A new study led by the University of California, Irvine, addresses a fundamental debate in astrophysics: the existence of invisible dark matter is necessary to explain how the universe works. Is there an observation, or can physicists explain how things work based only on matter that we can know directly?
Dark photons are hypothetical dark sector particles that have been proposed as force carriers, similar to electromagnetic photons but potentially related to dark matter. Image credit: University of Adelaide.
“Our paper shows how a real-world observed relationship can be used as a basis for testing two different models for describing the universe,” said Dr. One Dr. Francisco Mercado said:
“We conducted robust tests to distinguish between the two models.”
“This test required us to run computer simulations using both types of matter, normal matter and dark matter, to account for the presence of interesting features measured in real galaxies.”
“The features we discovered in galaxies would be expected to appear in a universe with dark matter, but would be difficult to explain in a universe without dark matter.”
“We have shown that such features appear in observations of many real galaxies. If we take these data at face value, the dark matter model is the one that best explains the universe we live in. It is reconfirmed that.”
These features explain patterns in the movement of stars and gas within galaxies that appear to be possible only in a universe with dark matter.
“The observed galaxies appear to follow a close relationship between the matter we see and the dark matter we inferred to detect, hence what we call dark matter. Some have even suggested that this is actually evidence that our theory of gravity is wrong,'' New York University said. Professor James Block of Irvine, California;
“What we have shown is that dark matter not only predicts that relationship, but for many galaxies it can explain what we see more naturally than modified gravity.”
“I am even more convinced that dark matter is the correct model.”
This feature has also appeared in observations by proponents of a dark matter-free universe.
“The observations we looked at, the very observations that discovered these features, were made by proponents of the no-dark-matter theory,” said Dr. Jorge Moreno, a researcher at Pomona College. Ta.
“Despite their obvious existence, there has been little analysis of these functions by the community.”
“We needed scientists like us who work with both ordinary matter and dark matter to start the conversation.”
“We hope that this study will spark a debate within our research community, but such features can only be found in our planet if both dark matter and normal matter are present on Earth.” We also found that it appears in simulations, so there may be room for commonalities in the universe. “
“When stars are born and die, they explode into supernovae, which can form the centers of galaxies, providing a natural explanation for the existence of these features.”
“Simply put, the features we investigated in our observations require both the presence of dark matter and the incorporation of normal matter physics.”
Now that the dark matter model of the universe appears to be a promising model, the next step is to see whether it remains consistent across the dark matter universe.
“It will be interesting to see if this same relationship can even be used to distinguish between different dark matter models,” Dr. Mercado said.
“Understanding how this relationship changes under individual dark matter models could help constrain the properties of dark matter itself.”
of paper Published online on Royal Astronomical Society Monthly Notices.
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Francisco J. Mercado other. Hooks and bends in the radial acceleration relationship: Discrimination test between dark matter and MOND. MNRAS 530 (2): 1349-1362; doi: 10.1093/mnras/stae819
The Madigen Formation is one of the richest Triassic fossil beds in the world, but few people have ever heard of it.
geo explorers club
About 235 million years ago, in what is now Central Asia, a small reptile fell into a freshwater lake and settled in the soft mud at the bottom.Creatures – named longiskamaIt means “long scales” after the strange feather-like protrusions on its back. It probably lived in the nearby forest, along with many other interesting animals, including a flying reptile known as a flying reptile. Chalovipteryx and Giga Titana giant praying mantis-like insect.
as longiskama's body slowly rotted, gradually turning to stone, continents drifted away, lakes dried up and reformed again and again, and the landscape above changed. Later, in the 1960s, Soviet paleontologist Alexander Sharov discovered reptile fossils. scientifically spotlighted In this little-known corner of the Soviet Union.
Today, the region is located in southern Kyrgyzstan and is a dusty landscape of colorful rock outcrops and dry riverbeds, surrounded by the snow-capped peaks of the Turkestan Mountains. These rocks are the remains of layers of mud and silt that were deposited on the lake bed. longiskama This formation is called the Madigen Formation after a nearby village.Paleontologists recognize it as One of the richest Triassic fossil beds in the world and Lagerstätte –’s site A beautifully preserved specimen – But few others have heard of Madygen.
That's about to change. If all plans go well, this year the region will become the world's first global geopark.
Astronomers using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope have captured the most detailed images ever of the Horsehead Nebula, one of the most distinctive objects in our sky.
At the bottom of this Web/NIRCam image, a small portion of the Horsehead Nebula is visible up close as a curved wall of thick, smoky gas and dust. Above the nebula, various distant stars and galaxies can be seen all the way to the top of the image. Image credits: NASA / CSA / ESA / Webb / K. Misselt, University of Arizona / A. Abergel, IAS, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS.
The Horsehead Nebula is located in the constellation Orion, about 1,500 light-years from Earth.
Also known as Barnard 33, this nebula is visible only because its indistinct dust is silhouetted against the brighter nebula IC 434.
The Horsehead Nebula is just one small feature of the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex, with the glowing Flame Nebula dominating the center of this view.
The nebula was first recorded by Scottish astronomer Williamna Fleming on February 6, 1888.
The object is formed by a collapsing cloud of interstellar matter and shines in the light of a nearby hot star.
The gas cloud surrounding the horsehead has now disappeared, but the protruding columns are made of stronger material that is less erodible.
Astronomers estimate that the Horsehead Formation has about 5 million years left to collapse.
The new image from the web focuses on the upper illuminated edge of the nebula’s characteristic dust and gas structures.
This Webb/MIRI image is more than half filled from bottom to top with a small section of the Horsehead Nebula. Image credits: NASA / CSA / ESA / Webb / K. Misselt, University of Arizona / A. Abergel, IAS, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS.
“In such regions, ultraviolet light from young massive stars creates a region of warm, nearly neutral gas and dust between the fully ionized gas around the massive star and the clouds they are born into. .”
“This UV radiation has a strong effect on the gas chemistry in these regions and acts as the most important heat source.”
“These regions occur where the interstellar gas is concentrated enough to remain neutral, but not dense enough to prevent the transmission of deep ultraviolet light from massive stars.”
“Light emitted from such PDRs will be used to study the physical and chemical processes that drive the evolution of the interstellar medium in our galaxy and throughout the universe from the early days of active star formation to the present day. We provide unique tools for
“The Horsehead Nebula, due to its close proximity and near-edge-on geometry, provides an opportunity for astronomers to study the physical structure of the PDR and the evolution of the chemical properties of gas and dust within their respective environments and transition regions. is an ideal target for “among them. “
“This is considered one of the best objects to study how radiation interacts with the interstellar medium.”
“Thanks to Mr. Webb. mm (mid-infrared measuring instrument) and NIRCam “We used (near-infrared camera) equipment to reveal for the first time small-scale structures at the end of an illuminated horsehead,” they said.
“We also detected a network of stripes extending perpendicular to the PDR front and containing dust particles and ionized gas entrained in the nebula's photoevaporative flow.”
“These observations allowed us to investigate the effects of dust attenuation and ejection, and to better understand the multidimensional shape of the nebula.”
“Next, we will study the spectroscopic data obtained from the nebula to demonstrate the evolution of the physical and chemical properties of the material observed throughout the nebula.”
of result appear in the diary astronomy and astrophysics.
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A. Abergel other. 2024. His JWST observations of the horsehead photon-dominated region I. First results from multiband near-infrared and mid-infrared imaging. A&A, in press. doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202449198
Accurate assessments of global river flows and water storage are important to inform water management practices, but current estimates of global river flows represent a significant spread, and river storage Estimates remain sparse. Estimates of river flow and water storage are hampered by uncertainty in land runoff, an unobserved quantity that provides water withdrawal to rivers. In a new study, geoscientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and elsewhere leverage an ensemble of global streamflow observations and land surface models to create a globally gauge-corrected monthly streamflow and storage dataset. Generating. They estimate the average global river storage capacity to be 2,246 km .3 (This is equivalent to half of the water in Lake Michigan, about 0.006% of all fresh water, which itself is equivalent to 2.5% of the Earth's volume) and 37,411 km of the world's continental streams.3 per year.
collins other. Estimates flows through 3 million river segments characterized by intense human water use, including the Colorado River, Amazon River, Orange River, and parts of the Murray-Darling River basin (shown here in gray) identified locations around the world. Image credit: NASA.
Rivers are considered the most renewable, most accessible, and therefore most sustainable sources of fresh water.
Therefore, several studies have attempted to quantify the world's river waters.
However, surprisingly little is known about the average and temporal variation in global river water storage, and even more so, about the temporal variation in global river discharge.
“Over the years, researchers have made numerous estimates of how much water flows from rivers to the ocean, but estimates of how much water rivers collectively hold (known as water storage) “There are fewer and more uncertainties,” said Dr. Cedric David. A researcher at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
“We don't know how much water we have in our accounts. Population growth and climate change are further complicating the problem.”
“There are many things we can do to manage our water usage and ensure there is enough water for everyone, but the first question is: How much water do we have? It's the basis of everything else. is.”
In this study, Dr. David and colleagues used a new methodology that combines flow meter measurements with computer models of about 3 million river segments around the world.
They identified the Amazon Basin as the region with the most river water storage, with approximately 850 km of water storage.3 Water amount – approximately 38% of global estimates.
The same basin discharges the most water into the ocean: 6,789 km3 per year. This corresponds to 18% of the emissions into the world's oceans, which average 37,411 km.3 Years from 1980 to 2009.
Although it is impossible for a river to have a negative flow rate, the study's computational approach does not take into account upstream flows, but it is possible that some river segments receive less water than they enter. It may leak.
Researchers found similar findings in parts of the Colorado, Amazon, and Orange river basins, as well as the Murray-Darling basin in southeastern Australia. These negative flows mainly indicate heavy water use by humans.
“These are places where we see evidence of water management,” says Dr. Elissa Collins, a researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
of study Published in a magazine natural earth science.
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Elle Collins other. Global patterns of river water storage dependent on residence time. nut.earth science, published online March 15, 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41561-024-01421-5
The Australian government has announced it will invest nearly A$1 billion in developing quantum computers, staking its claim in a race currently dominated by the United States and China.
Headquartered in the US, PsiQuantum was co-founded by a team including two Australian researchers and has received funding from both the Australian Federal and Queensland Governments of A$470 million, for a total of A$940 million ($600 million). The project will receive funding of $13 million. In return, the company will build and operate a next-generation quantum computer in Brisbane, Australia.
stephen bartlett Researchers at the University of Sydney said the announcement amounted to Australia asserting sovereign capabilities in quantum computing and building a quantum technology ecosystem.
“What I'm really excited about about this is that the size of the investment means we're serious,” Bartlett says. Big technology companies such as IBM, Google and Microsoft are investing billions of dollars in quantum computing, but Australian funding makes PsiQuantum one of the world's largest dedicated quantum computing companies.
Quantum computers offer the possibility of completing some tasks much faster than regular computers. So far, such capabilities have only been demonstrated in non-practical problems, but as research teams in the U.S., China and elsewhere race to build larger and less error-prone machines, they are becoming increasingly common. It is hoped that this will begin to prove useful.
Many teams have built quantum computers based on superconductors, but PsiQuantum's approach involves particles of light called photons, which were thought to be difficult to scale up. However, ahead of the Australian announcement, PsiQuantum Published a paper The paper details how standard semiconductor manufacturing equipment, of the type used to make regular computer chips, could be used to build the photonic chips needed for quantum machines.
Australia has exported generations of quantum researchers, including the co-founders of PsiQuantum. Jeremy O'Brien and Terry Rudolph. Mr Bartlett said government investment could allow these scientists to return to Australia and start building their careers here. “Australia is saying we have a seat at the big table when it comes to quantum computing.”
Casal di Basso CS, Italy, April 29, 2024, Chainwire
Dark Rhyme VR a pioneer in the VR entertainment industry, proudly announces the launch of DarkLume VR, a stunning virtual world that allows users to experience fun, entertainment, and fantasy elements like never before.
DarkLume VR’s mission is to create a dynamic, immersive metaverse where users can connect with like-minded people and experience the epitome of luxury and sophistication.
Darklume VR transports players to a realm where reality meets fantasy, offering an incredible level of immersion that blurs the lines between the physical and virtual worlds. Through cutting-edge technology and innovative design, Darklume VR provides online gamers with an unprecedentedly immersive experience, delivering stunning visuals and realistic soundscapes. Users can participate in his DarkLumes nightlife with breathtaking dance floors and virtual clubs, stimulate their inner emotions and accumulate digital wealth. Users can build long-term relationships and plan strategies to make money online and become wealthy.
Darklume CEO said: “With Darklume VR, we are not only redefining the immersive Metaverse experience, but also unlocking new possibilities for creativity, collaboration, and exploration within the virtual realm.”
The main features of Darklume VR are:
DLUME currency:
Participate in activities within DarkLume VR using DarkLume’s native currency, DLUME. It serves as the primary medium of exchange. The more his DLUME coins a user has, the higher the fun and enjoyment rate.
country citizenship
All countries in the DarkLume metaverse offer citizenship by holding a minimum number of specific tokens.
Maintaining citizenship
To maintain citizenship in a country, users must pay the taxes imposed. If not, their citizenship will be revoked.
Users can spend DLUME Coins on various activities and earn DLUME Coins within Darklume VR by participating in social activities. Another interesting fact here is that everyone without a source of income will receive unemployment benefits, but they cannot use their wages for personal gain.
To celebrate the launch of Darklume VR, Darklume is offering a special airdrop worth $15,000.Users can access DarkLume VR Twitter (X) Handle and complete small tasks and become part of the dream world.
About darkroom
DarkLume VR presents a unique virtual metaverse concept that combines social interaction, fantasy elements, and a gamified ecosystem. Through his native token, his DLUME, users can fulfill their unfulfilled desires in the virtual world. Its elements include monthly unemployment benefits, tip exchange, social assistance, and participation in social activities.
DarkLume pushes the boundaries to bring you another level of fun, fantasy, entertainment, and beautiful games to explore. With the continued support of our loyal investors and active community, DarkLume VR strives to achieve levels beyond imagination.
For further updates, users can join DarkLume VR telegram and follow them twitter
The European Union delivered a direct message to the owners of Facebook in Silicon Valley on Tuesday due to concerns about President Vladimir Putin’s attempts to influence the European Parliament with pro-Russian lawmakers.
Meta has a deadline of five days to outline its plan to tackle fake news, fake websites, and Kremlin-funded advertisements, or face serious consequences.
The EU is worried about Facebook’s handling of fake news, especially 40 days after the European Parliament elections and during a year when many people around the world are voting.
Thierry Breton, the Internal Market Commissioner, emphasized that electoral integrity is a top priority and warned of swift action if Facebook does not address the issues within a week.
He stated, “We expect Meta to inform us within five working days of the measures they are taking to mitigate these risks, or we will take all necessary steps to safeguard our democracy.”
The commission has initiated formal proceedings against Meta ahead of the elections taking place across Europe from June 6 to 9.
There are concerns that Russia might exploit Facebook, with its over 250 million monthly active users, to influence the election outcome in its favor.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo suggested that Russia’s aim to support pro-Russian candidates in the European Parliament was evident through alleged payments to parliamentarians.
While specific examples were not provided, concerns include foreign-funded advertisements on Facebook.
An official stated, “They are mistaken if they think they are not profiting from this.”
Additionally, there is insufficient transparency in the tools for identifying illegal or questionable content.
The EU has highlighted delays in removing links to fake news platforms, known as “doppelganger sites”.
Last week, a Czech news agency’s website was hacked to display fake news, including a false claim about an assassination attempt on the Slovak president.
French Europe Minister Jean-Noël Barrault raised concerns about Russian propaganda targeting France to disrupt public debate and interfere in the European election campaign.
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One more issue with Facebook is Meta’s decision to restrict discussions on sensitive topics like the Middle East to prevent user-generated content.
This practice known as “shadowbanning” has raised transparency concerns, and the EU is urging Facebook to clarify its decision-making process.
The official added, “Users must be informed when this occurs and have the opportunity to challenge it, or it could lead to controversy.”
There are also worries that Facebook might discontinue CrowdTangle, a service that assists in monitoring disinformation for fact checkers, journalists, and researchers.
The case against Facebook on Tuesday marks the sixth by the European Commission since the Digital Services Act (DSA) came into effect.
However, many question whether these actions are sufficient to combat misinformation. NATO officials have compared disinformation to a weapon as potent as physical warfare during a panel in Brussels.
Authorities argue that Facebook is not idle in addressing these issues, but the existing measures are inadequate, opaque, and not effective enough.
Under the new DSA laws implemented in August, the EU has the authority to levy fines up to 6% of social media companies’ revenue or bar them from operating in the union.
Facebook responded, stating, “We have robust processes for identifying and mitigating risks on our platform. We are collaborating with the European Commission and will share further details of our efforts with them. We look forward to the opportunity.”
The collaboration is focused on addressing key Web3 challenges through data-driven insights, AI-powered development tools, and zero-knowledge proofs.
SuiThe layer-1 blockchain and smart contract platform created and launched by the core research team responsible for building Facebook’s Libra and Diem projects is working with Google Cloud to support the future of Web3 through a partnership with Mysten Labs. I am. This joint effort will focus on enhancing security, scalability, developer tools, and user experience across a variety of Web3 and AI-powered applications.
Key initiatives of this partnership include:
Data-driven dApps
By integrating Sui’s blockchain data into the BigQuery public dataset, Google Cloud strengthens its commitment to the Sui development ecosystem, providing developers with powerful analytical tools, new insights and innovative dApps. unlocked the potential of
Development using AI
Sui used Vertex AI, Google Cloud’s generative AI platform, and trained it in the Move programming language to help Web3 developers debug and extend code generation.
Mysten Labs uses Google Cloud’s AI and cloud capabilities to create a new AI-based code audit tool. This tool identifies security vulnerabilities in Rust, Move, Typescript, and Solidity, enhancing security efforts to quickly identify and remediate vulnerable code.
Seamless user experience
Sui’s zkLogin technology is already demonstrating the potential of this collaboration, as it bridges some of the gap between traditional (Web2) and decentralized (Web3) applications. zkLogin is a basic cryptographic primitive that uses OAuth credentials from Google and other trusted Web2 platforms to enable frictionless authentication of crypto wallets and dApps on Sui.
Robust and scalable infrastructure
Sui leveraged Google Cloud’s globally scalable infrastructure to enhance network security and high transaction throughput. This integration ensures high performance and seamless scalability.
said Evan Cheng, CEO and co-founder of Mysten Labs. “Working with Google Cloud allows us to accelerate the development of secure, scalable, and user-centric Web3 experiences.” “Google Cloud’s infrastructure and cutting-edge AI capabilities complement Sui’s unique technological strengths. We enable developers of all types to create next-generation decentralized applications on Sui.”
Amit Zaveri, Vice President, General Manager, and Head of Platforms, Google Cloud. “Sui’s advanced blockchain technology and commitment to a user-friendly experience make Sui a valuable collaborator for Web3 and Web2 developers to deliver innovative applications that are easy to adopt. Masu.”
Google Cloud is also committed to supporting the Sui developer community. Web3 startup program. The initiative will provide resources such as Google Cloud credits, access to his Discord channel with Web3 experts, foundation grants, and global events, all of which will accelerate the development of innovative applications at Sui. It is designed to.
About Sui
Sui is a first-of-its-kind Layer 1 blockchain and smart contract platform designed from the bottom up to make digital asset ownership fast, private, secure, and accessible to everyone. An object-centric model based on the Move programming language enables parallel execution, sub-second finality, and rich on-chain assets. With horizontally scalable processing and storage, Sui supports a wide range of applications at low cost and unmatched speed. Sui is a step-function advancement in blockchain and a platform that allows creators and developers to build amazing user-friendly experiences. learn more: https://sui.io
About Misten Lab
Mysten Labs is a team of leading experts in distributed systems, programming languages, and cryptography, and its founders were senior executives and lead architects of pioneering blockchain projects. Mysten Labs’ mission is to create the foundational infrastructure for Web3. learn more: https://mystenlabs.com
About Google Cloud
Google Cloud is a new way to the cloud, offering AI, infrastructure, developer, data, security, and collaboration tools built for today and tomorrow. Google Cloud provides a powerful, fully integrated, and optimized AI stack with unique global infrastructure, custom-built chips, generative AI models and development platforms, and AI-powered applications to transform your organization. We support. Customers in more than 200 countries and territories rely on Google Cloud as their trusted technology partner.
contact
global communication manager Lexi Wangler Misten Institute lexi.wangler@mystenlabs.com
Snowboard boots on the kitchen table. A handle in the bedroom. And clothes are everywhere, and there's no system for determining which ones are clean.
These are just some of the sights that will tell you you're in the boys' room. It's a bedroom with little form or function, inhabited by a grown man who doesn't give much thought to either concept. The interior is usually made up of random trinkets, like your favorite old skateboard on the wall or your childhood action figures on the windowsill. Sneakers and trash are often so dense that it’s hard to see the floor. The thing about furniture is that there might be some furniture. Otherwise, the resident sleeps on a bare mattress placed directly on the floor with one pillow and an uncovered comforter.
To an outsider, it may seem immature and even unkind. Now, comedian Rachel Coster is exploring this phenomenon in her TikTok/Instagram series. boy room.
In every episode, a man in his 20s or 30s living in New York City offers his bedroom for anthropological research. Coster walks around the room and asks the boys questions about the decorations.
“What's that over there?” she asked Luke, 24, pointing to a dirty container next to a step stool. “It’s a bottle of bleach,” he answered.
“What's with the hat?” she asked Jerome, 32, pointing to the baseball cap under the bed. “That’s a cat’s hat,” he explains.
Some videos go in an even more surreal direction. One video features a windowless room with residents' nicknames painted on the walls, like something out of a horror movie. Another boy is wearing a nightcap and has an empty condom box taped to the wall.
Rachel Coster investigates a phenomenon familiar to many who have dated in New York. Photo: Provided by the gymnasium
Koster then offers some very practical tips for improving your space. “My vision for Blake’s room is to install a trash can for him,” she suggests. “Place all clothing on the floor on readily available racks.”
The boys in question are mainly Although he may be a little confused when he receives attention, he is sincere and likable. One commenter on Instagram said: “Blake seems like a really level-headed person. I think we have a lot in common.”
The idea for the boy room came from a friend of Koster’s who said her room “scared every girl I’ve ever taken.” She said she could help fix it within a few hours. In just her five weeks since the show began, Koster’s most-watched video has been her 2.7 million views on TikTok, and her Boy Room followers have surpassed her 121,000.
Perhaps it’s because she finds such a rich theme. Socializing, especially dating, means being exposed to a wealth of unknown homes and lifestyles. Family life of young people special scrutiny. For example, on TikTok, users canThree typical boy apartments in New York City” (the eldest of the siblings, the “dad has money” guy, and the guy with the fireplace that will hurt your feelings).Natural things in my boyfriend’s apartment” (e.g. a fire hydrant that has been recalled for some reason).
Why on earth is the men’s room the way it is? Coster theorizes that while girls are raised with the expectation that they will one day take care of the house and “look out for each other” when it comes to cleanliness, “that’s not the case when boys go to each other’s rooms.” I’m wearing it. ‘Hey, hey, why don’t you have more than one pillow?’ And, of course, there’s the relentless advertising, she says, ‘Men are sold on ‘you have to be stronger.’ You need focus. You have to be hardworking.’For girls, “You have to be beautiful, you have to be clean, and your house has to be clean.”
My lover, who was probably trying to send a message, warned me about the boy room first. She’s only just turned 39 and I’m just a boy, with a room where I’ve been told in no uncertain terms that I’m eligible to be on the show. Since I live on the other side of the country, Ms. Koster kindly agreed to do an evaluation via video chat.
Her first question was how to get it across the bedroom since there is a TV stand at the foot of the bed and together they take up the length of the room. I explained that I would have to climb over the bed to get to the closet. “It’s amazing,” she said. “And all your clothes are shoved in storage shelves,” she said of the boxes in the closet where I stuff my clothes (I don’t have a dresser, but I do have storage shelves, so there is no need).
Some of the posters in my room have not yet fallen. Photo: The Guardian
She also took note of my pile of keepsakes (which used to be filled with keepsake bags). There I keep things I can’t bear to throw away, like postcards, the magic wand from my Halloween costume from seven years ago, and a brochure from a hang gliding museum in Texas I don’t remember visiting. Her grandfather’s electric chess set is also on the mountain. “Yeah, that’s where he wants to be,” Koster said. “How long has it been sitting there?”
“Maybe it’s because I moved here a year and a half ago?”
“So how often do you look at them and say, ‘Wow, thank God I have this ‘Hoppy Easter’ card?”
Coster “loves tossing” things he doesn’t normally use. “I’d rather have noise-cancelling headphones than a million letters from her parents,” she said, adding: “Maybe if my parents had died, I might have felt differently.”
She also suggested putting memorabilia in a chest, or at least organizing the pile into smaller piles. “You’ll find that there’s a better shape to it than just putting it in a lump in the corner of the room.” Her other key advice was to put back posters that had fallen off the wall, but the theme I thought it might be a good idea to change it a little. I suffer from a condition that could be diagnosed as extreme Anglophilia, and the poster included her two maps of Britain, a vintage tube ad, and an overhead view of London. Masu. She said, “I’m going to introduce France or some other white European country to get you excited.”
After all, the boy room is for boys. Photo: Provided by the gymnasium
Actually, I already have a discarded poster from France, but the simplicity of her other suggestions made me want to take action. I did it the next weekend, reupholstered the posters, and got rid of some of my worst memorabilia. Two monocles with broken glasses.
Koster understands that getting rid of things can be difficult. “I don’t think sentimentality and peace of mind really go together, because if you’re always thinking about the past and always trying to protect things, it’s really hard to stay in the present.”, it is also rewarding to correct your posture. “When I wake up in a clean room, I feel completely in heaven.”
Boy Room has plenty of jokes, but what sets it apart from your standard internet troll is its underlying warmth. Yes, we’re laughing in the boys’ room, but Koster works with a small team that includes a director, cinematographer, and editor. sexy damion, very much on the boy’s side. she told one of the boys’ room customers. “This has nothing to do with your personality. You’re nice. You just don’t know what you’re doing with your space.”
She, and by extension we, simply want what’s best for these men, starting with their ability to move from one side of the room to the other without tripping. “My true wish is that if possible, everyone should love themselves enough to value their own space,” she said.
I I know I’m real. And you, dear reader, know that you are the real deal. But have you ever wondered if there’s something strange about other people on the internet? Feeling like the spaces you used to frequent are a little dead? You’re not alone. The “Dead Internet Theory” first appeared on the web nearly three years ago and was catapulted into the mainstream by: Atlantic Essay by Caitlin Tiffany:
The dead internet theory suggests that the internet has been almost completely taken over by artificial intelligence. Like many other online conspiracy theories, this one’s audience has grown thanks to discussions by a mix of true believers, cynical trolls, and bored and curious chatterboxes… But unlike many other online conspiracy theories, this conspiracy theory has no morsel of truth to it. Person or Bot: Does it really matter?
At the time of writing, the deadest part of the internet was the moribund pre-Mask Twitter. The site’s active curation provides the same “relevant content” to hundreds of thousands of users, who can post things like “I hate texting, so come over here and give me a hug” on Twitter. Adjusted and reposted. The distinction between humans and bots has also been blurred by recommendation algorithms that make humans behave like bots.
Beyond that central idea, the 2021 version of the conspiracy theory has taken a strange turn. One supporter, Tiffany, suggests that “the internet died in 2016 or early 2017 and is now not just ’empty and empty’ but ‘totally barren.’ …As evidence, the Illuminati pirates say, ‘I’ve seen it.'”
This theory was not wrong. It was just too early. Talk about the internet that died in the summer in front ChatGPT’s release echoes my colleagues at the Guardian who confidently declared in the summer of 2016 that: The next few years will be quiet.”
In 2021, the internet felt like death. This is because aggressive algorithmic curation has made people behave like robots. In 2024, the opposite will happen. Robots will now post just like humans. Here are some examples:
on Twitter itself, Musk rescues the site from the frying pan, throws it into a volcano, and then a poorly thought out monetization scheme buys a blue checkmark, attaches it to a large language model, and spins it out of control in response to viral content. I was able to make a profit by doing so. This social media network is currently paying verified users a portion of the ad revenue they receive from their comment threads, turning the most viral posts on the site into low-stakes Allbots battle royales. .
Death pervades Google. Being at the top of search results is a valuable position, so valuable that companies competing for it can’t afford to actually write about it. No problem. ChatGPT can create anything in an instant. Of course, this is only worth it if the resulting visitors are people who can make you money. Bad news, because…
…all over the web, bots account for about half Percentage of all internet traffic, according to a study by cybersecurity firm Imperva. Almost a third of all traffic is what the company calls “malicious bots,” carrying out everything from ad fraud to brute force hacking attacks. But even the “good bots” struggle to fall into this category. Google’s “crawlers” were welcome when updating search entries, but less so when they just trained an AI to repeat what users wrote, without submitting users. did.
And then there’s Crab Jesus. An unholy combination of Facebook content farms, AI-generated images, and automated testing to determine what goes most viral. led to weeks of viral content It features a combination of Jesus, a crustacean, and a female flight attendant. One such image depicted Jesus wearing a jacket made of shrimp and eating shellfish. Adding to the confusion was the sight of a kind of crab centaur savior walking arm in arm with what appeared to be the entire crew of the long-distance flight on the beach. It was at least interestingly bizarre and a step up from the previously viral 122-year-old female friend who posed in front of a homemade birthday cake.
As much as I’d like to offer a ray of hope, a little tip to reinvigorate the internet, I can’t. It really feels like the consumer internet is in the late stages of a zombie apocalypse. The good news is that there is a safe haven. While “private socials” like WhatsApp and Discord servers can hide from the onslaught in secrecy, smaller communities like Bluesky and Mastodon are hidden and safe for now.
In the medium term, I expect to see large platforms returning to the wilds of their services and trying to bring some humanity back to their services through a combination of account authentication and AI detection. But whether it will be too late by then is an open question.
Musk still needs a Twitter sitter
Elon Musk in Beijing in 2023. Photo: Wang Teishu/Reuters
At least there’s still one person on the internet. It’s Elon Musk. He spent $44 billion getting obsessed with posting and being called idiots on the platforms he owns. So his latest legal defeat will hit a sore spot after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to accept his plea to be released from his court-appointed posting babysitter. . From our story:
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected Elon Musk’s appeal over a settlement with securities regulators that required him to get prior approval for some tweets related to his electric car company Tesla.
The justices did not comment on leaving the lower court’s ruling against Musk in place, but Musk complained that the requirement violated the First Amendment and constituted a “prior restraint” on his speech. . The ruling came a day after he made an unannounced visit to China to secure a deal to deploy Tesla’s driver-assistance features locally.
For those who don’t have an encyclopedic memory of Elon, Musk tweeted in 2018 that he had “secured funding” to take Tesla private. The company was never taken private, and subsequent lawsuits revealed that he had only discussed it a few times at most. To end the bill, Musk resigned as Tesla chairman, paid $20 million and agreed to have in-house lawyers pre-approve all social media posts about the electric car maker.
He has since regretted it and is fighting to overturn that part of the contract (which he entered into voluntarily to avoid an adverse trial). “The preclearance clause at issue continues to cast an unconstitutional chill on Mr. Musk’s speech whenever he considers making it publicly,” his lawyers argued.
Well, the Supreme Court of the United States doesn’t care. The government did not take up his case, tacitly deciding that no real constitutional issue was at issue.
What’s strange is that the company’s in-house lawyers already seem to be taking a very hands-off approach to Musk’s posts. On Friday, he responded to early Facebook employee Dustin Moskowitz’s claim that Tesla is “the next Enron” by posting a photo of a dog putting its testicles in another dog’s face. (Please click at your own risk.) If that’s Mr. Musk’s tweet with “unconstitutional chills,” I don’t want to know what he would send if he felt truly free.
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Artwork for Everyone Knows That. Illustration: Getty; Guardian Design
Are you or someone you know transitioning to a plant-based diet? The number of vegetarians and vegans is on the rise, with an estimated 7% in the UK and 5% in the US cutting down on meat. However, this dietary shift comes with a downside – the risk of vitamin B12 deficiency.
Contrary to popular belief, the issue is not protein but rather a lack of vitamin B12. Around 1 in 5 vegan and vegetarian diets lack essential micronutrients, and this deficiency only increases with age. Transitioning from a vegetarian to a vegan diet can exacerbate the issue, as vegan diets are naturally low in vitamin B12.
Vitamin B12 plays a critical role in blood cell formation, cell metabolism, nerve function, and DNA production, making it essential for overall health. Without adequate intake, irreversible neurological consequences can occur.
While supplements and certain foods may help, the lack of regulation in the market and insufficient research can complicate finding a solution. The best approach, according to science, is…
The High Risks of Vitamin B12 Deficiency
Vitamin B12 is primarily found in animal products like fish, meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy. Even meat-eaters may struggle to meet their daily B12 requirements, as certain meats contain minimal amounts of the vitamin. Dairy products also offer B12 but in limited quantities.
While some plant-based sources like certain mushrooms and algae may contain B12, they are not reliable as a sole source of the vitamin. Among plant foods, Seaweed is noted to have some B12 content.
The more ethical your diet, the higher your risk of vitamin B12 deficiency. – Credit: University of Surrey
Individuals not consuming the right animal products or adequate plant-based sources are at risk of missing out on their required daily B12 intake. Vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to conditions like folate deficiency anemia, affecting the body’s ability to supply oxygen to tissues.
Although studies vary on the prevalence of deficiency, vegan diets have a higher likelihood of falling short on B12 requirements. Symptoms of deficiency include various health issues, and prolonged deficiency can lead to irreversible neurological damage.
For pregnant individuals, a lack of vitamin B12 increases the risk of neural tube defects in the baby. Proper supplementation is crucial, especially during pregnancy, to prevent complications.
How Can Plant-Based Diets Obtain Vitamin B12?
Given the importance of vitamin B12 in animal products, vegetarians and vegans are advised to consider supplementation. High-quality B12 supplements and fortified foods can help meet daily requirements.
Look for GMP-approved supplements, as they ensure effectiveness and quality. In addition to supplements, fortified foods like plant-based milk alternatives, yogurts, and cereals can also be sources of B12, albeit in trace amounts.
It’s crucial to ensure adequate intake of vitamin B12 through supplements and fortified foods for those following plant-based diets. Deficiencies are avoidable with proper supplementation and dietary choices.
About our expert Kourosh Ahmadi
Kourosh Ahmadi is a renowned expert in precision nutrition and vitamin B12 deficiency. He provides insights and guidance on addressing the risks associated with vitamin B12 deficiency.
Studying corpses can provide valuable insights. Observing the decomposition process can enhance our knowledge of the nuances involved, aid in locating and identifying the deceased more accurately, and help determine the time of death.
Following death, the body undergoes a breakdown into simpler organic matter through biological and chemical processes. The duration of this process varies from weeks to years depending on several factors.
Chemical reactions in decomposition accelerate with rising temperatures. Conversely, bodies can remain relatively “fresh” for longer in cold conditions or during winter. Certain factors, like burial or placing the body in a coffin, can slow down decomposition. Insecticides near bodies may not deter insects but can delay their arrival, thus slowing decomposition indefinitely.
A study from Australia’s first ‘body farm’ revealed surprising movement in corpses during decay. Limbs, including arms, were seen to change positions even in advanced decomposition stages. Researchers suggest this movement is linked to the decomposition process as the body mummifies and ligaments dry out.
Stage 1: Rigor begins
The “fresh” phase lasts from days to a week. Pallor after death, where the body turns blue due to poor circulation, is the first visible change. Rigor mortis sets in approximately 2 to 6 hours after death, stiffening the body, then dissipates around 36 hours later.
If left unattended, insects arrive shortly after death, typically within 10 minutes.
Stage 2: Bloating
When gut bacteria multiply due to lack of control, they produce gas that causes bloating. In warm climates, bloating can occur within 2-3 days.
Stage 3: Skin falls off
Internal pressure causes fluid to push between skin layers, leading to skin sloughing off.
Stage 4: Marbling
Absence of oxygen leads hemoglobin to bind with sulfur, resulting in arteries and veins filled with a greenish-black substance – known as “marbling.”
Stage 5: Evacuation of liquefied organs
Increased pressure forces fluids and liquefied organs out of available openings, potentially causing eyeballs to protrude and even body explosions.
Stage 6: Insects multiply.
Chemicals released by the body attract flies, which lay eggs in and around openings, leading to maggot infestation feeding on flesh and organs.
Stage 7: Scavenger arrives
Other insects, beetles, birds, and carrion eaters are attracted to the body for consumption.
Stage 8: Skeletonization
Finally, bones undergo ossification with the complete loss of soft tissue. Bone bleaching and flaking typically begin about 9 months after exposure, with further separation over months and years due to environmental factors.
People rally in Ottawa to support ending plastic pollution
The Canadian Press/Shutterstock
Representatives from nearly every country will gather in Canada to hammer out the details of a global treaty to tackle rising plastic pollution. One source of disagreement at the summit, which concluded on April 29, was how to address greenhouse gas emissions produced by the production and use of plastics, which are increasingly not recognized as a cause of climate change. was.
“When people think of plastic, they think of something visually visible,” he says. Vermilion Alice At the University of Toronto, Canada. However, the extraction and processing of fossil fuels and other chemicals used to make plastics produces large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, as does the generation of the energy needed to make plastic products. Plastics currently account for about 10% of total oil and natural gas demand. Coal is also increasing Used to power plastic production.
Incineration of plastic waste is also a source of greenhouse gas emissions. As plastics in the environment degrade, they can emit carbon dioxide and methane. Plastics may even reduce the amount of carbon that ecosystems can store, although the effects have not been well quantified, Zhu said.
The emissions numbers associated with plastic production are more clear-cut.in study Published this month, Nihang Kalari Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California estimated that plastic production produced 2.24 billion tons of CO2 in 2019, accounting for about 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This is roughly four times the emissions produced by aviation that year.
They found that as plastic production increases, these emissions could triple by 2050, assuming no changes in the way plastics are made. Most of the emissions are related to the extraction and processing of fossil fuels and other chemicals used to make plastics, so decarbonizing the electricity grid will have a small impact on projected emissions. It also became clear that
The global plastics deal currently under discussion could offer a “historic” chance to limit these emissions, the researchers write. In 2022, more than 175 countries have agreed to join a legally binding treaty to tackle plastic pollution throughout the lifecycle of materials, with final details expected to be agreed by the end of this year.
But a group of oil-producing countries, including China and Russia, said during negotiations that the treaty should only address plastic waste through cleaning and recycling, and that production, which is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions from oil, would They argued that it should not be restricted or changed. plastic.country group Including UK and EU argued that the treaty should include provisions to reduce production to keep emissions in line with global climate goals.
“There's a lot on the agenda, but climate certainly isn't talked about much,” he says. neil nathan Professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, attended the conference to advocate for an ambitious treaty.
according to modeling We've heard from Nathan and others that a strong treaty that takes measures such as limiting production and requiring plastic products to contain a high proportion of recycled content could keep emissions at current levels. Probably. He said the Plastics Treaty would be a “failure” if it did not address production.
Sarah-Jeanne Royer Researchers at the University of California, San Diego suggest that even if the treaty did not reduce greenhouse gas emissions, there would be more sustainable options for making plastics, such as recycled or captured CO2, such as bioplastics or captured CO2. It said the switch would also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the use of new plastics. Expressly.
but, paul stegman Dutch research institute TNO has warned that plastic alternatives such as steel can generate more emissions, depending on how they are reused and recycled. “Ultimately, we need policies that reduce the impact on society as a whole, not just move the problem elsewhere,” he says.
The cicadas that synchronize their emergence with others have a better chance of survival. Scientists believe that the simultaneous emergence of insects is an evolutionary strategy. Predators like birds and raccoons can only consume a limited amount, so the more cicadas emerge together, the higher their chances of survival, reproduction, and passing on their genes. “They have a strategy of safety in numbers,” explains Chris Simon, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Connecticut.
On the other hand, rare cicadas that emerge out of sync are often referred to as “strays.” These stragglers are usually preyed upon and struggle to survive. “Natural selection favored those that waited, because those that couldn’t wait were eaten,” Simon said.
This summer, two cicada broods are expected to emerge simultaneously, leading to a particularly large population of periodic cicadas. The last time such an event occurred was in 1803. The organization behind the Cicada Safari app, which aims to track cicada sightings and help scientists study these insects, has already recorded over 1,000 sightings in Georgia and hundreds more in North Carolina and Alabama.
Periodic cicadas are categorized into two groups based on their emergence period: those that appear every 13 years and those that appear every 17 years. While temperature seems to trigger their emergence, the exact mechanism behind how they synchronize their emergence remains somewhat mysterious. Scientists have observed changes in cicadas’ emergence patterns, speculating that rising temperatures due to climate change may be impacting their internal clocks.
Entomologist Gene Kritsky notes that global warming is causing cicadas to emerge earlier in the year due to higher average temperatures. This shift in emergence time has been observed to be approximately 10 days to two weeks earlier than in 1940. Researchers like John Cooley predict that cicadas’ distribution will shift northward as the climate warms and their preferred plant species move north.
There has been an increase in reports of stragglers, intriguing researchers in the field. Simon and her colleagues believe that climate change may be influencing the emergence of cicadas earlier than usual, leading to the formation of new populations among stragglers. This adaptation is seen as a response to a warming climate and extended growing seasons.
Simon proposes a theory that rising temperatures may prolong the development of cicadas underground, resulting in the emergence of more stragglers sooner than expected. Eventually, the population as a whole may adapt and change its timing. She predicts that the 17-year cicada broods may transition to a 13-year cycle and possibly even emerge every nine years.
If proven correct, this theory would be another example of how climate change is disrupting natural rhythms in the environment. Periodic cicadas, harmless to humans, range across the eastern United States to the Midwest and emerge in special events rather than yearly like annual cicadas.
While scientists continue to study how cicadas coordinate their mass emergence, they have yet to discover a precise explanation for their successful synchronization. A recent study suggests that underground communication could be a potential factor worth investigating further. “No one has ever studied this,” Simon said.
Sphaerotorus Buchholzee A small species that fights beneath large pachycephalosaurs in the Hell Creek Formation of Montana, USA. Image credit: ABelov2014 / CC BY-SA 3.0 Certificate.
One of the new species of dinosaur named. Sphaerotorus rionsii lived in what is now Canada 75 million years ago.
the other one is, Sphaerotorus triregnum lived in the United States about 67 million years ago.
“Despite being poorly represented in the fossil record, including a thickened frontoparietal dome and hypothetical head-butting behavior, pachycephalosaurids are some of the most iconic dinosaurs,” lead authors Philip and Patricia・Dr. Carrie Woodruff, a paleontologist at the Frost Museum, said: Science and the Museum of the Rockies and its friends.
“While the true function of their unusual cranial domes remains debated, considerable research has focused on their ontogeny and diversity.”
“This study is complicated by the unusual fossil record, which consists mostly of unsegmented skull remains, and associated skeletons are extremely rare.”
“This pattern may be the result of small body size and taphonomic bias against delicate skeletal preservation and recovery, as well as the robust and diagnostic nature of the bones that make up the cranial dome.”
Holotype of left flat bone Sphaerotorus triregnum. Scale bar represents 1 cm. Image credit: Woodruff other., doi: 10.1002/spp2.1535.
Sphaerotorus rionsii and Sphaerotorus triregnum Each is represented by an isolated squamous epithelium the skull found in most reptiles, amphibians, and birds.
The holotype of Sphaerotorus rionsii “It was collected north of the Red Deer River in the northeastern part of Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada,” the researchers said.
The holotype of Sphaerotorus triregnum It was collected from the lower half of the Hell Creek Formation, approximately 45 km southwest of the town of Jordan, Garfield County, Montana, USA. ”
“The specimens were collected from the same channel complex and within 500 meters of the location of the dromaeosaur holotype.” Acheloraptor temeltyorum”
“These two new specimens are about the same size as the squamosal. Sphaerotorus Buchholzee and has several overlapping forms. Sphaerosolos Genus. ”
These new species fill a morphological gap in the pachycephalosaur fossil record and show that multisegment forms were more diverse than previously realized.
“Description of two new species of small pachycephalosaurs of the same genus Sphaerosolos “This provides further insight into the evolution of North American pachycephalosaurs,” the scientists said.
“Aspects of the phylogeny of pachycephalosaurs remain unresolved and disputed, in part due to the incomplete nature of their remains, and this analysis focuses on two small North American pachycephalosaur phylogenies. This is the first time we have identified evolutionary potential in different lineages.”
Holotype of right flat bone Sphaerotorus rionsii. Scale bar represents 1 cm. Image credit: Woodruff other., doi: 10.1002/spp2.1535.
“Sphaerotorus rionsii and Sphaerotorus triregnum Please provide the following evidence:
(i) Small-bodied dinosaur species have not yet been discovered in well-sampled geological formations.
(ii) pachycephalosaur diversity in the Dinosaur Park and Hell Creek formations is richer than previously thought, and pachycephalosaur diversity in North America is likely to continue to increase;
(iii) Species with ornaments consisting of multisegment rows are indeed more numerous and diverse throughout the Pachycephalosauridae than previously known.
(iv) North American pachycephalosaurs appear to have remained relatively diverse throughout the Maastrichtian period, which is consistent with dinosaurs throughout the latest Cretaceous period of North America up to the end-Cretaceous extinction event. Implications for understanding the dynamics of evolution and diversity. ”
of findings appear in the diary paleontology papers.
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D. Cary Woodruff other. 2023. His two new species of small pachycephalosaurs from the Upper Cretaceous of North America (Dinosauria, Aminocephala) suggest hidden diversity in well-sampled strata. Masu. Paleontology Papers 9 (6): e1535; doi: 10.1002/spp2.1535
English oak trees may be more tolerant of warm climates than other species
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English oak trees are expected to form the basis of future reforestation projects and timber plantations in Europe, as one of the only native species flexible enough to withstand the rapid climate change expected in the next century. It will be done.
European forests are a mix of different tree species, all of which have been able to withstand local climate fluctuations for hundreds of years.
But climate change means that trees planted today, for example for tree plantations and timber plantations, must be able to withstand both current conditions and those of a warmer world in 2100.
Johannes Wessely Professors at the University of Vienna in Austria studied 69 of Europe's most common tree species to assess how well they meet this challenge.
English oak (Quercus serrata) is one of the only species assessed as suitable to thrive under current and future conditions across many regions, Wesley says. Importantly, he says, English oak is “very important for timber production, carbon storage and biodiversity” and is suitable for all types of reforestation projects across Europe.
However, European beech (Beech), you will have a hard time. Many places where European beech was planted and would grow today will be unsuitable later this century, but many areas where beech could grow later this century would be climatically unsuitable today. Research has revealed this.
Overall, the researchers found that depending on the rate of climate change, the average number of tree species per square kilometer that can survive continuously until 2100 could fall by a third to half. discovered.
This means that some forests in Europe consist of only a few tree species and may lack the diversity and resilience of mixed forests.
Wessely said the discovery means “we should be very careful about what we plant today, because it will shape our future forests and their future.”
He suggests that conservationists may even need to replant woodlands with fresh species later this century to ensure that forests can thrive beyond 2100.
Some foxes can dive headfirst into snow without causing harm, and we now know how the shape of their skulls is adapted to this technique.
In colder climates, where small rodents live deep beneath the snow, red foxes (Vulpes Vulpes Vulpes) and arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) has a special hunting technique known as mouse. They use their strong sense of hearing to pinpoint the location of their prey, then jump into the air and dive face-first into large piles of snow at speeds of up to 4 meters per second, catching their prey by surprise.
“This is a very interesting and unique behavior,” he says. Jung Sung-hwan At Cornell University in New York. “Not all foxes do that.”
To learn more about why red and arctic foxes are so adept at snow diving, Jung et al. scanned.
Their analysis found that felines tend to have broader and shorter snouts compared to foxes. This creates a stronger bite, which is more beneficial for felines, which typically hunt alone, Jung said.
Foxes, on the other hand, which hunt in packs, had much longer and more pointed skulls. This leads to a weak bite. The red fox and the arctic fox have similarly narrow muzzles that are slightly longer than other foxes.
The researchers dropped a 3D-printed model of a regular arctic fox skull and a flattened version of the skull into snow from a height of 50 centimeters.
“What we found is that a sharper nose compresses the snow less, reducing the impact,” Jung says. This reduces the risk of injury. Its longer, pointier snout gently pushes the snow aside, as if it were liquid, he said. “Such an elongated shape helps foxes dive safely into the snow so they can focus on hunting.”
American theoretical physicist Joseph Polczynski once said that the existence of magnetic monopoles is “one of the safest bets you can make about physics that has yet to be seen.” In the search for these particles that have magnetic charges and are predicted by several theories that extend the standard model, Moedal (Monopole and Exotic Detectors at the LHC) Although the collaboration has yet to prove Polczynski correct, its latest discovery represents a major advance. The new results narrow the search window for these hypothetical particles.
Generation of monopole pairs by Schwinger mechanism. Image credit: MoEDAL Collaboration / CERN.
At CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC), interactions between protons or heavy ions can produce pairs of magnetic monopoles.
In collisions between protons, protons can be formed from a single virtual photon (Dorrell-Yang mechanism) or from the fusion of two virtual photons (photon fusion mechanism).
Through a process called the Schwinger mechanism, pairs of magnetic monopoles can also be generated from the vacuum of huge magnetic fields produced by near-miss collisions of heavy ions.
Since starting data acquisition in 2012, MoEDAL has achieved several firsts, including conducting the first search for magnetic monopoles produced by photon fusion and Schwinger mechanisms at the LHC. Ta.
inside First part of the latest researchMoEDAL physicists explored monopoles and highly charged objects (HECOs) produced via the Dorell-Yang mechanism and the photon fusion mechanism.
This search was based on proton-proton collision data collected during Experiment 2 at the LHC using the complete MoEDAL detector for the first time.
The complete detector consists of two main systems that sense magnetic monopoles, HECO, and other highly ionizing virtual particles.
First, magnetic monopole and HECO trajectories can be permanently registered without background signals from standard model particles. The second system consists of an approximately 1-ton capture volume designed to capture magnetic monopoles.
Although the researchers did not find any magnetic monopoles or HECOs in their latest scan of the trapping volume, the masses and production rates of these particles were determined for different values of particle spin, a unique form of angular momentum. limits have been set.
For magnetic monopoles, a mass limit of 1 to 10 times the Dirac charge (gD), the basic unit of magnetic charge, is set, excluding the existence of monopoles with masses as high as about 3.9 trillion electron volts (TeV). I did. .
For HECO, a mass limit was established for charges from 5e to 350e, where e is the electronic charge, and the presence of HECO with masses in the range up to 3.4 TeV was excluded.
“MoEDAL's search reach for both monopoles and HECOs allows the collaboration to explore vast swaths of the theoretical 'discovery space' for these hypothetical particles,” said a spokesperson for the MoEDAL collaboration. said Dr. James Pinfold.
in their second studyMoEDAL scientists focused on searching for monopoles produced via the Schwinger mechanism in heavy ion collision data collected during LHC Experiment 1.
In a unique effort, we scanned a decommissioned section of the CMS experimental beam pipe for trapped monopoles instead of the trapping volume of the MoEDAL detector.
Again, the team found no monopoles, but set the strongest mass constraints yet for Schwinger monopoles with charges between 2 gD and 45 gD, ruling out the existence of monopoles with masses up to 80 GeV. did.
“A crucial aspect of the Schwinger mechanism is that the production of complex monopoles is not suppressed compared to the production of elementary monopoles, as is the case with Dorell-Yang and photon fusion processes,” Pinfold said. Ta.
“Therefore, if monopoles are composite particles, this and the previous Schwinger monopole search may have been the first ever chance to observe monopoles.”
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Moedal collaboration. 2024. Searching for highly ionized particles in pp collisions in LHC Run-2 using the Full MoEDAL detector. arXiv: 2311.06509
B. Acharya other. 2024. MoEDAL explores magnetic monopoles generated by the Schwinger effect in CMS beam pipes. arXiv: 2402.15682
Large theropods were as intelligent as reptiles, but not as smart as apes, according to a new study led by paleontologists at the University of Bristol.
tyrannosaurus rex Holotype specimen at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, USA. Image credit: Scott Robert Anselmo / CC BY-SA 3.0.
in study Vanderbilt University paleontologist Suzana Herculano-Hausel announced last year that dinosaurs tyrannosaurus It had a huge number of neurons and was much more intelligent than expected.
She argued that these high numbers of neurons could directly inform intelligence, metabolism, and life history. tyrannosaurus In some habits they were more like monkeys.
Theropod dinosaurs of North America from the Late Cretaceous tyrannosaurus “It is an apex predator, one of the largest, heaviest, and most powerful (in terms of bite force) terrestrial carnivores ever known,” said Dr. Heidi George from the University of Bristol.
“Recently, Dr. Herculano Hausel proposed that we should add primate-level intelligence to great apes. tyrannosaurusAlready an impressive predation history, based on high estimates of the number of neurons in the forebrain. ”
“This conclusion arose from the paradigm that neurological variables inferred from endocasts can be used to infer metabolic parameters, behavior, and lifespan of fossil species.”
In the new study, Dr. George and his co-authors took a closer look at the techniques used to predict both brain size and number of neurons in dinosaur brains.
They found that previous assumptions about the size of dinosaur brains and the number of neurons they contained were unreliable.
This new study follows decades of analysis in which paleontologists and biologists studied the size and anatomy of dinosaur brains and used these data to infer behavior and lifestyle.
Information about dinosaur brains comes not only from the shape of the brain cavity itself, but also from its mineral fillings, called endocasts.
The authors found that their brain size, particularly the size of the forebrain, was overestimated, and thus the number of neurons was also overestimated.
Furthermore, we show that estimates of neuron number are not a reliable guide to intelligence.
“To reliably reconstruct the biology of a long-extinct species, researchers need to examine multiple lines of evidence, including skeletal anatomy, bone histology, the behavior of living relatives, and trace fossils.” the researchers said.
“To determine the intelligence of dinosaurs and other extinct animals, it's best to use a wealth of evidence, from gross anatomy to fossilized footprints, rather than relying solely on estimates of neuron counts,” Dr. Heidi said. added.
“We argue that it is not a good idea to predict the intelligence of extinct species when only the number of neurons reconstructed from endocasts is sufficient,” said Dr. Kai Kasper, a paleontologist at Heinrich Heine University. Ta.
“Neuron number is not a good predictor of cognitive ability, and using neuron number to predict intelligence in long-extinct species can lead to very misleading interpretations,” Mikel Crusafont Catalan Paleontologist said Dr. Ornella Bertrand, a paleontologist at the Institute.
“The possibility is that tyrannosaurus The possibility that they were as intelligent as baboons is both fascinating and frightening, and has the potential to transform the way we view our past,” said Dr Darren Naish, a palaeontologist at the University of Southampton. .
“But our study shows how all the data we have contradicts this idea. They were more like smart giant crocodiles, which was just as fascinating. ”
Kai R. Kasper other.How clever! tyrannosaurus• Examine claims about the extraordinary cognitive abilities of dinosaurs and the application of neuron number estimation in paleontological research. anatomical records, published online on April 26, 2024. doi: 10.1002/ar.25459
A research team led by University of Cincinnati archaeologists has found evidence of an assemblage of four species of ceremonial plants beneath the endfield of a late Preclassic ball field at the Helena complex in Mexico’s ancient Mayan city of Yaxnoca. Plants included Ipomoea corymbosa (xtabentun in Mayan), Capsicum sp. (chili pepper or ic in Mayan), Hampea Trilobata (Joel), and Oxandra lanceolata (Chilkahuit). Two of these plants, jor and Cirkawit, are involved in the production of ritually related crafts, while chili pepper and Stabentun are associated with divination rituals. Extaventun (known to the Aztecs as oloruqui) produces a highly effective hallucinogenic compound.
Map of the Helena complex showing excavation locations in relation to the baseball field structures (Structures H-4 to H-7). Image credit: Lenz other., doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301497.
The ancient Mayans played several ball games, including pokatok, which had rules similar to soccer and basketball. Players tried to pass the ball through rings and hoops on the wall.
“The ancient Mayans likely made ceremonial offerings during the construction of their ball courts,” said University of Cincinnati professor David Lentz.
“When they built a new building, they asked for God’s goodness to protect the people living there.”
“Some people call this a soul-entering ritual to obtain blessings from the gods and appease them.”
From 2016 to 2022, Professor Lentz and colleagues worked in the ancient Mayan city of Yaxnoca, in the state of Campeche, about 14.5 kilometers (9 miles) north of the Guatemalan border.
They discovered 2,000-year-old Mayan ceremonial deposits beneath the early piazza floor of the civil ceremonial platform on which the ball court was built in Yaxnoca’s Helena complex.
“Just like with baseball stadiums, when a building was expanded or reused, the ancient Mayans made offerings to bless the site,” said Nicholas Dunning, a professor emeritus at the University of Cincinnati.
“Archaeologists sometimes find ceramics and jewelry among these offerings, along with culturally significant plants.”
“We’ve known for years from ethnohistorical sources that the Maya also used perishable materials in these offerings, but finding them archaeologically is nearly impossible and That’s what makes this discovery using eDNA so special.”
“In tropical climates, ancient plant remains are rarely found and quickly decompose.”
However, using environmental DNA, scientists were able to identify several types known for their ritual significance.
They found evidence of a morning glory called stabentun, known for its hallucinogenic properties, lancewood, chili pepper, and jowl, whose leaves were used to wrap ritual offerings.
“It’s significant that we found evidence that these plants exist together in the same small sediment sample,” said Dr. Eric Tepe, a botanist at the University of Cincinnati.
“The fact that these four plants, known to be culturally important to the Maya, were found in concentrated samples indicates that they were intentionally and purposefully collected under this platform. I think that says a lot.”
“Interpreting a botanical collection through the opaque lens of 2,000 years of prehistory is a challenge, but this discovery helps further deepen the story of this sophisticated culture,” Professor Lenz said.
The ancient Mayans devised water filtration systems and adopted forest practices with conservation in mind.
However, they were powerless against years of drought and are thought to have cleared vast areas of forest for agriculture.
“We see the yin and yang of human existence in the ancient Maya. To me, that’s why they’re so fascinating,” Professor Lentz said.
of findings It was published in the magazine PLoS ONE.
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DL Lenz other. 2024. Psychotropic drugs and other ceremonial plants unearthed from a 2,000-year-old Mayan ritual deposit at Yaxnoca, Mexico. PLoS ONE 19 (4): e0301497; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301497
The EU has reportedly taken legal action against Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, for failing to address Russian disinformation concerns ahead of the upcoming EU general election in June. The intention is to wake her up.
Concerns are also raised regarding the inadequate monitoring of election-related content and the effectiveness of mechanisms to flag illegal content.
The European Commission is worried that Meta’s moderation system is not strong enough to combat fake news propagation and suppression of votes.
Officials are particularly concerned about Meta’s response to Russia’s attempts to interfere with upcoming European elections, without explicitly mentioning the Kremlin.
According to reports, the European Commission has rejected Meta’s proposal to discontinue CrowdTangle, a tool that helps monitor the spread of fake news and voter suppression attempts in real time across the EU, raising significant concerns.
In accordance with a new law requiring tech companies to regulate their content to comply with EU regulations, Facebook and others must implement systems to guard against election interference risks.
A Meta spokesperson stated: “We have established processes to identify and mitigate risks on our platform. We are collaborating with the European Commission and will provide additional details on our work. We look forward to the opportunity.”
If Meta’s actions are confirmed, it follows recent stress tests conducted by the Commission on major social media platforms to assess their readiness against Russian disinformation. An official announcement is expected shortly.
The stress tests included hypothetical scenarios based on historical attempts to influence elections and cyber-based misinformation campaigns.
This encompassed deepfakes and efforts to suppress authentic voices through online harassment and intimidation.
The EU recognized the stifling of legitimate democratic voices as a new tool to silence dissent in February.
“The objective was to evaluate the platforms’ preparedness to combat manipulative activities leading up to elections, including various tactics,” said the committee.
This allowed them to assess social media’s resilience to manipulation, which is anticipated to escalate in the coming weeks.
The upcoming European Parliament elections between June 6 and 9 are facing a surge in disinformation across the region.
Congress released voter guidelines on Monday, highlighting past incidents, such as the false claim that only specific ink colors could be used on ballots.
Voters are cautioned to be vigilant against disinformation, drawing from recent national election experiences.
In elections in various countries, misinformation about erasable ink pens and physical threats at polling stations have circulated on social media, reflecting the challenges of combating fake news and manipulation.
The EU Disinfolab documented thousands of cases of fake news targeting Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion and spreading misinformation about President Putin’s motives.
Recently, a Czech news agency’s website was hacked to display fabricated news stories, including alleged assassination attempts and political reactions.
Last month, the Czech government exposed a disinformation network linked to Moscow.
The Belgian prime minister announced an investigation into alleged Russian payments to influence European Parliament elections.
Electrocardiogram tests used to train AI to predict risk of fatal heart disease
Gerain0812/Shutterstock
Artificial intelligence systems have proven they can save lives by alerting doctors to test patients whose heart test results show they are at high risk of death. In a randomized clinical trial of approximately 16,000 patients across two hospitals, AI reduced overall deaths in high-risk patients by 31%.
“This is actually quite unusual,” he says Eric Topol Researchers at the Scripps Research Institute Translational Institute in California were not involved in the study. “Any drug, [produce] Mortality is down 31%, and it's even rarer for non-drugs, but that's just monitoring people with AI. ”
Chin Lin Researchers at Taiwan's National Defense Medical Center first trained the AI on more than 450,000 electrocardiogram (ECG) tests that measure the electrical activity of the heart, as well as survival data from ECG subjects. The AI learned to generate a percentile score representing each patient's risk of death, and considered patients at at least the 95th percentile to be at high risk.
The researchers then tested the AI alert system with 39 doctors from two different hospitals. When a nurse uploads a new patient's EKG test to a computer server, an AI system analyzes the results and immediately alerts doctors if the patient is deemed to be at high risk.
In addition to reducing the risk of death from all causes, the AI system reduced deaths in high-risk patients from heart disease by more than 90%.
Lin and his colleagues speculate that AI predictions could help focus attention on groups most at risk. Doctors usually respond to alerts with more diagnostic tests or additional treatments.
The AI alert system is already in use at 14 military hospitals in Taiwan.
“This can be implemented in every hospital in the world, and it shouldn't be expensive,” says Topol. “If it's so effective, it should become the standard of care.”
Golden rice is genetically modified to produce beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A
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Farmers in the Philippines may be able to continue growing golden rice, which has been genetically modified to fight malnutrition, despite a court ruling revoking permits to grow it.
Adrian Duboc, a member of the Golden Rice Humanitarian Committee that guided the production of Golden Rice, said the Philippine government would oppose the decision. “A challenge will be filed in the Court of Appeals and I think it will probably be successful,” he says.
Golden Rice was developed to combat vitamin A deficiency, a leading cause of disability and death worldwide. As a result, it is estimated as follows. Up to 500,000 children go blind every yearHalf of them die within a year.
This is completely preventable if the child eats sufficient amounts of vitamin A or foods containing vitamin A precursors such as beta-carotene. This orange pigment, found in vegetables such as carrots, is converted into vitamins in the body.
In the 1980s, a group of scientists set out to genetically modify rice to contain beta-carotene, and it became known as golden rice because of its color.
The project became a major target for campaigners against genetically modified crops, and adoption of Golden Rice was significantly delayed. “The suspicions raised by Greenpeace were very effective,” Dubock said.
In 2021, the Philippines became the first country to approve the cultivation of golden rice (locally known as Marsog or healthy rice). It was previously approved as safe to eat. It is also approved for human consumption in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Rice cultivation and consumption is promoted by the Philippine Rice Institute, a government corporation.
This means that over the past three years, those who could benefit from that rice have finally been able to eat it. For example, the city of San Mateo introduced golden rice this year to its school lunch program for severely underweight infants.a recent research One in six children under the age of five in the Philippines has been found to be vitamin A deficient.
However, on April 17, the Philippine Court of Appeals revoked Golden Rice's permit following a lawsuit filed by Greenpeace Southeast Asia and other groups.
“This decision is a monumental victory for Filipino farmers and Filipinos who have been fighting against genetically modified (GM) crops for decades,” said Greenpeace Southeast Asia activist Wilhelmina Peregrina. stated in a statement.
Dubock said it is his understanding that the court's decision was based on a specific technical error that occurred during the approval process. “We have to assume that the Philippine government will win the appeal,” he says.
in a statementthe Philippine Rice Research Institute said it is reviewing the impact of the court's decision to prepare a response.
Scientists have also applied for permission to grow golden rice in Bangladesh, but the country has been delaying a decision since 2017. “The need is greater than the Philippines,” Duboc said.
There is also significant vitamin A deficiency in many African countries, he says.
In his own research, Dubock compared the health outcomes of children eating golden rice to other types of rice, and hopes the results will encourage more countries to adopt golden rice.
The Hubble team has released a beautiful new image of the dwarf galaxy IC 776 in the constellation Virgo.
This Hubble image shows IC 776, a dwarf galaxy about 100 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / M. Sun.
IC776 It is located in the constellation Virgo, about 100 million light years away from Earth.
This galaxy, also known as ALFALFA 3-210, LEDA 39613, and UGC 7352, discovered It was announced by French astronomer Stéphane Javert on May 4, 1893.
IC 776 is Virgo Clusterthe nearest and best-studied large galaxy cluster.
It is a dwarf galaxy and is also classified as a dwarf galaxy. SAB type One study calls this the “complex case” in morphology.
“This extremely detailed observation from Hubble illustrates its complexity,” Hubble astronomers said in a statement.
“IC 776 has a ragged and disorganized disk, but it still appears to spiral around a central core, creating an arc of star-forming regions.”
The color image of IC 776 was created from separate exposures taken in the visible and near-infrared regions of the spectrum. Hubble's advanced survey camera (ACS).
Two filters were used to sample different wavelengths. Color is obtained by assigning different hues to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter.
“This image comes from an observational program dedicated to the study of dwarf galaxies in the Virgo cluster and searching for X-ray sources in such galaxies,” the researchers said.
“X-rays are often emitted from accretion disks, where matter pulled into a compact object by gravity collides, forming a hot, glowing disk.”
“This compact object could be a white dwarf or neutron star that steals material from its companion star, or it could be a supermassive black hole at the center of a galaxy that consumes its surroundings.”
“Dwarf galaxies like IC 776 passing through the Virgo cluster can experience pressure from intergalactic gas, stimulate star formation, and feed the black hole at the galaxy's center,” the study says. they added.
“It could produce a high-energy accretion disk that is hot enough to emit X-rays.”
“Hubble cannot see X-rays, but in conjunction with X-ray telescopes such as NASA's Chandra, it can use visible light to reveal the source of this radiation in high resolution.”
“Dwarf galaxies are thought to be of great importance for understanding cosmology and galaxy evolution.”
“As with many fields of astronomy, the ability to examine these galaxies across the electromagnetic spectrum is critical to research.”
Meme coins and NFTs have outlived their relevance and it is time for crypto investors to focus on RWA projects like DePin and ETFSwap (ETFS).
For the past three years, meme coins and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have been one of the major stories in the cryptocurrency space. Thanks to all the hype surrounding these meme coins and NFTs, cryptocurrency investors are making incredible returns on their investments.
However, there is a shift in the tide that it is time to pivot away from these meme coins and NFT projects and focus on new narratives such as RWA and DePin.
Real-world assets (RWA) and decentralized physical infrastructure (DePin) are two areas that are gaining traction and could soon become the center of attention.
RWA and DePin take over meme coins and NFTs
Tokenization of assets continues to be widely discussed, with BlackRock CEO Larry Fink also Mention We see this as the “next generation of the market.” This led to more emphasis on his RWA project to bring this concept to life. Essentially, these projects utilize blockchain technology to tokenize real-world assets such as real estate, royalties, securities, contracts, ETFs, and artwork.
This will change the way investors interact with these assets by making them easier to access and trade. In terms of accessibility, asset tokenization further facilitates fractional ownership. This means that an individual can own a portion of an asset that they would not otherwise have the means to access.
By making it easier to trade these assets, previously illiquid assets will become more liquid. In general, we expect new capital inflows into all asset classes, which will increase liquidity in all asset classes. Therefore, the RWA industry is predicted to become a $1 trillion market by 2030.
On the other hand, it is worth noting that RWA projects are the tunnel through which this liquidity passes. That is why cryptocurrency investors should pay more attention to them and try to position themselves accordingly.
Similar to the RWA industry, the DePin market also boasts great potential. As the name suggests, these projects manage physical infrastructure in a decentralized manner with the help of blockchain technology and tokenization. These physical infrastructures include telecommunications, healthcare systems, power grids, and road networks.
Unlike traditional enterprises, the decentralized mode of operation of these projects helps simplify operations and reduce operating costs. On the other hand, this business model also benefits users, as they are incentivized (in tokens) to contribute to the services provided by these projects.
Given such huge potential, we expect the narrative shift from meme coins and NFTs to these RWA and DePin projects to happen sooner or later. In fact, these projects may already be the dominant story given that they have recently seen greater success than meme coins and NFT projects this cycle.
Cryptocurrency expert Michael van de Poppe correctly called it just like before the Bitcoin halving. mentioned After the halving, there will be a shift in the narrative towards RWA and the DePin project.
ETFSwap (ETFS) Pre-sale increases demand
of ETFS Wap (ETFS) Token pre-sales are already in high demand, with crypto investors turning their attention to RWA and DePin projects. ETFS is the native token of ETFSwap, a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform that enables on-chain trading of exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
This explains why investors are rushing to accumulate as many ETFSwap (ETFS) tokens as possible, as this platform is already ranked as one of the most promising RWA projects.
Meanwhile, with RWA and DePin being projected as the next big thing in the cryptocurrency space, ETFSwap (ETFS) has been instantly singled out as one of the tokens likely to move wildly in this market cycle. Experts also predict that the price of crypto tokens in particular will rise significantly, saying that it could rise in price like Shiba Inu (SHIB) in 2021.
They say this is possible because ETFSwap (ETFS) has a lot of bullish stories working in its favor. In addition to the RWA story, ETFSwap offers the following ETFs: Spot Bitcoin ETFSince its inception, it has already attracted a lot of attention in the cryptocurrency field.
Additionally, staking rewards have recently become more attractive to investors seeking passive income. ETFSwap (ETFS) stands out in this regard, as it offers a uniquely attractive yield.
Privacy concerns continue to be raised in the cryptocurrency space, with users complaining that many projects are not truly decentralized and their data is not protected. This plays out in favor of his ETFSwap, as the ETFSwap (ETFS) platform prioritizes user privacy above all else. For example, Know-Your-Customer (KYC) requirements are not mandatory on the platform, so users don’t have to worry about sharing sensitive data or having their information tracked and exposed.
Over 30 million so far ETFS Wap (ETFS) The tokens were sold in Stage 1 of the ongoing presale. This pre-sale phase is still ongoing and each token costs $0.00854. However, due to the increased demand for these tokens, we expect them to sell out before the scheduled end date.
For more information on the ETFS presale, please see below.
Have you ever taken melatonin to help you sleep? Melatonin is a natural hormone involved in sleep. Our brains react to darkness by synthesizing melatonin, which helps regulate our internal and biological clocks. circadian rhythm. However, melatonin has many diverse functions that help maintain our health. It’s more than just a good night’s sleep.
For example, researchers have shown in the past that melatonin is an antioxidant and helps calm inflammation. When our bodies are damaged, the immune system initiates a natural repair response through inflammation, but excessive inflammation can actually harm cells. Scientists have discovered that melatonin has anti-inflammatory properties and can help stop harmful inflammation.
These properties have led scientists to propose that melatonin may also help heal injuries associated with severe inflammation, such as spinal cord injuries. These complex injuries are rooted in the central nervous system and can affect our ability to move, speak, and process information. Healing is very difficult because spinal cord cells cannot regenerate like other cells such as skin cells.
A team of Chinese scientists recently began testing whether melatonin can reduce spinal cord injuries in mice. They hypothesized that melatonin may do so through a biochemical pathway that activates it.anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway.
The researchers paralyzed the limbs of 100 mice to simulate spinal cord injury, then injected them with different doses of melatonin. They injected a control group of 25 mice with a placebo and compared their responses to mice receiving melatonin injections.
The scientists took sections of tissue from the spinal cords of mice before and after giving them melatonin. They stained the tissue to see if the cells were dead, dying, or normal. They found that mice injected with melatonin had fewer dead cells than the control group.
To see how the mice responded to these treatments at the cellular level, the scientists also investigated the energy factories in the mice’s cells, mitochondria. They stained the mice’s mitochondria and examined them under a microscope. Scientists have discovered that the mitochondria in mice are fatally affected by paralysis. They observed bubble-like structures within the mitochondria. vacuole, only in mice that did not receive melatonin. This means that the mouse’s cells died from lack of energy, just as plants die when they are deprived of water.
The research team confirmed that fewer vacuoles formed within mitochondria in mice injected with melatonin. They suggested that this means that melatonin’s antioxidant properties protect the membranes of our cellular power-generating factories, just as our skin protects us from the elements.
Scientists also tested whether melatonin could prevent inflammation and other changes in the chemical structure of cells by interacting with proteins.a protein called NLRP3 inflammasome Code of inflammation within our body. Scientists predicted that too much NLRP3 could promote injury, cause uncontrolled inflammation, and cause cell death.
The scientists used a gel-based method to separate proteins in tissue samples based on size. western blot, to detect what kind of proteins are made by mice injected with melatonin. They confirmed that melatonin interacted with the NLRP3 inflammasome in these mice through proteins of the Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway and reversed the inflammatory effects of NLRP3. They confirmed that melatonin reduced inflammation in these mice and prevented the progression of the simulated spinal cord injury.
The researchers concluded that melatonin may reduce spinal cord injury and provide insight into the recovery process. They suggested that future researchers should test whether melatonin’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects could treat other diseases associated with cell death, such as Alzheimer’s disease.
Reports suggest that Elon Musk’s visit to China led to an immediate benefit with a deal for Tesla to utilize mapping data from Baidu, a major web search company, to introduce driver-assistance technology to the largest car market globally. This marks a significant advancement.
Over the weekend, Musk made a surprise visit to China. He shared a photo of his meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on the social network X, which he acquired in 2022.
According to sources referenced by Bloomberg News, Baidu, a dominant force in Chinese web search, will offer mapping and navigation services to aid Tesla in implementing driver-assistance technology labeled as “Full Self-Driving” (FSD). The provision of mapping services, crucial for driver-assistance technology, is strictly regulated by the Chinese government.
Despite its name, FSD does not enable autonomous driving. It necessitates a driver who is prepared to take control at any moment. Launching in China could enhance Tesla’s position in the competitive market there and boost revenue. The service costs $8,000 or $99 (£80) per month, but is not accessible in many countries.
Musk has had confrontational interactions with politicians in the past, criticizing U.S. President Joe Biden and entering a dispute in Brazil over censorship issues on X, formerly Twitter. However, his approach towards China’s second-ranking official, Li, was more conciliatory, expressing being “honored” to meet him.
Musk’s interactions with China have been complex due to various business ties. X is blocked by the Chinese government due to strict censorship policies. Additionally, there were concerns from the Chinese government regarding an incident involving a satellite launched by SpaceX, Musk’s rocket company, coming close to their space station.
However, Tesla operates a factory in Shanghai, and its Model Y was the third best-selling electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle in China in March 2024, according to CleanTechnica. BYD, a Chinese competitor to Tesla in electric car sales, has two top-selling models.
The news of Musk’s visit and the partnership with Baidu were met with enthusiasm by Tesla investors, who view potential self-driving capabilities as crucial for Tesla’s position as the most valuable automaker globally. Tesla’s stock price rose by 6% in premarket trading in New York.
Dan Ives, a technology analyst at Wedbush investment bank, mentioned in a client note that Tesla’s future standing relies heavily on FSD and autonomous driving. He emphasized the significance of making FSD accessible in China, a step that appears to be imminent.
Discovered by chance in 2019, Odd radio circles (ORCs) are circular regions of faint radio radiation with bright edges that are not visible to optical, infrared, ultraviolet, and X-ray wavelengths.
Some ORCs contain galaxies at their centers, while others do not, but what sets them apart is their size, which is significantly larger than normal galaxies. Some ORCs display a double ring structure, while others have a single ring. There are also some with internal arc-like structures that might be linked to galaxies surrounded by bubbles of radio emission.
While objects with high spherical symmetry are common in the universe, ORCs appear to be distinct from them all, prompting astronomers to classify them as a new type of object.
ORCs could potentially be a type of spherical shock wave generated by fast radio bursts, gamma-ray bursts, or neutron star mergers. If this is the case, they must be extremely ancient to have grown to such a large size.
Alternatively, they may be associated with material jets emanating from the central regions of radio galaxies, but explaining their size and the absence of central objects in all galaxies is challenging.
One intriguing theory suggests that ORCs are created by the fusion of two supermassive black holes in a central galaxy. The available data also support the idea that the shell is caused by a “shock termination” of high-energy particle winds from the central “starburst” galaxy.
Another hypothesis proposes that the ORC is the throat of a “wormhole,” a theoretical passage through spacetime. However, astronomers have yet to agree on the true nature of ORC.
This article addresses the question (by Bradford’s Brendan Owens): “What are strange radio circles?”
If you have any questions, please email us at:questions@sciencefocus.comor send us a messageFacebook,XorInstagramPage (remember to include your name and location).
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On a daily basis, everyone naturally releases about 2.5 liters of gas through burps and farts. This gas originates from the air we breathe, the liquids we consume, and the bacteria in our digestive system. Our bodies expel this excessive gas through the mouth and anus. Sometimes, the gas may be released without notice, in small amounts, and without any detectable odor.
Unlike cows, methane is not the primary component of human farts. Therefore, when someone ignites a fart, it usually burns hydrogen gas.
Farting is a normal bodily function, but if you notice an increase in farting frequency, it may be due to an underlying medical condition.
Why do we fart?
Farting occurs because there is gas in our intestines that needs to be released.
A mixture of swallowed air and gas produced by digestive bacteria in the intestines eventually needs to be expelled through burps and farts.
The main gases in flatulence are hydrogen and carbon dioxide, while the unpleasant odor often comes from sulfur compounds present in small amounts.
Nerve endings in the anus help distinguish between gas buildup and solid stool, allowing gas to pass through without any issues.
Does everyone fart?
Every individual, without exception, passes gas through the large intestine due to swallowed air and intestinal bacteria. This gas mainly consists of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, methane, and trace amounts of smelly compounds.
Although everyone farts, some individuals may be more discreet about their flatulence.
Read more about flatulence:
Why do I fart so much?
It is normal for some people to fart more frequently than others. According to NHS, the average person farts between 5 and 15 times a day. However, certain medical conditions can lead to excessive farting.
Farting can be a symptom of conditions like celiac disease and lactose intolerance, as well as issues like constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, and gastroenteritis.
If you are concerned about your farting frequency, it is advisable to consult a doctor.
If you try to suppress a fart, it might come out more quietly or get retained until your next trip to the bathroom. Eventually, the gas will find its way out!
What foods make you fart?
Beans, lentils, cabbage, broccoli, onions, prunes, and apples are among the foods that can cause flatulence. Consuming these foods, rich in soluble fiber, can lead to the production of gas during the fermentation process in the colon.
Do animals fart?
All humans fart, but not all animals do. Different animals have varying digestive systems that influence flatulence production.
Do rabbits fart?
Yes, rabbits fart due to their plant-based diet and digestive process involving fermentation in the cecum. Excessive gas buildup can be harmful to rabbits if not expelled properly.
Do spiders fart?
The possibility of spiders farting exists, but it has not been extensively studied. Their unique digestive system suggests gas production during liquid digestion.
Do birds fart?
Birds can fart, but evidence of this phenomenon is scarce. Some theories propose that birds may not fart frequently due to their rapid digestion process.
Did dinosaurs fart?
Dinosaurs, like other animals, did fart. Their historical flatulence played a role in the planet’s climate during the Mesozoic Era.
a A class action lawsuit filed in U.S. federal court on Valentine's Day last year alleges that Match Group, owner of dating apps such as Tinder, Hinge and OkCupid, uses a “predatory business model” to keep users hooked. The lawsuit directly contradicts Hinge's claims of being “designed to be removed”.
The lawsuit has sparked new debate about the potential harm to mental health caused by dating apps, but for scientists who study romantic relationships, the central question remains: do these apps actually work? The answer, according to Elizabeth Bruch, a sociologist at the University of Michigan who has studied online dating for a decade, is that there is no definitive scientific evidence either way.
Michael Rosenfeld, a sociologist at Stanford University, notes that online dating has become increasingly popular, with half of all heterosexual couples in the U.S. now meeting online. The trend is also growing in Europe, with an estimated 80 million users on dating apps. Despite this growth, the effectiveness of these apps in helping users find their soulmates remains uncertain.
While online dating continues to gain traction, research on the success and longevity of couples who meet through these apps is scarce. Companies generally do not publicly release data on this topic, but experts like Bruch argue that there is no evidence to suggest that these companies have better insights than scientific researchers.
Recent studies have shown that couples who meet online report slightly lower satisfaction and stability in their relationships compared to those who meet offline. However, this difference may be attributed to other factors rather than the online dating experience itself, such as deep-seated biases and geographical distance between partners.
As dating platforms continue to evolve, promising new methods for matchmaking based on brain activity or facial expressions, questions remain about the efficacy of these approaches. Many users have reported disappointments and frustrations with online dating, raising concerns about the addictive nature of dating apps and their impact on users’ well-being.
To address these concerns, researchers like Bruch and Gordon are developing their own dating app that doubles as a research tool to improve our understanding of romantic relationships. Their goal is to provide users with transparent and ethical matchmaking experiences that prioritize compatibility over preconceived notions of compatibility.
What makes a good match? Similarity in age, ethnicity, and education level does not guarantee longevity. Photo: Maria Korneeva/Getty
Bruch and Gordon hope that their research will shed light on the complex dynamics of love and relationships, offering users a more fulfilling and transparent dating experience. They are particularly interested in exploring how users’ perceptions of compatibility can influence their dating preferences and outcomes.
While dating apps have revolutionized how people connect and form relationships, concerns remain about their addictive qualities and potential negative impacts on users’ mental health. Researchers are advocating for greater transparency and accountability within the industry to ensure that users can make informed decisions and have positive dating experiences.
In the midst of ongoing debates about the impact of dating apps on society and relationships, researchers and experts emphasize the need for greater scrutiny and regulation to ensure the well-being of users and the integrity of the industry.
Her voice seemed off, not quite right, and it meandered in unexpected ways.
Viewers familiar with science presenter Liz Bonnin’s Irish accent were puzzled when they received an audio message seemingly from her endorsing a product from a distant location.
It turned out the message was a fake, created by artificial intelligence to mimic Bonnin’s voice. After spotting her image in an online advertisement, Bonnin’s team investigated and found out it was a scam.
Bonin, known for her work on TV shows like Bang Goes The Theory, expressed her discomfort with the imitated voice, which she described as shifting from Irish to Australian to British.
The person behind the failed campaign, Incognito CEO Howard Carter, claimed he had received convincing audio messages from someone posing as Bonin, leading him to believe it was the real presenter.
The fake Bonin provided contact details and even posed as a representative from the Wildlife Trust charity, negotiating a deal for the advertisement campaign. Carter eventually realized he had been scammed after transferring money and receiving the image for the campaign.
AI experts confirmed that the voice memos were likely artificially generated due to inconsistencies in accent and recitation speed. Bonin warned about the dangers of AI misuse and stressed the importance of caution.
Incognito reported the incident to authorities and issued a statement cautioning others about sophisticated scams involving AI. They apologized to Bonin for any unintended harm caused by the deception.
Neither the BBC nor the Wildlife Trust responded to requests for comments on the incident.
The federal government announced this week that grizzly bears will be reintroduced to Washington state’s North Cascade Mountains. The decision follows many years of intense and divisive debate.
But due to the complex process of capturing bears from British Columbia and northwestern Montana, transporting them by truck and helicopter, it will take many years before bears can venture into the remote and rugged terrain. It may also be costly.
“There’s a lot of work to do before we can schedule it,” said Jason Ransom, a wildlife biologist with North Cascades National Park. “Getting the planning right is critical to the success of a project like this.”
This reintroduction will restore a keystone species to the North Cascades, one of the most protected landscapes in the United States. Grizzlies once roamed throughout the region, but were extensively hunted for their fur. The National Park Service reports that there has not been a confirmed bear sighting since 1996.
Both agencies plan to release between three and seven bears each year with the goal of reaching a population of 200 bears within 60 to 100 years.
Ransom mentioned that grizzly bears play a vital role in turning soil, spreading seeds, and adapting to various habitats for reproduction. Their versatility makes them resilient to environmental changes, including those caused by climate change.
But opponents express concerns about the safety risks grizzly bears may pose to humans, as well as the potential conflicts with farmers and ranchers in the surrounding areas. The reintroduction project is addressing these concerns by selecting a release site in high-quality habitat far from populated areas.
The federal government has designated the project’s grizzly bears as a “nonessential experimental population” under the Endangered Species Act, providing legal flexibility to manage potential conflicts and protect both humans and bears.
The process of capturing and releasing bears involves using culvert traps, anesthesia, veterinary examinations, and radio collars for tracking purposes. The gradual reintroduction process aims to allow humans and bears to adapt to each other in an environment that has been bear-free for decades.
Starting with 25 bears allows the population to grow slowly, giving both humans and bears a chance to coexist in the area that has been without bears for a long time.
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A few weeks ago, it was quietly announced that the Future of Humanity Institute, a famous interdisciplinary research center in Oxford, no longer has a future. It closed without warning on April 16th. Initially, its website contained only a short statement that it had been closed and that research could continue elsewhere within or outside the university.
The institute, dedicated to the study of humanity’s existential risks, was founded in 2005 by Swedish-born philosopher Nick Bostrom and quickly made a name for itself beyond academia. Many high-tech billionaires praised the institute, especially in Silicon Valley, and provided financial support.
Mr. Bostrom is perhaps best known for his 2014 best-selling book. super intelligence, which warned of the existential dangers of artificial intelligence, but also became widely known for his 2003 academic paper “Are You Living in a Computer Simulation?” The paper argues that over time, humans are likely to develop the ability to create simulations that are indistinguishable from reality, and if this is the case, it has already happened and we may be the simulation. insisted.
I interviewed Bostrom more than a decade ago, and he had one of those elusive and rather abstract personalities that perhaps lends credence to simulation theory. He was pale, had a reputation for working all night, and seemed like the type of person who didn’t go out much. The Institute appears to be aware of this social shortcoming. final reporta long inscription written by Fuji Heavy Industries researcher Anders Sandberg states:
“We have not invested enough in the politics and socialization of the university to build long-term, stable relationships with faculty…When epistemology and communication practices become too disconnected, misunderstandings flourish.”
Nick Bostrom: “Proudly provocative on paper, cautious and defensive in person.” Photo: Washington Post/Getty Images
Like Sandberg, Bostrom is an advocate of transhumanism, the belief in using advanced technology to improve longevity and cognitive abilities, and is said …
If anything symbolizes the end of Twitter, it’s the rise and fall of Oprah Winfrey’s account.
Oprah joined the platform in 2009. First time tweeting Live from her popular TV show “HI TWITTERS. Thank you for the warm welcome. It feels very 21st century.”
Queensland University of Technology Digital Media Research Center Professor Axel Brands said it was a “landmark moment” for the platform.
“That was really the moment when the numbers skyrocketed.”
Oprah still has an account under the renamed X with 41.7 million followers. But since November 2022, a month after Elon Musk’s acquisition of the site was completed, she posted: Just once – In January 2023, she told Chelsea Clinton that she was “still laughing so hard 😂” about Clinton accidentally wearing two different black shoes at an event.
Debate over X reignited last week after the Australian government took the platform to court to force it to remove a video of a Sydney bishop allegedly being stabbed while leading a church service.
Company X says it complied with the order to delete the footage of the stabbing (though, ironically, just below the post announcing its compliance is a comment saying someone had shared the full graphic video) Musk has been harshly critical of Australia’s request to delete the footage. We asked Mr. X for comment.
But as debate intensifies over what responsibility social media platforms have to stop the spread of violent or extremist content, other questions are emerging. “What is Twitter/X anymore?”
What happened to the site, once a staple of the news cycle and political debate, now increasingly abandoned by those who once religiously followed it?
The beginning: “Utopian vision”
A former Twitter Australia employee, who requested anonymity, said Twitter had lofty goals in its early days.
“I think it was definitely a utopian vision at the time. Like many of these founders, they really thought they were disruptors and creating a space for real public debate. “I was thinking about it,” she says. “I think people really enjoyed it at the time. It was a very fast-moving, innovative platform where you could get the latest news and follow and connect with people you really admired. Even in the early days, it always had parts of it as a toxic swamp, but not entirely.”
“It had a social profile,” she says. “Remember when everyone was obsessed with the existence of blue ticks and pretended that people who didn’t have them didn’t care?”
Although the exact number of monthly active users is unknown, Twitter/X has had a significant impact on the world of news and politics over the years, although it has not had the broad mainstream appeal of Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, or TikTok. I did.
“It’s a very specific, limited audience,” Brands says. “But the types of audiences that could be reached on Twitter were journalists, politicians, activists, and various forms of experts. Often people who were influential in other communities online and offline.”
Belinda Barnett, senior lecturer in media and communications at Melbourne’s Swinburne University of Technology, said: In essence, it has become a must-have tool, especially for journalists. ”
This was also because Twitter’s features, especially @mentions and hashtags, are well-suited for breaking news.
For example, Twitter became big in Japan in part because people turned to Twitter as a way to communicate and organize when the country was hit by a devastating tsunami in 2011, said a former Twitter user. Employees speak.
“It became a real lifeline for people and a way for people to be rescued,” she said.
According to a 2021 Pew study, 69% of U.S. Twitter users said they got their news from the site, 46% said the site gave them a better understanding of current events, and 30% said the site made them more interested in politics. They responded that they felt more involved.
The breaking news feature was not without its problems. The immediacy of this platform gave voice to dissidents and citizen journalists, which was crucial for uprisings like those seen in the Arab Spring, but it also allowed politicians to bypass traditional journalistic mediation. Bruns says it’s now possible.
“There are quite a few politicians who have essentially stopped giving interviews to journalists, leaving them exposed to critical questions and basically just posting their announcements on Twitter.”
Barnett said misinformation and trolls have always been a problem, but the company is committed to what she calls the “three pillars”: user blue checkmarks, moderation policies, and trust and safety. team.
“All of these things worked together to give us some credibility during breaking news, so people went there. Twitter in the old days certainly spread misinformation, but it started trending before it spread.” I often ended up crushing it,” she said.
Now: Musk’s Wild West
Barnett said all three pillars were quickly dismantled after Musk acquired the platform at the end of 2022.
The trust and safety teams were among those who were abruptly fired within weeks of Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of the company, showing up to work at headquarters with a ceramic sink on their first day. A video of Mr. Musk’s entrance was posted on the site with the caption, “Let it sink in.”
Many people who were blocked from the site for violating online rules, including Donald Trump, had their accounts reinstated (although Trump’s account was later blocked again).
The verification process has changed dramatically. Instead of being given blue ticks for being a celebrity or working for a popular news site, you can now buy them.
My approach to moderation has also changed. Mr. Musk’s spat with the Australian government reveals something about his vision for X, which he sees as a bastion of free speech.
“They’re very reluctant to engage in any kind of arbitration,” Brands said. “To some extent, this reflects the broader sense that free speech in the United States is an absolute good above all else. On the other hand, in Australia, Europe, and many other regions, the right to free speech and protection from harmful speech are And that would essentially sound like censorship to many otherwise very liberal people in the United States.”
Ironically, in 2022, X suspended the accounts of people who criticized Musk, including those of several prominent journalists from CNN, the New York Times, and the Washington Post. account has been banned Track the whereabouts of your private jet using public data.
“Elon wants it both ways,” Barnett says. “He wants it to be the original Twitter, which was certainly absolutely critical to the news cycle,” but he also wants to “remove the pillars and processes that Twitter has spent years building up and make it more… We also want it to promote community. ”
“I think it’s becoming a toxic mess,” Barnett says.
The future: a place out of control
A Pew study found that 60% of U.S. Twitter users left the platform for more than a few weeks in the first few months after Musk’s acquisition of Twitter. A quarter of those surveyed said they had not used the site at all in the past year.
Even the most prolific tweeters saw their use of the platform decrease, with the number of tweets per month dropping by 25%.
Whether this trend continues is a difficult question to answer, but one reason is that it has become prohibitively expensive for researchers studying social media to continue their work under Musk. That’s what happened.
For many years, Twitter has provided application programming interfaces (APIs) to academic researchers and private sector organizations for a fee. About a year ago, the cost of accessing these APIs skyrocketed.
Aaron Smith, director of Pew’s Data Lab, said the center has developed a “pretty rich body of research” on Twitter over the years, but that access to the API is now limited due to the price increase for accessing Tweets. He said that such annual fees have become expensive. “It’s bigger than our team’s entire research budget for several years” – they couldn’t do any more research on the platform.
Bruns says academics are in the same position. “We cannot conduct particularly exploratory research, such as looking for hate speech bots or misinformation on the platform. [X] Almost priced out of the market. ”
This is unfortunate, as academic research on Twitter has shown that the platform was able to identify and dispel some hate speech and misinformation in the past, but will now go even further unchecked. he says.
“Certainly, it’s already starting to turn into platforms like Gab and Parler and things like that. [Trump’s] In True Social, people on the far right vehemently agree with each other and ferociously hate everyone else. ”
Even former employees have since deactivated their accounts. “I think it’s a really dangerous space right now and it’s out of control,” she says.
“I miss it sometimes. I always thought this was a great newswire for journalists and citizen journalists…I don’t know, but I found myself sitting watching breaking news and wondering where to go. There’s a hole left, and I’m hoping someone will try to fill that gap.”
Almost enough to stop doomscrolling. A boring device is now cool.
The Boring Phone is a new featureless flip phone that is catching the attention of young people seeking to switch from smartphones to basic phones.
The latest model, a collaboration between Heineken beer and fashion retailer Bodega, made waves when introduced at Milan Design Week this month, where designers worldwide showcase their latest trends. The Boring Phone is part of a growing trend of dumb phones evolving from Gen Z’s skepticism towards data collection and attention-grabbing technology. This skepticism has revitalized retro cultural items, known as nutro, seen in the resurgence of vinyl records, cassettes, fanzines, 8-bit games, and vintage cell phones.
“I always despised being constantly connected,” said Lana Ali. The 29-year-old, previously in finance and now a music producer and rapper known as Surya Sen, added, “I tried using a smartphone, but I always return to simplicity.”
Nostalgia for “brick” phones with long-lasting batteries led to the relaunch of the Nokia 3310 in 2017, but the trend really took off in the US last year, sparked by TikTokers using the #bringbackflipphones hashtag. HMD, behind the Nokia relaunch, saw foldable phone sales double by April 2023, while Punkt, which focuses on minimalist phones, also experienced a significant sales boost.
The Boring Phone is a retro flip phone with minimal functionality.
Mintel mentioned that Apple and Samsung are not yet threatened. Nine out of ten phones are smartphones, and dumb phones remain a niche market, as per Joe Birch, a technology analyst at the research firm. “Nevertheless, there are signs that this generation is altering their smartphone habits, and we are concerned about the potential negative effects of constant digital connectivity driving this change,” Birch added. “For instance, three out of five Gen Zers express a desire to disconnect from the digital world.”
This shift towards offline life or digital minimalism is also evident in Gen Z’s reduced use of social media. They are the only generation to have cut back on social media usage since 2021, as per GWI. Yet, seniors are also undergoing digital detox, including Lars Silberbauer, HMD’s chief marketing officer, who mentioned a transitional period after disconnecting. “In the first few hours, you may feel anxious,” he explained. “But soon, focus returns, and previous activities resume.”
According to technology analyst Portulance Institute, the internet now appears more as a surveillance tool for brands, governments, and scammers rather than a place for exploration or meeting interesting individuals, causing more young adults to prioritize privacy.
Older tech can offer greater freedom. Sampling music has become a challenge for emerging artists due to Spotify and YouTube’s algorithms, which detect uncleared samples. However, an underground artist can press 500 copies of an EP record and distribute it to DJs and fans without hurdles.
The downside to going offline is the increasing reliance on smartphones in today’s world. Hannah Whelan from the Good Things Foundation’s Data Poverty Lab noted that 2.4 million UK households cannot afford mobile contracts, and 2 million young people lack access to learning devices, hindering essential services now online.
The Luddite Club of New York schoolchildren announced their decision to switch from iPhones to flip phones in December 2022, although Punkt founder Petter Nebby noted that smartphones are still necessary. “It’s impractical,” he commented. “While we discuss banning smartphones in UK schools, education systems rely heavily on online tasks for scheduling and assignments. I advocate for banning smartphones for children, but it’s a complex issue that requires balance.”
Piers Garrett, a 27-year-old tech sales executive, found a balance by using a Litephone, an e-ink device without apps. However, he eventually gave up. “The concept was good, but I lasted only six months,” he admitted. “WhatsApp is the main mode of communication. Now I maintain a strict app usage policy, only using banking and transit apps and turning off notifications. In the morning, I prioritize personal activities like coffee or reading, noticing a significant mental clarity improvement.”
When it comes to apocalypse scenarios, nuclear destruction stands out as both fascinating to viewers and alarmingly realistic. From the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to the disasters at Chernobyl and Fukushima, humanity has witnessed the devastating consequences of our current nuclear power usage.
But what impact does radiation actually have on the environment where it is released? Recent reports of thriving life at Chernobyl present a different perspective on the post-apocalyptic wasteland depicted in many fallout series.
“We live in an increasingly radioactive world,” says biologist Professor Timothy Mousseau, who has studied ecosystems in nuclear disaster sites for 25 years, as reported by BBC Science Focus.
“So, what we learn from places like Chernobyl, Fukushima, and atomic bomb test sites will ultimately have implications for humanity,” Mousseau adds.
The effects of radiation are usually dire
One thing that movies get right is that you definitely don’t want to be involved in a nuclear disaster if you can avoid it.
Mousseau explains that when radioactive events like Chernobyl happen, ionizing radiation is released into the environment, potentially damaging or altering DNA in exposed organisms. These genetic changes can lead to mutations, with some causing no harm, others resulting in severe issues like cancer or juvenile cataracts.
“Between these extremes, there are many mutations with small or partial effects, such as asymmetric individuals or odd growths,” Mousseau elaborates.
The effects of radiation are not limited to animals. Plants also feel the brunt of nuclear disaster impacts, with radioactive materials often being absorbed by the soil. The International Atomic Energy Agency notes that leaves around Chernobyl changed shape post-explosion, and the once green pine forest turned red, eventually being cleared due to the risk of radioactive clouds in case of a fire.
Though the original trees of the Red Forest have been cut down, the area remains highly radioactive. – Image credit: Getty
In conclusion, living in highly radioactive areas is not ideal, as Mousseau points out.
Superpowers are (probably) unlikely
While radiation-induced mutations can have negative impacts, some may also be advantageous. Mousseau mentions that scientists have found certain crops benefiting from mutations, resulting in increased yields and pest resistance. Even coffee trees resistant to fungal diseases have been developed using nuclear mutation breeding methods.
Naturally occurring beneficial mutations can also arise, as seen in Chernobyl’s tree frogs, which developed darker skin to protect against radiation-induced oxidative stress.
Despite the energy released in the Chernobyl disaster, tree frogs adapted with darker skin. – Image credits: German Orizaola and Pablo Burraco
However, Mousseau emphasizes that beneficial mutations are rare, and the chances of gaining any form of superpowers from radiation exposure are slim.
About our experts:
Timothy Mousseau, a professor at the University of South Carolina, has extensive research experience in genetic adaptations to environmental stresses, including radiation effects on organisms in nuclear disaster zones. His work has shed light on the implications for these environments on various species and their evolutionary responses. Mousseau has authored numerous scientific papers related to Chernobyl and Fukushima research.
The Ryusho orbital trace contains 12 bipedal orbitals, which are classified into two forms, distinguished by both size and shape.
The small footprints, approximately 11 cm (4.3 inches) long, belong to the long-known genus Ichno. Velociraptoricnus.
Large footprints up to 36 cm (14.2 inches) long Fujianipus inryangi.
Based on body size, this tracker was over 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall at the waist, comparable in size to the largest known deinonychosaurids. Austraptor and Utahraptor.
“When you think of raptor dinosaurs, you probably think of the muscular, human-sized, aggressive hunters from the movie Jurassic Park,’ said Anthony Romilio, a paleontologist at the University of Queensland. .
“But these traces were left by a much leaner and smarter group in the family. TroodontidaeIt appeared in the late Jurassic period about 95 million years ago. ”
“This raptor was about 5 meters long and had legs of 1.8 meters, far exceeding the size of the raptors depicted in Jurassic Park. Imagine coming.”
“The footprints were compared to other known bipedal dinosaur footprints found throughout Asia, the Americas, and Europe.”
details of Fujianipus inryangi Railway tracks preserved at the site of the Longxiang track in China. Image credit: Xing other., doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109598.
“We found this type of truck to be unique in shape and very unique,” he said.
“The concept of large troodontids has only recently emerged in paleontology.”
“The bones found in Alaska suggest a trend towards giantism near the ancient Arctic Circle, an area where long winter darkness may have led to less competition for species.”
“But our findings suggest that these raptor giants roamed much farther south and were more widely dispersed.”
“Interestingly, some of our research teams are also working on the world’s smallest dinosaur footprint, a Korean raptor footprint that is just one centimeter long.”
“This shows the amazing size range of raptor dinosaurs and highlights their adaptability and ecological diversity.”
a paper A description of the discovery was published in a magazine iscience.
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Rida Singh other. Deinonychosaurid footprints in southeastern China record a possible giant troodontid. iscience, published online on April 24, 2024. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109598
The avian influenza virus continues to spread among dairy cows in the United States, and the country’s health authorities are actively preparing for possible spread to humans.
“risk [of bird flu] “While the current rate remains low, we continue to be strongly prepared as new data becomes available,” Vivian Dugan of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said at a meeting of health officials on April 25. Stated.
The first priority is tracking the spread of the virus. So far, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has confirmed the H5N1 avian influenza virus subtype in dairy cows. 33 farms across 8 statessix cats on farms in three of those states.
Genetic sequencing has shown that out of 260 samples taken from sick dairy cows, only one has a mutation that suggests H5N1 is adapted to infect mammals, he said. Rosemary Chiffod At the Department of Agriculture during a meeting. However, this marker has been previously observed in other diseased mammals and did not affect the ability of the virus to transmit between mammals. Furthermore, her other 10 samples from the same herd from which this sample was collected did not have the same mutation.
“It hasn’t changed much and remains an avian virus…in other words, it hasn’t become an avian virus. [cow] It’s a virus,” Sifford said.
According to data presented at the meeting, the CDC tested 23 people who had close contact with the animals for the virus. Only one person tested positive, a dairy worker in Texas whose only symptom was bloodshot eyes. To increase testing capacity, the CDC recently increased funding to genetic sequencing centers in six states, Dugan said.
Another important measure being taken is to ensure the security of the milk supply in the United States. Milk from infected cows contains large amounts of the virus. Although milk from sick animals should not enter the milk supply, initial testing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found that: 1 in 5 milk samples Contains genetic signatures of avian influenza.
“Importantly, this does not mean the sample contains intact infectious virus.” donald prater At the FDA. The test method used detects any genetic material, including dead virus.
Most milk sold in the United States is pasteurized, a process that uses high heat to kill pathogens. Although no studies have evaluated the effectiveness of pasteurization against H5N1, research on similar influenza viruses suggests it may be effective, Prater said. This is why people should avoid consuming or touching raw dairy products.
Two vaccine candidates against H5N1 are also under development. Initial testing by the CDC showed both to be effective in laboratory tests on current strains of cattle, Dugan said.
As part of pre-established procedures, the US Office of Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) said it is stockpiling supplies for the avian influenza vaccine. david boucher At the ASPR conference. This involves producing a part of the vaccine called an antigen that triggers an immune response to the virus. He said ASPR and its commercial partners have already filled hundreds of thousands of bottles of H5N1 vaccine and can quickly supply it for clinical trials or emergency use if needed.
“Based on the CDC’s current situational risks, vaccination is not a necessary tool at this time. But we want to be prepared in case the situation changes,” Boucher said. Enough material is also stockpiled to produce 10 million more doses. And ASPR has contracts with vaccine manufacturers to further increase production as needed.
“If we need to pull any of these levers, we are ready to do so,” Boucher said.
Voyager 1 faced a critical issue when it was first discovered in November. NASA acknowledged that while the spacecraft was still in communication with Earth, the signals being received were indecipherable. This led to a concentrated effort over a month to identify and rectify the problem, saving the Voyager 1 mission.
Despite the challenges faced by the team, including the difficulty of troubleshooting a spacecraft over 15 billion miles away in interstellar space, there remained hope and determination to overcome the obstacles.
The main culprit was found to be a hardware failure in one of Voyager 1’s three computers, resulting in corrupted code that hindered the transmission of crucial updates and data. Unfortunately, the chip containing the problematic software was deemed irreparable.
However, a solution was devised by splitting and storing the code in different memory locations of the computer. This allowed for the affected sections to be reprogrammed, ensuring the continued functionality of the system.
Following meticulous verification and testing processes, Voyager 1 gradually resumed its normal operations, as confirmed by NASA’s recent update.
The Voyager missions, launched in 1977, have been instrumental in exploring the outer regions of our solar system. Voyager 1, now in interstellar space, continues to transmit valuable data and may well do so until the 2030s, serving as an enduring reminder of human exploration.
Both Voyager probes carry time capsules containing images and sounds representing Earth and its inhabitants, intended to be discovered by extraterrestrial beings in the distant future.
“Our silent ambassadors,” as Voyager 1 and 2 are affectionately known, will continue their journey for millennia, potentially reaching other stars and civilizations,” remarked Spilker.
Two of the researchers and several study participants with Laron syndrome
Jaime Guevara-Aguirre and Bartel Longo
People with rare genetic mutations that cause short stature and may even live longer are helping to understand the causes of aging.
People with unusual genetic mutations have some characteristics that protect them from heart disease, one of the most common causes of death, and this explains why their life expectancy exceeds that of the general population. You may have.
A signaling molecule called insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) has long been suspected to be involved in longevity. Several animals, including worms and mice, have been shown to live longer when their levels of this compound are artificially lowered, such as through genetic modification. Centenarians also have slightly lower IGF-1 levels,on average.
In most species, IGF-1 promotes growth when the animal is young and influences how cells use energy later in life. One idea is that there is a trade-off between animals investing energy in further growth and maintaining health.
“As you get older and your body starts to break down, you want to spend your energy on preventing your body from breaking down instead of spending it on growth,” he says. Nir Barzilai from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York was not involved in the new study.
The question of whether this trade-off also occurs in humans is through a rare genetic disease called Laron syndrome, first identified in a group of Ecuadorians whose ancestors left Spain during the Inquisition centuries ago. can be researched.
This mutation causes people to have defective growth hormone receptors, leading to short stature. People with Laron syndrome also have low levels of IGF-1 because the release of IGF-1 is usually triggered by growth hormone.
The researchers found that more people with the disease were surviving longer than expected compared to the general Ecuadorian population. 'We know they are more common in older people' walter longo at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
In the latest study, Longo and his colleagues compared 24 people with Laron syndrome from Ecuador or the United States to 27 relatives who did not have the mutation. People with Laron syndrome appeared to be healthier on several heart-related measures, including blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and sensitivity to insulin, a hormone involved in controlling blood sugar levels.
People with this mutation also had higher levels of a compound called low-density lipoprotein. Low-density lipoproteins are also known as “bad cholesterol” because they are thought to make arteries more susceptible to plaque, which can lead to heart attacks. However, only 7 percent of Laron syndrome patients had such plaques, compared with 36 percent of their relatives.
The small number of people in the study means this difference may have arisen by chance, but it does suggest that their arteries appear less unhealthy than those of people without the mutation. suggests, Longo said.
This new finding supports the idea that somehow weakening the IGF-1 signaling pathway in later life can slow the aging process. Alexey Maklakov at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK. “It's a matter of timing,” he says. “At critical stages of growth and development, you definitely don't want to do that. But later in life, it can interfere with the function of these pathways.”
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