Robots the size of a grain of sand work together like ants
Jung Jae-wi et al.
Swarms of small robots guided by magnetic fields can coordinate and act like ants, even swarming to form floating rafts or lifting objects hundreds of times their weight. The microrobots, which are about the size of a grain of sand, could one day be able to perform tasks that larger robots cannot, such as unclogging blood vessels or delivering drugs to specific parts of the human body.
Jung Jaewi and his colleagues at South Korea's Hanyang University built the tiny, cubic-shaped robot using a mold and epoxy resin embedded with a magnetic alloy. These tiny magnetic particles allow the microrobot to be “programmed” to form different configurations after being exposed to a strong magnetic field from a specific angle. The bot is controlled by an external magnetic field and can perform rotations and other movements. This approach allowed the team to “efficiently and quickly manufacture hundreds to thousands of microrobots” with magnetic profiles designed for specific missions, Wee said.
The researchers instructed swarms of microrobots to work together to overcome obstacles five times higher than individual microrobots and form floating rafts on water. The bot also punched through a clogged tube and transported tablets weighing 2000 times their individual weight through a liquid, demonstrating potential medical applications.
“These magnetic microrobots hold great promise for minimally invasive drug delivery in confined, confined spaces,” he says. small guangdong from Vanderbilt University in Tennessee was not involved in the study. However, microrobots are not yet capable of autonomously navigating complex and narrow spaces such as arteries.
There are also safety challenges, Dong said, including the need to coat “potentially toxic” magnetic particles with human-friendly materials. Still, he says he's optimistic about future medical applications for such microrobots. When safe, bots can “effectively travel to targeted disease sites and deliver drugs locally,” making treatments more precise and effective.
Good neighborhoods are defined by the people who reside there. The presence of a helpful individual can enhance the community, while a negative neighbor can detract from its overall quality. The same concept applies to the brain, as revealed in a recent study indicating that brain cells behave like communities. Some cells contribute to a nurturing environment, promoting health and resilience in adjacent cells, while others spread stress and damage like bad neighbors.
Throughout one’s life, the composition of this brain community influences the aging process. Negative relationships can accelerate aging and lead to issues such as memory loss, while a healthy brain community can work collectively to combat aging. Researchers at Stanford University believe that these findings could potentially inform the development of treatments to slow or reverse aging.
Published in the journal Nature, the study identified 17 cells that influence aging positively or negatively. Notably, T cells and neurons were highlighted for their significant impact as bad and good neighbors, respectively. T cells, typically involved in fighting infections, can contribute to inflammation in the brain and hasten aging, while neural stem cells play a vital role in rejuvenation and maintaining a youthful brain.
The researchers conducted gene activity mapping across 2.3 million cells in the mouse brain, constructing a “spatial aging clock” to predict the biological age of individual cells. This innovative approach could lead to new biological discoveries and interventions, such as inhibiting pro-aging factors released by T cells or enhancing the efficacy of neural stem cells.
These findings have implications for understanding diseases like Alzheimer’s and potential strategies to strengthen the brain’s natural repair mechanisms and prevent cognitive decline. The research offers hope for uncovering ways to support brain health and combat aging-related challenges.
WWhen James Irungu took a new job at technology outsourcing company Summersource, his manager gave him few details before training began. However, the role was so sought after that his salary almost doubled to £250 a month. Additionally, it provided a way out of Kibera, a vast slum on the outskirts of Nairobi where he lived with his young family.
“I thought I was one of the lucky ones,” the 26-year-old said. But then he finds himself examining a trove of violent and sexually explicit material, including tragic accidents, suicides, beheadings, and child abuse.
“I remember logging in one day and seeing a child with a huge slit in his stomach, suffering but not dead,” the Kenyan told the Guardian. When he saw the subject matter of child exploitation, he said, “that’s when I really knew this was something different.”
He was hired by Samasource to moderate Facebook’s content and eliminate the most harmful posts. Some of the most painful images were etched into his mind, sometimes causing him to wake up in night sweats. He kept it to himself for fear that opening up about his work would cause discomfort, concern, or criticism from others.
His wife, annoyed by his “secrecy,” gradually became estranged from him. Irungu continued to work for three years, resigned to the possibility of their separation and convinced that he was protecting her. He says he regrets pushing.
“I don’t think it’s a job for humans,” he says. “I became really isolated from the real world because I started to think of it as a very dark place.” He became afraid to take his daughter away from his eyes.
“If you ask yourself, was it worth sacrificing your mental health for that money, the answer is no.”
Another former host said some of his colleagues dropped out after being alarmed by some of the content. But she found purpose in managers’ assurances that their work protects users, including young children like her.
“I felt like I was helping people,” she said. However, when I stopped, I realized that what I had taken for granted until now was now a problem.
She recalled screaming in the middle of her office floor after seeing one horrifying scene. She said it was as if nothing had happened, except for a few glances from co-workers and a team leader pulling her aside to tell her he was “going to wellness” for counseling. The wellness counselor told her to take a break and get that image out of her head.
“How do you forget when you get back on the floor after a 15-minute break and move on to the next thing?” she said. She questioned whether the counselor was a qualified psychotherapist and said the moderator would never escalate a mental health case, no matter what she saw or how distressed she was.
She was the kind of person who entertained friends at every opportunity, but she rarely left the house, cried over the deaths of people she didn’t know, felt numb, struggled mentally, and at times struggled with suicidal thoughts. Ta.
“This job damaged me and I could never go back,” the woman said, adding that the lawsuit will impact Africa’s content moderation industry as global demand for such services grows. I hope that you will give me.
“Things have to change,” she said. “I don’t want anyone to go through what we did.”
A momentous (or more accurately prehistoric) finding was unearthed just below the Earth’s surface on a New York homeowner’s lawn.
A full mastodon jaw was found in the backyard of a house in Scotchtown, a town in Orange County, as confirmed by state officials. The New York State Museum and the State University of New York at Orange researchers retrieved the jaw and additional bone fragments, as announced by the state Department of Education in a press release on Tuesday.
It has been over 11 years since a discovery of this kind has been made in New York.
The mastodon jaw, presumed to belong to an adult, was discovered by researchers after a homeowner noticed it surfacing on his lawn. Initially, the homeowner found two teeth hidden in plants on the property, and after some digging, two more teeth were discovered.
“Upon finding the tooth and examining it closely, we knew it was unique and decided to seek out an expert,” stated the homeowner.
Following this, museum and university staff conducted an excavation that led to the unveiling of the well-preserved jaw of a mastodon, an ancient relative of present-day elephants. Additionally, part of a toe bone and rib fragments were found.
Mastodon jaw unearthed in backyard in Scotchtown, New York new york state museum
“Though the jaw is the highlight, the additional toe and rib fragments provide valuable context and possibilities for further research,” said Dr. Corey Harris, chair of the Department of Behavioral Sciences at New York University at Orange. “We are also keen on exploring the surrounding area to look for more preserved bones.”
The fossil will undergo carbon dating and analysis to determine the mammal’s time of existence in the area, its dietary habits, and habitat details. The discovery will be showcased on public television as of 2025 and is expected to be featured in magazines.
“This finding proves New York’s rich paleontological history and our persistent efforts to understand the past,” said Robert Ferra, Director of Research and Collections and Curator of Ice Age Animals at the New York State Museum. Dr. Neck mentioned, “This mastodon jaw offers a unique chance to study the ecology of this extraordinary species and enhance our comprehension of the ice age ecosystems in the region.”
To date, approximately 150 mastodon fossils have been found in New York, with about one-third of them located in Orange County.
KIle Breeze, 36, works remotely for an insurance company and lives in Ocean Township, New Jersey, a quiet suburb with tree-covered streets not far from the beach. Last Saturday night, he was inside his house with his wife and two children, let his elderly dog Bruce out into the backyard, and then looked up.
There was an unmistakable floating object in the sky. It’s not as high as a planet or star, but it’s about as high as an airplane.
“It’s not just an airplane hovering there,” he explained. “What it looked like, it was so high up that it was hard to see, but it was like a red light and a white light.”
Brees said he and his wife had seen others on their way to dinner the previous day. Her mother, Luan, 68, said she also saw bright white and red lights floating in the night sky.
“To me, it’s like they’re looking for something,” Luan said of the drones. “My concern is that we have an ammunition base here in New Jersey.”
The Brees family isn’t the only one noting the disturbing activity of drones and some types of airborne vehicles popping up across the state. Thousands of people have called local police, the FBI and even the Department of Defense about the relentless swarm of drones that suddenly appeared in New Jersey airspace last month.
“The FBI has received more than 5,000 reports of drone sightings in the past few weeks, resulting in approximately 100 leads, and the federal government is assisting state and local authorities in investigating these reports. ” said a joint statement released by the FBI and the department. Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, and Federal Aviation Administration.
“We have sent advanced detection technology into the area, and we have sent trained visual observers.”
So far, authorities have remained tight-lipped. Everything authorities see looks like a combination of a hobbyist drone, a helicopter, an airplane, and a star, he said. But Neighbors, created by the company that created Ring surveillance cameras, allowed New Jersey residents to spam the app, which is used for crime and safety updates, with videos of floating orbs and suspicious night lights. are.
Some say they are aliens who infiltrated Iranian drones originating from a mothership off the Atlantic coast. Maybe it’s a secret weapon experiment.
“I heard it was Al Qaeda,” one man who lives near Ocean Township, an off-duty firefighter who did not want to be identified, told the Guardian.
Whatever it is, residents of the Garden State, known for legendary rock stars Jon Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen, are buzzing about drones.
The consensus was that while it was strange at first, there was no need to worry. Well, most people want answers.
Sightings are common during the summer in coastal towns like Asbury Park, a popular vacation destination. There are rumors among local residents that drones don’t come out when it rains and that they originate from the sea.
“I started watching it two weeks ago,” said Garrett Openshaw, 24, who works as a maintenance worker at the Asbury Hotel near the waterfront. “In front of the press”
On a cold night in early December, he went out onto the roof of his hotel. Folded beach chairs are usually spread out on the rooftop for sunbathing during the warmer months. As I stared out into the open ocean, I saw the unmistakable red, green, and white lights that I remember seeing as at least 12 sedan-sized drones flying all at once.
“There’s always something going on in this town,” said Colin Lynch, 26, the hotel’s food and beverage manager, who witnessed the drone swarm with Openshaw. “It’s hard to tell if they’re just filming a movie or something else.”
In between discussions of UFOs and government secrets, Asbury Park residents also gossip about celebrity sightings in the city, which is the location for a Springsteen biopic starring Jeremy Allen White.
“Look at this,” Openshaw said as he toggled through the drone’s homemade video, landing on a photo of him and Allen White from the start.
At Frank’s Deli, a popular diner and recent filming location for the film, staff members are excitedly discussing the theories behind the sightings.
“They’re having kind of a drone watching party on Long Beach Island,” said Daniel Coyle, a diner server wearing a green and red Christmas hat. She said some of her colleagues and friends, “men in their 40s,” had gone to the coastal island to look for drone sightings.
Some people in town have more sinister questions.
At Kim Marie’s, a local Irish bar with a low wooden ceiling a block from the boardwalk, people were commenting on the drones. Kathy Miller, 26, said she saw two drones near Monroe, where she lives, and showed a video of the moment.
“We’re looking at two people, one close together, one far away, and the second one turns the exact same corner 30 or 40 seconds apart, chasing it. ” she said in the video’s voiceover.
Miller continued: “Then I saw two more people, and they were all turning the same corner. I think there were five or six in total…I heard a hum, but it was pretty low, not that high. Probably 200 or 300 feet.
Miller said her TikTok and Instagram feeds are filled with similar cell phone videos, and rightly pointed out that she can’t tell if some of them were generated by artificial intelligence.
“It’s so hard to know now,” she said. “I saw a video of them firing at something and I thought, ‘Is that fake or is it really real?'” Impersonation is so easy now. ”
But for Brees, the lights lurking in the sky overlooking his town are both very real and disconcerting.
“It’s weird because I have kids,” he said. “Are they filming or is this a creepy thing happening with the camera?”
Chinese engineers are developing artificial intelligence chips for use in “advanced weapons systems” and have been granted access to cutting-edge British technology, as reported by the Guardian.
Moore Thread and Viren Technology, described as “China’s leading AI chip designers,” have been subject to U.S. export controls for their chip development. It is noted that the technology can provide artificial intelligence capabilities for the advancement of weapons of mass destruction, advanced weapons systems, and high-tech surveillance applications that raise national security concerns.
Before being blacklisted in the US in 2023, the companies had a broad license with UK-based Imagination Technologies, known for its expertise in designing advanced microchips essential for AI systems.
Imagination Technologies, a representative of the UK technology industry, denied intentionally trying to relocate its cutting-edge secrets to China. Representatives from Imagination confirmed the existence of licenses to Moore Thread and Viren Technology.
Allegations have arisen regarding Imagination’s partnerships with Chinese companies and the potential risks of knowledge transfer. Tensions between business with China and national security concerns have been highlighted by these developments.
Since 2020, at least three Chinese companies have obtained licenses to use Imagination’s chip designs, raising concerns about the potential misuse of intellectual property.
Imagination has worked closely with Apple in the past, contributing to the development of iPhone chips. However, concerns have been raised about the risks of sharing too much of its intellectual property with Chinese companies.
The acquisition of Imagination by a Chinese-backed buyer in 2017 raised further concerns about technology transfer and national security implications.
Imagination’s arrangements with Chinese customers are considered “totally normal” and have been described as limited in scope, duration, and usage rights.
Imagination’s policy of not doing business with companies on the US government’s Entity List raises questions about the termination of licenses granted to Chinese companies in October 2023.
Moore Thread and Biren Technology, two Chinese chipmakers, have faced scrutiny for their development of GPUs for AI systems with potential ties to Imagination’s technology.
Funding for Biren Technology comes from the Russia-China Investment Fund, sparking concerns about deepening alliances between China and Moscow in the tech industry.
It’s that time of the year again when runny nose season has already arrived. However, for some people, runny noses are a year-round struggle due to allergies. In fact, an estimated 25-40% of people worldwide are affected by allergic rhinitis, a condition that causes inflammation of the nose’s mucous membranes.
So, what’s behind this constant sniffing? Scientists may have an answer: individuals with allergies harbor a variety of fungi in their noses.
Despite this discovery, the presence of any fungus in our noses is quickly countered by our immune system. We all have fungi in our nasal mycobiome, a diverse community of fungal microorganisms that reside in our nostrils and sinuses, contributing to our overall microbial diversity essential for maintaining a healthy immune system and fighting off harmful pathogens.
In a study on nasal mycobiome, researchers collected nasal swabs from 214 allergic patients and 125 healthy individuals. The swabs showed significant differences in the prevalence and diversity of nasal fungi between the two groups, with allergic patients exhibiting more abundant and diverse mycobiomes.
“These findings suggest that the nasal cavity serves as a reservoir for fungi that may contribute to allergic rhinitis,” said Dr. Luis Delgado, a Professor at the University of Porto, Portugal, and one of the authors of a new study published in 2006 in the journal Frontiers of Microbiology.
The study also identified specific metabolic pathways more common in the fungal communities of allergic rhinitis patients, potentially paving the way for future allergy treatments.
Saturn’s icy rings may be much older than they appear, as they are resistant to contamination from collisions with rocky debris.
Hyodo others. This suggests that the apparent youthfulness of Saturn’s rings may be due to resistance to pollution, rather than an indication that they were formed at a young age. Image credits: NASA / ESA / Hubble / A. Simon, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center / MH Wong, University of California, Berkeley / OPAL team.
Saturn’s rings were once thought to be ancient, perhaps forming at the same time as Saturn itself, about 4.5 billion years ago.
Over time, it is thought that the rock and ice particles that make up the ring become dirty and darkened by micrometeorite impacts.
However, when NASA’s Cassini spacecraft reached Saturn in 2004, it observed that Saturn’s rings appeared relatively bright and clean.
“According to the hypothesis that non-icy micrometeorite impacts act to darken Saturn’s rings over time, Saturn’s rings are estimated to be approximately 100 million to 400 million years old. “Cassini observations show that the particles in the rings appear to be relatively clean,” said Dr. Tatsuki Hyodo of Tokyo University of Science and colleagues.
“These younger age estimates assume that the rings formed from pure water ice particles with high accretion efficiency impacting non-ice micrometeorite material.”
In the new study, researchers used a computer model to simulate the collision between a micrometeorite and an ice ring particle.
They found that high-velocity collisions can cause the micrometeorite to evaporate, and that vapor can expand, cool, and condense in Saturn’s magnetic field to form charged nanoparticles and ions.
The researchers’ simulations showed that these charged particles could either collide with Saturn, be dragged into the atmosphere, or escape Saturn’s gravity altogether.
As a result, scientists suggest that little of this material builds up on the rings, keeping them relatively clean.
They say very low pollution levels mean Saturn’s rings are actually billions of years old and are simply maintaining a more youthful appearance. suggests that it is possible.
Although more research is needed, this process may also occur in the rings of Uranus and Neptune, as well as in the icy moons around the giant planets.
“High-velocity collisions leading to the production of charged nanoparticles and ions could potentially occur in places such as the rings of Uranus and Neptune or the icy moons around the giant planets,” the authors said.
“While this mechanism may not change the bulk composition of the impacted target, it suggests that the surface composition may change.”
“Furthermore, the new material from the impactor may not be efficiently incorporated into the satellite’s rings or surface and may be transported elsewhere.”
“Thus, most of the compositional differences observed in the various ring systems of giant planets may be due to their formation processes, for example when building materials come from outside the system, rather than to their post-formation dynamics.” There is a sex.”
of study Published in this week’s magazine natural earth science.
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Takashi Hyodo others. Pollution resistance of Saturn’s ring particles during micrometeoroid impact. nut. earth sciencepublished online on December 16, 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41561-024-01598-9
According to a study led by researchers at University College London, one of these genetic variations was inherited from Neanderthals.
El Sidrón Neanderthals taste wild mushrooms, pine nuts, and forest moss. Image credit: Abel Grau, CSIC Communication.
“Teeth can tell us a lot about human evolution. Well-preserved ancient teeth are of particular interest to archaeologists, as we learned from the transition to cooked foods and when human teeth began to shrink in size.” We will highlight milestones such as when the , a researcher at University College London.
“However, little is known about the genetic basis of differences in tooth size and shape in modern humans, partly because teeth are difficult to measure.”
“We have now identified a large number of genes that influence tooth development, some of which are responsible for differences between ethnic groups.”
In the study, Dr. Adhikari and his colleagues used data from 882 Colombian volunteers of European, Native American, and African descent.
The dataset included crown measurements (dimensions of the part of the tooth visible above the gums) taken from 3D scans of dental plaster casts.
The researchers compared these measurements to participants' genetic information in genome-wide association studies, using an analytical approach called multi-omics that integrates numerous data sources.
They identified 18 genomic regions that influence the size and shape of different tooth groups, 17 of which had not previously been associated with tooth dimensions.
One of the new connections concerned genes thought to have been inherited from Neanderthals through interbreeding with ancient humans. homo sapiens.
This genetic variation, which contributes to the biological pathway of tooth development, is found only in people of European descent, and carriers of the mutation have thinner incisors (the eight teeth located at the front of the mouth). The thickness of the tooth was measured from back to front).
Generally speaking, people of European descent had smaller teeth.
Scientists also found a link between tooth dimensions and a gene already known to influence the shape of incisors in East Asians, but the new study shows that this gene, called EDAR, It turns out that it also determines the width of all teeth.
“Some of the genes that contribute to normal variations in tooth dimensions in healthy people may also contribute to pathogenic variations, such as tooth growth failure and other dental health conditions,” said a researcher at Fudan University. said researcher Dr. Chin Lee.
“We hope that our findings will have medical benefits, such as people with certain dental problems being able to undergo genetic testing to help diagnose them, and dental abnormalities one day being treated with gene therapy.” I hope.”
“Our findings did not reveal whether the genes that specify tooth shape were selected during evolution for special benefits for dental health. “Differences that occur as a side effect may have been selected for the shape of the area as well as its influence on other areas,” said Professor Andres Luis Linares, a researcher at University College London, Fudan University, and Aix-Marseille University. said.
a paper The findings were published in a magazine on December 12th. current biology.
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Chin Lee others. PITX2 Expression and Neanderthal gene introgression HS3ST3A1 Contributes to changes in tooth dimensions in modern humans. current biologypublished online on December 12, 2024. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.11.027
Using data from ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) and the Keck Telescope, astronomers detected a binary star system in the S star cluster near Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. I discovered it. This is the first time that a binary star has been discovered near a supermassive black hole.
This image shows the location of binary star D9 orbiting Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. Image credit: ESO / Peißker et al. / S. Guizard.
Sagittarius A* is orbited by fast stars and dusty objects collectively known as the S cluster.
Binary star systems (two stars gravitationally bound to each other around a common center of mass) are predicted to exist within the S cluster, but have not been detected so far.
Previous studies have suggested that such stars are unlikely to be stabilized by their interactions with Sagittarius A*.
“Black holes are not as destructive as we think,” says Florian Peisker, an astronomer at the University of Cologne.
“Our findings show that some binaries can temporarily thrive even under disruptive conditions.”
The newly discovered binary star, named D9, is estimated to be just 2.7 million years old.
Due to the strong gravity of the nearby black hole, it will probably merge into a single star within just a million years, a very short time for such a young system.
“This only provides a short window on the cosmic timescale for observing such binary star systems, but we succeeded,” said Dr. Emma Bordier, also from the University of Cologne. Ta.
“The D9 system shows clear signs of gas and dust surrounding the star, suggesting it may be a very young system that must have formed near a supermassive black hole. ” said Dr. Michal Zajacek. Astronomer at Masaryk University and the University of Cologne.
The most mysterious of the S clusters are the G objects, which behave like stars but look like clouds of gas and dust.
It was while observing these mysterious objects that the research team discovered a surprising pattern in D9.
“This result sheds new light on what the mysterious G-objects are,” the authors said.
“They may actually be a combination of binaries that have not yet merged and leftover material from stars that have already merged.”
“Planets often form around young stars, so this discovery allows us to speculate about their existence,” Dr. Pisker said.
“It seems like it’s only a matter of time before planets are detected at the center of the galaxy.”
a paper This discovery was published in today’s magazine nature communications.
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F. Peisker others. 2024. A binary star system in the S star cluster near the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*. Nat Commune 15, 10608; doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-54748-3
NASA announced on Tuesday that two astronauts have been stranded on the International Space Station since a problem with their Boeing spacecraft in June. Due to delays, they will have to remain there even longer.
The next astronaut launch to the ISS, originally scheduled for February, has been postponed to late March. This is to allow the new SpaceX spacecraft used for the mission more time to complete processing.
The four crew members currently on board the station must wait for the next crew member to arrive before departing in another SpaceX Dragon capsule. Among them are NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who are set to embark on the first test flight of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.
Originally planned to spend about a week on the space station, Williams and Wilmore have now been living and working in orbit for over nine months, including additional time due to the recent delay.
Typically, new crew members overlap with departing crew members for a short period on the ISS, known as the handover period. During this time, astronauts exchange information about ongoing experiments, maintenance projects, and other protocols.
When Williams and Wilmore finally depart, NASA astronaut Nick Haig and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov will also return home with them.
December 2, 2024, ISS astronaut Suni Williams. NASA (via Flickr)
According to officials, the new Dragon capsule scheduled for launch in late March should arrive at NASA’s processing facility in Florida in early January. Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager, emphasized the meticulous attention to detail required in manufacturing, assembling, testing, and integrating a new spacecraft.
The capsule, known as Crew 10, will be launched by NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nicole Ayers, Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, and Japanese cosmonaut Takuya Onishi. Until then, the quartet will continue training for the mission at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Primates, consisting of apes, monkeys, tarsiers, and lemurs, are among the most charismatic and well-studied animals on Earth.
Phylogeny of 455 primates synthesized using Chrono-STA. The roots of the phylogeny were discovered 71.3 million years ago. The crown of Strepsirrhini is 57 million years old, and the crown of Haplorrhini is 68.5 million years old. The crown of the eyelid is 42.2 million years old. Image credit: Craig others., doi: 10.3389/fbinf.2024.1495417.
Primate mammals consist of 172 species of Old World apes and monkeys (Cataluni), 146 species of New World monkeys (Platyria), and 144 species of lemurs, lorises, and galagos (Strepsilini).
Primates exhibit some of the most remarkable behaviors observed in nature. Chimpanzees use specially chosen sticks to “fish” for termites inside hollow logs, while orangutans use leaves as gloves to handle the prickly durian fruit.
Although they are some of the most intensely studied species on Earth, there is no comprehensive molecular phylogenetic hypothesis about the evolutionary history of primates that summarizes the patterns and timing of relationships among all primates. plug.
Such phylogenetic trees use molecular sequence data to tell us both when each species or group of species first appeared and which other groups on the tree are their closest relatives. Masu.
The largest timed molecular phylogenetic tree, called the “Time Tree,” includes just over 200 primate species to date, but the largest synthetic time tree, based on more than 4,000 published studies, , containing only twice that number, and about one-fifth of the primates remaining. The tree of life is unresolved.
“The value of a timed evolutionary tree that includes all species of a particular lineage cannot be underestimated,” said lead author Dr. Jack Craig and colleagues at Temple University.
“These trees are inherently fascinating because they capture the evolutionary history that has given us our current biodiversity, but they also form an essential foundation for many types of future research. I will.”
“For example, taxonomic and systematic efforts to catalog species rely on them to identify new lineages.”
“The study of the rate of evolution and its possible correlations, such as climate and geological changes, is fundamentally tied to its underlying phylogeny.”
“Disciplines such as biogeography, phylogeography, and historical ecology, which use time trees to investigate spatial and ecological patterns, would not be possible without phylogeny.”
“And as we watch global biodiversity being lost in ongoing extinction events, phylogenetics can help identify conservation priorities and help save species. It is an essential tool in assessing the impact of our efforts.”
In the new study, the authors were able to construct a time tree of 455 primates, incorporating all species for which molecular data are available.
This phylogenetic tree is the most complete description of the evolutionary relationships among primates to date.
“This effort proves that while the evolutionary history of even some of the most charismatic species on Earth is incompletely understood, we have the tools to fill many of the knowledge gaps. “We did so,” the researchers said.
“We believe our research protocol will be an accessible and ultimately extremely valuable tool in the effort to understand evolution.”
“We have found that complete time trees are a fundamental resource in many fields and can often be constructed from existing data.”
“Furthermore, such a complete time tree allows us to test hypotheses that would otherwise not be possible.”
“For example, our study shows that the number of species in different primate clades is better explained by unique rates of speciation, with some primate lineages generating new species much faster than others. Or whether the best explanation is simply time: all lineages produce new species at about the same rate, and older lineages produce more species over time.''
“What we discovered is that the major groups of primates actually all share relatively similar speciation rates, and therefore their age is a better predictor of species richness. That's what it means.
“This analysis becomes very problematic when a time tree is missing many species or dates, so it serves as a perfect example of the usefulness of large, complete time trees.”
of the team result appear in the diary Frontiers of bioinformatics.
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Jack M. Craig others. 2024. Completed primate molecular time tree. Frontiers of bioinformatics 4;doi: 10.3389/fbinf.2024.1495417
Tree-planting projects help tackle the climate crisis, but they can also impact water supplies
Cost Photo/NurPhoto
The major environmental, social and economic crises facing the world today, including biodiversity, climate change, health, food, and water, are closely linked, and we must work together to tackle them. has many advantages. However, focusing on just one issue can exacerbate other crises.
This is the conclusion of a major report compiled by 165 researchers from 57 countries and approved by 147 governments over the past three years.
United Nations conventions on issues such as biodiversity and climate focus on these issues separately. “So what we will do now in this report, which has not been done before, is to combine all of these and make sure that looking at these crises individually is not only inefficient, but actually the real danger. “It's about showing what's involved,” he says. paula harrison He co-chaired the evaluation process for the report at the UK Center for Ecology and Hydrology. “Action is urgent, but unless we act in a way that takes these interdependencies into account, we will create new problems or exacerbate existing ones.”
Mr Harrison said the scientific studies assessed for this report provide strong evidence that there are a number of actionable actions that can have beneficial effects on all five areas simultaneously. . These include conserving and restoring mangrove forests, improving soil health and carbon content, creating early warning systems for all kinds of hazards, reducing the risk of disease spread from animals to humans, and universal health insurance. It includes international cooperation on technology related to the problem.
There is a trade-off. Actions that have broad benefits are not the same as actions that are the best solution to a particular problem, she says.
“What you can’t do is get the best value possible at the same time,” Harrison says. “While we cannot optimize food production without negatively impacting everything else, we can take a balanced approach that benefits all.”
Harrison gives the example of planting trees to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. If the focus is solely on climate, the trees selected are likely to be fast-growing non-native species that do not support wildlife and affect water supplies by taking up too much water. However, if a project takes a more holistic approach, it may choose native tree species that use less water and increase biodiversity. “It may not sequester as much carbon, but it will add a lot of value to other aspects of the system,” Harrison says.
There are also economic benefits to integrated approaches that help conserve biodiversity and achieve other goals. nexus reportMore than half of the world's gross domestic product ($50 trillion), as it is officially known, states that it is moderately to highly dependent on nature.
“The unaccounted costs of our current approach to economic activity, including climate change impacts on biodiversity, water, health, and food production, are estimated to be at least $10 trillion to $25 trillion per year. It has been.” Pamela McElwee The other co-chair, a professor at Rutgers University in New Jersey, said in a statement.
“There is a lot of evidence that there are very strong and growing biophysical risks to economic prosperity and financial stability if we continue the way we are,” Harrison said.
says the report is very ambitious Anne LarigoderlyExecutive Director of IPBES. Its purpose is to provide the science and evidence needed to support the achievement of other international conventions, such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and the Paris Agreement on climate change. , she says.
Reports indicate that an artificial intelligence tool hosted by Amazon to enhance recruitment for the UK Ministry of Defense is potentially exposing defense workers to public identification risks. This information comes from a government evaluation.
The data utilized by automated systems in tailoring defense job advertisements to attract diverse candidates through inclusive language includes details like service member names, roles, and emails, and is stored by Amazon in the United States. A government document released for the first time today indicates that there is a risk of data breaches that could lead to the identification of defense personnel.
Although the risk has been classified as “low,” the Defense Department assured that there are “strong safeguards” in place by suppliers Textio, Amazon Web Services, and threat detection service Amazon GuardDuty.
The government acknowledges several risks associated with the use of AI tools in the public sector, as highlighted in a series of documents released to enhance transparency around algorithm use in central governments.
Ministers are advocating for the use of AI to enhance the UK’s economic productivity and deliver better public services. Safety measures are emphasized to mitigate risks and ensure resilience.
The UK government is collaborating with Google and Meta to pilot AI in public services. Microsoft is also offering its AI-powered Copilot system to civil servants, aligning with the government’s ambition to adopt a more startup-oriented mindset.
Some of the identified risks and benefits of current central government AI applications include:
Potential generation of inappropriate lesson material using a Lesson planning tool powered by AI, assisting teachers in customizing lesson plans efficiently.
Introduction of a chatbot to address queries concerning child welfare in family court, providing round-the-clock information and reducing wait times.
Utilization of a policy engine by the Ministry of Finance to model tax and benefit changes accurately.
Potential negative impact on human decision-making caused by excessive reliance on AI users in food hygiene inspections, leading to inconsistent scoring of establishments.
These disclosures will be documented in the expanded Algorithm Transparency Register, detailing information about 23 central government algorithms. Some algorithms with bias indications, like those in the Department for Work and Pensions welfare system, are yet to be recorded.
Molecular tests can be used to assess the quality of drinks
Evgeny Parilov/Alamy
Beverage manufacturers and consumers may soon have access to small, portable kits not unlike coronavirus tests to check the quality and safety of alcoholic beverages.
The device is called an “artificial tongue” because it can detect additives, toxins, and sweetness in drinks with just a few drops.
Current methods for analyzing alcoholic beverages, such as liquid chromatography, require expensive and cumbersome laboratory equipment and require specialized technicians to manipulate and analyze the samples.
The artificial tongue relies on biological nanopore technology. It uses modified organisms, such as bacteria, that have tiny holes, or pores, in their cell membranes that are just a few nanometers in diameter. By charging the membrane with an electrical charge, small molecules of the substance being tested can be drawn into the pores and passed through them.
When these molecules pass through the nanopore, they generate unique electrical signatures that can be analyzed to identify the chemicals present in the sample. Nanopores have already revolutionized DNA sequencing, allowing genetic material to be tested almost instantly using easily portable equipment.
Huang and colleagues used nanopores made in bacteria, called micropores, that have already been introduced for DNA sequencing. Smegmatis bacterium.
The device uses artificial intelligence to identify molecules that pass through the nanopores, such as fragrance compounds and additives, Huang said. “The sensor tells you right away what type of alcoholic beverage it is,” he says. “It can provide a quantitative standard of the product and also easily identify counterfeit alcoholic beverage products.”
Nanopore detectors require only a power source to operate, he says. “This nanopore sensing assay can be performed at home, in the office, or on the street as easily as a COVID-19 test,” Huang said. “You just add a drop of alcoholic beverage to the sensor and wait for the results. The machine learning algorithm does the rest of the work.”
Welcome back. This week in tech: General Motors announces the end of robotaxis but not self-driving cars. One woman’s battle against AI in her housing application. Salt Typhoon and tech companies donating to Donald Trump. Thank you for your engagement.
GM discontinues Cruise robotaxi. Uber resumes robotaxi service in Abu Dhabi
Despite the shut down of one robotaxi business, another will emerge. General Motors recently revealed its decision to cease funding Cruise, its subsidiary responsible for self-driving car software and robotaxi services. Cruise faced challenges after a serious accident in 2023, leading to regulatory restrictions on its operations. GM has invested significantly in Cruise but has not seen profits. This move aligns with Apple’s discontinuation of its self-driving car project.
Former Cruise CEO’s revenue projections fell short, leading to GM’s decision. Cruise’s closure mirrors Uber’s shift away from robotaxis to a distribution model in the self-driving sector. Meanwhile, Waymo continues to expand its robotaxi services.
Woman’s fight against AI in housing
AI is infiltrating various aspects of life, including housing. One US woman faced discrimination based on AI screening in her apartment application. After legal action, the responsible company settled and pledged to avoid AI screening for future tenants.
What’s new: Tech CEOs and Trump. Salt Typhoon
Technology CEOs and Trump: Silicon Valley leaders publicly align with Trump through donations and engagements. Meta, Amazon, and OpenAI among those contributing to Trump’s fund. Google and Microsoft also show signs of collaboration with Trump.
Salt Typhoon: Following the Salt Typhoon cyber attack, cell phone companies are under scrutiny for lack of notification to affected individuals. FBI only alerted high-profile targets, leaving many uninformed.
Paleontologists have discovered a new species of early gorgonopsian therapsid that was part of the ancient summer humid biome of equatorial Pangea.
Recreating the life of the Gorgonopsians of Mallorca in a floodplain environment. Image credit: Henry Sutherland Sharpe.
Therapsids were a major component of Permian terrestrial ecosystems around the world, eventually giving rise to mammals in the early Mesozoic Era.
However, little is currently known about when and where it originated.
“Therapsids are a diverse and ecologically successful clade of tetrapods, of which the modern representatives are mammals,” says paleontologist at the Museum of Science and Nature in Barea and the Paleontological Institute of Catalonia. said Dr. Rafel Matamares and colleagues.
“The roots of this clade date back to the late Paleozoic era, when non-mammalian therapsids were important components of terrestrial ecosystems.”
“The oldest distinct therapsids known to date were Laranimus dashankoensisprobably from the Rhodian (Late Middle Permian) deposits of Central East Asia.
“However, phylogenetic analyzes consistently show that therapsids are a sister group to the pterosaur ‘perisaurian’ class monoapsids, which originated in Pennsylvania (about 320 million years ago). It suggests that
“This implies a long lineage of therapsid ghosts spanning about 40 million years.”
The newly discovered therapsid is the oldest of its kind, and possibly the oldest therapsid ever discovered.
This dog-like saber-toothed animal does not yet have a species name, but it belongs to a group of therapsids called gorgonopsids.
“Gorgonopsids are more closely related to mammals than to other modern animals,” said Dr. Ken Angielczyk, a paleontologist at the Field Museum.
“They have no modern descendants and are not our direct ancestors, but they are related to species that were our direct ancestors.”
“The oldest known gorgonopsids lived about 265 million years ago, but the newer fossils date from 270 to 280 million years ago.”
“This is probably the oldest chrysophyte on Earth,” said Dr. Josep Fortuny, a paleontologist at the Miquel Crusafont Catalan Institute of Paleontology.
This fossil was discovered on the Spanish island of Mallorca in the Mediterranean Sea. However, during the time of the Gorgonopsians, Mallorca was part of the supercontinent Pangea.
“The amount of bone remains is surprising,” Dr. Matamares said.
“We found everything from fragments of skulls, vertebrae and ribs to a very well-preserved femur.”
“In fact, when we started this excavation, we did not expect to find so many fossils of this type of animal in Mallorca.”
“If you saw this animal walking down the street, you would think it would look a little like a medium-sized dog, maybe about the size of a husky, but that’s not entirely true,” says Dr. Angielczyk.
“It didn’t have any fur, and it probably didn’t have dog ears.”
“But this is the oldest animal with long, blade-like canine teeth that scientists have ever discovered.”
“These saber-like teeth suggest that this gorgonopsid was the top predator of its time.”
The fact that this gorgonopsian is tens of millions of years older than its closest relatives has changed scientists’ understanding of the evolutionary time of therapsids, key milestones to the emergence of mammals, and, by extension, where we came from. It tells us something about Tanoka.
“Before the age of dinosaurs, there was the age of our ancient mammalian relatives,” Dr. Angielczyk said.
“Most of those ancient mammal relatives looked nothing like what we think of as mammals today.”
“But they were really diverse and had different ecological roles.”
“This new fossil discovery is another piece of the puzzle of how mammals evolved.”
This finding is reported in the following article: paper Published in a magazine nature communications.
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R. Matamares-Andrew others. 2024. Early-Middle Permian Mediterranean gorgonopsids suggest an equatorial origin for therapsids. Nat Commune 15, 10346; doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-54425-5
IIt's perhaps poetic that throughout this year, the PlayStation's 30th anniversary, developers have discovered such a rich vein of horror in the early 3D visuals. Crow Country, Fear the Spotlight, and Mousewashing all make frightening use of low-poly characters, grungy textures, and muted color palettes to create fear and abomination. And in this sci-fi odyssey from Wrong Organ, they're brilliantly used to symbolize perfection.
The settings for Mouthwash are simple and familiar. When a giant spaceship crashes in a remote part of the galaxy, its small crew slowly loses its sanity as they wait for rescue that never comes. Not helping matters is their cargo of millions of gallons of high-alcohol mouthwash, which is quickly abused by the desperate and deeply flawed castaways.
With the captain critically injured, you primarily take over the survival efforts as second-in-command Jimmy. But they soon discover that everyone, from paranoid doctor Anya to bullish mechanic Swansea, is hiding something. Everything on board is given a sinister edge, from creepy food processing equipment to giant LED displays that continually display images of romantic sunsets and fluffy clouds.
But what sounds like a tense thriller is actually a surreal exploration of social and spiritual decline. The characters hallucinate violently, and the story cuts from pre-crash to post-crash, switching between them in a dizzying chronological dance. The ship itself appears to be mutating in response to the paranoid delusions of its inhabitants. A bizarre vaporwave soundtrack roars and explodes in a cacophonous rush. The interplay between humans and technology collapse has elements of Event Horizon, Solaris, and High Life. The ship's U-boat-like corridors expand and contract like intestinal passages. The crew's mental illness is reflected in cracked screens and destroyed control panels. It's both scary and fascinating.
There are puzzles to solve and items to collect and combine, but nothing works and the game keeps playing and questioning your assumptions. Some players may be reminded of the cult hit Clickolding in that it asks questions about player responsibility and collusion. What to do with the only weapon on board, how to keep the captain's mouth open so you can give him painkillers, and more. When he groans and cries, the visuals are nostalgic, but the connection to what's happening on that ship is very real, very vivid. There are also serious messages about guilt, grief, and alcoholism, which can resonate deeply with those affected by these.
Mouthwash is a difficult but immersive experience, a surreal horror piece reminiscent of the films of David Lynch and Dario Argento, but it's also a very functional game, or at least what a game is. , and it also works very well as a study in what games want us to do. The fact that titles like this are still being produced and distributed globally is one of the few bright spots in a slow year for the gaming industry. Book your flight tickets as soon as possible. You won't regret it.
In June 1972, the Royal Society of Medicine in London hosted a symposium called “Man in His Place.'' The lecture featured a diverse group of speakers, including Jacob Bronowski, who was featured in a highly acclaimed 13-part BBC television series. rise of manwill be broadcast the following year. But the first person to take to the stage was John Bumpass Calhoun of the National Institute of Mental Health in suburban Washington, DC.
Even those in the audience familiar with Calhoun's work had no idea what was in store for them, and the title of his talk, “Death Squared: The Explosive Growth and Demise of Rat Populations” was not conveyed very well. “I mainly talk about rats, but my thoughts are about humans, healing, life and its evolution,” he began. He went on to describe a long-term experiment he is conducting on population dynamics in mice living in a “utopian environment” he calls Space 25. Although his research subjects were rodents, Calhoun believed that his metropolis had an effect on humans. A cautionary tale about the chaos and social collapse that awaits humanity in an overpopulated world.
An ecologist turned psychologist turned futurist, Calhoun became a science rock star in the 1970s. His message resonated at a time when the human population was rapidly expanding and overpopulation was a major political issue. As interest in his research grew, Calhoun was courted by the great and the good, from politicians and urban planners to prison reformers and writers. He also had an audience with the Pope. Strange as it may seem, his rodent city…
The earliest known sabertooths hunted large prey 270 million years ago. The newly discovered remains could help explain how early mammal relatives became warm-blooded animals.
The first land predators usually hunted relatively small prey. But things changed about 273 million years ago, when an event known as the Olson extinction shook ecosystems around the world. Then, much larger terrestrial herbivores began to appear, and predators needed new weapons to dispatch such large prey. Josep Fortuny At the Miquel Cursafont Catalan Institute of Paleontology, Barcelona, Spain.
This may help explain why the fossilized partial skeleton of an ancient predator that Fortuny and his colleagues just discovered on the Spanish island of Mallorca had saber-shaped teeth. These fangs are better suited for injuring larger prey than for grabbing and holding small animals. “This was the first time we had access to this kind of tool for preying on herbivores,” Fortuny said.
Dating back an estimated 270 million years, this predator is the oldest known member of a group of carnivores known as gorgonopsians, all of whom had saber-shaped teeth. The largest gorgonopsids grew to several meters in length, with canine teeth reaching 15 centimeters in length. The Mallorca gorgonopsian was smaller, measuring about 1 meter long and its canine teeth only 5 centimeters long. Fortuny said researchers are waiting to name the new gorgonopsian until they have analyzed the bones and teeth in more detail.
Ancient predators are important not only because of their age. At the time they roamed Mallorca, the island was part of a tropical supercontinent called Pangea, but all known fossils of gorgonopsids date back 270 million years. They come from areas of the world that were at high latitudes. The new discovery suggests that the gorgonopsian actually originated near the equator.
Perhaps adaptations developed there, such as the ability to efficiently hunt large prey, may have allowed them to regulate their body temperature in order to spread into cooler habitats away from the equator.
Fortuny says it’s important to better understand this process because gorgonopsids belonged to the therapsids, a group of animals that also includes mammals. “There’s a lot of debate about the first steps in thermoregulation in this group,” he says.
According to proposals from the UK government, tech companies would have the freedom to utilize copyrighted material for training artificial intelligence models, unless creative professionals or companies opt out of the process.
The proposed changes aim to resolve conflicts between AI companies and creatives. Sir Paul McCartney has expressed concerns that without new laws, technology “could just take over.”
A government consultation has suggested an exception to UK copyright law that currently prohibits the use of someone else’s work without permission, allowing companies like Google and ChatGPT developer OpenAI to apply copyrighted content in training their models. This proposal permits writers, artists, and composers to “reserve their rights,” meaning they can choose not to have their work utilized in AI training or request a license fee for it.
Chris Bryant MP, the Data Protection Minister, described the proposal as a “win-win” for both parties who have been in conflict over the new copyright regulations. He emphasized the benefit of this proposal in providing creators and rights holders with greater control in these complex circumstances, potentially leading to increased licensing opportunities and a new income source for creators.
British composer Ed Newton Rex, a prominent voice in advocating for fair contracts for creative professionals, criticized the opt-out system as “completely unfair” to creators. Newton Rex, along with more than 37,000 other creative professionals, raised concerns about the unauthorized use of creative work in training AI models, labeling it as a substantial threat to creators’ livelihoods.
Furthermore, the consultation considered requiring AI developers to disclose the content used for training their models, providing rights holders with more insight into how and when their content is utilized. The government emphasized that new measures must be available and effective before they are implemented.
The government is also seeking feedback on whether the new system will apply to existing models in the market, such as those in ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini.
Additionally, the consultation will address the potential need for “moral rights” akin to those in the US, to protect celebrities from having their voices and likenesses replicated by AI without their consent. Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson had a dispute with OpenAI last year when a voice assistant closely resembling her signature speech was revealed. OpenAI halted the feature after receiving feedback that it sounded similar to Johansson’s voice.
New research has revealed that during the early Bronze Age in England, at least 37 people may have been “systematically dismembered” and eaten in the aftermath of “extremely violent” attacks.
The study, published in the journal ancient, revealed that more than 3,000 bones were excavated from a 50-foot hole at Charterhouse Warren in southwest England.
The bones, which were first discovered in the 1970s by cave explorers, showed an “abundance of cut marks,” prompting researchers to conduct further analysis.
Lead author Rick Schulting, a professor of scientific and prehistoric archeology at the University of Oxford, described the violence inflicted on the bodies as exceptional, with victims being killed with blows to the head, systematically dismembered, skinned, and crushed.
The study suggests that this extreme violence likely occurred in a single event between 2210 BC and 2010 BC, making it a unique example of violence in early Bronze Age Britain.
An example of cranial trauma in a Bronze Age skull recovered from Charterhouse Warren. Antiquity Publications Ltd / Cambridge University Press
This act of violence was likely not isolated and may have sparked a cycle of revenge within and between communities in the Early Bronze Age, according to Mr. Schulting.
The motives behind such attacks are difficult to determine, but the study suggests that tensions may have escalated from accusations of theft and witchcraft, leading to an uncontrollable spiral of violence.
Victims may have been eaten to dehumanize and treat them like animals, involving a large number of aggressors based on the number of victims and the dismemberment process, the study noted.
The bones were found alongside animal fossils, indicating early evidence of slaughter, which the researchers believe was driven by hunger as the attackers had access to plenty of food.
Social media platforms are required to take action to comply with UK online safety laws, but they have not yet implemented all the necessary measures to protect children and adults from harmful content, according to the regulator.
Ofcom has issued a code of conduct and guidance for tech companies to adhere to in order to comply with the law, which includes the possibility of hefty fines and site closures for non-compliance.
Regulators have pointed out that many of the recommended actions have not been taken by the largest and most high-risk platforms.
John Higham, Director of Online Safety Policy at Ofcom, stated, “We believe that no company has fully implemented all necessary measures. There is still a lot of work to be done.”
All websites and apps covered by the law, including Facebook, Google, Reddit, and OnlyFans, have three months to assess the risk of illegal content appearing on their platforms. Safety measures must then be implemented to address these risks starting on March 17, with Ofcom monitoring progress.
The law applies to sites and apps that allow user-generated content, as well as large search engines covering over 100,000 online services. It lists 130 “priority crimes,” including child sexual abuse, terrorism, and fraud, which tech companies need to address by implementing moderation systems.
The new regulations and guidelines are considered the most significant changes to online safety policy in history according to Technology Secretary Peter Kyle. Tech companies will now be required to proactively remove illegal content, with the risk of heavy fines and potential site blocking in the UK for non-compliance.
Ofcom’s code and guidance include designating a senior executive responsible for compliance, maintaining a well-staffed moderation team to swiftly remove illegal content, and improving algorithms to prevent the spread of harmful material.
Platforms are also expected to provide easy-to-find tools for reporting content, with a confirmation of receipt and timeline for addressing complaints. They should offer users the ability to block accounts, disable comments, and implement automated systems to detect child sexual abuse material.
Child safety campaigners have expressed concerns that the measures outlined by Ofcom do not go far enough, particularly in addressing suicide-related content and making it technically impossible to remove illegal content on platforms like WhatsApp.
In addition to addressing fraud on social media, platforms will need to establish reporting channels for instances of fraud with law enforcement agencies. They will also work on developing crisis response procedures for events like the summer riots following the Southport murders.
TikTok made a last-ditch effort to continue operating in the U.S. on Monday, as it passed a temporary law requiring its China-based parent company ByteDance to sell the popular app by January 19. The U.S. Supreme Court was asked to intervene and prevent a ban from taking effect.
Both TikTok and ByteDance have filed emergency requests with a judge to block the impending ban on the social media app, which is used by approximately 170 million Americans. They are appealing a lower court ruling that upheld the law. Additionally, a group of U.S. users of the app filed a similar request on Monday.
The law, passed by Congress in April, was based on concerns raised by the Justice Department regarding TikTok’s Chinese ownership. The department alleges that as a Chinese company, TikTok could access and manipulate vast amounts of data on U.S. users, endangering national security. The ban is aimed at addressing these security threats.
TikTok and ByteDance argued in their Supreme Court filing that Americans should have the freedom to choose whether or not to use the app, without government interference. They criticized the law’s potential impact on freedom of speech and expressed concerns about the future implications if the law is upheld.
If TikTok is shut down even for a month, the companies estimate that they would lose a significant portion of their U.S. user base, affecting their ability to attract advertisers and content creators. The companies stress TikTok’s importance as a speech platform in the U.S. and argue that delaying enforcement of the ban would allow for further legal review.
Despite previous attempts to ban TikTok, President Donald Trump has signaled a shift in his stance and expressed interest in saving the app. He met with TikTok’s CEO and has indicated that his administration will evaluate the law’s legality. The companies emphasize the abrupt impact the ban would have, particularly on the eve of the presidential inauguration.
The companies urged the Supreme Court for a ruling that would allow them to manage the shutdown of TikTok in the U.S. if necessary, and to coordinate with service providers within a set deadline under the law. The escalating tensions between China and the U.S. add further complexity to the dispute.
TikTok has vehemently denied any sharing of U.S. user data and accused U.S. lawmakers of creating unfounded concerns. The company emphasizes the importance of protecting free speech and the potential implications of restricting access to the platform.
In a statement following the lawsuit, TikTok’s spokesman Michael Hughes reiterated the need for the courts to closely scrutinize any restrictions on speech, particularly in cases involving foreign ownership. The ongoing legal battle underscores the complexities of balancing national security concerns with free speech rights.
Physicists are Alice Collaboration. Evidence of antihyperhelium-4 has been seen for the first time at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Antihyperhelium-4 consists of two antiprotons, an antineutron, and an antilambda. New results are also the first evidence of the heaviest antimatter hypernuclear still at the LHC.
Illustration of the production of antihyperhelium-4 in a lead-lead collision. Image credit: AI-assisted J. Ditzel.
Collisions between heavy ions at the LHC created quark-gluon plasma, a hot, dense state of matter that is thought to have filled the universe about a millionth of a second after the Big Bang.
Heavy ion collisions also create conditions suitable for the production of atomic nuclei, exotic hypernuclei, and their antimatter counterparts, antinuclei and antihypernuclei.
Measuring these forms of matter is important for a variety of purposes, including helping to understand the formation of hadrons from quarks and gluons, the building blocks of plasma, and the matter-antimatter asymmetry seen in the modern universe.
Hypernuclei are exotic atomic nuclei formed by a mixture of protons, neutrons, and hyperons, the latter of which are unstable particles containing one or more strange types of quarks.
More than 70 years after their discovery in cosmic rays, hypernuclei continue to be a source of fascination for physicists. This is because hypernuclei are rarely found in nature and are difficult to create and study in the laboratory.
Collisions of heavy ions produce large numbers of hypernuclei, and until recently, the lightest hypernuclei, hypertriton (composed of protons, neutrons, and lambda), and its antimatter partner, antihypertriton, have been observed.
Following recent observations of antihyperhydrogen-4, ALICE physicists have detected antihyperhelium-4.
This result has a significance of 3.5 standard deviations and is also the first evidence of the heaviest antimatter hypernucleus ever at the LHC.
The ALICE measurements are based on lead-lead collision data taken in 2018 at an energy of 5.02 teraelectronvolts (TeV) for each colliding pair of nucleons (protons and neutrons).
The researchers examined data for the signals of hyperhydrogen-4, hyperhelium-4, and their antimatter partners using machine learning techniques that go beyond traditional hypernuclear search techniques.
Candidates for (anti)hyperhydrogen-4 were identified by looking for an (anti)helium-4 nucleus and a charged pion with which it decays; identified by. -Three atomic nuclei, an (anti)proton, and a charged pion.
In addition to finding evidence for antihyperhelium-4 with a significance of 3.5 standard deviations and evidence for antihyperhydrogen-4 with a significance of 4.5 standard deviations, the ALICE team found that the production yields of both hypernuclei and measured the mass.
“For both hypernuclei, the measured masses are consistent with current global average values,” the scientists said.
“The measured production yields were compared with predictions from a statistical hadronization model that adequately accounts for the formation of hadrons and nuclei in heavy ion collisions.”
“This comparison shows that the model's predictions closely match the data when both the excited hypernuclear state and the ground state are included in the prediction.”
“This result confirms that the statistical hadronization model can also adequately explain the production of hypernuclei, which are compact objects about 2 femtometers in size.”
The authors also determined the antiparticle-to-particle yield ratios for both hypernuclei and found that they agreed within experimental uncertainties.
“This agreement is consistent with ALICE's observation that matter and antimatter are produced equally at LHC energy and further strengthens ongoing research into the matter-antimatter imbalance in the Universe.” concluded.
In 2003, Hubble provided evidence of giant exoplanets around very old stars. Such stars have only small amounts of the heavy elements that make up planets. This suggests that some planetary formation occurred when our universe was very young, and that those planets had time to form and grow large within the primordial disk, becoming even larger than Jupiter. I am. But how? To answer this question, astronomers used the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope to study stars in the nearby Small Magellanic Cloud, which, like the early Universe, lacks large amounts of heavy elements. They discovered that not only do some stars there have planet-forming disks, but that those disks are longer-lived than the disks found around young stars in our Milky Way galaxy.
This web image shows NGC 346, a massive star cluster in the Small Magellanic Cloud. Yellow circles superimposed on the image indicate the positions of the 10 stars investigated in the study. Image credits: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI/Olivia C. Jones, UK ATC/Guido De Marchi, ESTEC/Margaret Meixner, USRA.
“With Webb, we have strong confirmation of what we saw with Hubble, and we need to rethink how we model planet formation and early evolution in the young Universe.” European Space Research Agency said Dr. Guido de Marchi, a researcher at Technology Center.
“In the early universe, stars formed primarily from hydrogen and helium, with few heavier elements such as carbon or iron, and were later born from supernova explosions.”
“Current models predict that because heavy elements are so scarce, the lifetime of the disk around the star is short, so short that in fact planets cannot grow,” said a researcher at NSF's NOIRLab's Gemini Observatory. said lead scientist Dr. Elena Sabbi.
“But Hubble actually observed those planets. So what happens if the model is incorrect and the disks have a longer lifespan?”
To test this idea, the astronomers trained Webb in the Small Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf galaxy that is one of the closest galaxies to the Milky Way.
In particular, they examined the massive star-forming cluster NGC 346, which also has a relative lack of heavy elements.
This cluster served as a nearby proxy for studying stellar environments with similar conditions in the distant early universe.
Hubble observations of NGC 346 since the mid-2000s have revealed that there are many stars around 20 to 30 million years old that are thought to still have planet-forming disks around them.
This was contrary to the conventional idea that such disks would disappear after two or three million years.
“Hubble's discovery was controversial and went against not only the empirical evidence for the galaxy, but also current models,” Dr. De Marchi said.
“This was interesting, but without a way to obtain the spectra of these stars, we will not know whether what we are witnessing is genuine accretion and the presence of a disk, or just an artificial effect. I couldn't actually confirm it.”
Now, thanks to Webb's sensitivity and resolution, scientists have, for the first time, spectra of the formation of Sun-like stars and their surrounding environments in nearby galaxies.
“We can see that these stars are actually surrounded by a disk and are still in the process of engulfing material even though they are relatively old, 20 or 30 million years old,” De Marchi said. Ta.
“This also means that planets have more time to form and grow around these stars than in nearby star-forming regions in our galaxy.”
This discovery contradicts previous theoretical predictions that if there were very few heavy elements in the gas around the disk, the star would quickly blow away the disk.
Therefore, the lifespan of the disk is very short, probably less than 1 million years.
But how can planets form if dust grains stick together to form pebbles and the disk doesn't stay around the star long enough to become the planet's core?
The researchers explained that two different mechanisms, or a combination of them, may exist for planet-forming disks to persist in environments low in heavy elements.
First, the star applies radiation pressure to blow the disk away.
For this pressure to be effective, an element heavier than hydrogen or helium must be present in the gas.
However, the massive star cluster NGC 346 contains only about 10 percent of the heavy elements present in the Sun's chemical composition.
Perhaps the stars in this cluster just need time to disperse their disks.
A second possibility is that for a Sun-like star to form when there are few heavier elements, it would need to start with a larger cloud of gas.
As the gas cloud grows larger, it produces larger disks. Therefore, because there is more mass in the disk, it will take longer to blow it away, even if the radiation pressure is acting the same.
“The more material around the star, the longer the accretion will last,” Sabbi says.
“It takes 10 times longer for the disk to disappear. This has implications for how planets form and the types of system architectures that can be used in different environments. This is very exciting.”
of study Published today on astrophysical journal.
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Guido de Marchi others. 2024. Protoplanetary disks around Sun-like stars appear to live longer when they are less metallic. APJ 977,214;Doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/ad7a63
This article is adapted from an original release by the Webb Mission Team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
Paleontologists have identified a new species of procolophonid reptile from fossilized skull and jaw fragments found in southwest England.
rebuilding the life of Treodatos casmatos. Image credit: Mark Whitton.
The newly discovered species Treodatos casmatoslived during the Late Triassic period, approximately 220 to 210 million years ago.
The ancient creature is a member of Leptopleuroninaean extinct lizard-like quasi-reptilian subfamily within the clade Procolophonidae.
Luke Mead, a palaeontologist at the University of Birmingham, said: “Procolophoids appeared in the late Permian, persisted until the end-Permian extinction event, and were a notable element of the post-extinction fauna in the Triassic, on the supercontinent. They were small quasi-reptile species that were diverse throughout Pangea.” his colleagues.
“Procolophonid diversity decreased during the Late Triassic and is represented only by the late-divergent clade Leptopleuroninae, known for small occurrences in Brazil, North America, Scotland, England, and possibly Wales. ”
“Leptopleuronin procolophorids typically have a reduced number of laterally expanded bicuspid maxillary teeth and are often characterized by cranial decorations such as enlarged spines of the quadrate zygoma.”
“Leptopleuronins appear to be well adapted to a high-fiber herbivore, omnivore, or entomovore diet, and this group may represent the latest surviving clade of Parareptilia.” There is.”
Fossilized remains are Treodatos casmatos It was discovered at Cromhall Quarry in southern Gloucestershire, south-west England.
“The teeth and jaws of this small reptile exhibit features never before seen in this group,” said Dr. Mead, lead author of the paper. study Published in a magazine Paleontology Papers.
“They probably fed differently than their relatives, raising new questions about how these animals interacted with their environment during the Late Triassic. ”
Reptiles have tricuspid teeth in their upper jaws, each with three distinct points. The lower jaw, on the other hand, has compressed unicuspid teeth with unusual edentulous (toothless) tips.
These adaptations may have facilitated unique methods of food processing.
Dr Mark Jones, curator of fossil reptiles at the Natural History Museum, said: “The interaction between the upper and lower teeth is interesting and there are some mammalian similarities in the shape of the teeth.”
“The mandible was not fused at the jaw area; instead, the connection was held by soft tissue and was probably flexible.”
“This flexibility may have allowed the lower jaws to make contact in a way that made it easier to masticate food.”
“This feature is not seen in closely related species and may indicate a specialized diet or feeding strategy.”
“The Late Triassic was a period of dramatic environmental change when Pangea began to collapse.”
“The unique adaptation of teeth is Treodatos casmatos This suggests that they may have carved out a unique ecological niche in a changing climate, feeding on plants, insects, or other small prey that required specialized oral food processing. ”
“Treodatos casmatos “They lived at a time when solar radiation was much lower than it is today, but there was much more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere,” Dr. Jones said.
“It has become generally hotter, global average sea levels have risen, and extreme rainfall events have occurred.”
“therefore, Treodatos casmatos And the communities it lived in may provide perspective on today's threatened ecosystems and the global emergency we face. ”
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Luke E. Mead others. 2024. A new protocolophonid with complex tooth rows that lived in the Late Triassic of southwestern England. paleontology papers 10 (6): e1605;doi: 10.1002/spp2.1605
IIt begins with a soft rumble, then an explosion, and finally a thunderous roar. Pyroclastic flows spew out from volcanoes and race towards us at alarming speeds. A cascade of volcanic ash seems to be pelting the surrounding space – technically, it’s the distinctive pumice gravel from Mount Vesuvius – and for a few moments, patrons at the National Museum of Australia are transported to the 1,946-year-old tragedy in Pompeii.
Immersive experiences, including increasingly advanced virtual reality technology, are gaining popularity in museums despite criticism from scholars that flashy special effects may divert viewers from the actual artifacts and exhibits. It has shifted from being a mere gimmick to a successful exhibition to a crucial component in educating future generations, assuming that the primary purpose of museums is entertainment.
Laurent Dondy, the head of development and international tours at Grand Palais Immersif, the French company involved in creating Pompeii, acknowledges some of the apprehensions regarding immersive technology in museums.
“Sorry, but I don’t want to see Van Gogh smoking or scratching his head,” he explains. “Our approach is a blend of art and science. Technology plays a role in the creative process that surprises people and can undoubtedly add a layer of enjoyment to the experience.”
Pompeii is now on display at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra, offering hourly exhibitions showcasing Mount Vesuvius. While the immersive encounter is included in the admission price, other high-budget productions in Australia necessitate separate headsets and seats due to technology requirements, resulting in extra charges that can escalate the cost of a family day at the museum to hundreds of dollars.
Over 500,000 individuals attended the record-breaking ‘Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs’ exhibition at the Australian Museum in Sydney, with a quarter opting for the additional $30 fee for the VR component per person. We decided to queue for the opportunity to participate.
Visitors to the Australian Museum’s ‘Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs’ exhibition. Photo: David Gray/AFP/Getty Images
And according to its director Kim McKay, this technology is here to stay.
“In today’s world, we must provide people with experiences, and I believe museums should not be exempt from that,” she asserts. “Museums need to evolve. Like everything else, we can’t be anchored in the past; we must embrace new and evolving technologies.”
“Children now anticipate digital enhancements, and as museum leaders, it is our responsibility to determine how to effectively integrate this technology to maintain an authentic experience. It’s a fine balance.”
Gedeon Experience, the creative force behind Pompeii’s special effects, gained exclusive access to archaeological digs in inaccessible areas, documenting the daily efforts of archaeologists for two years and using CGI to reconstruct the city’s streets and buildings.
Instead of detracting from the visitor experience, this spectacle enriches and complements the over 90 items borrowed from the Pompeii Archaeological Park, including frescoes, mosaics, jewelry, sculptures, and domestic objects.
The Director of the University of Sydney’s Museums and Heritage Program highlights a prime selection of must-see exhibitions from Australia’s museums and galleries.
However, the drawback is that technology inflates exhibition budgets, leading to increased ticket prices.
“They are costly, and there is fierce competition to incorporate the latest digital technologies,” O’Reilly remarks.
Having attended the initial Pompeii exhibition in Paris in 2020, O’Reilly notes that the visual effects of the exhibition are mostly consistent with other immersive exhibitions encountered abroad over the following four years.
“A well-executed immersive exhibit can provide a profound layering of experience and knowledge, but outdated technology may disappoint some visitors. The pace of [developments] is incredibly rapid,” she observes.
“The audience is quite demanding. Game resolutions are astoundingly high. For immersive content and narrative delivery, we now expect the caliber we encounter in gaming. It’s an intimate, detailed experience, and museum-goers will anticipate a commensurate level of quality.”
Is there a risk that future generations lacking technological acumen may fail to grasp the significance of the displayed artifacts?
“Possibly, but without those innovations to begin with, they might not have engaged in the first place,” O’Reilly remarks. “Their expectations will differ from those of previous generations.”
Perhaps not. McKay recounts that when the Australian Museum polled 100 children about their desires for future museums, they anticipated “screens everywhere.”
“That wasn’t the case. They requested ‘more spiders, more sharks, more snakes.’ They sought greater authenticity,” she concludes.
The bartender said, “We don't serve time travelers here.” A time traveler enters the bar.
OK, yes, you'll almost certainly regret starting this article with such a lame old joke. Most of us, at some point, have wanted to go back in time to fix a mistake or failure. But that's impossible, right?
Well, not necessarily. Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity suggests that time travel may actually be possible. We know that matter can bend space-time, and if we bend it enough we may be able to create time loops. Of course, there are many caveats, and researchers have yet to present a working time machine. But that didn't stop them from exploring the possibilities.
Here are five ways time travel could be possible, from sci-fi classics to surprising new ideas. It also introduces some thorny practical obstacles that need to be overcome.
1. Prepare the galaxy laser ring
The main problem with time travel is that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light, which is 299,792,458 meters per second. This speed limit maintains causation, the idea that the cause must always come before the effect. Thanks to a quirk of Einstein's special theory of relativity and the fact that space and time are intimately connected, traveling faster than the speed of light messes it up. If we could travel faster than light, we would travel back in time. But you can't do that.
The next best thing is to manipulate the fabric of space-time. in…
Plastic food packaging can expose people to chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA)
Shutterstock/Trong Nguyen
Hundreds of thousands of deaths and millions of heart disease cases worldwide may be linked to chemicals found in common plastic products, and stricter regulations on such toxins are needed. This suggests that there may be potential benefits to public health.
Maureen Cropper researchers from the University of Maryland investigated the effects of oxidation on three chemicals primarily used in plastics: bisphenol A (BPA), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). The public health impact of exposure was assessed. BPA and DEHP are used in plastic food packaging, and PBDE is a flame retardant used in some household products such as furniture and electronics.
Based on more than 1,700 studies published to date, the researchers estimated how much people in 38 countries, representing about a third of the world’s population, are exposed to these three chemicals. Three of these countries, the United States, Canada, and South Korea, also have public databases that monitor levels of these chemicals in urine and blood samples, providing more accurate data.
Researchers calculated the health effects caused by these chemicals by combining them with medical records and toxicology reports. Researchers found that in 2015, approximately 5.4 million coronary artery diseases and 346,000 strokes were linked to BPA exposure, and approximately 164,000 deaths among people aged 55 to 64 were caused by DEHP. I discovered that it could be.
Thanks to you rules Since their enactment in the 2000s, the prevalence of these chemicals has decreased in many countries, including the United States, Canada, and Europe. Researchers estimate that approximately 515,000 deaths could have been avoided if exposure to BPA and DEHP in the United States had remained at post-regulation levels since 2003. This highlights the importance for governments and manufacturers to limit the use of hazardous chemicals in plastic products before they reach consumers. says Cropper.
However, it is important to remember that these results are only approximations. “Frankly, I think one of the real limitations is the lack of exposure data on these substances,” Cropper said. This means that estimates may be less accurate for some countries than for others. “It would be a good idea for more countries to actually monitor it.” [exposures to] Examining these and other substances will improve our understanding of their public health burden, she says.
called radiation-resistant bacteria Deinococcus radiodurans It can withstand radiation doses thousands of times higher than what would kill a human. The secret behind this resistance is the existence of a collection of simple metabolites that combine with manganese to form a powerful antioxidant. Now, Northwestern University professor Brian Hoffman and his colleagues have discovered how this antioxidant works.
First discovered in 1956, Deinococcus radiodurans It is one of the most radiation-resistant organisms known.
It was isolated in an experiment aimed at determining whether high doses of gamma rays could be used to sterilize canned food.
In a new study, Professor Hoffman and co-authors characterized a synthetic designer antioxidant called MDP. Deinococcus radiodurans'Resilience.
They show that the components of MDP, manganese ions, phosphates, and small peptides, form a ternary complex that is a much more powerful protector from radiation damage than when manganese is combined with other individual components alone. I discovered that.
This discovery could ultimately lead to new synthetic antioxidants specifically tailored to human needs.
Applications include protecting astronauts from intense space radiation during deep space missions, preparing for radiation emergencies, and producing radiation-inactivated vaccines.
“This ternary complex is MDP's excellent shield against the effects of radiation,” said Professor Hoffman.
“It has long been known that manganese ions and phosphates together make a powerful antioxidant, but now we discover and understand the 'magical' potency brought about by the addition of a third ingredient. That's a breakthrough.”
“This study provided the key to understanding why this combination is such a powerful and promising radioprotector.”
In a previous study, researchers found that: Deinococcus radiodurans It can withstand 25,000 Grays (or units of X-rays and gamma rays).
But in a 2022 study, Professor Hoffmann and his team found that this bacterium, when dried and frozen, can withstand 140,000 Gy of radiation, 28,000 times the dose that would kill humans. did.
Therefore, if there are dormant frozen microbes buried on Mars, they may have survived the onslaught of galactic cosmic radiation and solar protons to this day.
In an effort to understand radioresistance in microorganisms, researchers investigated a designer decapeptide called DP1.
When combined with phosphate and manganese, DP1 forms the free radical scavenger MDP, which protects cells and proteins from radiation damage.
Professor Michael Daly, from Uniformed Services University, said: “This new understanding of MDP could lead to the development of even more powerful manganese-based antioxidants with applications in areas such as medicine, industry, defense and space exploration. Yes,” he said.
of result will appear in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Hao Yang others. 2024. A ternary complex of Mn2+, synthetic decapeptide DP1 (DEHGTAVMLK), and orthophosphate is an excellent antioxidant. PNAS 121 (51): e2417389121;doi: 10.1073/pnas.2417389121
Saturn and its rings photographed by the Cassini spacecraft in 2016
NASA/JPL-California Institute of Technology/Space Science Institute
Modeling studies suggest that Saturn's rings are much older than previously thought and may have formed around the same time as Saturn. But not all astronomers are convinced, and the researchers who were part of the team that calculated that Saturn's rings are relatively young insist that the new findings do not change their findings. are.
For most of the 20th century, scientists believed that Saturn's rings formed with the planet about 4.5 billion years ago. But when NASA's Cassini spacecraft visited Saturn in 2004, it found its rings to be noticeably free of contamination from tiny space rocks known as cosmic dust. This innocent appearance indicated that they were much younger. Estimates for 2023 put their age between 100 million and 400 million years.
now, Ryuki Hyodo in Japan Space Science Institute He and his colleagues calculated that Saturn's rings should be much more resistant to contamination from space dust than previously thought, allowing them to maintain a pristine appearance for long periods of time. Hyodo and his team haven't calculated a new age for the ring, but they suggest it could be as old as Earth, as astronomers once believed.
The researchers then modeled how these particles moved through Saturn's magnetic field, and found that only a small portion settled on the rings, while the majority were drawn into Saturn's atmosphere. It turned out that the object was either destroyed or bounced back into space. “The accretion efficiency of Saturn's rings is only a few percent, which is much smaller than previously assumed,” says Professor Hyodo. This could extend previous ring age estimates by hundreds of millions to billions of years, he said.
Sasha Kemp A member of the team at the University of Colorado Boulder that calculated an earlier, much younger estimate of the age of Saturn's rings, he and his colleagues considered not only the ring's contamination efficiency, but also its contamination efficiency, taking into account the time it would take. He said he used a more complicated method. This is because matter reaches the ring and disappears. The values calculated by Hyodo and his colleagues do not change the overall results for that age, Kempf said. “I'm sure this doesn't mean we really have to go back to square one.”
However, Hyodo argues that times should change dramatically as pollution efficiency declines. “They assumed an efficiency of 10%, but we reported 1%. The equation tells us that it's a billion years, or a billion years.”
Kemp also said that while the new simulation assumes that Saturn's rings are made of solid ice particles, the actual rings are made of soft particles that are much larger in size than what was modeled in the study. He said there was. “If you fire particles into these fairly complex and soft structures, the outcome of such collisions will be very different,” he says.
Hyodo argues that this assumption is standard for many similar studies. “No one knows what kind of effect the difference in ice will have,” says Hyodo. “It may or may not be more efficient.”
Lotfi Ben Jaffer A professor at France's Paris Institute of Astrophysics, who was not involved in either age-estimation study, said the study suggests the rings are not as young as recently claimed. “This is a positive step toward a lack of modeling efforts needed to adequately address the fundamental question of planetary ring system formation and evolution,” he says.
But Hyodo and his team need to improve their modeling to more accurately estimate the ring's contamination, he says, so they can more accurately determine its age.
You have seen game award name.
you have seen British Academy Awards longlist.
We’re still a little ways off from announcing our own Guardian Games of the Year list, but while you wait with bated breath, we’re sure to give you an appetizer. It is an alternative prize to Pushing Buttons. Right away…
Make the most of your bed as a gameplay device
Need to restore your mind while adventuring through the eerie rifts tearing Hyrule apart? All you have to do is conjure a bed out of thin air, stay out of reach of your enemies, and take a quick nap. Need to overcome a bridgeable gap? Now it’s time to conjure some bed. Need stairs? Barricades? Something decorative? Bed, bed, bed. in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom the bed is the real hero.
The perfect game to survive a long-haul flight
Hours of fun…Balatoro.
Photo: LocalThunk/Playstack
On my way to this year’s Summer Game Fest in LA, I pre-downloaded Steam Deck and Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree to board the plane and prepare for my first uninterrupted 10-hour gaming session in my 30s. Ta. But when I loaded it, I had to authorize the purchase. And the Wi-Fi on the plane didn’t work. So, after getting really grumpy, I said, “I don’t know. baratolo (Photo above) And the 5 hour flight felt like a blink of an eye. Thank you, Mr. Baratolo, for not only taking up most of my free time in February, but for getting me through that awful flight.
impudence award
It led to a ton of plagiarism accusations and eventually a lawsuit from Nintendo, but it still has to be turned over to the game’s developer. pal world (Top photo) For his true face, he simply imitates a Pokemon and makes him hold a gun. (Palworld’s lead developer claims that the game does not infringe any copyright.)
Problematic Favorites Award
For years, I’ve been disgusted by the glorification of military forces in first-person shooters, as first-person shooters have become more realistic-looking. The connections between these games and real-world weapons manufacturers are also disturbing. These are frequently used as a recruiting tool in the military. And at the same time, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 The single-player campaign of “90s Special Operations Thriller…
Best First Date Award
The perfect date…Life is Strange: Double Exposure.
Photo: Square Enix
One of the first scenes of Life is Strange: Double Exposure (Above) During a student dive, we see 20-something Max Caulfield trying to flirt with a cute girl behind the bar…
Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have taken striking new photos of barred spiral galaxy NGC 2566.
The barred spiral galaxy NGC 2566 has a prominent star bar at its center, with spiral arms emerging from each end of the bar. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / D. Tilker.
NGC2566 It is located in the constellation Leo, about 76 million light years away from Earth.
The galaxy was discovered by German-British astronomer William Herschel on March 6, 1785.
Also known as ESO 495-3, LEDA 23303, or UGCA 138, this galaxy is a member of the PGC 80593 group of at least 16 large galaxies.
“NGC 2566 appears tilted from our perspective, so its disk is almond-shaped, giving the galaxy the appearance of a cosmic eye,” Hubble astronomers said in a statement.
“As NGC 2566 stares back at us, we’ll be looking directly behind it, using Hubble to study the galaxy’s star clusters and star-forming regions.”
“Hubble data is especially valuable for studying stars that are only a few million years old.”
“These stars are bright in the ultraviolet and visible wavelengths to which Hubble is sensitive.”
Using these data, astronomers will measure the ages of NGC 2566’s stars, helping them piece together the timeline of star formation in the galaxy and gas exchange between the star-forming clouds and the stars themselves.
“Several other observatories have investigated NGC 2566, including NASA/ESA/CSA’s James Webb Space Telescope,” the researchers said.
“Webb’s data complement this Hubble image, adding a view of NGC 2566’s warm, glowing dust to Hubble’s stellar portrait.”
“NGC 2566, at the long wavelength end of the electromagnetic spectrum, has also been observed by the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA).”
“ALMA is a network of 66 radio telescopes working together to capture detailed images of the gas clouds where stars form.”
aArchitectural surrealism is a defining characteristic of Monument Valley. The rigid and beautiful structures in the game transform and rotate with the player’s touch, creating new paths and stairs for the minimalist character to explore. Doorways can lead anywhere, and hitting a switch can cause pillars to rise from the ground, revealing hidden paths. Since 2014, these games have been popular on smartphones and are considered some of the best examples for touch screen puzzle enthusiasts. However, the latest entry in the series, released recently, offers a unique twist.
The iconic Moroccan-inspired architecture that made the game famous is still present, but this time, the geometric character Noor is accompanied by blooming flowers and winding vines. Noor is shown steering a small boat and getting lost in a bright yellow wheat field. The game also introduces more people, with Noor depicted as an apprentice lighthouse keeper responsible for a community devastated by a flood in various scenes. Throughout the game, she is accompanied or assisted by different characters, highlighting the theme of rebuilding together.
Monument Valley is now available as a game on Netflix, allowing subscribers to download all three entries for free. The game is developed by Ustwo Games, a small studio based in London. While some creators from the first game remain, the team has evolved over the past decade. Director Jennifer Estaris, who joined Ustwo Games in 2020, brings her experience as a climate change activist and game designer to the project. The game’s development is influenced by the play for the earth Initiative, with Monument Valley 2’s additional chapter, The Lost Forest, created as part of the Green Game Jam.
Calmly satisfied…Monument Valley 3. Photo: Ustwo/Netflix
“I believe that green nudging is crucial and that system change can be reflected in games,” says Estaris. “For Monument Valley 3, my main idea was to explore sustainable and resilient community building for a hopeful future. We focused on living in harmony with nature to provide the solutions we need.” The game offers a satisfying and visually stunning puzzle experience while subtly addressing themes of climate change through its natural shapes and architecture.
Lead Designer Emily Brown explains the team’s approach to Monument Valley 3, stating, “We wanted to explore a different perspective from the towering monuments and isolated characters of the previous games.” The game incorporates more natural elements and allows for a mix of styles and ideas, reflecting a shift towards a more hopeful and interconnected narrative.
“It was impossible for us as a team.” do not have To bring a part of myself to it”…Monument Valley 3. Photo: Ustwo/Netflix
Monument Valley’s minimalist design allows players to bring their own emotions and narratives to the game, creating a unique and personal experience. Despite the game’s focus on conveying messages about climate change and hope, the team aimed to retain the space for interpretation and personal connection. Lead Designer Brown expresses the team’s ambition for the game, stating, “We believe that things can improve when players bring a part of themselves to the experience.”
The development of Monument Valley 3 during the Covid-19 pandemic prompted the team to explore themes of community, unity, and recovery from disaster. The game embodies the concept of Hopepunk, offering a message of hope and resilience in the face of challenges. Estaris emphasizes the importance of unity in overcoming difficulties, stating, “We want people to feel that we can overcome challenges by working together.”
Most pet owners have probably seen their furry friends get soaking wet. After dripping for 1 second, they spray water everywhere. wet dog shake. Almost all hairy mammals, from dogs, cats, and mice to lions, tigers, and bears, shiver and dry when their fur gets wet. But even though it's common for dogs to get wet and shiver, scientists still don't know what causes this behavior.
Our skin is very sensitive to touch. Most people can easily distinguish the gentle touch of a loved one, a breeze, the movement of a pest on the skin. We sense touch through our nervous system using specialized cells called . somatosensory neurons Detect changes in our skin. Hairy animals have 12 unique types of somatosensory neurons that sense and respond to touch. One such neuron is C-LTMRresponds only to mild, slow stimuli. When these neurons sense something, they react strongly by sending strong electrical signals through the nervous system. The research team wondered if these neurons were responsible for the tremors in wet dogs.
To investigate the link between C-LTMR neurons and wet dog tremors, the researchers first measured this behavior in mice. They used a dropper to place droplets of sunflower seed oil on the necks of 10 mice and monitored their behavior for five minutes. Mice initiated wet dog shaking within an average of 10 seconds after droplet placement, often 3 to 4 times every 18 seconds. After the first minute, the mice stopped shaking frequently and instead groomed and scratched themselves.
So the researchers wanted to know whether the shivering in wet dogs was an automatic behavior triggered by neurons that sensed these droplets. To test this, they used genetic engineering techniques. crisper In order to remove the genes that create touch sensors in neurons, piezo 2. CRISPR is piezo 2 Gene for finding mouse cells themselves piezo 2 gene. CRISPR then disrupts the gene, preventing the mouse cells from making touch sensors. When researchers placed oil drops on the necks of genetically engineered mice, wet dog shakes did not occur. The researchers concluded that touch is the main mechanism that triggers the automatic shivering behavior in wet dogs.
Many somatosensory neurons use Piezo2 to sense touch, so the researchers are unable to pinpoint the neurons responsible for the wet dog's tremors. However, some genes are only produced by certain types of neurons. The researchers used genetic engineering to target these genes, a process called light-sensitization. optogenetics. These light-sensitive genes produce proteins that become activated when scientists shine a blue laser on them. The researchers used optogenetics to create light-sensitive C-LTMR neurons and compared them to other light-sensitive somatosensory neurons.
When the researchers shined a light on the skin of seven light-sensitive C-LTMR mice, the mice shivered 60% of the time like a wet dog. But mice with other light-sensitive neurons did not show the dog-wetting tremors in response to the laser. The researchers found that photosensitive C-LTMR mice responded best 80% of the time when the laser was applied to the neck rather than the back or thighs, with 30% and 0% responses, respectively. Ta.
The researchers thought this might indicate that C-LTMR neurons were sending signals through other neurons in the spine. spinal parabrachial neurons or SPN. To test this, the researchers cultured SPNs containing optogenetic C-LTMR neurons in Petri dishes. When they shined a laser on C-LTMR neurons, the electrical signals within the SPN were measured with electrodes, showing that these neurons were communicating.
The researchers concluded that wet dog tremors are caused specifically by C-LTMR neurons in the spine. They hope that future studies can build on their findings and gain a deeper understanding of the connections between C-LTMR neurons and the brain. Continuing these studies will impact how scientists understand wet dog tremors in mammals and how hypersensitivity and other contact-based symptoms develop in humans. Possibly.
a While there has been widespread panic over drones and other unknown low-flying objects in New Jersey in recent days, many other parts of the country are still concerned about the very American nature of the skies, which has been resurgent in modern times. A mysterious person is happily captured by a UFO.
At the newly opened National UFO Historical Records Center – A cluster of beige buildings on the grounds of Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in Rio Rancho, New Mexico – Literally dozens of files detailing the unexplained flying object and the terror of those around it. It fills the cabinet.
For director David Marler, this first-of-its-kind public archive of UFO historical records is the culmination of a lifelong interest and investigation into UFOs, or UAPs, as the military now prefers to designate them, or unidentified anomalous phenomena.
It came at the perfect time. In recent years, Congressional and Senate hearings have brought the topic, which often rises and falls in public attention during times of national or political unrest, back into the spotlight.
Images taken last week showed what appeared to be several drones over New Jersey. Composite: TMX over AP
Mahler's collection of UFO books, magazines, magazines, newspapers, microfilms, audio recordings, and case files from the past 75 years is impressive, as well as files from early U.S. Air Force research (Project Sign, Project Grudge, and Project Blue Book). Included. by the National Commission on the Study of Aeronautical Phenomena, the Institute for the Study of Aeronautical Phenomena (formerly based in Alamogordo, three and a half hours away), and the UFO Research Committee of the United States. Akron, Ohio.
A September 13, 1959 military report details an object rotating seven times, marking four military radar stations in New Mexico traveling much faster than the Convair 106, the fastest fighter plane of the time. tracked by.
“The Air Force was interested in national defense in the same way it is today, not from a quote-unquote 'alien perspective,'” Mahler says. “For practical reasons, especially because qualified military and civilian pilots report these things.”
At a Congressional hearing last monthwitnesses claimed that the government was sitting on a trove of information about the UAP dating back decades. Two former Navy pilots said they witnessed first-hand unexplained objects that regularly violate U.S. airspace.
Retired Major David Gruesch, a former member of the Pentagon's UAP Task Force, said the U.S. government has been running a secret program for years to reverse engineer inhuman material taken from crash sites.
However, the United States Old Main Anomaly Resolution Officeor AARO, founded in 2022, said there is no single explanation that addresses the majority of UAP reports, namely “anomalous detections,” and that no evidence of extraterrestrial technology has been found.
David Gruesch stands at the Capitol building in Washington, DC, on July 26, 2023. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
AARO Director John Koslosky at Senate hearing said “Reports of unidentified anomalous phenomena, especially near national security locations, must be treated seriously by the U.S. government and investigated with scientific rigor.”
Marler, who has been following the issue relentlessly since he went looking for UFOs with his father when sightings were on the rise in Missouri, says he is neutral on the phenomenon.
“One has to be skeptical, look at the evidence objectively, and suspend conclusions and beliefs,” he says. “What I believe doesn't really matter unless there's data to support it.”
Earlier this year, the New York software company released Enigma, an app that collects sightings by uploading videos and photos with descriptions…
In 2023, scientists in Southeast Asia’s Greater Mekong River region described an astonishing 234 new species. The discovery was announced in 2023. Report from the nature conservation organization WWF173 species of plants, 26 species of reptiles, 17 species of amphibians, 15 species of fish, and 3 species of mammals.
Since 1997, more than 3,500 new plant and vertebrate species have been identified in the region covered by this report, which includes Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, with an average of 130 new species per year. I’m going up.
Here, we introduce six new species, including a hairy hedgehog named after a vampire, an almost invisible dragon lizard, and an endangered leafless orchid.
Hiromiz macaron
The furry hedgehog family pictured above is endemic to Vietnam. Hiromiz macaron It may seem innocuous, but its name is Macaron Means vampire in Vietnamese. It gets its name thanks to its long, pointed fangs, which remain hidden in this photo.
Hyposideros Kingston
This small leaf-nosed bat lives from Thailand to Borneo. confirmed by DNA analysis Hyposideros Kingston It was born as a new species in 2023.
It’s not known where these tiny bats, which weigh just 4.9 to 7 grams, roost. It has been seen near large limestone caves, suggesting that it may be hiding there, but it is also possible that it lives far from known caves, hiding in the hollows of trees. It is also possible that they are building a roost.
Laodracon calusticola
You need keen eyesight to spot this small lizard (Laodracon calusticola), which lives high on the tops of rugged karsts in Laos, which may explain why this species has been ignored by scientists until now. One of the earliest known sightings of this lizard was by a zipline tour guide.
Zhangixalus melanoleucus
This lime green tree frog (Zhangixalus melanoleucus) was discovered at an altitude of 2000 meters in the evergreen forest of Mount Phu Samsoon in northern Laos. Although the region is home to many other endemic species, it is one of the least studied regions in Asia.
The mystery of how the Egyptian pyramids were built has puzzled researchers for centuries. Constructed over 4,000 years ago as burial sites for pharaohs, there are still over 100 pyramids remaining. The largest, the Great Pyramid of Giza, originally stood at 147 meters (482 feet) in height.
Comprised of around 2.3 million stone blocks, each weighing between 2.5 and 15 tonnes, the construction required innovative methods to transport and lift the heavy stones. Different theories exist among scientists regarding the techniques used to achieve such great heights,” says Dr. Eman Ghoneim, a Professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington in the United States.
Eman Ghoneim on Egypt's Giza Plateau with the Great Sphinx and the pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure – Photo credit: UNCW/Eman Ghoneim
Recent research has shed light on some aspects of pyramid construction. One prevailing theory suggests the use of ramps to move the stones, supported by the discovery of sloped structures near some pyramids. Dr. Roland Enmarch, a Senior Lecturer in Egyptology at the University of Liverpool, and his team unearthed groundbreaking evidence of quarry ramps in eastern Egypt used in pyramid construction.
Construction schedules were also crucial in the building of pyramids. It is believed that the Great Pyramid of Giza took 20 years to complete, starting at the beginning of a pharaoh’s reign. Archaeologist Frank Müller-Römer has proposed various ramp designs for pyramid construction, emphasizing the importance of multiple ramps placed along the exterior of the structure.
Construction Schedule
Various techniques like levers, cranes, and pulleys were likely employed in addition to ramps. In a study by Xavier Landreau and his team in Paris, a hydraulic lift system was proposed as a method to build the Step Pyramid of King Djoser. However, some experts question the feasibility of such systems based on archaeological evidence.
Research using scanning techniques is ongoing to explore the internal structure of the Great Pyramid of Giza. The ScanPyramids project by teams from Egypt and France aims to uncover hidden spaces within the pyramid using advanced imaging technologies.
Identifying Supply Lines
Transporting materials to the construction site was a logistical challenge. Researchers like Dr. Ghoneim and his team used satellite images and ground surveys to uncover ancient tributaries of the Nile River that were crucial for transporting goods to the pyramids. These discoveries shed light on the transportation methods used by ancient Egyptians.
Archaeologists have also unearthed logbooks detailing the construction activities at the Great Pyramids of Giza, dispelling myths of supernatural involvement. Ongoing excavations of workers’ quarters near the pyramids provide insight into the organizational aspects of pyramid construction.
About our experts
Dr. Eman Ghoneim, a professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, specializes in geographic information systems and remote sensing.
Dr. Roland Enmarch, a Senior Lecturer in Egyptology at the University of Liverpool, has extensive experience in ancient Egyptian research.
Frank Muller Roemer, a German archaeologist and Egyptologist, focuses on ancient Egyptian construction and transportation techniques.
TThree hundred and twenty-four. That was the score Mary Louie was given by an AI-powered tenant screening tool. In its 11-page report, the software SafeRent does not explain how the score was calculated or how various factors were taken into account. There is no mention of what the score actually means. They just saw Louis’ numbers and decided it was too low. In the box next to the result, the report said “Score Recommended: DECLINE.”
Louis, who works as a security guard, had applied for an apartment in a suburban area in eastern Massachusetts. When she toured the room, the management company said there was no problem for her application to be accepted. Although she had bad credit and credit card debt, she had an excellent recommendation from her landlord of 17 years, who paid her rent on time. She also plans to use vouchers for low-income renters and ensure that management companies receive at least a portion of their monthly rent payments from the government. Her son, whose name was also on the voucher, also had a high credit score, indicating it could act as a backstop in case of missed payments.
But in May 2021, more than two months after she applied for the apartment, the management company sent Louis an email informing her that the computer program had rejected her application. Applications needed a score of at least 443 to be accepted. There was no further explanation and no way to appeal the decision.
“Mary, we regret to inform you that your housing offer has been denied due to a third-party service we use to screen all prospective housing applicants,” the email said. I did. “Unfortunately, the SafeRent tenant score for this service was lower than what our tenant standards would allow.”
tenant files suit
Louis ended up renting a more expensive apartment. Management there did not grade her based on an algorithm. But she learned that her experience at Saferent was not unique. She is one of more than 400 Black and Hispanic tenants on Housing Vouchers in Massachusetts who said their rental applications were rejected because of their safe rent scores.
In 2022, they banded together to sue SafeRent under the Fair Housing Act, alleging that it discriminated against them. Lewis and another named plaintiff, Monica Douglas, said the company’s algorithm unfairly scores Black and Hispanic renters using Housing Vouchers over white applicants. he claimed. They found that the software inaccurately assessed irrelevant account information (credit score, non-housing-related debt) on whether a tenant was a good tenant, but did not take into account whether they would use a housing voucher. he claimed. Research shows that black and Hispanic rent-seekers have lower credit scores and are more likely to use housing vouchers than white applicants.
“It was a waste of time waiting to be turned down,” Lewis said. “I knew my credit was bad, but AI doesn’t know what I do. It knew I was late on my credit card payments, I didn’t know I was paying.”
Two years have passed since the group first sued for safe rent. Lewis, who was one of two named plaintiffs, said she has moved on with her life and has largely forgotten about the lawsuit. But her action could protect other renters in a similar housing program, known as Section 8 vouchers, from losing their homes because of scores determined by algorithms.
Saferent settled with Mr. Lewis and Mr. Douglas. In addition to paying $2.3 million, the company agreed to stop using the scoring system or make some sort of recommendation to prospective tenants who used housing vouchers for five years. Although Saferent legally does not admit wrongdoing, it is unusual for a tech company to accept changes to its core product as part of a settlement. A more common outcome of such agreements is financial agreements.
“While SafeRent continues to believe that SRS scores comply with all applicable laws, litigation is time-consuming and costly,” company spokeswoman Yazmin Lopez said in a statement. “Defending SRS scores in this case would be a waste of time and resources that could be better used by SafeRent to fulfill its core mission of providing housing providers with the tools they need to screen applicants. It has become increasingly clear.”
New AI landlord
Tenant screening systems like SafeRent are often used as a way to “avoid” direct interaction with prospective tenants and shift responsibility for refusals to computer systems, said Louie and the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. said Todd Kaplan, one of the attorneys representing the company. company.
The property management company told Louis that it decided to deny her based solely on the software, but the SafeRent report says it did not set the criteria for what the score needed to be for an application to be accepted. was a management company.
Still, even for those involved in the application process, how the algorithm works is opaque. The property manager who showed Louis the apartment said he didn’t know why Louis was having trouble renting the apartment.
“They’re inputting a lot of information, and SafeRent is coming up with its own scoring system,” Kaplan said. “It becomes difficult to predict how people will see themselves on Safe Rent. Not only applying tenants, but even landlords, don’t know the details of Safe Rent scores.”
As part of Louie’s settlement with SafeRent, approved Nov. 20, the company will not use a scoring system or recommend accepting or rejecting tenants if they are using housing vouchers. I can no longer do that. If the company devises a new scoring system, it is required to have it independently verified by a third-party fair housing organization.
“By removing the thumbs up and down, tenants can really say, ‘I’m a great tenant,'” Kaplan said. “It allows for more personal decisions.”
One study found that nearly all of the 92 million people in the U.S. who are considered low-income are exposed to AI decisions in basic areas of their lives such as employment, housing, health care, education, and government assistance. It is said that there is New report on the harms of AI
By Kevin de Liban, a lawyer who represented low-income people as a member of the Legal Aid Society. Founder of a new AI justice organization called tectonic justice
Derivan began researching these systems in 2016, when he discovered that automated decision-making that reduced human input suddenly left state-funded home care out of reach for extended periods of time. This happened when I received a consultation from some patients. In one case, the state’s Medicaid payments depended on the program determining that the patient’s leg was intact because of the amputation.
“When we saw this, we realized we shouldn’t postpone.” [AI systems] As a kind of very rational decision-making method,” Derivan said. He said these systems make assumptions based on “junk statistical science” that create what he called “absurdity.”
In 2018, after Derivan sued the Arkansas Department of Human Services on behalf of these patients over its decision-making process, the state Legislature ruled that the department could not automate home care assignment decisions for patients. was lowered. While Derivan’s system was an early victory in the fight against harm caused by algorithmic decision-making, its use continues across the country in other areas such as employment.
Despite flaws, there are few regulations to curb AI adoption.
There are few laws restricting the use of AI, especially in making critical decisions that can impact a person’s quality of life, and liability for those harmed by automated decisions. I have very few means.
Research conducted by consumer report
A study released in July found that a majority of Americans are “uncomfortable with the use of AI and algorithmic decision-making technologies in key life moments related to housing, employment, and health care.” “I’m there.” Respondents said they are concerned about not knowing what information AI systems use to make assessments.
Unlike in Louis’ case, people are often not informed when algorithms make decisions about their lives, making it difficult to challenge or challenge those decisions.
“The existing laws we have in place may be helpful, but they can only provide so much,” Derivan said. “Market forces don’t work when it comes to poor people. All the incentives are basically to create worse technology, and there’s no incentive for companies to create better options for low-income people.”
Federal regulators under President Joe Biden’s administration have made several attempts to keep up with the rapidly evolving AI industry. The President issued an executive order containing a framework aimed at partially addressing discrimination-related risks in national security and AI systems. But Donald Trump has vowed to roll back those efforts and cut regulations, including Biden’s executive order on AI.
So lawsuits like Louis’ may become an even more important tool in holding AI accountable. Already in litigation attracted interest
It is an agency of the U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, both of which deal with discriminatory housing policies that affect protected classes.
“To the extent that this is a landmark case, it has the potential to provide a roadmap for how to consider these cases and encourage other agendas,” Kaplan said.
Still, without regulation, Derivan said it would be difficult to hold these companies accountable. Because litigation is time-consuming and expensive, companies may find workarounds or ways to build similar products for people who are not subject to class action lawsuits. “You can’t bring in these types of cases every day,” he said.
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