The closure of Xbox 360’s innovative online store marks the end of a gaming era | Gaming

Posted on July 31, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

TThe Xbox 360 digital store is the latest to go offline, following the closure of the Wii U and 3DS stores in March. About 220 games were shut down on Monday, according to the analysis. Video Game ChroniclesPreservationists at the Video Game History Foundation Made a funeral cake.

When it comes to backward compatibility and game preservation, Microsoft is arguably the best of the big companies. Despite the loss of 220 games, the majority of the Xbox 360 back catalogue is legally playable on subsequent consoles. It’s also worth noting that the Xbox 360 Marketplace lasted for nearly 20 years (the console was released in late 2005). It wasn’t the first digital store for the console, but it was the first one I used, and I’m sure many UK players did too. The Xbox 360 was the most popular console of its generation in the UK. Looking back, the Marketplace was astonishingly ahead of its time.

In the 2000s, brick-and-mortar video game retail still ruled the roost, and retailers had a lot of influence over game pricing and distribution. Back then, offering digital-only games risked retaliation from players like Electronics Boutique and Game. I remember reports at the time reporting rumors that some stores were threatening to not stock Xbox 360s at all, because allowing players to download games digitally would severely undermine retailers’ business models. (To be fair, they were right; video game retail had been in a protracted death spiral for years.)

The Xbox 360 Marketplace didn’t bring about a big change on its own. The transition to digital stores was gradual, with all the major players, from Steam to Sony to Nintendo, playing a role over the years. “Digital was somewhat additive to retail to begin with,” says Chris Dring, head of GamesIndustry.biz. “At the time, over 90% of console games were bought in a box that sat on the shelves of stores like GameShop or Tesco, but it wasn’t until 2019 that the majority of AAA console games (51%) were downloaded rather than boxed. The Xbox Live Marketplace was primarily where people bought DLC and occasional indie gems that were only accessible via digital stores. But it was fundamentally the beginning of the transition to the digital future we live in today. Now everyone is copying what Xbox did with Xbox Live and the Marketplace.”

Shoppers look at computer games at an electronics boutique on Oxford Street in London. Photo: Graham Turner/The Guardian

But what the Xbox 360 Marketplace really changed for console players was how Which There’s a limited number of games you can buy, and while it’s always been possible to download and play small, experimental games on PC, the same wasn’t possible on consoles before the Xbox 360. I think the Marketplace directly enabled the indie renaissance of 2010 and beyond by giving smaller game developers and publishers a way to sell their games to millions of console players without the expense and logistical issues of releasing boxed copies.

Starting with the original Xbox and gaining momentum in the 360 era, Xbox Live Arcade was revolutionary. Every week a new, small, downloadable game under £10 was released, from developers big and small. I played hundreds of games this way, and they were some of the first unboxed games I owned. Among them were Limbo, Fez, Geometry Wars, Super Meat Boy, and the greatest version of Uno ever (don’t @ me). There’s a strong case to be made that the Xbox 360 Marketplace introduced indie games to millions of console players.

As Dring points out, digitalisation also has its downsides: “In 2005, Xbox (and PlayStation and Nintendo) were platforms. Now they are the platform, the distributor, and the retailer. They control the whole chain. And they are increasingly becoming media themselves, through their websites, YouTube channels, and announcement videos.”

We’ve become so used to downloading games digitally that it’s easy to forget how refreshing it once was. Saying goodbye to the Xbox 360 Marketplace also means saying goodbye to an era of gaming where even DLC felt new and exciting. I rather miss those days, and the long hours of late-night gaming on Xbox 360 Uno.

What to Play

Short and sweet…Thank you so much for having me here! Photo: Panic

A very British slapstick comedy game Thank you so much for coming! It was released today, and the reviews (including our own) have been rave. Created by two Barnsley residents and set in the fictional northern town of Barnsworth, which seems to be built around visual gags, it’s short and sweet, but packed with great jokes and quirky situational comedy in the tradition of Monty Python and the Mighty Boosh.

Available on: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4/5, PC
Estimated playtime: 3 hours

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Question Block

XCOM: Enemy unknown. Photo: Filaxis

reader Akshay Question of the week:

“I recently finished Yakuza 7: Whereabouts of Light and Darkness and found myself completely lethargic for a few days after completing it. I’d spent nearly 180 hours playing the game and had developed some good habits, so it was a real shock when I had to say goodbye. What’s the best way to get out of a post-game slump?

Ah, I know that feeling! I remember beating XCOM (above) in one weekend, saving the world, then sitting aimlessly on the couch in my pajamas, not knowing what to do next. I remember playing The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion for so long that I left my apartment after the credits finished and walked listlessly around the city. TV shows and books can give you that same feeling when it’s time to say goodbye to characters and worlds you’ve lived with for a while. But games are much more time-intensive, and much more immersive. Ending a game can feel like a farewell.

And just like after a breakup, it’s not a good idea to jump right into a new game; it only invites negative comparisons. So in between big games, go out, read a novel, or grab a drink with a friend you temporarily lost because of Breath of the Wild, and really feel That you’re ready to try something new.

If you have any questions for the Question Block or any other comments about the newsletter, Please email us at pushingbuttons@theguardian.com.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Two NASA astronauts remain in space as testing of Boeing spacecraft continues

Posted on July 31, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Their ambitious mission was initially planned for just one week, but now, after 56 days on the International Space Station, the two NASA astronauts remain in orbit, awaiting a safe return journey in the Boeing spacecraft.

The troubled Starliner capsule is facing issues with its propulsion system, including a leak in its helium and failure of five thrusters. Despite the leak being detected before launch, mission managers believed it wouldn’t impact the safety of the astronauts or the flight.

Over the weekend, NASA and Boeing engineers conducted a crucial “hot fire test” of the Starliner, which is set to carry veteran astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore on its first crewed flight on June 5.

The test involved firing 27 of the capsule’s 28 jets in less than 1.2 seconds while evaluating their performance and checking for helium leaks. Preliminary results from the test were positive.

In a blog post published by NASA on Tuesday, it was stated that all thrusters performed well during the test.

NASA confirmed that the propulsion system of the Starliner remains stable, and the helium leak rate is not significant enough to endanger the return to Earth. The agency plans to recheck the system before the capsule separates from the space station.

A high-temperature burn test was also conducted with astronauts Wilmore and Williams inside the Starliner capsule as part of preparations for the return journey. The thrusters play a vital role in maneuvering the spacecraft during docking and undocking from the space station.

Overall, the progress made during the hot fire test is a positive sign for the upcoming crewed flight of the Starliner and the safe return of the astronauts.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

What defines humanity and why is it challenging to distinguish ourselves from our ancestors?

Posted on July 31, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Is it in the way we live, laugh, love? Or is it our aversion to clichés? Deep inside each of us, there must be something that makes us human. The problem is, after centuries of searching, we haven’t found it yet. Maybe it’s because we’ve been looking in the wrong places.

Ever since researchers began unearthing ancient hominin bones and stone tools, their work has held the tantalizing promise of pinpointing the long-ago moment when our ancestors transformed into humans. Two of the most important fossil discoveries in this quest reach an important milestone this year: 100 years since the first “near-human” was found. Australopithecus Fossils have been discovered in South Africa that have upended previous ideas about human origins, and it’s been 50 years since the most famous fossil was found. Australopithecus Lucy, also known as humanity’s grandmother, emerged from the dusty hills of Ethiopia, and the two fossils have led researchers to believe they can pinpoint humanity’s Big Bang, the period when a dramatic evolutionary wave led to the emergence of humans. Homo.

But today, the story of human origins is much more complicated. A series of discoveries over the past two decades has shown that the beginning of humanity is harder to pinpoint than we thought. So why did it once seem like we could define humanity and pinpoint its emergence, thanks to Lucy and her peers? Why are we now further away than ever from pinpointing exactly what it means to be human?

Source: www.newscientist.com

New study suggests early primates gave birth to twins

Posted on July 31, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

A new study led by Western Washington University suggests that sister city relationships have been around for longer than we thought.

Jack H. McBride and Tesla A. Monson conducted a comprehensive study of primate offspring numbers using life history data from 155 primate species and offspring numbers from an additional 791 mammal species. Image by Jason Brougham.

“Nearly all primates give birth to a single litter,” say Tesla Monson, a professor at Western Washington University, and Jack McBride, a doctoral student at Yale University.

“However, some genera, such as marmosets, tamarins, lemurs, lorises, and galagos, regularly give birth to twins or triplets.”

“Although humans most often give birth to singletons, twin pregnancies occur naturally at a rate of approximately 1.1-1.5% worldwide.”

“Advances in assisted reproductive technology have increased twin birth rates to around 3% in some areas over the past 50 years.”

“There is an urgent need to understand the impact of twins on pregnancy, mothers, and newborns.”

In this study, the authors collected data on reproduction and body size from nearly 1,000 different mammalian species to investigate the evolutionary history of twinning in primates.

The traits they analyzed included offspring size (number of offspring), gestation period, body size, and lifespan.

Contrary to previous assumptions, the analysis demonstrates that the earliest primates likely gave birth to twins.

The researchers also found that birth size and gestational age (the length of pregnancy) were closely related.

“Animals that give birth to more pups on average tend to have shorter gestation periods,” Professor Monson said.

“This also applies to humans. In the United States, full-term twins are considered to be born at 38 weeks, not 40 weeks, and many twins are born earlier than that.”

“This may be related to maternal energy limitations.”

“The next step is to look more broadly at offspring number across mammals and see which other reproductive, brain, and body size traits are associated with twinning.”

“We are particularly interested in understanding the relationship between twinning and tooth morphology.”

“For me, teeth are always a concern.”

of study Published in a journal human.

_____

Jack H. McBride & Tesla A. Monson. 2024. The evolution of offspring number in primates. human 4 (3): 223-238; doi: 10.3390/humans4030014

This article is based on a press release from Western Washington University.

Source: www.sci.news

Is it Necessary to Establish a Frozen Backup of Earth’s Life on the Moon?

Posted on July 31, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Shackleton Crater on the south pole of the moon is an area in permanent shadow

LROC/Shadowcam/NASA/KARI/ASU

A backup of Earth-based life could be safely stored in a permanently dark spot on the Moon’s surface, without the need for power or maintenance, and could potentially be restored if life becomes extinct.

Mary Hagedorn Researchers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in Washington, DC, and their colleagues proposed building the lunar biorepository as a response to extinctions occurring on Earth.

The plan has three main goals: to protect the diversity of life on Earth, to preserve species that may be useful for space exploration, such as those that can provide food or biological materials for filtration, and to preserve microorganisms that may be needed in the future to terraform other planets.

Hagedorn said the team wanted to identify a place that wouldn’t require people or energy to store cryogenically frozen living cells at temperatures below minus 196 degrees Celsius, the temperature at which nitrogen becomes liquid and all biological processes stop.

“There’s no place on Earth cold enough to put passive storage, which has to be kept at minus 196 degrees Celsius, so we thought about space or the moon,” Hagedorn said.

She said the team chose the lunar south pole because of a deep crater with a cold area that’s permanently in shadow. Burying the samples about two meters below the surface would also protect them from radiation, she said.

Previous attempts to build safe biovaults have met with mixed success. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway is located in the Arctic and was built to be permanently kept at or below -18 degrees Celsius by the surrounding permafrost, but climate change and rising temperatures threaten its long-term safety.

Biorepository facilities in other parts of the world, especially those located close to cities, are human-power dependent and vulnerable to geopolitical upheaval.

Andrew Pask David B. Schneider, a researcher at the University of Melbourne in Australia who is building an Australian seed repository, is enthusiastic about the idea: “We want to look at the same samples in the same facility to ensure their safety, and at the moment the Moon seems like the safest place,” he says.

but Rachel Lapin A researcher from Monash University in Melbourne says there are many challenges and disadvantages to using the Moon, especially the difficulty of accessing it to add or remove samples. She says it might be better to store samples on Earth with lots of redundancy, so that if one repository fails, others are available.

“I want to see compelling evidence that storage will be available if needed,” she said.

Even if this moon vault is not used, Alice Gorman Researchers at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, see value in preserving human remains in space, and believe they might one day be accessible to extraterrestrial civilizations.

“Whether it’s cryogenically frozen biological tissue or DNA, or the full text of Wikipedia stored on a high-density nickel disk, the repository will be similar to the Voyager Golden Records,” Gorman says, referring to the metal disks containing humanity’s story attached to the spacecraft currently leaving the solar system.

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Review of Thank Goodness You’re Here!: A blend of pure vibrancy and dark charm

Posted on July 31, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

IIt’s a classic British comedy setup: an unknown young salesman from a major company is sent on a seemingly mundane trip to an eccentric town, and chaos ensues. This excellent game from small studio Coal Supper makes it clear from the start that it intends to stuff this setting with as much slapstick and surrealism as possible. Leaving the opening sequence set in a 10-storey office, the player is forced to climb out of a window, his fall prevented by the bus he must board for the rest of the journey.

When you arrive in the fictional northern English town of Barnsworth, a sort of gloomy reincarnation of early 1980s Barnsley, you’re supposed to meet the Mayor, but he’s busy, so you go out into the city. Here you encounter a bevy of odd characters, drawn in eerily bright colors and a deceptively childlike style. They usually greet you with a “nice to see you” and gather you together to deal with an absurd crisis. This might be a fat gentleman with his arm stuck in a drain, a fries shop owner whose fryer has broken, or an aging admiral who asks you to gather up some seagulls. But wherever you go, through the market, across the rooftops, down the lanes, you’ll encounter eccentrics doing odd jobs. The strange logic and spiraling…

A seemingly childish style…Thank you for having you here! Photo: Cole Sapper

As for comedic influences, the creators name-drop Reeves and Mortimer and The Mighty Boosh, but the interplay of slapstick, surrealism, and pop art also brings to mind Monty Python, Yellow Submarine, and the slightly subversive 1980s comics Whoopi and Wither and Chips. But don’t worry, you don’t need to know any of that to enjoy the game’s sheer exuberance and dark charm.

What might help is a little knowledge of northern working-class stereotypes: the number of shops with rhyming names (Doug’s Rugs, Nick’s Bricks and, my favorite, Raj’s Chargers, a mobile phone market stall), the unhealthy food offerings (fast food trucks selling Porky Nobbers, carts selling “Oily Bops”) and the almost psychotic competition between pie bakers.

An almost psychotic rivalry between pie makers…I’m so glad you’re here! Photo: Coal Supper/Panic Inc

But overlook these and plenty of other jokes emerge as you find keys and hammers, get a shy boy to beg for milk, or just enjoy the contributions of Matt Berry’s voice actor, who brings these eccentrics to life alongside the rest of the talented cast. In between the main quests, which build on top of each other like dominoes like the puzzles in Codemasters’ old Dizzy games, there are downright bizarre sequences that have you exploring the surface of a steak or collecting bubbles on a spirit level.

There’s also some light satire towards the games industry: graffiti on a wall depicts a man urinating on the word “Ludnarrative,” and in a filthy sewer area between the two locations is a sign that reads “Liminal spaces may not be as appealing as they seem.” Indeed, the game as a whole, with its relentless string of fetching tasks, could be interpreted as pasting the tedious conventions of open-world side quests.

The game’s three-hour runtime is packed with so many ideas, visual gags, wordplay, plants and rewards that you’ll need to play a few more times to take it all in. It’s great fun to play such a completely uncompromisingly silly game, but like a lot of the most ridiculous British humor, there’s also a quiet undertone of angst and despair in this one. The pie seller, the town drunk, the milk-scared child – they’re all trapped in their own quiet personal hells that just happen to be funny to the rest of us.

In the future, when the topic of the funniest comedy games of all time comes up, the usual names will likely pop up: Monkey Island, The Stanley Parable, Death Stranding (just kidding), etc. But now a new game will join them: Coal Supper has created perhaps the 21st century’s first fantastic abstract cartoon puzzle game set in Yorkshire. Thank goodness.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Triathletes preparing for Paris Olympics swim in Seine after last-minute safety tests

Posted on July 31, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

After months of speculation about whether the water in the Seine was clean enough for Olympic athletes to compete in, authorities have determined after last-minute testing that the river’s water is safe for swimming.

After tests of the Seine’s water quality came back positive on Wednesday morning Paris time, the men and women will swim in back-to-back races as part of a triathlon, starting at 8 a.m. local time. The men’s race was originally scheduled for Tuesday but was postponed after the Seine’s water failed tests.

“The latest water quality analysis results, received at 3:20 a.m., have been assessed by World Triathlon as meeting the standards and clearing the way for the triathlon to go ahead,” World Triathlon, the organisers and governing body of the Paris Games, said in a statement.

People cool off under a bridge over the Seine during the sweltering heat at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday.
Maya Hitidji/Getty Images

After the race, Team USA triathlete Taylor Spivey said he “swallowed a ton of water” during the triathlon swim in the Seine, a river that has historically been so polluted that swimming in it has been illegal for the past century.

Spivey, who finished 10th in the race, told NBC News that his biggest concern wasn’t the water quality, but the “exceptional” and “shocking” strength of the current, which he said was so strong that the race could have been canceled.

“The flow was incredible,” she said. “It felt like I was on a treadmill in one place.”

When asked about the quality of the water, she added, “I’ve been taking lots of probiotics for the past month. We’ll see how it goes.”

Cassandre Beaugrand of France won the gold medal ahead of Julie Delong of Switzerland, who took the silver medal, while Beth Potter of Great Britain took the bronze medal.

The Seine’s water quality has caused a bit of a stir in the run up to the events, as organizers rush to clean up the polluted waterway for prime-time attention. For months, France has been testing samples from the river for the presence of pathogens such as E. coli and enterococcus. High levels of E. coli put swimmers at risk of developing gastrointestinal illness.

The Seine has not passed these tests after wet weather, when storms can send runoff and sometimes sewage into the river.

Swimming in the Seine has been banned for more than a century because it was deemed too polluted, but the city of Paris led a $1.5 billion effort to clean up the river and strengthen waste-treatment systems ahead of the Olympics.

As the first event approached, organizers were hoping for sunny weather that would reduce overall pollution and allow ultraviolet light to inactivate some bacteria.

But the weather rarely cooperated.

last year, Test Event Triathlon rehearsals were canceled due to concerns about water quality after the rains.

The opening ceremony, which included a boat parade on the Seine, took place in pouring rain on Friday, which continued into Saturday.

Pollution from the rain forced organisers to cancel two days of swimming training on Sunday and Monday, then postpone the men’s triathlon originally scheduled for Tuesday morning.

There were no spectators at the swimming venue for the Olympic triathlon along the Seine river in Paris on Tuesday.
Thibaut Moritz/AFP – Getty Images

“I’m just trying to focus on what I can control,” U.S. triathlete Kirsten Kasper told NBC News on Tuesday. “We swim in a lot of cities and water quality is often an issue, but I just have to trust that the race organizers are doing the testing and doing what it takes to make sure we’re safe.”

Water experts said the difficulty of keeping the Seine clean enough could draw attention to a broader problem of environmental pollution shared around the world.

“In large cities, it’s very difficult to control the amount of human waste that you see,” said Katie Graham, an assistant professor in the Georgia Institute of Technology’s College of Engineering. “The public assumes that a lot of these problems have been completely solved, but that’s by no means the case.”

NBC News is a unit of NBCUniversal, which owns U.S. media rights to the Olympics through 2032, including the 2024 Paris Games, which begin July 26.

Evan Bush reported from Seattle and Alexander Smith from Paris.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

NHS: New online therapy may potentially double the number of individuals overcoming anxiety

Posted on July 31, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Research suggests that a new online therapy approved by the NHS could significantly increase the number of children and adults recovering from anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. In England, it is estimated that 1 in 5 children and young people between the ages of 8 and 25 may have a mental disorder, while 1 in 4 adults experience a diagnosable mental health problem each year according to NHS England.

Due to long waiting lists for psychiatric care, a surge in demand, and challenges with face-to-face appointments, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommended the use of online therapies across the NHS in their Early Value Assessment. Developed by Oxford University, four internet treatments will be implemented in various NHS trusts, mental health facilities, schools, and universities starting in September.

The University of Oxford has licensed Koa Health to deliver these online therapies, which are tailored for adults, adolescents, children with social anxiety disorder, and adults with PTSD. The treatments involve a series of online modules delivered through phone or video calls with therapists, available 24/7 to replicate in-person treatment.

Studies have shown positive results with these online therapies, with patients recovering as effectively as those receiving face-to-face treatment. Clinical trials have demonstrated significant benefits in treating social anxiety disorder and PTSD, showing promising recovery rates and improvements in quality of life.

The expansion of online therapy has been welcomed by mental health organizations, emphasizing the importance of patient choice in selecting the most suitable treatment. The NHS acknowledges the need to improve access to mental health care and recognizes the potential of digital tools to provide essential support to those in need.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Microsoft surpasses sales expectations, yet stock price dips due to slow growth in cloud services

Posted on July 31, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

In its latest quarterly earnings report, Microsoft exceeded analysts’ expectations by reporting a 15% increase in revenue year over year on Tuesday. However, growth in Azure, the company’s flagship cloud-computing service, fell short, leading to a 7% drop in Microsoft shares during after-hours trading.

Expectations for solid growth in the fourth-quarter earnings report were high, especially driven by cloud services with predicted revenue growth of 29%, which was expected to be between 30% and 31%. This led to a decline in stock prices for major technology companies due to recent market challenges.

During the Microsoft Earnings Report, CEO Satya Nadella aimed to instill confidence in the company’s performance.

Nadella stated in the earnings call, “This year’s strong performance demonstrates our innovation and the ongoing trust our customers have in Microsoft. As a platform company, we prioritize meeting our customers’ mission-critical needs at scale while leading in the AI era.”

Microsoft’s significant investments in artificial intelligence in recent years reflect a strategic move to dominate the tech industry with AI-enabled services. Backing ChatGPT developer OpenAI solidifies Microsoft’s position as a key player in commercializing generative AI.

Despite the growing questions surrounding the revenue potential of big tech companies’ pivot to AI, other factors like speculation about a Federal Reserve rate cut have helped calm investors as enthusiasm for big tech fades after a period of rising stock prices driven by AI optimism.

Microsoft faced challenges this month amid a global technology outage caused by a flawed software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike affecting Windows systems. An unrelated outage on Microsoft’s Azure cloud service on Tuesday also caused network connectivity issues in multiple countries.

Source: www.theguardian.com

The Link Between Wildfire Smoke and Higher Dementia Risk

Posted on July 31, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

summary

Studies have found that wildfire smoke can have adverse effects on brain health.
New research suggests that increased exposure to smoke may increase the risk of dementia.
As wildfires become more frequent and intense due to climate change, more people are being exposed to smoke and the associated health risks.

Parts of California, Oregon and Montana have been hit by several massive wildfires, including the Park Fire in Northern California, the fifth-largest in state history, and air pollution has reached unhealthy levels.

Smoke from wildfires can travel hundreds, even thousands, of miles, making it a danger to people nearby as well as those far away.

The fine particles in the smoke are not only bad for your lungs, but a series of studies in recent years have shown that they also have a negative impact on brain health, increasing the risk of dementia, cognitive impairment and mental health problems.

“Much of the research on wildfire smoke has historically focused on the lungs and the heart,” said Stephanie Cleland, an assistant professor at Simon Fraser University who studies the health effects of wildfire smoke. “It's only recently that we've seen a focus on cognitive function and brain health.”

Adding to this body of evidence is a study presented Monday at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference suggesting that wildfire smoke may increase the likelihood of a dementia diagnosis.

The study analyzed health records of more than 1.2 million Southern California adults aged 60 and older from 2009 to 2019.

The researchers looked at where people lived and their exposure to fine particles from wildfire smoke and other pollutants, and found that for every extra microgram per cubic meter of fine particulate matter from smoke that participants were exposed to over a three-year period, their odds of developing dementia increased by 21%.

In contrast, a similar increase in exposure to fine particulate matter from other sources, such as cars and factories, was associated with a 3% increased odds of developing dementia.

Study author Dr. Holly Elser, a neurology resident at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, said the evidence is still preliminary but supports that chronic exposure to wildfire smoke contributes to cognitive decline.

But, she said, “the threshold at which wildfire smoke begins to pose a risk to dementia is unclear.”

a A study published in August Similarly, higher exposure to fine particulate matter from a variety of sources, including wildfires, was also found to be associated with higher incidence of dementia.

Climate change is making wildfires more frequent and more intense, and it is also increasing people's exposure to smoke. Between 2003 and 2023, the frequency of major wildfires is expected to more than double, Recent research has shown that.

Scientists believe that wildfire smoke affects the brain because the tiny particles it contains can penetrate the barrier between the bloodstream and the brain, causing inflammation in the central nervous system. The particles can also travel directly from the nose to the brain, which can affect people's ability to think, learn, and remember.

Dementia isn't the only potential impact. Research in 2022 Adults who had recently been exposed to wildfire smoke performed worse on brain-training games that measure abilities such as memory, attention, flexibility, processing speed and problem-solving skills, a study has found.

“People's alertness is significantly reduced within hours to days of exposure to wildfire smoke,” said Cleland, one of the study's authors.

other A study published in the same year Exposure to wildfire smoke during the school year has been shown to lower students' test scores compared to smoke-free years.

“The more smoke you're exposed to, the worse your test scores are,” said Marshall Burke, a co-author of the study and an associate professor of global environmental policy at Stanford University. “The impact on individual students is probably pretty small, but when you add it up across students and across schools, it adds up to a pretty significant overall learning loss.”

But Mr Burke said he had doubts about the dementia study findings published this week because wildfire smoke and other pollution “cannot be equated”.

Elser acknowledged that many questions remain about how smoke affects the brain — for example, it's unclear whether smoke causes dementia in healthy people or only in those who are already at risk.

“That's a really interesting question as to whether this is creating new cases of dementia that never would have occurred before, or whether it's simply hastening the onset of clinically evident dementia,” she said.

Other questions remain about the relationship between wildfire smoke and mental health. February Survey Exposure to smoke from wildfires in the western United States has been linked to increased emergency room visits for anxiety. depression and Psychosis like schizophrenia.

Elser said wildfire smoke can change the neurochemistry in people's brains, which can lead to depression and anxiety, but it's also possible that the anxiety and stress of experiencing and living through a wildfire can independently lead to mental health issues.

Other health effects of wildfire smoke are fairly well understood: Scientists have known for decades that inhaling smoke particles can travel deep into the lungs or enter the bloodstream, increasing the risk of asthma, stroke, heart attack, lung cancer, and low birth weight in newborns.

Cleland said it's not just people in fire-prone areas of the U.S. who have to worry about these risks, as the Canadian wildfires that blanketed parts of the Midwest and Northeast in smoke last summer showed.

“Last summer completely changed our discussion of who is exposed to wildfire smoke,” she says. “Oregon, California, Washington and British Columbia are actually getting a lot of wildfire smoke, but that doesn't mean places like the northeastern U.S. and Ontario aren't affected.”

To reduce exposure to wildfire smoke, experts recommend that people living in areas with high levels of wildfire smoke: Air Quality Index Reading If your count is over 100, avoid outdoor activities, close all windows, run indoor air purifiers, and wear an N95 mask if you must go out.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Ubisoft’s Galactic Adventure: A Sneak Peek at Star Wars Outlaws | Games

Posted on July 30, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

a
About 10 minutes into the latest preview build of Ubisoft’s upcoming open-world adventure Star Wars Outlaws, protagonist Kay Vess enters Milogana, a densely populated, dilapidated city on the desolate moon of Tshara. It’s surrounded by a mix of sandstone shacks and metallic sci-fi buildings, packed with flickering computer panels, neon signs, and holographic advertisements. Exotic aliens lurk in quiet corners, and an R2 droid passes by, muttering to itself. Nearby, a cantina features a suspicious patron peeking out from a smoky doorway, and a darkened gambling hall stands nearby.

As you explore, a robotic voice reads Imperial propaganda over a loudspeaker, and stormtroopers patrol the city checking IDs. To this lifelong Star Wars fan, at least, these scenes perfectly capture the aesthetic and atmosphere of the original trilogy. Like A New Hope itself, this is a promising beginning.

“We did our homework,” says voiceover director Navid Cavalli. “We looked to the original films as well as George Lucas’s own inspirations: Akira Kurosawa, World War II films like The Dam Busters, and spaghetti westerns. Great care was taken to maintain tonal consistency in the original trilogy. We needed this to feel like it had high stakes, light-hearted humor, emotional tension, character development and a hero’s journey.”

Promising beginnings…Star Wars Outlaws. Photo: Ubisoft

Outlaws, due to launch on August 30th, has been in development at Massive Entertainment for about five years. In 2018, the studio held an event to announce The Division 2, and at some point that night, then-CEO David Polfeldt stepped outside to talk quietly with a senior Disney official. Over cocktails, the two discussed a possible collaboration. “The first presentation was in February 2020, after we released The Division 2,” says creative director Julian Gerighty. “We had a small team of people – concept artists and game designers – and we went to San Francisco with a very short pitch deck based on three concepts: Star Wars, an open world, and a baddie story.”

Set in the years between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, The Outlaws follows ambitious city thief Kay as he rallies a crew to pull off the biggest heist of his life in order to pay off the huge bounty on his head. [the appeal of Star Wars] “He wasn’t a Jedi farm boy or a cranky old space wizard,” says Gerrity, “he was a cool guy surfing the galaxy with his best friend and the most iconic spaceship. I really focused on these archetypal characters and what they could do in terms of gameplay.”

In Outlaws, players are free to explore and roam at least five major worlds, from Tatooine to stormy Akiva to glitzy Kantonica, home to the casino city of Kanto Bight featured in The Last Jedi. Throughout Cay’s journey, she encounters crime organizations from across the Star Wars canon, including the brutal Pikes, the Hutts, the shady Crimson Dawn, and the samurai-esque Asiga. Completing missions for organizations earns credits and reputation points, unlocking more lucrative jobs and new areas of the map. Joining one gang means alienating another, but there’s an opportunity to set crime bosses at odds or even betray one another.

So perhaps the emphasis on space villains tempted the team to make a Han Solo game? Gerrity shakes his head. “We always wanted a character that wasn’t Han Solo,” he says. “Han is the coolest guy in the galaxy. Cay is a city thief who gets caught up in a bad deal and gets catapulted from place to place like a pinball, and suddenly he’s negotiating with Jabba the Hutt… We did a lot of casting, but Hanberly Gonzalez’s character was the final piece of the puzzle. Her voice, her acting, her approach to the character on the page was such a huge influence.”

The focus on gangster intrigue is what inspired the game to be situated within the Star Wars timeline, an idea that came from Lucasfilm. “We were looking for the right moment to define the gameplay and to be able to go to cool, interesting places and meet interesting characters,” says Steve Blank, director of franchise content and strategy at Lucasfilm. “So we found a place that had a lot of opportunity to tell an underworld story. Organized crime is rampant as the Empire turns its attention to the Rebel Alliance. Jabba the Hutt is at the height of his power.”

At a press event in Los Angeles earlier this month, I played the story’s main quest, set on Tshara, where Kay must steal top-secret information from a computer in the sprawling mansion of Pyke crime lord Gorak. It’s a large, multi-floor environment riddled with guards. You can either charge straight in with blaster fire, or hack doors as you work your way through a network of ventilation ducts, backrooms, and sneaky passageways. I also visited Kimiji, an ice planet ruled by the Ashigas, a blind swordsman-like alien race. My mission is to meet with a safecracker, but I’m being pursued by an assassin. It’s an atmospheric place to explore, with temple-like towers towering above frozen cobblestone streets, snow flurries in the sky, and a small group of shady thugs huddling around a pale orange noodle shop.

A restaurant with delicious noodles…Star Wars Outlaws. Photo: Ubisoft

Although this is a Massive Entertainment game, it feels unmistakably Ubisoft. The stealth, the combat, the balance between story and side quests all contain elements borrowed from Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Watch Dogs. You watch enemy patrols, take down targets one by one using a variety of special abilities, and then escape. There are further borrowings from other action-adventures, such as Kay’s ability to slow down time to target multiple enemies before firing multiple volleys with a blaster, a clear homage to Max Payne and Red Dead Redemption.

It’s fun to think about exactly how to use all the toys available to you in such a large, densely designed location. But the big question is: what’s new and what’s different? Apart from the Star Wars license, there are three elements that distinguish Outlaws from other Ubisoft adventures. First, there’s Nix, Kay’s constant companion. This is a cute little creature that follows you everywhere and gives you access to parts of the environment that you can’t. You can also command him to attack or distract guards, or pick up items or dropped ammo. This is especially useful during gunfights. “Nix was inspired by our pet,” says Navid Khavari. “My wife and I don’t know how we would have survived COVID without cats, so I think it feels very natural. He acts like a dog.

Outlaws also does away with Ubisoft’s typical skill trees and points in favor of a more natural alternative: Expert Missions have you quest for powerful specialists, granting you new abilities and upgrading your weapons and speeder bikes.

A masterpiece… “Star Wars Outlaws.” Photo: Ubisoft

And then, of course, there’s space travel; you can hop off-planet at any time, and the transition happens in one seamless sequence. You’re then free to fly around your current system, fighting TIE fighters or scavenging space debris before making a hyperspace jump to a new planet. Flying is simple, and dogfights rely heavily on the lock-on feature to automatically track down your enemies. It’s a lot more arcadey than the great X-Wing and Tie-Fighter games of yore. Still, it’s a unique thrill to get an enemy ship in your sights and blast it to smithereens accompanied by the legendary Ben Burtt-esque sound effects.

I’ve only seen a few hours of the game so far, but there’s still so much to discover. I’m hoping that the missions and side quests will delve deeper into Star Wars lore and move further away from the typical Assassin’s Creed or Far Cry fare. I’m curious to see how populated and detailed the planets are away from the major hubs. I’d love to encounter Jawa transports, secret Imperial bases, and terrifying monsters that will spend a thousand years trying to devour me. This element of stumble-through discovery in the Star Wars universe is something the team has clearly thought about.

“We knew we needed to allow the player freedom, which is very much part of how Star Wars works,” says Cavalli. “We created a tonal blueprint that drew from both The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and blended that with all of the characters and vendors in the story so that they all felt like they were part of the same journey. It took us a while to realize this, but Star Wars is particularly well-suited for an open-world game, which is why fans, myself included, have been clamoring for it for so long.”

Source: www.theguardian.com

Can mind-machine implants improve human abilities?

Posted on July 30, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

I lost to a cyborg. When I played the online game WebGrid, using my finger on my laptop’s trackpad to click squares that appear unpredictably on a grid, I was able to beat him at 42 beats per minute. When Noland Arbaugh, a self-described cyborg, played the game, using a chip implanted in his brain to send telepathic signals to a computer, his speed was 49.

Arbaugh was paralyzed from the neck down in 2016. In January, he became the first person to be surgically implanted with a chip made by Neuralink, a company founded by Elon Musk. Since then, Arbaugh has been able to use his mind to control his phone and computer, surf the web, and play games. civilization And chess.

But Neuralink is not the only company using brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) to blend the human brain with machines. Thanks to a series of trials, many people paralyzed by spinal cord injuries, strokes and movement disorders are regaining lost abilities. These successes have surprised some researchers, says Jamie Henderson, a neurosurgeon at Stanford University in California. “It’s been an incredible advance.”

Where that will take us remains to be seen. Musk recently mused about developing bionic implants that could compete with artificial superintelligence. Others see deeper implications: “In the future, we will be able to manipulate human perception, memory, behavior and identity,” says Rafael Yuste of Columbia University in New York.

But while BCIs are undoubtedly impressive, as Arbaugh’s WebGrid scores show, the relationship between brain activity, thoughts, and behavior is incredibly complex. Memory…

Source: www.newscientist.com

Can a person’s name influence their facial features?

Posted on July 30, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

First names are social tags that are attached to us early in life. Previous studies have shown that an individual's facial appearance is indicative of their name. A new study explores the origins of this face-name matching effect – whether names are given based on innate facial features or whether an individual's facial appearance changes to match their name over time. Findings using both humans and machine learning algorithms show that while adults show a match between facial appearance and name, this pattern is not seen in children or in children's faces digitally aged to an adult appearance.

Zwebener othersThey investigated the possibility of a self-fulfilling prophecy effect, whereby an individual's facial appearance over time begins to resemble the social stereotype associated with their name. Image credit: Zwebner others., doi: 10.1073/pnas.2405334121.

“George Orwell famously said, 'By the time you're 50, everyone has a suitable face,'” said Reichman University researcher Yonat Zwebner and his colleagues.

“Research supports Orwell's observations and suggests that changes in facial appearance over the years may be influenced by a person's personality and behaviour.”

“Our current study aims to explicitly test developmental aspects of facial appearance by focusing on social processes by taking advantage of a recently identified effect, the face-name congruency effect. The face-name congruency effect suggests that names can be manifested in the appearance of a face.”

In the study, the authors asked 9- to 10-year-old children and adults to match people's faces with names.

The findings revealed that both children and adults correctly matched adult faces to their corresponding names at rates well above chance.

However, when it came to children's faces and names, participants were unable to make accurate associations.

In another part of the study, a large database of images of human faces was fed into the machine learning system.

The computer recognized that facial representations of adults with the same name were significantly more similar to each other than to facial representations of adults with different names.

Conversely, no significant similarities were found when comparing children with the same name to children with different names.

The researchers concluded that the similarities between people's faces and names are the result of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Facial appearance changes over time to conform to the social stereotypes associated with names.

These stereotypes can form in a variety of ways, such as when a name is associated with a famous person or because of the connotations that biblical names have.

“Our study highlights the broader importance of this surprising effect – the profound influence of social expectations,” Dr Zwebner said.

“We have demonstrated that social construction, or structuring, does in fact exist, something that has been almost impossible to verify empirically until now.”

“Social constructs are so powerful that they can affect how people look.”

“These findings may suggest the extent to which other personal factors, such as gender and ethnicity, that may be even more important than a name, may shape a person's personality as they grow up.”

of result This month is Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

_____

Yonat Zwebner others2024. Does a name shape the appearance of a face? PNAS 121 (30): e2405334121; doi: 10.1073/pnas.2405334121

Source: www.sci.news

Google’s partnership with Anthropic under review by UK regulators

Posted on July 30, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

The Competition and Markets Authority has initiated a preliminary inquiry into Google’s collaboration with AI startup Anthropic, marking the latest in a series of probes into agreements between major tech companies and smaller AI enterprises.

Google has injected $2 billion (approximately £1.56 billion) into the firm by 2023, following a recent cloud-computing deal with Clode LLM and chatbot startup Anthropic.

The CMA is currently assessing whether the partnership may have led to “merger-related situations” that warrant a formal investigation. Public feedback is welcomed over the next fortnight.

This move comes amidst broader worries about competition in the generative AI sector, with Amazon also collaborating with Anthropic to secure a $4 billion stake in the company and serve as one of its cloud computing suppliers. The Amazon-Anthropic deal is also under scrutiny by the CMA for potential merger implications.

Additionally, the CMA has launched investigations into OpenAI and Microsoft, following Microsoft’s acquisition of a significant share in the commercial division of ChatGPT creator, as well as into Microsoft’s partnership with AI startup Inflection, where the tech giant obtained access to its AI models and recruited the startup’s founders and management.

An inquiry into Microsoft’s dealings with French AI startup Mistral was terminated in May.

Regulators are apprehensive about the dominance of big tech players, especially in competitive fields like AI, hence direct takeovers are improbable. However, the CMA is vigilant about agreements that could impede competition through other means.

An Anthropic spokesperson refuted any claims of a merger, stating that they remain an autonomous entity with no compromise to their corporate governance independence or partnership freedom.

A Google representative affirmed the company’s commitment to fostering an open and innovative AI ecosystem globally.

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Furthermore, it was clarified that “Anthropic utilizes multiple cloud providers and has not sought any exclusive technology rights.”

Source: www.theguardian.com

TechScape: Is OpenAI’s $5 billion chatbot investment worth it? It depends on your utilization of it | Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Posted on July 30, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

What if you build it and no one comes?

It’s fair to say the luster of the AI boom is fading. Skyrocketing valuations are starting to look shaky compared to the massive spending required to keep them going. Over the weekend, tech site The Information reported that OpenAI is An astonishing $5 billion in additional spending is expected More than this year alone:

If our predictions are correct, OpenAI’s recent valuation would be $80bnwill need to raise more capital over the next 12 months or so. Our analysis is based on informed estimates of what OpenAI will spend to operate the ChatGPT chatbot and train future large-scale language models, as well as a “guesstimate” of how much OpenAI will spend on staffing, based on OpenAI’s previous projections and our knowledge of its adoption. Our conclusion shows exactly why so many investors are concerned about the profit prospects of conversational artificial intelligence.

The most pessimistic view is that AI — and especially chatbots, an expensive and competitive sector of an industry that has captured the public’s imagination — isn’t as good as we’ve been told.

This argument suggests that as adoption grows and iteration slows, most people have had a chance to use cutting-edge AI properly and are beginning to realize that it’s great but probably useless. The first time you use ChatGPT, it’s a miracle, but by the 100th time, the flaws are obvious and the magic fades into the background. You decide ChatGPT is bullshit.

In this paper, I argue against the view that ChatGPT and others are lying or hallucinating when they make false claims, and support the position that what they are doing is bullshit. … Since these programs themselves could not care less about the truth, and are designed to generate text that looks true without actually caring about the truth, it seems appropriate to call their output bullshit.

Get them trained

It is estimated that only a handful of jobs will be completely eliminated by AI. Photo: Bim/Getty Images/iStockphoto

I don’t think it’s that bad. But that’s not because the system is perfect. I think the move to AI is a hurdle we’ve got to overcome much earlier. You have to try a chatbot in any meaningful way to even begin to realize it’s bullshit and give up. And judging by the tech industry’s response, that’s starting to become a bigger hurdle. Last Thursday, I reported on how Google is partnering with a network of small businesses and several academy trusts to bring AI into the workplace to enhance, rather than replace, worker capabilities. Debbie Weinstein, managing director of Google UK and Ireland, said:

It’s hard for us to talk about this right now because we don’t know exactly what’s going to happen. What we do know is that the first step is to sit down and talk. [with the partners] And then really understanding the use case. If you have school administrators and students in the classroom, what are the specific tasks that you actually want to perform for these people?

For teachers, this could be a quick email with ideas on how to use Gemini in their lesson plans, formal classroom training, or one-on-one coaching. Various pilot programs will be run with 1,200 participants, with each group having around 100 participants.

One way of looking at this is that it’s just another feel-good investment in the upskilling schemes of big companies. Google in particular has been helping to upskill Brits for years with its digital training scheme, formerly branded as the company’s “Digital Garage”. To put it more cynically, teaching people how to use new technology by teaching them how to use your own tools is good business. Brits of a certain age will vividly remember “IT” or “ICT” classes as thinly veiled instructions on how to use Microsoft Office. People older and younger than me learned some basic computer programming. I learned how to use Microsoft Access.

In this case, it’s something deeper: Google needs to go beyond simply teaching people how to use AI and also run experiments to figure out what exactly to teach them. “This isn’t about a fundamental rethinking of how we understand technology, it’s about the little everyday things that make work a little more productive and a little more enjoyable,” Weinstein says. “Today, we have tools that make work a little easier. Those three minutes you save every time you write an email.

“Our goal is to make sure that everyone can benefit from technology, whether it’s Google technology or other companies’ technology. And I think the general idea of working together with tools that help make your life more efficient is something that everyone can benefit from.”

Ever since ChatGPT came out, the underlying assumption has been that the technology speaks for itself, and the fact that it literally does is a big help to that. But chat interfaces are confusing. Even if you’re dealing with a real human being, it’s still a skill to get the best out of them when you need help, and an even better skill when the only way to communicate with them is through text chat.

AI chatbots are not people. They are so unlike humans that it’s all the more difficult to even think about how they might fit into common work patterns. The pessimistic view of this technology isn’t “what if there wasn’t one there” – there is, of course, a pessimistic view, despite all the hallucinations and nonsense. Rather, it’s a much simpler view: what if most people never bothered to learn how to use them?

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Masbot Gold

Google DeepMind has trained its new AI system to solve problems from the International Mathematical Olympiad. Photo: Pittinan Piyavatin/Alamy

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Google it reads:

Although computers are being built to perform calculations faster than humans, the highest levels of formal mathematics remain the sole domain of humans. But a groundbreaking discovery by researchers at Google DeepMind has brought AI systems closer than ever to beating the best human mathematicians at the field.

Two new systems, called AlphaProof and AlphaGeometry 2, worked together to tackle problems in the International Mathematical Olympiad, a worldwide math competition for middle school students. 1959Each year, the Olympiad consists of six incredibly difficult problems covering subjects such as algebra, geometry and number theory, and winning a gold medal makes you one of the best young mathematicians in the world.

A word of warning: the Google DeepMind system solved “only” four of the six problems, and one of them they solved using a “neurosymbolic” system, which is less AI-like than you might expect. All problems were manually translated into a programming language called Lean, which allows the system to read it as a formal description of the problem without having to parse human-readable text first. (Google DeepMind also tried to use LLM to do this part, but it didn’t work very well.)

But this is still a pretty big step. The International Mathematical Olympiad difficultand AI won the medal. What happens when you win the gold medal? Is there a big difference between being able to solve problems that only the best high school mathematicians could tackle and being able to solve problems that only the best undergraduates, graduate students, and doctors could solve? What changes when a branch of science is automated?

If you’d like to read the full newsletter, sign up to receive TechScape in your inbox every Tuesday.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Dreamsettler: Exploring the Pre-Facebook Internet Through a Gaming Time Capsule

Posted on July 30, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

IIt's been five years since Tendershoot's wacky '90s internet simulator Hypnospace Outlaw, and this spiritual sequel was announced two years ago. In that time, as tech moguls buy up social media giants, Reddit gets monetized (and effectively censored) against the will of its user base, and AI becomes more and more prevalent, millennials' yearning for the lawless, algorithm-free days of the early internet is only getting stronger. At least, that's how creative director Jay Tholen feels.

“I knew things were bad then, but I didn't think it would get this bad,” Thoren says of the current state of the World Wide Web.

Both Hypnospace Outlaw and Dreamsettler are set in an alternate world where people browse the internet while they sleep. In the first game, you're put in the shoes of a forum moderator, helping to keep internet users safe by fighting piracy, harassment and illegal activity. In Dreamsettler, set between 2003 and 2005, players have more powers, this time playing as a private investigator looking to make a name for themselves.

It starts with players setting up their own page and choosing which part of the web they want to base themselves in, like Camp Rowdy, which Tholen describes as “kind of like Good Time Valley, but with a bit more of a country subculture.” Low-risk deals help build your reputation. Eventually, Sleepnet, the company behind Dreamsettler, will ask you to unearth something for them, and other powerful companies will start seeking your services, too.

Imagine you've been asked to investigate a murder that may be linked to a conspiracy theorist's personal web page. You'd start by skimming the news article to find the date of the accident, then look at people's pages around that date to see if they have any clues that might lead you to the crime.

After two years of development, there's still no release date in sight for Dreamsettler. “No game I've ever made has been in this situation,” Tholen says, only half-joking. “Publishers have given up on setting deadlines. They don't like to make too specific plans because it makes it very tedious, and they don't allow for iterative design.”

Besides bumping up the game's resolution from 480×270 pixels to 960×540 pixels (if you remember Windows 95, you know that was once a huge amount of screen real estate for a Web page), one of the hardest things for Tholen was pleasing everyone: He hopes Dreamsettler will appeal to both those who lived in the early days of the Internet (many of whom played Hypnospace Outlaw) and those too young to remember what a dial-up modem sounded like.

“I always have this rule implicit in my head,” he explains. “What you need to know to enjoy Dreamsettler needs to be found within the game. There's no 'you don't know what you don't know' reference. The game needs to have that information accessible somewhere so that every player can enjoy it.”

Source: www.theguardian.com

A doctor explains if this fluffy mushroom truly deserves the title of ultimate superfood

Posted on July 30, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

If you’ve been browsing the internet recently, you’ve likely come across advertisements for Lionsman Mushroom supplements that claim to enhance health and prevent illness. But are these claims and products scientifically supported, or are they just a passing trend?

What exactly is a Lionsman mushroom?

The lion’s mane mushroom, scientifically known as Yamabushitake mushroom, is a sizable, hairy edible mushroom with a sweet taste and soft texture. It is used in gourmet cuisine and has a lengthy history in traditional medicine, attracting attention from both Western scientists and modern marketers.

There have been numerous studies on Lionsman mushrooms, with at least 410 research papers published in the last decade. However, only about a quarter of these studies have been conducted on humans, with the rest utilizing model systems like rodents or cell cultures. There have been a total of seven human clinical trials to date.

Is Yamabushitake good for your health?

Heart Health

Around one in three adults in the UK suffers from high blood pressure, and elevated cholesterol levels increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Lionsman extract has been studied for its potential to improve blood lipid levels, reduce oxidation, and possibly act as an anticoagulant.

Diabetes

Research suggests that Lionsman mushrooms may help control blood sugar levels, but this has only been demonstrated in rodents and cell studies, not in humans, especially those with diabetes.

Cancer Prevention

Studies have identified substances in lion’s mane mushrooms that may inhibit the growth of various cancer cells. However, more research is needed to determine if these effects translate to human consumption.

Mental Health and Cognition

Studies have shown that Lionsman extract can promote nerve cell growth, reduce oxidation and inflammation, and improve brain health. Small-scale studies have indicated potential benefits for memory and cognitive function.

Immunity and Inflammation

Lionsman compounds have been shown to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, but their effects on immunity in humans are yet to be fully understood.

Supports Gastrointestinal Health

Lionsman mushrooms have shown promise in limiting the growth of harmful bacteria and reducing the severity of gastrointestinal disorders in animal models. Human studies are still ongoing to confirm these effects.

So, can Lionsman mushroom supplements be beneficial for humans?

Most Lionsman products on the market focus on extracts, capsules, and powders, as these are easier to study than the whole mushroom. Dosage recommendations are challenging to determine due to the variability in products and the lack of conclusive data.

Are there any side effects?

Lionsman supplements are generally well-tolerated but may cause gastrointestinal upset, nausea, and skin rashes. It is important to consult with a healthcare provider before taking them, especially if you are on other medications.

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Scientists are on the verge of uncovering the secrets behind the construction of Egypt’s ancient pyramids.

Posted on July 30, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

A recent study published in July suggests that Egypt’s oldest pyramid, the Step Pyramid of Djoser, may have been constructed using advanced technology. The study proposes that a hydraulic lift system was used during the construction of the pyramid to raise the massive blocks needed for its construction.

The Step Pyramid of Djoser was built as the final resting place of King Djoser, the first or second pharaoh of Egypt’s Third Dynasty during the Old Kingdom, around 4,700 years ago. The pyramid rises in six tiers to a height of 62 meters above the Saqqara plateau, equivalent to the height of a 14-storey building.

If proven true, the existence of this hydraulic lift system would offer an explanation for how the ancient Egyptians were able to construct such monumental structures with the technology available at the time. The study also suggests that a nearby enclosure, known as Gisr el-Mudir, may have served as a “check dam” to capture water and sediment, supporting the hydraulic system.

Map of the Saqqara plateau showing the waterway from the Gisr el-Mudir Dam to the water treatment facility near the Pyramid of Djoser. The water is then routed to the pyramid’s pipe network to power the hydraulic elevators. – Image courtesy of Paléotechnique, Paris, France

The study proposes that a sophisticated system of water treatment plants outside the pyramid combined with the Gisr el-Mudir and a ditch controlled water quality and flow. Water would flow into a shaft inside the pyramid where a float system potentially carried building stones to their needed locations. A plug system at the base of the shaft could then drain the water for the process to start again.

Xavier Landreau, president of Paleotechnique and lead author of the study, emphasizes the importance of this discovery in questioning established historical narratives and the technical knowledge possessed by the ancient Egyptian architects. The study also raises the intriguing question of whether the same hydraulic system used to construct the pyramid could have been used to bury the king in his final resting place within the pyramid.

About the Experts

Xavier Landreau: President of Paleotechnique and lead author of the study. Paleotechnique is a research practice that combines hydrology, geotechnical engineering, physics, mathematics, materials science, and history to explore the origins of civilization.

Read more:

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

IC 3430 Discovered by Hubble Space Telescope

Posted on July 30, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have obtained stunning new images of the dwarf elliptical galaxy IC 3430.

This Hubble Space Telescope image shows the dwarf galaxy IC 3430, located about 45 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. The color image includes both visible and near-infrared observations by the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). The image is based on data obtained through two filters. The colors are obtained by assigning a different hue to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / M. Sun.

IC3430 It is located in the constellation Virgo, about 45 million light years from Earth.

This dwarf galaxy discovered It was discovered on February 15, 1900 by German astronomer Arnold Schwassmann.

Also known as LEDA 41294, UGC 7643, and VCC 1273, it is just 25,000 light-years in diameter.

The IC 3430 is Virgo star cluster is rich in galaxies of all sizes, many of which are very similar in type to this dwarf galaxy.

“IC 3430 is a dwarf galaxy, well reflected in this Hubble Space Telescope image, more accurately known as a dwarf elliptical galaxy, or dE galaxy,” Hubble astronomers said in a statement.

“Like its larger cousins, this galaxy has a smooth oval shape with no visible arm or bar features, and it lacks gas to form many new stars.”

“Intriguingly, IC 3430 contains a hot, massive, blue stellar core, a rare phenomenon in elliptical galaxies, indicating recent star formation activity.”

“We believe that shock pressure from a galaxy punching through the gas in the Virgo Cluster ignited remaining gas in IC 3430's core, forming several new stars.”

“Dwarf galaxies are actually galaxies with a small number of stars, typically fewer than a billion, but still often enough to replicate the same shapes as larger galaxies on a smaller scale,” the astronomers said.

“There are dwarf elliptical galaxies like IC 3430, dwarf irregular galaxies, dwarf spheroidal galaxies, and even dwarf spiral galaxies.”

“The so-called Magellanic spiral galaxies are also a type of dwarf galaxy, the best example of which is the well-known dwarf galaxy, the Magellanic Clouds.”

Source: www.sci.news

Ozempic and Wegovy could potentially aid individuals in smoking cessation

Posted on July 30, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Ozempic has the potential to treat many diseases, not just type 2 diabetes and obesity.

MySkin/Shutterstock

Another study showed that semaglutide (a drug found in Ozempic and Wegovi – It may help treat addiction: Researchers found that people prescribed the drug to treat type 2 diabetes were less likely to seek medical attention for smoking than those taking other diabetes medications.

Semaglutide helps treat obesity and type 2 diabetes by mimicking hormones that suppress appetite and regulate blood sugar levels. Previous studies have also shown that semaglutide reduces the incidence of diabetes. Cannabis Use Disorder and Alcoholism.

To find out the effect of semaglutide on tobacco addiction, Ron Shu Researchers at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio collected data from the electronic medical records of about 223,000 people in the US with type 2 diabetes and smoking habits, about 6,000 of whom had been prescribed semaglutide, and the rest were using one of seven other diabetes medications.

The researchers then tracked whether participants met with a health care provider about smoking or received smoking cessation counseling within a year of starting to take the smoking cessation medication.

After taking into account variables such as age, sex, race and certain health conditions, the team found that people using semaglutide were, on average, less likely to receive tobacco-related medical care than people taking other medications, which the researchers took to be an indication that these people may be more successful in quitting smoking.

For example, semaglutide users were 32% less likely to receive the treatment. Insulin 18% lower than users Metformin user.

People taking semaglutide may be less likely to seek medical care for their smoking, even though they didn’t necessarily stop using such products. But Xu said that because they all sought tobacco-related medical care at similar rates before they started taking type 2 diabetes medication, semaglutide may actually have helped them.

The study was not a randomized controlled trial, which is the highest level of medical evidence, so the results do not conclusively show that semaglutide is behind the effect, he said. Patricia Grigson Kennedy At Pennsylvania State University, however, other studies have shown that semaglutide reduces activity in areas of the brain involved in reward processing and craving, so there may be a causal relationship.

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Study reveals high prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 virus among wild animals

Posted on July 30, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

In a new study, a team of scientists from Virginia Tech investigated the extent to which exposure to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of COVID-19, was widespread in wildlife communities in Virginia and Washington, DC, between May 2022 and September 2023. They documented positive detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in six species: deer mice, Virginia opossums, raccoons, groundhogs, cotton-tailed bats, and eastern red bats. They also found no evidence that the SARS-CoV-2 virus was transmitted from animals to humans, and people should not fear general contact with wildlife.

Goldberg othersThis suggests that a wide variety of mammal species were infected with SARS-CoV-2 in the wild. Image credit: Goldberg others., doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-49891-w.

“SARS-CoV-2 could be transmitted from humans to wild animals during contact between humans and wild animals, in the same way that a hitchhiker might jump to a new, more suitable host,” said Carla Finkelstein, a professor at Virginia Tech.

“The goal of a virus is to spread in order to survive. It wants to infect as many humans as possible, but vaccination protects many of us. So the virus turns to animals, where it adapts and mutates to thrive in a new host.”

SARS CoV-2 infections have previously been identified in wild animals, primarily white-tailed deer and wild mink.

This new research significantly expands the number of species investigated and improves our understanding of virus transmission in and between wild animals.

The data suggest that exposure to the virus is widespread among wild animals and that areas with high human activity may be contact points for interspecies transmission.

“This study was prompted by the realization that there were significant and important gaps in our knowledge about the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in the broader wildlife community,” said Dr. Joseph Hoyt of Virginia Tech.

“Most studies to date have focused on white-tailed deer, but we still don't know what's going on with many of the wildlife species commonly found in our backyards.”

For the study, the researchers collected 798 nasal and oral swabs from animals that had been caught live and released from the wild, or that were being treated at a wildlife rehabilitation center, as well as 126 blood samples from six animal species.

These sites were chosen to compare the presence of viruses in animals across different levels of human activity, from urban areas to remote wilderness.

The scientists also identified two mice with the exact same mutation on the same day and in the same location, indicating that they either both got infected from the same person, or one had transmitted it to the other.

How it spreads from humans to animals is unknown, but wastewater is a possibility, but trash cans and discarded food are more likely sources.

“I think the biggest takeaway from this study is that this virus is everywhere. We're finding it in common backyard animals that are testing positive,” said Dr. Amanda Goldberg of Virginia Tech.

“This study highlights the potentially broad host range of SARS-CoV-2 in nature and how widely it may actually spread,” Dr Hoyt said.

“There is much work to be done to understand which wildlife species, if any, are important in the long-term maintenance of SARS-CoV-2 in humans.”

“But what we've already learned is that SARS CoV-2 is not just a human problem, and we need multidisciplinary teams to effectively address its impacts on different species and ecosystems,” Professor Finkelstein said.

of Investigation result Published in today's journal Nature Communications.

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A.R. Goldberg others2024. Widespread exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in wildlife communities. Nat Community 15, 6210; doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-49891-w

This article has been edited based on the original release from Virginia Tech.

Source: www.sci.news

Study finds that extinct fin whales had narrow-band high-frequency hearing

Posted on July 30, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Parapontoporia The common dolphin, an extinct genus of long-nosed dolphins that lived along the Pacific coast of North America from the late Miocene to the Pliocene, was likely able to hear in a narrow band of high-frequency sounds, a new analysis has found. Parapontoporia The bony labyrinth.

The last known Chinese river dolphin, Qiqi. Image by Roland Seitre / CC BY-SA 3.0.

“Whales, dolphins and porpoises (cetaceans) represent one of the most dramatic transitions in the history of mammals: a return from land to water,” said researchers Dr. Joyce Sanks of Vanderbilt University and Dr. Rachel Racicot of the Senckenberg Institute and the Natural History Museum.

“As a result, this group acquired a series of aquatic adaptations, such as moving their nostrils to the top of their heads and streamlining their bodies.”

“Echolocation developed early in the evolutionary history of Oligocene toothed whales (Odontoceti), and all modern toothed whales possess this ability.”

“The biosonar clicks produced by most extant toothed whales typically cover a wide frequency spectrum, from tens of kilohertz to 150-170 kHz.”

“Conversely, certain toothed whales emit characteristic biosonar clicks that have narrow bandwidth but high centroid frequencies.”

“These distinctive clicks have a peak frequency of 125-140 kHz and a bandwidth of 11-20 kHz.”

Using high-resolution x-ray CT scans, the authors examined the inner ears of three people. Parapontoporia Two specimens, Parapontoporia sternbergii and Parapontoporia pacifica From the collection of the San Diego Natural History Museum.

With the help of 3D models, the team was able to prove that these creatures already had narrow-band, high-frequency hearing during the Miocene epoch, about 5.3 million years ago.

“Echolocation, as used by animals, also developed quite early in evolutionary history,” Dr Racicot said.

“The animals emit sound waves that bounce off objects and send back echoes, providing information about the object's distance and size. All toothed whales currently use this natural sonar system.”

“Echolocation is a rational hunting and communication strategy, especially in the ocean, where sound travels five times faster than in air, and where visibility is often reduced.”

“What's particularly interesting is that these dolphins have once again changed habitat, leaving the marine environment to colonize rivers.”

There are still a few dolphins living in the river today, with all six species now extremely rare and endangered.

As a relative Chinese river dolphin (Lipotes vexilifer) Last recorded in 2002, Parapontoporia It provides insight into the transition from marine habitats to freshwater environments.

“We speculate that this early and widespread evolution of echolocation in the dolphins we studied was driven by selective pressure or ecological advantage,” Dr Racicot said.

“River systems are spatially complex habitats, and this form of orientation and communication would likely have been advantageous for long-nosed dolphins.”

“Further research into toothed whales' sensory organs could be an important tool for studying the influence of habitat on cetacean hearing and for understanding the evolutionary dynamics of marine mammals.”

of result Published in this month's journal Anatomy record.

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Joyce Sanks & Rachel Racicot. Biology and prediction of hyperacusis. Parapontoporia – The extinct fin whale. Anatomy record Published online July 15, 2024; doi: 10.1002/ar.25538

Source: www.sci.news

New Study Reveals Further Insights into Ice’s Unique Formation

Posted on July 29, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Ice 0 is Ice Shape If it is possible to induce the formation of ice crystals in supercooled water, University of Tokyo.

Ice nucleation in water nanodroplets at 180 K (minus 93.15 degrees Celsius, minus 135.76 degrees Fahrenheit). Image courtesy of G. Sun & H. Tanaka, doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-50188-1.

“Ice crystallization, known as ice nucleation, usually occurs heterogeneously, in other words, on solid surfaces,” said University of Tokyo researchers Gan Song and Hajime Tanaka.

“This is typically expected to occur at the surface of a container of water, where the liquid and solid meet.”

“But our study shows that ice crystallization can also occur just below the water surface, in contact with the air.”

“Here, ice nucleates around a small precursor that has the same characteristic ring-like structure as ice-0.”

“Simulations show that under isothermal conditions, water droplets are likely to crystallize near the free surface,” Dr Sun added.

“This settles a long-standing debate about whether crystallization occurs more easily on the surface or in the interior.”

The precursor to ice-0 has a structure very similar to supercooled water, which allows water molecules to crystallize more easily without having to form directly into the structure of regular ice.

These form naturally as a result of the negative pressure effect caused by the surface tension of water.

When crystallization begins from these precursors, the ice-0-like structure rapidly rearranges into the more typical ice-I.

“Our discovery of the mechanism behind water surface crystallization is expected to make significant contributions to various fields, such as climate research and food science, where water crystallization plays an important role,” said Dr. Tanaka.

“Understanding ice in more detail and how it forms can provide valuable insights into many different fields of research.”

“This work may be particularly important in meteorology, because the formation of ice from precursors such as ice-0 may have a much more pronounced effect on tiny water droplets such as those found in clouds.”

“Understanding ice also has benefits in technology, from food science to air conditioning.”

Team paper Published online in the journal Nature Communications.

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G. Sun & H. Tanaka. 2024. Surface-induced water crystallization driven by precursors formed in a negative pressure region. Nat Community 15, 6083; doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-50188-1

This article is based on a press release from the University of Tokyo.

Source: www.sci.news

400 Million Years Ago, A Giant Scorpion Might Have Been a Crustacean

Posted on July 29, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Extinct giant aquatic arthropods called sea scorpions (Eurypterids) were apex predators. A new study suggests that early species of carcinosomatoids, with their scorpion-like spiny limbs, fed on trilobites, while later species preferred armored fish. Carcinosomatoids evolved into scorpions, but not the giant scorpion-like creatures that lived 400 million years ago. Preactorus and Brontoscorpio which is published in Walking with monsters (TV series) was probably a crustacean.

Reconstruction Pentecopterus (170 cm long), the oldest known sea scorpion (Eurypteridae), from the Ordovician Period (467 million years ago) of Iowa, USA. Image by John Alexander.

Sea scorpions (family: Ophiocephalidae) are ancient aquatic creepies (arthropods, meaning they have segmented bodies, exoskeletons, and jointed legs) that lived from 467 million years ago until about 253 million years ago.

Some pterygian Eurypterids can grow to lengths of nearly 2.6 metres, making them the largest insects ever to have lived. Eurypterids also include the predatory carcinosomatoids, namely the megalograpts, carcinosomatoids and mixopterids, which have long spiny limbs and can grow to lengths of up to 2 metres.

Carcinosomatoids used their long, spiny limbs to catch prey and burrow into the mud, and computer models suggest that they were slow swimmers who preferred to live close to the sea floor as ambush predators.

New research on fossils found alongside megalograptids suggests that they were primarily associated with trilobites, a diverse group of extinct marine arthropods.

Carcinosomatids tend to live in symbiosis with lightly armoured phyllocallid crustaceans and lingulid brachiopods (lamp shells).

Mixopterid fishes tend to coexist with more heavily armoured fishes such as therodonts, osteostracans and pteraspids.

Fossilized feces (coprolites) prove that they ate trilobites, armored fish, and even their own kind (cannibals).

The idea that nudibranchs influenced the evolution of armored fishes in the predator-prey arms race is often dismissed.

The study suggests that mixopterids and pterygians had some influence on their evolution (and on our very ancient ancestors).

Megalograptus is interpreted as being more primitive than previously thought, which means that early (Ordovician) crinoid diversity has been overestimated.

Scorpions are thought to have evolved from a Mixopteridae-like ancestor, evolving claws (palps), stingers, and comb-like sensory pecten on their undersides.

Giant scorpions may be the creatures of your nightmares, but they actually existed in Scotland's Carboniferous period. Pulmonoscorpiusand Gigantoscorpio.

Reconstruction PulmonoscorpiusA giant scorpion (70 cm long) from the Carboniferous period of Scotland (330 million years ago). Image by Junnn11 / CC BY-SA 4.0.

Even longer (1 meter) scorpions PreactorusThis dinosaur, which lived in Herefordshire, England, is also thought to have lived 412 million years ago.

However, the grooves on its shell, the pustular ornamentation, and the recurved first segment suggest that it is in fact a crustacean.

Bennett TaltraThey come from the same layer and region and may be related (or slightly smaller) Preactorus.

BrontoscorpioIt is an estimated 86cm long (400 million years old) scorpion featured in a BBC television series. Walking with monstersOnly a small portion of the claws are known, and it is probably a crustacean. Image courtesy of Impossible Pictures.

Brontoscorpio(86cm long), discovered in Worcestershire, England (400 million years ago) and featured in an award-winning BBC television series. Walking with monsters Possibly a crustacean too.

So giant scorpions, along with giant millipedes measuring two metres in length and giant dragonflies with wingspans of 75 centimetres, didn't come into existence until the Carboniferous period 70 million years later.

Modern scorpions gradually acquired their modern characteristics: early scorpions had more primitive legs and eyes, and lacked an anterior mouth cavity for feeding on land, so were probably aquatic or amphibious.

The oldest known scorpion Palioscorpio It was discovered in Wisconsin from the Early Silurian (437 million years ago) but has been reinterpreted as a trilobite-like arthropod.

The oldest scorpion is now Dolichophonus (433-438 Ma) Originating from Scotland.

this the study Published in New Jarlbuch in Geology and Palaeontology.

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Braddy, S.J. 2024. Palaeoecology and phylogeny of carcinosomatid eurypterids: ichnolog- y and palaeoassemblages. New Jarlbuch in Geology and Palaeontology; doi: 10.1127/njgpa/2024/1206

Source: www.sci.news

Finds from the Bronze Age indicate that market economics may have originated earlier than previously believed

Posted on July 29, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Bronze Age metal hoard from Weisig, Germany

J. Lipták/Landesamt für Archäologie Sachsen

Bronze Age Europeans earned and spent money in much the same way we do today, indicating that the origins of the “market economy” are much older than expected.

That’s the controversial conclusion of a new study that challenges the view that elites were the dominant force in Bronze Age economies and suggests that human economic behaviour may not have changed much over the past 3,500 years or more.

“We tend to romanticize European prehistory, but the Bronze Age was not just a fantasy world where townsfolk and peasants served their needs as a backdrop for great lords,” he said. Nicola Ialongo “It was a very familiar world, with family, friends, social networks, markets, jobs, and ultimately having to figure out how to make ends meet,” says Professor at Aarhus University in Denmark.

Bronze Age Europeans, from 3300 to 800 BCE, were not meticulous bookkeepers like people in other ancient societies, such as those in Mesopotamia. But Ialongo and Giancarlo Lago Researchers at the University of Bologna in Italy suggest that the treasure trove of metal they left behind may hold important insights into their daily lives and the roots of modern economic behavior.

Lago and Ialongo analyzed more than 20,000 metal objects from Bronze Age burials in Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and Germany. These metal objects came in many different forms, but around 1500 B.C. they began to be standardized by weight, which is how they were classified. Many experts These are distinguished as a type of pre-monetary currency.

“The discovery of widespread systems of measurement and weight allows us to model things that have been known for centuries in ways that have never been modeled before,” Ialongo says. “This not only gives us new answers to old questions, but it also gives us new questions that no one has asked before.”

The team found that the weight values in their vast sample followed the same statistical distribution as the daily expenses of a modern Western household: small everyday expenses, represented by lighter pieces, dominated the consumption pattern, while larger expenses, represented by heavier pieces, were relatively rare. This pattern is similar to that found in the average modern wallet, with many small bills and very few large bills.

Lago and Ialongo interpret their find as evidence that the Bronze Age economic system was regulated by market forces of supply and demand, with everyone participating in proportion to how much they earned. This hypothesis contrasts with the influential view put forward by anthropologist Karl Polanyi in the 1940s, who characterized the modern economy, based on monetary gain, as a new phenomenon distinct from ancient economies centered on barter, gift exchange, and social status.

Richard Brunton A researcher from Purdue University in Indiana called the study credible: “I think this argument will stimulate debate among archaeologists and economic anthropologists who have been based for decades on erroneous assumptions about the antiquity of market economies,” he said.

“I think this paper adds useful fuel to that criticism,” Brunton says, “and to me it sheds entirely new light on the function of bronze deposits and the potential use of bronze coins as a unit of exchange.”

but, Erica Schonberger Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland are skeptical of the team’s conclusions. “It’s dangerous to assume that ordinary people in premodern times used money in normal economic activities,” says Schonberger. “For example, medieval English peasants only got money for selling their produce when lords began to demand money in lieu of rents or taxes in kind. They gave most or all of that money directly to the lords. They sold to get money, but they didn’t use it to buy things they needed. We’re still a long way from modern economic behavior.” [in the Middle Ages].”

Lago and Ialongo hope that their work will inspire other experts to carry out similar studies on artefacts from different regions and cultures. They suggest that market economies are a natural development across time and cultures, and that such systems are not something new or unique that has emerged in Western societies over the past few centuries.

“Technically, we haven’t proven that the Bronze Age economy was a market economy,” Ialongo says, “we simply have no evidence that it wasn’t. And we’re just pointing out a contradiction: why is everyone so convinced that there wasn’t a market economy when everything we see can be explained by a market economy model? In other words, if the simplest explanation works well enough, why should we have to imagine a more complex one?”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

The Search for the Revolutionary Star: Uncovering the Universe’s Game-Changer

Posted on July 29, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Akinbostansi/Getty Images

No turning point in the history of the universe surpasses the birth of the first stars. As stars flickered into existence some 200 to 400 million years after the Big Bang, the energy they emitted ripped apart the atoms of the gas that had cooled the universe, reheating it in a process called reionization. Then, as the stars burned out and died, they created a cocktail of chemical elements that prepared the universe to give rise to galaxies, planets, and eventually life itself.

It's no wonder astronomers are itching to get a glimpse of this first generation of stars. To start with, they were spectacular: huge and blisteringly bright, thought to be 300 times more massive and 10 times hotter than the Sun. But observing them could also tell us a lot about the mysterious early stages of the Universe, particularly how the universe came to be flooded with supermassive black holes in an incredibly short space of time.

Now we may finally be on the brink. Earlier this year, astronomers reported that the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), by fixing its excellent field of view on the outer edges of very distant galaxies, may already have seen evidence of the first stars. “The observations we can now make really expand our knowledge,” says Hannah Ubler of the University of Cambridge.

The signal may turn out to be a false alarm, but what's interesting right now is that other researchers are starting to look at different features of the light from the early universe, even suggesting that it might be the first stars.

Source: www.newscientist.com

One controversial proposal to save coral reefs: replace them with new species.

Posted on July 29, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Would drastic action help the reef recover?

Serge Melessane / Alamy

Corals are being hit hard by global warming, and the only way to save coral reef ecosystems may be to replace native species with more heat-tolerant species from other parts of the world. This is the view of two coral researchers, who call for a thorough evaluation of the benefits and risks of deliberately introducing non-native corals, rather than a quick dismissal.

Living coral is essential to the health of coral reefs and the people who depend on them. Michael Webster Professor at New York University: “Corals are not only beautiful to look at on reefs, they provide habitat for many different organisms, they protect against waves from shorelines, and they make up the sand on tropical beaches.”

But corals cannot tolerate temperatures outside the normal range of their habitat: Global warming has caused ocean temperatures to rise sharply, leading to widespread bleaching, in which corals expel the algal symbionts that provide them with much of their nutrients, and can ultimately lead to their death.

“Coral reefs are being lost at a rapid rate in many places around the world, and attempts to restore them through traditional means have had mixed results,” Webster says.

Webster calls for change in an opinion piece he co-authored with Daniel Schindler of Seattle University in Washington. “You might be able to find corals in a totally different place that are already adapted to the environment that's coming into one place, or that may come into that place in the future — you're trying to find pre-adapted corals,” he says. Many who want to save the reefs are horrified by the idea, but Webster says things are getting worse and it needs to be seriously considered.

For example, two species of branching corals native to the Caribbean are in very poor condition, Webster says. But there are more than 100 species of branching corals around the world, and some of them, if introduced to the Caribbean, could potentially recreate the habitat that the branching corals provided. “They won't necessarily be the same color,” Webster says, “but they're ecologically similar.”

Webster and Schindler acknowledge that there are risks: A worst-case scenario is that devastating diseases or predators are accidentally introduced along with the invasive corals, which could outcompete or hybridize with native species.

But there are also risks in waiting too long to act, Webster says. He thinks that replacing lost species with species that perform a similar role — so-called ecological replacement — is much more realistic than other options currently being considered, such as genetically engineering corals to survive higher temperatures. “The best thing for coral reefs is to maintain the diversity that's there,” he says.

Terry Hughes of James Cook University in Queensland, Australia, disagrees. “The innocuous term 'ecological replacement' is naive, dangerous and stunningly arrogant,” Hughes says. “The authors fail to acknowledge that the accidental or deliberate introduction of invasive species has already caused enormous ecological damage to coral reefs around the world.”

For example, in the 1980s, a previously unknown Pacific disease spread through the entrance to the Panama Canal, wiping out algae-eating sea urchins in the Caribbean and causing an algae bloom that killed millions of corals, Hughes says. “Invasive species are a problem for coral reefs, not a healthy solution.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Do I truly need to save all of my text and photos? | In reality

Posted on July 29, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

a A few years ago, I encountered an unexpected problem: New York City had very few reliable phone repair shops, and even fewer that would repair a 2010 BlackBerry. No one seemed to understand my situation. Get your broken cell phone working again. It held text messages from my high school days. It was a significant part of my life.

For a brief moment, my BlackBerry actually turned on. I scrolled through my long-lost inbox, hoping to find some forgotten treasure: a written account of teenage heartbreak, memories of excitement, or moments shared with friends. However, my search yielded little. Most were emails about schoolwork.

I could never manage to get the device working again. This felt like a crisis, even if it was a personal and self-centered one. It felt tragic that all these materials — records of my feelings, communication, and my friends’ conversations during my teenage years — were stuck in a broken device.

Over time, the sadness faded, but my digital footprint continued to expand. Each day, I come across more content that I’ll want to revisit in the future: Numerous text messages. An average of 75 exchanges per day — Photos, videos, emails, social media likes, metadata from countless Google searches, group chat memes, “be there in 5 minutes” texts, my last message from my grandmother, and the complete story of a now-ended long-distance relationship.

I learned from my BlackBerry mishap. Instead of relying on a device destined to become outdated, I now invest in a cloud service that stores everything in a vast, overwhelming digital repository. For just $2.99 a month, I have over 200GB of digital storage, including 16,000 photos, eight years’ worth of Gmail, and 44GB of iMessages exchanged since I set my iPhone to “Don’t Delete” in 2017.

In the physical world, I lack the impulse to regularly discard old, irrelevant items without much consideration. However, I am sentimental and tend to engage in what experts label as “digital hoarding” — accumulating excessive digital content that leads to stress and anxiety.

Even with a more moderate approach, one’s digital footprint remains vast, dispersed, disorganized, and controlled by technology companies at their discretion. Experts reveal that each individual generates about 8MB to 2MB of data traveling online daily, a significant surge from 2MB ten years ago. The average American possesses about 500GB of storage, which includes social media usage, and this figure continues to grow amid escalating data demands. 328.77 million terabytes of new data are generated daily.

Our digital storage capacities are expanding, becoming more costly, and having a detrimental impact on the environment. The internet and digital industry’s annual emissions are equivalent to those of the aviation industry. Entering Cloud Storage Hell and facing storage limitations, there is a growing need for Data Storage Experts and financially struggling journalists to engage in Digital spring cleaning — eliminating duplicate photos as you would declutter old wardrobe items.

For many, including myself, the link between mobile phones and the cloud remains unclear and under-researched. Dr. Liz Silens, a psychology professor at Northumbria University and one of the few researchers to delve into this subject, discovered through Personal Digital Data Storage that most individuals don’t know where to begin with their data. “Is it genuinely mine? Is it stored in the cloud? Even if I delete content from my device, does it persist? Do I require additional backups if I can’t trust them? This exacerbates the data issue,” she remarked.

The topic of data makes me anxious as well because I’m not well-versed in technology and lack organizational skills. Data storage, like money, isn’t something I enjoy contemplating. If it’s accessible and usable, that suffices. Periodically, I attempt to transfer my data from the cloud in a casual, DIY manner, such as copying and pasting all my Facebook messages with my best friend at 16 into a Word document. I quickly become overwhelmed by technical terminology and multi-step processes recommended in various Reddit threads populated by individuals, like me, who fear losing themselves and remnants of their past. Digital Legacy of a Loved One.

One holiday season, my sister gifted me a subscription to iMazing, a service that backs up your iPhone and converts your iMessages into easily readable PDFs. However, after numerous failed attempts and frustration due to inadequate storage space on my 2017 MacBook, I abandoned the endeavor. For months, I manually removed photos from texts to address the memory shortage on my phone. Subsequently, rather than risking unintentional deletion from the cloud, I opted to purchase a new phone.

Archivist Margot Note highlighted a growing trend of private clients seeking to preserve caches of digital treasures, particularly text messages documenting “everyday history and significant moments.” Analogous to physical letters, they reveal the evolution of relationships over time, she mentioned.

The desire to safeguard such content stems from curiosity: What conversations did my best friend and I have in 2018, fresh out of college, full of vigor, and continents apart? How did my former partner indicate our relationship exceeded friendship? When did our bond begin to unravel?

The predominant emotion driving this preservation effort is anxiety. Losing these emails would mean forfeiting evidence of myself and my connections. It would signify losing one of the few constants after a loved one’s passing: their voice, its evolution over time, and their unique tone addressing me. Reflecting on her diary in Ongoingness, writer Sarah Manguso articulated the wish to shield “against awakening at the end of one’s life and realizing you’ve missed it.”

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“Just the thought of data triggers anxiety because of its enigmatic nature. It can be overwhelming,” Silens remarked. “Anxiety serves as a significant barrier to addressing the reorganization and management of one’s digital information.”

Engagement with social media introduces its own set of risks. In her book The End of Forgetting: Growing Up with Social Media, cultural and media scholar Kate Eichhorn contends that the internet’s ability to swiftly transport us back in time undermines our capacity to develop adult identities, evolve, and mature. “There’s a risk in the fact that anything can resurface in your life,” she noted. “We haven’t fully grasped the psychological repercussions of that yet.”

Whenever I delve into my 44GB repository of texts, I emerge feeling overwhelmed by information, nostalgic for the past, and acutely aware of the relentless march of time. Memory’s fallibility becomes apparent, as the records don’t always align with my idealized view of history. These texts aren’t my memories but fragments of experiences frozen in time. What’s the harm in forgetting? What do we truly gain from revisiting the past?

Both Eichhorn and Silens question the necessity of retaining such copious digital content. Eichhorn highlights the incessant accumulation of data. “Is this an archive? Or is it simply another form of clandestine, socially acceptable storage?” Silens proposes that tidying up the cloud could evolve into a routine, akin to filing taxes: “Review your day’s photos and only delete those you know won’t be needed in the future.”

I appreciate the notion of being more discerning. We can begin to be deliberate about our digital archives. We can organize and discard unnecessary items. Apps like “Second Brain App” serve as external memory for various content, from text to tasks. Note, the archivist, reassured me that my struggle to organize my digital repository isn’t foolish. There currently isn’t an optimal solution. While institutions possess robust preservation mechanisms, “it requires significant effort and resources,” she noted. “This hasn’t trickled down to personal digital archives yet. It’s likely to happen eventually, but the necessary solutions remain largely unknown to the public.”

Hence, I’ll likely procrastinate until my cloud storage reaches capacity before making a decision. At that point, I’ll likely purchase additional storage. My cloud storage operates quietly in the background, easy to delay, always present but forgotten. Similar to the old BlackBerry tucked away in a desk drawer, never to be used again but comforting in its mere existence.

Source: www.theguardian.com

A Virtual Assistant Revolutionizing Cancer Research Through Interactivity

Posted on July 29, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Imagine asking your virtual assistant, “Hey Google/Alexa, tell me the lyrics to ‘Beautiful People’ by Ed Sheeran.” Voice User Interface You could possibly receive the information you need within seconds. Cancer doctors and researchers face the challenge of exploring and interpreting cancer genomic data, which resembles a huge library with billions of pieces in different categories. What if you had an Alexa-like tool that could answer questions about the data within seconds?

Traditionally, researchers have used computer programming and interactive websites with point-and-click capabilities to analyze cancer genomic data. Researchers agree that these methods are not only time-consuming, but also often require advanced technical knowledge that not all clinicians and researchers possess. Scientists from Singapore and the United States have collaborated to develop a conversational virtual assistant to navigate the vast library of cancer genomes. They named this assistant Melvin. Their goal was to make relevant information quickly available to all users, regardless of technical expertise.

The scientists described Melvin as a software tool that allows users to interact with cancer genomic data through simple conversations with Amazon Alexa. It incorporates familiar Alexa features, such as the ability to understand and speak everyday English and the ability for researchers to initiate a conversation by saying the name “Alexa.” Additionally, the scientists incorporated a knowledge base containing genomic data for 33 types of cancer from a global cancer database. The Cancer Genome AtlasIt contains a variety of data, including gene expression data, mutations known to increase the risk of developing cancer, etc. It also incorporates secondary information from each database, such as the definition and location of human genes, protein information, and anti-cancer drug efficacy records, to help users effectively interpret the results.

The scientists collected nearly 24,000 pronunciation samples for cancer genes, cancer types, mutations, types of genomic data, and synonyms of all terms in these categories from nine cancer experts at the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore. These experts were from Singapore, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the United States, and India, which was needed to increase the diversity of Melvin’s accents. The scientists said that due to the lengthy data collection time, the pronunciations did not cover all known cancer genes and traits.

The scientists explained that a voice user interface works well if it correctly hears and understands the user, including the context of the conversation. Because cancer terms differ from regular English vocabulary, the researchers trained Melvin to learn cancer vocabulary using a machine learning process that gives meaning to previously unknown words. Out-of-Vocabulary Mapper Service Design.

Additionally, the researchers developed a web portal where users can submit pronunciations of certain cancer features that Melvin may not initially recognize. This will allow Melvin to know what the user means when he hears those words. To address users’ potential security concerns about the recordings, the researchers noted that users can avoid data storage by deleting the recordings by following the instructions in their Amazon Alexa account. The researchers discussed opportunities to expand Melvin’s capabilities through crowdsourcing for pronunciation improvements. The researchers hope that these pronunciations will provide more data to match regional and national accents so that Melvin can understand and speak.

The scientists say Melvin will work with any device that supports Alexa and will be able to ” Gene Name” and “What percentage of lung cancer patients have a mutation in that gene?” Melvin reported that within seconds it processes these questions and returns responses in audio and visual form.

They also reported being able to ask follow-up questions based on previous conversations. They described the difficulty of getting valuable information from a single question and highlighted the value of Melvin’s ability to maintain context through incremental questioning. The scientists asserted that this design makes it easy for users to explore multiple relevant questions in a single conversation. They also demonstrated that Melvin performs advanced analytical tasks, such as comparing mutations of specific genes across different cancer types and analyzing how gene expression changes.

The scientists concluded that MELVIN can accelerate scientific discoveries in cancer research and help translate research results into solutions that clinicians can apply to patients. They acknowledged that while MELVIN’s framework is currently centered on cancer genes, it can be expanded to support more characteristics of cancer. The team plans to enhance MELVIN by adding more valuable datasets and features based on user feedback..

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Source: sciworthy.com

Windmills are surprisingly charming: Building Relationships, a dating simulation game for PC

Posted on July 29, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

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Navigating the challenges of modern dating can be overwhelming for single individuals. The uncertainties of how much you have in common with a stranger, whether you share similar values, and if you can open up to them loom large. Game developer Tanat Boozayaangool delves into these questions in Building Relationships, posing an additional intriguing query: What if you were a home?

The title of this dating adventure game is meant to be taken literally. In Building Relationships, players assume the role of the newest bachelorette residing on an island where love could blossom. The primary objective is to build relationships with other island dwellers, including a charismatic tent, a lackluster houseboat, and a flirtatious windmill named Millie. According to Boozayaangool, Millie tends to be a bit forward, catching some off guard.

Inspired by the eccentric pigeon dating sim “Hatoful Boyfriend” from 2011, “Building Relationships” promises a dating parody infused with personal narratives and surrealism. The game unfolds through various dates that lead to intertwined storylines on the island, where players ultimately decide whom to share a picnic with.

In addition to engaging with the island’s inhabitants through their unique personalities, players can freely explore the environment. Along the way, they encounter talking treasure chests that enhance mobility and fishing spots where they unearth humorous “carp” (referred to as cars in jest). Boozayaangool aimed to infuse the gameplay with a sense of playful exploration in a compact open-world setting, drawing inspiration from the emotive indie gem “A Short Hike”.

The gritty, low-poly art style of the island adventure pays tribute to the origins of Building Relationships as a college game jam creation. The scenery is adorned with cylindrical trees and jagged rocks cloaked in low-res textures, delivering a nostalgic visual style that complements the contemplative ambiance.

Despite the game’s uplifting visual appeal and its inclusion in June’s Wholesome Games Direct, a celebration of non-violent indie gaming, Boozayaangool refrains from labeling it solely as a feel-good experience. Reflecting on the personal themes embedded in the narrative, they acknowledge the underlying emotional challenges of building relationships: “For a seemingly lighthearted game, there’s unexpected depth waiting to be uncovered.”

Without divulging too much, Boozayaangool encourages players to brace themselves for the emotional complexities inherent in the dating journey depicted in the game: “Despite its whimsical facade, there’s a surprising amount of substance to explore.”

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Source: www.theguardian.com

Hollywood video game actors reach breaking point and go on strike in protest: Games

Posted on July 29, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Hollywood video game performers have voted to go on strike, bringing parts of the entertainment industry back into strike action after new contract negotiations with major game studios collapsed over protections for artificial intelligence.

The walkout, the second by video game voice and motion-capture performers affiliated with the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Entertainers (Sag-Aftra), is set to begin on Friday at 12:01 a.m. This move comes after almost two years of negotiations over a new interactive media contract with gaming giants like Activision, Warner Bros., and divisions of The Walt Disney Co.

SAG-AFTRA negotiators state that while video game contracts cover wages and job security, studios are not willing to agree to regulate generative AI. Without safeguards, game companies could train AI to mimic actors’ voices or create digital replicas of their likenesses without their consent or fair compensation, as per the union.

In a prepared statement, union president Fran Drescher mentioned that members will not accept contracts that permit companies to misuse AI.

Company representatives did not immediately respond to email requests for comment.

According to game market forecasters, the global video game industry generates over $100 billion in revenue annually. New Zoo Sag-Aftola emphasized that the individuals who design and bring these games to life are what drives their success.

“Eighteen months of negotiations have shown that our employers are not interested in fair and reasonable AI protections, but rather in exploitative behavior,” stated Sarah Elmaleh, chair of the Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee.

Last month, a union negotiator informed The Associated Press that game studios had declined to provide the same level of protection from AI risks for all members, especially motion picture performers.

Last year, union members overwhelmingly voted to authorize leadership to strike. Fears about how studios might utilize AI in a strike were intensified by AI. Last year, labor unions staged a four-month strike in the film and television industry.

The final interactive contract, expiring in November 2022, did not include protections for AI but established a bonus compensation structure for voice actors and performance capture artists following an 11-month strike that commenced in October 2016. This strike marked SAG-AFTRA’s first significant labor dispute since the merger of Hollywood’s two major actors unions in 2012.

According to the union, the video game contract covers more than 2,500 “off-camera (voice-over) performers, on-camera (motion capture, stunt) performers, stunt coordinators, singers, dancers, puppeteers, and background performers.”

Amidst tense interactive negotiations, SAG-AFTRA entered into a separate deal in February aimed at indie and low-budget video game projects. The Tiered Budget Independent Interactive Media deal consists of some of the AI protections that have been rejected by larger companies in the video game industry.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Why Platform Games Receive the Most Criticism: A Personal Perspective | Games

Posted on July 29, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

TMy wife has only ever enjoyed two video games: Mario Kart, which she has happily followed closely behind her throughout her life as a family, and Crash Bandicoot, of which she was the best player in the world at one point.

She perfected every molecule of a ’90s Clash game, and I’d swear I saw her hit 105% in one of them, but this was the ’90s, so I classify that memory, along with Gary McAllister’s missed penalty kick at Wembley Stadium and the band’s menswear, as a “psychological hallucination.”

I’m not a perfectionist like her, for me platform games are the best video game genre I absolutely hate, like Manic Miner, Plumber, Hedgehog, Mega Man, Aladdin, Earthworm Jim, etc. There are too many frustrations and failures to be worth the reward.

In the late ’90s, I decided I was too old to cry over these games, so I skipped Ratchet & Clank, Jak & Daxter, and Banjo-Kazooie altogether. did I played Super Mario Sunshine in co-op with my daughter, who was 5 at the time. She beat the level and I beat the boss. It was an incredibly fun gaming experience for both of us. Ten years later, I was proud and impressed to watch her coach her younger brother through a killer level of Rayman Legends, where aliens chased her while hopping across platforms too tiny for her father’s naked eye. Clearly, a talent for platforming runs in the family. I just don’t have it.

Rayman Legends is terribly difficult. Photo: Ubisoft

But in 2020’s Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time (the best double entendre of a game title), my wife found her equal: She’s been trying to beat the game for three generations, and is currently just 48% complete after 68 hours of play.

So I thought I’d step in and show her how it’s done.

The game has a retro mode option that takes you back to the original era of gaming, with limited lives and returning you to the start of the level when you die. I chose modern instead. Why in the name of the devil in hell would I want to go back to a time when things were still fun. more difficult? Yes, this is authentically old-fashioned, but so are the mumps, the Global Hypercolor T-shirt and Margaret Thatcher, and I have no desire to resurrect them.

Age doesn’t matter. When I played games in my teens and twenties, they calmed me. When I played games in my thirties and forties, they pissed me off. But now that I’m in my fifties, I’m a total crank. My family won’t ride with me in my Honda Civic because I get so angry at traffic jams, other drivers, dirty roads, useless politicians, shrinkflation, and King Lear-like architecture. But I swear platform games are designed to turn even the happiest of people into obelisks of frustration.

The phasing levels were the most mind-blowing for me. You press a button and blocks appear and disappear. You have to jump into the ether and then press a button to make the next block appear below. Sometimes the block collapses and you have to jump again while remembering to phase in the next block. It feels like walking around with an orange peel in the front pocket of your jeans.

I yell, I scream, I curse, I curse some more, and I do combo curses where the curse words are stacked two or three times. My wife tells me to stop because the neighbors are peeking in from their yard, so I make up a whole new swear word slang, spewing curse words like hunzels, gabbabusts, and primal screams. I immediately hate myself for what I’ve become.

The early boss level, Stage Dive, nearly killed me. You have to jump over and under death-bringers, spin the bad guy around the boss three times, dash forward, climb fading blocks, and keep going until you can hit him. Repeat. Classic frustrating gameplay. But if you persevere, you magically enter an almost zen state of failing and trying again and again, but the early parts are almost soothing in their repetition. It’s like whittling wood. And when you finally beat him? The feeling of reward feels like the last day of school before the holidays.

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“It’s like walking around with an orange peel in your front jeans pocket” – Crash Bandicoot 4 Photo: Activision/Toys for Bob

Maybe that’s the lesson of platform games. teeth Difficult. Fail teeth It’s frustrating, but if you invest the time and keep failing, you will succeed, and the reward will be comforting for future challenges.

Soon I found myself faced with one of the most perfectly crafted levels I’d ever seen in a game. Hook, Line and Sinker features every imaginable platform move in a variety of pirate ships. It’s a reminder that imagination combined with execution is art. Unfortunately, it’s only a fleeting joy in a forest of failure. The game gets harder and harder. I get angrier and angrier.

My wife told me to stop. She thought I was going to have a heart attack. I told her we just had to get through the level. She sat me down and very patiently taught me a jump technique I’d never used on blocks I’d never seen before that unlocked the entire level. She coached me like she did with her kids. I was Luke and she was Yoda.

I completed the level, my wife breathed a sigh of relief and let me climb into my wheelchair and scream into the clouds.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Elon Musk under fire for sharing edited Kamala Harris video and accused of spreading misinformation

Posted on July 29, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Kamala Harris’ campaign has accused Tesla CEO Elon Musk of spreading “manipulated lies” after he shared a fake video of the vice president on his X account.

Musk reposted a video on Friday evening that had been doctored to show Harris saying, “I was selected because I’m the ultimate diversity hire,” along with other controversial statements. The video has garnered 128 million views on Musk’s account. He captioned it with “This is awesome” and a laughing emoji. Musk owns X, which he rebranded from Twitter last year.

Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar criticized Musk for violating platform guidelines on sharing manipulated media. Users are not allowed to share media that may mislead or harm others, although satire is permitted as long as it doesn’t create confusion about its authenticity.

Harris’ campaign responded by stating, “The American people want the real freedom, opportunity, and security that Vice President Harris is providing, not the false, manipulated lies of Elon Musk and Donald Trump.”

The original video was posted by the @MrReaganUSA account, associated with conservative YouTuber Chris Coles, who claimed it was a parody.

However, Musk, a supporter of Donald Trump, did not clarify that the video was satire.

California Governor Gavin Newsom stated that the manipulated video of Harris should be illegal and indicated plans to sign a bill banning such deceptive media, likely referring to a proposed ban on election deepfakes in California.

Musk defended his actions, stating that parody is legal in the USA, and shared the original @MrReaganUSA video.

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An expert on deepfakes commented on the video, highlighting the use of generative AI technology to create convincing fake audio and visuals.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Bitcoin reaches highest value in six weeks following President Trump’s endorsement of cryptocurrency

Posted on July 29, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

After Donald Trump’s statement this past weekend that he would stop targeting the cryptocurrency industry if re-elected, Bitcoin surged to its highest price in over six weeks.

On Monday, the price of the cryptocurrency increased by more than 3%, reaching a peak of around $69,745, marking its highest value since June 12 when it surpassed $69,800.

Trump made supportive remarks at the Bitcoin 2024 convention in Nashville, Tennessee, declaring his intention to make the United States a global leader in cryptocurrency and adopt a more pro-Bitcoin stance compared to his opponent, Sen. Kamala Harris.

The former president assured the Bitcoin community that if he takes office, the current anti-cryptocurrency initiatives by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris would come to an end. He emphasized the importance of embracing cryptocurrency technology to prevent other countries like China from dominating.

Trump also vowed to remove the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on his first day as president, specifically targeting Gary Gensler, who has been critical of cryptocurrencies despite past endorsements.

At the Bitcoin Conference, Trump proposed the creation of a Presidential Cryptocurrency Advisory Council and the establishment of a national Bitcoin reserve using confiscated cryptocurrency held by the U.S. government.

Echoing his support for Bitcoin, Trump advised against selling the cryptocurrency, promising to retain all Bitcoin owned or acquired by the U.S. government if elected.

According to the Financial Times, Harris’ advisors have been reaching out to major crypto companies to mend relations between the Democratic Party and the cryptocurrency industry, including Coinbase, Circle, and Ripple Labs.

Source: www.theguardian.com

New study claims that this diet can reverse biological age in just eight weeks

Posted on July 29, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Increasing plant-based food consumption is known to benefit both health and the environment, yet only a few individuals fully commit to a vegan diet.

However, a recent study suggests that following a vegan diet for just eight weeks could potentially reverse one’s biological age. Researchers discovered that participants who adhered to a vegan diet showed a reduction in their estimated biological age, as indicated by DNA methylation, an epigenetic marker.

Dr. Lucia Aronica, along with other co-authors from BBC Science Focus, explains, “DNA methylation and other epigenetic modifications regulate gene activity and expression.” These modifications change in specific ways as we age, allowing scientists to track and understand the aging process.

The study, as detailed in BMC Medicine, involved 21 adult identical twin pairs, where one twin followed a vegan diet while the other maintained an omnivorous diet for eight weeks. Blood samples were taken before and after the study to measure DNA methylation levels and assess the effects of each diet.

Results demonstrated that only the vegan group showed a slowing of the epigenetic aging clock, with some participants appearing almost one year younger by certain measures. A vegan diet was associated with reduced estimated ages of various organ systems, such as the heart, hormones, liver, and inflammatory and metabolic systems.

The average reduction in biological age for the vegan group was a remarkable 0.63 years. However, researchers caution that these findings should be interpreted carefully due to other factors like weight loss, as participants in the vegan group lost an average of 2 kilograms more than those in the omnivorous group.

Despite the promising outcomes, further research is necessary to understand the long-term effects of a vegan diet on aging and to differentiate between the effects of dietary composition and weight loss.

Experts like Dr. Hou Lifang suggest that additional studies are needed to validate these results, emphasizing the need for caution when drawing broad conclusions. While the study provides valuable insights, more research is required to fully comprehend the impact of a vegan diet on aging.

About our experts

Lucia Aronica focuses on epigenetics and gene-environment interactions in health outcomes. She is currently leading epigenetic analysis in the largest low-carb vs. low-fat diet study for weight loss. Aronica teaches nutritional genomics at Stanford University.

Varun Dwaraka is a bioinformatics researcher specializing in aging, epigenetics, and genetics. He has co-authored various publications on DNA methylation, tissue regeneration, and the epigenetic clock.

Hou Li-Fan, MD, MS, PhD, is a Professor of Preventive Medicine, integrating epidemiology with molecular technologies in disease studies focused on molecular markers and disease prevention.

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

What unfolded after scientists revived an ancient virus from suspended animation?

Posted on July 28, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Permafrost is ground that is always frozen, and the possibility of life existing there is believed to be low. However, in recent years, Scientists have discovered an abundance of microorganisms that are still alive despite being frozen in permafrost.

Various viruses, including one called Pandoravirus, have been found frozen. Researchers have been able to revive a frozen Pandoravirus that only infects amoebas from 30,000-year-old permafrost in Siberia.

More concerning viruses, such as strains of influenza that caused the 1918 pandemic, have also been discovered. The smallpox virus was found in a 300-year-old Siberian mummy, but the virus was no longer infectious as its genome was degraded.

Scientists have found these microorganisms frozen in the permafrost. – Image credit: Getty

Most viruses cannot survive long outside a host, reducing the likelihood of still-infectious human viruses in permafrost. Rather, the discovery of viruses infecting other microbes, like bacteria adapted to extreme environments, is more probable.

Some living bacteria found in permafrost over a million years old can still cause illness. The anthrax outbreak in Siberia in 2016 killed humans and animals, likely due to melting permafrost exposing the bacteria.

Bacillus anthracis is a type of bacteria that can form spores enabling survival in harsh environments. Climate change-induced permafrost melting may lead to ancient microbe outbreaks, but the emergence of new viruses causing global pandemics from permafrost is unlikely.

This article addresses the question of how a virus can survive in ice for many years, posed by Roy Meddings in an email.

If you have any questions, please email us below. For more information:

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For more amazing science, check out this page.

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

My latest iPhone symbolizes stagnation, not progress. Artificial intelligence faces a similar future | John Norton

Posted on July 27, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

I Recently, I bought an iPhone 15 to replace my 5-year-old iPhone 11. The phone has the new A17 Pro chip, a terabyte of data storage, and is accordingly eye-poppingly expensive. Of course, I have carefully considered my reasons for sparing money on such a scale. For example, I have always had a policy of only writing about devices I bought with my own money (no freebies from tech companies). The fancy A17 processor is necessary to run the new “AI” features that Apple promises to launch soon. The phone also has a significantly better camera than my old phone, which is important (to me).
My Substack Blog It comes out three times a week and I post new photos in each issue. Finally, a friend whose old iPhone is nearing the end of its lifespan might be happy to have an iPhone 11 in good condition.

But these are more rationalizations than evidence. In fact, my old iPhone was fine for what it did. Sure, it would eventually need a new battery, but otherwise it lasted for years. And if you look objectively at the evolution of the iPhone line, it’s just been a steady series of incremental improvements since the iPhone 4 in 2010. What was so special about that model? Mainly this.
Front cameraThe iPhone 11 opened up a world of selfies, video chat, social media, and all the other accoutrements of a networked world. But what followed was only incremental change and rising prices.

This doesn’t just apply to the iPhone, but to smartphones in general; manufacturers like Samsung, Huawei, and Google have all followed the same path. The advent of smartphones, which began with the release of the first iPhone in 2007, marked a major break in the evolution of mobile phone technology (just ask Nokia or BlackBerry if you doubt that). A decade of significant growth followed, but the technology (and market) matured and incremental changes became the norm.

Mathematicians have a name for this process: they call it a sigmoid function, and they depict it as an S-shaped curve. If you apply this to consumer electronics, the curve looks like a slightly flattened “S,” with slow progress on the bottom, then a steep upward curve, and finally a flat line on the top. And smartphones are on that part of the curve right now.

If we look at the history of the technology industry over the past 50 years or so, we see a pattern: first there’s a technological breakthrough: silicon chips, the Internet, the Web, mobile phones, cloud computing, smartphones. Each breakthrough is followed by a period of intense development (often accompanied by an investment bubble) that pushes the technology towards the middle of the “S”. Then, eventually, things settle down as the market becomes saturated and it becomes increasingly difficult to fundamentally improve the technology.

You can probably see where this is going.
So-called “AI” Early breakthroughs have already occurred: first, the emergence of “big data” generated by the web, social media and surveillance capitalism, then the rediscovery of powerful algorithms (neural networks), followed in 2017 by the invention of the “Transformer” deep learning architecture, followed by the development of large-scale language models (LLMs) and other generative AI, of which ChatGPT is a prime example.

Now that we’ve passed the period of frenzy of development and huge amounts of corporate investment (with unclear returns on that investment) that has pushed the technology up into the middle of the sigmoid curve, an interesting question arises: how far up the sigmoid curve has the industry climbed, and when will smartphone technology reach the plateau where it is currently stagnating?

In recent weeks, we are starting to see signs that this moment is approaching. The technology is becoming commoditized. AI companies are starting to release smaller and (allegedly) cheaper LLMs. Of course, they won’t admit this, but it’s because the energy costs of the technology are increasing.
Swelling Irrational promotion of the industry
It’s not much talked about among economists. Millions of people have tried ChatGPT and its ilk, but most of them never showed up.
Lasting Interest Nearly every large company on the planet has run an AI “pilot” project or two, but very few have made any real deployments.
Today’s Sensation Is it starting to get boring? In fact, it’s a bit like the latest shiny smartphone.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Here’s why people who stay up late tend to have better cognitive abilities than those who rise early

Posted on July 27, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Struggle to wake up in the morning? Feel more alert as the day goes on? Have more energy in the evenings? You might be an “evening” chronotype, meaning your body clock is most active later in the day.

Scientists have linked being a night owl to negative outcomes like higher chances of depression and displaying Dark Triad personality traits. However, a new British study shows that evening chronotypes may have superior cognitive function compared to morning types.

Respecting your natural body clock, managing light exposure, prioritizing sleep, and using naps wisely can help night owls thrive in a world that often favors early risers.

Honor your chronotype

It’s essential to honor your evening tendencies as they reflect your biological characteristics. Certain genetic factors and age play a role in determining your sleep preferences.

Exposure to light can change your body clock

Getting sunlight in the morning and avoiding it later in the day can help align your body clock. Blue light exposure should also be limited, especially at night, to support healthy sleep patterns.

Make sure you get enough sleep

Respecting your chronotype is crucial for overall health and well-being. Lack of sleep, stress, and a misaligned body clock can lead to various health problems in the long term.

Use naps wisely

Short naps taken in the late morning or early afternoon can improve performance later in the day. The coffee-nap trick, where you drink a cup of coffee before a short nap, can help you wake up feeling refreshed and alert.

By following these strategies, night owls can thrive in a world that often prioritizes morning routines and early risers.

About our experts

Professor Russell Foster is a Director at the Nuffield Institute of Ophthalmology and the Institute of Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience at the University of Oxford.

Professor Martha Mellow is a researcher in molecular chronobiology at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich.

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

US Justice Department advises court to dismiss TikTok’s appeal

Posted on July 27, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

The Department of Justice has requested an appeals court to dismiss a lawsuit challenging a law that mandates China-based ByteDance to sell TikTok’s U.S. assets by January 19 or risk a ban.

TikTok, along with its parent company ByteDance and a group of TikTok creators, have filed lawsuits to oppose the legislation that could potentially ban the app used by 170 million Americans.

According to a senior Justice Department official, the government will provide classified documents to the court which will outline additional security concerns regarding ByteDance’s ownership of TikTok, along with statements from the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the Justice Department’s national security division.

The department is expected to argue that Chinese-owned TikTok poses a significant national security risk to the United States due to its access to vast amounts of personal data on American citizens, enabling China to manipulate information used by Americans through the app covertly.

President Joe Biden signed the law on April 24, giving TikTok and ByteDance until January 19 to separate or face a ban. The White House’s stance is to end Chinese ownership for national security reasons without banning TikTok.

The department clarified that the law is aimed at addressing national security concerns rather than speech issues and intends to address China’s potential misuse of TikTok to access sensitive personal information of Americans. It denies all arguments put forth by TikTok, including claims that the law violates the free speech rights under the First Amendment of Americans using the video app.

The government plans to accuse TikTok of insufficiently safeguarding the data of its U.S. users.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is set to hear oral arguments on September 16, placing TikTok’s fate in the midst of the final week of the 2024 presidential election.

Despite previously signing an executive order threatening to ban the app, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump stated in an interview in June that he would not support a ban. Additionally, US Vice President Kamala Harris, who is running for president, recently joined TikTok.

The law would prevent app stores like Apple and Google from offering TikTok and prohibit internet hosting services from supporting it unless it is divested by ByteDance.

The bill received strong support from the US Congress amid concerns expressed by lawmakers that China might exploit the app to gain access to Americans’ data for spying purposes.

Reuters

Source: www.theguardian.com

New Luddite movement protests AI as robots lose jobs and films are scrapped – Ed Newton Rex

Posted on July 27, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

pictureEarlier this month, the popular lifestyle magazine introduced its new “Fashion and Lifestyle Editor” to its massive social media following. “Ream”At first glance, Reem appeared to be a woman in her twenties who understood both fashion and lifestyle, and was proudly announced as an “AI-enhanced team member” — that is, a fake persona generated by artificial intelligence. Reem would be recommending products to SheerLuxe's followers — in other words, doing the job that SheerLuxe would normally pay a human to do. The reaction was entirely predictable. Indignation“The editorial team hastily issued an apology, saying, ‘I’m sorry, but I’m not sure what to do.'”

This is just the latest in a long line of withdrawals of “inspiring AI projects” that have drawn outrage from those they were meant to inspire. The Prince Charles Cinema in London's Soho cancel In June, it canceled a screening of a film written by AI after patrons loudly protested. Lego was under pressure The company demanded that it remove a series of AI-generated images it had published on its website. Doctor Who had begun experimenting with generative AI, It stopped immediately After a wave of complaints, companies have bought into the AI hype, thinking that adopting AI will help them promote themselves as innovative, completely failing to understand the growing anti-AI sentiment among many customers.

Behind the backlash are a number of concerns about AI. The most fundamental is its impact on human labor. The main impact of using AI in many situations is that it will deprive humans of the opportunity to do the same work. And AI systems will: Exploitation of works Artificial intelligence is training the people it is meant to replace in creative output without paying them. The technology has a tendency to sexualize women, is used to create deep fakes, and is causing tech companies to miss their climate targets, without understanding many of its risks well enough to mitigate them. Naturally, this has not met with universal praise. Hayao Miyazaki, director of world-famous animation studio Studio Ghibli, said: “I’m completely disgusted…” [AI] It is an affront to life itself.”

Members of the activist group Safe Streets Level place cones around a self-driving taxi in San Francisco, California, in July 2023. Photo: Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images

Some members of the anti-AI movement Reclaiming the name “Luddite”I come from a tech community where Luddite is considered an insult, but this new movement is proud of the moniker. As Brian Merchant, author of Blood in the Machine, points out, the first Luddites didn't rebel immediately. They called for dialogue and compromise. The new Luddites also want dialogue and compromise. Most recognize that AI is here to stay, and they want a more rational and fair approach to its adoption, not reversal. And it's easy to imagine that they might be more successful than their predecessors. 19th century counterpartThe legendary Ned Ludd had no social media. Downtrodden workers used to be easily ignored. The internet is the greatest organizing tool in history.

Anger toward AI companies is forging unlikely allies. When the Recording Industry Association of America recently sued two AI music-generation companies for “unimaginable copyright infringement,” musicians and fans took to the internet to show their support. “Wow, these AI companies make me want to root for the record companies,” one person wrote. One composer said:To address the new threat of AI, old arguments are being pushed aside: the enemy of my enemy is my friend, as the saying goes.

Some will believe that AI is all about opportunity, all about good, and that it is the next great technological revolution that will free humanity from the dark ages we live in. A speaker at the Tony Blair Institute's Britain's Future Summit a few weeks ago said: Overview Why empowering AI is “the only option for a forward-thinking UK government.” There is some truth to this. Of course, AI has a promise. That promise is largely a creed for now, with AI leaders promising technologies that are at best years away and at worst unrealistic. But there is reason to think that the more optimistic predictions about AI have some real potential. AI may truly change the world, as AI visionaries would have you believe.

But the backlash points out that we can’t ignore real harms today in order to make technological bets on the future. Nintendo They won’t use generative AI. A user on Stack Overflow, a Q&A site for software engineers, wrote: A group revolted After the platform struck a deal to allow OpenAI to remove content to train its models, users began deleting posts or editing them to make them nonsensical. Attacks on driverless taxis They shouted in the streets of San Francisco that they were putting people out of work.

Outside the OpenAI offices in San Francisco, there are frequent groups of protesters holding banners reading “Pause AI.” If AI is left unregulated, this sentiment will only grow. Countries may be tempted to treat AI development as an arms race and forge ahead regardless of the costs. But According to opinion polls, the public We think this is a bad idea, and AI developers and those regulating the emerging AI industry need to listen to the growing backlash against AI.

Ed Newton-Rex is the founder of Fairy Training, a nonprofit that certifies generative AI companies that respect the rights of creators, and co-founder of JukeDeck, an AI company that can compose and arrange music.

Source: www.theguardian.com