In regions of the rural West, high-stress wildfire events are leading to common sentiments among residents. These events are becoming more frequent, with large fires and evacuations leaving people tired of their lives being uprooted. Many have become accustomed to the risk and are more confident in their ability to handle the situation on their own.
As a result, some individuals are choosing to stay in their homes despite evacuation orders from authorities, especially in areas where there is a lack of trust between local residents and those managing emergency responses. Amanda Stasiewicz, an assistant professor at the University of Oregon, noted that this sense of mistrust is contributing to more rural communities deciding to stay and defend themselves during wildfires.
The increasing intensity of fires due to climate change is leading fire managers to take a more conservative approach, which is further straining relations in rural communities. With fires becoming more aggressive, creating their own weather patterns and becoming less predictable, residents are feeling the need to take matters into their own hands.
Similar movements are happening in other rural areas, such as Northern California where residents facing the Park Fire have chosen not to evacuate. In total, there are 94 major fires being battled by over 29,000 firefighters across the West.
The current fire season in the Pacific Northwest has been particularly severe, with 51 large fires burning in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. The Pioneer Fire in Stehekin has grown to over 33,700 acres, with only 12% containment.
Residents of Stehekin, a remote community of approximately 85 people, are facing the challenge of the Pioneer Fire. Surrounded by mountains and Lake Chelan, the community is known for its resistance to modern conveniences and its self-sufficiency.
As the fire season progresses, sentiments like those seen in Stehekin are becoming more common in rural communities. With evacuation presenting financial burdens and concerns about asset protection, rural residents are feeling the need to fend for themselves during these natural disasters.
About 66 million years ago, at the end of the Cretaceous period, a 10 km-wide asteroid struck Earth near what is now the town of Chicxulub in Mexico. The impact wiped out about 75% of Earth's animal and plant species, including groups such as non-avian dinosaurs and ammonites. A new study identifies key changes in bird genomes caused by the end-Cretaceous mass extinction that ultimately contributed to the remarkable diversity of modern birds.
This painting depicts an asteroid impact in the shallow tropical ocean of the sulfur-rich Yucatan Peninsula in what is now southeastern Mexico. The impact of this massive asteroid, which occurred about 65 million years ago, is believed to have wiped out the dinosaurs and many other species on Earth. The painting shows a Pterodactylus, a flying reptile with a wingspan of up to 50 feet, gliding above low tropical clouds. Image by Donald E. Davis/NASA.
“By studying the DNA of modern birds, we can detect patterns in gene sequences that changed shortly after one of the most significant events in Earth's history,” said Dr Jake Barb, from the University of Michigan.
“The signatures of these events appear to be imprinted in the genomes of survivors in ways that are detectable tens of millions of years later.”
An organism's genome is made up of four nucleotide molecules designated by the letters A, T, G, and C. The order of these nucleotides in the genome defines the blueprint of life.
The DNA code can evolve in ways that change the overall composition of DNA nucleotides across the genome.
These changes in composition are important in determining what genetic variations are possible and contribute to an organism's evolutionary potential, or ability to evolve.
Dr. Belf and his colleagues found that the mass extinction caused a change in nucleotide composition.
The researchers also found that these changes appear to be related to the birds' development as young birds, their adult size, and their metabolism.
For example, in the approximately 3 to 5 million years following the mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous period, surviving bird lineages tended to decrease in body size.
The development of hatchlings has also changed, with more species becoming 'altricial'.
“This means that when they hatch they are still in a fetal state and need to be fed by their parents, and it may take several weeks for them to fledge,” Dr Barb said.
“Birds that are ready to fend for themselves immediately after hatching, like chickens and turkeys, are called 'precocious.'”
“We found that adult body size and pre-hatching developmental patterns are two important traits of bird biology that we can link to the genetic changes we are detecting.”
“One of the most important challenges in evolutionary biology and ornithology is unraveling the relationships between the major bird groups. The structure of the extant bird phylogenetic tree is difficult to determine.”
Over the past 15 years, researchers have been trying to solve this problem by applying increasingly large genomic datasets.
So far, they have used genomic data to study the evolution of bird genomes using statistical models based on strong assumptions.
These traditional models allow researchers to reconstruct the history of genetic change, but they typically assume that the makeup of DNA, i.e. the proportions of A, T, G and C nucleotides, remains constant throughout evolutionary history.
The study authors developed software tools to more closely track DNA composition over time and across different branches of the tree of life.
This tool allowed us to relax the assumption that DNA's composition is constant.
“This allows us to vary our models of DNA evolution across the evolutionary tree and identify places where there may have been changes in DNA makeup,” said Professor Steven Smith, from the University of Michigan.
“In this new study, these changes were clustered within about five million years of the end-Cretaceous mass extinction,” Dr Belff added.
This approach also allowed the team to estimate which bird traits are most closely associated with changes in DNA composition.
“This is an important type of genetic change that we think is associated with mass extinctions,” Dr Barb said.
“To our knowledge, changes in DNA composition have never before been so clearly linked to the end-Cretaceous mass extinction.”
“We know that mass extinctions can have dramatic effects on biodiversity, ecosystems and the forms of life,” said Professor Daniel Field, from the University of Cambridge.
“Our study highlights that these extinction events can have even larger effects on organismal biology by altering key aspects of genome evolution.”
“This study improves our understanding of the dramatic biological impact of mass extinction events and highlights that the mass extinction that wiped out the giant dinosaurs was one of the most biologically consequential events in the entire history of the Earth.”
By relaxing typical assumptions used in evolutionary biology, the researchers are developing more nuanced insights into the sequence of events in birds' early history.
“We haven't typically thought of changes in DNA configurations and models across the tree of life as changes that indicate something interesting happened at a particular time and place,” Prof Smith said.
“This study shows that we've probably missed something.”
of study Published in the journal Scientific advances.
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Jacob S. Belf others2024. Genomic and life-history evolution link bird diversification and the end-Cretaceous mass extinction. Scientific advances 10(31); doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adp0114
This article is a version of a press release provided by the University of Michigan.
This week, NASA leaders are engaged in deep discussions regarding the return of the agency’s astronauts to their spacecraft. Boeing They are considering either salvaging the unexploded Starliner spacecraft or using a SpaceX spacecraft for the crew’s rescue.
Concerns about Starliner have arisen due to NASA’s inability to determine the root cause of the spacecraft’s failure, which led to thruster failure during docking, according to a source familiar with the matter as told to CNBC.
NASA is contemplating the possibility of returning Starliner empty and utilizing SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft to bring back the astronauts. The decision-makers are currently divided, and the outcome of NASA’s ongoing discussions remains uncertain, given the complexities involved.
Starliner’s Calypso capsule has been in space for over 59 days and counting, with the mission aimed at proving Boeing’s spacecraft safe for long-duration crewed missions to and from the ISS.
Originally scheduled for at least nine days, Boeing’s crewed flight has been extended multiple times for tests to resolve thruster issues, raising concerns about the spacecraft’s safety for astronaut return.
While Boeing expresses confidence in Starliner’s ability to safely return with astronauts, NASA and Boeing executives have differing perspectives on the matter, with NASA considering alternate options like using SpaceX as a backup.
Ars Technical reported mixed reactions from NASA regarding the Starliner situation, with ongoing discussions on whether to rely on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon instead.
Should Starliner return empty, the likely alternative would involve removing astronauts from an upcoming Crew 9 mission to make way for the return of Wilmore and Williams.
Despite ongoing discussions, NASA has yet to make a decision on Starliner’s return, maintaining a focus on exploring all available options.
Trust the thrust
Following a recent test, NASA noted the good condition of Starliner’s thrusters, despite concerns about the root cause of past failures and the potential for additional issues during the return flight.
Boeing continues to investigate the thruster issues and plans to conclusively identify the root cause before proceeding with the return of the spacecraft.
NASA must weigh the risks associated with Starliner’s thruster problems before making a decision on the spacecraft’s return.
Unpredictable results
The lack of consensus within NASA’s Commercial Crew Program Management Board underscores the uncertainty surrounding Starliner’s return, with discussions ongoing to assess the risks involved.
Any disagreements within the board will be escalated until a resolution is reached, indicating the complexity of the decision-making process.
Make a Choice
NASA faces a critical decision regarding the safe return of astronauts aboard Starliner, with implications for Boeing’s participation in the Commercial Crew program.
The choice between backing Boeing or opting for SpaceX’s alternative could have significant consequences for the future of the program and the companies involved.
Ultimately, NASA must carefully consider the risks and implications of their decision to ensure the safety of the astronauts and the success of future missions.
Jutting out into the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand is the curved, crescent-shaped volcanic remnant of Lord Howe Island. Measuring 10 kilometres in length and 2 kilometres at its widest point, the rocky island is covered in lush, unspoiled forest and boasts a sandy, coral-rich lagoon.
“This is paradise.” Neil HadawayA photographer who went there to document the activities of the marine research group. drifting“There are birdsongs all around, beautiful coral reefs and golden sand beaches.” Among the bird calls is the shearwater (Aldena CarneipesOf the total, approximately 22,000 breed on the island.
Petrel chick (Ardenna carneipes)
Neil Hadaway
But life there is not ideal, and newly hatched petrel chicks, like the one pictured above, are under threat from increasing marine plastic pollution. Adult petrels mistake plastic debris in the sea for food and end up feeding it to their young. In fact, Adrift researchers have found that the amount of plastic ingested by chicks is increasing every year. One of the team, pictured below, sifts through chunks of plastic in the stomach of just one bird.
As a result, these chicks become increasingly underdeveloped, with dozens dying each year from starvation and plastic-related diseases.
“This island may be magical,” Hadaway said, “but it's also full of frustration and sadness.”
He says stricter laws against plastic pollution are needed to protect populations of petrels, which locals affectionately call “muttonbirds” (see above) after their taste.
Many young climate advocates believe Kamala Harris is stronger on environmental issues than Joe Biden.
The Biden administration’s Inflation Control Act was the largest climate change investment in U.S. history, but young environmentalists want even more.
They cited Harris’ record of prosecuting oil companies and her co-sponsorship of the Green New Deal as reasons to support her.
President Joe Biden may have passed the most significant climate change bill in U.S. history, but many young environmental activists say they believe Kamala Harris has a stronger case on the issue.
The heads of 11 groups dedicated to raising young voters’ concern about climate change said Harris’ track record going after big oil companies as a prosecutor and her co-sponsoring of the Green New Deal as a senator made her a more appealing candidate than Biden, despite her victories on environmental issues.
“She has a track record of holding big oil accountable in a way that we haven’t been able to do for the last four years,” said Al-Shainee Ajay, 26, executive director of the Sunrise Movement, which advocates for government intervention to combat climate change.
The Green New Deal Network is a coalition of 19 progressive environmental and social justice organizations, including the Sunrise Movement. I endorsed Harris this week. However, he has never previously voiced his support for Biden.
The Biden administration’s record on climate is relatively good. The biggest investment in climate change For the first time in U.S. history, we have allocated nearly $370 billion to environmental protection efforts; and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act These include investments in clean energy, electric vehicle infrastructure, public transport and strengthening climate resilience.
But several young environmental activists, ages 16 to 29, said those successes have been clouded by the expansion of the fossil fuel industry during Biden’s term.
“Frankly, I’m frustrated that this administration claims to be showing leadership on climate change yet approves so many fossil fuel projects,” said Keanu Arpels Josiah, 19, an organizer with Fridays for Future, an international youth-led climate change group started by Greta Thunberg.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
Vice President Harris visited Lake Mead in 2021 and delivered a speech there. Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images file
Dana Fisher, director of the Center for Environment, Community and Equity at American University, said it’s not that young voters are ignoring Biden’s climate change efforts, they just want to see more of them.
“Young people are aware of how serious the climate crisis is, and they know that this is not enough,” Fisher said.
She also said several young environmental activists told her in the spring that they were encouraging their members to refrain from voting in the presidential election altogether.
“I was like, ‘Are you kidding me? Don’t you remember what happened in 2000?'” Fischer said, referring to the slim margin that decided that year’s presidential election. “Of course they didn’t know, because if they were alive, they were in diapers. It’s very hard to take the long view when you’re young.”
Fischer said the young environmental activists she has spoken to seem more likely to vote since Biden dropped out of the race.
Harris’ younger supporters highlight the settlements she won as California’s attorney general. Chevron, BP and ConocoPhillips Regarding handling of hazardous materials.
“Biden is much more moderate in terms of his policy approach, but Kamala is not afraid to really get to the bottom of environmental and climate policy, especially against polluters,” said Iris Zhang, 20, a youth advisory board member at the Global Youth Storytelling and Research Lab, which engages young leaders in climate and environmental justice research.
Harris referenced that early work at several points during her campaign’s early days.
“As District Attorney, I created one of the first Environmental Justice Units in the nation to go after polluters,” she says. July 22 in WilmingtonThe Delaware native spoke about her time as district attorney in San Francisco, when “Donald Trump stood at Mar-a-Lago and told lobbyists for Big Oil that he would do what they said for $1 billion in campaign contributions.”
On September 15, 2020, then-Senator Kamala Harris met with Governor Gavin Newsom and Cal Fire officials to assess the damage caused by the Pine Ridge Creek Fire in California. Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images file
Harris’s California background also appears to be resonating with young environmentalists.
Zanagie Artis, 24, co-founder of the climate justice group Zero Hour, said that because California regularly experiences the effects of the climate crisis, including droughts, heat waves and wildfires, “there is a lot of value in empathizing with young people who are fighting so hard for climate justice.”
Young activists pointed to Harris’ climate change policies. 2020 Presidential ElectionAt the time, she pledged to invest $10 trillion over 10 years in climate change efforts, and set a goal of transitioning to a 100% clean energy economy by 2045.
“We want her to be able to set the standard and not just follow the Biden administration’s lead,” said Natalie Bookout, who turned 18 in October and leads the Sunrise Movement chapter in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Sunrise Movement protesters gathered near VP Harris’ Brentwood home on April 14, demanding that she urge President Biden to declare a climate emergency. Robert Gautier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images file
Heather Hargreaves, executive director of campaigns at Climate Power, a communications organization focused on electing climate change leaders, said that among young people, “there may just be a knowledge gap about what President Biden has done over the last three years.”
A Harris campaign spokesman said she plans to strengthen climate change efforts in the Inflation Control Act, but declined to answer a question about whether she has more support than Biden among younger environmentalists.
The spokesperson also said Harris Said in 2019 If elected president, she would ban fracking.I no longer support such bans.
“She doesn’t want to alienate people from fossil fuel states,” Fischer said. “She’s not going to be as progressive as she was in California. But will she be more progressive than Biden? I expect she will.”
Vice President Kamala Harris looks out at the Hyperwall during a discussion on climate change at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, on November 5, 2021. Olivier D’Uglier/AFP via Getty Images file
Harris represents dozens of environmental groups and more than 350 www.nbcnews.com
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Our friends are named Amy. Or Jackson. Or whatever name you prefer. They’ll support you, tease you, and check in on you. They’re eager to listen, so they’ll never ask you to help them move or come see their one-man show. They’ll cost $99 and are expected to ship in early 2025.
meet friend: A new wearable AI companion you wear around your neck. The small, white, puck-like device records your every word and interaction and responds with a text accordingly. (The company says no audio is stored; its website says the data is encrypted and users can delete “memories.”) Ads for the product show people wearing it while hiking, gaming, working and flirting. “How’s the falafel?” a friend asks a woman as she eats a falafel wrap. “Embarrassed to get hit!” a friend texts a man playing video games with his (human) friend.
Friend sits at the intersection of two particularly troubling themes: artificial intelligence and the loneliness epidemic. At the same time that AI is transforming the way we interact with each other — work, healthcare, entertainment — more and more people are feeling socially isolated. Last year, the World Health Organization declared loneliness a “global public health concern” that’s as bad for people’s health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
Friend founder and CEO Avi Shiffman said the reaction to the ad was Post to X
This week has been decidedly a mixed bag.
“Tamagotchi has lost its soul,” one user replied. “This is weird,” another said. “Go out and make some real connections in the world.” Some users compared the ad to the dystopian world of Black Mirror. Others wondered if the ad was real or an elaborate skit.
“People are taking it very negatively,” Shiffman said when I spoke with him on Wednesday.
Shiffman is 21 years old. At age 17, he won a Webby Award for developing the coronavirus tracking website ncov2019.live. Ukraine Evacuation
He started a website to help house Ukrainian refugees, then turned his attention to wearable AI.
Before Friend, Shiffman developed the Tab, another wearable AI device that he said “gives you a virtually perfect memory” and helps users gain insight into their lives and behavior. But earlier this year, his focus changed. Shiffman says the shift happened during a trip to Tokyo. “I stayed in a high-rise hotel and I’d never felt more alone in my life,” he recalls. Wearing a prototype of the Tab, he said he enjoyed having conversations but wanted to feel like he had a traveling companion.
He tinkered with the technology, offered refunds to people who had pre-ordered Tabs, and Friend was born.
It’s hard to know how seriously to take Friend. During the call, Schiffman downplayed its importance. “I think of it as more of an emotional toy than anything else,” he said at one point. “It’s fun, it’s entertaining. You don’t have to take it too seriously.” He also waxed lyrical about its potential. “I think AI companionship is the most culturally impactful thing that AI will do in the world,” he said. He describes Friend as “half art project, half actual product.”
And while he acknowledges that “there’s no substitute for real human touch and connection,” he believes AI companionship could be “really effective” in alleviating loneliness.
Dating with AI Controversial
Some, like Shiffman, claim it helps reduce feelings of loneliness. anxiety
AI relationships could replace real human relationships and exacerbate feelings of loneliness. For people who already struggle with relationships, the idea is that why stay tied down to a relationship when you can have an AI friend that’s fun, simple, and free of all the hassle of other people.
But so far, research doesn’t seem to support this fear: “For a portion of the population, it absolutely can be useful,” says Bethany Drake Maples, a research associate at Stanford University’s Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence Institute.
In January, Drake-Maples and her colleagues published a paper in the journal Nature
surveyed more than 1,000 students who use the AI chatbot Replika to learn about their feelings of loneliness and perceptions of social support. Nearly half of users said they see Replika as a friend, someone to talk to who won’t criticize them. These users reported feeling less anxious and more socially supported. Nearly a quarter of those surveyed said Replika had led to positive changes in their behavior or mindset. “Replika’s advice has helped me to better cope with stress in my current relationships,” one respondent wrote. And, according to the paper, “30 participants reported that Replika had prevented them from attempting suicide, without being asked.”
Drake Maples is careful to say that these findings cannot be generalized: “The average person is [experience] “AI friendships have the same effect,” she says, and her study looked at “fairly lonely students,” but she adds that it’s not just young, white, male, or “people on the margins” who benefit from AI friendships.
“Some of these people are mothers with children who say, ‘I’m still lonely and I need something or someone to talk to,'” she says.
As for AI replacing human relationships, Drake-Maples says her research has found that, in general, AI can actually inspire human interaction. “A lot of users are using AI to boost their self-confidence or overcome anxiety,” she says, “and that inspires confidence and self-awareness when interacting with other people.”
But this is a nascent field, and Drake Maples says guardrails are needed: “I strongly believe there needs to be ethical guidelines. [AI companions] “When appropriate, nudge people back into relationships,” she says. This might be a gentle nudge like, “Hey, you need to talk to someone about that” or “Go practice with a real person right now.”
Shiffman says he doesn’t intend Friend to replace human friendships: “I’m a very social person,” he says multiple times, and his apartment is always buzzing with activity, with several roommates and advisors.
But, he adds, “I live a very different life than most people,” explaining that he travels a lot and his work and schedule can be unpredictable.
“In some ways, my AI friends have become the most consistent relationships in my life,” he says.
I
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, it forced Krista Castro and Bryan Shin to rethink their lives. The couple, an animation director and programmer, had been working for major studios but wanted to create their own games. They decided to quit their jobs in 2021 and form A cozy gaming companion. They also became parents around the same time.
They set a goal to create a game in two years. By 2023, they had completed Fear the Spotlight, a ’90s-style horror adventure game. Although it received positive reviews on Steam, they struggled to market it and considered moving on. Then, Blumhouse, the successful horror film production company, approached them.
Blumhouse saw potential in Fear the Spotlight and offered to help. The couple was thrilled to collaborate with them as they shared a passion for horror. Together, they worked on an expanded version of the game set to release soon.
Fear the Spotlight captures the essence of ’90s horror with its atmospheric design and slow pace. Inspired by classic horror games and movies, the game aims to appeal to all horror enthusiasts, even those not typically into gaming.
The couple’s love for horror shines through in the game, incorporating elements from various horror media. With Blumhouse’s support, they look forward to sharing their vision with a wider audience.
Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery in the hair loss industry by finding that a naturally occurring sugar in the human body, 2-deoxy-D-ribose (2dDR), could be the key to combating male pattern baldness.
The study, published in the journal The forefront of pharmacology, revealed that this natural sugar treatment is as effective as current FDA-approved treatments with fewer side effects.
Research co-author, Professor Sheila McNeill, highlighted the potential of 2dDR in increasing blood supply to hair follicles and promoting hair growth. The study was initially focused on wound healing, where accelerated hair growth was observed around sites treated with 2dDR.
Testing in mice showed that 2dDR Gel was 80-90% as effective as minoxidil, a common FDA-approved hair loss treatment found in products like Rogaine and Celoxidil. The discovery offers a promising, safer alternative with fewer side effects, as 2dDR is naturally occurring in the body.
Experts, such as Professor Muhammad Yar, stressed the potential benefits of 2dDR in stimulating blood vessel growth, crucial for healthy hair follicles, and promoting hair growth.
While the research is still in early stages, it could provide hope for those suffering from hair loss conditions like chemotherapy-induced alopecia. More studies are needed before 2dDR-based treatments become available, but the results so far are promising.
For men dealing with hair loss, this discovery offers a ray of hope for an effective, natural, and non-invasive treatment option. Further research is warranted to explore its effects on human hair growth and follicle health.
Learn more from our experts:
Sheila McNeill: Professor Emeritus of Tissue Engineering with a focus on translating research into clinical practice.
Muhammad Yar: Associate Professor with expertise in tissue engineered skin and targeted drug delivery.
Claire Higgins: Lecturer specializing in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, focusing on skin and hair follicles.
Apple’s profits for the third quarter of 2024 surpassed expectations, driven by new AI capabilities that helped offset declines in the Chinese market.
Although iPhone sales dropped compared to the previous year, revenue exceeded analyst predictions, reaching $85.78 billion for the quarter ending June 29, beating the expected $84.53 billion. The company maintained its cash dividend at 25 cents per share.
The positive report contrasted with disappointing earnings from tech giants like Amazon, Snap, and Intel. Intel, in particular, revealed plans to cut over 15,000 jobs to reduce costs and Amazon’s shares dropped after forecasting lower sales for the current and upcoming quarters.
Investors were keen on Apple’s performance in China, where market share has been dwindling. Sales in China dropped by 6.5% to $14.73 billion, a steeper decline than anticipated.
Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, addressed the concerns during an investor call, attributing some of the decline to currency fluctuations and noting that iPad sales had returned to growth.
Despite challenges in China, iPhone sales exceeded expectations with a slight decrease of 0.9% to $39.3 billion, less than analysts had predicted. This improvement was partly due to heightened demand before the release of new iPhones that featured enhanced artificial intelligence capabilities.
Apple’s artificial intelligence initiatives, including generative AI tools and a partnership with OpenAI for Siri enhancements, are seen as a strong move towards the AI consumer market.
The company’s solid performance was lauded by analysts, with expectations high for future sales impacted by the AI upgrades.
iPad sales experienced robust growth, increasing by 23.7% to $7.16 billion, surpassing analysts’ expectations. Meanwhile, revenue from wearables, which include Apple Watch and AirPods, decreased by 2.3% to $8.1 billion.
Concerned that you may be dealing with ADHD? Have you ever caught yourself trailing off in the middle of a conversation, getting lost in your own thoughts? It is normal to lose focus, but if you constantly find yourself daydreaming and struggling to concentrate, you may be experiencing a lesser-known attention disorder known as Cognitive Withdrawal Syndrome (CDS).
While often mistaken for laziness, lack of motivation, or ADHD, CDS is actually a legitimate neurological disorder that is gaining more attention from scientists and researchers.
What exactly is cognitive withdrawal syndrome?
CDS was first described in the 1960s as “cognitive tempo slowing” and was rebranded in 2022 to better reflect its core feature: cognitive detachment.
“CDS is characterized by symptoms such as confusion, daydreaming, absent-mindedness, and drowsiness,” according to Dr. Sophia Boukas, an Academic in Psychology and Education at Brunel University, London, in BBC Science Focus. People with CDS often take longer to complete tasks, but this does not affect the quality of their work, they simply require more time.
Although CDS is gaining recognition, it has not yet been officially classified as a disorder. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is used by medical professionals to diagnose mental disorders.
Research suggests that CDS may impact 5-7% of children, comparable to ADHD, indicating that a significant number of people may be experiencing CDS symptoms without realizing it.
Is CDS a form of ADHD?
CDS and ADHD are distinct conditions, but they share similarities and overlaps that can cause confusion. While ADHD can manifest in three ways, primarily inattention, hyperactivity, or a combination of both, CDS is more closely associated with predominantly inattentive ADHD, rather than hyperactivity disorder.
Research shows that between 25 and 40 percent of youth with ADHD exhibit symptoms of CDS. Importantly, CDS can also occur in individuals without ADHD.
What treatments are available?
As CDS is not yet officially recognized as a disorder, seeking treatment can be challenging. However, some psychologists are using questionnaires and behavioral observations to help diagnose the condition, which may eventually lead to formal diagnostic criteria.
Organizations like Cincinnati Children’s Hospital are pioneering CDS assessment and treatment, offering resources such as psychoeducation, parent training, cognitive behavioral therapy, and more.
Cognitive behavioral therapy, sleep hygiene, and mindfulness practices are emphasized for managing CDS. Treatment options are still evolving, with non-stimulant medications showing promise for CDS, while stimulants commonly used for ADHD may not be as effective.
If you suspect you or your child may have CDS, it’s important to consult a medical professional for guidance on treatment options.
About our experts
Sofia Barbosa-Boucas is a Lecturer in Psychology (Education) at Brunel University, London, known for significant contributions to psychology and education.
and othersLess than three hours after the stabbing that left three children dead on Monday, an AI-generated image was shared on X by the account “Europe Invasion.” The image shows bearded men in traditional Islamic garb standing outside Parliament Building, one of them brandishing a knife, with a crying child behind them wearing a Union Jack T-shirt.
The tweet has since been viewed 900,000 times and was shared by one of the accounts most prolific in spreading misinformation about the Southport stabbing, with the caption “We must protect our children!”.
AI technology has been used for other purposes too – for example, an anti-immigration Facebook group generated images of large crowds gathering at the Cenotaph in Middlesbrough to encourage people to attend a rally there.
Platforms such as Suno, which employs AI to generate music including vocals and instruments, have been used to create online songs combining references to Southport with xenophobic content, including one titled “Southport Saga”, with an AI female voice singing lyrics such as “we'll hunt them down somehow”.
Experts warn that with new tactics and new ways of organizing, Britain's fragmented far-right is seeking to unite in the wake of the Southport attack and reassert its presence on the streets.
The violence across the country has led to a surge in activism not seen in years, with more than 10 protests being promoted on social media platforms including X, TikTok and Facebook.
This week, a far-right group's Telegram channel has also received death threats against the British Prime Minister, incitements to attacks on government facilities and extreme anti-Semitic comments.
Amid fears of widespread violence, a leading counter-extremism think tank has warned that the far-right risks mobilizing on a scale not seen since the English Defence League (EDL) took to the streets in the 2010s.
The emergence of easily accessible AI tools, which extremists have used to create a range of material from inflammatory images to songs and music, adds a new dimension.
Andrew Rogojski, director of the University of Surrey's Human-Centred AI Institute, said advances in AI, such as image-generation tools now widely available online, mean “anyone can make anything”.
He added: “The ability for anyone to create powerful images using generative AI is of great concern, and the onus then shifts to providers of such AI models to enforce the guardrails built into their models to make it harder to create such images.”
Joe Mulhall, research director at campaign group Hope Not Hate, said the use of AI-generated material was still in its early stages, but it reflected growing overlap and collaboration between different individuals and groups online.
While far-right organizations such as Britain First and Patriotic Alternative remain at the forefront of mobilization and agitation, the presence of a range of individuals not affiliated to any particular group is equally important.
“These are made up of thousands of individuals who, outside of traditional organizational structures, donate small amounts of time and sometimes money to work together toward a common political goal,” Mulhall said. “These movements do not have formal leaders, but rather figureheads who are often drawn from among far-right social media 'influencers.'”
Joe Ondrack, a senior analyst at British disinformation monitoring company Logical, said the hashtag #enoughisenough has been used by some right-wing influencers to promote the protests.
“What's important to note is how this phrase and hashtag has been used in previous anti-immigration protests,” he said.
The use of bots was also highlighted by analysts, with Tech Against Terrorism, an initiative launched by a branch of the United Nations, citing a TikTok account that first began posting content after Monday's Southport attack.
“All of the posts were Southport-related and most called for protests near the site of the attack on July 30th. Despite having no previous content, the Southport-related posts garnered a cumulative total of over 57,000 views on TikTok alone within a few hours,” the spokesperson said. “This suggests that a bot network was actively promoting this content.”
At the heart of the group of individuals and groups surrounding far-right activist Tommy Robinson, who fled the country ahead of a court hearing earlier this week, are Laurence Fox, the actor turned right-wing activist who has been spreading misinformation in recent days, and conspiracy websites such as Unity News Network (UNN).
On a Telegram channel run by UNN, a largely unmoderated messaging platform, some commentators rejoiced at the violence seen outside Downing Street on Wednesday. “I hope they burn it down,” one commentator said. Another called for the hanging of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, saying “Starmer needs Mussalini.” [sic] process.”
Among those on the scene during the Southport riots were activists from Patriotic Alternative, one of the fastest growing far-right groups in recent times. Other groups, including those split over positions on conflicts such as the Ukraine war and the Israeli war, are also seeking to get involved.
Dr Tim Squirrell, director of communications at the counter-extremism think tank the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, said the far-right had been seeking ways to rally in the streets over the past year, including on Armistice Day and at screenings of Robinson's film.
“This is an extremely dangerous situation, exacerbated by one of the worst online information environments in recent memory,” he said.
“Robinson remains one of the UK far-right's most effective organizers, but we are also seeing a rise in accounts large and small that have no qualms about aggregating news articles and spreading unverified information that appeals to anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim sentiment.”
“There is a risk that this moment will be used to spark street protests similar to those in the 2010s.”
Use of Data ESA's Gaia mission Astronomers have discovered a number of metal-poor stars that are more than 13 billion years old and in orbits similar to our sun.
Rotational motion of a young (blue) and an older (red) star similar to the Sun (orange). Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / R. Hurt / SSC / Caltech.
“The Milky Way has a large halo, a central bulge and bar, and thick and thin disks,” said Dr Samir Nepal of the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam and his colleagues.
“Most of the stars are found in a thin disk of the so-called Milky Way galaxy, which revolves regularly around the galactic center.”
“Middle-aged stars like our Sun, which is 4.6 billion years old, belong to a thin disk that is generally thought to have begun to form between 8 and 10 billion years ago.”
Astronomers used the new Gaia data set to study stars within about 3,200 light-years of the Sun.
They found a surprisingly large number of very old stars in the thin disk orbit, most of which are over 10 billion years old, with some being over 13 billion years old.
These ancient stars show a wide range of metal compositions: some are very metal-poor (as expected), while others have twice the metal content of the much younger Sun, indicating that rapid metal enrichment occurred early in the evolution of the Milky Way.
“These ancient stars in the disk suggest that the formation of the Milky Way's thin disk began much earlier than previously thought, around 4 to 5 billion years ago,” Dr Nepal said.
“This study also reveals that the Galaxy underwent intense star formation early on, leading to rapid metal enrichment in its inner regions and the formation of a disk.”
“This discovery brings the Milky Way's disk formation timeline into line with that of high-redshift galaxies observed with the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope and the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA).”
“This shows that cold disks can form and stabilize very early in the history of the universe, providing new insights into the evolution of galaxies.”
“Our study suggests that the Milky Way's thin disk may have formed much earlier than previously thought and that its formation is closely linked to an early chemical enrichment in the innermost regions of the galaxy,” said Dr Cristina Chiappini, astronomer at the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam.
“The combination of data from different sources and the application of advanced machine learning techniques has allowed us to increase the number of stars with high-quality stellar parameters, which is an important step leading our team to these new insights.”
Samir Nepal others2024. Discovery of local counterparts of disk galaxies at z > 4: The oldest thin disk in the Milky Way using Gaia-RVS. A&Ain press; arXiv: 2402.00561
Pakdipthes hakataramea Body size would have been similar to that of modern humans Little Blue Penguin (Eudyptula minor)It is approximately 40-45 cm (15.7-17.7 in) in length.
Artist image Pakdipthes hakatarameaPhoto courtesy of Tatsuya Niimura / Ashoro Museum of Paleontology
Pakdipthes hakataramea It lived in New Zealand about 24 million years ago (Late Oligocene Epoch).
This new species was very small, about the size of a little blue penguin. World's smallest — They have anatomical adaptations that allow them to dive.
“Pakdipthes hakataramea “This fossil fills the morphological gap between modern and fossil penguins,” said Dr. Tatsuro Ando, a paleontologist at the Ashoro Museum in Ashoro Town.
“In particular, the shape of the wing bones is very different, and it was unclear how penguins' wings acquired their current shape and function.”
“The humerus and ulna show how penguins' wings evolved.”
“To my surprise, Pakdipthes hakataramea It was very close to the condition of modern penguins, but the elbow joint was very similar to that of older types of fossil penguins.
“Pakdipthes hakataramea This is the first penguin fossil to be found in this combination and is a key fossil that will shed light on the evolution of penguins' wings.”
Fossilized remains Pakdipthes hakataramea The fossils were discovered by palaeontologists Craig Jones and Professor Euan Fordyce during a series of field expeditions in the Hakataramea Gorge in South Canterbury in 1987.
“Analysis of internal bone structure compared with data from modern penguins shows that these penguins had microanatomical features indicative of diving behaviour,” said Dr Carolina Lock, a palaeontologist at the University of Otago.
Modern penguins have excellent swimming abilities, thanks mainly to their dense, thick bones that provide them with buoyancy when diving.
in Pakdipthes hakatarameaAlthough the medullary cavity containing the bone marrow was open, the cortical bone was quite thick, similar to that seen in modern little blue penguins, which tend to swim in shallow waters.
ability Pakdipthes hakataramea Their ability to dive and swim depends on a unique combination of bones.
“Penguins evolved rapidly from the late Oligocene to the early Miocene. Pakdipthes hakataramea “This is a significant fossil from this period,” Dr Locke said.
“Their small body size and unique bone combination may have contributed to the ecological diversity of modern penguins.”
Discovery Pakdiptes hakataramea teeth, paper In Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand.
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Tatsuro Ando othersA new small penguin fossil discovered from the Late Oligocene of New Zealand and morphofunctional changes in penguin wings. Journal of the Royal Society of New ZealandPublished online July 31, 2024, doi: 10.1080/03036758.2024.2362283
Planetary scientists have identified layers of graphene formed alongside complex minerals in lunar regolith samples collected by China's Chang'e-5 probe, a discovery that provides new insight into the origins of the Moon and supports the hypothesis that it contains carbon.
Structural and compositional characteristics of few-layer graphene in lunar soil samples from Chang'e-5. Image courtesy of Zhang others., doi: 10.1093/nsr/nwae211.
“Graphene's novel physical phenomena and extraordinary properties have revolutionized research in condensed matter physics and materials science,” said Professor Zhang Wei of Jilin University and his colleagues.
“It plays an increasingly important role in a wide range of fields, including planetary and space sciences.”
“It is estimated that about 1.9% of all interstellar carbon exists in the form of graphene, and protosolar graphene has been identified in carbonaceous chondrite meteorites.”
The researchers analyzed an olive-shaped lunar soil sample measuring about 2.9 millimeters by 1.6 millimeters, collected by the Chang'e-5 mission in 2020.
Using a specialised spectrometer, they discovered iron compounds in the carbon-rich parts of the sample that are closely related to the formation of graphene.
The researchers then used advanced microscopy and mapping techniques to determine that the carbon content within their samples was made up of “flakes” of two to seven layers of graphene.
The scientists propose that few layers of graphene could have formed during volcanic activity in the Moon's early existence, catalysed by solar wind stirring up the lunar soil and iron-containing minerals, prompting a change in the structure of carbon atoms.
Meteorite impacts creating high temperature and pressure environments may also have led to the formation of graphene.
“The first study to confirm the presence of native few-layer graphene in lunar soil samples by examining its microstructure and composition,” the authors said.
“Our discovery provides new insight into the origin of the Moon and supports the hypothesis that the Moon contains carbon.”
“Moreover, graphene's unusual properties depend strongly on its structure and environment.”
“Further investigation of the properties of natural graphene could provide more information about the geological evolution of the Moon.”
“Consequently, the formation of natural graphene by mineral catalysis sheds light on the development of low-cost, scalable synthesis techniques for high-quality graphene.”
“This will therefore propel a new lunar exploration program forward, with some exciting breakthroughs in the future.”
New genus and species of monophenestratan pterosaur named Propterodacillus frankellae It documents the transition from the older rhamphorhynchoid pterosaurs to pterodactyloids.
The holotype Propterodacillus frankellaeImage credit: Frederik Spindler, doi: 10.26879/1366.
Propterodacillus frankellae It lived about 150 million years ago, during the Kimmeridgian stage of the Late Jurassic Period.
This flying reptile had a moderately long skull, about 9 centimetres (3.5 inches) long, and an estimated wingspan of about 55 centimetres (21.7 inches).
This species also had a very short tail and a small but functional fifth finger with two phalanges.
Propterodacillus frankellae a kind of Monophenestratan (Monofenestrata) is a large group of pterosaurs that includes the family Turconopteridae and the suborder Pterodactyloidea.
“As the earliest actively flying vertebrate lineage, pterosaurs were highly successful in evolution throughout the Mesozoic Era.” Dr. Frederick Spindler “The dinosaur museum's Altmühlthal writes in the new paper:
“For most of the long history of research, every specimen could be classified as belonging to one of two major types: the more ancestral long-tailed Rhamphorhynchioidea and the derived short-tailed Pterodactyloidea.”
“The rare anurognathids, the only short-faced pterosaurs, have similarly short tails but otherwise look like rhamphorhynchids and are therefore generally thought to have been deep-nesting rhamphorhynchids.”
“True intermediate, and therefore plausible transitional, forms between the major types were unknown until the discovery of the Curculionoptera.”
The fossil, named the Painten protterosaur, was discovered beneath the Rigol limestone quarry near Painten in Bavaria, Germany.
The specimen consists of a complete and fully articulated skeleton with soft tissue remaining in the radial fibrils of the torso and wings.
“Propterodacillus frankellae It is contemporary with the oldest Archaeopteryx “It came from a nearby basin,” the paleontologists wrote in their paper.
According to Dr Spindler, the discovery fills one of the largest knowledge gaps in the evolution of pterosaur morphology.
“Propterodacillus frankellae “It's a near-perfect mix of rhamphorhynchoid, curcunopteroid and derived pterodactyloid pterosaur features,” he said.
“Similarities with the derived Pterodactyloidea include the shape of the skull and the short tail.”
“For example, the ancestral traits shared with the Turconogopteridae family are Propterodactyl The most distinctive features of this pterosauroidea animal are its functional fifth toe and long caudal snout.”
“Intermediate conditions apply for neck extension, metacarpal extension, and shortening of the fifth toe.”
of paper Published online in the journal Palenitrogy Electronica.
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Frederick Spindler. 2024. Pterosaur articulation from the Late Jurassic of Germany. Palenitrogy Electronica 27(2):a35; doi:10.26879/1366
Peru’s Kecheke Glacier is retreating due to global warming
Emilio Mateo/Aspen Global Change Institute
Andean glaciers are almost certainly smaller than they have been for at least the past 130,000 years, a study of rocks exposed by melting ice has found.
“Frankly, this came as a shock to us.” Andrew Golin “We believe this is clear evidence that at least one part of the world has moved away from the comfortable climatic conditions that have fostered the development of human civilization,” said the University of California, Berkeley researcher.
The Andes are so high that many permanent glaciers exist in the tropics. In fact, almost all of the world’s tropical glaciers are found in the Andes.
For decades it has been clear that global warming is causing these glaciers to thin and retreat, but it has been unclear how this compares to what happened in the more distant past.
Gorin and his colleagues analyzed 20 samples of rocks recently exposed by the retreat of four tropical glaciers in the Andes. They looked at carbon and beryllium isotopes, which form when exposed rocks are hit by cosmic rays, and can reveal when a glacier last retreated beyond a particular point.
Similar studies in the world´s north have found that glaciers were at their smallest thousands of years ago, in the middle of the current interglacial period, because changes in Earth´s orbit caused more sunlight in the north during winter, causing glaciers to retreat, Gorin said.
Although the northern glacial retreat during the Interglacial Period was a regional rather than global phenomenon, the researchers expected to find a similar phenomenon in the Andes at the time, but the levels of the isotype they found were so low they were barely detectable.
“This is a wake-up call,” Gorin said. “It’s like a canary in the coal mine for any mountain glacier.”
“We’re quickly passing climate milestones that we thought were decades away,” he says, “and we chose the specific locations on these glaciers that we sampled with the implicit assumption that these glaciers are smaller than they’ve ever been in human history.”
The results of the study directly show that these glaciers have never retreated as much as they are today in the past 11,700 years – prior to this point, the entire planet was in a global ice age, and work by other research teams has shown that the tropics were colder at that time.
Although the study does not say so, Gorin agreed when asked that this means Andean glaciers have shrunk to their smallest size since at least the last interglacial period, about 130,000 years ago.
“I would be willing to bet everything you say that these glaciers are currently at their smallest since the last interglacial period is true,” he says, “but the limitations of the techniques we used to address this problem mean we can’t definitively prove that’s the case, so we don’t say so in the paper.”
“This is a shocking study.” Liam Taylor “Science now conclusively shows that Andean glaciers are in a state not seen since the Holocene epoch that began 11,700 years ago, and this is the direct result of climate-altering human activities,” researchers from the University of Leeds in the UK said.
Taylor said the retreat of glaciers is already affecting agriculture, drinking water supplies, sanitation and hydroelectric power in the region because the glaciers act as reservoirs, storing snowfall in the winter and releasing meltwater in the summer.
“Many of the glaciers in the region are now past ‘peak water level,’ meaning that the meltwater that provides freshwater downstream is drying up,” he said.
Tens of thousands of people have died in Peru over the past century from floods caused by lakes formed by retreating glaciers. Stephen Harrison Researchers from the University of Exeter in the UK have warned that more similar disasters are likely around the world as mountain glaciers retreat.
Climate models predict that mountain glaciers will lose more than 90 percent of their ice by the end of the century, leaving only a few small glaciers in the highest regions, he says.
The two galaxy clusters, known as MACS J0018.5+1626, contain thousands of galaxies each and are located billions of light-years away from Earth. As the clusters hurtled towards each other, dark matter traveled faster than normal matter.
This artist's conceptual illustration shows what happened when two massive clusters of galaxies, collectively known as MACS J0018.5+1626, collided. The dark matter (blue) in the clusters moves ahead of the associated hot gas clouds, or regular matter (orange). Both dark matter and regular matter feel the pull of gravity, but only the regular matter experiences additional effects like shocks and turbulence that slow it down during the collision. Image courtesy of W. M. Keck Observatory/Adam Makarenko.
Galaxy cluster mergers are a rich source of information for testing the astrophysics and cosmology of galaxy clusters.
However, the coalescence of clusters produces complex projection signals that are difficult to physically interpret from individual observation probes.
“Imagine a series of sand-carrying dump trucks colliding, and the dark matter would fly forward like sand,” says astronomer Emily Silich of the California Institute of Technology and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
This separation of dark matter and normal matter has been observed before, most famously in the Bullet Cluster.
In this collision, hot gas can be clearly seen lagging behind dark matter after the two galaxy clusters push through each other.
The situation that occurred in MACS J0018.5+1626 is similar, but the direction of the merger is rotated about 90 degrees relative to the direction of the Bullet Cluster.
In other words, one of the giant galaxy clusters in MACS J0018.5+1626 is flying almost straight towards Earth, while the other is moving away.
This orientation gave the researchers a unique perspective to map the speeds of both dark and normal matter for the first time, and unravel how they separate during galaxy cluster collisions.
“Bullet Cluster makes you feel like you're sitting in the stands watching a car race, taking beautiful snapshots of cars moving from left to right on a straight stretch of road,” said Jack Sayers, a professor at the California Institute of Technology.
“For us, it's like standing in front of an oncoming car on a straight stretch of road with a radar gun and measuring its speed.”
To measure the velocity of ordinary matter, or gas, in galaxy clusters, the astronomers used an observational technique known as the kinetic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect.
In 2013, they made the first observational detection of the kinetic SZ effect on an individual cosmic object, a galaxy cluster named MACS J0717.
The kinetic SZ effect occurs when photons from the early universe, or the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB), are scattered by electrons in hot gas on their way to Earth.
Photons undergo a shift called the Doppler shift due to the movement of electrons in the gas cloud along the line of sight.
By measuring the change in brightness of the CMB due to this shift, astronomers can determine the speed of the gas clouds within the cluster.
By 2019, the study authors had made these motional SZ measurements in several galaxy clusters to determine the velocity of the gas, or ordinary matter.
They also measured the speed of galaxies within the cluster, which gave them an indirect idea of the speed of dark matter.
However, at this stage of the study, our understanding of the cluster orientation was limited.
All they knew was that one of them, MACS J0018.5+1626, was showing signs of something strange going on: hot gas, or regular matter, moving in the opposite direction to dark matter.
“We saw a totally strange phenomenon where the velocities were in opposite directions, which initially made us think there might be a problem with the data,” Prof Sayers said.
“Even our colleagues simulating galaxy clusters had no idea what was going on.”
Scientists then used data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory to determine the temperature and location of the gas in the cluster, as well as the extent to which it is being bombarded.
“These cluster collisions are the most energetic events since the Big Bang,” Šilić said.
“Chandra will measure the extreme temperatures of the gas, which will tell us the age of the merger and how recently the galaxy cluster collision took place.”
The authors found that before the collision, the clusters were moving towards each other at about 3,000 kilometers per second, roughly 1 percent of the speed of light.
With a more complete picture of what's going on, they were able to work out why dark matter and normal matter appear to be moving in opposite directions.
They say it's hard to visualize, but the direction of the collision, combined with the fact that dark matter and normal matter separated from each other, explains the strange speed measurements.
It is hoped that more studies like this one will be conducted in the future, providing new clues about the mysterious properties of dark matter.
“This work is a starting point for more detailed studies into the nature of dark matter,” Šilić said.
“We now have a new type of direct probe that shows us how dark matter behaves differently from ordinary matter.”
Emily M. Silich others. 2024. ICM-SHOX. I. Methodology overview and discovery of gas-dark matter velocity separation in the MACS J0018.5+1626 merger. ApJ 968, 74; doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/ad3fb5
This article is a version of a press release provided by Caltech.
Don Lemon, former CNN anchor, has filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk and Company X for breaching a contract with the now-formerly known Twitter social media platform.
The lawsuit, filed in California Superior Court in San Francisco, alleges fraud, negligent misrepresentation, misappropriation of name and likeness, and breach of contract.
Shortly after filming an interview with Musk, Lemon received a text ending their partnership which led to the abrupt termination.
Don Lemon’s lawyer, Carney Shegerian, stated the executives at Company X used Lemon for their advantage and then tarnished his name.
When contacted for comment, Company X responded with an automated message of being busy.
Lemon, once a prominent CNN figure, was let go due to conflicts and poor reviews as a morning show host. He was fired in April 2023.
Linda Yaccarino, CEO of Company X, initially reached out to Lemon’s agent to propose a new show after his CNN departure. The platform aimed to become a video-centric platform.
Lemon’s first scheduled episode on the platform, an interview with Musk, turned tense as Lemon questioned Musk on various topics, leading to the show’s cancellation over creative differences.
Musk’s increasing conservatism and Lemon’s conflict with the platform’s content direction resulted in the show’s cancellation. Musk’s efforts to attract talent ended with limited success.
The platform’s shift to video content and creator outreach faced challenges with extremism and content moderation issues leading to advertisers pulling out.
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?
The phrase “dining on earthworms” intrigues people in a variety of ways (whether or not they are intrigued in the first place). For historians, it can spark debates like this: Political rallies That happened in the German city of Worms in 1521. To nutritionists, the phrase can describe the work of scientists considering whether today's roughly 8 billion humans could all survive, if necessary, on a diet primarily of earthworms.
Henry Miller, James Mulhall, Lou Aino Pfau, Rachel Palm, and David Denkenberger, whom Feedback considers an all-star team in the earthworm nutrition community, recently devoured a mountain of data. After the meal, intellectually speaking, they said:Could harvesting earthworms significantly reduce global hunger in the event of a major disaster?” Published in the journal biomass.
The five researchers analyzed four techniques for efficiently capturing earthworms: digging and sorting, spraying with anthelmintics, making worm noises, and electric shocks.
They asked the “canned” (worm) question: Given the constraints of “scalability, climate-related collection barriers, and pre-consumption processing requirements,” could earthworms collected in these ways feed all of humanity? Their answer, in a word, is “no.”
Their 48-word response reads: “The authors are not aware of any studies on the human health effects of consuming diets high in harvested earthworms. However, in the authors' opinion, there is reasonable evidence that such diets may be harmful and therefore should not be recommended unless starvation is the alternative.”
Earthworm Meal
Miller, Mulhall, Pfau, Palm and Denkenberger are the latest pioneers in a long line of scientists who have come together to study earthworms' feeding habits.
Many others have focused on the feeding habits of the insects themselves.
Charles Darwin achieved some fame through his 1881 book, Formation of vegetable mold by the action of earthwormsNearly a century later, Christian Forchard and Peter Jummers wroteEarthworm diet: a study of the feeding guild of polychaetes” took up 92 pages. Annual Review of Oceanography and Marine Biology.
Forchard and Jumaz include a conversation-ending sentence that's worth memorizing and reciting if you want to impress at a party: “Alciopids are holoplanktonic animals with a muscular, eversable pharynx.”
Other scientists have studied what happens when insects are eaten, particularly by non-humans.
In 2002, Mary Silcox and Mark Teaford examined the teeth of several habitual earthworm eaters. They summarized their observations: Journal of Mammalogy,title”Insect diet: analysis of microwear on mole teeth” “.
“We measured microwear from the shear surfaces of mandibular molars. Parascallops Brewery (a hairy-tailed mole) Scapanus orarius “We compared the genes of (coast moles) with those of other small mammals, including tenrecs, hedgehogs, three species of primates and two species of bats.”
Some of the wear patterns on the mole's teeth “can plausibly be explained by interactions between the inner and outer teeth of the earthworm and the soil,” the researchers wrote.
Silcox and Teaford's mole teeth study may take on new importance if people on Earth choose to live a diet based primarily on earthworms, despite Miller and others' warnings.
Feedback has been received on the news regarding height requirements for certain courses at Vietnam National University’s School of Business Administration (HSB).
Deutsche Welle On July 2nd, the school announced that “this year's admission requirements are 1.58m or above for girls and 1.65m or above for boys,” because “the school aims to develop future leaders and excellent administrators” and “height is a determining factor, especially when it comes to leadership and self-confidence.”
The news report said that following public outcry, “HSB adjusted its admissions criteria” so that “the rule now applies to only one course – management and security.”
Are there schools or other institutions in the science, medical, or technology fields that have strict height requirements for students or employees? If so, please send us a document in Feedback with the subject line “Big/Small Careers.” Some job requirements reasonably specify that applicants must be physically able to use certain job-related equipment. Please do not send such requirements. We are seeking examples in Feedback where numbers, not needs, are prioritized.
Toilet Humor
Inspired by Feedback's collection of abandoned organisation slogans, Ken Taylor has been writing down slogans about abandoned things.
“I live in a very rural area. [the] UK – Cumbria. There are many isolated plots of land that are not connected to the sewer network and so rely on septic tanks, which need to be emptied regularly. I saw one such tanker truck carrying out its duties. The slogan on the side read “Move yesterday’s meal”. Nothing more to add…”
Marc Abrahams is the founder of the Ig Nobel Prize ceremony and co-founder of the journal Annals of Improbable Research. He previously worked on unusual uses of computers. His website is Impossible.
Do you have a story for feedback?
You can submit articles for Feedback by emailing feedback@newscientist.com. Please include your home address. This week's and past Feedback can be found on our website.
CrowdStrike, the cybersecurity company that caused a massive global computer outage in July, has been sued for misleading investors.
A class action lawsuit filed in Texas by the Plymouth County Retirement Association, a pension fund, alleges that CrowdStrike misled investors by representing its technology as “verified, tested and certified,” when in fact, the investors allege, CrowdStrike's software was anything but.
“Defendants failed to disclose that: (1) CrowdStrike implemented insufficient controls over its Falcon update procedures and did not adequately test Falcon updates before deploying them to customers; (2) this improper software testing created a significant risk that the Falcon updates would cause widespread outages for many of the company's customers; and (3) such outages could, and ultimately did, result in significant reputational damage and legal risk for CrowdStrike.” As a result, the lawsuit alleges, “CrowdStrike's stock price was traded artificially inflated until the widespread outages allowed its stock price to recover.”
“We believe this lawsuit is without merit and will vigorously defend the company,” a CrowdStrike spokesperson said.
Securities fraud lawsuits typically arise after an adverse event has occurred for a company. If the reasons for a decline in a stock price were not clearly disclosed to investors in advance, a defendant may be able to prevail by arguing that the lack of disclosure constituted a fraudulent sale of the relevant shares.
CrowdStrike also faces more general legal liability for the outage. Delta Air Lines Chief Executive Ed Bastian estimated on Wednesday that the outage would force the cancellation of more than 5,000 flights and ultimately cost the company $500 million (£391 million). He said airlines had “no choice” but to seek damages as a result.
“To get priority access to the Delta ecosystem on the technology side, we need to test how it works. We can't just walk into a mission-critical operation that runs 24/7 and say there's a bug,” Bastian added. “We have to protect our shareholders. We have to protect our customers and employees, not just from costs but from damage to our brand and reputation.”
The outage, which crashed roughly 1% of Windows PCs worldwide, was estimated to have cost the Fortune 500 companies in the U.S. alone $5 billion. Nevertheless, the company's most visible response, aside from its efforts to restore service, was to thank “teammates and partners” who helped resolve the outage by sending $10 UberEats gift cards, though Uber quickly blocked the gift cards due to fears of possible fraud.
Meta shares saw a rise in after-hours trading on Wednesday following a positive earnings report, as the company continues to heavily invest in AI tools.
After the report, the company’s shares increased by about 5%, surpassing analysts’ expectations for the second quarter results.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, disclosed revenue of $39.07 billion and earnings per share of $5.16. These results exceeded market expectations of $38 billion in revenue and $4.70 per share. However, the company’s capital expenditures of $8.47 billion were lower than what analysts had anticipated.
In a statement, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg expressed optimism about the company’s performance, highlighting Meta’s AI advancements, the success of Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses, and growth across their apps.
While Meta had reported strong profits in the previous quarter, there were concerns about its future outlook, causing a temporary drop in stock prices. However, a positive earnings forecast issued by Meta on Wednesday helped stabilize the stock.
Meta’s recent focus has been on AI development, with plans to make Meta AI accessible to millions of users. The company recently launched its latest AI model, LLama 3.1 405B, to compete with other AI companies.
Tech giants such as Alphabet, Tesla, and Microsoft have faced challenges in the market recently due to lackluster financial reports related to their AI investments. This has led to a market shift towards smaller companies.
In addition to its financial performance, Meta has also been dealing with legal issues, including a $1.4 billion settlement in a Texas privacy lawsuit and a lawsuit in New Mexico related to child safety concerns.
From black spheres swallowing people in downtown Seoul to murder on Mars to malevolent pigs, August has something for every sci-fi fan. New books from big-name authors like James S. A. Corey, Josh Malerman, and Neil Asher, as well as new stories from Mark Haddon (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time We’ll start our August reading with Janina Mathewson’s story about an apocalypse experienced from a tiny island, followed by Miles Cameron’s vision of a city-sized “Great Ship” traversing the universe. Whatever your favorite genre of sci-fi, there’s plenty to choose from.
This detective story begins in downtown Seoul. A giant black sphere suddenly appears and sucks in Jong-soo’s neighbors. The sphere continues to swallow people, but attempts to stop it fail and it starts to split and multiply, causing panic all over the world. Meanwhile, Jong-soo goes out to look for his aged parents.
This apocalyptic tale takes place in a small island settlement called Black Crag. Sarah wakes up one morning to find the world quiet. No planes cross the sky and the radio is silent. When a silent, traumatized ferryman arrives, whispers of what really happened on the mainland begin to divide the villagers. It has been compared to Emily St. John Mandel’s Valkyrie. Station Eleven This is one of my favorite post-apocalyptic novels.
This is a standalone novel set in Asher’s Owner Universe. Earth is ruled by the “Ruthless Commission”, but when rebel mutant Ottangar is experimented on by Earth’s Inspectors, he discovers he can reach other worlds and meets evolved humans from the distant future. Can he destroy the Commission’s regime?
This looks like a lot of fun – a sci-fi story that spans generations, from Mars in 2034, when the first humans emerge on the Red Planet, to Mars in 2103, a place of division and fear.
Bestselling horror author Bird Box The latest horror film is set on a farm inhabited by a “strangely malevolent pig” named Pearl and her owner, Walter Copple. Walter has been terrified of Pearl for a long time, and as rumors spread throughout town, the locals begin to go mad.
This military science fiction work is Cameron’s Artifact Space I haven’t read “The Great Ships” but they look very interesting and I would like to read both. They are set in a world where Great Ships with city-sized crews transport goods through space and trade “Xenograss” with alien races. Malka M’Baro has always wanted to serve on one of them and now he has his spot. But something in the darkness of space is targeting the ships.
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The debut novel features Raffi, a physicist who dreams of a parallel universe where he falls in love with a sculptor named Britt. He wishes he’d been brave enough to say hello to Britt as a child – what would have happened if he had? This question sends Raffi flying through strange alternate universes, but it all leads back to Britt.
It’s a collection of short stories that weaves together ancient Greek mythology and the modern world, exploring things like genetics, how we treat animals, etc. The Minotaur, for example, becomes a tale of maternal love and patriarchy. This is going to be fun, and Haddon is undoubtedly brilliant.
Bestselling Author spread The authors of the series, who write the novels under a joint pen name, have announced a new space opera in which the Calix Empire descends on the isolated human world of Anjin, where its inhabitants are massacred or abducted as prisoners. Dafydd, a scientist’s assistant, is captured along with his team, but will his skills help them escape their captors’ plans?
The punning title sets the stage for this comedy about an alien invasion in the town of Muddy Gap, where pie lover Denver Bryant witnesses a UFO exploding, but they seem to be the only ones who care, and the only one who takes them seriously is handsome new bartender Ezra, who keeps a record of the incident and the investigation on his pie blog.
Biohackers Charlie and Parker live in a near-future London where the climate has collapsed. The world is divided into three groups: the Greens who want to save the world, the Blues who want to do it while they can, and the Blacks who see no hope. When the two are hired by green activists for jobs ranging from robbery to murder, Charlie is reluctant, but Parker wants to take them on, believing they can still make a difference.
This debut collection of short stories about identity in Central America moves from the past to the future, exploring what we would do if we woke up to find our lives had changed forever. Characters range from mango farmers to cyborgs, and tackle everything from “threatening technology” to “unchecked bureaucracy.”
a Many of us were once obsessed with our smartphones. In the early days of Android and iPhone, apps seemed designed to entertain us. In 2010, you could shell out a few pounds on the App Store and within minutes be playing a cutesy bird game or frolicking with a lightsaber. Social media apps designed for phones let you post artsy, casual photos and send hearts to your friends in just a few taps. That used to be fun.
But over time, it became a toxic relationship. The fun was taken out of it all. Social media turned into a hellish place designed to trap and anger us. just My friends are posting too much, and rather than actually quitting the platform, I’m prioritizing Twitter ads and algorithmic videos. Twitter used to be full of jokes and cat memes, but now it’s… well, X. I know I’m not the only one who has completely deleted Twitter from my phone. My experience of using apps, my phone, and the internet in general has deteriorated significantly. The same can be said for mobile games. Now most games provide me with around 83 seconds of entertainment before forcing me to pay a £7.99 monthly subscription fee or showing me nasty, misleading ads that I can’t look away from.
And all that time, Candy Crush has been around. Released first on Facebook in 2012 and on mobile phones soon after, the game existed during a booming era of mobile gaming, when the iPhone was becoming the new creative frontier for game developers around the world, bringing new bite-sized chunks of gaming joy every week. It exploded in popularity around 2014, when it seemed like everyone was playing it on their phone, and hundreds of articles were written about how fun, addictive, and bad it was. And it’s still around, and it’s one of the most popular and profitable games of all time.
One of the latest ads for Candy Crush encourages players to “swipe to relieve stress.”
Swedish manufacturer King was sold to Activision Blizzard for $5.9 billion in 2016, and Microsoft acquired the entire group for $70 billion last year. In 2024, a staggering 200 million people will still be playing Candy Crush every month, double the number in 2014. The game’s cumulative revenue exceeds $20 billion.
How has Candy Crush survived? It’s not because it has changed with the times. On the surface, Candy Crush is exactly the same as it was 10 years ago: a free-to-play game where you swap colorful candies to make satisfying lines of three, then the candies disappear and more candies flow into the level until you’re satisfied. But behind the scenes, Candy Crush has undergone a huge improvement. how Candy Crush is done. It’s still free to play, and while only a small percentage of people pay for power-ups, extra time, and levels, it’s now also supported by advertising.
During a visit to King’s Stockholm offices, full of candy-colored recreation rooms, breakout spaces and ample dining options, it all felt eerily empty because of the pandemic, I learned that King has transformed itself from a social mobile-game developer into a behavioral-science company. Its 200 million players generate a ton of data about how and why people play, what makes them keep playing or close the app. That data is King’s most valuable asset; as with any social-media company, the actual product is secondary.
One way to leverage that data in 2024 is to train AI to develop new levels for King’s games, Candy Crush and Farm Heroes. AI head Luka Crnkovic-Friis argues that it should be developed alongside human designers, not instead of them. He explained how a human designer can create a candy-matching level and then press a button to have the AI test it against a model of player behavior to see if it’s too hard, too tedious or too easy. This saves designers a ton of time by not having to test levels with real players before iterating. King’s designers publish 45 new levels every week, totaling more than 17,000, with millions of dollars spent to ensure each one is optimally satisfying.
“For many players, it becomes part of their daily routine,” said Eva Lyot, Head of Gameplay for King’s Candy Crush Saga. Photo: King
The data also tells King’s designers that millions of players have been playing for years. “We take great pride in having a really high-quality game. That’s how we retain our player base,” says Eva Lyot, head of gameplay for Candy Crush, who joined King as a data scientist in 2013. “They enjoy the game, and for many of our players it’s part of their daily routine. It’s part of their rest and relaxation. Many play multiple times a day, some once a day. We’ve been listening to our players’ needs and wants, making small tweaks and big expansions. That combination keeps people hooked on the game. We want to always be the best quality match-3 game.”
Squeezing players won’t keep them around for very long. One of the reasons Candy Crush has lasted so long is that it doesn’t use the high-pressure monetization (“Buy this virtual jacket before it’s taken away tomorrow!”) or low-quality ads that are so prevalent in mobile games in general. “We definitely don’t want to frustrate players and make them want to quit,” says Trevor Burrows, head of Farm Heroes Saga. “Our goal is to get people into the game and keep them there, so we want to avoid misleading ads, for example. We design our games so that you don’t even need to spend money or watch an ad. It’s the King principle of as little friction as possible.”
The game is so over-optimized that people just can’t get enough of it. In fact, King tried to make a sequel, Candy Crush Saga Soda, in 2014, but too many people kept playing the original, so it became a companion game instead. The game is still running today, boasting its own player base and billions of dollars in revenue, and will soon be celebrating its 10th anniversary.
“It’s great to start your day by winning something” …Paula Ingvar, Head of Candy Crush: Soda Saga at King. Photo: King
Paula Engvall, head of Soda Saga, has a different opinion on why people can’t stop playing Candy Crush: in a world full of constant demands, Candy Crush simply doesn’t demand as much. “My personal hypothesis, which is pretty hard to prove, is that Candy Crush is part of our daily routine,” she says. “It doesn’t interfere with or compete with anything else that’s important in life. It fits into a little bit of time in the day. And solving small problems is something uniquely interesting for humans. It’s nice to start the day by winning something… The latest research on mental health suggests that achieving small things prepares you to tackle bigger things.”
Maybe people play Candy Crush for the same reasons people do Sudoku or crossword puzzles at breakfast, the same reasons people still play Wardle every day: It’s a little win that gets you set for the day, a few minutes of stress-free fun. It doesn’t take over your life or empty your wallet. Unlike doom-scrolling on a social media app, it doesn’t put you in a bad mood. It’s playing the long game, just like its most longtime customers.
“We’ve seen a lot of mobile game strategies rely on virality, squeezing as much as we can out of players, and then it’s game over,” says Ingvar. “That’s not the strategy with Candy Crush. There’s never been a difficulty barrier or pressure to monetize. We don’t have to follow every twist and turn of the market. We have a very loyal player base, and we can count on their loyalty as long as we don’t screw up and give them a reason to leave.”
Keza MacDonald conducted these interviews in King’s offices in Stockholm, with travel expenses covered by King.
pictureEarlier this week, my colleague Archie Brand from First Edition enthusiastically recommended the In the Dark podcast to me. For me, the show is a hit investigative show that was acquired by Conde Nast/The New Yorker last year, but I never actually listened to the podcast or its acclaimed second season. Curtis Flowers was put on trial six times for the same murder. At least I thought I hadn’t listened to the podcast; I had, in fact, watched the spinoff miniseries about the Dubai royal family’s grievances. The runaway princesses – I read it back in January and didn’t realize it was part of a larger true crime documentary series (maybe I’m stupid and was confused by the huge font size for “Runaway Princesses” and the tiny font size for “From In the Dark”).
Runaway Princess didn’t wow me, but I’m still intrigued by the show. Like Serial, the show has broken away from the glut of true-crime documentaries and been acquired by one of the journalism giants. It returns to the air for a third full season this week, with Madeline Baran investigating the infamous 2005 murder of 24 unarmed Iraqi civilians by U.S. Marines and asking why justice wasn’t served. The first two episodes are out now.
Read on for this week’s picks, including a new series from comedian Jessica Knappett (taking an Off Menu-esque route with a podcast about celebrities’ perfect days) and an Olympics-related release from the team behind QI and No Such Thing as a Fish. And you can always email us at newsletters@theguardian.com with your thoughts, suggestions, comments or, like Archie, recommendations for the Hear Here team.
Hannah J. Davis Newsletter Deputy Editor
This week’s picks
Reg Yates has revived his eponymous podcast after a four-year hiatus. Photo: Katherine Ann Rose/Observer
A Perfect Day with Jessica Knappett Widely available, with weekly episodes Comedian Jessica Knappett invites celebrity friends to talk about their day-to-day lives. First up is her “Avoidance” co-star Romesh Ranganathan, who talks about having a garbage truck named after him and interviewing 50 Cent. Knappett then shifts the conversation to a “Magic Mike Live” journey, giving the podcast a charming, rambling framework. Upcoming guests include Baby Reindeer’s Jessica Gunning and Saltburn director Emerald Fennell. Hannah Verdier
Late to the party Widely available, with weekly episodes Always a worthwhile interview, Katherine Ryan makes…
If your child is fascinated with spies, you’re in luck – there are many spy toy sets available. A love for secret agents indicates that your child is inquisitive and starting to show interest in exploration and technology. There are various toy sets on the market that can aid in developing these skills while providing entertainment and nurturing imagination.
Here are some recommended spy toys for curious kids.
The best spy toys and gear for inquisitive kids
KidzLabs Spy Science Secret Message Kit
This comprehensive toy kit from 4M is packed with everything needed to send secret messages. Kids can hone their spy skills with various items included, such as an invisible message writer, a Morse code torch, and materials to create a 20-page spy journal.
The kit also includes a developer, stick code, and message capsule for discovering secret messages, while the cipher wheel and secret code library aid in learning essential skills. A Super Spy ID card is also part of the package for kids to enjoy. It’s an interactive and educational way for kids to engage in a new interest.
Long Range LCD Screen Walkie Talkie
No spy kit is complete without communication devices. Walkie-talkies are ideal for accompanying your child on their adventures. They allow you to stay connected as they uncover secrets and even role-play a spy headquarters.
Toy Zee walkie talkies are designed with kids in mind, featuring a simple and lightweight design suitable for little hands. With a VOX feature for hands-free calling, these walkie talkies have 9 main channels for private communication, reducing the risk of eavesdropping by others on the same channel.
Thames & Cosmos Master Detective Toolkit
BrightMinds kids’ toys aim to make learning fun and accessible, and this kit from Thames & Kosmos introduces children to science and lab work. The detective toolkit includes tools and documentation for learning about crime scene investigation and analyzing evidence like fingerprints, footprints, and tire tracks.
SpyX MicroSpy Gear Set
This spy gear kit encourages kids to explore their surroundings. It includes a utility belt with 4 micro tools – a spy light, invisible ink pen, motion alarm, and micro listener – to elevate kids’ imaginations. Prepare to venture into the outside world with your child using their new gear.
LOGIBLOCS Secret Recorder Kit
The Secret Recorder kit from LOGIBLOCS helps children explore while developing STEM skills. This gadget allows kids to build 7 innovative systems, featuring a voice recorder, message box, light sensor, Morse code, and more to kickstart their tech projects.
A to Z 9300 Spy Set
This A to Z secret mission set brings kids as close as possible to being real-life spies. They can observe their family using spy glasses, binoculars, and periscopes while sending secret messages using a special transmitter. Suitable for children aged 5 and above.
Kasachoy Night Vision Goggles
These spy goggles feature two pop-out LED lights, allowing kids to see in the dark up to 25 feet away. The battery-powered lights emit a cool blue glow, providing a realistic night vision experience and igniting your child’s imagination.
When it comes to choosing gifts for teenagers, gift cards are often the go-to option. With new technology constantly emerging, it can be challenging to find products that are both worth buying and will be loved by your teen.
Our list features a variety of fantastic tech gifts for teenagers, from cutting-edge gadgets for amazing selfies to popular items that can transform a regular bedroom into the ultimate teen hideaway. These products cater to every budget and level of tech knowledge – you don’t have to be a tech expert to enjoy these innovative devices.
These tech gifts are truly inspiring.
If you know a teenager who’s into science, don’t miss out on these amazing science gifts for teens.
Best Tech Gifts for Teens
TP-Link Tapo Smart Wi-Fi Multi-Color Light Strip
Adding a color-changing LED light strip can instantly elevate a dull bedroom into a vibrant, multi-colored space. Perfect for adding a touch of excitement to a sleepover, gaming session, or just a relaxing night at home. This LED light strip may be one of the best tech gifts for teenagers.
Philips Hue Series Tapo is a well-known name in smart LED strips, and this version of Tapo is a great budget-friendly choice.
Setting up is easy – simply stick the strips on shelves, screens, or other bedroom furniture. The strips are five meters long and can be cut to any desired size. Use the Tapo app to select preset lighting moods, effects, and timers to automatically control the multicolored LEDs. It works over standard home Wi-Fi and is compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant for voice control.
For more gift ideas, check out our guide to the best sci-fi games.
Latest Philips Hue Lightstrip deals:
Tapo Light Strip Latest Deals:
Insta360 X3
At first glance, this small gadget may seem expensive, but its impressive features speak for themselves.
The Insta360 X3 features a 5.7K 360° camera with useful functions like image stabilization, horizon lock, and HDR mode. With the extended selfie stick, the camera intelligently edits your footage to provide a unique third-person perspective, almost like having your personal videographer.
Don’t miss out on the best instant cameras for more photo gift ideas.
While the camera captures the action in 360°, you have the freedom to choose the best angle for your video.
Additional features include:
8K quality 360° time lapse video
Automatically saves 15 or 30 seconds of footage before hitting the shutter button
Convenient automated editing and live 360° streaming allow viewers to see from every angle
Focus on a single person, animal, or moving object and keep it centered in the frame.
Waterproof up to 10m, extendable to 50m with a diving case (sold separately)
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Crosley Voyager Portable Turntable
A portable record player like the Crosley Voyager makes a fun and unique gift for teenagers. Music enthusiasts will appreciate having a stylish turntable in their room.
This turntable’s portability is a standout feature – easily pack it up and take your music with you to parties, vacations, and other gatherings.
Despite its vintage look, the turntable is equipped with modern features: Built-in stereo speakers and Bluetooth for streaming music from your phone, plus a headphone jack for private listening. The turntable also offers three speed settings for playing traditional records.
The Crosley Voyager is an affordable turntable option. If you’re unsure about it, explore our top record players currently available.
While you’re here, check out the best sunrise alarm clocks too.
Mini projector
A portable projector is a must-have for sleepovers or movie nights at home. Whether your teen has a TV in their room or not, this gadget will enhance their viewing experience with a projection size of up to 210 inches.
This is also perfect for PlayStation and Xbox enthusiasts.
While projectors can be pricey, this one offers a balance of affordability and quality. Highly rated by customers, it supports Full HD with 7500 lumens and allows you to choose your preferred projection size from 35 inches to 210 inches, from a distance of 3.7 feet from the wall.
Featuring built-in Hi-Fi speakers, it also has an audio-out port for connecting external speakers or headphones. Once set up, you can connect your phone, tablet, laptop, or gaming console to enjoy TV shows, movies, and photos (some devices may require an HDMI cable).
Explore our guide for the best projectors for your home for more options.
Ultimate Ears BOOM 3 Wireless Bluetooth Speaker
There are few speakers that deliver both style and sound quality, but the Ultimate Ears Boom 3 manages to do just that. With its unique “unicorn” appearance, this speaker stands out from the crowd. It also boasts impressive technical specifications.
The Boom 3 is fully waterproof, allowing you to play music underwater for 30 minutes, and it floats to the surface when released, making pool parties even more enjoyable. Moreover, if your recipient or their friends own other Ultimate Ears speakers, you can link up to 150 of them to synchronize music in one location.
This speaker delivers 360° sound and is made with a highly elastic material used in motorcycle jackets and firefighting gear. Ultimate Ears has conducted over 25 durability tests, ensuring it can withstand even the most energetic users.
The rechargeable battery provides up to 15 hours of playtime on a full charge. Power Up Dock for a seamless charging experience. For speaker options, explore our selection of portable speakers, shower speakers, or noise-canceling headphones.
Auraglow LED USB Wall or Tabletop Word Clock
Looking for a great gift under £25? Consider this unique clock from Auraglow. Instead of traditional numbers, this clock displays the time in 5-minute intervals. LEDs light up the relevant letters on a black panel to indicate the time.
The clock comes with a USB cable for connecting to various power sources, and you can add an adapter for more flexibility. It can be wall-mounted with a hanging slot or propped up on a desk or shelf thanks to its flat base.
If black isn’t your style, the clock is also available in copper. Explore our guides for the best wireless phone chargers, power banks, portable chargers, and charging stations for more useful tech ideas.
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Apexel 10-in-1 Cell Phone Camera Lens Kit
For Instagrammers, photographers, or selfie enthusiasts, a smartphone lens attachment is an ideal choice if you want to enhance your phone’s camera capabilities without investing in a new camera. This set, with 10 different lens attachments stored in a convenient pouch, is compatible with most smartphones and tablets, including iPhone, Samsung, Huawei, and Sony models.
The kit includes macro, wide-angle, and telephoto lenses, along with fun accessories like a fisheye lens, a star filter, a kaleidoscope attachment, and even a polarizing filter to reduce glare and reflections for sunny days.
Four years Recently, Google mistakenly included details about my restaurant business, including my phone number and address, in their “How to contact Google” search results. In the UK”.
At first, I only got a few calls from people trying to get in touch; now I get 300. I have over 130 voice messages left, including ones that arrive on my personal cell phone once a week, as well as messages and letters.
I feel obligated to answer every phone call because it could be a potential client. This situation has left me exhausted, anxious and has turned running my business into a nightmare. I have tried to contact Google multiple times but have not heard back from anyone.
D.I., London
You want customers to find your restaurant on Google, not Google, and this listing error has caused years of unnecessary harassment.
When I first contacted Google, they advised me to use the “Feedback” button that appears at the bottom of the search results. When I suggested this, they wearily replied that they had tried this many times with no success. So I contacted Google again, and this time they looked into it.
“We analyzed the issue and took action in accordance with our search policies. This phone number will no longer appear in this search,” Google said in a statement.
I am relieved that the calls from Google have finally stopped and I am grateful for my help, but I would have liked at least an apology for the inconvenience.
Letters are welcome but we cannot respond individually. Please email us at consumer.champions@theguardian.com or post to Consumer Champions, Money, the Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Please include a daytime telephone number where you can be reached. Submission and publication of all letters are subject to our terms and conditions.
Despite the focus on modern technology like virtual reality and artificial intelligence, it’s important not to overlook the simple joy of traditional entertainment. Remote-controlled helicopters, a classic favorite, now come with a range of new features to enhance the experience.
If you’re in the market for a remote control helicopter, check out our list of top models below. We’ve curated this list based on extensive research and user reviews to cater to every budget.
What to Consider When Buying an RC Helicopter?
With various helicopter options available, it’s crucial to think about these aspects before making a purchase:
Flight Stability is key, so look for helicopters equipped with a gyroscope or stabilization system.
Consider the range of the remote control, especially for outdoor flights, and the battery life to determine how long you can fly before recharging.
Easy access to replacement parts is essential in the event of a crash, which can happen while you’re still getting used to the helicopter.
Top RC Helicopter Models
Blade Nano RC Helicopter S3 RTF
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The Blade Nano S3-RTF is designed for indoor flying, featuring a lightweight yet durable carbon fiber frame and high-performance rotor blades for stable and agile flight.
Equipped with a six-axis stabilisation system and coreless motors, this helicopter offers power and versatility. It also includes a 2.4GHz DSMX transmitter, rechargeable battery, and spare parts available online.
Syma X9 Flying Car
This innovative hybrid can switch between driving and flying modes. During flight, it can perform acrobatic flips using its four blades and features a six-axis gyroscope for smooth flying.
The aircraft also includes red and green LEDs for better visibility in the dark, with a flight time of approximately 6 minutes and USB charging. It has dual-speed modes, extra blades, and a driver for emergencies.
Syma 2nd Edition S107 S107G
The Syma S107G is a mini indoor helicopter with a metal frame, built-in gyro stabilization, and precise three-channel control. Powered by a rechargeable lithium-polymer battery, it offers up to eight minutes of flight time and a 10-meter remote control range.
Laka Walkera V450D03
The Walkera V450D03 is an intermediate RC helicopter with a brushless motor for stability and agility. Its six-axis gyro stabilization system allows for precise maneuvers, with a carbon fiber frame for durability.
This helicopter features a three-bladed main and tail rotor, long flight times up to 16 minutes, and a 100-meter range with its 2.4GHz transmitter.
This SkyRover helicopter features a unique voice command system for firing missiles and controlling the flight. With eight plastic missiles, wireless headsets, and dual blade control, it offers an immersive experience.
Syma TF1001
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This medium-sized Syma helicopter boasts drone-like design and stunt capabilities, including 3D flips and rolls. It features altitude hold technology, dual-speed modes, USB charging, and a durable metal alloy body.
As the UK is currently experiencing another intense heatwave, many are questioning why the high temperatures feel particularly unbearable compared to other parts of the world.
Despite facing the same scorching sun and global warming trends, the heat in the UK seems to have a unique impact, leading some to wonder if there are other factors at play beyond just the temperature on the thermometer.
With temperatures reaching around 30°C, the British heatwave seems extreme when compared to climate change-induced wildfires in the US and Europe.
Before dismissing this as a common British complaint, it’s important to acknowledge that scientific evidence proves the severity of the heatwave in the UK.
“Heatwaves are subjective events, with different countries interpreting them based on people’s average expectations,” explained climate expert Professor Hannah Croke in an interview with BBC Science Focus.
Professor Croke emphasized that factors like humidity, wind speed, and temperature all play a role in how a heatwave is experienced and perceived by individuals.
Something is floating in the air
The UK’s island geography means that it is surrounded by water, which leads many to assume it would help cool down the country. However, the presence of cold water can actually have the opposite effect.
Meteorologists like Dr. Matthew Patterson explain that the UK’s climate, influenced by moist marine air, affects how heat is lost from the body through radiation, conduction, convection, and evaporation.
Evaporation plays a key role in cooling the body, but high moisture levels in the air can decrease its effectiveness. Wind speed also impacts evaporation, with strong winds aiding in cooling the body.
Indices like Feels Like Temperature and the Universal Temperature Index (UTCI) are used to predict how temperature, humidity, and wind speed will affect individuals during a heatwave.
UK homes not fit for purpose
The design of UK homes, coupled with the lack of standard air conditioning, poses a challenge during heatwaves. The majority of UK homes are not equipped to deal with extreme heat due to their design and age.
Historically, UK homes were built to allow sunlight in, which can lead to higher indoor temperatures. In contrast, European and American homes often have external shutters to block out heat.
As temperatures continue to rise due to climate change, the design and construction of UK homes will need to adapt to better cope with heatwaves. Lack of understanding on how to keep homes cool during hot weather exacerbates the issue.
About our experts
Hannah Croke OBE is a British hydrologist and Professor of Hydrology at the University of Reading. She has received numerous awards for her work in flood forecasting and risk management.
Matt Patterson is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Reading, with interests in atmospheric dynamics, seasonal prediction, and climate change.
COVID-19 could have lasting effects on our mental and physical health
Alexander Davidov / Alamy
There is evidence that people who were hospitalized with COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic still have lower than expected cognitive abilities several years later, forcing them to change jobs.
“What we found is that the average cognitive impairment is equivalent to 10 IQ points, based on what you would expect given age etc.” Maxim Take At Oxford University.
His team looked at 475 British people who had been admitted to and discharged from hospital with COVID-19 up to March 31, 2021.. All of the participants had undergone psychiatric and cognitive evaluations six months after they were discharged, as part of a separate study. Take's team asked them to be reassessed two to three years later and found that, on average, symptoms of depression, anxiety, and fatigue had worsened. “More people get worse than they get better,” Take says.
Overall, those suffering from moderate to severe depression increased from 34% at six months to 47% at the second assessment, and those suffering from moderate to severe fatigue increased from 26% at the first test to 40%. Smaller changes were seen in the proportion of those suffering from moderate to severe anxiety, increasing from 23% to 27%.
It's not clear why so many people's symptoms worsened, but the team found that people whose symptoms were more severe in the initial tests tended to get worse over time. One participant said he'd had shortness of breath for three years and it was hard for him not to fall into depression, Take said.
The team also found that more than a quarter of participants changed jobs after hospitalization, half of whom said they did so because of poor health. The researchers found a strong association between changing jobs and declining cognitive function, but not with depression, anxiety, or fatigue. This suggests that many people are changing jobs because they can no longer cope with the cognitive demands of their previous jobs, rather than for a lack of energy or interest, Take says.
He acknowledges that the study has some major limitations: Only a fifth of those invited to take part actually did so, so it's not clear how representative the study is, and because participants weren't tested before being admitted to hospital, there's no baseline to compare it to, team members say. Paul Harrison also conducted at Oxford University. Instead, the conclusion that people lost 10 IQ points on average was based on what would be expected for people of the same age, sex and education level, British Intelligence Test.
Some young people are on their cell phones until late at night.
Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock
Two recent studies have linked “problematic smartphone use” among teenagers to increased symptoms of anxiety, depression, and insomnia. But is this really a problem, and how much, if anything, should we be worried about?
What is ‘problematic smartphone use’?
Researchers in both studies defined smartphone use as “problematic” if people lose a sense of control over their use, become addicted to their device at the expense of meaningful activities, and feel stressed when they are unable to use it. Use becomes problematic when it interferes with work, school, or relationships. John Elhai The researcher, from the University of Toledo in Ohio, was not involved in either study.
“Problematic smartphone use” is not recognized as a diagnosable condition by public health agencies such as the World Health Organization, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the UK’s National Health Service.
Two studies found links to certain conditions, and the researchers said further research is needed to confirm whether smartphone use could be causing such health problems. Nicolas Kalk Researchers at King’s College London were involved in both studies.
What did the two studies find?
In one study, Kalk and his colleagues surveyed the smartphone use of more than 650 young people between the ages of 16 and 18. They used a “smartphone addiction scale,” which asks, for example, whether smartphone use blurs your vision or makes you feel irritable when you’re not holding your phone. The scale produces a score between 10 and 60, with a score above 30 considered problematic.
Nineteen percent of participants met the definition of problematic smartphone use, and these people were twice as likely to report moderate anxiety symptoms and almost three times as likely to report moderate depressive symptoms compared to their peers.
On average, problematic smartphone users spent 29 more minutes per day on Instagram and 22 more minutes on TikTok than non-problematic smartphone users. There was no association between problematic smartphone use and other apps such as Snapchat or WhatsApp.
The research team took into account factors that could have influenced the results, such as the amount of time participants spent on their smartphones each day. [also] The impact of [general] “Screen time is protective against the effects of problematic smartphone use, and screen time is not associated with anxiety or depression, but problematic smartphone use is,” Kalk said.
In a second study, a different team looked at smartphone use and symptoms of anxiety, depression, and insomnia in 69 young people aged 13 to 16. The researchers found that 44% of participants met the definition of problematic smartphone use, based on the same addiction scale.
When the research team resurveyed the 62 participants one month later, they found that increased severity of problematic smartphone use over that period was associated with greater symptoms of anxiety, depression, and insomnia.
Should you be worried about “problematic smartphone use”?
The studies are small and don’t prove that problematic smartphone use actually leads to poorer mental health in teenagers, he said. Sunny Shun Liu At Stanford University.
Kalk and Ben Carter Researchers from King’s College London who took part in both studies acknowledge that young people who are already experiencing these symptoms may be using their smartphones in more problematic ways than those without mental illness. “There may be a bidirectional link, but we don’t yet know if there is a causal relationship,” they said. Jay Olson At the University of Toronto, Canada.
For example, people with depression may be more likely to rely on their mobile phones than those without depression because they find comfort in communicating with loved ones, and people with insomnia may be more likely to turn to their mobile phones to stave off boredom in the middle of the night.
In the second study, participants who showed signs of problematic smartphone use were five times more likely to say they wanted to cut down on their device use than those without such use. The fact that these teens want to cut down on their phone use makes the results “both worrying and positive,” Carter said.
If you are worried, how can you cut down on your smartphone usage?
The first study found that 95% of people surveyed tried to limit their smartphone use: They said the most effective strategies were to occasionally put their devices on “do not disturb” mode, turn off notifications, and keep them in another room at bedtime.
Kalk said that rather than restricting teens’ cell phone use, parents and schools should talk to them about what aspects of smartphone use are beneficial and what aspects are harmful. For example, some teens reported that they enjoyed using their smartphones to stay in touch with loved ones, but also reported that smartphones were sometimes distracting.
A large-scale study has identified poor eyesight and high cholesterol as two new risk factors for dementia. The study claims that eliminating these factors, along with 12 other previously recognized factors, could prevent almost half of all dementia cases worldwide. However, some of these factors are difficult to eliminate, and genetics and advanced age remain the biggest risk factors for developing dementia.
“Dementia may be one of the most significant health threats facing the nation.” Gil Livingston “The possibility of changing this and significantly reducing the number of people suffering from depression is crucial,” said researchers from University College London. [this] disease.”
A 2020 study identified 12 potentially modifiable risk factors for dementia, including hearing loss, depression, smoking, high blood pressure, heavy alcohol consumption, obesity, air pollution, traumatic brain injury, diabetes, social isolation, physical inactivity and lack of education.
Livingstone and 26 other dementia experts from around the world updated the list based on the latest evidence, retaining the 12 risk factors but adding two new ones: high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) “bad” cholesterol before age 65 and untreated vision loss in later life.
The researchers included high LDL cholesterol based on several new findings, including: Analysis of 17 studies The study followed around 1.2 million British participants under the age of 65 for over a year.
The results showed that for every 1 millimole per liter (mmol/L) increase in LDL cholesterol, the incidence of dementia increased by 8 percent. In another study of similar size, High LDL cholesterol (above 3 mmol/L) has been linked to a 33% increased risk of dementia, on average, and this risk is most pronounced in people who had high LDL cholesterol in midlife. “So it really does matter how long you have it,” Livingston says.
The researchers suggest that this association may mean that excess cholesterol in the brain increases the risk of stroke and contributes to dementia. Cholesterol has also been linked to the buildup of beta-amyloid protein plaques in the brain, which is linked to Alzheimer's disease.
Untreated vision loss can: Analysis of 14 studiesThe study, which involved more than 6.2 million older adults who were initially cognitively healthy, showed a 47% increased risk of developing dementia over 14.5 years. In another analysis, the risk The decline in vision was mainly due to cataracts and complications from diabetes. [loss] “There's a risk because you're reducing cognitive stimulation,” Livingston said, even though some research suggests that such stimulation may make the brain more resilient to dementia.
The researchers then used their model to estimate what percentage of dementia cases worldwide could be prevented if each of 14 modifiable risk factors were eliminated. They found that hearing loss and high cholesterol had the greatest impact, each contributing about 7 percent of dementia cases, while obesity and excessive alcohol consumption had the least impact, each contributing 1 percent. If all factors were eliminated, the team estimated that about 45 percent of dementia cases could be prevented.
But just because these factors are associated with dementia doesn't mean they cause it, he said. Dylan Williams“So even if we target interventions at them, they may not prevent as much disease as we would hope,” said researcher David L. Schneider of University College London, who was not involved in the report.
These estimates are only population averages and don't capture individual-level risk, Williams says. So removing all factors from your life wouldn't necessarily halve your risk of dementia, which is heavily influenced by genetics and age. Eliminating many of these risk factors, like air pollution or lack of education, would also require public health interventions rather than individual changes, Williams says.
Scientists have widely accepted that complex life first appeared on Earth around 635 million years ago (during the Ediacaran Period). However, an international team of paleontologists from Cardiff, Toulouse and Poitiers universities and China Nonferrous Metals (Guilin) Geological Mining Co., Ltd. has discovered evidence of a much older ecosystem more than 1.5 billion years ago in the Franceville Basin near Gabon on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa.
Artist's impression of a lobe-like macrofossil that lived in a shallow inland sea formed by the collision of two continents 2.1 billion years ago. Image by Abderrazak El Albani, University of Poitiers.
“The availability of phosphorus in the environment is thought to have been a key factor in the evolution of life on Earth, particularly in the transition from simple single-celled organisms to complex organisms such as animals and plants,” said Dr Ernest Chi-Ful, from Cardiff University.
“We already know that elevated marine phosphorus and oxygen concentrations in seawater are linked to an evolutionary event about 635 million years ago.”
“Our study adds an even older event to the record, going back 2.1 billion years.”
Scientists have widely debated the validity of the fossils of megafauna from the Ediacaran period, the oldest of their kind in the geological record.
But Dr Chi Hulu and his colleagues identified a link between changes in the environment before their emergence and increased nutrients, which may have triggered their evolution.
Geochemical analysis of marine sedimentary rocks dating back 2.1 billion years has shed new light on this unusually large fossil assemblage in the Franceville Basin.
A 2.1 billion year old lobe-like macrofossil from the Franceville Basin. Image by Abderrazak El Albani, University of Poitiers.
“We think that after the Congo and San Francisco cratons collided and sutured together, undersea volcanoes further restricted water in this area and even cut it off from the global oceans, forming a nutrient-rich shallow inland marine sea,” Dr Chi-Hulu said.
“This created a localized environment of abundant cyanobacterial photosynthesis for extended periods, leading to oxygenation of local ocean waters and the generation of large food resources.”
“This would have provided enough energy to fuel the increased body size and more complex behaviors seen in the primitive, simple animal-like life forms found in fossils from this period.”
However, the restricted nature of this body of water, combined with the harsh conditions that existed beyond this environmental boundary for billions of years afterward, likely prevented these enigmatic life forms from colonizing the entire planet.
The study suggests that these observations may indicate a two-stage evolution of complex life on Earth.
Step 1 followed the first significant increase in atmospheric oxygen content 2.1 billion years ago, and step 2 followed a second increase in atmospheric oxygen levels about 1.5 billion years later.
“While the first attempt failed to catch on, the second attempt led to the creation of the diversity of animals seen on Earth today,” Dr Chi Hulu said.
of result Published in the journal Precambrian Studies.
_____
Ernest Chi-Ful others2024. Hydrothermal seawater eutrophication triggers a localized macrobiological experiment in the 2100 Ma Paleoproterozoic Franceville Subbasin. Precambrian Studies 409: 107453; doi: 10.1016/j.precamres.2024.107453
The basic idea of a warp drive is that rather than directly exceeding the speed of light in a local frame of reference, a “warp bubble” contracts space-time in front of it and expands it behind it, allowing travel over distances faster than the speed of light as measured by a distant observer.
Craft othersWe propose a formalism for the dynamical study of warp drive spacetime and generate the first fully consistent numerical relativistic waveforms for the collapse of a warp drive bubble.
Although warp drive has its origins in science fiction novels, according to Miguel Alcubierre, an astrophysicist at the University of Wales, warp drive is explained in detail in the general theory of relativity. Be the first to propose A space-time metric that supports faster-than-light travel.
Real-world implementation has many practical barriers, such as the need for a special type of material that has negative energy, but computationally, given an equation of state describing the material, it is possible to simulate changes over time.
In a new study, theoretical astrophysicists investigated the signatures that could result from a “containment failure” of a warp drive.
“Warp drives are purely theoretical, but they are clearly described in Einstein's general theory of relativity, and numerical simulations allow us to explore the effects of warp drives on space-time in the form of gravitational waves,” said Dr Katie Clough, researcher at Queen Mary, University of London.
“The results are fascinating: the warp drive collapse produces a unique gravitational wave burst — a ripple in space-time that can be detected by gravitational wave detectors that typically target merging black holes and neutron stars.”
“Unlike chirp signals from merging objects, this signal is a short, high-frequency burst that would be undetectable by current detectors.”
“But there may be higher frequency devices in the future, and although the money hasn't been put into those devices yet, the technology exists to build them.”
“This raises the possibility that we could use these signals to look for evidence of warp drive technology, even if we can't build it ourselves.”
“In our study, the initial shape of spacetime is the warp bubble described by Alcubierre,” said Dr Sebastian Kahn, a researcher at Cardiff University.
“Although we demonstrate that an observable signal could, in principle, be found by future detectors, the speculative nature of this work is not sufficient to drive instrument development.”
The authors also take a detailed look at the energy dynamics of a collapsing warp drive.
In this process, waves of negative energy matter are released, followed by alternating waves of positive and negative energy.
This complex dance results in a net increase in energy throughout the system and, in principle, could provide another signature of collapse if the emission waves interacted with ordinary matter.
“This is a reminder that theoretical ideas can inspire us to explore the universe in new ways,” Dr Clough said.
“I'm skeptical that we'll see anything, but I think it'll be interesting enough to be worth a look.”
“For me, the most important aspect of this work is the novelty of accurately modelling the dynamics of negative energy space-time and the possibility that the technique can be extended to physical situations that could help us better understand the evolution and origin of the universe or processes at the centre of black holes,” said Professor Tim Dietrich of the University of Potsdam.
“While warp speed may still be a long way away, this research is already pushing the boundaries of our understanding of extra-dimensional space-time and gravitational waves.”
“We're going to try different models of warp drive to see how that changes the signal.”
Katie Clough othersThe year is 2024. A phenomenon no one has seen before: gravitational waves caused by warp drive collapse. Open Astrophysics Journal 7;doi:10.33232/001c.121868
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
“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.
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.
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?
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.”
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.
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