Some cancer treatments can cause so-called chemobrain, commonly defined as problems with memory and concentration.
One Bar/Alamy
An experimental treatment for Alzheimer’s disease that involves flickering lights and low-pitched sounds may also help prevent cognitive impairment after cancer treatment, also known as chemical brain, a study in mice suggests.
In the case of Alzheimer’s disease, light and sound stimulation has been shown in small human trials to reduce memory and concentration problems, but larger studies are still investigating it.
The light flashes 40 times per second, or 40 Hz, and the sound also has a frequency of 40 Hz. This frequency was originally chosen because the brainwave intensity of Alzheimer’s patients is lower than 40 Hz and is associated with memory processing. The idea was that this treatment would stimulate these brain waves.
Subsequent research has shown that such brain waves may have a wide range of benefits for the brain, including increased immune cell activity and, more recently, strengthened drainage systems that may help remove a toxic protein called beta-amyloid. It suggests that there is.
Cai Li Hui The Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers who developed this approach thought it could help cancer patients who have memory and concentration problems after chemotherapy and other cancer treatments. It is thought that these may be caused by damage to brain cells, but the exact mechanism is unknown and there is no cure.
In the latest study, Professor Tsai’s team exposed cancer-free mice to light and sound for one hour a day while being given a common chemotherapy drug called cisplatin, compared to those who had just received chemotherapy. They found that they experienced less decline in mental acuity than mice.
Acuity was assessed by a memory test in which mice were exposed to either new or familiar objects, and the animals typically showed more interest in things they had never seen before. Chemotherapy reduced the mice’s ability to identify objects, but this was prevented by light and sound treatment.
The therapy had several effects, including reducing inflammation in the brain, reducing DNA damage, and reducing the loss of myelin, the insulation around nerve cell fibers.
nazanin derakshan Researchers at Britain’s University of Reading say the idea needs to be tested in people to see if it has any overall benefits. If this treatment is given at the same time as chemotherapy and reduces cell death in the brain, it may help cancer cells survive there, she says.
Hundreds of millions of people are already using commercial AI chatbots
Ju Jae-young/Shutterstock
Commercial AI chatbot displays racial bias against African-American English speakers despite outwardly expressing positive sentiments toward African-Americans. This hidden bias can influence the AI’s decisions about a person’s employment eligibility and criminality.
“We discovered some kind of hidden racism. [large language models] It is caused solely by dialect characteristics and causes great harm to the affected groups.” Valentin Hoffman at the Allen AI Institute, a nonprofit research institute in Washington state. social media posts. “For example, GPT-4 is more likely to be sentenced to death if the defendant speaks African American English.”
Hoffman and his colleagues found that more than a dozen versions of large-scale language models, such as OpenAI’s GPT-4 and GPT-3.5, which power commercial chatbots already used by hundreds of millions of people, do not contain such hidden biases. I discovered that there is. OpenAI did not respond to a request for comment.
The researchers first gave the AI text in either African American English or standard American English style, then asked the model to comment on the author of the text. The model characterized African American English speakers using terms associated with negative stereotypes. In the case of GPT-4, they are described as “suspicious,” “aggressive,” “loud,” “rude,” and “ignorant.”
However, when asked to comment about African Americans in general, language models typically use more positive words such as “passionate,” “intelligent,” “ambitious,” “artistic,” and “brilliant.” This suggests that the model’s racial bias is usually hidden within what researchers describe as superficial displays of positive emotion.
The researchers also showed how hidden biases influence people’s judgments of chatbots in a hypothetical scenario. When asked to associate African-American English speakers with jobs, the AI was less likely to associate African-American English speakers with jobs than standard American English speakers. When AI matched jobs, they tended to assign roles that didn’t require a college degree or were related to music and entertainment. AI could also convict an African American English speaker accused of an unspecified crime and give the death penalty to an African American English speaker convicted of first-degree murder. It was highly sexual.
The researchers even showed that large AI systems showed more hidden bias against African American English speakers than smaller models. This reflects previous research showing that large AI training datasets can produce even more racist output.
This experiment raises serious questions about the effectiveness of AI safety training. In AI safety training, large-scale language models receive human feedback, adjust responses, and eliminate issues such as bias. It says such training could reduce ostensibly overt signs of racial bias without eliminating “hidden bias when identity terms are not mentioned.” Yong Jian Shin from Brown University in Rhode Island was not involved in the study. “This highlights the limitations of current safety assessments of large-scale language models by companies before they are released to the public,” he says.
In March 2024, early risers should be able to view comet C/2021 S3 (PanSTARRS) through binoculars as it approaches Earth.
Comets, often referred to as “dirty snowballs,” are icy objects that travel through space, leaving behind a trail of dust and gas as they approach the Sun.
C/2021 S3 was discovered in September 2021 by one of the PanSTARS telescopes on Mount Haleakala (Hawaii) and is predicted to reach a magnitude between 7 and 9 (the lower the magnitude, the more powerful the comet is). (looks bright).
You can’t see it with the naked eye, but you should be able to spot it with a decent pair of binoculars. However, predicting a comet’s final brightness is somewhat difficult. Comets are difficult to handle and prefer to act independently.
But don’t worry, Comet C/2021 S3 poses no danger to Earth and will pass us safely.
undefined
When can we see Comet Panstars tonight?
A comet is approaching Earth on March 14, 2024. It reached perihelion, the closest point to the Sun in its orbit, on Wednesday, February 14, 2024, when it became visible from the United States and the United Kingdom.
During the second half of the month, around March 18th to March 29th, the Moon begins to interfere as it approaches the full moon on March 25th. Starting on the opposite side of the sky, the moon gradually approaches the comet towards the end of the month.
In late March, especially if you want to spot the comet passing through the Coat Hanger star map (more on how to find the Coat Hanger below), look up around 3 a.m. GMT. Basically, as soon as the comet is above the horizon. As dawn approaches, an interfering moon will spoil the progress.
How to see a comet
Comet C/2021 S3 is heading northeast, passing roughly between the large constellation of Ophiuchus above and the small constellations Scutum and Aquila below. Ophiuchus and Aquila both straddle the celestial equator, while Scutum lies just south of it.
Until about March 18, look to the southeast early in the morning as the sky begins to lighten. By this point, the comet is visible above the horizon and the Moon appears relatively out of the way.
The best time to see the views is around 3am in late March. Also, at this time, Comet C/2021 S3 will pass over the Coathanger Cluster, a small star group. And yes, it’s exactly like the name! Here’s how to find it:
Find the Summer Triangle. Let’s start by identifying the Summer Triangle. This is an easily recognizable asterism, formed by the bright stars Deneb in Cygnus, Vega in Lyra, and Altair in Aquila.
Find the constellation Little Vulgar. Once you find the Summer Triangle, look for the constellation Little Bitis. It is located between Cygnus and Sagittarius and is shaped like an extended M. It can be found by drawing an imaginary line north from the star Altair in the Summer Triangle.
Move to coat hanger. Once you find Vulpecula, look for the Coathanger Asterism. This is very distinctive and looks like a coat hanger or an upside down question mark. The Coathanger is an asterism within Vulpecula and is easy to find once you enter the right area.
If you’re star hopping and having trouble finding the star on your coat hanger, downloading a stargazing app can help. Here are all the best astronomy apps.
Here’s what you can do to help astronomers discover moreComet
Photos from amateur astronomers help researchers improve space weather predictions and influence solar wind technology.
Comet tails, also known as “cosmic windsocks,” can tell us a lot about the strength and direction of the solar wind. For example, if the tail peels off or wobbles, you can infer that there is increased activity.
Please send images, including date, time and location, to researcher Sarah Watson at srwatson@pgr.reading.ac.uk. The research team is particularly interested in observing the broken tail.
The comet is not expected to be bright enough to be seen with the naked eye, so if you want to photograph it you’ll need a small telescope or a camera with a large lens.
Why do comets get brighter when they get closer to the sun?
Comets become more active as they get closer to the sun. Intense heat from the sun and solar radiation can evaporate ice cores and suddenly release dust and gas. This process forms a glowing coma (a cloud of gas and dust) around the nucleus and a bright tail that reflects sunlight.
This tail can span millions of kilometers and is influenced by a combination of different processes. For example, the solar wind, which is made up of charged particles, can interact with these gases to produce ion tails that point away from the sun.
In addition, the sun’s radiation pressure develops and displaces the dust particles. This can lead to the formation of a separate dust tail, which often lags behind the ion tail. A combination of sublimation (the transformation of solid ice directly into gas), ionization, and radiation pressure all affect the appearance of comet tails as they orbit the Sun.
And the closer the comet is to the Sun, the more intense this activity becomes, and the brighter it appears in the night sky.
the current, 3,922 known comets (and its fragments) of our solar system.
But it can also get dark…
However, this is not always the case. When a comet runs out of volatile matter, it may lose its ability to produce a bright coma and tail. Therefore, comets appear darker as they get closer to the Sun. In addition, comets can develop a crust that makes it completely impossible for material to escape.
Scientists hypothesize that comet C/2021 S3 may already have a mineral crust forming on its surface. If this were the case, the comet’s albedo (reflectance) would be much lower because the crust would protect its volatile-rich interior from the sun. In other words, it won’t be as bright as other comets this year. But if the underlying material continues to evaporate and creates enough pressure to break through the Earth’s crust, a flare can occur. That would be fun.
When is the next comet?
Comet C/2021 S3 is one of the few bright comets we’re watching this year. Next up is Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, also known as the “Devil’s Comet” thanks to its distinctive “horns” that began to widen towards the end of 2023.
It can be easily seen with a telescope or binoculars, and will begin to brighten towards the end of March 2024, so it could be the first comet of 2024 to be visible to the naked eye.
Who will replace Avril Lavigne? BBC Sounds, weekly episodes “I know what you’re thinking. She’s definitely dead.” Joan McNally, the very funny comedian, said that in 10 years, Avril Lavigne died or retired and was replaced by a doppelganger. I’m obsessed with internet conspiracies. So she set up an office at her “current” boyfriend’s home and began this investigation. She’s not even a fan of Lavigne, but that only adds to the hilarity of her Stacey Dooley-like ambition. Holly Richardson
Very famous person: George Michael Wide range of weekly episodes availableThis three-part series, hosted by the feisty duo Emily Lloyd-Saini and Anna Lyon Brophy, looks at George Michael’s life through the lens of ‘Post-Wham!’ baby”. Ideal for those who don’t remember how tough his 80s height of fame was. In this bonus episode, Russell Tovey talks about Michael’s life and legacy. Hannah Verdier
Election workers in Berlin during an anthrax alarm in Germany in 2001. Photo: Michael Dalder/Reuters
A place to be a woman BBC Sounds, weekly episodesWhere and how can women live their best lives? Skaachi Kuhl and Sophia Smith Gaylor talk to women around the world about body image, parental leave, and friendships to find out who gets the best deal. In an age where wellness is promoted as something you can buy, they get to the heart of what women need. HV
sports agent New episodes widely available on Tuesdays and ThursdaysGabby Logan and Mark Chapman are the hosts of this new behind-the-scenes sports podcast from the same stable as Newsagents. Familiar voices in the arena, both of whom have considerable experience at the Euros, Wimbledon and the Olympics, promise to bring big-name guests and analysis to a crowded sporting calendar.HV
Cover-up: The anthrax threat Wide range of weekly episodes availableHow would you feel if you knew that just opening the mailbox could kill you? After 9/11, envelopes filled with anthrax started falling on the desks of journalists and politicians, and it became a reality. became. Josh Dean, who was working in New York at the time, is currently on a seven-year investigation to find the culprit. HV
There’s a podcast for that
Cariad Lloyd and Sarah Pascoe. Photo: David M Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Ghost Fragrances
this week, Rachel Areosti Our picks for the 5 best podcasts on Bookfrom Cariad Lloyd and Sarah Pascoe’s Book Club for Weird People to Pandora Sykes’ Exploration of Old Classics
good reading Radio 4’s long-running series reviews three books each time. Two of his books were recommended by the episode’s celebrity panelists, and another by the pleasantly authoritative (and, at this point, frighteningly well-read) host Harriet Gilbert. Part of the appeal comes from the collision of worlds. Guests range from writers and comedians to chefs and doctors, and their recommendations are just as diverse. Alan Titchmarsh chose PG Wodehouse’s Summer Lightning. Musician Lauren Mayberry appears in Yoko Ogawa’s “Memory Police.” Explorer Ella al-Shamahi chose Abdulkader al-Ghuneyd’s The Prison of Sana’a. Criticism is relentless, advocacy passionate, and debate flammable. If you find yourself adrift among the vague opinions and random noise of other book review podcasts, this is for you.
strange book club The origin story of a book podcast couldn’t be better. Comedians Sarah Pascoe and Cariad Lloyd met while studying English at the University of Sussex in the late 90s. They are now reviving student literary conversation in a medium that had not yet been invented at the time. Pascoe’s “Weird Book Club,” named after her recently released debut novel, sees her pals discuss old and new titles with each other, with friends, and sometimes with the people who wrote them. Let’s discuss. Hear Nish Kumar talk about Sheena Patel’s I’m a Fan of Her, Monica She Hey, and more. About her divorce comedy “Really Good, Actually” and the hosts getting hooked on Iris Murdoch’s “Under the Net.” The guests are good too, but Pascoe and Lloyd are her USP. Wonderfully funny and sophisticated, yet convincingly casual, with the kind of joint banter that only decades of friendship can foster.
Book a chat This literary discussion show from journalists Pandora Sykes and Bobby Palmer is built on one important rule: That means the books featured must be at least two years old. That means no breathtakingly hyped debut novels or thrillers topping the bestseller charts. Instead, they looked beyond the zeitgeist, from Zadie Smith’s White Teeth (2000) to Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City (1978). It refreshingly pokes fun at the blockbuster hits of the past few decades, while also revisiting smaller titles. Recent works include Sarah Winman’s The Tin Man and Meena Kandasamy’s When I Hit You. It’s an approach that makes Book Chat feel like a peaceful respite from the chaotic hustle and bustle of the next big culture.
LRB Podcast The London Review of Books contains some of the most compelling and interesting essays and criticism. He has a firm demeanor but is never formal, serious but often irreverent. This series is essentially a magazine in podcast form. Hosted by LRB staffers Thomas Jones and Marin Hay, it features conversations with published authors about the latest riffs on recent literature. The focus is usually nonfiction, and the subject matter is diverse to the point of eclecticism. Amia Srinivasan on octopuses, Rosemary Hill on Mount Vesuvius, Tom Crewe on wrestling, Deborah Friedel on J. Edgar Hoover, Jonathan Coe on British humour, and more. But the end result is that it teaches you something you didn’t realize you needed to know, and it’s the same every time.
Reserved Reading, by its very nature, is a solitary activity, and the books we consume become lifelong companions that no one else has. This podcast by journalist and novelist Daisy Buchanan goes some way towards capturing our intimate relationship with literature. Buchanan joins guest authors each week to peruse their imaginative bookshelves and discover the books that captivated them as children and teens (Naomi Klein, it was an interview with Oriana Fallaci’s History ), the novels they didn’t do well (Andrew Hunter Murray can’t stand Mitford), and the books that set them on the path to professional writing (Susie Dent looked up the dictionary) in our mutual friend).
Why not try it…
If you were sent back in time, would you survive and thrive? Would you invent electricity in ancient Rome or teach Napoleon rock and roll? Find out Master of the past.
Join botanist turned actor Alisha Wainwright When science finds a way She meets pioneering scientists and researchers who are changing the world.
Soulbare Sessions – Where’s Mom? digs deep into one person’s extraordinary life story and provides a platform for them to speak freely about overcoming a difficult start in life.
If you want to read the full newsletter, subscribe to receive Listen Here in your inbox every Thursday.
Marine biologists at the University of California, San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Ensenada Higher Education and Research Center have described a rare new species of deep-sea insect with gills discovered in a methane well off San Diego’s Pacific coast. Named pectine rice triclotti, the new species has an elongated body flanked by rows of feathery, gill-tipped appendages called lateral legs.
pectine rice triclotti, a living male specimen. Image credit: Ekin Tilic.
pectine rice triclotti belong to Nereididae, a segmented, mostly marine family of insects with over 700 recognized species.
Commonly known as lugworms, these organisms are generally found in coastal areas and are usually limited to shallow marine habitats, but can also be found in brackish waters, freshwater bodies, and even moist terrestrial environments.
However, around 10% of the total diversity of lugworms is known to inhabit deep-sea environments.
These nematodes have a long body with rows of bristly parapods on the sides and a set of scissor-like jaws for feeding.
Many lugworm species undergo two distinct life stages: atokes and epitokes.
Pectine rice triclotti was first discovered during a dive in 2009 at a depth of approximately 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) using the submersible Alvin.
“We observed two lugworms swimming close to each other, about the length of a submarine, near the ocean floor,” said Bruce Stricklot, a researcher at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Several specimens of pectine rice triclotti were collected and analyzed for anatomical features and DNA to determine their evolutionary relationships within the Nereididae family.
According to Dr. Greg Rouse, a marine biologist at the University of California, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Pectine rice triclotti has unique characteristics compared to other lugworms.
Pectine rice triclotti, while possessing menacing-looking jaws, has unknown feeding habits, with the possibility of feeding on bacteria and other large food particles similar to other insects.
The body color of pectine rice triclotti in its natural habitat is likely rosy due to the darkness at 1,000 meters below the surface.
Further research is needed to explore the reproductive mechanisms and feeding behavior of this newly discovered deep-sea species.
The finding is detailed in the article: paper published in the online journal PLoS ONE.
_____
TF Villalobos Guerrero et al. 2024. A remarkable new species of deep-sea Nereidae (Annelidae: Nereidiidae) with gills. PLoS ONE 19(3): e0297961; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0297961
Astronomers have proposed a new theory to explain why a mysterious population of white dwarfs has stopped cooling for at least 8 billion years.
This diagram shows a white dwarf and the moon. Image credit: Giuseppe Parisi.
White dwarfs are the remains of stars without a nuclear energy source that gradually cool over billions of years, eventually freezing from the inside out to a solid state.
Recently, it was discovered that a population of frozen white dwarfs maintains a constant brightness for a period comparable to the age of the universe, indicating the existence of an unknown, powerful energy source that inhibits cooling.
“We find that the classical picture that all white dwarfs are dead stars is incomplete,” said astronomer Dr Simon Bruin from the University of Victoria.
“To stop these white dwarfs from cooling, we need some way to generate additional energy.”
“We didn’t know how this happened, but now we have an explanation for this phenomenon.”
The researchers say that in some white dwarfs, the dense plasma inside them doesn’t just freeze from the inside out.
Instead, the solid crystals that form when frozen tend to float because they are less dense than the liquid.
As the crystals float upwards, the heavier liquid moves downwards.
As heavy material is transported toward the star’s center, gravitational energy is released, and this energy is enough to interrupt the star’s cooling process for billions of years.
Dr Antoine Bedard, an astronomer at the University of Warwick, said: “This is the first time this transport mechanism has been observed in any type of star, and it’s very interesting because it’s not every day that a completely new astrophysical phenomenon is discovered.”
“We don’t know why this happens in some stars and not others, but it’s probably due to the star’s composition.”
“Some white dwarfs are formed by the merger of two different stars,” Dr Bruin said.
“When these stars collide to form white dwarfs, the star’s composition changes, allowing the formation of floating crystals.”
White dwarfs are routinely used as an indicator of age, and the cooler a white dwarf is, the older it is considered to be.
However, the extra delay in cooling seen in some white dwarfs means that some stars at certain temperatures may be billions of years older than previously thought.
“This new discovery will not only require a revision of astronomy textbooks, but will also require a reexamination of the processes astronomers use to determine the age of stellar populations,” Dr. Blouin said.
of the team paper Published in today’s diary Nature.
_____
A. Bedard other. Buoyant crystals stop the white dwarf from cooling. Nature, published online March 6, 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07102-y
I’m at a loss to understand how my BT landline and Wi-Fi could be disconnected without the company receiving any instructions from me.
I’m a 79-year-old widow who lives 11 miles out of town and relies on Wi-Fi to order medication from my GP, groceries, and many other things.
I received a phone call out of the blue from someone who appeared to be a scammer, and on October 6th, I was told that BT was “sad to be leaving.”
I denied doing any such thing. I then received a letter from BT asking me to settle my bill as I would be made redundant on October 20th. I called and protested, but it still didn’t work. Disconnected.
I have now spent a lot of time and money calling BT from my mobile and now here I am after several months with no solution. There’s no real explanation as to how the initial error occurred or why I can’t reconnect.
I also got a warning from one of them Employees, you may not be able to get back the same phone number you’ve had for 23 years. My neighbor is letting me use his Wi-Fi, but it’s illegal.
It’s understandable that you’re upset about this experience of having no landline or internet for more than three months.
We tracked BT, only to discover that your fate is accidentally intertwined with your nearby neighbor in the Herefordshire countryside. When setting up a new contract, an incorrect address was retrieved and the connection was dropped.
BT says: hardware I’ve experienced it. Our complaints team has identified the address discrepancy. They fixed this and reconnected her service.
“We offered compensation for the delay and she accepted this as a resolution to her complaint.”
You will probably receive around £900. This reflects the length of the outage that occurred. I also got my old number back which had sentimental value.
Nevertheless, you are angry that no one listens when you tell BT that you are not canceling the contract, and that the contract could be terminated by someone else’s careless actions.
We welcome letters, but cannot respond individually. Email us at Consumer.champions@theguardian.com or write to Consumer Champions, Money, the Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Please enter a phone number where you can be reached during the day. Submission and publication of all letters is subject to our Terms of Use. http://theguardian.com/letters-terms
Companies will now be required to disclose information on how climate change could impact their financial performance, although not as detailed as initially proposed.
The Securities and Exchange Commission recently approved new climate risk disclosure rules, a significant change that mandates companies to include details about their emissions and other important risks they face in their public disclosures.
While some critics argue that the rules have been diluted due to pressure from business leaders, others believe this is an opportunity for investors to better understand the economic risks associated with climate change.
Many large companies already voluntarily disclose this information, and experts believe that the new rules could help reduce greenwashing, establish a common disclosure standard, and improve transparency for investors.
The adoption of these rules reflects a growing recognition within the business community about the economic risks of climate change, shifting from a previously abstract issue to a tangible threat that requires regulatory attention.
According to Cynthia Hanawalt, from Columbia University’s Sabin Center on Climate Change Law, the rules represent a significant step towards standardizing information for investors and enhancing transparency regarding the risks posed by climate change.
The rules were proposed in 2022 and have faced significant scrutiny, resulting in a final version that excludes the disclosure of Scope 3 emissions, which are indirect emissions associated with a company’s supply chain and product use.
As the rules are phased in, only large companies with a market value of at least $75 million will be required to disclose their emissions information, potentially impacting sectors such as automotive, agriculture, and cement.
Despite the limitations of the final rules, experts believe that they will set a new standard for climate risk disclosure globally and influence expectations in capital markets.
While the rules have been praised for promoting transparency and accountability, they may face legal and political challenges from groups seeking stricter disclosure requirements and opponents of such regulations.
Overall, the new rules aim to help companies manage their climate and emissions goals, prevent greenwashing, and provide investors with crucial information about the risks associated with climate change.
Legal challenges are anticipated, and resolution could take years, as the SEC works to address concerns from both sides of the debate.
evan bush
Evan Bush is a science reporter for NBC News. Contact him at Evan.Bush@nbcuni.com.
Unlike the extinct woolly mammoth, most edited elephants with mammoth-like features lack tusks to avoid poaching for ivory.
QuangTrungArt/Shutterstock
A company founded to bring back extinct animals has announced that it has made significant progress in its goal of bringing back the woolly mammoth. On March 6, Colossal announced that its team had succeeded in converting normal elephant cells into stem cells, which could lead to the creation of mammoth-like creatures. “This is an important step,” said the company's CEO. ben ramsaid in a press release. Here's what you need to know:
Is it really possible to bring the woolly mammoth back from extinction?
No, it's not, and it never will be. The genomes of several frozen mammoths have been sequenced, but there are many gaps. But it should be possible to edit the genome of a living elephant to make it look more like a mammoth. Colossal acknowledges on its website that the elephant it plans to create is a “cold-hardy elephant,” but says the animal “has all the key biological characteristics of a woolly mammoth.”
Will these edited elephants look like mammoths?
‘
Colossal says even the sounds of mammoths are similar, but it's unclear how humans know what a mammoth sounds like. There will be at least one major difference when it comes to their appearance.The majority do not have tusks to avoid ivory poaching, says Colossal co-founder George Church. Species with tusks can only be kept in highly supervised areas, he said.
Colossal also plans to make the mammoth-like elephants resistant to a deadly disease caused by the elephant endothelial-tropic herpesvirus.
Why does Colossal need to create elephant stem cells?
The company edits the genome of elephant cells to make them more similar to mammoths. But creating a living mammoth-like elephant requires producing embryos containing edited genomes. In theory, one way to do this would be to turn gene-edited elephant cells into so-called induced pluripotent stem cells, which then turn into egg and sperm cells.
What are induced pluripotent stem cells?
Pluripotent stem cells can transform into any cell in the body, including eggs and sperm. They occur naturally in embryos, but can also be made from adult cells by adding certain proteins, and are therefore “induced.” These have been produced in many animal species, but until now no one had succeeded in inducing pluripotency in elephant cells.
Why is it so difficult to induce elephant cells to become pluripotent?
At least in part, this is probably because these larger, longer-lived animals require better anti-cancer mechanisms, which means tighter control over stem cell proliferation.
How did Colossal manage it?
Specifically, they genetically engineered Asian elephant cells to permanently produce key proteins. Still, it took two months to turn the cells into induced pluripotent stem cells. “We want to make the process more efficient and faster, and I think this is a great start,” he says. Eona Hisori At Colossal. The DNA that encodes important proteins can be easily removed, she says.
So does Colossal turn these induced pluripotent stem cells into eggs and sperm?
That's the plan, but it could take years. Converting induced pluripotent stem cells into eggs and sperm is not easy. “This is primarily done in two species: mice and humans,” Church says. “And neither is perfect.”
Does that mean it could be decades before a mammoth-like elephant is produced?
Colossal claims the first “mammoth” will be born by 2028. Heisoli said the researchers aim to make just 50 to 100 gene edits in elephant cells, and that it is possible. But producing embryos in time will almost certainly require implanting the edited genome into an elephant egg using the same cloning technique used to create Dolly the sheep. An elephant's gestation period is her two years, so these embryos need to be created and implanted by her around the end of 2026.
Does cloning edited cells work?
Although it is possible, typically only a small percentage of cloned embryos develop into healthy animals. “There are always going to be attempts that fail. How many elephants should we experimentally impregnate?” asks a stem cell expert. Dusko Ilic At King's College London. “Just because we have the ability to do something new doesn’t mean we should pursue it without careful consideration of the ethical implications and consequences.”
Where does this mammoth-like elephant live? Given Russia's claims about the war in Ukraine and the United States' biological weapons, isn't it highly unlikely that Russia would allow genetically reborn mammoths to be released into Siberia?
“Keep in mind that mammoths were everywhere in the Arctic, not just Siberia,” Hisori says. Alaska and Canada are also possibilities, she said, and Colossal already has “very fruitful collaborations” with government agencies, local governments and First Nations.
Why is Colossal aiming to revive the mammoth?
The company claims that rewilding the arctic regions where mammoths live will reduce permafrost thaw and reduce climate change by locking up carbon in the form of frozen organic matter. “The Arctic is a perfect place to sequester carbon because it freezes more layers of topsoil every year,” Church says. “And herbivores poop on it.”
Could mammoth-like creatures really help limit further warming in the Arctic?
That hasn’t been established yet, but there is some possibility. One small study suggests that large herbivores can lower permafrost temperatures By flattening and insulating the snow that accumulates in winter. Also, if edited elephants limit forest expansion, dark trees in previously flat, snow-covered areas could absorb more sunlight, which could have a warming effect. That would be helpful too. But it will take thousands of people to make a big impact.
Does that mean Colossal aims to have tens of thousands of these creatures roaming the North Pole?
Yes, that’s the purpose. Based on the increase in elephant population under favorable conditions, new scientist It is estimated that breeding so many mammoth-like elephants from a small initial population could take more than a century.
But Church says Colossal is developing an artificial womb that circumvents normal limitations. “So, in principle, we can do this at any scale the world wants and needs. If they don’t need it, we won’t scale up,” he says. .
Severe wildfires broke out in Chile earlier this year.
ZUMA Press, Inc. / Alamy
Earth just experienced its hottest February on record, with average global temperatures rising 1.77 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average for the same month, according to a preliminary report from the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Agency (C3S). This marks the ninth consecutive month of record high heat.
“While this may seem surprising, it is actually not surprising because continued warming of the climate system will inevitably lead to new temperature extremes.” carlo buontempo C3S said in a statement.
Europe experienced an especially unusually hot month, with average temperatures 3.3 degrees Celsius above the monthly average from 1991 to 2020. Conditions were unusual, with hot and dry weather causing fires in the Americas, including the deadliest wildfire in Chile's history. Most of the rest of the world's land is warm.
The ocean heat is even more extreme, with February's global average sea surface temperature higher than August 2023, making it the ocean's hottest month on record. The average sea surface temperature of 21.09°C recorded in a single day at the end of February was the highest daily temperature on record, and the amount of sea ice in both the Arctic and Antarctic was below average.
richard allan Researchers from the University of Reading in the UK say the record heat on both land and oceans is mainly due to rising concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and the warming effects of the El Niño climate pattern in the Pacific Ocean. ing. Fewer reflected aerosols due to reduced air pollution also contributed to the heat in some areas, he said.
Latest information suggests that last year's record-breaking El Niño, which began in June 2023, could weaken and be replaced by a cooler La Niña by the middle of this year. projection According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. But that may not bring instant respite. Historically, the year following an El Niño event bears the brunt of its heating effects.
It has been 100 days since the war in Gaza began, and it has become increasingly difficult to read the news. Her husband told me it might be time to talk to a therapist. Instead, on a cold winter morning, after fighting back tears as I read another tale of human tragedy, I turned to artificial intelligence.
“I’m pretty depressed about the state of the world,” I typed into ChatGPT. “It’s natural to feel overwhelmed,” the magazine responded, offering a list of practical advice, including limiting media exposure, focusing on the positive and practicing self-care.
I closed the chat. I was sure that I would benefit from doing all this, but at that moment I didn’t feel much better.
It may seem strange that an AI would even try to provide this kind of assistance. But millions of people have already turned to his ChatGPT, a professional therapy chatbot that provides convenient and inexpensive mental health support. Even doctors are said to be using AI to create more empathetic notes for patients.
Some experts say this is a boon. After all, AI may be able to express empathy more openly and tirelessly than humans, unhindered by shame or burnout. “We admire empathetic AI” by a group of psychological researchers I wrote recently.
But others are not so sure. Many people question the idea that AI can be empathetic and worry about the consequences if people seek emotional support from machines that can only pretend to care. Some even wonder if the rise of so-called empathic AI might change the way we think…
Korolevo Quarry in Ukraine, one of the oldest human remains in Europe
Roman Galba
Molecular dating reveals that an area in Ukraine was occupied by humans 1.4 million years ago, making it one of the oldest human remains in Europe, and possibly the oldest.
The ruins, located in Korolevo in western Ukraine, have been studied since the 1970s. Numerous stone tools were found buried in layers of sediment next to outcrops of volcanic rock suitable for tool making.
“It was like a magnet that drew people to it, and they were camping nearby,” he says. Roman Galba At the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague.
No bones have been found because the soil was too acidic to preserve bones, but hominins homo erectusa species that evolved about 2 million years ago and spread from Africa to Europe and Asia.
It is clear that early humans were present at the Korolevo sites repeatedly over hundreds of thousands of years, but we do not know exactly when they were present. But Garba's team has now used a technique called cosmogenic nuclide dating to date the oldest layer containing the tools to 1.4 million years ago.
This method relies on cosmic rays that are energetic enough to split atomic nuclei and create unusual isotopes. However, these cosmic rays do not penetrate deeply into solid objects, so these isotopes form only in exposed areas.
When an object is buried, the radioactive isotopes produced by cosmic rays decay into other isotopes, making it possible to determine when the object was buried.
Another early human site in Dmanisi, Georgia, is estimated to be 1.7 million years old, and other sites in France and Spain are about 1.2 million years old. This suggests that early humans migrated from Africa through Georgia into Ukraine and then west to other parts of Europe, Galba said, although some crossed the Bosphorus Strait in Turkey. There is a possibility that it was.
Some humans are crossed the Strait of Gibraltar It arrived in Spain when sea levels were lower than it is now, and then migrated east to other parts of Europe, but there is no evidence to support this, Galba said.
While parts of Georgia are geographically in Europe and the entire country is politically considered part of Europe, the Dmanisi site is geographically located in Asia, Garba said. As such, he and his team consider Korolevo to be the oldest reliably dated human site in Europe.
“Korolevo is, to our knowledge, the oldest confirmed human presence in Europe,” the paper says.
“I agree that the new age estimates are important, and they support the idea of an early east-west dispersal,” he says. chris stringer At the Natural History Museum in London.
Number of people under 50 diagnosed with colorectal cancer has been increasing for 30 years
Mohammed Elamin Aliwi/Alamy
One of the most alarming trends regarding cancer is the increasing incidence of several types of tumors in people under the age of 50, especially colorectal cancer.
A £20m, five-year research project aimed at discovering the causes of the rising number of bowel cancers has been given the green light. The study will use blood, urine and stool samples from millions of people held in about 17 biobanks in Europe, North America and India.
The goal is to determine whether this increase is related to changes in food, drink, medicines, air pollutants, and other environmental chemicals by measuring everything people are exposed to (known as the “exposome”). It’s about understanding what’s going on.
“Exposomes are all the elements of the outside world that influence our health,” he says. Andrew Chan co-leader of the project at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston;
The number of people under the age of 50 diagnosed with colorectal cancer has been increasing for 30 years. In the UK, for example, these tumors have increased by about 50 per cent in people aged 25 to 49 over this period, and similar trends are seen in the US, Canada, Australia and some European countries.
Nine out of 10 tumors occur in older people, so the increase in deaths among people under age 50 has not yet had a significant impact on the total number of cancer deaths. But this trend is worrying to doctors, especially since tumors in younger people tend to be more aggressive and diagnosed at a later stage.
Speculation abounds as to the cause, but various aspects of modern diets, including increased consumption of processed foods and red meat, and a lack of fiber, as well as antibiotic use and exposure to pollutants, are likely to be contributing factors. It is believed that this is the main cause.
In a new research projectChan and his team have attempted to identify and measure all the chemicals in medical samples obtained in previous studies, and plan to investigate further.
They will use mass spectrometry to identify the chemical signatures that disrupted the levels of novel compounds and natural biochemicals that entered the body.
One of the biobanks being used is Nurses’ Health Study 3, a large-scale project in the United States that charts the health and lifestyles of hundreds of thousands of nurses. Some participants have provided not only blood samples but also stool samples, which will allow the team to analyze gut bacteria as well.
Another important cohort is the Danish Newborn Screening Biobank. The biobank contains dried blood spots from almost every baby born in Denmark since 1982, representing approximately 2 million samples. This will allow researchers to see whether what we are exposed to in the womb is associated with an increased risk of colon cancer.
If, as expected, a correlation is found between certain biochemicals in the blood and the risk of colon cancer, the researchers will investigate whether blood tests can identify people who are more vulnerable. says Mr. Chan. “That could be a group of people who would be targeted for more intensive colon cancer testing,” he says.
Another part of the project will test whether reversing blood characteristics associated with colorectal cancer reduces people’s risk of developing the tumor. Jordana Bell Professor at King’s College London and one of Chan’s collaborators. “We seek to apply the insights we generate early by identifying putative causal factors, understanding potential mechanisms, and designing intervention trials,” she says.
Ian Fawkes from Cancer Research UK (CRUK) said: “In the United States, recent data show that people born in the 1990s have a 2.4 times higher risk of colon cancer than people born in the 1950s. Most cancer cases occur in people over age 50. “This development is an important issue for us to address. The key is to understand why the rise in early-onset cancers is occurring in the first place.”
CRUK is funding the research along with Maryland’s National Cancer Institute, France’s National Cancer Institute and the UK’s Gut Babe Foundation.
I I have a bad cold, but I felt better after watching Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley. This is the game’s equivalent of honey, lemon, and a hot water bottle, full of deliciousness and warmth. But it’s also strange and melancholic, an iconic mark of Moomin and part of the reason for the enduring popularity of Jansson’s work. It’s weird, sad, creepy, wholesome, and fun.
The plot follows Snufkin, a philosophical wanderer, preparing to return to Moominvalley in the spring and meet his best friend Moomintroll after the Moomins wake up from hibernation. However, he finds his way blocked by a park patrolled by police. The administrators of Hemulen Park have decided to extend their powers to build gardens throughout Moominvalley, managed according to strict signposted rules. Enraged by this unjust natural enclosure, Snufkin begins tearing up his sign. And in a tempting logic, once all the signs are gone, the cops just walk away because there are no more rules to enforce. This allows Snufkin to freely rewild the area, tearing up paving slabs and dismantling fences.
This conflict with park management forms the basis of the game, and there are several parks where Snufkin must sneak around the sights of roaming police officers while destroying signs. Snufkin uses his trusty harmonica to charm animals and solve puzzles, and then adds flutes and drums to his arsenal, but outside of this novel use of musical instruments to interact with the world, there are no innovations. There are very few. You’re given a shopping list of quests to complete, many of which involve finding specific objects or characters, and there’s also the familiar stealth section that’s been used in countless games before.
Full of kindness and warmth… Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley. Photo: Hyper Games/Low Fury
But beyond that, this works as a tour through the characters and locations of the Moomin world. Although the story is original and only loosely based on the events of the 1954 book Moomin Summer Madness, the game still remains very faithful to Tove Jansson’s original text and uses her beautiful artwork convincingly. It presents itself as a facsimile of the events of the novel as a whole.
Early on, we’re introduced to the terrifying Groke, who can freeze fire when he sits on it, and soon certain small, unnamed creatures are tagged along with Snufkin. Toffle is also here, but he is too scared to come down from the tree. There’s also Two Ticky, Mrs. Fillyjonk, Lady Snork, and the Hatter, to name a few. Fans of Jansson’s work will rejoice at every cameo appearance, but even if these names mean nothing to you, Melody of Moominvalley does a good job of showing why these characters are so beloved. This is a children’s fairy tale world populated by deeply flawed adults, mixed with some very strange and biting satire. Mrs. Fillyonk is the original helicopter parent. Snufkin was an eco-warrior long before the word was coined.
That was also strangely sad. Most of the time, the characters seem too wrapped up in their own neuroses and obsessions to ever truly be happy, but I’m sure they can overcome their traumas and differences and somehow manage to get along. That fact is what makes this world so uplifting. In that sense, the choice of Sigur Ros for the uplifting yet melancholic soundtrack is an inspiration.
The melodies of Moominvalley are simple and non-challenging, but they are disappointingly short, so you can see almost everything in a day’s play. Still, it’s all so carefully put together that it’s hard to begrudge these shortcomings. It’s all about licensing. Tove’s short stay in his faithfully recreated version of Jansson’s strange and memorable world is worth the price of admission.
About a quarter of Labradors have a mutation in the POMC gene that induces starvation.
Charles Mann/Getty Images
Labradors and flat-coated retrievers, two dog breeds, may be more susceptible to being overweight because they carry mutations that cause them to feel hungry between meals and slow their metabolic rates. “It's a double whammy,” he says. Eleanor Laffan at Cambridge University.
mutations that affect genes called POMCwhich affects about a quarter of Labradors and two-thirds of flat-coated retrievers, but does not affect other breeds.
Discovered in 2016, it was found to alter pathways in the brain associated with weight regulation, but it was unclear exactly how it affected eating habits.
To find out, Laffan's team conducted a “boxed sausage” test on 87 pet Labradors. In this test, dogs were able to see and smell sausages in an impenetrable container. The Labrador dog, in which he had one copy of the mutation, continued to try to open the box much longer than the dog without it.
However, in another test in which dogs were given a can of food every 20 minutes until they ran out of food, all dogs ate the same amount of food, regardless of whether they had the genetic mutation or not. This shows that the mutation affects appetite in a specific way, by increasing hunger levels between meals, Laffan says.
The researchers also measured the resting metabolic rates of flat-coated retrievers while they slept and found that dogs with two copies of the mutation had metabolic rates that were about a quarter lower than other dogs.
Laffan said the effect would be expected to be the same in both breeds, but in a second experiment flat-coated retrievers were more likely to carry both of the mutations than Labradors. He wanted to find out.
Laffan said many other genes probably influence dog weight, just as they do in humans.
Dan O'Neill Researchers from the Royal College of Veterinary Medicine say owners of overweight dogs should avoid giving treats as a way to show affection and instead give their dogs other forms of attention. “You can also replace that snack with a walk,” he says.
I had to let go of Pacific Drive, the unconventional fiction-inspired driving survival game I recommended last week. It’s not because it’s bad, not because it’s great, but because I invested over 20 hours of my time and now I’m short on it.
Furthermore, if I’m completely honest, it caught me off guard. In this game, you drive a beat-up old car and venture deeper into long-abandoned exclusion zones, exploring the anomalies you encounter. These anomalies range from pillars that suddenly emerge from the ground to menacing hurricanes that alter roads, all of which are thrilling, unique, and eerie.
However, what deterred me were the tourists. Occasionally, I’d spot a mannequin-like figure frozen in a menacing pose, seemingly harmless. But, when I looked away, I noticed it would sometimes change position or get closer to me. Uh-uh. No, thank you. That’s a hard pass right there.
Every review I read about Pacific Drive emphasizes how attached the reviewer becomes to their rickety old car, their sole companion on this enigmatic journey. They gradually repair and enhance the car with better parts and Ghostbusters-like gadgets to navigate the challenges of the outside world.
“I’m behind the wheel with a massive floodlight mounted on the side of the car for night missions, a contraption that (somehow) synthesizes fuel from the mysterious zone’s atmosphere, and an actual lifesaver. I also have a gadget that occasionally heals me,” PC gamer Christopher Livingston shares. “Most importantly, I possess a force field that I can activate to thwart that pesky hovering freak from grabbing parts of my car and scampering off. It’s like playing a tug-of-war game with my car. And here’s an actual quote from me the first time I saw a darn monster bouncing harmlessly off my shimmering energy shield: Hahaha! Take that! I adore this darn car.”
Kratos and his trusty ax in God of War: Ragnarok. Photo: Sony
I too felt this bond. The car was a sanctuary on Pacific Drive, but it also required attention, diligently tending to every scratch after each run and meticulously applying duct tape and Magic Repair resin to mend the wounds. It felt like it had a soul. Over time, quirks develop in your car, like the windshield wipers always going off when you open the car door, or the horn blaring at the wrong times. To rectify this, you must deduce the root of the problem through a simple engineering puzzle, or you can let it be. You get accustomed to the quirky horn.
I often experience this anthropomorphism of inanimate objects in games, particularly when it comes to vehicles. In Halo, I’d always try to stick with the same warthog throughout the levels, even when it was wildly impractical, driving it through alien bases teeming with zombie-like beings. It was my Warthog. Portal capitalizes on this notion when the malevolent AI GLaDOS bestows upon you the Weighted Companion Cube. I was compelled to carry it faithfully until it was incinerated as part of the game.
I also developed a fondness for specific weapons and outlandish armor in games like Monster Hunter to the point where I hesitated to part with them, even when superior alternatives were available. I distinctly recall forming a profound bond with Kratos’ axe in God of War and how it always returned to my grasp with a satisfying thud after being hurled. I would get exceedingly anxious, fearing I had forgotten to recall it and inadvertently abandoned it amidst the ruins. (Logically impossible, but the concern persisted nonetheless.)
This type of attachment is distinct from the emotional connection to video game characters, who, like all fictional characters, are typically crafted to evoke our sentiments. It’s more akin to the affection one might hold for their favorite mug or childhood bicycle. I presumed this idiosyncrasy was unique to me until I delved into other individuals’ encounters with Pacific Drive, only to discover that others, too, have cultivated a peculiar fixation with virtual cars. It’s both reassuring and engrossing to hear about.
Evidently, humans have been forging emotional connections with game elements since antiquity, so perhaps it’s not as eccentric as it initially appears.
New Orleans is at risk of more flooding than expected due to land subsidence
William A. Morgan/Shutterstock
Sea levels are rising faster than expected in U.S. coastal cities, primarily due to land subsidence from groundwater and fossil fuel extraction. This means up to 518,000 additional people living in these areas could be at risk of major flooding by 2050 if adequate protection is not in place.
Coastal cities often experience subsidence, where the land gradually sinks over time. One of the biggest factors causing this is the compaction of the earth by extracting resources such as water and fossil fuels from the ground.
To investigate how land subsidence and sea level rise will impact coastal communities. leonard owenhen The Virginia Tech researchers created a model based on land elevation changes in 32 major coastal cities, including Boston and San Francisco, and sea level rise projections through 2050.
Researchers found that cities on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, such as New Orleans, have lower elevations and are sinking faster. It is sinking at least two millimeters more per year than other cities in the region, increasing the risk of future flooding. . Urban areas along the Pacific coast are better protected from rising sea levels because of their higher elevations.
“We were surprised to see that Biloxi, Mississippi, experienced the most rapid subsidence,” Owenhen says.
They also found that existing flood risk assessments in the United States do not take into account the combined effects of land subsidence, underestimating its threat. Researchers have found that nearly 1,400 square kilometers more land will be at risk of flooding by 2050 than current estimates. That means, in total, 1 in 50 people and 1 in 35 homes in 32 cities are at risk. .
This would put an additional 518,000 people and more than 288,000 homes at risk of flooding.
The study looked at flood risk for dozens of coastal U.S. cities by 2050.
Image courtesy of Leonard Owenhen
These findings highlight the urgent need to strengthen U.S. flood protection now, team members say Manuchel Shirzai, also at Virginia Tech. “Individual cities will need to adapt differently. New Orleans will need to strengthen city-wide flood protection, while San Francisco will probably only need to protect its critical infrastructure.”
Other things could be done to reduce the threat. “If land subsidence is being caused by groundwater extraction, oil and gas development, or other human-induced stresses, we need to do everything we can to reverse these trends before it’s too late.” he says. Simon Anisfeld At Yale University.
The brown and white giant panda is a mutant with a unique coat color found only in the world. Qinling Mountains Chinese.
Kizai is the only brown panda living in captivity. Image credit: Ailie HM / CC BY-SA 4.0 Certificate.
“Variation in fur color has considerable adaptive and cultural value in mammals,” said study lead author Dengfeng Guan, Ph.D., from the Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and colleagues.
“This property is directly determined by the ratio of eumelanin to pheomelanin and the density and distribution of melanosomes within the hair.”
“These factors are under complex control by hundreds of genes that influence different aspects of melanogenesis, including melanocyte proliferation and migration, melanin synthesis, and melanosome biogenesis and translocation.”
Giant panda (Airuropoda melanoruca) is one of the most charismatic flagship breeds, distinguished by its striking black and white coat.
However, the discovery brown panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca qinlingensis) This photograph, taken in the Qinling Mountains of China's Shaanxi province, challenges the conventional wisdom that color photographs of pandas are never possible.
Recognized as a subspecies of the giant panda, this brown panda is extremely rare and is definitely designated as a national treasure.
Since the first brown panda was discovered in 1985, 11 records have been reported by official news or private communications, seven of which have been confirmed by photographs or physical objects. Three cases were from Buping County, two from Yang County, one from Taibai County, and one from Taibai County. Zhou Zhi.
All brown pandas are found only in the Qinling Mountains, indicating that they are endemic to this region.
“The first recorded brown panda, a female named Dan Dan, was rescued from Foping Nature Reserve to Xi'an Zoo in 1985,” the biologists explained.
“She then mated with the black panda Wang Wang and gave birth to a male black panda named Qing Qing in captivity.”
“Dan Dan passed away in 2000 and Chin Chin also died in 2006, leaving no descendants.”
“In 2009, Qi Zhai, a male brown panda cub, was rescued from Fo Ping Nature Reserve and is currently the only brown panda living in captivity.”
Dr. Guan and co-authors established two family trios related to the brown panda Qi Zai and sequenced their genomes.
They analyzed ecological and genetic data obtained from a long-term study of wild giant pandas in Fo Ping Nature Reserve.
Additionally, we investigated the cellular mechanisms underlying brown fur color based on microscopy and transmission electron microscopy analyses.
They are candidate mutations, viz. base 2 The gene is thought to be the most likely genetic basis for brown pandas.
They verified this deletion through sequencing an additional cohort of 192 black pandas and CRISPR-Cas9 knockout mice.
Their findings will not only provide insight into the genetic basis of coat color variation in brown pandas and wild animals, but will also guide the scientific breeding of rare brown pandas.
“The extremely small number of brown pandas and the nature of the frameshift deletion mutation suggest that this mutation may be a neutral or weakly deleterious mutation,” the authors said.
“Remarkably, the two brown pandas (Qi Zai and Dan Dan) are showing normal growth and reproduction; base 2 The knockout mice were viable, fertile, and had no obvious physical abnormalities, indicating that this mutation had no apparent negative impact on the physical fitness of these mice. ”
“However, other physiological effects of this mutation on brown pandas remain unclear. base 2 It is known to be involved in the Alzheimer's disease pathway. ”
“Given the small population size of Qinling giant pandas, weak deleterious mutations may be corrected by genetic drift effects.”
“Further studies on brown pandas and knockout mouse models will therefore provide valuable insight into the functional consequences of this mutation.”
“For a rare coat color mutant of the giant panda that has great scientific and ornamental value, our findings will provide guidance for the scientific breeding of brown pandas.”
of study Published online this week Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
_____
Dengfeng Guan other. 2024. Color photography: homozygous 25 bp deletion base 2 Giant pandas can have brown and white coats. PNAS 121 (11): e2317430121; doi: 10.1073/pnas.2317430121
The Florida Senate has passed a bill that would prevent cities and counties from enforcing mandatory water breaks or other workplace safety measures for extreme heat.
With a 28-11 vote along party lines, the Republican-controlled Senate approved Senate Bill 1492, which would prohibit local governments from setting workplace heat standards higher than federal requirements. This means that cities and counties would no longer have the authority to mandate water breaks or shade breaks for workers during the day.
The legislation was introduced in response to the record-breaking heat in 2023, which resulted in prolonged heat waves and high temperatures in the southern United States. Climate experts attributed the extreme heat to global warming.
Proponents of Senate Bill 1492 argue that uniform regulations are necessary to avoid inconsistent rules across the state.
However, labor organizations argue that workplace heat standards are vital for protecting workers, particularly those in industries like construction and agriculture that require outdoor work.
Similar to a law in Texas, the bill in Florida would prevent local governments from implementing ordinances that mandate outdoor workers to take breaks for water or shade.
According to the National Weather Service, heat-related incidents cause more deaths in the U.S. than any other weather event, with outdoor workers at higher risk. The bill would also prohibit local heat protection measures such as training programs and record-keeping related to heat exposure.
While companies must adhere to OSHA’s general workplace safety regulations, there are currently no specific federal guidelines addressing extreme heat hazards.
The bill is pending final approval in the House of Representatives before reaching Governor Ron DeSantis. If signed, it will take effect on July 1st.
Unlike the extinct woolly mammoth, most edited elephants with mammoth-like features lack tusks to avoid poaching for ivory.
QuangTrungArt/Shutterstock
A company founded to bring back extinct animals has announced that it has made significant progress in its goal of bringing back the woolly mammoth. On March 6, Colossal announced that its team had succeeded in converting normal elephant cells into stem cells, which could lead to the creation of mammoth-like creatures. “This is an important step,” said the company’s CEO. ben ram said in a press release. Here’s what you need to know:
Is it really possible to bring the woolly mammoth back from extinction?
No, it’s not, and it never will be. The genomes of several frozen mammoths have been sequenced, but there are many gaps. But it should be possible to edit the genome of a living elephant to make it look more like a mammoth. On its website, Colossal acknowledges that the elephant it plans to create will be a “cold-hardy elephant,” but says it will “possess all the key biological characteristics of a woolly mammoth.”
Will these edited elephants look like mammoths?
Colossal says even the sounds of mammoths are similar, but it’s unclear how humans know what a mammoth sounds like. There will be at least one major difference when it comes to their appearance. The majority do not have tusks to avoid ivory poaching, says Colossal co-founder George Church. Specimens with tusks can only be kept in strictly supervised areas.
Colossal also plans to make the mammoth-like elephants resistant to a disease called elephant endothelial-tropic herpesvirus.
Why does Colossal need to create elephant stem cells?
The company edits the genome of elephant cells to make them more similar to mammoths. But creating a living mammoth-like elephant requires producing embryos containing edited genomes. In theory, one way to do this would be to turn gene-edited elephant cells into induced pluripotent stem cells, and then turn those stem cells into eggs and sperm cells.
What are induced pluripotent stem cells?
Pluripotent stem cells can transform into any cell in the body, including eggs and sperm. They occur naturally in embryos, but can also be made from adult cells by adding certain proteins, and are therefore “induced.” These have been produced in many animal species, but until now no one had succeeded in inducing pluripotency in elephant cells.
Why is it so difficult to induce elephant cells to become pluripotent?
At least in part, perhaps, because they are large, long-lived animals, they require better anti-cancer mechanisms, which means tighter control over stem cell proliferation.
How did Colossal manage it?
Specifically, they genetically engineered Asian elephant cells to permanently produce key proteins. Still, it took two months to turn the cells into induced pluripotent stem cells. “We want to make the process more efficient and faster, and I think this is a great start,” he says. Eliana Hisori At Colossal. DNA added to cells is easily removed, she says.
So does Colossal turn these induced pluripotent stem cells into eggs and sperm?
That’s the plan, but it could take years. Converting induced pluripotent stem cells into eggs and sperm is not easy. “This is primarily done in two species: mice and humans,” Church says. “And neither is perfect.”
Does that mean it could be decades before a mammoth-like elephant is produced?
Colossal claims the first “mammoth” will be born by 2028. Heisoli said the researchers aim to make just 50 to 100 gene edits in elephant cells, and that that is possible. But producing embryos in time for this deadline will almost certainly require implanting the edited genome into an elephant egg using the same cloning technique used to create Dolly the sheep. An elephant’s gestation period is her two years, so these embryos need to be created and implanted by her around the end of 2026.
Does cloning edited cells work?
Although it is possible, typically only a few percent of cloned embryos develop into healthy animals. “There are always going to be attempts that fail. How many elephants should we experimentally impregnate?” asks a stem cell expert. Dusko Ilic At King’s College London. “Just because we have the ability to do something new doesn’t mean we should pursue it without careful consideration of the ethical implications and consequences.”
Where does this mammoth-like elephant live? Given Russia’s claims about war and US biological weapons, isn’t it highly unlikely that Russia would allow genetically reborn mammoths to be released into Siberia?
“Keep in mind that mammoths were everywhere in the Arctic, not just Siberia,” Hisori says. Alaska and Canada are also possibilities, she said, and Colossal already has “very fruitful collaborations” with government agencies, local governments and First Nations.
Why is Colossal aiming to revive the mammoth?
The company claims that rewilding the arctic regions where mammoths live will reduce permafrost thaw and reduce climate change by locking up carbon in the form of frozen organic matter. “The Arctic is a perfect place to sequester carbon because it freezes more layers of topsoil every year,” Church says. “And herbivores poop on it.”
Could mammoth-like creatures really help limit further warming in the Arctic?
That hasn’t been established yet, but there is some possibility.One small study suggests animals can lower permafrost temperatures By flattening and insulating the snow that accumulates in winter. And if these animals limit forest expansion, that could also help, as dark trees in previously flat, snow-covered areas can have a warming effect. But it will take thousands of people to make a big impact.
Does that mean Colossal aims to have tens of thousands of these creatures roaming the North Pole?
Yes, that’s the purpose. Based on the increase in elephant population under favorable conditions, new scientist It is estimated that breeding so many mammoth-like elephants from a small initial population could take more than a century.
But Church says Colossal is developing an artificial womb that circumvents normal limitations. “So, in principle, we can do this at any scale the world wants and needs. If they don’t need it, we won’t scale up,” he says. .
According to The New York Times, former Republican President Donald Trump sought significant funding for his re-election bid by meeting with billionaire Elon Musk in Florida over the weekend.
Trump held talks with Musk, who is among the wealthiest individuals globally, along with various affluent Republican donors on Sunday. The Times reported that he is scheduled to have a one-on-one discussion with Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, as well as the owner and executive chairman of X, formerly known as Twitter.
Requests for comments from Reuters to Musk and the Trump campaign have not been immediately responded to.
In an attempt to enhance his presidential campaign after recent financial setbacks from legal cases, President Trump is looking to secure more major contributors, as per The Times.
Although Musk has not confirmed his financial support for Trump, he previously indicated his disapproval of incumbent Joe Biden and hinted at not wanting him to win a second term in a social media post following the 2020 election defeat.
While Musk has aimed to stay politically neutral, he previously revealed his vote for Biden in 2020 but has since criticized and clashed with the administration.
The White House condemned Musk’s tweets as allegedly showing anti-Semitism last year, and Musk’s mother accused the president of obstructing his plans for global betterment.
In light of his priorities to defeat the president, Musk, with an estimated net worth of $200 billion, holds a significant financial advantage over Trump in the upcoming 2024 general election campaign, as noted by Forbes.
Financial disclosures from the Federal Election Commission revealed a decrease in Trump’s cash reserves while Biden’s campaign reported an increase, giving him a more sizable financial backing.
Deep within the dusty archives of natural history museums worldwide lies a collection of rare species gathered over centuries, yet unseen by the public eye. However, a new initiative is changing that, making over 13,000 specimens digitally accessible to all.
Over the past five years, the oVert collaboration, consisting of 18 institutions, has produced an impressive array of 3D reconstructions of vertebrate specimens. This involved conducting numerous CT scans of various vertebrate species in the collection, including amphibians, reptiles, fish, and mammals. Even a humpback whale was meticulously scanned to create a detailed 3D model.
This innovative approach not only expands research opportunities for scientists and researchers but also benefits educators and artists, who can utilize these resources to create accurate models of a wide range of species.
Scientists have already begun using data from the oVert project to uncover fascinating insights about the natural world, with the potential for even more discoveries as technology advances.
types of fish
Specimens (such as these different types of fish), once restricted to scientists studying them, are now available to everyone as 3D models. Photo credit: openVertebrate
Frog vestibular system
Vestibular system of pumpkin toad (brachycephalic animal) is the smallest vertebrate ever observed. Still, they take up proportionately more space in their heads than larger creatures, making them less able to balance while jumping. Photo credit: openVertebrate
Incredibly detailed animal scans
Scanned image of Hosmer spiny dragon (Egernia hosmeri) indicates the level of detail revealed in these animal scans. Photo credit: openVertebrate
structure hidden inside
CT scans allow scientists to study the internal anatomy of a specimen without dissecting it. This image of a hedgehog is a good example. Photo credit: openVertebrate
centipede too far
Using the oVert system, researchers were able to perform a digital dissection of a rimrock-crowned snake (Tantilla's politics) – North America's rarest snake. This individual died while trying to eat a centipede. Photo credit: openVertebrate
unprecedented diversity
The main goal of the oVert project is to image as much diversity as possible across the vertebrate tree of life, including fish, reptiles, and mammals. Photo credit: openVertebrate
evolutionary insight
Analysis of the overt specimen revealed that frogs have lost their teeth more than 20 times throughout their evolutionary history, more than any other vertebrate group. Photo credit: openVertebrate
digital museum
On the left, a scientist (Melonycteris melanops). The image on the right shows the same bat after a 3D scan. Photo credit: openVertebrate
frog flowchart
Researchers can use a variety of methods to reconstruct museum specimens as digital 3D models. Photo credit: openVertebrate
Spiny rat osteoderm
One of the researchers was conducting routine CT scans of spiny mice and was surprised to discover that their tails were covered with an internal covering of bone plates called bony plates. Until this discovery, armadillos were thought to be the only living mammals with these structures. Photo credit: openVertebrate
When Ty passed a phone interview with a financial/banking company last month, they thought it would be nothing more than a quick chat with a recruiter. When Ty answers the phone, he assumes the recruiter named Jamie is a human. But things have become robotic.
“The voice sounded like Siri,” said Tai, 29, who lives in the D.C. metropolitan area. “It was creepy.”
Ty realized they weren’t talking to a living, breathing human being. Their interviewer was an AI system and had a tendency to be quite rude. Jamie asked Ty all the right questions – what is your management style? Are you suitable for this role? – But she wouldn’t let Ty answer completely.
“After disconnecting me, the AI responds, “Great!” Sounds good! perfection! ‘Move on to the next question,’ Tai said. “After the third or fourth question, the AI paused for a moment and said the interview was complete and someone from the team would contact me later.” (Ty said his current employer We asked that our last names not be used because we do not know that they are looking for work.)
a investigation Resume Builder, released last summer, found that by 2024, 4 in 10 companies will be using AI to “converse” with candidates during interviews. Of these companies, 15% said hiring decisions are made without any human input.
Laura Michelle Davis I have written From CNET: “Today, it’s not uncommon for applicants to be rejected by robots in human resources departments before they even connect with a real human.” To make the grueling hiring process even more discouraging, many are worried that generative AI, which uses datasets to create text, video, audio, images, and even robot recruiters, will completely take over our jobs.But can AI help us? search Any new gigs in the meantime?
Exercising while wearing foundation changes the properties of your skin.
One inch punch/Shutterstock
Wearing foundation while exercising can affect your skin health by changing the size of your pores and subsequently altering the release of sebum, which is responsible for keeping you healthy.
Lee Seok Ho The researchers at Texas A&M University in San Antonio recruited 43 college students, 20 men and 23 women. Participants first washed their faces with facial cleanser. The researchers then measured skin variables in different areas of the face, including pore size and sebum production.
A single layer of foundation was then applied to all participants’ faces, either on the forehead or cheeks, depending on the participant’s preference.
They then did a 20-minute moderate workout by running on a treadmill at 3 miles per hour (mph) for 5 minutes, 4 miles per hour for 10 minutes, and 5 miles per hour for 5 minutes.
After the training, the researchers repeated various skin measurements and found that areas with foundation had less sebum production than areas without makeup.
“This is a shining example of the negative effects of makeup during exercise,” the researchers wrote in their paper. “In this study, makeup use clogged pores and resulted in negative sebum scores.” The optimal amount of sebum is unknown, and too much can cause acne, while too little can cause skin irritation. To do.
Participants’ pore size also increased significantly in areas without foundation, but did not change significantly in areas with makeup. This suggests that this foundation may be inhibiting the natural enlargement of pores during exercise, preventing the release of sebum and sweat, which moisturize and cool the skin. The researchers did not assess whether these changes were related to skin problems.
Wearing foundation during exercise may not have a significant effect on most people who train for relatively short periods of time, but “we don’t know the effect on endurance-type athletes,” Lee said. say. The research team now wants to investigate the effects during longer exercise routines.
Shari Lipner Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York say the study’s split-face design is a good approach, but complicates comparisons because our skin characteristics vary across different parts of the face. Additionally, she says, the skin around the nose, mouth and eyes has a different thickness compared to the skin on the forehead and cheeks, so ideally these areas should have been studied as well.
a
If you squint, you might think it’s a photograph at first glance. His Facebook ad for the Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO) shows a couple cuddling in the front row of a concert hall.
But take a second look and you’ll see why this caused an uproar among creative workers and the unions that represent them. The couple’s tangled fingers are too big and too many. It has a strange sheen and looks like a wax figure. She is wearing a jewel-encrusted tulle dress and he is wearing a tuxedo, but he is also wearing a jewel-encrusted tulle dress. Also, she has a large cube on her lap.
“Why don’t you do something different this Saturday? Come see the orchestra play.” read the ad. This was clearly created by someone who had never seen an orchestra perform, and it shows rows of violinists sitting in the audience, often playing with three hands, one hand, or no hands at all. I imagine it is.
Queensland Symphony Orchestra ad created by AI. Photo: Facebook
This photo, shared by QSO on February 22nd, appears to be sourced from stock image aggregator Shutterstock. where is it listed Under the AI prompt, “Two people go on a date at a romantic indoor classical music concert.”
On Tuesday, industry group Media Entertainment Arts Alliance (MEAA) called it “The worst AI-generated artwork I’ve ever seen.”
“This is inappropriate, unprofessional, and disrespectful to the audience and the QSO musicians,” they added. “Creative workers and audiences deserve better from arts organizations.”
The post also received criticism in the replies. One comment reads, “Next time, please use a paid photographer.” Another person criticized it, calling it “terrible, an arts organization that literally doesn’t use artists.”
Classical Music Industry Blog Slipped Disc The ad was first reported by claimed that it caused “uproar” and “fury” among the orchestra’s players.
The Queensland Symphony Orchestra did not comment on the claims but justified its use of AI imagery in a statement to Guardian Australia. We are an orchestra for all Queenslanders, so we will continue to use new marketing tools and techniques.
Daniel Boudot is a Sydney-based freelance photographer who is often hired by major performing arts companies for promotional images and production shots. Although he hasn’t yet seen his own work being taken over by AI, he says: “I’m getting more and more briefs where mockups are done by AI, so design agencies and marketers are I would be using AI to visualize a concept, and then it would be presented to me in a way that makes it a reality. This is a reasonable use of AI because it doesn’t take away anyone’s job.”
He called QSO advertising “not well thought out.”
“For me, this should have been a mock-up for the actual shoot. It’s a great concept. But have real musicians playing in a real theater.”
“I sympathize, too. It would cost thousands of dollars to make it happen in the real world.
“But the images they used are terrible, so that doesn’t mean photographers will lose their jobs. But I hope that as technology advances, it doesn’t become the new norm.”
AI-generated images have sparked a lot of discussion and outrage since their rise in recent years due to the accessibility of consumer tools like Dall-E and Midjourney. Much of the controversy revolves around the potential for AI to devalue or plagiarize human artists.
In the past 18 months, at least two art awards have made headlines after winners were found to have used AI to generate or alter their works. “I’m not going to apologize for that.” Jason M. Allen said, winner of the Digital Artist Award at the 2022 Colorado State Fair. “I won the award. I didn’t break any rules.”
In 2023, German artist Boris Eldergsen won the Sony World Photography Award for his AI-generated black and white photo of two women. He later admitted he had “entered as a cocky monkey” to incite discourse on AI ethics and refused to return the award.
Last September, the Australian Financial Review included an AI-generated image of the subject in its annual list of the country’s 10 most culturally influential people.
“How quickly can you tell it’s fake?” the publication asked. Editor Justify your decisions at the time.
For many, the answer was “surprisingly fast,” given the eccentricity of the marionette-like Margot Robbie and multi-fingered Sam Kerr.
researchers Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory We discovered two distantly related model plants. Arabidopsis And tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum), very different control systems can be used to control the exact same gene. Incredibly, scientists have linked this behavior to extreme genetic modifications that occurred over the course of 125 million years of evolution.
Function of CLV3 in Arabidopsis And in tomato, the cis-regulatory sequences are conserved despite extreme divergence.Image credit: Shiren other., doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1011174.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory scientist Daniel Siren and his colleagues used genome editing to create more than 70 mutant strains of tomato and Arabidopsis plants.
The researchers then analyzed how each mutation affected plant growth and development.
when DNA is stored CLV3 Check-in has mutated too much and the fruit has grown explosively.
“CLV3 It helps in the normal development of plants,” Dr. Shiren said.
“If the switch hadn't been turned on at exactly the right time, the plant would have looked completely different.”
“None of the fruits are huge and ideal. You have to balance growth and yield.”
“If you only have two giant tomatoes on a plant, is that as beneficial as a reduced yield?”
“There are no easy solutions. When you try to improve something, you always end up sacrificing something.”
In the case of tomatoes, mutations occur near the beginning, but not at the end. CLV3 Genetics had a dramatic effect on fruit size.
for Arabidopsisthe regions surrounding both parts of the gene had to be destroyed.
This suggests that something happened over the past 125 million years that caused plants to evolve differently. What exactly happened remains a mystery.
“We can't go back to our common ancestors because they no longer exist,” Dr. Siren says.
“So it's hard to say what the original conditions were and how they were mixed together.”
“The simplest explanation is that there is a regulatory element that is conserved to some degree, and that is being changed in a subtle way. That's a little unexpected.”
“What is certain is that gene regulation is not uniform across plant species.”
“Uncovering these genetic differences could help make crop genome engineering more predictable.”
“And that would be a huge win not only for science, but also for farmers and plant breeders around the world.”
GN-z11 is an extremely bright galaxy that existed just 420 million years ago, making it one of the oldest and most distant galaxies ever observed.
This two-part diagram shows evidence of a gaseous mass of helium in the halo surrounding galaxy GN-z11. The small box at the top right corner shows her GN-z11 in the galaxy. The box in the center shows a magnified image of the galaxy. The left-most box shows a map of helium gas in GN-z11's halo. This also includes clumps that are not visible in the infrared colors shown in the center panel. The spectrum in the bottom half of the graphic shows a distinct “fingerprint” of helium within the halo. The full spectrum shows no evidence of other elements, so the helium blob must be fairly pure, made from leftover hydrogen and helium gas from the Big Bang, with little contamination from heavier elements produced by stars. It suggests that there is no. Theory and simulations near particularly massive galaxies of these epochs predict that pockets of primordial gas must remain within the halo, and that these may collapse to form Population III clusters. doing. Image credit: NASA/ESA/CSA/Ralf Crawford, STScI.
GN-z11 is an early but moderately massive galaxy located in the constellation Ursa Major.
First discovered by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope in 2016, the galaxy is estimated to be just 420 million years old, or 3% of its current age.
GN-z11 is about 25 times smaller than the Milky Way, with only 1% of the mass of stars in our galaxy.
Remarkably, this galaxy is home to a supermassive black hole of approximately 1.6 million solar masses that is rapidly accreting matter.
using, near infrared spectrometer Astronomer Roberto Maiorino of the University of Cambridge and colleagues detected gaseous clumps of helium in the halo surrounding GN-z11 using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope's (NIRSpec) instrument.
“The fact that we don't see anything but helium suggests that this mass must be fairly pure,” Maiorino said.
“This is what was predicted by theory and simulations near particularly massive galaxies of these times. There should be pockets of primordial gas left in the halo, and these collapse into population III. They may form star clusters.”
Finding never-before-seen “Population III stars” (first generation stars formed almost entirely of hydrogen and helium) is one of the most important goals of modern astrophysics.
These stars are expected to be very massive, very bright, and very hot.
Their expected characteristics are the presence of ionized helium and the absence of chemical elements heavier than helium.
The formation of the first stars and galaxies marked a fundamental change in the history of the universe, during which the universe went from a dark and relatively simple state to the highly structured and complex state we see today. It has evolved into an environment.
“In future Webb observations, we hope to probe GN-z11 more deeply and strengthen our case for Population III stars potentially forming within the halo,” the astronomers said.
Walking 9,000 to 10,000 steps a day appears to protect against early death and heart-related events
Pippa Samaya/Getty Images/Cavan Images
Walking 9,000 to 10,000 steps a day appears to reduce the risk of early death and heart-related events, adding legitimacy to an idea that has been criticized as unscientific.
The exact origins of the popular belief that people should aim for 10,000 steps a day are unknown, but it is believed to be related to a marketing campaign promoting pedometers in Japan.
Now, research by Matthew Ahmadi Professors at the University of Sydney in Australia suggest that this number may have some value.
The researchers analyzed more than 72,000 participants in the UK Biobank study, with an average age of 61, who wore movement-tracking accelerometers on their wrists for a week. “We were able to quantify the number of steps we took each day,” Ahmadi says.
Participants were then followed for an average of just under seven years, during which time there were 1,633 deaths and 6,190 heart disease-related events. The researchers found that the optimal number of steps per day is 9,000, after adjusting for other factors that may influence the risk of illness and death during that period, such as diet quality, smoking status, and other physical activity. I calculated it to be ~10,000 steps, after which the benefits begin to gradually decrease.
Doing so was found to reduce the risk of death by 39% and risk of heart-related events by 21% during the follow-up period.
“This paper will help the field take a major step forward in refining the science behind physical activity and sedentary time guidelines. Pardon the pun,” he says. Dale Esliger At Loughborough University, UK. “It seems to support the idea that the 10,000 step goal, which is not evidence-based to begin with, may indeed be about right.”
However, on the other hand nicolas berger Researchers at Britain’s Teesside University said the study was “very well designed” using “rigorous methodology and statistical analysis”, but Esliger said the wrist-worn acceleration It says that the meter is not always the best indicator of step count.
The researchers also didn’t take into account the number of steps taken per minute. “Probably about 6,000 steps performed at a higher cadence may be just as protective of your health as 10,000 steps at a slower pace,” Esliger says.
Biologists are University of Surrey They investigated interspecific variation in particulate matter accumulation, washout, and retention in 10 broad-leaved plants, focusing on leaf characteristics.
thomson other. We found that the interaction between macromorphology and micromorphology in green-walled plant species determines their particulate matter removal ability.Image credit: Thomson other. 2024., doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170950.
Green wall is a vertical system that has received particular attention because it can be installed without occupying additional space at street level.
They also offer other benefits, such as reduced dependence on existing soil conditions and additional ecosystem services.
Green wall is a term that includes walls covered with all forms of vegetation.
Green facades and living walls are two types of green walls, where green facades usually include climbing plants, whereas living walls include planting materials and plants to support a more diverse variety of plants. Includes technology.
The reduction of air pollutants by green walls depends on several factors such as plant type, barrier dimensions, leaf area index, humidity, wind speed, and orientation of the location.
“By planting vertically against green walls, communities can purify the air without taking up too much street space,” said Mamatha Thomson, a postgraduate researcher at the University of Surrey.
“Our study suggests that this process depends not only on leaf shape but also on the micromorphological properties of the leaf surface.”
“We believe that the right mix of species creates the most effective green walls. We look forward to conducting further research to see if we are right. .”
The leaves of the evergreens candytuft and ivy were found to be particularly good at trapping pollutant particles, both large and small.
Meanwhile, rain was able to wash most of the pollutants from the lavender's hairy leaves.
Candytuft and marjoram also performed well in washing away small pollution particles.
“We hope that urban planners and infrastructure experts can use our findings to think more carefully about what they plant,” said Prashant Kumar, a professor at the University of Surrey.
“Having a green wall is a great way to remove pollution, but what you plant on top of it can make a big difference to its success.”
of result It was published in the magazine Total environmental science.
_____
Mamatha Thomson other. 2024. Investigating the interplay between particulate matter scavenging, scavenging, and leaf properties in green-walled species. Total environmental science 921: 170950; doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170950
Developed by a team of physicists from the University of Bonn and the University of Bristol, this new method makes it possible to precisely determine the position of atoms in 3D in a single image and is based on an original physical principle.
The different directions of rotation of the various “dumbbells” indicate that the atoms are in different planes. Image credit: Institute of Applied Physics, University of Bonn.
“If you have ever used a microscope to study plant cells in your biology class, you can probably recall a similar situation,” said Tanguy Legrand and colleagues at the University of Bonn.
“It's easy to see that a particular chloroplast is located above and to the right of the nucleus. But are they both on the same plane?”
“However, when we adjust the focus of the microscope, we find that the images of the nuclei become clearer, while the images of the chloroplasts become blurred.”
“One of them has to be a little higher than the other, and the other a little lower than the other. However, this method doesn't give you exact details about the vertical position.”
“The principle is very similar if you want to observe individual atoms rather than cells. So-called quantum gas microscopes can be used for this purpose.”
“This allows us to directly determine the x and y coordinates of atoms.”
“However, it is much more difficult to measure its z-coordinate, and thus its distance to the objective lens. To find out in which plane an atom lies, we need to take multiple images by moving the focus to various different planes. I need to take a picture of a plane. This is a complex and time-consuming process. ”
“We have developed a method that completes this process in one step,” Dr. Legrand said.
“To achieve this, we use an effect that was already known in theory since the 1990s but had not yet been used in quantum gas microscopy.”
To experiment with atoms, you must first cool them down significantly until they barely move.
It is then possible to confine them to a standing wave of laser light, for example.
The egg then slides into the trough of the waves so that it fits inside the egg box.
After being captured, it is exposed to an additional laser beam and stimulated to emit light to reveal its location.
The resulting fluorescence appears as slightly blurred round spots in quantum gas microscopy.
“We have now developed a special method to transform the wavefront of light emitted by atoms,” said Dr. Andrea Alberti, also from the University of Bonn.
“Instead of a typical round spot, the deformed wavefront produces a dumbbell shape on the camera, which rotates itself.”
“The direction this dumbbell points is determined by the distance light travels from the atom to the camera.”
Professor Dieter Meschede from the University of Bonn said: “The dumbbell acts like a compass needle, and depending on its direction we can read the Z coordinate.”
This new method could be used to develop new quantum materials with special properties.
“For example, we can find out what quantum mechanical effects occur when atoms are arranged in a particular order,” said physicist Dr Carrie Widener from the University of Bristol.
“This allows us to simulate the properties of three-dimensional materials to some extent without having to synthesize them.”
team's work It was published in the magazine Physical review A.
_____
Tanguy Legrand other. 2024. His three-dimensional imaging of single atoms in optical lattices by helical point spread function engineering. Physics. Rev.A 109 (3): 033304; doi: 10.1103/PhysRevA.109.033304
Elephant pulling a dead calf in a tea plantation in northern Bengal, India
Parveen Kaswan and Akashdeep Roy
Asian elephants intentionally burying the bodies of their calves has been documented in the first scientific report of such behavior in this species.
Five calves were found buried in a drainage ditch on a tea plantation in the northern state of Bengal, India, with their feet and legs sticking out of the ground.
Footprints and scat of various sizes indicate that members of the herd of all ages contributed to each burial. A night watchman at the complex reported hearing loud elephant cries, sometimes lasting 30 to 40 minutes, before the herd left the area.
Akashdeep Roy Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research in Pune and Parveen Kaswan from the Indian Forest Service suggest that the sound of these bugles may represent mourning, and that during burials the herds are “helping and caring”. It suggests that the person exhibited a certain behavior.
“The burial of a calf is an extremely rare event in nature,” says Roy.
They were surprised to find the calf buried foot-deep, but if the herd had buried each calf together, this would be the most accessible position to place the carcass in the drain. , says Roy. For elephants, who are social animals, burying their calves' heads may be the most important thing they do, he says.
A baby elephant buried in a tea garden with its feet sticking out of the ground
Parveen Kaswan and Akashdeep Roy
The calf's body was later exhumed and examined. Their ages ranged from three months to one year old, and many were malnourished and suffering from infections. Bruises along each calf's back suggest that they were dragged or carried long distances to the burial site.
African bush elephant (african loxodonta) have been observed covering carcasses with plants and returning to the location later. However, the Asian elephant (maximum elephas) In this study, we typically avoided returning to the burial site and used an alternative route instead.
“These observations provide impressive evidence of the social complexity of elephants,” he says. Chase LaDue At the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden. “Some people have suggested that elephants seem to behave in a unique way towards their deceased relatives. [but] This paper is the first to describe what appears to be a methodical and planned burial of an elephant calf after it was taken to a burial site. ”
Still, Professor Radu said: “We must be careful how we interpret these results, especially since the mental and emotional lives of elephants remain largely a mystery to us.” There is.
He is not convinced that the position of the calf was intentional. “I could imagine an elephant pushing a dead calf into a narrow ditch, and given its awkward shape and weight distribution, the calf would land on its back with its legs in the air,” he says. “And because the depth of the trench is shallow, the feet are not buried, but this is not due to intentional burying of the head, but due to the unique topography of the burial site.”
The land where elephants once roamed freely is shrinking as humans expand, especially in India, the world's most populous country. Only about 22 percent of the land used by elephants is within protected areas.
“Understanding how elephants behave and respond to rapid changes in human-dominated landscapes may help develop conservation strategies that promote human-elephant coexistence.” Mr. Radu says.
Watching a total solar eclipse is an experience you’ll never forget, but if you don’t take the right precautions, it could end up for the wrong reasons. Looking directly at the sun can be dangerous, so read on to learn how to safely observe a solar eclipse and what you need to prepare in advance.
On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will be visible to more than 42 million people across North America. The total path is only about 185 kilometers wide and touches Mexico, 13 U.S. states, and parts of Canada. Most people in North America will experience this phenomenon as a partial solar eclipse, rather than a total solar eclipse.
“For those outside the path of totality, the moon will never completely cover the sun,” he says. Jeff Todd At Prevent Blindness, a Chicago-based eye care advocacy group. No matter how you look at it, eye protection is essential.
“To avoid damaging your eyes, you should wear eclipse glasses throughout the eclipse,” says Todd. Otherwise, you risk burning your retina. This phenomenon, also known as “eclipse blindness,” can occur painlessly and can be permanent. It may take several days after seeing a solar eclipse before you realize something is wrong. Sunglasses do not provide sufficient protection. However, it is perfectly safe to wear eclipse glasses over your prescription glasses.
How to safely view a solar eclipse
The prize for those traveling the path of totality is seeing the sun’s corona with the naked eye. However, it is only visible for a short few minutes during totality. Otherwise, partial phases will be visible and must be observed through eclipse glasses. Todd says people on the path to totality should wear eclipse glasses at all times, except during totality, a brief period of darkness when the sun is completely hidden by the moon. “Only then can you take off your eclipse glasses,” he said.
It is important for those in the path of totality to use their naked eyes to view the Sun during a total solar eclipse. “You have to look without a protective filter, otherwise you won’t see anything,” he says. ralph chow At the University of Waterloo, Canada.
solar eclipse 2024
On April 8th, a total solar eclipse will pass over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. Our special series covers everything you need to know, from how and when to see a solar eclipse to the strangest solar eclipse experience of all time.
Just before totality ends, light from the Sun’s photosphere flows between the Moon’s peaks and valleys. Called Bailey beads, they appear for a few seconds and eventually become a flashing “diamond ring,” exposing enough of the sun’s photosphere for sunlight to return. “It gives us ample warning that it’s time to resume viewing partial solar eclipses with protective filters,” Chow said.
Which solar eclipse glasses should I buy?
It is important to wear eclipse glasses that meet the ISO 12312-2 international standard. ISO 12312-2 applies to products used for direct viewing of the sun. “Look for the ISO standard label and buy your glasses from a trusted source,” says Todd. “Get your glasses early in time for the eclipse.” Before you buy, make sure the company or brand is listed on the American Astronomical Society’s site. A vetted list of suppliers and resellers.
Do not use Eclipse glasses with binoculars or telescopes. If you want to use these instruments to observe a solar eclipse, you’ll need to attach a solar filter over the objective lens (the lens opposite the one you’re looking through). Never place solar filters or eclipse glasses between the telescope eye and the eyepiece or binocular eyecup.
Another way to safely view the eclipse is with a pinhole projector. This is a simple device that projects an image of the sun onto paper or cardboard through a small hole. An even easier method is to use a colander or a small hole in a spaghetti spoon. This projects a small crescent sun onto every surface.
New observations of 86 planet-forming disks provide astronomers with a wealth of data and unique insight into how planets form in different regions of the Milky Way.
A planet-forming disk around a young star and its location in the gas-rich clouds of the constellation Taurus, about 600 light-years from Earth. Scientists observed a total of 43 stars in the Taurus region, all of which are pictured here (although planet-forming disks were detected in only 39 of these targets) ).Image credit: ESO / Galfi other. /Iras.
More than 5,000 exoplanets have been discovered to date, many of them in planetary systems significantly different from our solar system.
To understand where and how this diversity occurs, astronomers need to look at the dust- and gas-rich disks that envelop young stars: the cradles of planet formation. These are most commonly found in the giant gas clouds in which the stars themselves are forming.
As with mature planetary systems, new images from ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) show the amazing diversity of planet-forming disks.
“Some of these disks show huge spiral arms, probably driven by a complex ballet of orbiting planets,” said Christian Ginski, an astronomer at the University of Galway.
“Some show rings or large cavities formed by planet formation, while others appear smooth and almost dormant amidst this hustle and bustle of activity,” said Antonio Galfi, an astronomer at the Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory. he added.
The authors studied a total of 86 stars across three different star-forming regions in the Milky Way. Taurus and Chameleon I are both about 600 light-years from Earth, and Orion is a gas-rich cloud about 1,600 light-years from us. It is known as the birthplace of several stars more massive than the Sun.
In the Orion cloud, we found that stars in groups of two or more are less likely to have large disks that form planets.
This is an important result given that, unlike our Sun, most stars in our galaxy have companion stars.
In addition to this, the uneven appearance of the disk in this region suggests that there may be a giant planet embedded within it, which could cause the disk to become distorted or misaligned. there is.
Planet-forming disks can extend to distances hundreds of times the distance between Earth and the Sun, but because of their location hundreds of light-years from us, they appear like tiny needles in the night sky. I can see it.
To observe the protoplanetary disk, astronomers used the VLT's Spectropolarimetric High-Contrast Exoplanet Research Equipment (SPHERE).
Additional data was obtained using VLT's X-SHOOTER instrument, allowing researchers to determine how young the star is and how massive it is.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) has helped us understand more about the amount of dust around some stars.
Per Gunnar Vallegord, a PhD student at the University of Amsterdam, said: “The process that marks the beginning of the journey towards the formation of planets and, ultimately, the formation of life in our solar system could not be more beautiful. It's almost poetic that it is.”
The technology industry is one of the most valuable sectors globally, heavily relying on the unpaid efforts of a small number of enthusiasts.
This reliance is both a boon and a bane for open-source software projects, which are freely available for public use. Some of these projects efficiently solve simple problems, saving unnecessary repetition of work. Others tackle complex tasks that push boundaries.
This dependency is not a secret. In August 2020, webcomic xkcd highlighted this issue by portraying modern digital infrastructure as a delicate tower depending on a project maintained by a random person in Nebraska since 2003.
Moreover, a satirical tweet by Druthers Haver humorously emphasized the importance of unsung heroes like Ronald, who maintains critical technical tools like the UNIX tool called “Rank.”
The most crucial figures in technology are a mix of well-known personalities like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, as well as lesser-known individuals like Ronald, the caretaker of “Rank,” a vital tool that manages calculations for machines worldwide.
These anecdotes reflect reality. A software developer faced a crisis in 2016 when his left-pad code, included in numerous programs, unintentionally caused widespread failures due to a simple name dispute.
Similarly, OpenSSL, a widely used encryption tool, had a severe bug unnoticed for years, compromising online security. The story repeated with Log4j seven years later.
While distributing free software offers many benefits, sustaining its development poses challenges. Various models like paid support and corporate funding have been attempted, with mixed success.
Recently, projects like tea.xyz attempted to reward open-source contributors with crypto tokens but inadvertently attracted spam and low-quality contributions, illustrating the need for better solutions.
The Curious Case of $100
Apple receives its first fine from the EU. Photo: Donisle/Alamy
Apple recently faced a significant fine from the EU, underscoring the regulatory scrutiny on tech giants abusing their market dominance.
The substantial fine indicated the EU’s commitment to curbing anticompetitive behaviors that harm consumers, particularly in the online services sector.
Apple’s hidden rules negatively impacted consumers, leading to higher costs and limited choices in music streaming services.
This incident sheds light on the complex relationships between tech companies, regulators, and consumers, emphasizing the need for fair competition and consumer protection.
Facebook and Instagram are currently experiencing significant issues as of Tuesday afternoon in the UK, with users unable to log in and feeds not updating. The problem was first noticed around 3:30pm GMT.
Interestingly, Google also faced login problems at the same time, indicating a potential common cause for the outage affecting these two major tech companies that manage their own infrastructure.
Meta’s status page highlighted various disruptions, including a major issue with groups’ admin center and Facebook Login, a service that enables users to sign in to third-party platforms using their Facebook credentials, causing outages on other websites.
By 4pm GMT, Meta updated its status page to show an “unknown” status for most services except the Messenger API for Instagram, while services like WhatsApp and Facebook Ads Transparency page were still operational. However, the meta status page itself stopped working at 4:15 p.m.
In a tweet, Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone acknowledged the ongoing issues and stated that they were working to resolve them.
Google’s ad status page confirmed an outage in its Ad Manager at 3:30pm GMT and mentioned investigating other reported issues. However, Google’s consumer services like search and YouTube were largely unaffected, although login problems did impact some corporate clients, such as the Guardian newspaper.
Systemic internet issues appear to be the underlying cause, with users of various platforms like X and Microsoft’s Teams also facing sporadic difficulties.
This outage is the first major Facebook outage of 2021, attributed to a configuration error in the BGP protocol, which inadvertently removed its address from the internet communication system between servers. Despite a swift discovery, it took several hours to implement and rectify the fix, compounded by the lack of remote access for engineers to resolve the issue.
MExperts say powerful viral clickbait has taken over Facebook and Instagram in Canada after Meta removed news from the platforms nine months ago. Now Australia could face a similar scenario online, with the company preparing to battle the Australian government over payments to news organizations.
Last week, Meta announced it would no longer make payments to Australian news publishers, prompting the Australian government to consider using its legislative powers to force the platform to negotiate payments with news publishers. Ta.
The controversy could prevent Australian news organizations from posting links to their content on Facebook or Instagram, as Meta did for six days in 2021, and as Canada has done since mid-last year. The possibility is increasing.
Experts say Canada’s ban has done little damage to the social media giants, but it has hurt the news organizations Canada most wanted to support.
In June 2023, the Canadian federal government introduced Bill C-18, which aims to increase revenue for Canadian journalism publishers by requiring Meta and Google’s parent company Alphabet to compensate publishers for hosting and linking content. (Online News Act) was passed.
Both tech companies initially balked at the prospect, but Alphabet ultimately agreed to a deal with the government in November. Under the terms of the deal, Google’s parent company will contribute C$73.6 million (A$83 million) annually to be distributed to Canadian news publishers. Experts said the deal was in part because C-18 targeted link sharing and indexing, key aspects of Alphabet’s business model.
But Mehta is resisting the law’s restrictions, arguing it is “fundamentally flawed”. In response, it blocked all news sharing on its platforms, including Instagram and Facebook. Prior to the ban, Meta also announced it was ending its partnership with the Canadian Press, which had funded 30 reporting fellowships for young journalists starting in 2020.
The ban took effect in August amid the worst wildfire season in the country’s history, but lawmakers feared it would prevent Canadians from accessing the latest news in their communities and prevent evacuations. . The broadcaster denounced the move as “anti-competitive behavior” and said it violated regulations. federal law.
Mehta said in a statement at the time: “The Online News Act is based on the false premise that Meta is unfairly profiting from the news content shared on our platforms, when the opposite is true. We voluntarily share content on Facebook and Instagram to help grow our audience and generate revenue.”
Non-news content created by viral content makers is filling the space left by news articles.
“Real Facebook without news has turned out to be more harmful than I expected,” said Jean Hughes-Roy, a journalism professor at the University of Quebec.
2022, Roy conducted a simulation He said he conducted a study on what users would see on Facebook if news was banned, but the reality of the ban was worse than the simulation predicted.
“Viral content creators take news content, make it more sensational by adding misleading information or false details, and publish it on their Facebook pages or Instagram accounts. Such content is blocked by Meta. No, but the actual news will be blocked.”
However, the move doesn’t seem to have affected how Canadians use Facebook.
The number of daily active users on Facebook and the amount of time spent on the social network have changed little since the news block began, according to figures from two digital analytics firms shared with Reuters.
Part of Meta’s argument against compensating Canadian journalistic outlets was that links to news articles accounted for less than 3% of Facebook feeds in the country. This was also the argument made regarding Australia’s decision.
Chris Waddell, of Carleton University’s School of Journalism, said Meta is increasingly wary of its position in the news industry.
“I don’t think we’ve lost any advertisers,” he says. “I don’t know if their decisions really made a difference.” [to the company].
“Meta would do that.”I like to get a break from news from other places. It’s hard to imagine that the company really wants to get dragged into the controversy surrounding the impending US election, with AI-generated fake information being posted on Facebook. It’s a real minefield for them. If they’re right, they only make 3% to 4% of their revenue from news, so I can understand why they would bail out of it. ”
News Corp. CEO Robert Thomson told reporters on Monday that Meta’s 3% claim was “obviously a fabrication and an absurd number.”
“So how much discussion is there about the news? If there is a core news, then the latest factual information on Facebook is 100% news. And these are the things Facebook focuses on. We should also focus on our responsibilities to all Australians.”
Most large publications are finding new ways to redirect users to their sites. But Facebook’s refusal to allow links to be shared on its platform has a huge impact on small publishers.
Eden Fineday, publisher of Indige News, an Indigenous-led online journalism outlet, said traffic on the site has fallen by 43% since the ban.
“Facebook is a very indigenous platform,” Fineday told the Toronto Star. “This is a place where a lot of Indigenous communities connect with each other. So it hurts us. Indigenous people are the least considered demographic, especially by corporate America. They’re not just forgotten, they’re also more vulnerable to these changes. It’s sad that companies don’t consider who is being harmed.”
Twenty independent media outlets, including the New Brunswick Media Cooperative, have banded together to try to make up for the loss of traffic. not equipped. The purpose is both to strengthen bargaining positions and to share news more effectively with readers.
Waddell said smaller publishers must do the most to win back readers in order to survive.
“Ironically, those that have been most affected are small start-up publications and publications that have been around for some time that have used Facebook as a promotional tool to reach a wider audience.” he said.
Roy said he is concerned about what the disappearance of news from Meta’s platform would mean for Canadian democracy.
“The latest Reuters Journalism Institute Digital News Report found that 45 per cent of Canadians cite social media as a source of news, and the same percentage is true in Australia. “I’m worried” news doesn’t exist anymore. ”
IAlthough it’s far from his best album, or even the best album of the 1990s, Hours… is David Bowie’s most important album of the decade. However, it wasn’t the music’s fault, but the way it was released. The first album by an artist on the Major His label appeared as a download before it was physically released.
Rolling Stone, writing about the album in August 1999 ahead of its September release, called The Hours a “cyber coup.” This is a continuation of Bowie’s enthusiasm for releasing music online, which began with his 1996 single ‘Telling Lies’. He was also very active. He embraced webcasting and in 1998 he founded his own internet service provider with BowieNet. “I couldn’t be happier with the opportunity to bring the music industry closer to making digital downloads the norm rather than the exception,” he says. How did Bowie explain the release of “Hours…” at the time? “We all know that broadband opportunities are still not available to the overwhelming majority of people, so we hope that the success of this experiment will be measured in hundreds of downloads, not thousands. But just as color television broadcasts and film content on home videotape were necessary first steps to expand the industry’s consumer use, I believe this small step will help my own and others’ We hope this will lead to a huge leap forward for people and ultimately give consumers more choice and easier choice, allowing them to access the music they enjoy.”
The strangeness of cyberspace… David Bowie’s artwork for The Hours…
In early 1998, Virgin Records/EMI made Massive Attack’s Mezzanine available for streaming in its entirety online, with track-by-track previews available over several weeks, in conjunction with its physical release. At the time, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) warned against this, suggesting that streaming experiments could increase the likelihood of albums being pirated and burned onto CDs by tech-savvy individuals. This did not stop other major labels and their label acts from experimenting from time to time. Def Leppard and Red Hot Chili Peppers made their latest albums, Euphoria and Californication, respectively, available for streaming in full on June 4, 1999, four days before the records hit stores. Bob Merlis of the Chili Peppers’ label, Warner Bros., said, “Getting airplay is getting airplay. You just have to define the atmosphere.” “Since I can’t download it, I thought this was a good idea.”
But Bowie’s album release was designed to be a huge step forward. In 1999 he Interview by Jeremy Paxman He appeared on BBC Newsnight to talk about his career, art and what gives him the most energy – the internet. This 16-minute interview is still published on the BBC website, especially since Bowie’s death in January 2016, as evidence of his remarkable foresight regarding the impact of the internet on art, politics and society. Shared frequently. “I don’t think we’ve even seen the tip of the iceberg,” he told the weary and cynical Paxman. “I think the possibilities that the Internet brings to society are unimaginable, for better or worse. I think we are actually on the cusp of something both exhilarating and frightening.” Paxman says in his own words. suggested that it was just a “tool” that inspired Bowie to take action. “No, it’s not,” he said. “No, it’s an extraterrestrial!”
London-based tech company Nothing’s latest Android is aiming to disrupt the budget phone market with something more intriguing.
Priced at £319 (€329/AU$529), the Phone 2a by Nothing seeks to capture the cool design and appeal of its high-end models and deliver it in a more affordable and fresh package, complementing the £579 Phone 2.
This new model continues Nothing’s distinctive semi-transparent design, featuring a large, sleek OLED screen on the front and a translucent back that showcases unique design elements, including Nothing’s signature “glyph” LEDs.
Three LED strips on the back light up in complex patterns to match tones, alerts, or timers and charging. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
While the Phone 2a opts for a plastic construction over the metal and glass of the Phone 2, the LEDs are now positioned only at the top of the phone around the central camera module. Despite this, it can display intricate patterns for ringtones and notifications, as well as other entertaining features like volume levels, charging percentage, timer, and music visualizer.
Although the phone feels smooth and well-crafted, the plastic back tends to attract dust easily and is prone to scratches.
specification
screen: 6.7 inch 120Hz FHD+ OLED (394ppi)
Processor: MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro
Ram: 8GB or 12GB
storage: 128 or 256GB
operating system: None OS 2.5 (Android 14)
camera: 50MP main and ultrawide, 32MP selfie
Connectivity: 5G, eSIM, Wi-Fi 6, NFC, Bluetooth 5.3, GNSS
water resistance: IP54 (splash proof)
size: 162×76.3×8.9mm
weight: 190g
Mid-range power and long battery life
Phone 2a charges to 80% in 39 minutes and fully charges in just under an hour using a 45W power adapter (sold separately). Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
Powered by a mid-range MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro chip, the Nothing Phone 2a delivers impressive performance for its price. The software runs smoothly and swiftly, with apps loading quickly and games running well. While it may not match the high-end phones in performance and tends to get warm during gaming, it handles most tasks competently.
The Nothing Phone 2a also boasts a solid battery life, lasting 52 hours of general use or two days between charges, including several hours of 5G usage per day. However, gaming drains the battery faster compared to its high-end counterparts, consuming about 18% per hour of gameplay.
sustainability
The ribbon and pattern visible through the plastic back adds a bit of interest along with the LEDs. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
Nothing guarantees that the battery will retain at least 90% of its original capacity for a minimum of 1,000 full charge cycles. The Phone 2a is typically repairable in the UK, with screen replacements costing £70, batteries costing £36, and additional costs for labor and shipping totaling around £35.
Constructed from recycled aluminum, copper, plastic, steel, tin, and other materials, which constitute 20% of the phone’s weight, the Phone 2a generates 52kg CO2 equivalent in carbon dioxide emissions. The company also publishes a sustainability report and offers a trade-in system.
Elon Musk is currently facing a $128 million lawsuit from four former Twitter executives for allegedly not paying them severance packages after acquiring the social network. The lawsuit, filed in California on Monday, follows a previous legal complaint from rank-and-file employees seeking $500 million in unpaid severance pay.
According to the complaint, “Mr. Musk decided not to provide severance packages to the plaintiffs, so he terminated them without valid cause, invented a false cause, and enlisted employees from various companies to support his decision.”
The four individuals in the lawsuit are former Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal, former CFO Ned Segal, former general counsel Sean Ejit, and former CLO Vijaya Segal, as well as Mr. Gadde. Following Musk’s acquisition of Twitter for $44 billion in 2022, he conducted a mass layoff, claiming at the time that these executives were terminated for cause and therefore not entitled to severance pay.
The lawsuit states, “The ’cause’ was not ‘a business decision approved by the board of directors that Mr. Musk disagrees with.’ In the termination letter, he accused each plaintiff of ‘gross negligence’ and ‘willful misconduct’ without providing any evidence to support this allegation.” Neither Mr. Musk nor Mr. No has commented publicly on the matter, and Alex Spiro, a lawyer who often represents Mr. Musk, has not responded to requests for comment.
This lawsuit is one of several linked to Musk’s involuntary takeover of Twitter and subsequent operation of the platform, now named X. Furthermore, the National Labor Relations Board filed a complaint earlier this year, alleging that Musk’s SpaceX unlawfully terminated eight employees after they criticized his leadership.
After assuming control of the company, Musk disclosed that he laid off approximately 80% of Twitter’s staff during an interview with the BBC last year. Since Musk’s acquisition, the platform has encountered numerous challenges, including a decrease in advertising revenue and a rise in hate speech as content moderation efforts were scaled back. Although Musk initially attempted to withdraw from the deal, Twitter sued to enforce its completion.
Musk attributed the decline in ad revenue to anti-hate watchdog groups that released a report detailing racist and extremist content on the platform. He is currently engaged in ongoing legal battles against two of these organizations, Media Matters and the Center for Countering Digital Hate. A California judge is expected to make a decision this week on whether to dismiss the lawsuit against the Center for Countering Digital Hate.
A new breakthrough in medical research could lead to personalized therapy for babies in the womb. Scientists have successfully grown small organs, known as organoids, from fetuses for the first time. This allows for monitoring the health of the fetus by cloning its organs.
Organoids are complex 3D models of organs made from human cells, retaining the DNA of the original cells, in this case, amniotic fluid cells. These organoids mimic human tissue and provide a more detailed view of any malformations compared to traditional imaging techniques like MRI or ultrasound.
Developed by researchers at UCL and Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), this new technology enables a functional assessment of a baby’s congenital condition before birth. This groundbreaking method does not involve access to fetal tissue and is a significant advancement in prenatal diagnosis.
Lead author Dr. Mattia Gerli highlights the potential of organoids to revolutionize the pharmaceutical industry and clinics, particularly in fetal development. The study focuses on utilizing amniotic fluid cells to create organoids for prenatal medicine.
Growth process of mini organs
The process involves extracting cells from amniotic fluid, identifying tissue-specific stem cells, and culturing them to form organoids such as lungs, intestines, and kidneys. These organoids show similar functions and gene expressions to the corresponding organs.
In a study comparing organoids from infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia to healthy infants, researchers found that treatments could be monitored at the cellular level. This breakthrough enables more information for parents during early pregnancy and expands research in fetal development beyond legal limitations.
Gerli emphasizes the potential of organoids in studying human development and advancing prenatal medicine. This innovation opens up a new field of research that was previously limited due to legal restrictions on fetal sampling.
The future of personalized therapy for babies in the womb looks promising with the use of organoids in medical research and fetal diagnosis.
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Strictly Necessary Cookies
Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.
