Houston-based company successfully launched a private lunar lander into space on its second attempt early Thursday morning. The spacecraft, developed by Intuitive Machines, took off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 1:05 a.m. ET atop SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. The original launch was scheduled for Wednesday but was canceled due to a problem with the rocket’s methane fuel. Intuitive Machines aims to land the first commercially built spacecraft on the moon, which would be the first U.S. moon landing in over 50 years. The lander, named Odysseus, will spend a week in space before attempting to settle on the moon’s surface on February 22nd. This mission comes after another company, Astrobotic Technology, attempted but failed to send a lander to the moon’s surface due to a severe fuel leak shortly after liftoff. Both Intuitive Machines and Astrobotic Technology are part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Lander Services Program, designed to accelerate the development of lunar landers by private companies to deliver cargo to the lunar surface and transport scientific equipment. On its next flight, Odysseus will carry a combination of commercial cargo and NASA scientific equipment and is expected to land near the moon’s south pole. NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services Program is part of NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon in the next few years. The timeline for upcoming Artemis missions has been delayed, and NASA eventually hopes to begin regular missions to the moon and build a base camp there.
FOr James, it started with muscles. He was about 16 years old, he was confident in his body shape and worried that he wasn't strong enough to attract girls. He went to bodybuilding forums and started doing his workouts. I don't remember when it happened, but at some point trolls started invading the forums. They were visitors from different online communities with different focuses.
“Their whole vibe was pretty mean,” says James, who did not want to give his real name. “They would take pictures of their great physiques that people posted and say, 'You guys forgot to work out your face!'”
Despite the meanness, James was flooded with curiosity on forums primarily focused on facial aesthetics. He discovers a new world, primarily a young man and his teenage boys, scouring each other's photos for possible flaws and fixes.
The forum was filled with brutal judgments, providing James with a compelling new outlet for his anxiety. “I was learning about issues I wasn't even aware of,” he says. “I had a short face, a short chin, a nose that was too wide, eyes that were too far apart, and a hairline that was too high. A lot of these things you don't notice until someone points them out to you.” I can't stop seeing you. ”
James was hooked on LooksMaxThing, an online community for people who want to beautify their faces. He began learning strange codes that members use to compare their features. Eye angle (eye angle). Meow meow (a tongue movement that is said to improve the shape of the jaw). “The ultimate goal is to improve SMV,” he says. In other words, sexual market value.
Kareem Shami promotes non-surgical soft maxing (2020) (left) And in 2023.
Looksmaxxing has been around for at least a decade, but in recent months it has exploded from obscure forums and Reddit pages to mainstream social media, especially TikTok. An incredibly chiseled chin, pouty lips, and cheekbones as high as the Egyptian pyramids are complemented by “hunter” eyes (slanted slightly downward toward the nose, meaning the corners of the eyes are positively slanted). It is highly prized along with other people.
I felt like an outcast and it triggered something in me.
“The majority of the groups we work with are now LookMax conscious,” says Mike Nicholson, a former teacher who runs a workshop program in schools called Progressive Masculinity. says. The day after a report by researchers from University College London and the University of Kent found that TikTok's algorithm amplified misogynistic content and helped normalize it on playgrounds, he talking to. (In response, TikTok said it removed the misogynistic content it had banned and questioned the report's methodology.)
“We approach this issue from a very sympathetic perspective,” Nicholson added. “But the world that these young people and boys live in is a world that is increasing their insecurities and leading them down this path that can lead to 'incel' ideology if they are not careful. –
James, who is in his 20s and works in finance in the UK, started participating in forums around 2015, when they were still niche. He started “Soft Max Thing,” which is tweaking hair styling, skin care regimens, diet, exercise regimens, and more. But as the site held up an increasingly harsh mirror, he began exploring a more extreme fix known as “hardmaxing.”
SNine years ago today, Joaquin Oliver was murdered in the hallway outside his Florida classroom. He was one of 17 students and staff killed in America's deadliest high school shooting. On Wednesday, lawmakers in Washington, D.C., will hear his voice recreated by artificial intelligence on the phone, asking them why they haven't done more about the gun violence epidemic.
“It's been six years and you haven't done anything. You can't stop the shootings that have happened since then,” he said of the Valentine's Day 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. A message from Oliver, who was 17 at the time of his tragic death, reads:
“I came back today because my parents used AI to recreate my voice and call you. Other victims like me have also received countless calls demanding action. How many calls will it take to care? How many dead voices will I hear before I finally hear it?”
Oliver is one of six people who lost their lives to firearms, and his voice is about to be heard again. He's issuing a call to action in an innovative online gun reform campaign launched today. shot line.
Parkland victim Joaquin Oliver
“How many dead voices will we hear before we finally hear it?”
Sorry, your browser does not support audio. However, you can download and listen here $https://uploads.guim.co.uk/2024/02/13/TheShotline_AI_JoaquinOliver_Call_to_Congress.mp3
A project by two activist groups formed in the wake of the Parkland shooting and creative communications agency MullenLowe, it leverages AI technology to generate direct messages from shooting victims themselves.
The voices are “trained” using deep machine learning from audio clips provided by family members. The resulting recordings are ready to go directly to the people in Congress who have the power to take action against gun violence. Website visitors enter their zip code and choose the message they want to send to their elected representatives.
“We all hear children's voices in our heads. Why don't lawmakers need to hear them too?” said Mike Song, whose 15-year-old son Ethan died in an accident involving a missing gun.
Ethan's message, like Oliver's, is straightforward. “Children like me die every day. It's time to act. It's time to pass laws that protect children from unsafe guns. At the end of the day, it's about helping people. It’s your job to pass responsible gun control, or we’ll find someone to do it.”
Other voices recreated for the Shotline project include that of 10-year-old Ujiyah Garcia, a victim of the 2022 Uvalde Elementary School shooting in Texas. Akira DaSilva, 23, was killed in the 2018 Waffle House shooting in Tennessee. Jaycee Webster, 20, was shot and killed by an intruder in his Maryland home in 2017. And in 2014, Mike Bohan committed suicide with a gun he could buy in 15 minutes.
Vaughn's death, who suffered from depression, sparked a movement that led to passage of Maryland's first Red Flag gun control.
Six years after Oliver's murder, it is by design that Oliver's voice is at the forefront of the campaign. One of his two groups behind this effort is march for our livean activist group formed by Stoneman Douglas students that sparked global protests after Parkland.
The Shotline campaign uses AI to generate audio messages from gun violence victims. Photo: shot line
the other one is, Change references, was founded by the teenager's parents, Manny and Patricia Oliver. They have been relentlessly advocating for gun reform since his son was murdered.
“We wanted this to be a powerful message,” Patricia Oliver said. “Joaquin has his own energy, his own image, and that's what keeps him alive. I'm so proud of Joaquin, he's the driving force that drives us forward.”
She admits the process of recreating her son's voice for 56 seconds was mentally taxing. The Olivers searched their phones and computers for videos containing Joaquin's statements and asked her sister Andrea, other relatives and girlfriend Tori to do the same.
“It was difficult to make out his exact voice because of the noise in the background,” she said. “In one video, he was in the pool and we were talking and the sound of the water was distracting.”
Eventually, we assembled enough clips for our engineers to work with, and after a long period of fine-tuning, we received the final “draft.”
“When I played it, it was incredibly shocking and a lot of different emotions came up. We had been listening to videos of Joaquín talking about the past, and now he's in a situation where he is today, very emotional. We talk about recent things,” she said.
“I know this is just a fantasy and not the truth. But in that moment, you forget what you're listening to, why you're listening, and he just says, 'Hello, Mom, how are you?' I just hope from the bottom of my heart that you just say, “?”. once again. “
Ethan's mother, Christine Song, said she felt the same painful emotions when she heard her son “talk” again six years after his death.
“It brings you back to that day, the last words your child said to you before leaving your life,” she said.
“Honestly, I just sat there and sobbed, because I knew he would never come back. But the Olivers, and my husband, and people like us all have one thing in common: What we're saying is that we go out every day and fight for respect for our children, and we're actually fighting for your children and grandchildren.”
The Songs are pressuring federal lawmakers to pass the Connecticut bill. ethan's lawrequires safe storage of firearms in the home.
“We have promised that we will not stop until we can create a cultural shift in this country where gun owners make safe storage of their weapons second nature,” said Kristen Song. Ta. “You might think that's enough because the coffins of our dead children are piling up, but when it comes to Republicans in Congress, they just don't listen.”
To create voice and calls, MullenLowe talking baby For E*Trade's Super Bowl commercial, we partnered with AI specialist Edisen, with teams in the US and Sweden working on the project.
Snippets of audio “trained” on speech patterns and tonality were fed through Eleven Labs’ generative voice AI platform, and the reconstructed voices generated voice calls from text-to-speech scripts.
“There's a lot of talk about AI right now, but this is a beautiful example of what AI can actually achieve, and a very human achievement,” says Mirko, AI creative designer at Stockholm-based Edisen.・Mr. Lempert said.
“This project was very moving and showed me how different our world is, because in my country we are not exposed to it.” [gun violence] That's the situation. That was a wake-up call. ”
Last week, the Federal Communications Commission banned robocalls using AI-generated voices after Joe Biden's voice was imitated in a fake phone call to voters in New Hampshire.
MullenLowe said Shotline calls are exempt because they are not auto-dialed, are made to a landline and are provided with a callback number.
They analyzed existing data on the physical activity levels of more than 1 million children aged 5 to 17 in 135 countries and territories, and conducted an original online survey on the prevalence of school uniforms in these regions. compared with the results.
Overall, boys were 1.5 times more likely to meet WHO recommendations for physical activity than girls. But among younger children who live in areas where uniforms are the norm, the difference is nearly twice as large, Ryan said.
Among middle school students (generally 11 to 17 years old), uniforms did not appear to be associated with gender differences in physical activity. However, in primary school (ages 5 to 10), the difference between girls and boys was 9.8 percentage points in areas where at least 50 percent of schools required uniforms, compared to 5.5 percentage points in areas with low uniform requirements. was.
According to the researchers, the difference in results between older and younger children is that elementary school children get more physical activity from sporadic exercise throughout the day, whereas adolescents get most of their total physical activity. This may be due to the fact that they get this from structured activities.
“If girls wear skirts or dresses, they may feel less confident doing things like doing cartwheels and falls on the playground or riding their bikes on windy days,” the team members say. esther van slicealso at the University of Cambridge.
Although this finding does not show that school uniforms are the cause of lower physical activity rates, it is consistent with other research that suggests that children, especially girls, find uniforms restrictive. We are doing so.
Research in ChileFor example, it has been found that children's cardiovascular fitness improves when they wear sports-appropriate uniforms to school rather than traditional clothing such as skirts, blouses, ties, and blazers.Ireland's former sports minister worries that uniforms are hindering children's athletic activities jack chambers mentioned the issue In a December 2022 report on youth sports.
While the findings do not support a “total ban” on uniforms, they do suggest that further research is needed, particularly on whether changes to uniforms would help. “For example, we don't know if it's the design of the uniform, the fabric, or the shoes, but that could be a factor,” Ryan said.
Australia's corporate watchdog, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), referred information about a US$1.89 billion “pyramid scheme” known as Hyperverse to Victoria Police in 2020. But no action was taken, and the watchdog referred it again almost two years later.
The ASIC referred the company to Victoria Police for “possible criminal fraud” after concerns were raised with corporate regulators about its affiliate company Blockchain Global. The HyperVerse crypto investment scheme was operated by HyperTech Group, founded by two of Blockchain Global's directors, Sam Lee and Ryan Xu.
An ASIC spokesperson said, “Asic provided information relating to the HyperVerse matter to Victoria Police in 2020 after being informed that VicPol was investigating the HyperVerse matter. [alleged] and after determining that it was not a financial product and that the police were in the best position to investigate. [alleged] There is a possibility of criminal fraud.”
Neither ASIC nor Victoria Police provided further details about the alleged act.
“ASIC takes seriously any fraudulent activity that harms investors and we have the authority to act against fraudulent activity in relation to financial products and services,” the spokesperson said. “When we become aware of conduct that is outside of our jurisdiction, we seek to refer information about that conduct to the appropriate authorities.”
However, Victoria Police said it had assessed that information and decided after almost two years that ASIC was “best placed to investigate further”.
Meanwhile, Blockchain Global went bankrupt and owed creditors $58 million, while Mr. Xu and Mr. Lee were allegedly involved in a “global multi-level marketing and marketing of crypto-assets” as per the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Mr. Xu is not named in the SEC's lawsuit.
A Victoria Police spokesperson confirmed it received a referral from ASIC in April 2020, but the matter was not assessed until 2021. After that assessment, “it was decided that the lead agency should be ASIC”.
The matter was transferred back to ASIC in January 2022. Asked why the process took 22 months, a Victoria Police spokesperson said: “For matters of this nature, the first step is to determine whether a criminal offense has been committed and whether it is best to approach Victoria Police. Depending on the situation, it may take some time.”
A spokesperson declined to comment on the content of the evaluation.
Mr. Ashiq said he believes he is acting on this referral. “ASIC understands that this matter is being actively considered by VicPol. Ultimately, VicPol is best placed to explain its decision to refer this matter back to ASIC,” the spokesperson said.
“At the time VicPol referred the matter back to ASIC, an external administrator had been appointed to Blockchain Global. ASIC is currently considering the information contained in the liquidator’s report relating to this scheme.”
At the time ASIC was referred to Victoria Police, the first Hyper scheme, ‘HyperCapital’, was underway and launched in Hong Kong in 2019. Meanwhile, HyperCapital was rebranded to HyperFund in 2020 and became HyperVerse in December 2021.
Mr. Lee denied claims that the scheme was a fraud and defended his role at HyperVerse as limited to the technical and financial management aspects of the business. Members were offered memberships to HyperVerse, where they could explore the HyperVerse ecosystem. There were returns of 0.5% per day and a 300% return over 600 days. HyperUnits were linked to various crypto tokens and could be withdrawn and converted into other cryptocurrencies once matured.
Mr Lee also did not mention that he had resigned from Blockchain Global’s board of directors and that the company was no longer in business.
According to court documents, Brenda Chunga, a senior U.S. promoter charged and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud, hired Hypertech Group and Blockchain Global to potentially promote the scheme. Mr. Chunga emphasized his connection with Blockchain Global to give the HyperFund project credibility and increase security of investment.
Ashiq defended his failure to issue a warning about the Hyperfund and Hyperverse investment schemes. Mr. Lee declined to answer questions from Guardian Australia, and Mr Hsu could not be reached for comment.
Archaeologists have discovered the remains of at least six people at Gough's Cave in the Cheddar Valley in southwest England. Many of the bones were intentionally broken, and the fragments are covered in cut marks, the result of people using stone tools to separate the bones and remove the flesh.Additionally, 42 percent of bone fragments traces of human teeth. There is little doubt that the people who lived in this cave 14,700 years ago practiced cannibalism.
Today, cannibalism is considered taboo in many societies. We think that's an anomaly, as evidenced by films like . texas chainsaw massacre. We associate it with zombies, psychopaths, and serial killers like the fictional Hannibal Lecter. There are very few positive stories about cannibals. But despite our preconceptions, evidence is accumulating that cannibalism was a common human behavior, so perhaps it's time to reconsider.
Our ancestors have been eating each other for over a million years. In fact, it seems that about one-fifth of society has practiced cannibalism since ancient times. While some of this cannibalism may have been done simply to survive, in many cases the reasons appear to be more complex. For example, in places like Gough's Cave, eating the bodies of the dead appears to have been part of the funerary ritual. Some archaeologists say cannibalism may be a way to show respect and love for the dead, rather than a horrific insult to nature.
Stories of cannibals can be found throughout human history.At Homer's Odyssey,…
IIf you’ve ever dreamed of starring in your own version of Paul Verhoeven’s biting sci-fi satire Starship Troopers, fear not now. Your wish has already been answered. A sequel to the 2015 top-down co-op shooter, Helldivers 2 sees a squad of burly space marines swoop down onto an alien planet, inspired by patriotic slogans, and crush anything that moves with ultra-high-tech weaponry. It’s an online game. Some of them involve giant insect monsters, and some involve robots. However, the result is the same, so it doesn’t really matter. Industrial slaughter with guts flying out. And like the movie it’s based on, Helldivers 2 is a surprisingly fun and entertaining game.
There’s not much to explain in advance. It’s the future, and Earth, now known as Super-Earth, finds itself under threat from alien monsters from a distant planet, a planet that happens to be rich in mineral deposits. You start with a basic spaceship and a rudimentary warrior, then choose a world to visit and a mission to undertake, then land on land and begin educating the local population in the joys of militarized democracy . You can take on the mission alone, but it’s even better when you play with three other her players. This is truly cooperative play. Everyone gets a set of primary and secondary weapons (meaning a shotgun, SMG, assault rifle, and pistol), and a grenade. However, during battle you can also summon strategic gems, special weapons and items, ranging from orbital missile attacks to defensive shields and automatic machine gun turrets.
A wonderfully entertaining “Helldivers 2”. Photo provided by: Sony Computer Entertainment
Missions range from raising patriotic flags to recalibrating communications equipment to rescuing civilian settlers, but there are always side tasks like destroying bases or exploring abandoned research stations. You can also find samples that you can collect to buy upgrades for your spaceship, as well as medals that allow you to get new armor and custom his items. The main currency is demand vouchers, which pay for new strategies from a huge and exotic list. There is one currency, “Super Credits,” which can be purchased with real money, but the developer, Arrowhead Game Studios, notes that the things you buy with them (mostly body armor and helmets) are not required for progression, and that you can purchase them with real money. I claim it can be done. Earn Super Credits in the game anyway. I’ve never felt the need to buy anything while playing and leveling up for hours.
The gameplay loop is so tight that it can become laughably slim if done poorly. Team up, attack planets, kill stuff, collect stuff, then extract it and count your earnings to buy better weapons. Repeat until exhausted. Leveling up unlocks new collections of more powerful hardware, but it’s basically the same thing until a planet is “liberated” and you and all other players around the world move to another location. (yes, it’s there). ™ is a global real-time battle map where all participants contribute to intergalactic peace efforts).
On a mission…Helldiver 2. Photo provided by: Sony Computer Entertainment
Why doesn’t this tire quickly? Because Arrowhead focuses its design attention on making every aspect of the experience highly enjoyable. The guns are chunky, varied, and impactful. Each direct hit is accompanied by the gurgle of insects and a tangle of metal, while the sounds of missile strikes and napalm explosions are a fiery symphony of destruction. This is a game that truly understands the value of intense, disproportionate feedback.
Visually, Helldivers 2 benefits greatly from the move from top-down to fully third-person 3D visuals. And the air smells like cordite?
The best shooters encourage players to participate in a way that fits the tone and world of the game, and Helldivers 2 is definitely one of them.
AC magnetism works differently than standard magnetism
Libor Chemeikal and Anna Birk Hellenes
A new type of magnetism has been measured for the first time. Alternative magnets that combine the properties of different types of existing magnets could be used to make high-capacity, high-speed memory devices and new types of magnetic computers.
Until the 20th century, permanent magnets were thought to consist of only one type of ferromagnetic material. Ferromagnetic effects are seen in objects with relatively strong external magnetic fields, such as refrigerator magnets and compass needles.
These fields are caused by the magnetic spins of the magnet’s electrons aligned in one direction.
But in the 1930s, French physicist Louis Niel discovered another type of magnetism called antiferromagnetism, in which the spin of the electrons alternates up and down. Although antiferromagnets do not have the external magnetic field of ferromagnets, they exhibit interesting internal magnetic properties because of their alternating spins.
When we looked at the crystal from the perspective of a sheet of spins, it seemed to us that: A third type of permanent magnetism, called vicarious magnetism, may be responsible. Alternating magnets look like antiferromagnets, but the sheets of spin look the same no matter what angle they are rotated from. This explains the Hall effect, but no one had seen the electronic signature of the structure itself, so scientists weren’t sure if it was definitely a new kind of magnetism.
now, Juraj Krempaski and his colleagues at the Paul Scherrer Institute in Billigen, Switzerland, and his colleagues have discovered that by measuring the electronic structure within the crystals of magnesium telluride, previously thought to be antiferromagnetic, they were able to create an alternating magnet. confirmed the existence of
To do this, they measured how light reflected off magnesium telluride and found the energy and speed of the electrons in the crystal. After mapping these electrons, they found that they matched almost exactly the predictions given by simulations of alternating current magnetic materials.
The electrons appear to be split into two groups, which allows them to move more within the crystal and is the source of the unusual magnetic properties. “This gave us direct evidence that we can talk about metamorphic magnets and that they behave as predicted by theory,” Krempasky says.
This grouping of electrons appears to originate from the nonmagnetic tellurium atoms in the crystal structure, which separates the magnesium’s magnetic charge into each plane, allowing for its unusual rotational symmetry.
“It’s really amazing to prove that these substances actually exist,” he says. Richard Evans At York University, UK. Not only can electrons in alternating magnets move more freely than electrons in antiferromagnets, but this new type of magnet has no external magnetic fields like ferromagnets, so it could be used to create non-interfering magnetic devices. Evans says. each other.
This characteristic can increase the storage capacity of your computer’s hard drive. This is because commercially available devices are packed with ferromagnetic materials so tightly that external magnetic fields in the material begin to interfere. AC magnets can be packed more densely.
They say this magnet could even lead to spintronic computers that use magnetic spins instead of electrical current to perform measurements and calculations. joseph barker At the University of Leeds in the UK, memory and computer chips have been combined into a single device. “This may give more hope to the idea that spintronic devices can become a reality,” Barker says.
It's the ultimate fusion food. Two key ingredients come together in a lab-created hybrid format for ready-to-eat rice and beef meals.
A number of research groups and companies are developing meat products grown from cells in the laboratory to address issues such as the heavy environmental impact of animal agriculture.
Rather than coaxing animal cells to grow into large structures that replicate the texture of meat (which has proven difficult) Hong Jin-ki Doctors from Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, wanted to create a “new complete food” by fusing rice grains with cultured animal cells.
They first coated the rice grains with fish gelatin so that the cow muscle cells could attach to the rice grains, and then allowed the cells to grow throughout the rice grains for about five to seven days. The rice was then placed in a culture medium to encourage the growth of bovine cells within the grain.
The resulting beef-rice hybrid can be boiled or steamed just like regular rice. Hong said its texture is harder, more brittle and less sticky than regular rice, and it has a nutty taste.
“It's not like beef in the traditional sense, but it offers a new gastronomic experience that combines the familiarity of rice with the richness of meat's flavor,” he says.
Researchers found that hybrid rice contained 7% more protein and 8% more fat than regular rice. Researchers estimate that beef production releases about 50 kilograms of carbon dioxide per 100 grams of protein, compared to about 6 kilograms of carbon dioxide released per 100 grams of protein.
Hong said that unlike other types of cultured meat, all the ingredients used to make beef rice are well-known, cheap and highly nutritious. Additionally, this process does not involve genetic modification.
“These benefits…offer a more sustainable way to produce meat, reduce the environmental footprint associated with traditional livestock farming, and create new food sources that can meet the growing global demand for protein. We provide that,” Hong said.
“Not only is it a great gimmick, but it can also be very useful,” he says. Johannes Le Coutre at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. “The key is whether these products can be scaled up. The challenge is growing meat cells on rice at scale.”
Large parts of the Amazon rainforest are threatened by the combined effects of drought, heat and deforestation, and some ecosystems may be pushed past tipping points. But the likelihood of a larger collapse remains uncertain.
“Forests as a whole are very resilient, so we still have room to act,” he says. Marina Hirota at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil.
Researchers have warned for decades that rising temperatures and deforestation could push the Amazon past a tipping point, leading to runaway feedbacks that could lead to a rapid transition from forest to savannah. The drought and heat caused by the ongoing El Niño phenomenon, as well as the warming temperatures caused by climate change, are once again on the rise.
But climate and ecological models that describe the Amazon's highly complex structure disagree on when and where such a tipping point would occur.
To understand which regions of the Amazon are most at risk, Hirota and his colleagues looked at satellite data to see how several different ecosystem stressors might change in the coming decades. evaluated. These include dry season temperatures, exposure to drought, and the risk of fire and deforestation.
They estimate that 10 percent of the Amazon basin is at risk of being exposed to at least two of these stressors by 2050 and is therefore likely to transition to degraded forest- or savanna-like ecosystems. I discovered that. 47% of this watershed is predicted to be exposed to at least one stressor, meaning it is also exposed to some hazard.
“Due to ongoing changes, we will lose some forest, but there are things we can do to prevent it from reaching 47%,” Hirota says. She said the majority of forests that are not exposed to stressors are located within protected areas; indigenous territory, which is associated with low deforestation rates. Brazil's deforestation rate also fell sharply under President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's administration. Increased in other areas as well Amazon's.
dominique spracklen Researchers from the University of Leeds in the UK say the study is a powerful investigation into the range of threats facing the Amazon. But he says the discrepancies between models predicting potential tipping points remain unresolved.
For example, models predict that some of the negative effects of warming could be offset by increased concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere, which could boost plant growth. . However, other factors such as nutrients and water availability vary widely across the basin and influence the strength of this impact, creating considerable uncertainty in modeling the future of the Amazon. .
“It's a very scary place for such an important ecosystem,” he says.
Sperm that don't move fast enough have a hard time reaching the egg and can cause fertility problems.
Alexei Kotelnikov / Alamy
Laboratory research has revealed that applying ultrasound to immobile sperm causes it to move. If sperm does not move properly, it becomes difficult for them to reach the egg, which is a major cause of infertility. With further research, this technology could help improve the success rate of in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Previous research suggests that: High frequency ultrasound increases sperm motility. However, the study did not involve isolating the sperm to assess which individual cells would be beneficial, allowing doctors to find the best cells to use in fertility treatments.
In the latest research, Ali Vafaie The researchers, from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, classified 50 semen samples into three groups (fast, slow, and stationary) according to sperm motility, based on guidelines for assessing swimming speed.
After separating individual sperm cells from semen samples, the researchers measured the motility of the cells before and after exposure to ultrasound waves with a power of 800 megawatts and a frequency of 40 megahertz.
After 20 seconds of ultrasound, 59 percent of the immobile sperm slowed down, and some started swimming rapidly. Changes in sperm motility peaked at an increase of 266%.
Overall, immotile sperm made up 36% of the samples at the start of the study, but this decreased to just 10% after treatment. It is unclear how long the increase in migration lasted.
Researchers believe that exposure to ultrasound improves dysfunction in sperm's mitochondria, the cells' powerhouses, contributing to increased motility.
This approach could increase the success rate of in vitro fertilization, which requires motile sperm for conception, and could avoid the need for multiple costly surgeries.
But first, Vafai says, the research group will need to test the effectiveness of the approach on sperm, particularly in people experiencing infertility due to reduced sperm mobility. Scientists also need to assess whether it is safe to create embryos from sperm exposed to ultrasound, he says.
To find out more, they asked 253 Chinese and 270 British people (about an equal number of men and women) aged 18 to 84 to take part in an online survey.
Researchers selected 24 emojis to represent one of six emotions: happiness, disgust, fear, sadness, surprise, and anger based on the suggestions that appeared when you typed the word. There are four emojis for each emotion, representing different designs used by Apple, Windows, Android, and WeChat.
Each participant then assigned an emoji to the emotion they thought best matched.
Women were more likely than men to match emojis to the same emotions selected by researchers. The researchers say women may be better at recognizing facial expressions, perhaps because they make more eye contact.
Younger participants also matched emojis better than older participants, probably because they used them more frequently.
On the other hand, British participants agreed better with emojis than Chinese participants, although this may be because the latter group uses emojis differently. “For example, it has been suggested that: [people in China] According to the researchers, people rarely use the happy emoji to express happiness, but instead use it in negative connotations, such as sarcasm.
“When you send someone a message that includes emojis, you can't just assume that they see the emojis the same way you see them,” says Fillick.
Isabel Butet Researchers at the University of Ottawa in Canada say matching 24 emojis to six emotions is extremely restrictive. Nevertheless, “assigning emojis specific emotional labels is problematic when you don't know how they will be interpreted in various online communities,” she says. “For example, it would never have been considered to use eggplant as an allusion if that meaning had not developed in a particular community.”
TThe biggest story in the gaming world so far this year is Palworld, the Pokémon-with-guns early access game that broke and broke concurrent player records on PC.It's showing some signs that it's unsustainable, as these player numbers show dropout In recent weeks, developers have revealed: eye-watering cost Although it requires keeping servers online for so many people (about $600,000 a year), it still has the potential to be the biggest game of 2024 in terms of pure revenue.
There's something a little off-putting about Palworld that makes other developers and critics wrinkle their noses. Unlike Minecraft's blocky animals, it's not just unpleasant to point a gun at a creature that's designed to look cute.The character design became a hot topic because it was too similar to Pokemon. suspicion of plagiarism, the 3D models of some of the game's creatures are incredibly closely matched to those from recent Pokemon games. (The Pokémon Company is currently investigating, but Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe said: palworld said The studio says it has “cleared legal review” and that it has “absolutely no intention to infringe on any other company's intellectual property.” ) Lead developers are also actively outspoken about the use of AI tools, which is a very unpopular opinion among all users. Everyone except a few executives is working on the 2024 game.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, from 2022. Photo provided by: Pokemon Co., Ltd.
This game borrows ideas from several other games without incorporating many of its own ideas. When you play Palworld, what comes to mind is not Pokemon, but Ark: Survival Evolved. This is his 9 year old survival game where you tame dinosaurs in addition to the usual collecting, building and crafting. Once you capture a creature, it will either be forced into indentured servitude within your base, or it will come to fight alongside you in the wilderness.
It's nothing we haven't seen in some other survival games, but Palworld makes it completely smooth and takes a lot of the hectic work out between you and the next great upgrade. Like fellow smash hit Genshin, this game employs familiar gaming tropes and is so easy and engaging that it's hard to put down.
It helps that other players aren't trying to ruin your fun like Ark and Rust do. In another survival game, there's always someone trying to smash you with rocks and take your stuff. There is currently no player vs player competition in Palworld (planned for a later version). Instead, you collaborate with other players on the server. The game's attitude towards creatures is cruel, they exist to be killed, enslaved, or eaten. However, the attitude towards players is very welcoming. There's a reason it's popular.
Despite this, I don't like Palworld. It's soulless, and anecdotally it seems like there are a lot of kids in the 19 million player base, even though this is not a game made with kids in mind. It's violent and immoral, especially when compared to the Pokemon games from which its creature design is clearly inspired. In Pokémon, a children's classic that has evolved over 25 years, your creatures aren't just pets, they're companions. You fight them for sport, sure, which Peta won't approve of, but they don't get hurt, they don't have weapons, and of course you don't either. eat they.
Massacre on a farm…Palworld. Photo: pocket pair
Palworld is more like what panicked parents and reactionary preachers of the late 1990s had in mind.Pokemon was like when Time magazine featured fear-mongering headlines. Be careful of pokemoniacs And Christian groups claimed that Pikachu was literally a manifestation of the devil. “Monsters make disturbing playmates. No matter how toylike and frivolous they may seem, they are unnatural and ultimately deal with unresolved fears,” Time magazine wrote in 1999. Stated. Consider the dubious fascination with the creature called Pokémon… The 4- to 12-year-old set may exhibit the most troubling enthusiasm about Pokémon. ” It's funny to read that line now, but I remember when video games were always talked about in mainstream media in this tone, as a symptom of serious mental illness among kids in the '90s.
Anyway, I'm not here to create a moral panic about Palworld. It's ironic, but it's also mostly harmless and undeniably compelling. I wouldn't let her 7 year old play, but anyone over 12 would have had a much worse experience with her YouTube. There's probably nothing new under the sun, and most of the upcoming breakout games will be repackaged ideas he's seen ten times before. But we keep hoping that the next unexpected hit we'll play this year will leave us with a smile instead of a nasty taste in our mouths.
what to play
Dream Daddy: Daddy dating simulator. Photo: Game Gramps
Since it's Valentine's Day, I have to recommend a game about love that many games don't tackle with confidence. dream daddy is a dating game where you play a single father looking for love with one of seven other eligible single fathers in a new neighborhood. Many thought it was an over-the-top joke until it was released in 2017, but it remains one of the most sincere and unexpectedly touching dating games of all time. Teenage daughters often muster up the courage to talk to the father of your choice. It also often leads to mildly surreal mini-games, where you try to wow your date with competitive pride in your child's achievements, for example. The game turns out to be about the love between parents and children, and the budding romance between you and the sexy singles in your neighborhood. They all have their own problems and are stories that are handled with humor and compassion.
Available on: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PC, smartphone, Estimated play time: 2-10 hours depending on how many dads you want to date
Star Wars x Fortnite, anyone? Disney invested $1.5 billion in Fortnite maker Epic. Photo: PictureLux/Hollywood Archive/Alamy
We're still waiting for Microsoft to outline its vision for the future of Xbox. It will take place tomorrow evening UK time. via podcast Featuring Xbox executives Sarah Bond, Phil Spencer, and Matt Booty. This is according to a recent study from 2K Games, which suggests that the PS5 is outperforming the Xbox Series X two to one.
British maker of Jagex, the developer of Runescape; Acquired for £900m By two private equity firms.
Disney is Invested $1.5 billion (!) in Epic Games As part of a deal to create a “new permanent universe” [that] It provides numerous opportunities for consumers to play, watch, shop and engage with content, characters and stories from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar and more. ” That sounds like it could mean some more Star Wars skins will be added to Fortnite.
Remains of dog and baby girl buried in Seminario Vescoville near Verona, Italy
Laffranchi et al. (CC-BY 4.0)
Late Iron Age people in northern Italy were sometimes buried with dogs and horses. Probably because they loved dogs and horses.
Archaeologists often suspect that the ancient worldwide custom of placing animals in human graves is associated with higher socio-economic status, beliefs about the afterlife, or certain family traditions. I was there. However, after thorough investigation, researchers say they are now beginning to suspect that such “community burials” may have simply been expressions of love for devoted non-human family members. Marco Mirella At the University of Bern, Switzerland.
He and his colleagues reexamined bones excavated from the 2,200-year-old Seminario Vescoville cemetery just east of Verona, Italy. There, the Cenomani lived in metal-making communities before and during the Roman conquest.
Most of the 161 graves discovered at the site contained only human remains, but 16 graves also contained whole or partial animal remains. Twelve of the items were pork or beef products, apparently food offerings to the deceased. Zita Laffranchialso at the University of Bern.
However, the remaining four were buried with dogs and/or horses, which were not used for food by the group. Among them were a middle-aged man with a small dog, a young man with part of a horse, a 9-month-old baby girl alongside the dog, and, most unexpectedly, a pony. She was a middle-aged woman. She had a dog’s head placed above her and a dog’s head placed above her head.
“At first, the excavators were surprised to find human legs under the horses, and their first idea was that there were horsemen here, there were warriors.” LaFranch says. However, the woman was buried unarmed, suggesting that her association with the 1.3 meter tall pony had nothing to do with the war.
The researchers found no particular trends in the age of the people buried with the animals, and DNA analysis suggested they were not genetically related to each other. Chemical analysis of these corpses Dietary differences related to socio-economic status were also not revealed compared to human-only graves.
The findings suggest that ancient people may have felt a strong connection to their animals and therefore chose to bury their loved ones with them, the researchers said. “And why not?” says Mirella. “You can never rule that out.”
Still, the animals in the graves appear to have benefited from careful human care, rather than as disposable livestock. The dog in particular appears to have been fed human food and is showing signs of wound treatment and healing.
So it’s also possible that people were buried with animals for both symbolic and affectionate reasons, Mirella said.
Lyft performed well in the fourth quarter, exceeding profit expectations due to increased rides to stadiums and airports and significant cost savings.
However, the company’s stock price initially rose over 60% in after-hours trading, but most of those gains were erased after Lyft’s chief financial officer corrected a major error in its earnings report. The company had initially predicted growth of 500 basis points (5%) in 2024, but later announced that the actual growth rate was lower at 50 basis points (0.5%). In 2023, the stock price had risen by about 36%.
Lyft CEO David Risher acknowledged the mistake, saying in an interview the following day: bloomberg“Bad. This was a terrible error, but there was one zero.”
Lyft reported that stadium attendance increased over 35% from 2022, driven primarily by popular tours and sporting events. The company also highlighted improvements to airport transportation as contributing to its growth.
Under new leadership, Lyft implemented an aggressive restructuring plan last year, including staff cuts and the removal of management to pursue profitability. The company laid off 1,200 employees in April and reduced overall costs by 12%.
“We’re going to put more money into the bottom line because we can scale even further and keep costs flat,” Risher said.
Lyft also announced a new policy to pay drivers the difference if their income, after outside fees, is less than 70% of what a passenger pays. In addition, Lyft and Uber agreed to pay $328 million to a New York rideshare driver accused of withholding pay and benefits.
There are growing concerns about safety, job security, and the general fear of artificial intelligence with regard to self-driving cars. Lyft is addressing this by partnering with Motional to provide more than 100,000 self-driving rides across the United States.
Revenue for the quarter ended Dec. 31 was $1.22 billion, in line with analyst expectations. The company expects earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization to be between $50 million and $55 million for the quarter, exceeding expectations of $46.3 million. Lyft’s fourth-quarter adjusted core profit was $66.6 million, also beating expectations of $56.2 million.
Osteoarthritis affects 530 million people worldwide
Puwadol Jaturautchai/Shutterstock
Drug delivery nanoparticles may be useful in treating osteoarthritis. In mice with signs of symptoms, a single injection of the particles relieved pain for several months.
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and is approximately 530 million people worldwide. It occurs when the cartilage that cushions bones breaks down, causing joint stiffness and pain. Treatment options for this condition are limited, and there is no treatment to prevent cartilage degeneration.
Previous research has shown that a drug called pazopanib may help reduce osteoarthritis pain. However, the effect only lasts for a few days.So Heejeong Im Sampeng University of Illinois at Chicago and colleagues have developed a method of administration that extends release.
The researchers encapsulated pazopanib within nanoparticles that have already been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to deliver other drugs. They then injected the nanoparticles into the knees of 16 mice, and found that half of them had early signs of osteoarthritis, and half had advanced signs. The same number of animals received a dummy injection of nanoparticles without pazopanib.
Because it is difficult to assess joint pain in animals, the researchers used the widely accepted idea that individuals experiencing pain, such as joint pain, also become more sensitive to physical touch. and instead focused on rodent sensitivities.
Immediately after treatment, the researchers assessed how quickly the mice removed one paw from the uncomfortable hot plate. Mice with early or advanced osteoarthritis took significantly longer to remove their paws when given pazopanib rather than a dummy injection, suggesting that pazopanib nanoparticles rapidly reduced joint pain. I did. The researchers then repeated the hot plate test and found similar effects after two months in the advanced osteoarthritis group and after three months in the early osteoarthritis group. This means that pazopanib nanoparticles provide effective pain relief over several weeks. Animals treated with pazopanib also had less cartilage degeneration, indicating that nanoparticles may slow the progression of osteoarthritis.
But just because a treatment works in mice doesn't mean it will work in humans, Sampen says. The researchers plan to explore other ways to assess pazopanib's analgesic properties in animals. One approach, the researchers say, is to analyze how people walk and use their limbs to make sure the drug reduces joint pain.
Bonobos, orangutans, gorillas, and chimpanzees all poke, tickle, and even steal from their companions as a form of teasing. Understanding the mischievous behavior of these apes could help biologists uncover the origins of the human sense of humor.
Previous research They found that chimpanzees can use painful teasing, or harassment, to reinforce their hierarchical position. But he says teasing can also be a form of play and fun when the right balance of fun and aggression is struck. Isabel Romer at the Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior in Germany.
“So far, the playful nature of teasing has not been systematically studied,” she says. “Therefore, our goal was to identify and create standards for play that teases great apes.”
To do so, Romer and her colleagues studied five species of great apes, bonobos (Pampan Niscus), Sumatran orangutan (pongo abeli), Western Gorilla and Eastern Gorilla (gorilla gorilla and gorilla beringay) and chimpanzees (pan-troglodytes). There were a total of 34 great apes, all housed in the zoo.
The researchers recorded 504 social interactions between individuals from 75 hours of video footage. Of these, 142 were classified as playful teasing, and included 18 acts such as pecking, hitting, hair pulling, impeding movement, and stealing.
“Teasing is characterized by an element of provocation,” Romer says. “It usually starts with a teaser, is often one-sided, and repeats itself over and over again.”
Researchers found that teasers tended to stare at the target's face immediately after the action. This suggests that the teaser was anticipating the reaction. If there is no response from the target, the teaser will usually escalate the teasing by poking the target further.
One of the most important signs that the teasing is playful rather than hostile is that it usually takes place in a calm and comfortable environment. “During the interaction, participants tended to relax,” Romer says.
Cases of theft were considered to be play if the item provided no obvious benefit to the teaser or if the teaser lost interest in the item shortly after pinching it.
“We found that playful teasing is present in all four species of great apes,” Romer said. Like play in general, this behavior can also help build relationships between groupmates and test social boundaries, she says.
Romer added that the last common ancestor between humans and other great apes likely also playfully teased, which may have been a precursor to our love of jokes. Ta.
“Studying great apes is important for understanding which cognitive and behavioral traits humans share and likely evolved in a common ancestor millions of years ago.” says the doctor. Christopher Krupenier at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. “This study provides exciting evidence that all great apes appear to engage in playful teasing behavior, and also points the way for future research in other species.”
Billionaire Jeff Bezos and his fiance Lauren Sanchez saved $600 million in taxes just by moving to Florida.
The accounting windfall resulted from the $2 billion sale of Amazon stock.
Bezos, 59, who is in a three-way race with Microsoft’s Bill Gates and Tesla’s Elon Musk to become America’s richest man, announced in November that he would be leaving Seattle, where he has worked for 30 years. –This is what he said on the outside: in an instagram postto be closer to his parents, and his Blue Origin rocket is launched at Cape Canaveral.
“I’ve lived in Seattle longer than anywhere else and have so many great memories here. This move is both exciting and an emotional decision for me. Seattle, you will always be my It’s a part of my heart,” he wrote.
But on Tuesday, Financial News Network CNBC provided another clue In response to his move, Washington two years ago introduced a new 7% capital gains tax on the sale of stocks and bonds worth more than $250,000.
However, Florida does not tax income or capital gains.
Since 1998, Bezos has been involved in projects such as his philanthropic project Blue Origin, new homes on Miami’s “billionaire bunker” island Indian Creek and a $500 million, 417-foot home, the newspaper reported. The company has reportedly sold billions of dollars in Amazon stock to raise money for splashy acquisitions such as Amazon. Megayacht Col.
Last year, after the new tax was introduced, Bezos halted sales of Amazon stock until he notified the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that he planned to sell 50 million shares by January 31, 2025, at a current value of That’s equivalent to $8.7 billion.
With the first $2 billion tranche last week, Bezos saved $140 million in taxes he would have paid to Washington state. If Amazon stock continues to rise, total sales over the next two years will be about $610 million or more. This savings is enough to cover Kuro’s expenses.
The cost of relocating to Miami was in itself daunting for the couple, who have so far purchased two homes in Indian Creek, near the mansions of quarterback Tom Brady, Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner. It has invested $47 million. Investor Carl Icahn.
Real estate brokers in Miami say Mr. Bezos will likely demolish two homes and build new ones. He is also said to be considering other properties on the island, which is itself a municipality and has a mayor.
Kobi Karp, an architect who has worked in Miami “since the days of Miami Vice and Scarface,” told Bloomberg that the island’s biggest draw is privacy. paul george, History Miami Museum He told the media that the island was “inhabited only by very wealthy people, billionaires.”
Karp added: “We’re not going to lose hundreds of millions more.”
But Bezos’ personal real estate projects may not fully account for the costs involved in moving the billionaire, his fiancée and their support staff across continents. Shortly after Bezos announced the couple’s move to Miami, Amazon announced it was looking for 50,000 square feet of office space near Brickell.
Shrove Tuesday, the traditional holiday celebrated the day before the Christian Lent, is now almost exclusively associated with pancakes by many people around the world.
Pancakes come in many shapes and sizes and are eaten in cultures around the world. From French crepes to American griddle cakes to Indian dosas, these versatile rings of fried dough provide endless sweet and savory indulgences.
But no matter how you enjoy it, a little science can go a long way in making this Pancake Day a huge success (as long as you don't get carried away and end up flipping pancakes on the floor).We collaborated with materials chemists and food scientists. Professor Matt Hartings and professor of fluid mechanics. Ian Eames Add scientific rigor to your favorite pancake recipes.
1. Swap regular milk for buttermilk
Most pancake recipes use some type of milk. But if you want the perfect layer of American fluffy pancakes, pancakes with a little bit of butter slowly melting on the surface, you should replace regular milk with fermented buttermilk.
You can substitute the same amount of buttermilk for milk in most recipes. “For me, the best pancakes have to be made with buttermilk,” Hartings explains. “This ingredient provides an irreplaceable punch of flavor and I never make pancakes without it.
“Key molecules found in buttermilk include diacetyl, which has a buttery aroma; many aldehydes and ketones, some floral and fruity; amino acids, which have a umami flavor; acids – Especially lactic acid and citric acid.
“These acids are doubly important in that they not only add flavor but are part of the one-two punch that makes pancakes rise. These acids react with the baking soda in the batter to produce carbon dioxide. This will cause the pancakes to become fluffy while cooking.
Don't have buttermilk at home today? Squeezing lemon juice into the batter (we recommend 1 tablespoon per 250 ml of milk) has the same effect as the acid in buttermilk, giving the pancakes the perfect frothy texture.
read more:
2. Add melted butter to the dough.
If you want to give your stack of American pancakes that classic golden-brown color, this step is non-negotiable. why? Mr Hartings said: “A buttered batter will ensure that your pancakes are perfectly golden brown from edge to edge.
“However, this brown color is not entirely due to butter. That beautiful brown color and accompanying flavor are the product of the Maillard reaction.”
The Maillard reaction is a complex process that occurs when sugars and proteins are exposed to heat, producing compounds known as melanoidins. These compounds are what give food its brown color and distinctive flavor when cooked.
Grilled steak, bread, toasted marshmallows, and pancakes all have these reactions when cooked.
“Butter may play a role in producing the chemical components that are part of Maillard, but butter is most important here, ensuring consistent thermal contact between the pancake batter and the hot skillet. ” says Hartings.
Try melting about a quarter of the flour by weight and adding melted butter to the mixture at the same time as milk.
Pro tip: Maillard reactions favor non-acidic environments. That said, if you're using buttermilk, adding a little more baking soda than called for in the recipe will help you achieve the desired browning.
3. Use the golden ratio
Unlike fluffy American pancakes, British pancakes are much thinner and wider. According to Eames, wrote an entire scientific paper All about making perfect pancakes, the secret to delicious pancakes lies in knowing how to get the perfect balance of ingredients.
“The characteristics of a pancake are determined by the baker's ratio,” he says. This is approximately equal to the amount of milk (in milliliters) in the dough divided by the mass of flour (in grams).
“This ratio indicates how much liquid is in the pancake mix and how thin the pancakes are. Compared to other countries, British pancakes tend to be very thin and wide, resulting in The mix contains a lot of dairy ingredients.”
Eames' research concluded that the correct Baker ratio is approximately:
1 American style pancakes
2 British pancakes
3 for French crepes
Sounds like too much math? If you're trying to make English pancakes, Eames recommends using 200 ml of milk, 100 g of flour, and 1 or 2 eggs.
4. Please rest!
We know what pancake day is like. All you want to do is dash home and lose weight with fried batter in as little time as possible. You may want to rush things. But please don't let that happen.
why? If you want to make thin pancakes, an important step is to let the dough rest for about 30 minutes.
The reason for this is the protein “glutenin” contained in wheat flour. This protein is initially inactive, but when mixed with water it stretches and bonds with other gluten molecules. This forms a network that traps the air bubbles. This is great if you want thick, fluffy pancakes, but less ideal for traditional thin pancakes.
Letting the mix rest for a while allows the flour to fully absorb the liquid, making the pancakes lighter, and giving the gluten time to relax, making the pancakes less prone to pesky bubbles.
read more:
About our experts
matt hartings He is an associate professor of chemistry at American University in Washington. His research aims to develop new materials for 3D printing and environmental monitoring, and to explore how biology creates materials. Hartings is also an expert in food and cooking chemistry and has written a book on the subject. kitchen chemistry.
Ian Eames Professor of Fluid Mechanics at University College London. His research interests include fundamental fluid mechanics and extreme environment engineering. His entertaining scientific paper on how to make the perfect pancake formed part of a more serious study of biological membranes in the eye.
techno signature Any measurable property that could provide evidence of extraterrestrial technology. The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) is a branch of astrobiology that focuses on the discovery of technosignatures, which provide evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence. Traditionally, targeted wireless surveys have been the mainstay of his SETI research, and many of his ongoing SETI projects are still conducted in the radio band. SETI Ellipsoid, a newly proposed technology, suggests that an extraterrestrial civilization observing a galactic-scale event such as supernova SN 1987A could use it as a point to broadcast a synchronization signal indicating its presence. This is a strategy for selecting techno signature candidates based on the assumption that .
Gaia Early Data Release 3, using Cabrales' improved star 3D positions other. identified 32 SN 1987A SETI ellipsoidal targets with uncertainties better than 0.5 light-years within the TESS continuum. Image credits: ALMA/ESO/NAOJ/NRAO/Alexandra Angelich, NRAO/AUI/NSF.
Barbara Cabrales, Ph.D., of the SETI Institute and the Berkeley SETI Research Center at the University of California, Berkeley, and her colleagues demonstrate that the SETI ellipsoid method leverages continuous, wide-field surveys of the sky and demonstrates its ability to detect potential technosignatures. We have shown that it can be significantly improved.
By using up to a year of observations to correct for uncertainties in the estimated time of arrival of such signals, we implement the SETI ellipsoid strategy in an innovative way using state-of-the-art technology.
“The new survey of the sky provides a groundbreaking opportunity to search for technosignatures in concert with supernovae,” Dr. Cabrales said.
“Typical timing uncertainty takes months, so we want to cover the bases by finding well-documented goals over about a year.”
“In addition to that, it's important to make as many observations as possible about each target of interest, so you can see what looks like normal behavior and what looks like potential techno-signatures.” You will be able to judge.”
In examining data from the Continuous Display Zone of NASA's TESS mission, which covers 5% of all TESS data during the first three years of the mission, the authors leveraged advanced 3D position data from Gaia Early Data Release 3. Did.
This analysis identified 32 major targets within the SETI ellipsoid in the southern part of the TESS continuum, with all uncertainties adjusted to better than 0.5 light-years.
Although initial inspection of TESS light curves during ellipsoid-crossing events did not find any anomalies, the foundation laid by this effort lends itself to other investigations, a broader range of targets, and a variety of potential signal types. Paving the way for expansion into research.
Applying SETI Ellipsoid technology to scour large archival databases represents a breakthrough in the search for technosignatures.
This study demonstrates the feasibility of leveraging Gaia's highly accurate distance estimates and cross-matching these distances with other time-domain surveys such as TESS to enhance monitoring and anomaly detection capabilities in SETI research. doing.
Combining the SETI Ellipsoid method with Gaia's distance measurements provides a robust and adaptable framework for future SETI searches.
Astronomers can apply it retrospectively to sift through archived data for potential signals, proactively select targets, and schedule future monitoring campaigns.
“The SETI Ellipsoid method, in collaboration with Gaia distances, provides an easy and flexible method for SETI searches that can be adapted to suit a variety of current surveys and source events,” the researchers said. I am.
“This can not only be applied retrospectively to look for signals in archived data, but also propagated in time to select targets and schedule surveillance campaigns.”
Scientists have identified five mysterious species of the genus Viper Botrykiss They live in the jungles and cloud forests of Colombia and Ecuador.
Botrykis Rahimi. Image credit: Lucas Bustamante.
The eyelash viper is distinguished by a unique feature: a set of huge spine-like scales above the eyes.
These eyelashes give the snake a frightening and ferocious appearance, but the true purpose of this feature is still unknown.
However, what is certain is that certain populations exhibit longer and more stylized eyelashes compared to others.
The changes in the condition of the eyelashes led researchers to hypothesize that an undiscovered species existed.
Eyelash vipers are also famous for another characteristic: they are multicolored. The same patch of rainforest may contain individuals of the turquoise morph, moss morph, or gold morph. They all belong to the same species, even though they have completely different attire.
Alejandro Arteaga, a researcher with the Carmai Foundation and Tropical Helping SA, said: “No two individuals have the same color, even if they belong to the same litter (giving birth to live offspring).”
“Some species have a ‘Christmas’ form, a ghost form, and even a purple form, and different varieties can coexist and even breed with each other.”
“The reasons behind these incredible color changes are still unclear, but it is likely that the pit vipers are able to occupy a wide range of ambush perches, from mossy branches to bright yellow heliconias. is.”
Distribution of palm beetles botry extract schlegeli Species complex including 5 new species.Image credit: Arteaga other., doi: 10.3897/evolsyst.8.114527.
The newly identified species of eyelash viper is Botry extract lasix morum, Botrychus crebai, botry extract kwargi, Botrykis Rahimiand botry extract fusaini.
The first three species are endemic to the eastern Columbia Mountains and live in cloud forests and coffee plantations.
Botrykis Rahimi It stands out because it occurs in the remote and pristine Chocó rainforest on the border of Colombia and Ecuador.
botry extract fusaini It lives in the forests of southwestern Ecuador and northwestern Peru.
“The venom of some (perhaps all) of the new viper species is much less lethal and hemorrhagic than the venom of typical vipers. Central American eyelash viper (botry extract schlegeli)” said Tropical Helping SA and Savia Foundation researcher Lucas Bustamante, who was bitten on the finger. Botrykis Rahimi When the photo was taken during a research expedition in 2013.
“There was intermittent localized pain, dizziness and swelling, but after three doses of antivenom within two hours of the sting, it quickly resolved and no scarring remained.”
“One of the key conclusions of the study is that four species in the group face high risk of extinction,” the researchers said.
“Their geographic range is very limited, and 50% to 80% of their habitat has already been destroyed.”
“Therefore, rapid response measures are urgently needed to save remaining habitat.”
of study It was published in the magazine evolutionary systematics.
_____
A. Arteaga other. 2024. Systematic revision of Eyelash Palm-Pitviper botry extract schlegeli (Serpentes, Viperidae), 5 new species descriptions and 3 revalidations. evolutionary systematics 8 (1): 15-64; doi: 10.3897/evolsyst.8.114527
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Last week, Bluesky opened its doors. After a year in her closed, invite-only beta, anyone who wants to can now sign up for an account with just their email address.
Even if the value of the invitation has dropped somewhat in recent months (I have 5 unused seats, not that I want to try), it's clear there was latent demand. In just two days, the service received more than 1 million new registrations. By the way, since Bluesky released his iOS app last February, it took him over three months to reach his 70,000 user count.
This slow growth has also been a blessing for Blue Sky. On the other hand, the beta did its job, allowing the company to iterate on the service based on feedback from a smaller but more engaged user base than it might otherwise have.
Last year, the company built a suite of moderation tools that enable a “decentralized” approach to social networking, where users can voluntarily opt in or out of content such as nudity, violence, and hate speech. Launching on Android and the web. And by adopting a butterfly as our own version of Twitter's bird, we created a consistent visual identity. Meanwhile, Elon Musk's site destroyed its own visual shorthand in response, replacing some, but not all, Twitter branding with a double-strike 𝕏.
But the slow burn also meant that Bluesky never really got his moment in the sun. For a year now, I've been listening to the words I often hear from new users. It was about getting excited to be granted access to the service, then being disappointed when you realized there was less content than there was in Twitter's heyday.
In some cases, it's a memory trick. A Bluesky feed that follows 50 people will be less crowded than a Twitter feed that follows 500 people, and for many power users of the latter service, everyone they follow will be his 2 Gone are the days when you could ride a decker bus. Many longtime Twitter users probably don't remember what it was like to have a quiet feed or have to find new people to follow. And those things could cause people to push back from new social networks like Bluesky, just as they have bothered many people. I stumble when registering on Twitter itself.
(That's why Facebook's People You May Know feature is so incisive.) The biggest hurdle for social networks isn't getting people to sign up, it's getting people to keep using them. I always know that the trick is to get as many other users to follow as possible…)
Even if you went through the trouble of building a Bluesky account and building a fairly extensive address book, there's no way the service could match the rosy memories of Twitter's heyday. Sure, it's a similar enough experience to curb your craving for the real thing, but it's not compelling enough to make you want more. You post. No one responds. Log off and touch the grass.
Of course, all of this is talking about Bluesky as an early social network. But the company doesn't think that way. Chief Executive Officer Jay Graeber gave several interviews to commemorate the grand opening.she came talk to wired:
We weren't using invites to try to be exclusive. We were using them to manage our growth while building rails, the essential foundation of this new kind of decentralized network.
We needed to build an app protocol, an AT protocol, under Bluesky that allows different developers, companies, and people to come in and change the experience. Some of them will be rolled out soon.
When it's finished, Bluesky's vision is for it to sit somewhere between a full Twitter replacement and a fully decentralized service like Mastodon, the second of the big three social networks after Twitter. . Like Mastodon, the technology behind Bluesky should eventually make that possible. But unlike Mastodon, Bluesky has been less keen to highlight its technical differences with Twitter, as the majority of its users will continue to use its official apps and services for the time being.
And then there's the thread. Meta's Twitter clone is arguably the largest of the three in terms of user numbers alone, but it has made little ripple in broader culture. The site's policy of suppressing political content (according to Threads' platform safety policy, there is no algorithmic promotion) does not solve the problem. There are parallels here with early online culture. Twitter dominates the discussion despite being a fraction of Facebook's size, and so does TikTok despite YouTube having a much larger user base.
The silent majority of successful text-based social media sites are lurkers. They are sane, normal people living sane, normal lives… Influencers are building businesses. They are creating #content … The commenter is trying to have a conversation with another human being. They want to be able to have meaningful interactions online, even if they are misplaced. Replyers can be considered the most important subclass of commenters. They are specific. They usually interact with or act on behalf of their favorite Internet users. Finally, prepare your poster (also known as a poster). Posters are necessary for all social networks to function.
The problem that all Twitter alternatives face is that there is an imbalance. Threads is huge, but its user base is hidden and influential. Like Marvel movie audiences, they may consume professionally produced content, but they never form lasting memories. For the past year, Bluesky has been a pure poster child, locked in rooms with each other and unable to get much of the dopamine needed to maintain his frenetic energy. Mastodon is a community of commenters and responders, and while it's possible to have fun chatting, it's decentralized to the point that it's hard to discern conversations that originate from within.
So opening up Bluesky could be the first step toward restoring some of that balance. Posters cannot survive on posters alone. They, and we, need lurkers. Would you like to join us, we have to touch the grass.
Wider Techscape
Waymo self-driving car catches fire in San Francisco.
Flea frog perching on 1 Brazilian Real (coin diameter is 27 mm)
Renato Gaiga
The tiny Brazilian frog, about the size of a pea, could threaten the current record holder for the world's smallest vertebrate.
flea toad Brachycephalus purex (actually a species of frog) was first described by scientists in 2011. Immediately after that, Mirko Sole Researchers at Brazil's Santa Cruz State University thought this species might be the smallest amphibian ever discovered. But only a few specimens have been collected from the frog's only known habitat, a forested hilltop in southern Bahia, Brazil. Also, the necessary gonad tests to determine whether they were adults were not performed.
Solé and his colleagues measured the lengths of 46 flea toads, examined their gonads, and checked for the presence of throat clefts, which only males have, to determine the frogs' maturity and gender.
adult B. Purex Males have an average body length of over 7 millimeters and are slightly smaller than females. Therefore, they are smaller than males. Phaedophryn amauensisa frog from Papua New Guinea that was previously considered both the smallest amphibian and the smallest vertebrate.
Say “It's perfectly clear.” mark schartz At the Danish Natural History Museum in Copenhagen. “These may actually be the world's smallest living frogs, which is amazing.”
It's not just the average size that's shocking, the smallest specimens in the study show just how small these flea frogs are compared to other minifrogs. “It's 6.45 mm.” [long]That's 30 percent smaller than any adult male frog I've ever seen,” Schertz said. “It's almost a millimeter smaller than the next smallest frog.”
At such small scales, frogs develop strange anatomical peculiarities, such as missing toes and underdeveloped ears. they cannot hear their suitor's song. Some species have very weak balance organs and are barely able to jump.
But Solé says there may also be smaller vertebrates that have yet to be discovered. Perhaps the next record holder could be another small frog or a parasitic male deep-sea anglerfish.
NRenowned game designer Lalalyn McWilliams, 58, passed away on February 5th in Seattle, Washington due to complications from heart surgery. She is the creative director of Free Realms, Sony's computer entertainment family-friendly online world, the lead designer of Full Spectrum Warrior in 2004, and the winner of the Game Developers Choice Awards. Recipient of her 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award.
McWilliams was born in 1965 in Vicenza, Italy, to an American military family and moved frequently during his youth. She found her place in the games she played, and her Mist was especially important to her, a world she returned to again and again. She earned her bachelor's degree in psychology from Vassar College and her J.D. from St. Louis Law School. Although she worked hard for these honors, she never forgot the joy the game brought her and she wanted to return to those worlds to bring that same joy to others. She is a self-taught game designer and has become a master of creating games for Disney, DreamWorks, and many others. She was a rare all-rounder who worked on everything from first-person shooter games to casual games.
Lalarin loved justice and supported principles over character. She did not compromise or remain silent in the face of significant online harassment of hers. She spoke up for those who couldn't. She was a voice for those who were afraid to speak. She didn't back down from anything – she didn't back down. When it came to good and evil, she was a warrior as flexible as concrete. She has worked tirelessly to make the gaming industry a place where underrepresented people are valued and heard.
It coincided when she was diagnosed with cancer (an incurable, terminal cancer). She sought out doctors who advocated for her health and were committed to treatments, clinical trials, and cutting-edge medicine. And in an industry that favors the young and healthy, she spoke candidly about her diagnosis, treatment, recovery and remission, joining others who found strength in her words and opened up about her own journey as well. inspired people.
She was a beautiful nerd. Laralyn likes to talk about subtle game mechanics, how they play out during a game, and how they can be adapted and made more meaningful when combined with other mechanics. was. She loved talking about the players and centering things around their experiences. She could write a tutorial script as easily as she could balance a combat progression. She was a mentor, friend, and inspiration. Lalaleen McWilliams was a true legend in the gaming industry. She leaves her mark on people, players, games, and design.
Lalarin is survived by her husband and best friend Charlie Hatley, mother-in-law Charlene, brother Jim and daughter Sophie, and aunt Sandy.
French military and cybersecurity experts have identified a Moscow-based network that is spreading propaganda and disinformation across Western Europe.
France’s Agency Viguinum, established in 2021 to detect digital interference from foreign groups influencing public opinion, stated that it was unclear whether Russia was involved online in the lead-up to the European elections and other important votes this year, paving the way for a new wave of operations.
The online network, named Portal Combat, consists of at least 193 sites spreading pro-Russian propaganda supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and criticizing the Kiev government. The disinformation is spread through social media sites and messaging apps targeting people who propagate conspiracy theories.
Researchers at Biginum identified and analyzed the network between September and December last year, tracing the massive disinformation campaign back to Moscow. One pro-Russian channel on the French Telegram app publishes up to nine articles an hour almost continuously.
The European Commission, NATO, and UN agencies have classified disinformation as one of the biggest threats to democracy in 2024, recognizing it as a national security issue.
UN Information Secretary-General Melissa Fleming stated that disinformation was being used to create more suspicion and hatred, weakening peacekeeping forces.
EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell described this new war as being about words and ideas that can colonize minds, not about bombs that can kill people.
Vera Yulova, the EU’s vice-president for values and transparency, expressed the EU’s determination to fight back against Kremlin’s actions to spread propaganda and interfere in democracy, welcoming the strong determination of France, Germany, and Poland.
French defense experts noted that sites linked to disinformation networks do not produce original material, instead flooding the internet with materials from pro-Russian sources since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Biginum report revealed that the disinformation network is directly contributing to the polarization of digital public debate in the Francophone world and is targeting Russian communities in Ukraine and several Western countries.
Furthermore, Biginum identified three “ecosystems” involved in the propaganda campaign.
Another network of websites primarily targets Russian-speaking audiences in Ukraine and began operating just over a month after the Russian invasion, delivering propaganda focused on the Ukraine conflict.
Despite the massive propaganda and disinformation campaign, security experts believe it has had limited success, with the average traffic for the five portals in November 2023 reaching 31,000 visits.
The chairman of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee, a ranking Democrat, said he is concerned about President Joe Biden’s campaign’s decision to join TikTok.
On Sunday, Biden’s re-election campaign used the Super Bowl to launch a new TikTok account to reach younger voters ahead of November’s presidential election.
The launch of the campaign on TikTok is notable given that the app, owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance, is under review in the United States due to potential national security concerns. Some U.S. lawmakers have called for the app to be banned over concerns that the Chinese government could access user data and influence what people see on the app.
On Monday, Democratic Sen. Mark Warner said he was concerned about the national security implications.
“I think we still need to find a way to follow India, which banned TikTok,” Warner said. “I’m a little worried about the mixed messages.”
Many Republicans have also criticized the campaign’s decision to join TikTok.
White House Press Secretary John Kirby said nothing has changed regarding “national security concerns” regarding the use of TikTok on government devices. That policy continues today. “
Last year, the Biden administration ordered government agencies to remove TikTok from federally owned phones and devices.
TikTok insists it does not share U.S. user data with the Chinese government and has taken substantial steps to protect user privacy. The company did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
The Biden campaign said in a statement that it will “continue to meet voters where they are,” including on other social media apps such as Meta’s Instagram and Truth Social, founded by former President Donald Trump.
The campaign has “advanced security measures” in place for its devices and its presence on TikTok is separate from the app’s ongoing security review, campaign officials added.
In March 2023, the U.S. Treasury Department-led Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) demanded that TikTok’s Chinese owners sell their shares or face the app being banned, but the administration No action was taken.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday that a review by CFIUS is underway, filed by Warner and others to give the government new tools to combat threats posed by foreign-owned apps. He noted previous White House support for the bill.
Last month, TikTok told Congress that 170 million Americans now use the short video platform, up from 150 million the year before.
Tensions between the United States and China have escalated in recent years, primarily due to Beijing’s threats to annex Taiwan. This has raised concerns about potential hostilities and the risk of a full-scale conflict. The recent revelation that a Chinese hacking network, known as Bolt Typhoon, had been dormant within America’s critical infrastructure for five years, has caused significant alarm.
This network exploited weaknesses in US technological and security systems. However, US and allied intelligence agencies have stated that their focus was on “prepositioning” for future acts of sabotage rather than stealing secrets.
FBI Director Christopher Wray described Bolt Typhoon as “the defining threat of our generation” during a US committee hearing last week.
The Netherlands and the Philippines have also publicly acknowledged that Chinese-backed hackers were targeting their national networks and infrastructure.
What is Bolt Typhoon?
Western intelligence officials believe that Volt Typhoon (also known as Vanguard Panda, Bronze Silhouette, Dev-0391, UNC3236, Voltzite, and Insidious Taurus) is a state-sponsored Chinese cyber operation. Thousands of internet-connected devices were compromised as part of a larger effort to infiltrate critical infrastructure in the West, including military ports, internet service providers, communications services, and public utilities.
The recent Bolt Typhoon advisory follows US authorities’ announcements of dismantling a bot network of hundreds of compromised devices attributed to a hacking network.
“CISA [Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency] The team includes aviation, water, energy, [and] transportation,” CISA Director Jen Easterly said at a U.S. House of Representatives committee hearing earlier this month.
How does it work?
Volt Typhoon works by exploiting vulnerabilities in small or end-of-life routers, firewalls, and virtual private networks (VPNs), often using administrator credentials or stolen passwords, and by using outdated technology that lacks regular security updates. This is the main weakness identified in US digital infrastructure. It uses a “living off the land” technique where the malware only uses existing resources within the target operating system, rather than introducing new (and more detectable) files.
A report released last week by CISA, the National Security Agency, and the FBI revealed that the Bolt Typhoon hackers had maintained access for the past five years, only targeting US infrastructure but also affecting allies of the Five Eyes, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
What is its purpose?
US officials noted that Bolt Typhoon’s target selection and behavioral patterns were inconsistent with traditional cyber espionage or intelligence gathering operations. Microsoft’s research has shown that Bolt Typhoon has been active since mid-2021.
“People's Republic of China (PRC) state-sponsored cyber adversaries are using their IT networks to prepare for disruptive or devastating cyber attacks on U.S. critical infrastructure in the event of a major crisis or conflict with the United States. ,” the joint report said.
What does China say?
The Chinese government regularly denies any accusations of cyberattacks or espionage linked to or sponsored by the Chinese state. However, evidence of Chinese government cyber espionage has been accumulating for more than two decades.
Secureworks, a division of Dell Technologies, mentioned Bolt Typhoon’s interest in operational security last year, as a response to increasing pressure from the Chinese leadership to avoid public scrutiny of cyber espionage.
What's next?
The widespread nature of the hack prompted a series of meetings between the White House and the private technology industry, including several telecommunications and cloud computing companies, during which the US government sought assistance in tracking the activity.
The institutions and assets targeted by the now-dismantled botnet were ordered by CISA to disconnect affected devices and products in January, starting an intensive and difficult remediation process.
“Given the extent of targeting and compromise around the world, with three vulnerabilities currently being exploited affecting these devices, this is a significant It was necessary,” said Eric Goldstein, executive assistant director of cybersecurity at CISA.
“All organizations running these devices need to be targeted and expect a breach.”
HHydrogen is a fascinating substance, being the lightest element. When it reacts with oxygen, only water is produced and an abundance of energy is released. This invisible gas looks like the clean fuel of the future. Some of the world's top automakers hope it will usurp batteries as the technology of choice for zero-emissions driving.
In our EV myth-busting series, we've looked at a range of concerns, from car fires to battery mining, range anxiety to cost concerns and carbon emissions. Many critics of electric cars argue that gasoline and diesel engines should not be abandoned. This article asks whether hydrogen offers a third way and has the potential to overtake batteries.
Claim
Many of the strongest arguments for the role of hydrogen in the auto industry are coming from CEOs at the heart of the industry. Japan's Toyota is the most vocal promoter of hydrogen, with Chairman Akio Toyoda saying last month that he expects the share of battery cars to peak at 30%, with hydrogen and internal combustion engines making up the rest. Toyota's Mirai is one of the only widely available hydrogen-powered vehicles, along with Hyundai's Nexo SUV.
“Hydrogen is the missing piece of the jigsaw when it comes to emission-free mobility,” Oliver Zipse, president of German automaker BMW, said last year. BMW may be investing heavily in battery technology, but the company is testing the BMW iX5 hydrogen fuel cell vehicle despite using Toyota's fuel cells. “One technology alone is not enough to enable climate-neutral mobility around the world,” said Zipse.
science
Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, but that doesn't mean it's easily available on Earth. Most of today's pure hydrogen is made by decomposing carbon from methane, which releases carbon. Zero-emission “green hydrogen” is produced through electrolysis. In other words, it uses clean electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.
To use hydrogen as a fuel, it can be burned or used in fuel cells. Hydrogen reacts with oxygen in the air in the presence of a catalyst (often made of expensive platinum). This strips the electrons flowing through the electrical circuit and charges the battery, which can power the electric motor.
According to Jean-Michel Billig, chief technology officer for hydrogen fuel cell vehicle development at Stellantis, hydrogen enables refueling in four minutes, higher payload and longer range. (The Mirai can travel 400 miles on a full tank.) Stellantis, which began producing hydrogen vans in France and Poland last month, is targeting companies that want to use their vehicles all the time but don't want the downtime required to charge them. .
“They need to be on the streets,” Billig said. “If there are no taxis running, you will be losing money.”
Stellantis believes it can lower sticker prices. Billig said that although the company manufactures both, he expects “by the end of this decade, hydrogen mobility and BEVs will be on par from a cost perspective.”
Many energy experts do not share hydrogen carmakers' enthusiasm. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has described this technology as “sold by idiots.” Why use green electricity to make hydrogen when you can use the same electricity to power your car?
All energy conversion involves wasted heat. This means that hydrogen fuel necessarily provides less energy to the vehicle. (These losses are even greater when hydrogen is directly combusted or used to make electronic fuels that replace gasoline and diesel in noisy, hot internal combustion engines.)
David Sebon, professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Cambridge, said: “With green hydrogen, it would take around three times more electricity to produce the hydrogen to power a car than just to charge the battery. “It will be.”
This may be a slight improvement, but not enough to cause problems with the battery. “It's hard to do anything much better than this,” Sebon said.
Michael Liebreich, chairman of Liebreich Associates and founder of analyst firm Bloomberg New Energy Finance, is an influential “Hydrogen ladder” – A league table ranking the use of hydrogen in terms of whether there are cheaper, easier or more likely alternatives. He placed automotive hydrogen on the “doom row”, with little opportunity even in niche markets.
Can hydrogen overtake car batteries? “The answer is no,” Liebreich said without hesitation. He added that carmakers betting on a large share of hydrogen would be “completely wrong” and set for costly disappointments.
The main problem with hydrogen cars is not the fuel cells, but actually delivering clean hydrogen where it is needed. This gas is highly flammable, with all the attendant safety concerns, so it must be stored under pressure and easily leaks. It also contains less energy per unit volume than fossil fuels, so unless you use electrolyzers on site, you will need many times more tankers.
The United States and Europe are beginning to invest in hydrogen supplies with heavy government subsidies. But so far, it has been a chicken-and-egg problem. Buyers don't want hydrogen cars because they can't fill them up, and since there are no cars, there are no filling stations. According to the European Hydrogen Observatory, there are 178 hydrogen filling stations in Europe, half of them in Germany. In the UK, he compares nine hydrogen stations to 8,300 petrol stations or his 31,000 public charging locations (not including household plugs).
Are there any precautions?
So why does the International Energy Agency think hydrogen will account for 16% of road transport in 2050 on the path to net zero? The answer lies primarily in heavy vehicles such as buses and trucks .
Liebreich said he is so convinced that batteries will continue to dominate the energy supply for heavy-duty vehicles that he co-founded a truck charging company. “HGVs may contain hydrogen, but it will be in the minority,” he said.
Speaking to Autocar in October, even Toyota admitted that the use of hydrogen in cars has so far been “unsuccessful” primarily due to fuel supply shortages. said Hiroki Nakajima, technical director. Trucks and coaches have high hopes for the technology, and the company is also prototyping a hydrogen version of its Hilux pickup truck.
What kind of energy supply will govern heavy goods vehicles? Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
verdict
As government enthusiasm waxes and wanes, the economics of hydrogen will change as well. Other changes may occur. As technology improves (within limits), gas may become more attractive, and prospectors may be able to find cheap “white hydrogen” drilled out of the ground.
However, when it comes to cars, it seems like the deal has already been settled. Batteries are already the second choice after gasoline for almost all manufacturers. According to the Motor Vehicle Manufacturers and Trade Association, fewer than 300 hydrogen cars will be sold in the UK over 20 years, compared to 1 million electric cars.
The battery advantage is likely to grow even further as research and infrastructure dollars address issues of range and charging time. Compared to that flood of investment, hydrogen is a tiny fraction.
Proponents of hydrogen now face the question of whether they can build a profitable business in transporting long-distance, heavy goods by road. They need answers soon about where they will get enough green, cheap hydrogen and whether that gas is better used elsewhere.
Sagittarius C is located just 300 light-years from Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way.
This image of the Sagittarius C region from ESO's Very Large Telescope includes hundreds of thousands of stars. Image credit: ESO/F. Nogueras-Lara.
The center of the Milky Way is the most prolific star-forming region in the entire galaxy.
But astronomers have discovered only a fraction of the young stars they had expected. There is “fossil” evidence that many more stars than we actually see were born recently.
This is because heading to the center of the Milky Way is not an easy task. Clouds of dust and gas block the light from the star, obscuring visibility.
“On average by volume, the galactic center stands out as the most prolific star-forming environment in the galaxy,” said ESO astronomer Francisco Nogueras Lara.
“Over the past 30 million years, we have witnessed the formation of about 1 million stars.”
“But crowding and high extinction rates have hampered their discovery, and so far only a fraction of the young star's expected mass has been confirmed.”
By studying the stellar population of Sagittarius C, Dr. Lara aimed to detect young stars hidden in the galactic center.
He found that Sagittarius C is much richer in young stars than other regions of the galactic center.
“We found that Sagittarius C contains the solar mass of hundreds of thousands of young stars,” Dr. Lara said.
“We compared our results to a recently discovered population of young stars in Sagittarius B1, located at the opposite end of the nuclear star disk.”
“The young stars in Sagittarius C are estimated to be about 20 million years old and likely represent the next evolutionary step for the slightly younger stars in Sagittarius B1.”
“Our discovery contributes to addressing the discrepancy between the expected number of young stars at the center of galaxies and the number of detected stars, and sheds light on their evolution in this extreme environment.”
“As a secondary result, we discovered that Sagittarius C has a population of intermediate-aged stars (approximately 50% of the mass of stars between 2 billion and 7 billion years old), which is composed of a nuclear stellar disk. It does not exist in the innermost region of the world (which is dominated by stars older than 7 billion years).
“This confirms the existence of an age gradient, driving the formation of an inside-out nuclear star disk.”
of findings appear in the diary astronomy and astrophysics.
_____
F. Nogueras-Lara other. 2024. Hunt young stars at the center of the galaxy. Solar masses of hundreds of thousands of young stars in the Sagittarius C region. A&A 681, L21; doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202348712
Exposure to loud noises, such as at music festivals, can worsen your hearing
Sergei Ilnitsky/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Exposure to loud noises can disrupt zinc levels in the inner ear, potentially affecting hearing, a study in mice suggests. Treatments that reduce this could be used to treat or prevent such damage, for example, if taken before a rock concert.
Loud noises can cause cells in the inner ear die. Although it has long been known that this affects hearing, the mechanisms behind it are less clear.
Thanos Tsonopoulos Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, thought it might have something to do with free-moving zinc, which plays an important role in the neurotransmission of our senses.
Most of the zinc in the body is bound to proteins, but the rest acts as communication signals between organs, especially the brain, Tsonopoulos says. The highest concentration of free zinc in the body is in the cochlea, the snail-shaped structure in the inner ear that converts vibrations into electrical signals, which are then interpreted as sound.
To learn more, Tzounopoulos and colleagues tested free zinc levels in young mice that had been genetically engineered to produce biological markers that indicate the transport of free zinc throughout the body.
Tsonopoulos said mice exposed to 100 decibels of noise, about the same level as a bulldozer or motorcycle, for two hours straight developed significant hearing loss within the next 24 hours.
The researchers found that these mice had higher amounts of free zinc between and around the cells of the cochlea after the blast compared to before the blast and compared to a group of control mice that did not hear the loud noise. I discovered that
“There is a very strong upregulation of zinc, not only in terms of quantity but also in terms of regional spatial extent,” he says. “It goes everywhere.”
Tsonopoulos said the zinc appears to be released from specific cells in the cochlea after it is separated from the proteins to which it is normally bound. Free zinc ultimately causes cell damage and disrupts normal communication between cells, he says.
To see if lowering free zinc levels could protect hearing, Tsonopoulos and his team injected another group of mice with a compound that scavenged zinc into their abdomens or administered a slow-release drug into the inner ear. It was treated by placing an implant. The mice then listened to the same loud sound for two hours. Both groups experienced significant reductions in hearing loss.
With further research, zinc-capturing tablets, IV drugs, or slow-release implants could one day help prevent or treat inner ear damage caused by noise trauma, Tsonopoulos says.
“You can go to concerts, you can go to battle, you can take drugs,” he says. “Or, if you have an accident, you might have these compounds in your ER. [emergency room] We will give it to you to reduce the damage. ”
Future research should also determine how long after exposure to noise people can benefit from such zinc trap therapy, team members say. Amantha Satyaalso at the University of Pittsburgh.
Odysseus spacecraft scheduled to launch to the moon on February 14th
space x
US company Intuitive Machines is soon to become the first private company to land a spacecraft on the moon. Three previous efforts by other companies have failed, highlighting the perilous path ahead for Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lander.
The spacecraft, nicknamed Odysseus, is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on February 14. It will fly aboard a Falcon 9 rocket manufactured by SpaceX. If the mission, called IM-1, goes well, Odysseus should land near the moon's south pole on February 22.
The goal of the IM-1 mission, in addition to proving that private companies can land on the moon, is to deliver six NASA payloads and five commercial payloads to the lunar surface. NASA's equipment includes tools to study how the landing itself blows away plumes of lunar dust, several instruments to help the aircraft land safely, and to measure radio waves and make sure they are on the moon's surface. Contains equipment to measure how it affects Commercial payloads include a camera that will be dumped from the lander before landing to take photos of the landing, and 125 small sculptures by artist Jeff Koons, designed to establish an archive of human knowledge on the lunar surface. Includes tip.
IM-1 is part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, a series of government and private sector contracts designed to accelerate exploration and develop the lunar economy. This is his second mission in CLPS. The first mission, Astrobotic's Peregrine lander, suffered a fuel leak shortly after liftoff in January and failed to reach the moon.
There have been two attempts by private companies to land on the moon, SpaceIL's Beresheet spacecraft and iSpace's Hakuto-R, but both crash-landed and were destroyed. If Odysseus succeeds where other landers have failed, Intuitive Machines' next step will be to send another Nova-C lander to the moon's south pole, equipped with a drill to harvest subsurface ice. That mission is planned for March 2024.
Mars' relatively well-preserved ancient crust provides a natural window into early planetary evolution not visible on Earth. Mars has generally been thought to be a monolithic basaltic planet, but recent evidence suggests that magmatic evolution leading to a felsic crust may have occurred sporadically. A new study shows multiple lines of evidence for diverse volcanic activity and complex volcanic tectonics in Mars' southern highlands in and around the Eridanian basin 3.5 to 4 billion years ago.
Topographic map of the Eridanian region of Mars. The volcanic structure described by Michalski et al. Classified by morphology and morphometrics. Image credit: Michalski other., doi: 10.1038/s41550-023-02191-7.
In contrast to Earth, Mars today has little volcanic or tectonic activity.
Additionally, nearly half of Earth's surface is more than 3.5 billion years old, and since then it has undergone extensive tectonic recycling (a phenomenon typically caused by Earth-like tectonic movements, in which surface material is recycled into the mantle). This shows that there is no such phenomenon.
Recent discoveries suggest that this is not always the case, but geological activity during the first billions of years after Mars' formation is still unknown.
“Geological exploration of other rocky planets provides clues to early crustal evolution and volcanic tectonic processes,” said Dr. Joseph Michalski of the University of Hong Kong. “This is an example of an equivalent Earth system with a changing composition.”
“Looking through the lens of different gravitational fields, bulk planetary compositions, and heat flows allows us to test models of crustal resurfacing and discover the steps that led to plate tectonics and other forms of crustal recycling.” It will be possible to do so.”
“Mars represents a particularly valuable piece of the puzzle in this regard.”
The authors studied the morphology and mineralogy of the Eridanian region in Mars' southern hemisphere.
They analyzed remote sensing data from a variety of orbiting satellites, including NASA's Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Odyssey, and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
The Eridanian region contains the most powerful crustal remains of Mars' ancient magnetic field and various traces of volcanic activity.
The researchers identified 63 examples of four different types of volcanoes (volcanic domes, stratovolcanoes, pyroclastic shields, and caldera complexes), and there are likely hundreds more in the Eridanian region alone. , these are probably the remnants of a period of active geological activity about 3.5 billion years ago.
This set of observations is consistent with the existence of early Martian tectonic cycles driven by vertical tectonics, a type of tectonic process precursor to full plate tectonics on Earth.
Such diverse volcanic structures may be more widespread on ancient Mars than previously thought.
“The observed remnants of this activity may be the closest analog on Earth to the proposed hydrothermal origin of life scenario for Earth,” the scientists said.
Their paper Published in an online journal today natural astronomy.
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JR Michalski other. Diverse volcanic activity and crustal circulation on early Mars. Nat Astron, published online on February 12, 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41550-023-02191-7
Sagittarius A*, the 4.3 million solar mass black hole at the center of the Milky Way, spins so fast that space-time around it is warped into the shape of a soccer ball, according to an analysis. Data collected by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and NSF's Carl G. Jansky Very Large Array.
daily other. Sagittarius A* was found to be rotating at 60% of its maximum rotational speed, which is set by matter that cannot travel faster than the speed of light. This image shows Sagittarius A* in X-ray light from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. Image credit: NASA / CXC / University of Wisconsin / Bai other.
Black holes have two fundamental properties: mass (weight) and spin (rotational speed).
Determining either of these two values can tell astrophysicists a lot about black holes and their behavior.
Dr. Ruth Daly of Pennsylvania State University and colleagues applied a new method using X-ray and radio data to predict Sagittarius A*'s rotation rate based on how matter moves toward or away from the black hole. Decided.
They discovered that Sagittarius A* rotates at an angular velocity (rotations per second). Its angular velocity is about 60% of its maximum possible value, a limit set by the inability of matter to travel faster than the speed of light.
In the past, different astronomers have used different techniques to estimate the rate of rotation of Sagittarius A*, ranging from not rotating at all to rotating at near maximum speed, with mixed results.
“Our research may help answer the question of how fast our galaxy's supermassive black holes rotate,” said Dr. Daly.
“Our results show that Sagittarius A* is rotating very rapidly, which is interesting and has far-reaching implications.”
A rotating black hole pulls space-time and nearby matter into its surroundings as it rotates. Spacetime around a rotating black hole is also crushed.
If you look down at a black hole from above and follow the barrel of the jet it produces, spacetime is circular.
However, if you look at a rotating black hole from the side, spacetime looks like a soccer ball. The faster the spin, the flatter the football.
The spin of a black hole acts as an important source of energy. When a supermassive black hole rotates, its spin energy can be extracted to produce a parallel outflow, a thin beam of matter such as a jet, but this requires at least some material near the black hole. must exist.
Because of the limited fuel surrounding Sagittarius A*, the black hole has been relatively quiet for the last several thousand years, with a relatively weak jet stream.
But new research shows that this could change as the amount of material increases near Sagittarius A*.
“A collimated jet powered by a galaxy's rotating central black hole could have a significant impact on the galaxy's entire gas supply,” said Michigan State University astronomer Megan Donahue. “This also influences the rate and uniformity with which stars form.”
“Fermi bubbles seen in X-rays and gamma rays around the Milky Way's black hole indicate that the black hole was probably active in the past. Measuring the black hole's rotation is important in this scenario. It's a test.”
To determine Sagittarius A*'s spin, astronomers looked at the black hole's spin and its mass, the nature of the matter near the black hole, and its outflow properties.
The parallel outflow produces radio waves, and the disk of gas surrounding the black hole is responsible for emitting X-rays.
Using this method, the researchers combined data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and NSF's Carl G. Jansky Very Large Array with independent estimates of the black hole's mass from other telescopes. to limit the rotation of the black hole.
“Sagittarius A* offers a special perspective because it is the closest supermassive black hole to us,” said Dr. Anand Lu, an astronomer at McGill University.
“Although it is quiet now, our research shows that in the future it will have an incredibly powerful impact on the matter around it.”
“It could happen in a thousand or million years, or it could happen in our lifetime.”
of study Published in Royal Astronomical Society Monthly Notices.
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Ruth A. Daly et al. 2024. New black hole spin values for Sagittarius A* obtained using the outflow method. MNRAS 527 (1): 428-436; doi: 10.1093/mnras/stad3228
Lunar New Year is celebrated around the world, and the phases of the moon, not the calendar, mark the beginning of 2024. This year's Chinese New Year was on his February 10th.
Chinese New Year is based on the lunisolar calendar, and the year begins when the second new moon (following the winter solstice) marks the beginning of the new year. This day is considered one of the most important days in Chinese culture, and families gather together to celebrate and eat together.
This year is the Year of the Dragon, the fifth of the 12-year animal cycle in the Chinese calendar. People born in the year of the Dragon are believed to have more power, luck, and success than other animals, so China tends to have more lunar birthdays.
However, Lunar New Year is not only celebrated in China. Here's how people around the world rated this event.
Wuhan, China
Children touch a traditional dragon head to pray for blessings after a performance on the second night of the Spring Festival in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, February 11, 2024.Photo courtesy: Getty Images
Seoul, South Korea
Korean performers wearing traditional costumes participate in traditional games to pray for good luck during the Lunar New Year at Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, South Korea, on February 11, 2024. Korean people travel from big cities to their hometowns during the Lunar New Year holiday to pay respects to the spirits of their ancestors.Photo provided by: Jung Sung-joon/Getty Images
london, united kingdom
Costumed performers entertain the audience at the 2024 Chinese New Year Dragon Parade in London, England. Photo credit: Loredana Sangiuliano/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images
Hong Kong
People enjoy fireworks at Golden Bauhinia Square in Hong Kong on February 11, 2024, the second day of Lunar New Year. Hong Kong celebrated Lunar New Year with a huge fireworks show at Victoria Harbour. Photo provided by: Hou Yu/China News Service/VCG/Getty Images
Undefined
Yen Bai, Vietnam
A couple in traditional costumes dance to celebrate Vietnamese New Year, or Tet, in Yen Bai province, northern Vietnam, February 12, 2024. Photo by Nhac Nguyen/AFP/Getty Images
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bangkok, thailand
Thai and Chinese people pray for good luck with incense sticks at a Chinese temple during Lunar New Year celebrations on February 10, 2024 in Bangkok, Thailand. Photo credit: Anusak Laowilas/NurPhoto/Getty Images
madrid, spain
Women in traditional costumes celebrate the Lunar New Year parade in the Usera neighborhood of Madrid, Spain. The Chinese community celebrated the beginning of the Year of the Dragon with a traditional parade along with the Spanish people. Photo credit: Marcos del Mazo/LightRocket/Getty Images
Singapore
People watch as a pair of dragons formed by 1,500 drones rise into the sky at the Marina Bay Sands waterfront in Singapore on February 11, 2024. The show is called “The Legend of Dragon Gate” and is performed as part of the Lunar New Year celebrations. Photo credit: Suhaimi Abdullah/NurPhoto/Getty Images
Gauteng, South Africa
Children in traditional costumes celebrate the Lunar New Year and the arrival of the Year of the Dragon at the South Chinese Buddhist Temple in Bronkhorstspruit, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa, February 11, 2024. Photo by Ihsaan Haffejee/Anadolu/Getty Images
Beijing, China
People try to touch a dragon during a performance at a temple fair on February 11, 2024, on the second day of the Lunar New Year in Beijing, China. Photo by Greg Baker/AFP/Getty Images
Qingdao, China
Front view of tourists enjoying colorful lanterns at the Golden Beach Beer City Lantern Fair in Qingdao, Shandong Province, China on February 11, 2024. Photo credit: Zhang Jingang/VCG/Getty Images
toronto, canada
Performers dance during the Lunar New Year celebration at Chinatown Center in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, February 11, 2024. Photo by Mike Campbell/NurPhoto/Getty Images
Paleontologists have described a new species of extinct ramid shark Paleohypotodus Based on 17 fossilized teeth found in Alabama, USA.
Fossilized teeth are Paleohypotodus bizocoi.Image credit: Eversole other., doi: 10.3897/fr.27.e112800.
“Paleohypotodus “Sharks are an extinct genus of sheep-like sharks that range in time from the late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) to the late Eocene (Priabonian), with isolated teeth scattered over large areas around the world. It has been reported from different sources,” said Dr. June Ebersole. McWane Science Center Collections Director and his colleagues.
“There are three recognized species in this genus, including the Cretaceous. Palaeohypotodus bronniand Paleogene Paleohypotodus borgensis and Palaeohypotodus rutoti”
“These species have an upright to strongly hooked distal crown, a smooth cutting edge, one or more pairs of lateral cusps, and a unique combination of folds along the labial crown foot. It is characterized by sturdy teeth.
“Paleohypotodus Although known primarily by solitary teeth, at least one partially associated skeleton has been reported. ”
The newly identified species is Paleohypotodus bizocoilived about 65 million years ago (Paleocene epoch).
A collection of 17 teeth belonging to this species was recently discovered in the historical collections of the Alabama Geological Survey in Tuscaloosa.
“A few years ago, while looking through our historic fossil collection at the Alabama Geological Survey, we came across a small box containing a shark tooth collected in Wilcox County over 100 years ago,” Eversole said. the doctor said.
“We've been documenting fossilized remains of hundreds of fish species over the past decade, but it was puzzling that these teeth belonged to sharks we didn't recognize.”
Paleohypotodus bizocoi It was a major predator when the ocean was recovering from the mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous.
“In Alabama, during the Paleocene, much of the southern half of the state was covered by shallow tropical to subtropical oceans,” says T. Lynn, a paleontologist and curator of fossil collections at the Alabama Geological Survey. Dr. Harrell Jr. says. .
“This era is less well studied, which makes the discovery of this new species of shark all the more important.”
“Shark discoveries like this one give us tremendous insight into how marine life recovers after large-scale extinction events. We also know that global events such as climate change are changing the way our oceans are today. We may also be able to predict how this will affect living organisms.”
As part of their study, the authors compared fossil teeth. Paleohypotodus bizocoi to sharks from a variety of modern sharks, including great whites and shortfin mako sharks.
“By studying the jaws and teeth of extant sharks, we were able to reconstruct the dentition of this ancient species and found that it has a tooth arrangement unlike any other living shark.” said Curator of History Dr. David Sisimuri. Carolina State Museum.
a paper A description of the discovery was published in a magazine fossil record.
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JA Eversole other. 2024.new species Paleohypotodus Glickman, 1964 (chondrichthyes, oligidae), collected from the Lower Paleocene (Danian) Porters Creek Formation, Wilcox County, Alabama, USA. fossil record 27 (1): 111-134; doi: 10.3897/fr.27.e112800
astronomer using NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope We captured a vivid image of IRAS 16562-3959, a beautiful star-forming region in the constellation Scorpius.
This Hubble image shows IRAS 16562-3959, a star-forming region about 5,900 light-years away in the constellation Scorpius. Image credits: NASA / ESA / Hubble / R. Fedriani / J. Tan.
IRAS 16562-3959The star, also known as 2MASX J16594225-4003451, is located 5,900 light-years away in the constellation Scorpius.
“At the center of the image, IRAS 16562-3959 is thought to contain a massive star with a mass approximately 30 times that of the Sun, which is still in the process of formation,” Hubble team members said in a statement. Ta.
“At the near-infrared wavelengths that Hubble detects, the central region appears dark because there is so much dust in the way.”
“Near-infrared light, however, primarily leaks out from two sides, the top left and bottom right, where powerful jets from massive protostars are removing dust.”
“The multi-wavelength images containing this amazing Hubble scene will help us better understand how the largest and brightest stars in the Milky Way are born.”
The new image of IRAS 16562-3959 was created from separate exposures taken in the near-infrared region of the spectrum. Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3).
Four filters were used to sample different wavelengths. Color is obtained by assigning different hues to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter.
“A filter is a thin piece of highly specialized material that only allows light at very specific wavelengths to pass through,” the astronomer explained.
“We can slide them in front of the light-sensing part of the telescope, allowing us to control which wavelengths of light the telescope collects for each observation.”
“This is useful not only for certain scientific studies, but also for creating images like this.”
“Regardless of which filter was used, raw telescopic observations are always monochrome,” they added.
“However, specially trained artists and image professionals can choose colors that match the wavelength range covered by individual filters.”
“Alternatively, if a direct match is not possible, for example the data used in this image is all in the infrared range, to which the human eye is not sensitive, so the artist has chosen colors that are wisely representative of what they are trying to represent.” You can. It’s happening.”
“For example, shorter wavelengths might be assigned a bluer color and longer wavelengths a redder color, as is the case with the visible light range.”
“The data from multiple filters can then be combined to build multicolor images that look beautiful and have scientific meaning.”
IIt's a quiet morning in a London gallery studio voltaire And Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley invited me to prototype her latest artwork. It's a horror-inspired video game in which players fight to overcome the issues holding them back, from fear of failure to addiction. This is also the centerpiece of her first organized solo exhibition with the theme of change. I worked on the game, but by the fourth round I was still crap. Artificial screams echo around the empty gallery. “That must be super difficult!” laughs Brathwaite-Shirley. “It's all based on what I'm trying to overcome or have overcome. It didn’t take one turn, it took many.”
The Rebirthing Room is Brathwaite-Shirley's latest participatory work. The idea came to me after a conversation with a curator about the usefulness of Art Her Gallery. “We were talking about how we could do more with the space. What could we do with it other than just showcasing work?” she says. “That’s when I thought, “It would be great if you came to the gallery and left a different person.'
The 29-year-old started making interactive art in 2020 after misguided comments from visitors made her question the purpose of her work. At the time, her portfolio consisted of videos and animations documenting her London burlesque scenes and her black transgender peers. The work, rendered in what she describes as her “beautiful retro aesthetic,” created an alternate reality for community members. It is an unconventional archival method to fill in the blind spots in historical records. “Someone said to me, “I really like your work because it allows me to be visual and ignore what you're saying,'' Brathwaite-Shirley recalls. “I thought, “This is the best feedback of my life, because I can't do that anymore!''
Another history…”Thou shalt not accept” in 2023. Photo: Perttu Saksa/Courtesy of the artist and Helsinki Biennale
Since then, she has started incorporating choices made by the audience to advance the work. In 2022 she released her Get Home Safe, an arcade her-style game inspired by her own experiences wandering around Berlin at night. The player is tasked with guiding the protagonist safely through dark streets. Meanwhile, “I Can't Follow You Anymore,” released in browser-based last year, asks audiences to navigate a revolution and decide who will be saved or sacrificed. “In interactive work, you have to make an effort to see something,” she says. “What fascinates me is the choices people make and the feelings they leave behind. I think that's when the real works of art start to emerge.”
Keen to prioritize content over aesthetics, Brathwaite-Shirley's new work takes advantage of the rudimentary pre-rendered graphics of early computer games. It's intentionally lo-fi, built from 2D animation, iPad drawings, and old software, with a VHS-style finish. The forest grass on the screen is made from edited photographs of her hands, and the sounds are an extension of her archival project, developed from recordings of her screaming into her mobile phone. . “I never want to touch this super shiny stuff,” she says. “I like to make people's brains work a little bit more.”
With disorienting sound effects and low lighting, Rebirthing Room is a fully immersive experience. Surrounding the screen and handmade controllers operated by the audience are giant trees covered in cloth and rows of real corn, a reference to the horror movies she grew up watching.
“I don’t need this super shiny thing”…Screenshot of the playback room Photo: Image provided by the artist
“What I love about horror is that it makes you want to experience experiences and emotions that you would never experience in normal life,” she says. “If a movie is really good, there's something about it that sticks around. It's that perfect balance of being really scary, but also interesting enough to keep you watching.”
In addition to being a nifty device to “fool” viewers into their own values and beliefs, Brathwaite-Shirley's digital universe, full of demons, villains, and gore, is well-suited to the current climate. You can feel it when you are there. She says it's important to highlight not only the hostility from her outsider group, but all the “nasty nuances” that exist within her own self. She said: “I feel like we're in a very censored time; [where] Even speaking about views that your particular political group subscribes to feels dangerous because you feel like you have to say it the way they want to hear it. Therefore, for me, presenting a utopia in the environment we are currently in is a huge waste. ”
Challenging audiences is something she would like to see more of in the art world, but she feels it prioritizes too much of a fun, Instagram-friendly experience. Her purpose is not to make her people enjoy her own work. She finds the more visceral and emotional responses more interesting. She told me that when she finishes a show with nothing but praise, she feels like her work is of no use.
She is interested in how viewers will respond to Room of Rebirth. Will they play until they succeed? Or will they just give up like I did? only time will tell. “I’m looking forward to seeing how we can go even further next time,” she says.
Elon Musk has been ordered to testify again as part of a U.S. regulatory investigation into his 2022 acquisition of social media platform Twitter (later renamed X).
A California federal court ruling announced on Saturday ordered Tesla and SpaceX chiefs to issue financial statements regarding the date, time and location of interviews after Musk refused to appear at a previous roundtable meeting in September. It gave the company one week to reach an agreement with the Exchange Commission (SEC).
In order, U.S. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler Although the parties had agreed on an initial date, “the defendant (Musk) ultimately failed to appear in court and was subpoenaed on the basis that the SEC's investigation was baseless and harassing, seeking irrelevant information.” “I am resisting,” he said.
The SEC filed charges against Musk in October to compel him to testify as part of its investigation into the $44 billion acquisition now known as X. The committee is also seeking testimony from Musk about whether he complied with the law in preparing the required documents regarding his Twitter stock. Including the purchase, as well as whether his statements regarding the purchase of the platform were accurate.
According to the order, Musk's lawyers said he would not appear in court because regulators leaked information to the media. Musk's team also claims the investigation is frivolous, and the government's actions have been plagued by requests for documents and repeated requests for testimony in the face of the investigation “arising from an accidental delay in filing administrative filings.” said.
Beeler denied the allegations in pressing for an interview, saying regulators had the power to issue subpoenas for relevant information. If the SEC and Mr. Musk cannot agree on a date and time for the meeting, Mr. Bieler said he will listen to both sides and make a decision.
The move dates back to Musk's infamous 2018 tweet in which he said “funding is secured” as he tried to take Tesla private.
Regulators argued this was a violation of securities laws that prohibit publicly traded companies from announcing plans to buy or sell securities if executives do not intend to complete, do not have the means to complete, or seek to manipulate stock prices. .
In the settlement, Musk agreed to let Tesla's lawyers review his tweets about the electric car maker. But regulators again sued him a year later for allegedly violating the agreement. Musk later petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to review the agreement, arguing that it violated his right to free speech.
In 2022, regulators asked Musk for information about a delay in disclosing his Twitter stock, but Musk was delayed by a week. He testified twice that year, according to the SEC. Musk claims that the third interview constitutes “harassment” by the government.
This controversy is not the only conflict between Mr. Musk and the government. In November, he lost a bid to prevent the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) from continuing to oversee Company X's handling of personal user data.
○On a sunny day in 2017, Kate Jackson, then 61 years old, picked up a wooden wool spinning wheel and took it to her garden. She propped her iPad up against a brick, pressed record, and began spinning and talking. It’s about crafts, the countryside, and her animals (cats, chickens, bees, and Irene the goose). Kate liked watching videos about gardening and quilting on YouTube, so she had an idea one day. “I decided to upload once a week.”
She called her channel “the last homely home”, “It’s a place where you feel comfortable, safe, and welcome. That’s what I wanted for my channel.” It currently has 123,000 subscribers. Last May, Ms Jackson, who lives in rural Northumberland, launched a sister channel. “the last homely garden”. She has her own shop online, nearly 40,000 followers on Instagram, and her own Facebook group run by her fans. She has become a cornerstone of her thriving online community.
Thirteen years ago, after an unexpected divorce, Jackson found herself alone with her three adult children. “It wasn’t the future I had planned,” she says. “She found it difficult to look at herself.” She left her career as a midwife to focus on selling her homemade crafts and teaching workshops, but she was struggling financially.
Around this time, her best friend was diagnosed with motor neuron disease and later died. “It was a dark time,” she says. Mr Jackson fled to New Zealand, where he traveled the country by bus. “I came back healed,” she says. She is ready to accept living alone and find peace at home.
By the time decent broadband was installed in her village in 2017, she was ready to share her little world of artisanal entertainment online. In Jackson’s videos, she chats while cooking, sewing, and sorting fabric. Sometimes she shoots tutorials, which are always relaxing. Recently, she has been teaching her daughter-in-law Anna how to make quilts. Jackson avoids polish. She doesn’t like writing video scripts and she never wears makeup. While filming one of her cooking videos, she accidentally dropped the recipe she was making into the pot, but left the mistake intact in her edit. Her audience loved it, she says. She says, “The comment I get most often is, ‘It’s like sitting down and having tea with a friend.'”
Her audience is mostly older American women, yearning for a glimpse of life in the British countryside. But that’s not all. “My daughter Martha said, ‘You’re a woman living alone in the country, you’re okay.'” Too often, people are left on their own through divorce or death and are overwhelmed by it. On the other hand, I enjoy solitude and love being able to make my own decisions. I’m showing people that it’s okay.”
Her fans collectively refer to themselves as the “Lime Green Sofa.” This was a concept during lockdown, with Jackson imagining viewers lounging together on endless banquettes. American fans made sofa badges to identify each other at craft festivals. In the UK, there are people who profess to be fans of Jackson, who “started crying and hugged me. They’re always really friendly and nice. But it’s a little weird.”
Jackson at work. Photo: Anna Jackson
Although she hides her exact whereabouts, people sometimes show up at her doorstep. There are “intrusive questions” online. Jackson shares a lot. “But at some point you have to say, ‘No, I’m not going to share this.'” Especially since it protects the privacy of her children and grandchildren.
However, The Last Homely House is a family effort in other ways. Her children and their partners are all creative and participate by doing small jobs on the channel. They create illustrations, run online shops, edit videos and photos, and sometimes appear on screen. “It’s really gratifying to see how passionate they are about what I’m doing,” Jackson says. “This is a collaboration with the people I love most in my life.”
Due to the success of her channel, Ms. Jackson is very busy, but she loves how she spends her time. This year, she plans to collaborate with a YouTuber she once considered a hero and visit her fabric factory. Success also brings peace of mind. “I am financially independent in a way I never thought possible when I was depressed and wondering when I would sell my next quilt.”
Sometimes I wish I had started sooner. “But I had to go through all those difficult life stages,” she says. “I wouldn’t have appealed to the same people if I was younger. I’m doing the right thing at the right time.”
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