says, this is “the place where we can reveal our most free and nosy selves without judgment.” Holly Richardson
There’s a podcast for that
Comedian Paul Sinha hosts new podcast Pub Quiz. Photo: Martin Godwin/The Guardian
this week, robin winter choose the best five Comedy podcasts that actually teach you somethingfrom comedy quizzes with Chase star Paul Sinha to investigating urban legends in black culture.
Do Go On It’s surprising how little-known this Australian podcast is despite its longevity. Hosted by incredibly likeable Melbourne comedians Matt Stewart, Jess Perkins and Dave Warneke, each week one of them chooses a topic to report on. Recent episodes include History of Monopoly, Pirate Queen of Ireland, Eurovision, and more. Unlike many other long-running podcasts (Do Go On is entering its ninth year), the inside jokes are easy to follow and there’s a genuine, contagious enthusiasm from the trio.Rare podcasts that will make you laugh out loud and Full of fascinating stories.
Paul Sinha’s Perfect Pub Quiz The Chase’s Paul Sinha is also a popular touring comedian and combines these pursuits in this clever BBC Radio 4 podcast. If you can imagine him doing his set of tight 20-minute stand-up encyclopedias, you’ll be able to get pretty close to this vibrant show. In series two, Sinha takes his trivia skills to different parts of the country, testing Ipswich residents on their most famous politicians and Manchester’s tallest buildings. However, there is not much time to think, so the listener needs to respond quickly.
mom taught me Comedians Langston Carman and David Goboly explore black conspiracy theories, superstitions, urban legends, and, in their words, “the old lady’s story that your uncle told you about who wore jeans to the beach.” Dive deep into the world of “public pool. They often have hilarious guests to discuss reader suggestions. After almost 300 episodes, there’s no sign of running out of material.
big flop With only a handful of episodes to date, The Big Flop explores everything from the laughably bad movie Cats to the banned Four Loko, an alcoholic energy drink invented by a bunch of frazzled boys. It’s a show that focuses on events that didn’t go well. Hosted by actor, singer, and TikTok star Misha Brown, it was produced by pod giant Wonderly. Two weekly guests (mostly American stand-ups and performers) bring freshness to each episode, and thanks to an experienced behind-the-scenes team, it’s well-researched and well-produced.
That’s not true fish If you love comedy podcasts, you’ll be spoiled for choice with No Such Thing As a Fish, created by the writers of the long-running BBC quiz show QI. The authors started the podcast in 2014 after discovering interesting facts that weren’t aired during their research. Now his 500-episode podcast is the granddaddy of the genre, unapologetically nerdy but beautifully accessible even for non-Oxbridge fans. Winner of many well-deserved awards and published as a book, No Such Thing As a Fish is a must-listen for anyone looking for quirky facts to share at the pub table.
Why not try it…
In an 8-part series show on the streetcelebrities are taken out of the studio and presenter and veteran podcaster Alex Lugui takes the driver’s seat as they embark on a personal road trip through the places that shaped them.
just jack and will is the ultimate Will & Grace rewatch podcast with Sean Hayes and Eric McCormack.
Who is a good person? So who is the bad guy? alphabet boys Revealing secret investigations by the FBI, DEA, ATF, and other three-letter agencies in the United States.
The history of science is filled with moments of discovery, those “Eureka” moments when a theory is proven or a breakthrough is achieved. The latest image competition at Great Ormond Street Hospital, titled ‘A Moment of Discovery’, celebrates these breakthroughs.
Staff from Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (GOSH) and its partners have submitted images capturing significant milestones in research. The public voted on the three most popular images shortlisted by a panel of experts via social media.
The shortlisted images range from colorful micrographs to cartoon illustrations, offering a glimpse into the research conducted at GOSH. It is hoped that this research will lead to new treatments for rare and complex conditions, transforming the lives of children and young people with serious illnesses.
The winning image, taken by PhD student Giada Benedetti at the Zayed Pediatric Rare Disease Research Center (ZCR), shows exploding intestinal organoids revealing their inner workings.
Organoids are small three-dimensional tissue cultures derived from stem cells that can mimic different organs like the heart and liver in the human body.
In honor of Rare Disease Day on February 29, all winning and shortlisted images will be displayed at an event at the Zayed Pediatric Rare Disease Research Center.
Selected as a finalist – my lungs are on fire
These lung “mini-organs,” or organoids, were grown from stem cells to replicate the complexity of lungs. The image showcases cell nuclei in blue, cell membranes in red, and moving hair-like structures called cilia in yellow/orange. Photo courtesy of Giuseppe Cala at GOSH.
Shortlist – Active Glial Cells
The image showcases nerve helper cells, known as glial cells, with long fibrous structures that transport nutrients and oxygen to surrounding nerve cells. Photo courtesy of Lucien Bonfante at GOSH.
Finalist – Light of Life
The image shows the spinal cord of a zebrafish embryo with different neurons generated through asymmetric division. Photo courtesy of Atachapon Theppichaiyanond at GOSH.
It may surprise you, but the universe isn’t perfect, at least not from a human perspective. One clear example of this imperfection is the existence of leap years like 2024.
What is a leap year?
By definition, a leap year occurs every four years, adding an extra day to make the year 366 days long instead of the usual 365. This extra day falls on February 29th rather than the typical February 28th.
Why do leap years occur?
The discrepancy between a year (Earth’s orbit around the sun) and a day (Earth’s rotation) drives the need for leap years to align our calendar with the Earth’s journey around the sun. This misalignment accumulates over time, necessitating the addition of leap years to keep our calendar in sync with the seasons.
“Leap years play a crucial role in aligning our calendar with the Earth’s orbit around the sun,” explains Dr. Minjae Kim, a Research Fellow in Astrophysics at the University of Warwick.
The Julian calendar introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC added a day every four years, but it slightly overcorrected the discrepancy between the solar year and the calendar year. Reforms led to the Gregorian calendar in 1582, which provides rules for determining leap years, reducing the error rate to about one day every 3000 years.
Celebrities with leap year birthdays
Jack Rousma: NASA astronaut born on February 29, 1936.
Ja Rule: American rap legend born on February 29, 1976.
Pedro Sanchez Perez-Castechon: Prime Minister of Spain born on February 29, 1972.
Karen Jones: American competitive swimmer born on February 29, 1984.
Is it possible to create the perfect calendar?
Despite efforts to improve calendars, there is no perfect solution due to the dynamic nature of space. The concept of time harmonizing with natural rhythms is temporary, as our days get longer and Earth’s orbit changes over long timescales. For now, the Gregorian calendar remains adequate.
About our experts
Dr. Minjae Kim: Research Fellow in the Department of Physics at the University of Warwick, focusing on planetary science and dust signatures in debris disks around stars.
Dr. James McCormack: Assistant Professor in the Astronomy and Astrophysics Group at the University of Warwick, specializing in transiting exoplanets and the European Space Agency’s PLATO mission.
NASA/ESA/CSA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured new images of barred spiral galaxy NGC 1559.
This Webb image shows barred spiral galaxy NGC 1559, located approximately 32 million light-years away in the constellation Reticulata. Image credits: NASA / ESA / CSA / Webb / A. Leroy / J. Lee / PHANGS Team.
NGC 1559 is situated about 32 million light-years away in the southern constellation Rechi.
Also known as LEDA 14814, ESO 84-10, and IRAS 04170-6253, this galaxy was first observed in 1826 by Scottish astronomer James Dunlop.
NGC 1559 features extensive spiral arms filled with star formation and is receding from us at a speed of approximately 1,300 km/s.
It has a mass of around 10 billion solar masses, which may seem substantial, but it’s almost 100 times less than the mass of our Milky Way galaxy.
“NGC 1559 exhibits a massive spiral arm of active star formation moving away from us at 1,300 kilometers per second,” explained the Webb astronomers.
“Although NGC 1559 appears to be close to the Large Magellanic Cloud, one of the nearest clouds in the sky, this is merely a perspective illusion.”
“In reality, NGC 1559 is not physically near the Large Magellanic Cloud in space. It is actually isolated, lacking any nearby galactic companions or members of galaxy clusters.”
“MIRI captures the glow of interstellar dust particles that trace the interstellar medium fueling future star formation,” the astronomers elaborated.
“NIRCam reflects starlight and reveals young stars hidden behind vast amounts of dust.”
“This instrument also detects emission from ionizing nebulae around young stars.”
The image of NGC 1559 was taken by the PHANGS team as part of Webb’s observation of 55 galaxies using instruments such as the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) and the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.
“By combining Webb’s unique view of dust and stars with data from these other facilities, we can delve into the detailed processes of star birth, life, and death in galaxies across the universe. Our goal is to gain new insights into this phenomenon,” stated the researchers.
“This program is also part of a Treasury Department initiative, allowing immediate access to the data for the scientific community and the general public,” they added.
“This enables us to conduct more research at a faster pace.”
On September 26, 2022, NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission successfully impacted Dimorphos, the natural satellite of the near-Earth binary asteroid Didymos. New numerical simulations show that the DART impact triggered global deformation and resurfacing of Dimorphos.
The asteroid moon Dimorphos was seen by NASA’s DART spacecraft 11 seconds before impact. His DRACO imager aboard DART captured this image from a distance of 68 km (42 miles). This image was the last one to include all dimorphos in the field of view. Image credit: NASA/Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.
DART was a planetary defense mission that demonstrated the possibility of using kinetic impactors to alter the orbits of asteroids.
The collision was successful and highly effective, resulting in Dimorphos’ orbital period around Didymus being shortened from its original 11 hours and 55 minutes to 33 minutes.
The LICIACube Unit Key Explorer (LUKE) instrument aboard the cubesat took images of the system between 29 seconds and 320 seconds after impact, showing the ejecta stream and other debris that spread for several kilometers from the impact site. revealed a complex pattern.
Furthermore, the dramatic brightening of the Didymos system due to solar illumination of the ejected impact ejecta was observed by ground-based and space-based telescopes for many weeks after the impact.
These three Hubble images capture the breakup of Dimorphos when it was intentionally collided by DART on September 26, 2022. The top panel, taken two hours after impact, shows the ejecta cone (estimated at 1,000 tons of dust). The center frame shows dynamic interactions within the Didymos-Dimorphos binary system that begin to distort the cone of ejecta patterns approximately 17 hours after impact. The most notable structure is a rotating windmill-shaped feature. The windmill is connected to Didymus’s gravitational pull. In the bottom frame, Hubble captures debris being pushed back into the comet-like tail by the pressure of sunlight on tiny dust particles. This spreads out into a column of debris, with the lightest particles traveling fastest and furthest away from the asteroid. The mystery deepens after Hubble recorded the tail splitting into two for several days. Image credit: NASA/ESA/STScI/Jian-Yang Li, PSI/Joseph DePasquale, STScI.
In a new study, University of Bern scientist Sabina Raducan and colleagues use realistic constraints on the mechanical and compositional properties of dimorphos, informed by DART’s initial results, to create a state-of-the-art impact The DART impact was modeled using physical code.
The simulations that best match observations of the impact suggest that Dimorphos is weakly cohesive, similar to asteroids Bennu and Ryugu, and lacks large rocks on its surface.
The researchers suggest that Dimorphos may be a pile of debris formed by the rotational shedding and re-accumulation of material ejected from Didymos.
Their model also suggests that DART’s impact may not have created an impact crater, but instead may have changed the shape of the moon as a whole, a process known as global deformation, which could have been caused by material from within. It also indicates that it may have caused the resurfacing of Dimorphos.
The discovery provides further insight into the formation and characteristics of binary asteroids and could have implications for future exploration, including ESA’s Hera mission and asteroid deflection efforts.
“ESA’s future Hera mission may discover reformed asteroids rather than well-defined craters,” the authors concluded.
their paper It was published in the magazine natural astronomy.
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SD Raducan other. Physical properties of the asteroid Dimorphos obtained from the DART impact. Nat Astron, published online on February 26, 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41550-024-02200-3
New technology allows water droplets to be guided precisely around obstacle courses to trigger chemical reactions
Jonathan Knowles/Getty Images
By placing tiny magnetic particles inside ordinary water droplets, you can turn them into liquid acrobats. Droplets can climb steps, jump over obstacles, and initiate chemical reactions. This level of control could be useful for drug delivery and the creation of more complex lab-on-a-chip technologies.
Fan Shilin He and his colleagues at Sun Yat-sen University in China created a surface with tiny grooves and covered it with a superhydrophobic, or wet-resistant, varnish. They know that a water droplet resting on such a groove can spontaneously jump up due to the pressure difference between the bottom of the droplet, which is deformed by the small groove, and the rounded and less constrained top part. I did.
The researchers wanted to create this pressure difference on demand. They added small magnetic particles to each droplet and placed an electromagnet beneath the groove. When the electromagnet was turned on, some of the particles, or droplets, were drawn into the groove. When I turned it off, the water droplet shape bounced and flew upwards as if from a slingshot.
Using this technique, the team was able to enable droplets to hop down millimeter-scale stairs and overcome small obstacles. The researchers were also able to direct a droplet into the narrow space between two wires and connect a circuit to light a light bulb.
Xiao Yan Researchers from China’s Chongqing University say this is a creative way to control pressure-based droplet jumps and could become a valuable tool for precisely transporting chemical droplets. It has said.
In one experiment, researchers plunged and mixed droplets into a liquid chemical sample under a microscope lens, allowing them to observe the resulting chemical reaction from start to finish. Another experiment involved mixing two droplets with a third in a closed box, which would have been ruined if the researchers had had to open the box to let air in. The reaction was initiated remotely.
Such precise chemical control can be applied to drug delivery. Huang hopes the technology will also advance “lab-on-a-chip” technology, an effort to miniaturize complex biochemical experiments that typically require a lot of space and glassware. He proposes a “lab-on-stacked chip” in which droplets jump vertically between levels to generate many reactions in parallel.
A solar eclipse is a surprising cosmic coincidence that causes the moon to appear as large as the sun.
Chance Bush/Albuquerque Journal (via AP)
People travel thousands of miles to see a solar eclipse. There’s nothing like darkness falling and the excitement ripple through the crowd. A total solar eclipse will soon grace the skies in parts of Central America and North America, and some places outside the total path will be able to see a partial solar eclipse. So now is the perfect time to ask what exactly a solar eclipse is.
When one celestial object is hidden from view by another celestial object moving between them, astronomers call the event an “occultation.” Strictly speaking, a total solar eclipse is the occultation of the sun by the moon.
A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon and sun line up perfectly, with the moon moving in front of the sun and blocking nearly all of the sun’s light. From the path of totality, or the area of the Earth where a total solar eclipse is visible, the sun almost disappears. This part of the eclipse can last up to 7.5 minutes. The solar eclipse on April 8th will last 4 minutes and 27 seconds.
What causes solar eclipses?
There are many different types of solar eclipses, but all occur when the moon passes in front of the sun, blocking some or all of the light seen from certain parts of the Earth. By pure cosmic coincidence, the moon is about 400 times smaller than the sun, but the sun is about 400 times farther away, so the moon and sun appear to be the same size in the sky. When the two line up perfectly during the new moon phase, when the moon is between the Earth and the sun, the moon can block all of the sun’s light. This is a total solar eclipse.
During a solar eclipse, the moon casts two shadows. The central part of the shadow where light does not reach is called the umbra. The outer partial shadow is known as the penumbra. Only light coming from part of the sun’s disk can reach here. During a total solar eclipse, the path of totality is land within the umbra. On April 8, the road will be 185 kilometers wide and will cross North America from Mexico through the United States and Canada. However, the total path can be as narrow as 150 kilometers. The penumbra covers a much larger area and a partial solar eclipse can be seen in those locations.
Conceptual Imagery Lab at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
What types of solar eclipses are there?
A partial solar eclipse occurs when the moon blocks only part of the sun’s light. This occurs when the viewer is within the penumbra. Before and after totality, you can see the moon slowly eclipsing the sun in a partial solar eclipse. However, because the moon’s central shadow completely misses the Earth, only a partial solar eclipse may be visible from anywhere on Earth.
An annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon’s elliptical orbit moves it farther from Earth than normal, blocking most of the sun’s light but leaving behind a so-called ring of fire. A hybrid solar eclipse occurs when some parts of the world see a total solar eclipse, while other parts see an annular solar eclipse. Total solar eclipses, hybrid solar eclipses, and annular solar eclipses are all types of “central” solar eclipses, meaning that the umbra is projected somewhere on Earth.
Solar eclipse in 2024
On April 8th, a total solar eclipse will pass over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. Our special series covers everything you need to know, from how and when to see a solar eclipse to the strangest solar eclipse experience of all time.
How often do solar eclipses occur?
Every year, anywhere from two to five solar eclipses are visible somewhere around the world. A total solar eclipse occurs on average every 18 months. However, in certain locations on Earth, the portion of the Earth where a total solar eclipse is visible is so small that a total solar eclipse is only seen about once every 400 years.
What is a lunar eclipse?
A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon moves through the shadow that Earth casts in space. These events always occur during a full moon when the moon is on the opposite side of Earth’s sun. But they don’t happen every full moon because our moon’s orbit is tilted around the Earth compared to Earth’s orbit around the sun.
Do solar eclipses always occur in pairs?
A solar eclipse occurs when the Earth, Sun, and Moon line up (a so-called syzygation), so a solar eclipse is always accompanied by a lunar eclipse two weeks before and after it. This year, a lunar eclipse will occur on March 24th, two weeks before the solar eclipse on April 8th. However, it will be a penumbral lunar eclipse, meaning only the Earth’s outer shadow will hide the moon.
In winter, the backs of your hands can become dry, red, and cracked. Maybe you find yourself applying more moisturizer. Otherwise, itching and pain can be a big hindrance.
Cracked skin is annoying and uncomfortable, but it's not as serious as something like high blood pressure. However, that assumption may not hold, as with skin aging.
Growing evidence suggests that skin damage can have knock-on effects on other parts of the body, causing inflammation, muscle and bone loss, and even cognitive decline. The more your skin deteriorates, the faster the rest of your skin ages. This new perspective means that our skin not only reflects the signs of aging, but also contributes to it. There's even preliminary evidence that taking better care of your skin may slow down the negative effects of aging and improve your overall health.
Our skin is one of the first areas of our body to show signs of aging. Especially in active areas such as the outer corners of the eyes, wrinkles may increase and age spots may appear. Although these changes may seem to be literally skin deep, the importance of the skin to the rest of the body should not be underestimated. “The skin is the largest organ in the body,” he says. wendy borag At Augusta University in Georgia, USA.
And it's not just the size. Skin is essential for survival. The outer layer of the epidermis is impermeable to water, so body fluids, the source of life, are not lost to the air. If someone causes damage to a large area…
Chemical analysis revealed 26 compounds responsible for orange’s distinctive flavor. This discovery will help plant scientists create disease-resistant orange hybrids that are just as tasty as the original variety.
In recent decades, citrus greening disease, also known as Huanglongbing, has devastated citrus production around the world. orange (Citrus sinensis) say they are particularly affected by this disease Anne Plott at the American Horticultural Research Institute in Florida.
Plotto and his colleagues wanted to see if it was possible to create a hybrid that was resistant to citrus greening disease while retaining the characteristic orange flavor.
To identify the chemicals responsible for this flavor, researchers analyzed 179 juice samples from a variety of citrus fruits, including oranges and mandarins.Citrus reticulata), three-leaf mandarin orange (Citrus trifoliata) and its hybrids. Trained citrus testers also tried each sample and rated how much it tasted like orange juice.
They found that the strongest orange-flavored juices all contained 26 specific compounds. Seven of these compounds are a type of chemical called esters, which seem to be the key to differentiating the taste of oranges from tangerines.
Plott and her team then conducted genetic analysis of the fruit and discovered genes involved in the synthesis of all seven esters they named. C. sinensis alcohol acyltransferase 1.
“This gene is expressed more in varieties that produce more esters,” team members say jen fan at the University of Florida.
The research could eventually help create disease-resistant hybrids with a rich orange flavor, Plott said. “This discovery may allow us to screen citrus hybrid seedlings early to get the desired orange flavor, rather than waiting 10 to 15 years for the trees to bear fruit,” she said. says.
Cross-section of a mouse brain highlighting neurons that appear to release molecules that increase toxin clearance
Tsai Laboratory/MIT Picower Laboratory
A new explanation has emerged for why an experimental treatment for Alzheimer’s disease that involves flickering sounds and lights may help slow cognitive decline. This frequency appears to strengthen the brain’s waste processing network, helping to remove beta-amyloid and other toxic proteins that contribute to memory and concentration issues.
“Once we understand the mechanism, we can probably understand how to further optimize this whole concept and improve its effectiveness,” he says. Cai Li Hui at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The treatment involves exposure to light that flashes at a frequency of 40 times per second, or 40 hertz, and to a bass sound, also at 40 hertz. Typically, stimulation is given for one hour per day.
The key to this new approach is that large networks of brain cells naturally fire in sync with each other at different frequencies, known as brain waves. Brain waves around 40 Hz are common when people are concentrating and forming or accessing memories.
In 2016, Tsai’s team wondered if 40Hz stimulation could enhance cognitive performance in Alzheimer’s patients, since visual or auditory stimulation at a certain frequency is known to enhance brain waves at that same frequency. I decided to investigate.
Their group and other researchers have shown that this reduces amyloid accumulation in mice with Alzheimer’s disease and has cognitive benefits. Small trial in people with this condition, an even larger trial is underway. However, it is unclear how this treatment works, and another idea is that it boosts the function of immune cells in the brain.
Well, the special light and sound appears to work by enhancing the function of the brain’s drainage system, also known as the glymphatic system.
In the latest study, Tsai’s team conducted a series of experiments to study the mechanism of treatment in mice that were genetically modified to have amyloid buildup that normally occurs with age and to have worse memory than typical mice. carried out.
As expected, when the animals were exposed to light and sound, the amount of amyloid decreased. The new findings were that during treatment, the amount of cerebrospinal fluid entering the brain increased, and the amount of waste fluid leaving the brain through the glymphatic vessels increased.
This appears to occur because nearby blood vessels pulsate more, which may help glymph fluid flow through the blood vessels, allowing more water to flow into the glymph system.
The research team also found that the activity of a particular type of brain cell known as an interneuron appears to cause an increase in glymph flow by releasing a molecule called vasoactive intestinal peptide. When the research team chemically blocked the production of this molecule, the treatment no longer accelerated amyloid clearance.
Miken Nedergaard A professor at the University of Rochester in New York who helped discover the glymphatic system says the discovery is consistent with what we already know about it. “The brain, blood, and cerebrospinal fluid are all contained within the skull. When the blood volume expands, the brain tissue cannot be compressed, so the cerebrospinal fluid volume must also move.”
In the accompanying article natural medicineDr. Nedergaard says that a better understanding of the mechanisms of toxin removal in the brain “could be the key to unlocking that.” [their] Treatment Possibilities.”
Most microplastics in tap water can be removed by boiling.
Yuri Nedopekin/Alamy
Boiling tap water before use can remove at least 80 percent of the potentially harmful small plastic particles it contains.
Nanoplastics and microplastics (NMPs) are pieces of plastic such as polystyrene, polyethylene, and polypropylene that range in diameter from 0.001 to 5 millimeters. Although the health effects are still being studied, researchers suspect they may be harmful to humans.
Eddie Zen and colleagues from China's Jinan University took samples of tap water and measured levels of NMP and found that the average concentration was 1 milligram per liter. The samples were then boiled for 5 min and then cooled. NMP levels were then remeasured and found to have decreased by more than 80%.
“NMP intake from boiled water consumption was estimated to be two to five times lower than the daily intake from tap water,” Zeng said. “This simple but effective boiling water strategy can 'decontaminate' NMPs from household tap water and potentially harmlessly reduce human exposure to NMPs through water consumption.”
Zeng said NMP was removed by being incorporated into the crystalline structure of limescale, which is formed from calcium in the water. Hard water, which contains more calcium, removed more particles than soft water, which contains less calcium.
Bringing water to its boiling point was a major contributing factor to how efficiently these crystal structures were created. “Boiling water has several other benefits, including killing bacteria and parasites and removing traces of heavy metals,” he says.
“The way they demonstrated how things are deposited through the boiling process was amazing,” he says. caroline goshott lindsay At the University of Glasgow, UK. But the world should seek to solve the problem of microplastics in drinking water long before they reach homes, she added. “We should consider modifying drinking water treatment plants to remove microplastics,” she says.
The CEO of Google expressed concern over some responses from the company’s Gemini artificial intelligence model, calling them “unlikely” and pointing out issues such as depicting German World War II soldiers as people of color. He described this bias as “totally unacceptable.”
In a memo to employees, Sundar Pichai acknowledged that images and text generated by modern AI tools were causing discomfort.
Social media users highlighted instances where Gemini image generators depicted historical figures of different ethnicities and genders, including the Pope, the Founding Fathers, and Vikings. Google suspended Gemini’s ability to create people images in response.
One example involved Gemini’s chatbot responding to a question about negative social impacts, leading to a discussion about Elon Musk and Hitler. Pichai addressed this issue, calling the responses upsetting and indicative of bigotry.
Viking AI image Photo: Google Gemini
Pichai stated that Google’s teams were working to improve these issues and have already made significant progress. AI systems often generate biased responses due to training data issues, reflecting larger societal problems.
Gemini’s competitors are also working on addressing bias in AI models. New versions of AI generators like Dall-E prioritize diverse representation and aim to mitigate technical issues.
Google is committed to making structural changes and enhancing product guidelines to address biases. Pichai emphasized the importance of providing accurate and unbiased information to users.
Elon Musk criticized Google’s AI programs, pointing out the bias in generated images. Technology commentator Ben Thompson called for a shift in decision-making at Google to prioritize good product development.
The emergence of generative AI platforms like OpenAI’s ChatGPT presents a competitive landscape in AI development. Google’s Gemini AI chatbot, formerly known as Bard, offers paid subscriptions for enhanced AI capabilities.
Google DeepMind continues to innovate in AI, with breakthroughs like the AlphaFold program for predicting protein structures. The CEO of DeepMind acknowledged the need to improve diversity in AI-generated images.
I
Last week, we discussed the long-standing rivalry between Xbox and PlayStation, and how Microsoft’s strategy of releasing games on all platforms, including rival consoles, could signal the end of gaming as we know it. I touched on the potential beginning of this shift. Now, recent news has emerged: Sony is laying off 900 employees across its global studios. Why would a company behind the highly successful PlayStation 5, which outperformed its competitors 3 to 1, take such drastic measures? The end of the console wars may be inevitable, rather than a choice. The landscape of the gaming industry has drastically changed from how it operated in the past.
The announcement of PlayStation’s decision to lay off 8% of its workforce came in a company-wide email from outgoing CEO Jim Ryan less than a week ago. Celebrations at London’s studio were overshadowed by the departure of many employees. Studios like Firesprite are being closed permanently, with other UK branches facing functional reductions. Major studios like Guerrilla Games, Naughty Dog, and Insomniac have also been affected. US-based Sony employees are awaiting further details on how they will be impacted. The email concluded with an ironic appeal for kindness amongst employees.
PlayStation Studios Head Hermen Hulst provided context for this decision in a blog post, citing the evolving landscape of the industry as a driving force behind the layoffs. The demand for high-quality, socially connected gaming experiences necessitates a reevaluation of operational strategies. While growth is essential, it must be purposeful. Some projects have been deemed unfeasible to pursue given the current industry climate.
Analysis points to widespread overinvestment during the 2020-2021 boom, fueled by pandemic-induced demand and surplus capital. The subsequent decline in investment left many studios vulnerable. Despite the profitability of the industry, anticipated layoffs and cost-cutting measures across various gaming sectors are expected in the upcoming years. The closure of Danish studio Die Gute Fabrik serves as a recent example of this trend.
The inability of even industry leaders like Sony to sustain large-scale game development poses significant concerns. Escalating production costs and a focus on continual revenue streams through “live service” games have heightened anxieties about job security within the industry. The success of individual titles like Marvel Spider-Man 2 and PlayStation 5 console sales have not shielded developers from workforce reductions. The sustainability of the console business remains a pressing issue.
The trend towards blockbuster titles with escalating budgets reflects a stark departure from the medium-sized game landscape of the past. Studios once relied on major releases to support smaller projects, fostering a diverse gaming ecosystem. However, the modern industry climate demands unparalleled success, leaving little room for niche or medium-sized games to thrive.
Die Gute Fabrik, the indie studio behind Saltsea Chronicles, has halted production.
Photo: Di Gute Fabric
I
The song is only 17 seconds long and sounds like 80’s Genesis playing at the bottom of a pool. But this bouncy but sonically degraded snippet of pop has become one of the internet’s biggest and most enduring musical mysteries.
This clip was uploaded in 2021 by a person named Carl92 who wanted to see if anyone could identify it. “I don’t remember its origins,” he wrote on his site called WatZatSong, adding, “I found it among a bunch of very old files on a DVD backup… it feels kind of nostalgic.” But even after this 17-second sample of his was posted on his Reddit, a powerful pop culture spirit is rarely lost, not a single person was able to identify the song or the artist.
This quest captured people’s imaginations. Last June it was my own subreddit – Named after the song’s unofficial title “Everyone Knows That (Ulterior Motives)”, or EKT, and currently has approximately 27,000 members. And recently, TikTok has become popular, with predictable results. Users flooded me with unhelpful comments like “Have you tried Shazaming?” which is like telling someone who lost their keys to check their pockets.
Bass, a music journalist from the Netherlands, is one of the subreddit’s moderators. He attributes the explosion in this exploration to a cultural shift. “We live in an age where knowledge is freely available and music can be consumed with few restrictions,” he says. “Music that was lost in the pre-internet era can be very interesting to young people because it’s something very foreign to them and they can’t easily look up songs.”
20 year old content creator with fame kylie bogley is one such convert. “We’re in the prime of a lost medium that will be viewed with great fondness in the future, and I’m grateful to be a part of it,” she says.
She is EKT. “Lost Wave” This movement collects dusty and forgotten songs, perhaps recorded from the radio or buried in folders of old MP3s, and attempts to give them names and artists. “There is another unconfirmed song and it is called “The most mysterious song on the internet‘ The mystery has remained unsolved for nearly 20 years. But I think EKT has outgrown its popularity,” says Bogley. “I don’t think it’s possible that we can’t find an artist.”
One obstacle is that the sound quality is so poor that no one can fully agree with the lyrics. There is even some doubt as to whether the singer is male or female. However, internet sleuths have identified the drum machine and synthesizer used for this song, most likely a LinnDrum and a Yamaha DX7. This narrows down the release date to his 1983 years and beyond. They also analyzed the background frequencies and figured out the format of the DVD. Apparently Carl92 was playing. Beyond that, forensic analysis was unable to locate it.
Dozens of similar-sounding artists (Roxette, Savage Garden, the one who sang the theme song for the Pokémon TV series) have all been asked if it’s their song, but no luck was. Unsurprisingly, misinformation also spread. Bass recalled a Redditor he claimed to have heard at a McDonald’s in Poland. “This person fabricated an email from a company to trick the search community into believing we were trying to find a song,” he says. “I think that’s the point of creativity.”
This song may have been an unreleased demo or an advertising jingle. Bass’ theory is that the piece was created in the United States for a movie or advertisement and “ended up on his VHS tape.” Someone had been recording audio in his room with his VHS tape playing in the background, backed up the file to his DVD, and forgot about it. ” Some think it may have come from Japan. Searchers are now trying to contact an unknown singer named White Mike Johnny Grove, who has a “strikingly similar voice,” Bogley said. Please pay attention to this column.
As for Carl 92, he disappeared, probably out of fear that online detectives would search him for clues. Some say he must have staged the whole thing, but maybe it’s some of the music he generated using his AI? If so, he could have directed tens of thousands of people. You’ve succeeded in destroying it. However, there is no evidence that he was not real. The despondent tone of his near-final message, which came just a few months after he posted EKT, certainly rings true. “It’s a dead end,” he wrote. “I just lost interest in that song.” But the rest of the world is just getting started.
SSix months ago, my son Zach started playing a video game that I knew little about, and as a games journalist, it was a little disconcerting. Warframe is an online science fiction shooter game created by Canadian-based developer Digital Extremes and first released in 2013. Although it’s hardly talked about outside of its fanbase, it has 75 million registered users and is consistently one of his biggest titles on Steam.
Set in a far-future solar system infested with hostile alien forces, players join the side of the Tenno, an ancient warlike race whose primary weapons are barely sentient cybernetic fighters (the warframes of the title). Zack spends hours each day flying between planets, completing missions and exploring while battling enemies such as the brutal clone army known as the Grineer and the giant, disease-ridden Infested. This sounds similar to Destiny, The Division, Final Fantasy XIV Online, and a dozen other so-called live service games that run indefinitely online, with new tasks, locations, and items added all the time. However, Warframe attracted his son’s attention. He has one important reason for that. It’s a very friendly and welcoming community.
Zach is on the autism spectrum and is now 18 years old, but he still finds it difficult to socialize in the real world. He’s loved games like Minecraft and his Fortnite for years, but as he’s gotten older, he’s gotten into darker, more mature stories and worlds. When I saw that he stumbled upon this epic gothic space opera, I was concerned that it would lead him to join gaming’s less bland communities: edgelords, griefers, and Call of Duty fans. I was worried that I would be in contact with aspiring professional gamers who could turn a shooting game like this into a game. A difficult place for vulnerable people.
More friendly shooting…Warframe. Photo: Digital Extremes
But in Warframe, the experience was different. The other players were immediately friendly, welcoming, and accommodating. What helped Zack from the beginning was the game’s well-maintained and very lively on-screen chat window. This allows players to ask questions and share tips and experiences without speaking. This is a huge advantage for neurodivergent players. In-game chat is not uncommon in live service games, but this place is mostly fine with proper moderation. Other players will do their best to help Zack, helping him find rare resources such as argon crystals, and escorting him to planets they have not yet unlocked. They also gave him weapons and items. He joined the Clan a few weeks ago and has made new friends throughout the US and Europe and hangs out together regularly.
According to Digital Extremes, they realized very early in development that building and maintaining a welcoming community was essential. “The community department was one of his first departments on the team,” says his creative director Rebecca Ford. She nods in recognition when I tell her how much people have helped my son. “[The in-game chat] is a place where you can say, “I have no idea what I’m doing” or “Does anyone have any advice for this build?” Warframe is a complex, cooperative, hard science fiction world. For us, that channel was essential.”
Rebecca Ford, Creative Director at Digital Extremes. Photo: Digital Extremes
Apple has decided to cancel its plans to develop electric cars, as reported by multiple outlets. The project, known as Project Titan, was a secret endeavor that has utilized significant resources over the past decade. During an internal team meeting on Tuesday, company executives unexpectedly announced layoffs and mentioned that many employees would be reassigned to work on generative artificial intelligence, according to reports.
Apple had invested billions of dollars in developing an electric semi-autonomous car under Project Titan, and the decision to scrap the program represents a significant shift from its previous strategy.
Apple’s CEO Tim Cook had hinted at the company’s car plans in an interview, but did not fully commit to delivering the product as anticipated.
Although Apple never officially confirmed plans for a car, the project sparked speculation in the auto and tech industries. The company even hired executives from major car manufacturers like Lamborghini and Tesla, and acquired a self-driving car startup called Drive.ai in 2019.
Apple did not provide any official statement regarding the termination of the program, leaving many employees who had worked on the project surprised and potentially facing job cuts.
The company’s electric vehicle plans have undergone several changes since their initiation in 2014, facing numerous setbacks in attempts to bring the product to market.
In response to Apple’s decision, Tesla CEO Elon Musk posted a salute and cigarette emoji.
Apple is now focusing more on generative AI projects, reallocating researchers and engineers from the automotive field to special projects within the company.
During a quarterly financial results announcement, Cook hinted at Apple’s increased emphasis on artificial intelligence and the introduction of generative AI capabilities for consumers by the year’s end.
Framework is back with the new, bigger and more powerful Laptop 16, its most ambitious device yet. Highly modular and upgradable 16-inch machine that lets you change layout and power in minutes. It’s completely different from anything else on the market.
Packed with hot-swappable components, the laptop can be customized in countless ways, transforming it from a fast and quiet workhorse by day to an LED-studded gaming PC by night.
Priced from £1,399 (€1,579/$1,399/AU$2,319), this 16-inch machine improves on the ideas that made its smaller sibling, the Laptop 13, a huge hit. In fact, everything inside your laptop can be disassembled and replaced with varying degrees of ease.
Expansion cards simply click into slots on the side of your laptop to instantly add USB-C, USB-A, HDMI, DP, Ethernet, microSD slots, expandable storage, or a headphone jack. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
Featuring the same great port expansion system as its sibling, simply snap in place up to six small cards to use any combination of ports, card readers, or expandable storage on the side of the machine. Most cards cost less than £20, so they’re cheap enough to slide in and out as needed and keep a collection of cards for different tasks.
Additionally, the keyboard, numeric keypad, trackpad, LED module and spacers are easily attached in place by magnets on the top deck. Without tools, you can position your trackpad or keyboard to the left, right, or center, add another number pad or macropad on each side, or move your keyboard to another position, even when your laptop is running. Completely swap languages and layouts in seconds.
Diving inside, you can remove components of the framework such as memory, storage, and wireless cards with a single screwdriver. Unlike many other laptops, where parts are soldered in place, you can expand the storage and RAM yourself, and even upgrade bits.
Simply plug the AMD Radeon RX 7700S graphics card module into the back of your machine to instantly add power to your laptop. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
However, the framework’s biggest feature is the large expansion module that sticks out behind the screen. More powerful upgrades are available, including modules that include the AMD Radeon RX 7700S discrete graphics card.
Melting ice in Greenland could worsen extreme weather across Europe
REDA & CO srl/Alamy
Europe's 10 hottest and driest summers in the past 40 years have all come after a particularly large amount of fresh water was released from the Greenland ice sheet, meaning southern Europe will experience an especially hot summer this year. Maybe you are doing it.
They say this link occurs because the excess meltwater triggers a series of amplifying feedbacks that affect the strength and position of the atmospheric jet stream over Europe. Marilena Ortmans At the UK National Marine Centre.
“2018 and 2022 were the most recent examples,” she says. 2022 saw extreme heat and numerous bushfires across Europe, with high temperatures reaching 40°C (104°F) in parts of the UK for the first time.
These feedback effects, on top of the underlying warming trend from fossil fuel emissions, mean Europe will become even hotter and drier in coming decades as the melting of the Greenland ice sheet accelerates. Then Mr. Ortmans says:
“This is on top of the warming that is already happening due to increases in greenhouse gases,” she says.
Hotter heat waves and drier droughts are expected as the planet warms, but in some regions, such as Europe, recent heat waves and droughts have been even more extreme than climate modeling projects. Several studies have linked these extreme events to changes in the strength and position of the Arctic jet stream. The Arctic jet stream is a band of upper-level winds whose location and strength have a significant impact on weather.
But it's not clear what causes these changes, Ortmans says. Now, she and her colleagues are analyzing weather observations from the past 40 years, and the results show that extreme weather is ultimately the result of a period of increased ice melt in Greenland. It is said that there is.
“Observational statistical associations are very powerful,” she says.
The excess meltwater leads to a shallow layer of freshwater that extends south of the North Atlantic Ocean. This layer does not easily mix with the warm, salty ocean water below, causing the ocean surface to be colder than normal in winter.
This makes the gradient between this colder water and warmer water further south even more extreme, strengthening the weather front aloft. As a result, wind patterns strengthen, pushing warm water flowing northward, the North Atlantic Current, further north than usual. This further amplifies the temperature gradient.
“The front that forms between an area of cold fresh water and an area of warm ocean water is the main source of energy for storms,” she says.
Now, Oltmans' team suggests that these winter changes have lasting effects into the following summer. “Two years after the freshwater anomaly occurred, we are still seeing significant signs,” she says.
The researchers found that stronger temperature gradients lead to stronger jet streams across Europe, making the weather in southern Europe even hotter and drier. Then, as the unusually cold water recedes, the jet stream moves north, bringing hot, dry weather to northern Europe.
“We have discussed the individual links in this feedback chain before,” Ortmans says. “What we did in this study is bring these links together.”
Computer models miss this chain of feedback because they don't include factors such as large fluctuations in meltwater from year to year, she says.
“The association between Atlantic freshwater anomalies and subsequent European summer weather proposed in this study is interesting and relevant to current scientific research on long-term predictions of summer weather, especially “If that relationship holds true for future summers,” he says. adam scaife He works on long-term forecasts at the UK Met Office.
“I think this study is somewhat convincing,” he says. Fei Luo At the Singapore Climate Research Center. But when it comes to predicting summer weather, looking at the previous year's snowmelt isn't as helpful as looking at winter weather conditions, Luo said.
But Oltmans is confident enough to predict that Europe will experience more heatwaves and droughts in the coming years as Greenland's ice melts further in the summer of 2023. “I think southern Europe will experience strong heat anomalies this summer,” she says.
These are likely to become even more powerful in 2025, after which they will begin to impact Northern Europe. “We expect Northern Europe to experience another strong heatwave and drought, not this year, but in the next few years.”
When considering the most effective way to protect children’s mental health, the idea of banning social media often comes up. Recent events in the UK, such as the tragic murder of Brianna Gee, have reignited discussions on the dangers of social media for children. However, scientific evidence does not strongly support the notion that social media directly causes mental health issues in children.
Social media has been around for quite some time and has brought many positive aspects to the lives of young people. It allows them to connect with others, pursue their interests, and show support in times of tragedy. Studies have shown that increased social media use does not necessarily decrease life satisfaction for most children.
While it may seem that social media is linked to a decrease in life satisfaction for some adolescents, the opposite is not always true. Evidence supporting the idea of social media addiction in children is limited. Without a clear causal relationship between social media use and mental health issues, banning social media for children may not be the solution.
Are most children addicted to social media and smartphones?
Using the term “addiction” in reference to social media and smartphone use may be misleading. While some children may develop bad habits related to their use, it does not necessarily constitute a true addiction. Weaning children off social media is often easier than addressing addictive behaviors related to substances.
Is it possible that a social media ban will actually be enforced?
Enforcing a ban on social media for children poses many challenges, both legally and morally. Children have rights to access and enjoy social media, and restricting their access may infringe on these rights. Past attempts to ban social media use, such as South Korea’s “Cinderella Law,” have shown limited effectiveness in improving children’s well-being.
How can children develop a healthy relationship with screens?
As parents, it is important to guide children in developing a healthy relationship with screens, including social media. Teaching them to self-regulate their behavior and manage their screen time can prepare them for adulthood. Simply banning social media may not address the underlying issues of human behavior and the attention economy.
A dynamically active planetary system orbits a significant portion of the white dwarf. These stars often exhibit surface metals accreted from a disk of debris. However, the complete journey of a planetesimal from its star-grazing orbit to its final dissolution in its host star is poorly understood. In a new paper, Astrophysics Journal Letter astronomers report the discovery that stars exist that are contaminated with cold metals. WD 0816-310 It cannibalized heavy elements from a planetary body as large as the dwarf planet Vesta.
WD 0816-310 is a magnetic white dwarf star located 63 light-years away in the constellation Papis. Image credit: L. Calçada / ESO.
Dr Stefano Vanullo, an astronomer at the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, said: 'It is common for some white dwarfs – slowly cooling embers of stars like our Sun – to cannibalize parts of planetary systems. known,” he said.
“Now we find that the star's magnetic field plays a key role in this process, causing scars on the white dwarf's surface.”
The metal signatures the researchers observed on WD 0816-310 are concentrations of metal imprinted on the white dwarf's surface.
Professor Jay Farihi of University College London said: “These metals come from fragments of a planet the size of, or possibly even larger than, Vesta, which at about 500 kilometers in diameter is the second largest asteroid in the solar system. I have proven that.”
They also relied on archival data from VLT. X shooter instrument This is to confirm the survey results.
The authors noticed that the strength of the metal detections changed as the star rotated, indicating that the metals were concentrated in specific areas on the white dwarf's surface, rather than being spread smoothly across the surface. Suggests.
They also found that these changes were synchronized with changes in the white dwarf's magnetic field, indicating that this metallic scar is located at one of its magnetic poles.
Taken together, these clues indicate that the magnetic field funneled metal into the star, creating the scar.
“Surprisingly, the material was not evenly mixed on the star's surface, as theory predicted. Instead, this scar was a concentrated patch of planetary material that guided falling debris. “We've never seen anything like this before,” said John Landstreet, a professor at Western University.
“ESO offers a unique combination of capabilities needed to observe faint objects like white dwarfs and make sensitive measurements of the star's magnetic field,” Vanullo said.
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Stefano Vanullo other. 2024. Discovery of magnetically induced metal accretion on contaminated white dwarfs. APJL 963, L22; doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ad2619
Using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers observed a very red quasar-like object. A2744-QSO1 Its color suggests that A2744-QSO1's black hole lies behind a thick veil of dust obscuring much of its light. The researchers also measured the black hole's mass (40 million solar masses) and found it to be much more massive compared to its host galaxy than what has been seen in more localized examples. . This discovery suggests that it may represent the missing link between black hole seeds and the first luminescent quasars.
A composite color image of A2744-QSO1. Image credit: Furutaku other, doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07184-8.
“We were very excited when Webb started transmitting its first data,” said Dr. Lukas Furtak, a postdoctoral researcher at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
“As we were scanning the data coming in for the UNCOVER program, three very compact objects with red flowers stood out to us.”
“Because of its 'red dot' appearance, we immediately suspected it to be a quasar-like object.”
“Using a numerical lensing model we built for the Abell 2744 galaxy cluster, we found that the three red dots are multiples of the same background light source seen when the universe was just 700 million years old. “We determined that it must be an image of Adi Zitlin, also from Ben-Gurion University in the Negev.
“Analysis of the object's color shows that it is not a typical star-forming galaxy,” said Professor Rachel Bezanson, an astronomer at the University of Pittsburgh.
“This further supports the supermassive black hole hypothesis.”
“Together with its compact size, it became clear that this was probably a supermassive black hole, but it was still different from other quasars discovered earlier.”
The astronomers then analyzed the JWST/NIRSpec spectrum of A2744-QSO1.
“The spectrum was just shocking,” said Professor Ivo Rabe of Swinburne University of Technology.
“The spectrum obtained by combining the signals from the three images and the lens magnification corresponds to 1,700 hours that Webb observed the object without a lens, making it the deepest spectrum Webb obtained for a single object in the early universe. Masu.”
“Using the spectrum, we were able to not only confirm that this red compact object is a supermassive black hole and measure its precise redshift, but also estimate its mass based on the width of its emission line. We were able to get a solid estimate,” Dr. Furtak said.
“The gas orbits the black hole's gravitational field, achieving extremely high velocities not seen in other parts of the galaxy.”
“Due to the Doppler shift, the light emitted from the accreting material is redshifted on one side and blueshifted on the other side, depending on its velocity.”
“This makes the emission lines in the spectrum wider.”
But this measurement brought yet another surprise. The black hole's mass appears to be disproportionately large compared to the mass of its host galaxy.
“All the light in that galaxy would have to fit within a small region about the size of a modern star cluster,” said Dr. Jenny Green, an astronomer at Princeton University.
“The source's gravitational lensing magnification provided an exquisite constraint on size.”
“Even if you pack all possible stars into such a small region, the black hole will end up being at least 1% of the total mass of the system.”
“In fact, it has now been discovered that several other supermassive black holes in the early Universe exhibit similar behavior, which provides insight into the growth of black holes and host galaxies, and the interactions between them. This provides some interesting insights, but this is not well understood.”
Astronomers do not know whether such supermassive black holes grow from the remains of stars, for example, or perhaps from material that collapsed directly into black holes in the early universe.
“In some ways, this is an astrophysical chicken-and-egg problem,” says Professor Zitlin.
“Currently we don't know whether galaxies or black holes formed first, how big the first black holes were, and how they grew.”
“Recently, many more such 'little red dots' and other active galactic nuclei have been detected in the Webb, so we hope to have a better idea soon.”
LJ Furutak other. High black hole-to-host mass ratio in the lensed AGN of the early Universe. Nature, published online on February 14, 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07184-8
Danionella cerebrumThis translucent fish species, only 12 mm long, produces high-amplitude sounds exceeding 140 dB (1 µPa relative at a distance of 1 body length). This is comparable to a jet engine taking off at a distance of 100 meters.
Danionella cerebrum It has a pair of extrinsic indirect muscles that house the drumming cartilage. When the sonic muscles contract, they pull the fifth rib forward, pulling on the cartilage and increasing tension. When the cartilage is suddenly released, it rapidly impinges on the swim bladder, producing a short, loud pulse. Bursts of pulses are produced by bilateral alternating or unilateral muscle contractions. In summary, this mechanism allows for loud, stereotypical sounds elicited in structured sequences, making it unique for vertebrate acoustic communication and ultrafast skeletal locomotion that exceeds the limitations of muscle contraction velocity. It will be a solution. Image credit: Ralf Britz, Senckenberg Natural History Collections.
“Oyster oyster shrimp can make crackling noises of up to 250 dB with their claws,” he said. Dr. Ralph Blitzichthyologist at the Senckenberg Natural History Collection.
“The flightless kakapo’s mating call can reach 130 dB, and elephants can make up to 125 dB of noise with their trunks.
“Fish, on the other hand, are generally considered to be fairly quiet members of the animal kingdom.”
“But certain fish species can be surprisingly noisy. For example, male redfin midshipmanfish attract females with an audible vibrato of about 100 Hz and 130 dB.”
In a new study, Dr. Blitz and his colleagues looked into Danionella cerebruma small teleost fish with the smallest brain of any known vertebrate.
“This small fish can emit over 140dB of sound at a distance of 10-12mm, which is comparable to the noise of a plane taking off at a distance of 100m, which is highly unusual for such a fish. 'It's a small size,' Dr. Blitz said.
“We sought to understand how the fish manage this and what mechanisms are involved in this outcome.”
Using a combination of high-speed video, microcomputed tomography, gene expression analysis, and differential methods, the researchers discovered that: Danionella cerebrum Males have unique sound-producing equipment, including drumming cartilage, specialized ribs, and fatigue-resistant muscles.
“This device accelerates the drumming cartilage with a force of more than 2,000g and slams it against the swim bladder, producing rapid and loud pulses,” Dr. Blitz said.
“These pulses chain together to produce calls for bilateral alternating or unilateral muscle contractions.”
Due to its small size and lifelong light transmission, Danionella cerebrum It is a new model organism for biomedical research.
This species lives in the shallow, murky waters of Myanmar.
“It is likely that competition between males in this visually restricted environment contributed to the development of specialized mechanisms for acoustic communication,” Dr Blitz said.
The results of this study cast doubt on the conventional concept that the speed of skeletal movement in vertebrates is limited by muscle movement.
“Understanding unusual adaptations Danionella cerebrum “This extends our knowledge of animal locomotion and highlights the remarkable diversity of propulsion mechanisms in different species,” the authors said.
“This contributes to a broader understanding of evolutionary biology and biomechanics.”
“Sounds made by others are Danionella The species has not yet been studied in detail. It would be interesting to know how their sound production mechanisms differ and how those differences relate to evolutionary adaptations. ”
“Combined with its lifelong transparency, this genus Danionella This provides a unique opportunity to compare the neural mechanisms underlying sound production between different species. ”
of study Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Verity ANO Cook other. 2024. A superfast sound production mechanism in one of the smallest vertebrates. PNAS 121 (10): e2314017121; doi: 10.1073/pnas.2314017121
In a total solar eclipse, the moon blocks the sun’s light.
Scott Sadie/tahoelight.com/Alamy
A total solar eclipse is coming to North America. On April 8, the moon will pass between the Earth and the sun, perfectly aligned to block the entire disk of the sun in a phenomenon called totality. It will be visible from a strip of land that stretches from Mexico across the United States into Canada.
The eclipse will begin in the Pacific Ocean, about halfway between North America and New Zealand, and will begin to be visible off the west coast of Mexico at 8:42 a.m. local time. It begins as a partial solar eclipse, with the moon slowly moving to cover more and more of the sun. The totality event was first observed in Mexico at 9:38 a.m. local time.
As the sun and moon move across the sky, the eclipse will be visible over a 185-kilometre-wide area of land known in the United States as totality. It will pass through 13 states, from Texas to Maine, and enter southern Ontario, Canada. The last place to see the eclipse on land will be Newfoundland, where the sun’s visibility will return to normal at 5:16 p.m. local time.
The duration of totality varies by location, from less than 2 minutes to nearly 4.5 minutes. This is because the moon’s orbit around the Earth is not a perfect circle, and neither is the Earth’s orbit around the sun, so the distances between the three bodies change throughout the day.
Solar eclipse in 2024
On April 8th, a total solar eclipse will pass over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. Our special series covers everything you need to know, from how and when to see a solar eclipse to the strangest solar eclipse experience of all time.
During a total solar eclipse, the moon’s shadow moves across the ground at speeds of over 2400 kilometers per hour, forming a dark patch that darts along the ground. In this shadow, the temperature drops rapidly and the sky becomes strangely dark, making planets and stars visible even during the day. Total solar eclipses are important to scientists because they provide a rare opportunity to measure the outermost layer of the sun, called the corona. This tenuous layer is much fainter than the Sun’s disk, making it difficult to observe normally.
Viewers in areas just outside the total path will also be able to see the eclipse, but it will only be partial, with the moon covering a smaller portion of the sun. A partial solar eclipse will last about 3 hours. Partial solar eclipses, which include the period just before and after a total solar eclipse, must be viewed through a special solar filter. Such filters are available in the form of eclipse glasses. However, regular sunglasses do not provide sufficient protection for the viewer’s eyes. Do not look directly at the sun without a solar filter, even during a partial solar eclipse.
If you don’t have eclipse glasses, don’t despair. A partial solar eclipse can still be seen, just not directly. You can use any object with holes, such as a colander or paper with pinholes, to project an image in the shape of an eclipse onto a screen or onto the ground. Even between the leaves of the trees the ground is speckled with strange sunlight that changes like a crescent moon.
A new technique that dyes denim using chemicals that turn blue in sunlight could reduce the environmental impact of jeans production.
Blue denim is dyed with indigo. Indigo is a compound that was once extracted from plants, but is now usually synthesized. Harmful chemicals such as sodium dithionite are required to dissolve indigo in water so that it can be used for dyeing. These chemicals produce toxic fumes that can harm the health of textile workers and can also cause toxic pollution of wastewater.
now, Ditte Hededam Werner Researchers at the Technical University of Denmark have instead developed a new process that uses a natural precursor of indigo called indican.
“Indican is also a natural product, so it's not artificial or weird,” says Hededam-Werner. “But the good thing about this is that it's soluble, so you can basically just soak the fabric, which you can't do with indigo. So many harsh chemicals simply This made it a very attractive solution to this problem because it could be omitted.”
However, there is one important drawback. Indican is colorless, so the compound must be converted to indigo after being applied to the material. One way to do this is to leave it in the sun for a few hours.
“I don't know if consumers like it or not, but if you wear Indian-soaked jeans in the sun, they turn blue over time,” says Hededam-Werner. “You think it's a gimmick, don't you? You can do it.”
The research team has discovered two methods that can provide the faster, more reproducible results required by modern manufacturing. One method uses plant enzymes and the other uses electric light.
Using light is a simpler process that reduces the environmental impact of dyeing by 73% compared to using indigo. European Commission indicators It takes into account carbon emissions, land use, water consumption, and ozone layer depletion. Using enzymes led to even greater reductions of 92%.
Hededam-Werner said that with further research, the process could become cheaper and more efficient, but major obstacles still stand in the way, not least of which is the production of the 4 billion pairs needed. The aim is to establish a supply chain for 80,000 tons of Indican. Number of jeans manufactured each year.
Prosthetic eyes designed with artificial intelligence and 3D printing could benefit more people by requiring 80% less time for human experts compared to traditional manufacturing methods. Small trials also suggest that this approach leads to adequate prostheses in most cases.
For example, in the UK, Approximately 1 in 1,000 people wears a prosthetic eye., it takes a highly trained ophthalmologist to take an impression of the eye socket. Many people wearing such prostheses also have orbital implants that replace lost eye volume and create a surface to which muscles can be reattached, allowing natural eye movement. Masu. A prosthesis is placed over this to give it a natural appearance.
The standard process for making a prosthetic limb takes about eight hours; Johan Reinhardt Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics in Darmstadt, Germany, have developed a method to automatically design and 3D print an implant that fits into a wearer's eye socket and aesthetically matches the remaining eye. .
“It's more comfortable to do an optical scan than to have someone pour this alginate.” [mould-making material] It seems difficult to make an impression on the eye socket, especially for children. [sit through] This is the procedure,” Reinhardt said.
In the new process, an optical coherence tomography scanner uses light to create a 3D model of a person's missing eye, so the back of the prosthesis can be designed to fit snugly. A color image of the remaining eye is also taken to ensure an aesthetic match.
The data is collected into an AI model, a design is created, and then 3D printed on a machine that can operate at a resolution of 18 billion droplets per cubic centimeter.
Once the prosthesis is printed, a human eye doctor can polish and adjust it for the perfect fit. This task takes only 20% of the time of the existing process.
3D printed prosthetic eye designed by AI
Johann Reinhardt, Fraunhofer IGD
In a trial of 10 people at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, only two people found these prostheses did not fit properly. Neither has orbital implants, which Reinhardt says poses problems for scanners and AI designers.
The team hopes to improve the process to significantly reduce the cost required to create convincing prosthetics and make them available to more people. However, Reinhardt says it is unlikely that future prosthetics will be created without human experts.
“We think of this like a tool for ophthalmologists,” he says. “So this is not going to replace an eye doctor, but it's a new process that they can use, and we think it's going to give them better results in terms of appearance.”
The members of the WhatsApp group ‘Smartphone Free Childhood’ advocate for banning under-14s from owning smartphones and preventing under-16s from accessing social media to protect them from the dangers of the internet. However, believing this is the solution is unrealistic. Announcement (“Crazy: Thousands of UK parents join in quest for smartphone-free childhood”, February 17).
It is a parent’s responsibility to provide a safe environment for their children and teach them how to safely navigate the internet. Just like roads can be dangerous but we don’t ban cars, teaching children internet safety is crucial. Building open and honest relationships and setting boundaries at home will help young people understand internet dangers better than blanket bans. Making social media “adults only” may backfire and make it more tempting for children. They may also be less likely to seek help if they encounter inappropriate content. stuart harrington Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset
As seen in cases like Brianna Gee’s, giving children smartphones can have negative consequences. However, we should consider the benefits and drawbacks of smartphone access. I personally benefitted from having a smartphone in school for various tasks like using apps for transportation, news, and communication. While parental controls and monitoring are essential, smartphones have many positive uses. It is important to adapt to the changing online threats and promote more parental supervision. oscar acton Merton, County Durham
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