Exploring the Exciting World of Meme Coins: From Dogecoin to $Trump

Posted on February 9, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

tA few days before his inauguration as US president, Donald Trump made an extraordinary move. He launched Trump, a so-called meme coin that fans and speculators can buy in the hopes of gaining value. Initially, $Trump surged from a value of $75 to $75 per coin in a day, according to Crypto’s price tracking website CoinMarketCap. Two days later, it fell to about $40. Just like the next First Lady Melania Trump launched her own meme coin, $ Melania. Even the pastor at Trump’s inauguration, Lorenzo Swell, promoted the $Lorenzo edition the same afternoon, sweeping it out into a frenzy of memecoin.

So, what exactly is a meme coin? And why are everyone and their pastors suddenly involved?
Memecoin is a type of digital assets based on memes. Usually it becomes a virus online. Best known is Dogecoin, inspired by a popular meme featuring a wave dog talking in the cartoon Sands. However, Dogecoin is a bit different from the many recent memecoin masses, according to Simon Peters, Crypto analyst at trading platform Etoro. DogeCoin, released in 2013, has its own blockchain. This is a decentralized ledger technology that supports cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. The majority of other meme coins are “tokens.” In other words, it runs on an existing blockchain, so it is rarely necessary for technological development methods.

These tokens are very easy to make. There are millions. The only real purpose of most meme coins is speculation. Users create or buy in the hope that their value will rise and they can make more money very quickly.

Sounds advantageous, what is the catch?
In reality, the majority of people lose money. Most meme coins are volatile and short-lived. Peters also says they are susceptible to what is called a “pump and dump” scheme or “ragpull.” This allows creators to keep many tokens themselves, hype their projects on social media to attract other buyers, increase value, throw away all tokens, flood the market and crash prices. “Then everyone moves on to another person,” says Carol Alexander, a professor of finance at the University of Sussex. Given that the crypto market is largely unregulated, investors can hardly rely on them when something goes wrong.

The First Lady also launched her own meme coin, $ Melania. Photo: Beata Zawrzel/Shutterstock

There are no regulators or guardrails.
All of this hasn’t put off people, and there’s been a boom in memecoin over the past year. Alexander compares it to previous trends around the NFTS. There are several reasons for recent interest. In January 2024, Pump.Fun, a platform that allows anyone to easily create meme coins, was launched (although it was blocked in December, but
Warnings from Financial Conduct Authorities). The crypto-friendly Trump election may have encouraged the community as well. But the key drivers of the meme coins are “wanting to try out young men, disillusioned and rich people quickly,” says Alexander.

That would explain why they are based on internet jokes and pale humor…
surely. At the time of writing, I will refer to some top meme coins. Shiba inu variety is a specific touch point. Others include Pepe tokens based on cartoon frog memes related to Alt-right, and Gigachad tokens that refer to the “alpha male” meme. Meme subjects also tried to push the viral fame into the profits of the code: In December, Harry Welch is known as “Hawk Tou Girl,” after a viral video referring to oral sex, but $hok Tokens have been released.
Losing 95% of its value).

Bitcoin and meme coins Is it essentially the same?
Meme Coins has the foundation of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, but early Bitcoin developer Mike Hearn says it has little to do with the original Crypto Vision. He left the Bitcoin community in January 2016. Because he disagreed with the direction it was heading. He wanted to see cryptocurrencies that are used as real alternatives to traditional finances, rather than just speculative assets. The meme coins are a continuation of this trend, he says: “They are basically in the form of gambling, like a more uplifting version of the stock market, but they have little to do with anything concrete. There is none.”

To me it doesn’t sound as crazy as an online betting site…
Next, consider the story of Andy Ayrey, a New Zealand-based artist who trains an AI language model and sets up an X account @truth_terminal. Ayrey explains that bots are like teenagers “without a social awareness of when, when, or not.” Truth Terminal especially enjoyed posting about Goatse, an unsafe work meme that became part of early internet lore.

After interacting with X’s Crypto account, AI became interested in Meme Coins, and Ayrey set up a Crypto wallet for that. Then things got weird. Inspired by the bot’s post, strangers – Irey says who doesn’t know – created a yads-themed token with pump.fun and sent it to the true device. Truth Terminal promotes the token on its account, and “all hell was unleashed,” says Ayrey. The market capitalization of the token – the total value of all tokens – shot. According to Coinmarketcap, it reached over $1.2 billion, about a month after its launch.

AI later became involved in another meme coin, Faltcoin, based on a rather relevant meme (again, Early says he doesn’t know who the creator is). Fartcoin has reached a peak market capitalization of over $2.3 billion.

So Was Irey a quids?
It’s not that simple. Through the overall experience, Ayrey introduced some of the issues with Meme Coins. He discovered that the value on paper covers a lot of what he can actually get because of the low liquidity. As soon as you sell a token, its value decreases and it will have a negative effect on others who have the token. Ultimately, he signed private contracts with several investors based on not throwing Falzcoin into the market. He admits it is interesting to have to talk to finance and tax authorities about “far liquidation.” He believes this is part of the appeal of Meme Coin fans. “The more people get mad about it, the more people are, the more people find it interesting and the more fatcoin is, the higher the fatcoin,” he says.

Who is making money?
According to Alexander, the main people who make money from crypto are institutional investors, trading companies that use strategies that are not permitted in regular stock trading. “All the big professional traders are making billions to come, and ordinary people are losing money,” she says.

And Trump?
Alexander thinks his meme coins are slightly different from many coins. It’s a potential alternative to speculation, and users buy it to show support for the President. This is similar to a “fan token” just like something produced by sports teams and athletes. The Trump Token has attracted criticism due to conflicts of interest. Among other concerns, Trump
Owns one of the entities that collect transaction fees. Alexander believes that the coin’s motivation is simple. “It just shows that he can do this,” she says. “He can do whatever he likes and he knows that.”

Source: www.theguardian.com

Planets of the Solar System

Posted on February 8, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

In the southwestern sky, Venus shines the brightest and is easy to spot. Saturn can be seen below Venus, but as the days progress, the other visible planets become harder to spot, sinking lower in the sky each day after sunset. Jupiter can be found in the southern part of the evening sky, while Mars appears in the eastern sky. Mercury should also be visible to the naked eye, but it is challenging to find due to its proximity to the sun.

By February 24th, mercury will be further from the sun, making it easier to spot after sunset near Saturn in the western sky.

For skywatchers with binoculars and telescopes, Uranus and Neptune can also be spotted with dedication, patience, and a Starchart, according to Faherty.

NASA refers to this event as the “Planet Parade,” where multiple bright planets are visible simultaneously overhead. This phenomenon occurs when all planets in our solar system orbit the sun on relatively flat disc-shaped planes, akin to cars on a racetrack. Each planet orbits the sun at different rates, resulting in them lining up in the sky at different points, like cars on a track.

The planetary parade will continue until February, with more opportunities to view multiple bright planets in the sky in the months and years ahead, including instances of four planets lining up before sunrise in late August, five planets before sunrise in October 2028, and five planets after sunset in February 2034.

Faherty sees this event as a great educational opportunity for newcomers to explore the universe in an engaging way, as the sky is always changing and full of surprises.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Staff laid off and map tools shut down amidst a tumultuous week at EPA

Posted on February 8, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

summary

Over the past two weeks, EPA staff have had to compete with dramatic reforms at the agency.
Approximately 1,100 “probation” employees were said to be possible to be fired, and 168 staff working on environmental justice issues have been taken on leave.
Lee Zeldin, new manager at the EPA, said agency priorities include improving AI and automotive jobs.

Lee Zeldin led the Environmental Protection Agency in a short and a half weeks. HR movements shaking wildly, rattling some staff, like many others.

On the day of Zeldin's confirmation last week, the EPA notified about 1,100 “probation” employees that they could close at any time for less than one year.

Then on Thursday, the agency placed 168 staff members on administrative leave. The affected people were working on environmental justice issues across the EPA's 10 regional offices and headquarters.

This week, the agency removed an online mapping tool called EJScreen. It was being used by federal, state and local governments to make decisions that support environmental justice. The term explains the idea that people should have equitable access to a clean, healthy environment, and that some underserved communities face historically unbalanced environmental harms. It refers to. For example, state highway agencies You can use EJScreen Check demographic information for which the road construction project was planned.

Zeldin took on his post a day after a federal worker received a “road fork” email offering resignation shopping. Their deadline to accept the offer was Thursday night, but a federal judge put the initiative on hold that day, following legal challenges from the union. The program will be blocked until at least Monday.

in Addresses to staff viewed by over 10,000 people On Tuesday, Zeldin said he has the authority to streamline the EPA and reduce the waste in it.

“We accused Congress of being as efficient as possible with the taxes sent to us,” Zeldin said, adding that Americans “are feeling a lot of financial pain.” Ta.

His initial actions and the shock they inflict on staff suggest that Zeldin and the Trump administration are not wasting time dramatically reworking the EPA and redefine its purpose. .

Environmental Protection Agency spokesman Molly Vaserio said the EPA is focused on adhering to President Donald Trump's executive orders, including an order entitled “Extreme and Waste Government DEI Program.” Ta.

“The EPA is enthusiastically implementing President Trump's executive order and subsequent related implementation memos. President Trump has been elected to delegate from the Americans to do this,” Vaselio said. .

Several EPA staff members said fear and hype quickly permeated the agency.

“The past two weeks have been pretty scary,” said Marie Owens Powell, chairman of the U.S. Government Employees Federation Council 238, the union representing around 8,500 EPA staff. “Every day, it was something. It was exhausting.”

Powell worked As an EPA Storage Tank InspectorAdded that there were other recent surprises, such as when the pronouns of staff preference were removed from email signatures without notice.

Another EPA worker asked that his name not be made public due to fear of retaliation, but explained that the feeling was “limbo” or “purgatory.”

“We are afraid of doing work that can be seen as completely opposed to the executive order or against Trump's agenda. We want to speak up and push back. But the fear is obvious,” the staff said. “We're all waiting to see who's next.”

Vaseliou met with staff at the Career EPA to visit several disaster sites, including East Palestine, Ohio, and visited several disaster sites, including trains carrying chemicals in February 2023, and to visit several disaster sites, and toxins. He said he had spent his first few weeks of emitting smoke. He also went to Los Angeles. There, a wildfire that broke out last month raided thousands of homes and headed to West North Carolina where Hurricane Helene killed dozens of people.

In Zeldin's news release on Tuesday We laid out five priorities For the EPA under his leadership, including an effort to “pursuing energy independence,” we will develop “the cleanest energy on the planet” to ensure clean air and water. However, some of his agenda diverges from the core mission of the EPA, at least as it operates under past administrations. These include advances in artificial intelligence, reforming and reviving permits for auto work.

Jeremy Simmons, senior adviser to the Environmental Protection Network, a former EPA staff group, said he is worried about the direction the agency is on the lead, based on Zeldin's statement.

“If you're worried about toxic contamination in your community, it's difficult to see yourself on that agenda,” said Symons, who worked at the EPA from 1994 to 2001, in the service of the political agenda. ”

Congressional Democrats appear to be preparing for the fight for the future of the EPA. D-Mass. Sen. Ed Markey of the group attempted to enter agency headquarters on Thursday, calling for a meeting with representatives from Elon Musk's Government Efficiency Bureau.

“We just went in and asked for a meeting with a representative from Doge. We were denied and we were turned away,” Markey said at a press conference outside the building.

Vaseliou said he had not taken the appropriate steps necessary to allow Markey to enter headquarters and described the event as a “promotion stunt.”

A Markey spokesperson said Thursday that the senator has not received confirmation as to whether Doge's representatives are at the EPA. However, multiple sources say the names of workers that NBC News identified as members of Doge member Cole Killian were listed in the EPA directory.

Emails to Killian's EPA email requesting an interview were not immediately returned. Vaseliou did not answer questions about Killian or whether he was connected to Doge.

When asked about Marquee's concerns on Thursday, White House deputy press secretary Harrison Fields said Democrats were “gaslighting” about Doge's mission.

“To reduce waste, fraud, abuse and become a better steward of the hard-earned dollars for American taxpayers may be a crime for Democrats, but it's not a crime in court,” Fields said. I said that.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

$5 billion Electric Vehicle Charging Program Suspended by Trump Administration

Posted on February 8, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

The Trump administration has directed US states to halt the $5 billion electric vehicle charging station program, dealing another blow to the environmental movement since the president’s return to the White House.

In a notice issued on Thursday, the Federal Highways Agency (FHWA) of the Transportation Agency ordered states not to utilize funds allocated under the Biden administration’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program.

Emily Biondi, assistant manager of planning, environment, and real estate at FHWA, wrote in a memo, “The new leadership of the Department of Transportation has chosen to reassess the policies guiding the implementation of the NEVI Formula Program.” Biondi added, “Therefore, the current NEVI Formula Program Guidance dated June 11, 2024, supersedes all previous versions of this guidance.”

Biondi further stated, “As a consequence of the withdrawal of guidance for the NEVI Formula Program, FHWA has ceased immediately the approval of all plans for electric vehicle infrastructure deployment in all states. Therefore, the updated final NEVI Formula Program is effective immediately. No new obligations will be incurred under the NEVI Formula Program until new guidance is issued and new state plans are submitted and approved.”

Biondi mentioned that existing obligations for the design and construction of charging stations will be reimbursed to prevent disruption in current financial commitments until new guidance is issued.

According to the page on the Energy Department website, the NEVI program funds states to strategically deploy EV chargers, covering up to 80% of qualified project costs.

In a report by Politico on Thursday, FHWA has removed several website pages containing information about the NEVI program.

Andrew Rogers, a former FHWA administrator under the Biden administration, stated to Politico that the memo “appears to disregard federal court rulings and multiple injunctions.”

Currently, 14 states have operational EV stations, as reported by EV Clearing House. As of November last year, there was an 83% increase in open NEVI ports from the previous quarter, with 126 public charging ports at 31 NEVI stations in nine states.

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A total of 41 states have released solicitations for EV charging stations, with over 3,560 fast charging ports at more than 890 locations.

During his campaign, Trump opposed EVs, suggesting that EV supporters should “rot in hell” and that Biden’s backing of EVs would lead to a “bloodbath” in the US automotive industry.

One of the executive orders Trump signed shortly after taking office aimed to ensure that half of all new vehicles for sale in the US between 2021 and 2030 would be revoked.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Certain plesio sauces feature sleek skin, scales, and flippers

Posted on February 8, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Paleontologists have examined the 183 million-year-old Pleciosaurus skeleton from the early Jurassic Posidonia shale in Southern Germany with well-preserved skin traces around the tail and front flippers.

Reconstruction of Jurassic Plesiosaurus from Posidonian Shale in Southern Germany. Image credit: Joschua Knüppe.

Plesiosaurs (Greek “near”) is a symbolic group of Mesozoic marine reptiles with a rich history of evolution.

These creatures roamed the vast Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous seas between 235 and 66 million years ago.

They had a wide, flat body and a short tail, a long neck, and four long propulsive flippers that they used to “fly” through the water.

Their teeth were cone-shaped, sturdy, sharp, robust, ideal for stabbing and killing large animals.

Pleciosaurus fossils have been found on all continents on Earth, with important discoveries in Australia, Europe and North America.

However, it is very rare to associate with fossilized soft tissues.

“Fossilized soft tissues such as skin and internal organs are extremely rare,” said Miguel Marx, Ph.D. A student at Lund University.

“We used a wide range of techniques to identify smooth skin in the tail area and scales along the rear edge of the flipper.”

“This provided unparalleled insight into the appearance and biology of these long, repeating reptiles.”

Compare Jurassic Plesiosaurus specimens from Posidonia shales in Southern Germany. Image credit: Marx et al. , doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2025.01.001.

In their study, Marx and his colleagues analyzed well-preserved plesiosaurus from the world-famous early Jurassic Posidonia shale (Posidonienskihoefer Formation) in Southern Germany.

“Our results reveal an unusual combination of smooth, scaly skin on various parts of the body,” they said.

“We believe this variation could be related to a variety of functions. Pleciosaurus had to swim efficiently to catch animals like fish and squid, which is smooth and fluid. It was made easier by the mechanical skin.”

“But we had to move across the rough seabed.

“Our findings help us create a more accurate reconstruction of our lives for Plesioasurs, which has been extremely difficult since it was first studied over 200 years ago,” Marx said. Ta.

“Also, well-preserved German fossils really highlight the soft tissue potential that provides valuable insight into the biology of these long but animals.”

“Apart from the smooth skin and scale mosaics, it was an incredible moment to visualize cells in thin sections of fossilized plesiosaurus skin,” he added.

“When I saw skin cells that had been stored for 183 million years, I was shocked. It was like seeing modern skin.”

Team's result This week I'll be appearing in the journal Current Biology.

____

Miguel Marx et al. Jurassic Plesiosaurus skin, scales and cells. Current Biology Published online on February 6th, 2025. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2025.01.001

Source: www.sci.news

Old fighter jets can be recycled and used to create new ones

Posted on February 8, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

New Fighter Jet Components Can be Printed 3D

Rolls Royce

The fighter planes first flew in the 1970s were converted to fine powder and can be used for 3D printed components of the next generation aircraft of the British Royal Air Force (RAF). Experts say this is a more efficient way to make aircraft. It is less environmentally harmful and also solves the problem of procuring materials from countries under sanctions, such as Russia.

Robert Hyam Additive Manufacturing Solutions has developed technology to recycle important materials such as TI64. This is titanium with 6% aluminum and 4% vanadium. The UK Department of Defense has a large number of expensive, hard-to-sauce materials like TI64, but they are bound by outdated or broken aircraft and stored components.

The company was able to take turbine blades from Panavia Tornado, an aircraft used by the RAF from 1980 to 2019, and recycle them into nose cones of prototype engines that power the next generation of RAF fighters. Ta.

“The world is more expensive than before. Making products is more complicated and more expensive,” says Highham. “You can make them as effectively as possible.”

Highham says creating spherical particles from old parts is the key to printing high-quality new parts, as the jug-on particles may be stuck in a 3D printer. It’s not just grinding the metal, so the recycled components melt and then spray them onto a high-pressure jet of argon, where they are split into raindrop-shaped droplets. These droplets rotate the gas, turn into a spherical shape, drop out and solidify. “It’s a very similar process to how rain sparkles,” says Hyam.

The resulting powder can be supplied to a 3D printer. These machines essentially weld the powder into half the thickness of human hair, each layer down one by one, creating a new piece. “It’s a very simple microscope welding process. It’s not even more complicated,” says Higham.

In this first case, powder was used to 3D print nose cones for the Orpheus jet engine. Future Combat Air Systems (FCAS). The FCA includes a variety of aircraft with modular components, including the BAE Systems Tempest, a sixth generation fighter jet for the RAF.

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Review: Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 – A Gritty Depiction of Medieval Bohemia’s Hardships

Posted on February 7, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

lIfe was tough in the 16th century Bohemia. That way, you’ll be at your virtual counterpart. The first 10 hours of this game were totally miserable. Stepping into the mud-stained boots of Henry, a humble blacksmith-turned-knight, I am sent to convey my message in war-torn regions. But before Henry could fulfill his duties, he became a victim of a fatal ambush, leaving himself and his Lord Hans Capon, without a penny or sword in their names I’ve been stuck.

No one believes you are a nobleman as strangers arrive in tattered rags, bloody and desperate. Towns Fork will comment on your smell and refuse to let you enter various facilities. It is a truly humble gaming experience, creating a calm recreation of what it is like to be in the oppressed things of medieval society.

The main story is ultimately driving you away with an increasingly impressive exploit, but in the early games, simply survive the day, an adventure in itself. In this harsh feudal fantasy, you can save just two ways: sleep in your bed or drink a bottle of Savior Schnapps. When you can’t afford to spend the night at the inn – and Henry has no horses – the journey across each new map is dangerous. Some of these early deaths cost me hours of progress.

A painstaking … The Kingdom Comes: Rescue 2. Photo: Warhorse Studios/Deep Silver

Once you can follow some paths to Groschen and steal them, your fate will begin to change. At Kingdom, maintaining its appearance is essential. Townspeople notice your scars and blood sporadic clothing. Innkeepers are less likely to take you to a burglar if you take a bath. The wealthier you become, the easier life will be. Even getting dressed well will help convince the guards of your innocence when you are caught with a redhead.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is filled with friction that most modern games actively avoid. I was totally immersed in this cruel, believable simulation – even when it was kicking my ass. This is a role-playing game in which even the simple act of making potions can cause food to spoil and poison you, and even fast travel is not even safe. Words to the Sage – Don’t accidentally appear in the wrong bed. It ends on a night spent confused by inventory.

Like Bethesda’s Skyrim, you learn by doing it. Do you want to improve your running? Sprint while wearing the heaviest armor you can find. A flashy command conversation? Concentrate half a day in the game to read books. First-person duels in the original game are welcome, allowing players to lock into deadly games, mess up, block, and read the opponent’s stance. It’s a deadly dance that doesn’t feel like anything else in the game, but if swordsmanship isn’t for you, you can hone your marksmanship, double stealth, or use your tongue as a sharp weapon. Masu.

In conversation, you can role-play Henry. No matter how much you play, the writing is consistently and convincing, and the characters are as intentionally consistent as your gameplay. Despite its crazy misery, the kingdom has a comedic spirit. From molestation mirrors collecting sediments from corpses to solving differences with soldiers through loud drinking games, there is also humor in the most inactive interactions. Developer Warhorse Studios is wise to keep players smiling, even if they are breathing and cursing the game.

The Spirit of Comedy… The Kingdom Comes: Rescue 2. Photo: Warhorse Studios/Deep Silver

It’s extremely rewarding to see Henry slowly transform from an incompetent person into a horrifying being. Once you lift yourself up with a bootstrap, Jant across this country will see you infiltrate a noble wedding, plan a prison break, and even protect the besieged castle. Kingdom Come 2 World inevitably features the kind of bugs you’d expect from a vast RPG, but it helps to be a very handsome game. The grass sways in the wind and in the villages and towns.

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If there’s a game that takes a “tough love” approach, that’s it. Early times feel like the playable equivalent of being sent to a military school and demands sacred patience, but that’s a rewarding investment. Just like before Red Dead Redemption 2, I’m willing to lose time wandering through this vast simulation and want to see the wonders and practics that I might trip. Despite spending over 115 hours in Bohemia, I’m saying that I haven’t rolled at my credits yet to the main quest line. If you are not inspired by the prospect of roaming yet another frictionless open world where everything comes easily, the Kingdom comes: Rescue 2 is a breath of fresh air.

Source: www.theguardian.com

My love for trading card pockets in Pokemon waned over time | Games

Posted on February 7, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

fOr now I'm in the slal in the pocket of Pokemon trading cards. It was a demonic, smooth blend of battles that collected and deleted cards, and since it was released I had been open the app honestly on my phone at least twice a day. The virtual card is beautifully completed. Particularly rare art cards feature idyllic scenes of Pokemon in their natural habitat. I spent hours fighting too. He hone his deck and chased his winning streak to earn the victory crest. I put most of my friends in it. I was able to fill in the last few holes in my collection, predicting the day when Dena's makers would eventually activate the deal.

I quit this week on the day the deal was made public and an expansion filled with fairly new cards. I did some deals for Venosaur ex and Machamp Ex, which avoided my grasp despite being open Hundreds I took a screenshot of the Pack's “Collection Complete” screen, but it hasn't been open since. I'm finished.

I didn't quit in protest A crazy, expensive nature It features monsters from the age of Pokemon that do not hold nostalgic powers for me, mostly with new trading features or new cards. I suddenly had enough. I enjoyed every minute of my time at the game…until not. Normally you know that you finished the game when you finished it, but in this era of eternal games, we have to choose When should I stop? Sometimes this happens overnight for me. One day I'm enjoying the game, the next day I'm tired of it.

Inconveniently, I recognize it in about 75% of the game's campaigns. Especially with open world titles, the best times are in the middle, and you're playing enough to understand the unique ideas and systems of the game. do not have It's enough to master them completely. There is a point where you know you're approaching endgame. Suddenly, the friction between me and the gaming world – as the game designers mention, “stickiness” is gone, everything feels smooth and easy, and I lose interest. (This is why I love it fromsoftwareThere are very few games out there from Dark Souls to Elden Ring.

Enough is enough… Indiana Jones and a large circle. Photo: Game Press

Here's a small selection of games from the past year that I've abandoned like this, until the end: Indiana Jones and the Great;Dragon Dogma 2;Paper Mario: Millennium Door. Zelda: Echo of wisdom. Like a Dragon: Infinite wealth. I was able to sit and polish in the evening several times with one of these. Some of them already have a few months after leaving them unfinished – but it always feels like a chore. Meanwhile, I played the lonely mountain: Snow Rider, Baratoro And as the stickiness is still there, Hades is far too long past their completion point.

I often ask readers to write to ask when it's okay to quit the game. For me, the answer is “Whenever I stop having fun.” I rarely quit because I'm stuck. Instead, I quit Stop When I got stuck, I felt like I was seeing everything that the game had to offer. I think it's easy to continue playing things that have lost their appeal from a sense of obligation.

A long-standing study of trophies and achievements is 15-35% of players (PDF) You actually complete a specific game. I feel like developers are making hours of content, people may never see it, but there is enough entertainment available to everyone, and you can find all of that time. You can hardly blame people for not being there. Some players take pride in finishing every game they start, but for the rest of us? It's okay to stop it.

When I finished the Pokemon trading card game, I felt it was easy. A part of me felt relieved to be relieved of my daily habits. It opened a small space for something new in my time – and something new everytime What you're looking for when you get a video game.

What to do

Life is catastrophically obsessive… Civilization VII. Photo: 2K Game

Two huge historic games are coming out this week. The Kingdom Comes to Rescue 2with a pathetic, challenging simulation of 16th century Bohemia, where you're really rubbing your face against horse dung at first. Civilization VIInext in a life-rising, life-rising, life-risingly obsessive strategy series that challenge you to re-run human history from the beginning. (The latter may seem particularly appealing now, as it appears we've caused all-powerful confusion.)

Available at: PC, Xbox, PlayStation 5
Estimated playtime: Over 100 hours

What to read

Reaching the new Box Office Heights… Sonic Hedgehog 3. Photo: Paramount in America/Sega

Third Sonic Movies It's just now The second highest growth video game movie everbrought 462.5m behind the 2023 Mario movie. (I swallowed up the pride of Nintendo kids from the 90s and took them to see them during Christmas. Are you okay. ) It's also on track to overtake Bruce Almighty as Jim Carrey's best-selling film. If that happens, it becomes a wonderful Pub quiz questions.
in IGNRebekah Valentine investigates the phenomenon of Imitation Slop Game It appears on Droves, the console's digital store, and receives this incredible quote.
Among the well-known winners in Grammy Awards It was the soundtrack for the video game: Interestingly, this year's award was presented to composer Winifred Phillips for the soundtrack to the 1981 RPG, Wizardry. Explainer About how the game was remade decades ago and won a Grammy Award.

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What to click

Question block

God of War: Ragnarök, one of the best video game stories of recent years. Photo: Sony Santa Monica

This week's question comes from Natalie:

“A lot of games were played and took unfinished games before I could understand what all my favourites had in common: the fascinating stories. The best storytelling of all video game time Would you recommend it?”

There are so many forms of video game stories, and this is a difficult question to answer. Many of the best stories in the game are those we found for ourselves. That said, my favorite stories from recent years are refreshing to my heart as game correspondent Keith Stuart and I have recently updated our list of games on all consoles today. Here is the author's story that I remember most from the current gaming generation: Our Last Parts I and II; God of war And then the sequel. Immortal;and Alan Wake 2 (Mainly because of the method mentioned). Here are some very short stories you can play on the Nintendo Switch: OxenFree; Wonderson; To the moon; Night in the forest; Space for unbound and Loki. You might want to try it too Citizen's sleeper If you like sci-fi. Regarding all-timers: Undertail, Chrono Trigger, Portal And that sequel Edith Finch's Remains and Fallout New Vegas I'm there for me.

What are your top three? Tell me at pushbuttons@theguardian.com. And ask more

Source: www.theguardian.com

Google Edits AI Super Bowl Ads featuring Inaccurate Information

Posted on February 7, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Google had to edit an ad for its AI tool Gemini after discovering it contained false information about Gouda cheese, just before it was set to air during the Super Bowl.

Local ads showcasing how AI is used in businesses featured Gemini’s capabilities in helping Wisconsin cheesemongers write product descriptions and track global cheese consumption.

However, a blogger claimed the statistics were “AI hallucinations” and “clearly false”. More reliable data suggests that Dutch cheese may be less popular than cheddar or mozzarella.

Blogger Nate Hake added, “I found this example of AI errors in 20 minutes. I attempted fact checks during the Super Bowl ad.”

Replying, Google executive Jerry Dischler clarified that the AI systems do not invent false information but sometimes pull honest data from websites like Gemini. He emphasized, “Gemini is linked to the web, showing results and references. In this case, multiple sites have the 50-60% stats.”

Google stated they would correct the ads to fix the error after speaking with the cheesemonger in the ad and adjusting the product descriptions on Gemini as per his suggestion.

Google’s AI tools have previously faced criticism for errors and questionable advice. Last year, the AI’s Search feature drew backlash for advising users to use “non-toxic adhesives” to improve cheese sticks, and Gemini’s image generation tool sparked controversy by depicting historical figures in a questionable manner.

The images provoked negative reactions, including from Elon Musk, questioning the impact of libertarians and Stalin. The Gemini Chatbot also faced criticism for its responses in these situations.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Revealing a Thawing World through Chilling Images

Posted on February 7, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Mel des Grace, France’s largest glacier

Julia Roger – Beeler/One Water

These impressive images highlight the disappearing ice of the Earth and the battle to preserve it. A staggering two-thirds of the glacier have disappeared by the end of the century, threatening ecosystems and the world’s water supply. The image is Walk of Water Contestoperated by UNESCO and One Water. UNESCO has designated 2025 as the International Year for Glacier Preservation.

Julia Roger Bayer took second in the European category in Chamonix with atmospheric shots of Mel des Grace, France’s biggest glacier. The image above was taken from within Mulan. This was a photo taken under the peer inside the cave, with a huge hole carved into the glacier by Meltwater, created by a glacial retreat. Roger-Beyer climbs Mer de Glace to take photos every fall. Each year, the glacier retreates about 40 meters. In an announcement about her victory, she said she hopes she will “be a “probably a helpless witness” to that loss.

Michele Rapini won the first prize in the European category for his shots that recorded his efforts to save the Prena Glacier in northern Italy (hereinafter referred to as). According to Rapini, the surface area of glaciers, essential to the alpine ecosystem, fell from 68 hectares to 41 between 1993 and 2003.

In 2008, conservationists began spreading textile sheets over glaciers every summer to prevent melting. The photo shows workers who do not see the sheets during autumn before the first snow. It may be that effort Reduced ice melting At two thirds, however, it is not possible to suspend the ice loss. As Rapini writes, “Climate change cannot be mitigated with localized quick fixes alone.”

The contest’s global awards are sponsored by MPB, and the Regional Asia Awards are sponsored by the Asian Development Bank and sponsored by the Regional Europe Awards by the City of Bergersen.

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Video Game Development for Football Manager 25 Cancelled due to Multiple Delays

Posted on February 7, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

The developer of soccer management games has decided to cancel the release of the 2025 game due to multiple delays.

Sports Interactive (SI) has confirmed that FM25 has been scrapped, and they will focus on upcoming games, typically released in November. SI, a subsidiary of Sega, issued an apology to fans for the “hard decision” to cancel the game due to technical difficulties.

“I know this is extremely disappointing, especially with the game’s release date being delayed twice already,” the statement read.

The developers had intended to introduce “significant technical and visual improvements to the series for years,” but found it unattainable.

They explained: “While many aspects of the game met our expectations, the overall player experience and interface fell short. Releasing FM25 in its current state would have been below our standards. We could have fixed issues, but that wouldn’t have been fair. Additionally, expecting players to purchase another game later in the year is unrealistic due to the timing of the football season, so we chose not to exceed the March release date.”

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SI also confirmed that they will not update the 2024 game with 2025 team and roster information, but will provide full refunds to fans who pre-ordered FM25.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Parents file lawsuit against Tiktok for alleged role in child’s death from “Blackout Challenge”

Posted on February 7, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

The parents of four teenagers in England have filed a lawsuit against Tiktok following the tragic death of their children.

Isaac Kennevan (13), Archie Buttersby (12), Julian “Juls” Sweeney (14), and 13-year-old Maia Walsh, who rose to fame on social media in 2021, tragically lost their lives in 2022 while attempting a dangerous “challenge,” as stated in the lawsuit.

The Social Media Victims Law Center based in the US lodged a wrongful death lawsuit against Tiktok and its parent company Baitedan on behalf of the grieving parents.

Matthew Bergman, the founding attorney for the Social Media Victims Law Center, revealed, “Three of the four children succumbed to self-stable after being exposed to the hazardous Tiktok Blackout Challenge, all from a similar city and demographic. This does not seem coincidental.”

Bergman further claimed, “Tiktok deliberately targets these vulnerable children with perilous content to boost engagement and profit. The deliberate business decision by Tiktok cost the lives of these four children.”

Tiktok has asserted that searches related to the challenge have been restricted since 2020 and they strive to ban and eliminate harmful content promptly. They also direct users to their safety center if they search for related keywords or videos.

The lawsuit, on behalf of Archie’s mother Holly Dance, Isaac’s mother Lisa Kennevan, Juls’ mother Ellenroom, and Maia’s father Liam Walsh, was filed in the Superior Court of Delaware.

The lawsuit accused Tiktok of marketing itself as a safe and fun platform for children while promoting dangerous and addictive content. Tiktok allegedly engaged children with risky challenges to increase revenue.

Tiktok dismissed claims that they allowed the Blackout Challenge on their platform, asserting that they are actively working to address such issues. However, other perilous challenges involving drugs, hot water, and fire have emerged on Tiktok.

The lawsuit also highlighted that parents believed Tiktok was harmless, catering to children’s entertainment, without anticipating mental health repercussions.

The Social Media Victims Law Center represents families affected by harmful social media content, aiming to prevent the promotion of harmful videos, including those depicting suicide or self-harm, especially among children.

One of the cases involved Tawainna Anderson suing Tiktok in 2022 after her daughter Naira, aged 10, participated in the Blackout Challenge. The appeals court reinstated her case in August 2024.

Archie’s cause of death was determined to be accidental experimentation at his home, with the Blackout Challenge cited as a potential factor among many others.

Juls’ mother is advocating for parents to have legal rights to access their children’s social media accounts following the tragic loss of her son in 2022.

Amendments to the Online Safety Law in the UK aim to compel social media platforms to shield children from dangerous challenges and stunt content while actively eradicating risky material.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Amazon’s Year-End Finish Strong, But Weaker Projections for Next Quarter

Posted on February 7, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Amazon exceeded Wall Street’s expectations by earning revenue in the fourth quarter of 2024, but it anticipates a decline in the coming quarter.

Finishing the year on a high note, the retail giant reported $187.79 billion in revenue and $1.86 per share, surpassing analysts’ revenue estimates of $187.3 billion and $1.49 per share.

The robust revenues reflect a strong holiday shopping season, with online spending increasing by 8.7% year-on-year in November and December, according to Adobe Analytics. Overall, consumers spent $241 billion over the two-month period, as reported by Adobe.

“The holiday shopping season was Amazon’s most successful ever. We are grateful for the support of our customers, sales partners, and employees who contributed to this success,” stated Andy Jassy, Amazon’s CEO. Read the full statement.

Despite beating expectations, Amazon fell short of analyst sales estimates for the next quarter. The company forecasts sales between $151 billion and $15.5 billion, while analysts had estimated $15.85 billion. Stock prices dropped after hours but recovered to previous levels the following day.

Wall Street has acknowledged Amazon’s cost-cutting measures in recent years. Jassy implemented layoffs and cuts across various departments, resulting in a positive financial impact on Amazon’s revenue.

During the revenue announcement, Jassy highlighted Amazon’s new innovations, particularly in artificial intelligence, such as the new AI chip Trainium2. Jassy emphasized the practical benefits of these technologies in the evolving tech landscape.

Amazon’s executive chairman, Jeff Bezos, has reconciled with Donald Trump after years of criticism. Amazon contributed $1 million to the president’s inaugural fund, and Bezos was present at Trump’s swearing-in ceremony.

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Jassy followed Trump’s lead by scaling back Amazon’s DEI efforts, and Bezos withdrew support for the Climate Change and Biodiversity Fund.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Early Universe Detection of Radio Jet Emitted by Monster 2 Galaxy

Posted on February 7, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

The newly discovered radio jet is associated with J1601+3102, a highly radioloud kusar that spans an astounding 215,000 light years and exists just 1.2 billion years after the Big Bang. This structure was observed on a low-frequency array (LOFAR), Gemini North Telescope from the Gemini Near-Frared Spectrograph (GNIRS), and the hobby Eberly telescope, and the largest radio jet discovered early in the history of the universe. That's it.

J1601+3102 Radio Jet. Image credits: Lofar/Decals/Desi Legacy Imaging Surveys/lbnl/doe/ctio/noirlab/nsf/aura/F. Sweijen, Durham University/M. Zamani, NSF Noirab.

“We were looking for a quasar with a powerful radio jet in the early universe, which helped us understand how the first jets were formed and how they influenced the evolution of the galaxy. ”

“Determining the properties of a quasar, such as its mass and the speed at which it consumes the problem, is necessary to understand its formation history.”

To measure these parameters, astronomers looked for specific wavelengths emitted by quasars known as the MGII (magnesium) wide emission lines.

This signal is usually displayed in the UV wavelength range. However, due to the expansion of the universe, which causes the light emitted by the quasar to “stretch” to a longer wavelength, the magnesium signal arrives at Earth in the near-infrared wavelength range that can be detected by the Gneal.

J1601+3102 Quasar was formed when the universe was less than 1.2 billion years. It's only 9% of my current age.

Quasars can have billions of times more mass than our Sun, but this is on the small side and weighs 450 million times the mass of the Sun.

The double-sided jets are asymmetric in both brightness and distance extending from the quasar, indicating that extreme environments may be affecting them.

“Interestingly, the quasars that run this large radio jet don't have any extreme black holes mass compared to other quasars,” Dr. Gloudemans said.

“This appears to indicate that generating such a powerful jet in early universes does not necessarily require very large black holes or accretion rates.”

The previous shortage of large radio jets in early space is attributed to noise from the microwave background of the universe. This is a constant fog of microwave radiation remaining from the Big Bang.

This permanent background radiation usually reduces the radio light of such distant objects.

“Because this object is so extreme, it can actually be seen from the Earth, even if it's far away,” Dr. Gloudemans said.

“This object shows us what we can discover by combining the forces of multiple telescopes operating at different wavelengths.”

result It will be displayed in Astrophysics Journal Letter.

____

Anniek J. Gloudemans et al. 2025. Monster radio jet (>66 kpc) observed in quasars from z~5. apjl 980, L8; doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/AD9609

This article is based on a press release provided by NSF's Noirlab.

Source: www.sci.news

The Statistical Structure of the Humpback Whale Song Resembles Human Language

Posted on February 7, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

An international team of researchers analyzed moans, moans, whistles, bark, screams, and creaks in recordings of humpback whale songs collected over eight years in New Caledonia.

Arnon et al. We have revealed the same statistical structure of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) Songs are characteristic of human language. Image credits: Christopher Michelle / CC by 2.0.

“I found something really fascinating,” said Dr. Emma Carroll, a marine biologist at Auckland University.

In this study, Dr. Carol and colleagues apply quantitative methods that are usually used to evaluate infantile utterances, and that this applies to culturally evolved learning songs in human languages. I found it. Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae).

In human language, structurally consistent units exhibit frequency distribution that follows the law of power. Zipfian distribution – Attributes that are likely to promote learning and enhance accurate conservation of language across generations.

The Humpback Whale Song is one of the most complex vocal displays in the Animal Kingdom and is passed down through cultural transmission, providing something compelling in parallel with human language.

These songs are highly structured, consisting of nested hierarchical components. The theme is combined with the sound elements that form the phrase, the phrases that are repeated in the theme, and the song.

If statistical properties of human language arise from cultural transmission, similar patterns should be possible to detect in whale songs.

The study authors analyzed recorded humpback whale song data over eight years using infant-inspired speech segmentation techniques.

They discovered a hidden structure in the whale song.

Specifically, these songs contain statistically coherent subsequences that fit the Zipfian distribution.

Furthermore, the length of these subsequences follows ZIPF's Law of Suspicion, an efficiency-driven principle found in many species, including humans.

This striking similarity between the two evolutionarily distant species emphasizes the deep role of learning and cultural communication in shaping communication across species, with such structural properties being exclusive to human language. It challenges the concept of being.

“The Whale Songs” at Griffith University, Dr. Jenny Allen, a leading expert on whale songs, said:

“This is why it offers such an exciting comparison.”

“These results provide unique insight into the importance of cultural communication in interspecies learning processes, particularly for learning complex communication systems.”

“A more interesting question is, rather than trying to adapt animal communication to holes in the form of “human language”? I think so. ”

“Using insights and methods from how babies learn languages allowed us to discover structures that were previously undetected in whale songs,” says Professor Inval Arnon of Hebrew University. Ta.

“This work illustrates how learning and cultural communication can form the structure of communication systems. Find similar statistical structures when complex continuous behaviors are culturally transmitted. You can do it.”

“It raises the interesting possibility that humpback whales can track the transition odds between sound elements, like human babies, and learn songs by using dips to segment those odds. Masu.”

study It was published in the journal today Science.

____

Invalanon et al. 2025. The whale song shows a language-like statistical structure. Science 387 (6734): 649-653; doi: 10.1126/science.adq7055

Source: www.sci.news

Webb detects ethereal Herbig Halo objects in the Taurus Molecular Cloud.

Posted on February 7, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Using Near-infrared camera (nircam) Mid-infrared instrument (Mil)Advanced on a James Webbspace Telescope, astronomers took a stunning image of an edge-on-protoplanetary disc around a Herbig Halo object HH 30The Dark Cloud LDN 1551, is located in Taurus Molecular Cloud.

This Webb/nircam/miri shows the Herbig-Haro object HH 30. et al.

The Herbig-Haro object is a small bright patch of nebula associated with protostars in the star-forming region.

These structures were first observed in the 19th century by American astronomer Sherburn Wesley Burnham, but were not recognized as a distinct type of ejection nebula until the 1940s.

The first astronomers to study them in detail were George Harbigue and Guillermo Halo, and they were later named.

Herbig Halo objects are formed in very specific circumstances. Hot gas discharged by the newborn star collides with the gas, hitting it at a speed of up to 250,000 kmh (155,000 mph), creating a bright shock wave.

They come in a wide range of shapes. The basic configuration is usually the same. Twin jets of hot gases are ejected in the opposite direction from the forming stars and flow through interstellar space.

“HH 30 is an example of where this effluent gas takes the form of a narrow jet,” the astronomer said.

“The source star is on one end of the jet and is hidden behind an edge-on-protoplanetary disc illuminated by the star.”

Using Webb Instruments, researchers investigate HH 30 objects in great detail.

They also analyzed data from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and Atacama's Large Millimeter/Sub-Millimeter Array (ALMA).

“Long-wavelength data from Alma tracks the location of millimeter-sized dust particles in a narrow area on the middle surface of the disk,” they said.

“Short wavelength infrared data from Webb reveals the distribution of smaller dust grains.”

“These grains are one millionth of a meter in diameter. They are the size of a single bacteria.”

“Large dust grains are concentrated in the most dense portions of the disc, while small grains are much more widely used.”

“Combined with Alma's sharp radio-wavelength eyes, Webb's observations show that large dust particles must migrate within the disk and precipitate into a thin layer,” they added.

“Creating narrow, dense layers of dust is an important step in the formation of the planet.”

“In this densely populated area, dust grains together form pebbles, and ultimately form the planet itself.”

“In addition to the behavior of dust grains, images of Webb, Hubble and Alma reveal several different structures nested with each other.”

“A high-speed jet of gas appears at a 90-degree angle from the narrow central disc.”

“The narrow jet is surrounded by wider, cone-shaped spills.”

“Enclosing the cone runoff is a broad nebula that reflects the light from the young stars embedded in the disc.”

“Together, these data reveal that HH 30 is a dynamic location, where small dust grains and huge jets play a role in the formation of a new planet.”

Survey results It will be published in Astrophysical Journal.

____

Ryozaki et al. 2025. JWST imaging of edge-on protranetary discs. IV. HH 30 disc mid-infrared dust scattering. APJin press; Arxiv: 2412.07523

Source: www.sci.news

George RR Martin Completes Physics Paper

Posted on February 7, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Feedback is The new scientistPopular Sideways watches the latest science and technology news. You can send the items you believe in, and readers can entertain feedback to give feedback via email feedback@newscientist.com

(Wild) Card Game

Feedback doesn’t have time or trends to select all editions of American Journal of PhysicsBut fortunately New ScientistPhysics reporters Alex Wilkins and Carmela Padavik Callaghan are contractually mandatory. Therefore, we are familiar with our newly discovered entitled papers. “The Lagrangian Dynamics of the Elgod in the Superhero Universe”.

The most immediate and impressive point is the list of two authors. One, Ian Tregirisa theoretical physicist and published author at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. The other is George R.R. Martin, author of science fiction and author of fantasy books; Night Flyer, Fevre Dream And of course, Song of ice and fire series. This has been adapted as a television game of thrones. This is “His first peer-reviewed physics publication.”.

Tregillis and Martin have developed educational exercises aimed at advanced undergraduates in physics. It is based on Wild Cards: A collection of stories set in a shared universe edited by Martin and Melinda Snodgrass.

The premise of the story is that extraterrestrial viruses have loosened on Earth and infect many humans. As Tregillis and Martin explain, “For every 100 potential carriers who experience viral expression in the body…90 experience fatal consequences. 9 is physically mutated and often deep. That's right. And 1 acquires superhuman abilities.”

The teaching exercises are built around this “fixed empirical 90:9:1 rule.” Students are encouraged to imagine that they are the theorists they live in Wild Cards Trying to solve the universe and why viruses affect these proportions of people. The point is to provide students with problems with no known solutions to encourage creative research.

The feedback gets where they are coming from, but I wonder if this will fly. Many educators tie lessons to pop culture phenomena as a hook for reluctant students, but this only works if the phenomenon in question is really well known. The best will in the world, I don't know if the feedback will be said Wild Cards.

But we think there are better options for advanced physics noodles. How does snap work? Avengers: Infinity War? It appears to propagate instantly and inevitably breaks the speed of light. Or what about Iain M. Banks's cosmology? culture novel?

I'm also surprised they haven't done anything obvious. Song of ice and fire? One viable explanation is that planets have prominent orbital wobbles, but in that case why do long-standing winters suffer the Westeros continent? Esus doesn't seem to have any cultural memories at all. Is there anything specific about the atmospheric dynamics that sometimes provide Westeros with a decade of snowstorm?

Sorry, but there was a side street. Speaking of sidetracking: George, do you just finish it? Winter wind And then I'll enter Spring dreamSo, can we all know if the planned ending of the series is better than the wet squibb that TV writers have come up with? Isn't it worse than the bits where they killed the main buddy and all his men conveniently collapsed?

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Animal template

In the ongoing vein of “generic AIS says the stupidest thing,” reporter Matthew Spark draws our attention to a paper on the title of Arxiv. “Owls are wise and foxes are dishonest. Discover animal stereotypes in vision language models.”. This study focused on Dall-E 3, an AI that generates images based on text prompts. Researchers provided prompts such as “generate images of gentle animals” and recorded creatures drawn by AI.

Given what we know about AIS summarizing sexist and racist ratios, Dall-e 3 is a stereotypical torrential predictability I pumped it out. All faithful animals were dogs, wise animals were mainly owls, and naughty animals were mainly raccoons and foxes. Feedback is pretty sure that dogs can be mischievous. Our last dog was incredibly mean when it came to stealing cat food or finding fox poop stripes, but Dall-e 3 clearly gave us a more one-dimensional view of dogs. I'm doing it.

In case the feedback cat reads this, we can't even repeat the honor lib loss for the cat fucked by the Dall-E 3.

Luckily, other AIs are getting better. for example, Mid JanuaryApple has since suspended its AI news notification system It is repeatedly supplied Absurd and misleading headlinesinclude “Netanyahu has been arrested.”. Ah, no, that's not good.

All sleep

a press release Warns feedback to published research Functional Ecology January 5th Evolution of dormant behaviors such as Torpor and Hibernation. By examining which animals become dormant and unable to, the researchers conclude that nutrition and hibernation evolved several times independently among the sclerosted animals.

Some may interpret this as the incredible creativity and flexibility of evolution in a complete exhibition. But feedback interprets it as an evolution that has failed us. Where we are is cold, dark, wet, and the feedback is pretty fantastical. You should do that for three months.

Have you talked about feedback?

You can send stories to feedback by email at feedback@newscientist.com. Include your home address. This week and past feedback can be found on our website.

Source: www.newscientist.com

Precioauro’s remarkable fossil retains its skin and scales

Posted on February 7, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

A new Pleciosaurus skeleton from Ulwerd Mushamhauf, Holzmaden, Germany

Klaus nilkens/urwelt-museum hauff

The soft tissue of the Pleciosaurus was first studied in detail, revealing that marine reptiles living in the dinosaur era and simultaneously extinct, had similar scales to modern sea turtles.

The 183 million years of 4.5 meters long Plesiosaurus fossil known as the MH7 was first excavated in 1940 from a quarry near Holzmadden, Germany, but was intended to protect it during World War II. He was buried in the museum garden. . It then spent the next 75 years in storage until it was finally assembled in 2020 and ready to study.

Miguel Marx Lund University in Sweden and his team provided thin sections of fossils. The minerals then melted and were treated with organic ruins. This allowed them to study the microscopic structure of fossil tissue.

Illustration of a plesiosaurus with smooth, unscaled skin along the scale and body on a flipper

Joshua Nuppe

Although at least eight other plesiosaurus fossils are known to have soft tissue conservation, most are historically important museum specimens and are used to study them using destructive sampling methods. It's impossible to do, says Marx. “This is the first time we have performed a detailed analysis of fossilized soft tissues from Plesiosaurus,” he says.

The team was surprised to find that the reptiles have both areas of smooth, scaly skin. “Together, this plesioaurus was an interesting chimera between a scaled green sea turtle-like thing and scale. [smooth-skinned] Leatherback turtle,” says Marx. “I would have expected this plesiosaurus to be as scaleless as modern Fischozard.”

The scaled skin of the flippers, he says, helped the plesiosaurus swim in the water, perhaps by providing stiffness, or migrated along the seabed while searching for food. Scaleless skins on the rest of the body would have reduced the impact of drag when swimming.

“The actual appearance of the long neck plesio sauce is truly everyone's guess, but thanks to this new fossil, we now have a better idea,” says Marx.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

The ancient origins of London’s underground mutant mosquitoes

Posted on February 6, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Culex Pipiens f. Molester It is a species of mosquito found in cities around the world

BlickWinkel / Alamy Stock Photo

The shape of mosquitoes associated with the London Underground Railway has evolved to live in human environments long before the birth of the Underground Railway, born at the age of 19.^thh century.

Culex Pipiens f. Molester It was found in cities around the world, but was widely known as an underground mosquito in London after World War II.

It is closely related to the chewing shape of the same species of bird, known as Culex Pipiens f. Pipiens, And biologists thought that within the past few centuries the form of molestation had evolved in urban environments.

To learn more about its origins, Lindy McBride Princeton University and her colleagues analyzed the DNA of 790 mosquitoes from 44 countries around the world, including the shapes of Molestus and Pipiens, several closely related species.

The results suggest that rather than occurring in London's tube tunnels, Molestus Mosquito evolved in the Middle East perhaps thousands of years ago. There are three main evidence for this.

First, the morphology of Molestus is genetically closer to the pipiens population in the Mediterranean basin than the pipiens population in Northern Europe. They are such things as these Mediterranean Pipiens mosquitoes, suggesting that one arises from the other.

Additionally, molestation mosquitoes in the Eastern Mediterranean region are more genetically diverse than molestation in underground habitats in northern Europe. “This suggests that they have been in the Eastern Mediterranean for quite some time,” says McBride.

Finally, Pipiens forms do not exist in the Middle East. This makes it much easier to imagine how the ancestors of Molestus Mosquitoes colonized the region and evolved to bite humans in isolation without mating with bird-biting pipingan insects , says McBride.

Based on the team's analysis of genetic variation, it is almost certain that Molestus mosquitoes are much older than previously thought, McBride says. “Our calculations show that it must have been at least 1,000 years ago, and 2000 to 10,000 years ago. [that they evolved]. This is perfectly aligned with the development of agriculture in the Middle East. ”

“Instead of evolving from scratch in urban underground spaces, Molestus was already prepared for urban life thanks to much older adaptations,” she says. “It could have evolved even further since it was once established in a city.”

The busy urban environment could lead to a new hybrid between the bite and human bite forms of birds, which are public health significance, says McBride. “Even if hybridization is rare, these mosquitoes may exhibit intermediate behavior and may exhibit improved ability to communicate through the West Nile. [virus] From birds to humans. ”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Humpback Whale Songs Show Similarities to Human Language Patterns

Posted on February 6, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Humpback whales in the South Pacific

Tony Woo/Nature Picture Library/Aramie

Humpback whale songs have statistical patterns in their structure, but they are very similar to those found in human language. This does not mean that songs convey complex meanings like our sentences, but that whales may learn songs in a similar way to how human infants begin to understand language. It suggests.

Only male humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) When you sing, actions are considered important to attract peers. The songs are constantly evolving, and new elements appear and spread in the population until old songs are replaced with completely new ones.

“I think it's like a standardized test. Everyone has to do the same task, but changing or decorating to show that they're better at tasks than others can be done. You can do it.” Jenny Allen At Griffith University, in the Gold Coast, Australia.

Instead of trying to find meaning in songs, Allen and her colleagues were looking for innate structural patterns similar to those found in human language. They analyzed eight years of whale songs recorded around New Caledonia in the Pacific Ocean.

The researchers began by creating alphanumeric codes to represent all the songs on every recording, including a total of around 150 unique sounds. “Essentially it's a different sounding group, so maybe a year will make a groaning cry. So we may have an AAB.

Once all the songs were encoded, a team of linguists had to understand how best to analyze so much of the data. The breakthrough occurred when researchers decided to use an analytical technique that applies to methods of discovering words called transition probability.

“The speech is continuous and there is no pause between words, so infants must discover the boundaries of the word.” Invalanon At Hebrew University in Jerusalem. “To do this, use low-level statistics. Specifically, if they are part of the same word, the sounds are more likely to occur together. Infants Use these dips in the possibility of discovering the boundaries of words following another sound.”

For example, the phrase “cute flower” intuitively recognizes that the syllable “pre” and “tty” are more likely to go together than “tty” or “flow.” “If there is a similar statistical structure in a whale song, these cues should also help segment it,” Arnon says.

Using the alphanumeric version of Whale Song, the team calculated the probability of transition between successive sound elements and cut it when the previous sound elements were amazing.

“These cuts divide the song into segmented subsequences,” Arnon says. “We then looked at their distribution and, surprisingly, discovered that they follow the same distribution as seen in all human languages.”

In this pattern called Zipfian distribution, the prevalence of less common words drops in a predictable way. Another impressive finding is that the most common whale sounds tend to be shorter, as is the case with the most common human language.

Nick Enfield At the University of Sydney, who was not involved in the research, it says it is a novel way to analyze whale songs. “What that means is when you analyze it War and peacethe most frequent words are the next twice as often, and researchers have identified similar patterns in whale songs,” he says.

Team Members Simon Carby The University of Edinburgh in the UK says he didn't think this would work. “I will never forget the moment the graph appears. It appears to be familiar from human language,” he says. “This has made me realize that it uncovered a deep commonality between these two species, separated by tens of millions of years of evolution.”

However, researchers emphasize that this statistical pattern does not lead to the conclusion that whale songs are languages that convey meaning as we understand them. They suggest that the possible reason for commonality is that both whale songs and human languages are culturally learned.

“The physical distribution of words and sounds in languages is a truly fascinating feature, but there are millions of other things about languages that are completely different from whale songs,” Enfield says.

In another study It was released this week, Mason Young Blood At Stony Brook University in New York, we found that other marine mammals may also have structural similarities to human language in communication.

Menzeras' law predicting that sentences with more words should consist of shorter words were present in 11 of the 16 species of disease studied. The ZIPF abbreviation law was discovered in two of the five types in which the available data can now be detected.

“To sum up, our research suggests that humpback whale songs have evolved to be more efficient and easier to learn, and that these features can be found in the level of notes within the phrase, phrases within the song. I'm doing it,” Youngblood says.

“Importantly, the evolution of these songs is also biological and cultural. Although some features, such as Menzerath's Law, can emerge through the biological evolution of voice devices, Other features such as the rank frequency method of ZIPF are [the Zipfian distribution]there may be times when cultural communication of songs between individuals is necessary,” he says.

topic:

animal/
Whale and dolphin

Source: www.newscientist.com

The latest technology enables scanning of faces in 3D from hundreds of meters away

Posted on February 6, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

The new imaging device can capture 3D scans of human faces hundreds of meters away

Aon McCarthy of Heriot Watt University

After 325 meters apart, your eyes can probably distinguish a person’s head from the body. However, new laser-based devices can create three-dimensional models of faces.

Aongus McCarthy The University of Heriot Watt in Scotland and his colleagues have built a device that can create detailed three-dimensional images containing 1 millimeter ridges and indents a few hundred meters apart. An imaging technique called Lidar is used to emit pulses of laser light, collide with the object and is reflected on the device. Based on how long it takes each pulse to return, Lidar can determine the shape of the object.

To reach this level of detail, the team had to carefully tune and align many different components, McCarthy said, including small parts that direct the laser pulse into the device. To enable discrimination between single light particles, the researchers used photodetectors based on extremely thin superconducting wires, a component not common in LIDAR. Exclude sunlight that could enter the detector and break down the image was another challenge.

Researchers tested the rider system on a roof near the lab by taking detailed three-dimensional images of the team members’ heads from 45 meters and 325 meters apart. On a small scale, they captured LEGO figurines from a distance of 32 meters.

The imaging system can scan LEGO characters from 32 meters away

Aon McCarthy of Heriot Watt University

Another test imaged a segment of a communications tower one kilometre away. “It was a very difficult test. I couldn’t control what the scene could do due to the bright background. [that we were imaging]McCarthy says.

Feihu Xu At the University of Science and Technology in China, the team previously used LIDAR for imaging From 200km awayMcCarthy and his colleagues say they achieved “amazing results” in terms of the device’s depth resolution. “It’s the best so far,” he says.

Lidar says that modern technology is only becoming more relevant Vivek Goyal at Boston University, Massachusetts. He says that being able to create detailed 3D maps of the surroundings is also important for self-driving cars and some robots, but before using them for this purpose, new devices need to be made smaller and more compact. There is.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Hair Tests for Autism Screening

Posted on February 6, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

summary

Tests designed to identify biomarkers associated with autism have become available in most states.
The test is intended to help doctors rule out autism in children who are likely to do so.
The results are based on metabolic analysis that requires only the hair chain, but experts say more research is needed.

Tests designed to identify biomarkers associated with autism in infants and young children are open to the public in most states.

New Jersey startup Linusbio began testing on Thursday called Clearstrand-ASD. This test requires only one strand of hair.

This test is neither designed to diagnose autism spectrum disorder nor to be used alone. Instead, it aims to help doctors rule out autism in children, which is likely to be the case. This may be because the child has a sibling with autism or demonstrated behaviors related to the disorder.

Manish Arora, co-founder of Linusbio and its CEO, said Clearstrand-ASD is the only biochemical test available to detect autism spectrum disorder in children under 18 months of age. He hopes it will make the process of eliminating autism more efficiently and reduce the waiting time for those who need intervention or treatment the most.

“The focus is really on early intervention,” Alora said. “The sooner you intervene, the better your kids will.”

This test uses children’s hair to analyze the history of metabolism. Metabolic history tells the story of substances or toxins that have been exposed or processed over time, Arora previously told NBC News. His research has identified patterns of Metal exposure or metabolism dysregulation Some evidence suggests that it may be related to autism. Hair can provide a kind of timeline of what is happening in a child’s body, including patterns of metal exposure at certain stages of development.

“We can detect a clear rhythm of autism with about a centimeter of hair,” Arora previously told NBC News, and what the environment was like during a certain period of growth when a wooden ring was growing. We compared the dynamics and ways in which the story can be told.

The Food and Drug Administration has not approved the Clearstrand ASD test. However, as of Thursday, it is available to consumers in 44 states. If only I could pay $2,750. (I am not eligible for insurance coverage yet.) This test can be ordered directly from a primary care provider or Linusbio. This sets up the appointments of the independent physicians and telehealth that it offers, Arora said.

“You come to us, you get a prescription from an independent clinician. We’ll send you a kit. You’ll get results within about three weeks,” he said.

Diagnostic aid is still in the early stages of development, with limited data supporting its effectiveness. On Thursday, Linusbio shared several new first findings at the Metabolomics and Human Health Conference in Ventura, California. In a group of 490 children in California, who are at high risk for autism spectrum disorder, the test was able to eliminate it with an accuracy of around 92.5%, the company said. However, the results are not published in peer-reviewed journals.

2022 study on the company’s methodologyWe analyzed another Linusbio test published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine and found that it was still under development and that the methodology accurately predicts autism diagnosis (positive and negative) about 81% of the time .

The test is one of several promising ideas researchers are pursuing as a way to identify or exclude autism early in their children’s lives. Other scientists are considering eye tracking, blood tests and audio analysis as possible methods.

ClearStrand-ASD works by running the laser on the length of the hair being tested, turning the hair into a plasma that can be processed with machine learning algorithms. The results of the full analysis are expected within 3 weeks, after which the parents of the child participate in the follow-up telehealth appointment.

External experts said that while Linusbio’s hair strand test is promising, more research is needed.

“For me, this feels like it’s not the earliest, it’s on the early side of things. Stephen, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Missouri School of Medicine and Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment, Stephen, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Missouri School of Medicine and Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment. Schenkop said: “This seems like an approach that could become part of a set of ways children can be screened for concern, but it’s more. It’s at the stage where you need evidence of that.

Sheinkopf works closely with primary care physicians who are concerned about the possibility of autism by families with young children who are careful to monitor their development and screen for autism. It suggested that there was.

“Sometimes, I see new shiny tools. I want to skip what’s already available,” he said.

Sheinkopf also noted parents who have evidence of differences in child development You can seek federally mandated services without a formal diagnosis.

Seeking a diagnosis of autism in a child can take a long time. American Academy of Pediatrics Autism screening is recommended at 18 and 24 months. Neurological tests, language assessment, behavioral observation, and other methods are ultimately used to diagnose children.

By helping to rule out autism in some children, Arora has given priority to the attention of those most needy, and wait times for families seeking care and treatment. He said he hopes it can be shortened.

Rebeccaranda, executive director of the Center for Autism Services, Science and Innovation at Kennedy Krieger Institute, a Baltimore pediatric care center focused on developmental disorders, has a shortage of experts to help diagnose and treat autism. He said he is doing it. That’s why she hopes that the test will make the child’s flow to professionals more efficient.

“It can accelerate the speed at which children are seen, and like that, children with very low chances of autism sit in a pipeline waiting to meet some kind of expert. Not,” she said.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Tiny proteins that repair tooth enamel

Posted on February 6, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Over 50% of the world’s population experiences at least one cavity in childhood, increasing to over 90% in adults. Using a fluoride gagging agent, brushing and flossing twice daily and getting fillings as needed is a standard practice to maintain good dental hygiene. Still, dentists fill more than 100 million cavities around the world each year, on average. What if there is a way to prevent it? and Reverse cavity? Dental researchers recently tested a new method of restoring the structure of teeth before major damage occurs.

Our teeth are made up of minerals made up of calcium and phosphates. When the acids and bacteria in our mouth break down these minerals, our teeth experience Demineralisation. When dechlorination drills holes in the protective layer outside the tooth, a cavity forms; enamel. If left untreated, these holes will deepen and slowly collapse over time the enamel and remaining teeth.

Brushing teeth and using mouthwash can clean acids and bacteria from the mouth to prevent the initial cavity, but dental researchers want to demineralize and therefore reverse the cavity. Tooth-like minerals line themselves up in shapes similar to snowflakes and diamonds. Crystal-like structure. They also tend to complete their own patterns by fusing firmly with the surrounding minerals. Therefore, researchers hope to use this natural process to reconstruct dental minerals into their crystal-like structures.

One way to encourage scientists to begin reconstructing teeth is to use small chains of molecules that form proteins. peptide. Scientists use a specific peptide called An Enamel-binding peptide Or EBP can help bind calcium and phosphate to crystallize. When you soak your teeth in a container filled with EBP, the minerals bind to it. Minerals from the solution do not stick to the teeth without EBPS. This makes these peptides an important component in crystal growth.

This knowledge led Japanese researchers to bind teeth with minerals, assuming that they could be soaked in EBP called wgnyayk and immersed in calcium and phosphate solutions. If this process works, build or effectively return the hard surface of the teeth. reminderalize Its enamel.

To test this idea, the researchers acquired 30 cow teeth and randomly separated them into three groups. They degrined the enamel of each tooth by placing it in a solution containing acetic acid at a pH of 4.5 for 7-9 days to mimic how natural tooth enamel fades. After this process, the scientists coated two groups of teeth with wgnyayk peptides and did not leave the other groups. They immersed them in a remineralization solution containing monopotasium phosphate and buffer at a pH of 7. The researchers also added a green pigment to the solution that brightens and brightens the harder the enamel surface. The more dense the minerals, the more intense the enamel and brighten the teeth.

Scientists analyzed teeth soaked in WGNYAYK peptide solution under a laser microscope. They found that the higher the concentration of the peptide solution that had soaked in the teeth, the brighter fluorescent green. They explained that this correlation means that the combination of peptide and mineral baths partially restored tooth enamel.

The researchers considered their experiment a success because the EBP they tested promoted dental remineralization. Next, they are trying to create a local application of this EBP for clinical research. They warned that before this EBP is brought to trial in humans, scientists should investigate the composition and potential adverse effects of reinserted teeth. Still, the researchers concluded that their success was a step in the right direction for dentistry. Future testing will check whether EBP treatment is effective in human teeth as well as in cow teeth.

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Source: sciworthy.com

First successful production of Kangaroo embryos via in vitro fertilization (IVF)

Posted on February 6, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

It’s a major scientific leap – or at least the hop.

Australian researchers said Thursday it was the first time it produced the first kangaroo embryos through intravitro fertilization, a breakthrough that helped save endangered species from extinction.

Australia is not a shortage of kangaroos – bouncing creatures are generally eaten there – but they are from a group of mammalian marsupials that have been mostly discovered in the country and have lost many species due to extinction.

Prime Minister Andres Gambini, a lecturer at the University of Queensland, said that using kangaroo eggs and sperm by researchers could help support the conservation of these marsupials.

“Our team has built up years of experience dealing with livestock reproductive techniques, such as livestock and horses,” Gambini told NBC News via email. “Adapting these techniques to the unique biology of kangaroos allowed us to create embryos in our lab for the first time.”

This study will help scientists learn more about how marsupial embryos grow because they breed differently than other mammals.

“Kangaroos have a very short pregnancy and embryos can enter suspended animations for several months,” Gambini said. “Our success at IVF helps us to better understand the early stages of these developments.”

Australia is one of the world’s most biological countries, but has the highest rate of mammal extinction. Australia’s Invasive Species Council says that since the European settlement, at least 33 mammal species have been extinct, with many of their marsupials extinct.

Due to its historically high extinction rate, the Australian government announced its 10 years in 2022. “Zero Extinction” plan To protect those under threat, we reserve at least 30% of the country’s land mass for conservation.

“If we continue to do what we do, more plants and animals will be extinct,” Australia’s Environment Minister Tanya Privelesek said in the report. “Even koalas are currently at risk on Australia’s east coast.”

Currently, according to 2023, more than 2,200 species in the country are classified as extinct. Report Australian nonprofit foundation.

“Laws intended to protect the nature of Australia have failed,” the report states, with the major conservation policies in countries that existed “are barely monitored and rarely enforced, and businesses are able to naturally qualify. It’s full of loopholes that allow you to destroy it.”

Kangaroos are not at risk, but researchers at the University of Queensland have said that their latest breakthroughs include koalas, Tasmanian demons and other endangered species on the continent, including the hairy nose wombats in the north I hope it will help maintain marsupial species.

“This study provides new tools to maintain the genetic material of endangered species,” Gambini said. “By creating and freezing embryos, we can protect the unique genes of these animals.”

This is not the first time IVF has been used as a tool to preserve endangered species.

Last year, Italian scientists achieved the world’s first IVF rhino pregnancy, offering hope to save Kenya’s northern white rhinoceros – two of which remain on Earth from extinction. They did so by transferring lab-created rhinoembryos to surrogate mothers.

Still, Gambini said the latest IVF breakthrough is just one step on the long road to a more comprehensive solution.

“There’s a lot of unknowns because we’re the first and there’s still so much to discover,” he says, and when combined with other strategies, “make a real difference in some kind of risky kind of thing.” “You can do that.”

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Spyware used in WhatsApp breach leads to end of contract with owner

Posted on February 6, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Reports suggest that 90 individuals, including journalists and members of civil society, have been targeted by those familiar with the issue.

The termination of the contract came soon after WhatsApp revealed that Paragon’s spyware was used to target multiple individuals. Paragon, like other spyware vendors, sells cyber weapons to government clients for crime prevention purposes. The entities behind the alleged attacks on certain government clients remain unknown.

The decision to end the Italian contract was prompted by the discovery that two activists critical of Italian investigative journalist and dealings with Libya were among those targeted. All three were vocal opponents of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing government.

Meloni’s office denied any involvement in the alleged violations after accusations surfaced, stating that neither the national intelligence reporting agency nor the government was responsible.

Anonymous sources speaking to The Guardian revealed that Paragon initially faced scrutiny when the allegations of spyware abuse emerged. The Italian contract was temporarily suspended, and later terminated for violating the terms of service and ethical framework agreed upon.

A request for comment from an Italian government spokesman was made by The Guardian. Meloni is expected to address the alleged violations in Congress, and WhatsApp reported that approximately seven Italians were affected.

In response to inquiries, a Paragon representative declined to confirm or deny developments, citing company policy not to discuss matters related to potential clients.

Francesco Cancello, editor-in-chief of investigative news outlet FanPage, was informed that his phone was targeted using hacking software. The Graphite Spyware, similar to Pegasus, can infect phones without user interaction, possibly compromising devices.

WhatsApp detected the hacking attempts with the help of the University of Toronto’s Civic Research Institute. There is uncertainty about ongoing monitoring by government clients and the extent of involvement in each case.

The motive behind Cancello’s targeting remains unclear, but previous investigations by the publication may have played a role. Paragon’s move may allay some concerns, but unanswered questions remain about other cases uncovered by WhatsApp.

Paragon, recently acquired by US company AE Industry Partners, specializes in national security markets. The company has not responded to requests for comment about the acquisition.

Paragon previously secured a contract with ICE, the US immigration and customs enforcement agency, under the Biden administration. The contract’s compliance with regulations restricting spyware use by the federal government is unclear, as it was reportedly suspended.

Source: www.theguardian.com

69 million years ago, the famous waterfowl of Antarctica was thriving.

Posted on February 6, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

American and Australian paleontologists have discovered and explained the new, almost complete skull of Vegavis Iaai, a diver bird species in Footpro, which lived in Antarctica during the latest Cretaceous period between 69.2 and 68.4 million years ago. New fossils provide insight into bird feeding ecology and show morphology that supports placement among waterfowls in Crown Group (modern) birds.

Vegavis Iaai. Image credit: Mark Whitton.

Vegavis Iaai was first discovered 20 years ago by a research team led by Austin paleontologists, led by the University of Texas.

At the time, the species was proposed as an early member of the crown bird, which evolved into nests among waterfowls.

However, crown birds are very rare before end extinction, and more recent research has raised questions about the evolutionary position of Vegavis Iaai.

“There are few birds who are likely to start as many arguments as paleontologists do. Vegavis,” said Professor Christopher Torres of the University of the Pacific.

“This new fossil will help resolve many of these debates. Chief among them: Where are you? Vegavis Iaai Are you sitting on the bird of life tree?”

Almost complete skull of Vegavis Iaai collected during the 2011 expedition Antarctic Peninsula Paleontology Project.

Professor Torres and his colleagues produced an almost complete three-dimensional reconstruction of the new specimen.

Team analysis reveals typical bird brain shapes and supports the placement of Vegavis Iaai among the waterfowl family, and as relatives of ducks and geese.

However, in this study, the birds had elongated, pointed beaks that drive the strengthened jaw muscles.

“The fossil highlights that Antarctica has a lot to say to us about the early stages of modern bird evolution,” said Professor Patrick O’Connor of Ohio University.

“A bird known almost simultaneously from other parts of the globe is barely recognizable by modern bird standards.”

Furthermore, most of the few sites that have even preserved delicate bird fossils produce incomplete specimens that are so incomplete that they don’t only give hints to their identities. Vegavis until now.

“And some places with substantial fossil records of late Cretaceous birds like Madagascar and Argentina are the strange birds with teeth and long bone tails that are only associated with modern birds. It reveals birds.”

“It seems that something very different is happening in the distance in the Southern Hemisphere, especially in the Antarctic.”

Study was published in the journal Nature.

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Cr Torres et al. 2025. The skulls of Cretaceous Antarctic birds elucidate the ecological diversity of early birds. Nature 638, 146-151; doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08390-0

Source: www.sci.news

Study shows deliberate use of geometric patterns in Paleolithic artifacts from the Levantin Cave

Posted on February 6, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

In the new study, archaeologists analyzed five inscribed artifacts from the Paleolithic period in central Levantin. Two engraved levalovacores from the Manot and Kahuze caves, engraved plackets from the site of Kneitra, and flakes and cortical blades from the Amdo caves. Their findings highlight the intentionality behind the sculpture and provide important insights into the development of abstract thinking and the cultural complexity of mid-Paleolithic society.

Carved cortical revarova core of the Manot Cave. Image credit: E. Ostrovsky/M. Smelansky/E. Paixão/L. Schunk.

Until now, the intentionality of central Paleolithic incised stone artifacts has been widely accepted and not fully supported by empirical testing.

Many archaeologists view these marks as functional and were created through the use of tools or natural wear.

Being skeptical of the existence of abstract or symbolic thinking in early hominins, understanding that symbolic actions such as art and abstract expressions appear much later than human evolution and are particularly relevant to modern people. I have.

Current research challenges the view by providing evidence of intentional and symbolic sculptures before global colonization by modern humans.

This study focuses on artifacts from major Levantin sites, including Dr. May Goldberger, an archaeologist at Hebrew and Ben Gurion University, as well as the outdoor sites of Manot Cave, Amdo Cave, Kahuze Cave and Queneitra. I guessed it.

Using advanced 3D surface analysis, the researchers examined the shape and pattern of the incision to distinguish intentional engraving from functional marks.

The findings reveal significant differences. The artifacts of Manot, Kahuze and Queneitra feature careful sculptures with geometric patterns that match the surface topography, highlighting aesthetic and symbolic intent.

In contrast, the incisions of artifacts from Amud Cave are shallow and unscattered, consistent with their functional use as an appraider.

“Abstract thinking is the basis of human cognitive evolution,” said Dr. Goder-Goldberger.

“The intentional sculpture found in these artifacts emphasizes the ability to represent symbolic representation and proposes a society with high conceptual capabilities.”

“The methodology we employed not only emphasize the intentional nature of these sculptures, but also provides for the first time a comparative framework for studying similar artifacts, enriching understanding of mid-term paleolithic society.” Zentrum für Archäogie, University of Johannes Gutenberg, University of Algarve.

“The inscribed artifacts of Qafzeh, Queneitra, and Manot are isolated initiatives within time series and geographical contexts, but the similarity of the shared properties and pattern structure of the incision itself suggests intentional and pre-determined behavior. I am.

“These findings provide a greater understanding of symbolic behavior and provide important insights into the cognitive and cultural development of early hominins.”

“This study illustrates an important step in understanding the scope of our ancestors' symbolic behavior and bridging the gap between the use of functional tools and abstract representation.”

Team paper Published in the journal Archaeological and anthropological sciences.

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M. Goder-Goldberger et al. 2025. An incised stone craft from the complexity of ancient stones and human behavior in the central Levantin. Archaeol Anthropol Sci 17, 27; doi:10.1007/s12520-024-02111-4

Source: www.sci.news

Earth and Mars’ foundational materials were initially abundant in moderately volatile elements.

Posted on February 6, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

A new analysis of the metstones of magmatic iron challenges traditional theories about why Earth and Mars are depleted with moderately volatile elements.

Bendego met stone. Image credit: Jorge Andrade / CC by 2.0.

Medium volatile elements (MVEs) such as copper and zinc play an important role in planetary chemistry with essential elements of life, such as water, carbon, and nitrogen.

Understanding its origins provides important clues as to why the Earth has become a habitable world.

Earth and Mars contain significantly fewer MVEs than primitive metstones (chondrites), raising basic questions about the planetary layer.

This new study employs a new approach by analyzing iron meteorites (the metal core remnants of the earliest planetary building blocks) to reveal new insights.

“We’ve seen a lot of experience in the world,” said Dr. Damanveer Grewal, a researcher at Arizona State University.

“This discovery reconstructs our understanding of how the planet acquired its components.”

Until now, scientists believed that MVE was lost because they were not completely condensed in the early solar system or escaped during planetary differentiation.

However, new research reveals a different story. It is held by many MVEs on the first planet, suggesting that the building blocks of Earth and Mars later lost theirs.

Surprisingly, the authors discovered that many inner solar system planets retain abundance of MVEs like chondrites, and accretion continues despite being differentiated. It indicates that it has been saved.

This was not because Earth and Mars ancestors began to deplete with these elements, but instead occurred in the long history of collision growth, rather than incomplete condensation of solar nebulae or planet differentiation. Suggests that.

“Our work redefines how we understand the chemical evolution of planets,” Dr. Grewal said.

“It shows that the components of Earth and Mars were originally rich in these vital elements, but the intense collisions during the planet’s growth caused depletion.”

study Published in the journal Advances in Science.

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Damanveer S. Grewal et al. 2025. Enrichment of moderate volatile elements in first-generation planets of the inner solar system. Advances in Science 11 (6); doi:10.1126/sciadv.adq7848

Source: www.sci.news

Roman scrolls buried under volcanic ash finally deciphered in 2000

Posted on February 6, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Pherc.172 scroll revealed by X-ray imaging

Vesuvius Challenge

Ancient Roman scrolls were read for the first time since they were burned by a volcanic eruption on Mount Vesuvius two thousand years ago, thanks to artificial intelligence and powerful X-ray facilities.

The Papyrus scroll is one of the 1800s rescued from a single room in the ornate villas of the Roman town of Herculaneum in the 1750s, and is now the Italian town of El Corano. They were all carbonated by the heat of the volcanic debris that buried them.

Initially, locals unconsciously burned the scroll as fire, but were preserved when it was discovered to contain text. About 200 were then painstakingly opened and read by laborious mechanical devices. Based on the clock, you will get scrolls in millimeters slowly engraved.

Three of these scrolls were kept at the Bodrian Library at Oxford University, and was talented in 1804 by the future King George IV. At the time, the Wales Rince exchanged kangaroo troops for the Napurites of Ferdinand IV in exchange for scrolls. (The King of Naples had built an elaborate garden and animal collection for his lover.)

One of these three scrolls known as PEREC.172 has been imaged and analyzed using machine learning algorithms. Scanned with a diamond light source in Oxfordshire, there is a very powerful X-ray device known as the Synchrotron, and the resulting data is now available. Vesuvius Challenge – Competition with the $700,000 Grand Prize for interpreting text from scrolls.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5xmdspramo

This method says it is much better than trying to mechanically open the scroll, Peter TossCurator of the Bodrian Library. “The only problem, or risk, is that imaging is so special that it can't be done here. That means the scroll has to leave the facility, and we're very nervous about it. I did,” he says.

Researchers have so far revealed several columns of approximately 26 lines of text in each column. Scholars now want to read the entire scroll, but we can already see the ancient Greek word Διατροπή, meaning “aversion.” Toth suspects it somehow relates to a philosopher EpiclassAs many other scrolls found on the same site have.

Felk. The 172 was the only one of the three scrolls from the Bodleian Library that seemed stable enough to move, only in a specially 3D printed case within another padded box. “The hope is that technology can improve dramatically. [in the future] Items don't have to travel anywhere, but technology can come to us,” says Toth.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

The ancient ancestors of geese are the earliest recorded modern birds

Posted on February 6, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Vegavis Iaai was an ancient relative of ducks and geese, but it dived for fish like graves and runes

Mark Whitton

The 69 million-year-old skull found in Antarctica is identified as a relative of geese and ducks, making it the oldest known modern bird.

It belongs to the first identified species named 20 years ago Vegavis Iaai, He lived alongside the last dinosaurs in the late Cretaceous period. However, only fragments of the skull had been discovered previously, so scientists were unable to agree on what kind of bird it was, or whether it was a non-vian dinosaur like a bird instead.

The fossil skull was discovered in 2011 on Vega Island off the coast of Antarctic Peninsula. However, it was enveloped in such a fierce rock that the excavator had to scrape away the surrounding stones for hundreds of hours before scanning to reveal details about its interior.

Patrick O'Connor At Ohio University, which worked on the analysis, it says that two almost perfect skull features occur only in modern birds. First, the upper beak is made up of bones, which are primarily called the anterior axis, and the size of the second bone, the maxilla, is significantly reduced, contributing only to a small portion of the bone-palate.

Second, in modern birds, the forebrain is huge compared to the rest of the brain. Like pre-modern birds and dinosaurs of nearby birds Velociraptorthese areas are proportionally much smaller.

meanwhile Vegavis According to O'Connor, it has the ability to clearly mark it as being in the same group of waterfowls as ducks and geese. The bird's beak shape, jaw muscle tissue and hind legs suggest that they were very specialized in diving into the pursuit of fish.

“Perhaps you can easily mistake it for modern graves and runes. This is only related to ducks and each other,” he says.

Jacqueline Nguyen The Australian Museum in Sydney says that this ancient species has been the subject of many debate among bird evolutionary scientists, but new research will help resolve the debate.

“together, [the evidence] It suggests that Vegavis It looks completely different from the duck and geese parents, and this could have been an “evolutionary experiment” in the early history of this group of birds.” says.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Deepseek shatters the AI hype – all bets are now off

Posted on February 5, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

In poker, the value of your hand cards is often less important than what your competitors think you might hold. As long as you can convince others you have, you don’t need a Royal Flush.

Openai CEO Sam Altman was well aware of this and played extensive poker during his student days. Following the astronomical success of its generative artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT, the company is confident that it has all the aces to many supporters, and scale is the key to advancement, and betting on this is a great reward. We are telling the world that we will get it.

On January 21st, Altman announced Stargate. It announced a $500 billion plan to build a huge data center for future AI models. As he said in a 2023 interview, “Competing with us is absolutely hopeless.”

But it appears that Chinese AI company Deepseek is now calling his bluff. It has sent shockwaves through Silicon Valley over the past two weeks. This is clearly the best of Openai’s ability, but it releases AI models that are just a small part of cost and computing power? This young startup has many employees like Openai, less than a tenth of them, and US companies have a secret recipe for building AI, or to do so. It hindered the idea that resources were needed.

Deepseek has put the hole in the idea that US companies hold secret recipes for building AI

For those worried about the accumulation of power in Silicon Valley, the arrival of competition is welcome, but Deepseek’s model brings concerns of its own. For one thing, the answer is closely stuck to the Chinese government’s party line. Censorship in real time. Security researchers have warned about this too. There is no robust guardrail for improper use.

Nevertheless, upon arriving at the scene, it is suggested that there is still a major innovation in generative AI. Furthermore, cheaper models that require less computing power should open the door to whole new applications of technology. If there are more players around the table, your stakes won’t be higher.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

New brain cell discovery may regulate when you should stop eating

Posted on February 5, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Manipulating neuron types can make snacks more likely to resist

5M3Photos/Getty Images

Neurons in the mouse brain tell them to stop eating when they have enough food. And since people probably have the same cells, they may one day manipulate them to help treat obesity.

“The main question we were trying to answer was how our brains sense and respond to different signals.” Alexander Nectau At Columbia University in New York.

To learn more, he and his colleagues used a kind of molecular profiling to distinguish between different cell types in the mouse brain. In the dorsal trunk nucleus, part of the brainstem associated with functions such as feeding, mood, and sleep, we encountered cells that produce a hormone called cholecystokinin, which helps regulate appetite.

To study what these cells feel to make them work, researchers measured their activity as mice spent the day. “Every time an animal eats a bite, activity has risen and then it has become corrupted,” says Nectow. “These neurons sense and use information such as food smells and sights, food tastes, food sensations in the intestines, and neurohormones released in response to intestinal foods and so on. You can actually finish your meal.

Next, researchers used a technique called optogenetics. This involves engineering neurons so that they can turn them on and off with light. The mice slowed their diet when they used light to activate them. The more intense the activation, the slower and stopped the animal.

Neurons sit in the brainstem and are similar ancestor characteristics across vertebrates, so Nectow probably thinks we have them too. “We didn’t confirm that, but my guess is that humans have these neurons.”

The team also discovered that mouse neurons can be activated by compounds called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists. Brand names such as Ozempic and Wegovy.

If these neurons have the same function in people, theoretically, they can either control the feeding habits of obese people or combine this approach with GLP-1-based drugs to increase greater weight loss. They can be adjusted to achieve, says Nectau.

“Understanding the circuits governing meal halts is particularly important in an environment of near-ubiquitous food availability,” he says. Jeff Davis At Swansea University, UK. “The authors used elegant methods to identify these important cell populations.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Global ransomware payments expected to drop by one-third following crackdown on cybercrime.

Posted on February 5, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Ransomware payments have dropped by over one-third compared to last year, totaling $813 million, as victims are now refusing to pay cybercriminals and law enforcement. The trend has been cracked.

This decline in cyber attacks involves computers or data being blocked with a demand for money to release it, despite notable cases in 2024 in the UK and the US, including the well-known donut company Krispy Kreme and NHS Trust.

Last year’s ransomware payments have decreased from the recorded $1.250 million in 2023, with a research company analyzing payment data and stating that payments dropped significantly in the second half of the year due to actions taken and the resistance to paying cyber criminals.

The total for 2024 was lower than the $1.1 billion recorded in 2020 and 2019, coming in at $999 million. In ransomware attacks, criminals gain access to the victim’s IT system, steal data, encrypt it, and demand a ransom payment in bitcoin to decrypt the files and return the data.

Jacqueline Burns Koven, head of cyber threat intelligence at Chain Dissolving, noted that the decrease in ransomware payments signifies a shift in the ransomware landscape. She mentioned the effectiveness of measures, improvement in international cooperation, and the impact on attackers and victims.

However, Burns Koven cautioned that the downward trend in payments is fragile, and ransomware attacks continue to be prevalent.

Further evidence shows that victims refusing to comply with attackers’ demands lead to an increase in ransomware attacks demands by cyber gangs, exceeding actual payments by 53%.

During the same period, the number of ransom-related “on-chain” payments (terms in the blockchain recording encryption transactions) decreased, indicating less compliance from victims.

One expert mentioned an international operation that successfully took down the Lockbit ransomware gang in February, as well as the disappearance of another cyber criminal group called Blackcat/Alphv.

Lizzy Cookson from a Ransomware-compatible company stated that the current ransomware atmosphere is influenced by newcomers focusing on smaller markets with modest ransom demands.

In the UK, there’s consideration to ban schools, NHS, and local councils from paying ransomware demands. Private companies would need to report payments to the government, which could potentially block them. Reporting ransomware attacks may also become mandatory if legal changes are implemented.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Is it possible to purchase 100 items for $15?

Posted on February 5, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

vIvi Armacost loves Temu. She uses the Chinese online market to buy craft supplies for hobbies like making wallets. “You can get the details and hardware of St. and Penny’s wallet,” said Armacost, who is 24 years old and lives in New York. She mentions that her apartment is mostly furnished from Temu.

Donald Trump’s 10% tariff on Chinese-made products sold in the United States was implemented early on Tuesday morning and could potentially alter shopping habits. Additionally, US postal services halted parcels coming from China and Hong Kong without explanation.

This tariff closes a trade loophole that allowed fast fashion companies like TEMU and Shein to ship packages valued at less than $800 to the US tax-free. This exemption, known as “De Minimus,” has faced criticism from both parties in recent years. According to a report by Reuters, Shein and Temu may raise prices due to the tariff, along with Amazon’s Haul, a new e-commerce app importing products from Chinese sellers.

Many shoppers are worried that the fees will impact their retail therapy.

“Trump is trying to get one last order from Temu before imposing another tariff on China.” Armacost jokingly commented on Tiktok, where she shared a comedy video capturing the situation. She mentioned having a friend who made a final Temu purchase at the last minute during the tariffs.

Vivi Armacost has a friend who made the final Temu Run. Photo: tiktok user @viviarmacost

Although TEMU was the most downloaded shopping app in 2023, SHEIN overshadowed it and became a favorite brand. Shein is primarily known for clothing, while Temu offers a variety of products including makeup, home supplies, and decorations. Despite their affordability -TEMU’s women’s sneakers are just over $4 and Temu’s bracelets are $1.45, many products are of questionable quality and end up in landfills.

“Many items are much smaller than expected,” Armacost notes. “I bought a desk lamp that could fit in my hand.”

Leading up to Trump’s tariff announcement, shoppers had been urging others to stock up on Temu and Shein products to prepare for potential taxes on goods from China. A Tiktok user commented, “It might be the last good Black Friday for a while due to tariffs,” suggesting it’s better to collect items now before prices potentially increase.

Shortly after the election, fashion writer Amy Odell advised readers in a warning message to shop now considering the potential impact of tariffs. Susan Scafidi, a lawyer and founder of Fordham’s Fashion Law Institute, expressed concerns about the implications of tariffs on fast fashion and consumer behavior.

Sheng Lu, a professor specializing in fashion and apparel research at the University of Delaware, believes that while tariffs may affect supply chains and consumer spending, large companies like SHEIN and TEMU are better equipped to handle the costs compared to small and medium-sized enterprises.

In 2023, the US Congress reported that Temu posed a “very high risk” with its supply chain potentially involving forced labor, while both SHEIN and TEMU avoided scrutiny of US human rights practices. Recent reports have uncovered labor issues within the companies, raising concerns about ethical practices.

The fast fashion industry is often associated with high carbon emissions and pollution, and experts fear that tariffs could exacerbate these environmental and labor issues.

Despite the potential drawbacks, Armacost acknowledges the consumer demand for these online retailers like Temu. “While excessive spending is concerning, it does stimulate the economy,” she remarks. “Why live in a country where you can’t order 100 items for $15?”

Source: www.theguardian.com

Alphabet assures public that AI technology will not be used for military applications

Posted on February 5, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Alphabet, the owner of Google, has removed a commitment to not use artificial intelligence for developing weapons and surveillance tools.

U.S. tech companies revised ethical guidelines for AI just before reporting lower than expected revenue on Tuesday, citing technologies that have “caused overall harm or harm”. They stated they no longer abided by the previous commitment.

Google’s AI chief, Demis Hassabis, emphasized the changing guidelines in a world where AI should also protect “national security”.

In a Blogpost discussing the issue, James Manica, a senior vice president of societal and societal affairs, argues that as the global competition for AI leadership intensifies, democracy should guide AI development while protecting human rights.

They added, “We believe that companies, governments, and organizations that share these values should collaborate to protect individuals, promote global development, and create AI that supports national security.”

The original motto of Google was “Don’t be evil”, which was later downgraded to a “mantra” in 2009 and included in Alphabet’s ethical guidelines when the parent company was established in 2015.

The rapid advancement of AI has sparked discussions on how to govern new technologies and mitigate risks.

British computer scientist Stuart Russell warned about the dangers of developing autonomous weapon systems during a REITH lecture on the BBC, advocating for a global control system.

The Google Blogpost argues that technology has evolved significantly since the company first introduced AI principles in 2018. Hassabis and Manica highlight the widespread use of AI in everyday life, emphasizing its role as a general-purpose technology used by various organizations and individuals to create applications.

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“AI has transitioned from a niche research area to a technology as ubiquitous as mobile phones and the Internet itself. It has numerous practical applications for people.

Google’s stock dropped by 7.5% after hours following the Tuesday report, which indicated slightly lower-than-expected revenue of $96.5 billion (£77 billion) compared to analysts’ forecast of $96.67 billion.”

Source: www.theguardian.com

The weirdest picture featuring 15 tiny creatures in nature

Posted on February 5, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Are you an insect fan? Please leave now: Victory image Royal Insect SocietyThe 2024 photography competition has been announced.

This year's close-up creature selection has a very terrible appearance beetle, unfortunate mummy hornet, and a unique monochrome butterfly. However, according to the judge, the most interesting picture was a photo of Gnart's egg (not Srek's parent Relative, but a robbery). This image, snapped by Benjamin Salb, is introduced in incredible details of the crimson eyes of the bug wide set.

The overall winner of the “Under 18” category was Alexis Tinker Zabara, a 17-year-old German photographer, and was an image of a big woman's jagged bug waiting for her prey on the flower head.

The Royal Insect Society exists to enhance the general understanding and gratitude of insects and the diverse and important roles they play in our global ecosystem.

Environmental category insects

A close-up photo of Bacillus Aricasninf with photos taken in a mountain near Athens, Greece. Photo: Panagiotis Dalagiorgos/RES

Insect portrait category

Dogbuttle (Geottle Pidae) taken in a dunes in a dunes in the UK. Photo: Ben James

Overall runner-up

BRACONIDAE, a parasitic insect, has attacked the Drepanosiphum Platanoidis. The sparrow larva from the aphids has built a COCO like a disc under the “mummified” body. Photo: Rupert Lees/RES

Insect behavior category

The process known as “spawning agents” depicts egg spawning. Photos by Jamie Spenceory/RES

Smartphone category

The blue clown butterfly (Ricanpa Rinji) took a rest on a dazzling dynamic pattern wings with the sun rays and shot it on a smartphone. Photo: SRITAM KUMAR SETHY/RES

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Why does a butterfly fly straight?

Winners in the category of less than 18 seconds

A big woman's jagged ambush bug (PHYMATINAE) is waiting for a tangible flower head prey. Photographed at Montreal, Canada. Photo: Alexis tinker-tsavalas/res

Environmental category insects

The phenomenal spring sun of the dark blue URE covered between daisies at daisy involves the wings and refracts by Lee Frost/RES.

Environmental category insects

A small flower bee (ANTHOPHORA SP) is sitting on the flower of corn margold. Photo by Ryan Dale/RES

Environmental category insects

Curculio GLANDIUM taken in the oak leaves by Matthew Thomas/RES

Environmental category insects

A backlight shot of the Mediterranean Mantis (Iris Oratoria) on the sunrise. Photographed with Greece Sikinos. The reflection of the sun in the Aegean Sea looks like a background, but Mantis in the foreground gives an abnormal perspective. Photo: Panagiotis Dalagiorgos/RES

Insect portrait category

Ecememnius hornet appearing in the sun of the morning sun. Photo: Matthew Thomas/RES

Insect behavior category

This common red soldier Beatle (Rhagonycha Fulva) has taken off its wings. Photo: MARC BrouWer/RES

Insect portrait category

A portrait of a fascinating blue long horn beetle (anoplophora zonator). Photo by Douglas Bar/RES

Environmental category insects

A kind of grasshopper known as Taeniopoda Eques, a western horse pose posed with cactus. Rosemary Haleem/RES

Overall winner

This is a very detailed image of a living Gnat Ogre (HOLCOCEPHALA FUSCA) taken in the field. Photo: Benjamin Salb/RES

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Alphabet, Google’s Parent Company, Fails to Impress Wall Street with Revenue Amid Tough AI Competition

Posted on February 5, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Alphabet, Google’s parent company, saw a drop of over 6% following the release of its quarterly results on Tuesday. The company reported revenue of $96.5 billion, slightly below analysts’ expectations of $96.67 billion. While Alphabet exceeded investors’ earnings per share (EPS) expectation of $2.13 by reporting $2.15, the company highlighted a strong fourth quarter led by AI advancements and overall business momentum.

Revenue breakdown included $84 billion from Google Search and services, with $12 billion from YouTube advertising and cloud revenue. Analysts are closely watching Alphabet’s competitive position in AI search and cloud revenues amidst growing competition from players like Chinese DeepSeek and OpenAI.

The company’s deceleration reflects a challenging year for Google, raising concerns about its future competitiveness. Alphabet plans to invest $750 billion in capital spending in the coming year to further develop AI and infrastructure.

Despite ongoing AI development efforts across the industry, Alphabet remains focused on AI innovation with a significant investment plan. The company aims to leverage its AI capabilities for monetization in the coming years.

Concerns about rising AI costs and their impact on Alphabet’s AI advertising strategy have emerged in light of recent developments. Analysts are closely monitoring how these developments will shape Alphabet’s future AI initiatives and competitiveness.

Additionally, Alphabet remains committed to responsible AI development practices, emphasizing the importance of democracy, human rights, and global cooperation in AI leadership. The company reaffirms its commitment to using AI for positive impact and national security.

Legal challenges, including antitrust investigations, pose further uncertainties for Alphabet’s future. The Ministry of Justice’s case against a major search company raises concerns about potential regulatory actions that could affect the tech industry.

In light of geopolitical tensions, particularly with China, Alphabet faces additional challenges as regulatory scrutiny intensifies. China’s response to tariff announcements and antitrust investigations adds to the uncertain outlook for Google.

Source: www.theguardian.com

New research suggests that the powerful Marzcake shock can travel to even more distant red planets than believed.

Posted on February 5, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

In new research, researchers on the planetary Used Global and high -resolution orbital images to discover fresh 21.5 m (71 feet) impact craters that appeared at the same time as one of the Marsquakes detected by NASA's Insight Lander. This means that the seismometer detected a meteor strike, not a geological activity in the planet. In the related research, they scan Through a large number of orbital image data, the 123 shock crater was formed from December 2018 to December 2022.

Calambus et al。 Textonically Active Cerberus Fossae A new 21.5-m MARS Impact Crater is associated with the Insight earthquake event S0794A. Image credit: NASA / JPL-CALTECH / Arizona University.

NASA's Insight Lander set the first seismometer on Mars and detected more than 1,300 Marsquakes. This is generated by the shaking deep of the planet (caused by a rock broken under heat and pressure) and a cosmic rock that collides with the surface.

Scientists not only glimpse the inside of Mars, as science glimpses how the waves of the earthquake change from these earthquakes when passing through the earth's crust, mantle, and core. I understand how all the rocky world, including the month, is formed.

In the past, researchers shot new shock craters images and found seismic data that matched the date and location of the crater layer.

However, two new studies indicate that the shaking and the new effects detected in Cerberus Fossae, which are particularly prone to earthquakes of 1,640 km (1,019 miles) of 1,640 km (1,019 miles) from insights, are the first correlation. Masu.

The diameter of the shock crater is 21.5 m, which is far from the insight than the scientist expected, based on earthquake energy.

Mars crusts have unique characteristics that are considered to suppress seismic waves generated by impact. The new analysis of Cerberusfossae concluded that the generated waves take more direct routes than the planet mantle.

The Insight team needs to re -evaluate the internal configuration and structural models of Mars, and explain how to make the impact -generated earthquake signals so deep.

“We thought that the energy detected from most of the earthquake events was moving through the crust of Mars,” said Dr. Constantinoscharamanbus, a researcher of Imperial College London. Masu.

“This discovery shows a deeper and faster path -it is called an earthquake highway, so that the earthquake can reach the farthest of the earth through the mantle.”

Researchers also wanted to find a crater within the location of about 3,000 km (1,864 miles) and find something that was formed while the Lander seismometer was recorded.

By comparing images before and after the context camera mounted on NASA's Mars Reconnasance Orbiter (MRO), I found 123 fresh craters to interact with INSIGHT data. Of these, 49 was a potential agreement with the earthquake detected by the Lander seismometer.

“I thought that CERBERUS FOSSAE has generated many high -frequency earthquake signals related to internal generated earthquakes, which suggests that some activities are not born there, and actually from the impact. Dr. Charalambous said.

The results of the survey also emphasize how researchers use AI to improve planetary science by using all data collected by NASA and ESA missions.

“Now, we have a lot of images from the moon and Mars, so the struggle is to process and analyze data,” said Dr. Dr., a member of the Bern University researcher. I mentioned it.

“We have finally arrived in the big data era of planetary science.”

Two new papers are posted journal Global physics research book。

______

VT BICKEL et al。 2025. New impact on Mars: Related to systematic identification and insight earthquake events. Global physics research book 52 (3): E2024GL109133; DOI: 10.1029/2024GL109133

Constantinos Chara Ranboo et al。 2025. New impact on Mars: Unleash CERBERUS FOSSAE's shock detection. Global physics research book 52 (3): E2024GL110159; DOI: 10.1029/2024GL110159

Source: www.sci.news

Review of the OnePlus 13: Lightning-speed Android with stunning fabric design

Posted on February 5, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

OnePlus is aiming to show that in 2025, the top premium Android phone doesn’t necessarily have to be from Samsung or Google.

The latest model in the Sharp Sub-Brand series, OnePlus 13, is priced at 899 pounds (1,049 euros/$899), slightly lower than Google and Samsung’s offerings.

Oneplus offers a range of colors, including a blue microfiber back option, as seen in the photo.

The large screen features a thin bezel and curved edges. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/Guardian

The 6.8-inch screen on the OnePlus 13 is vibrant, sharp, and colorful, comparable to the best in the market. The metal frame gives it a retro look, similar to the OnePlus X from 2015, but the phone is still manageable. It is IP68 water-resistant, capable of withstanding immersion for 30 minutes at a depth of 1.5 meters.

Fast Performance with the Latest Chip

The OnePlus 13 is one of the first phones to feature the new Snapdragon 8 Elite chip from Qualcomm, offering a 40% speed boost over its predecessor. The phone feels fast in daily use, with quick responses to all interactions.

The phone includes a unique alert slider for easy mode switching. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/Guardian

The battery life is impressive, offering up to 50 hours on a full charge with mixed usage of 5G and WiFi. It supports fast charging and wireless charging for added convenience.

Specifications

Screen: 6.82in, 120Hz QHD+ OLED (510ppi)
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite
Ram: 12 or 16GB
Storage: 256 or 512GB
Operating System: Okishigenos 15 (Android 15)
Camera: 50m + 50MP Ultra Wide + 50MP 3X; 32MP Selfie
Connection: 5G, ESIM, Wifi 7, NFC, Bluetooth 5.4, and GNSS
Water resistance: IP68/69 (30 minutes/80C Water Jet 1.5 meters for 30 seconds)
Size: 162.9 x 76.5 x 8.5mm
Weight: 210g

Sustainability

Oneplus 13 is well built but lacks recycled materials. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/Guardian

The battery is designed to retain at least 80% of its original capacity after 1,600 full charging cycles, with the option to replace it for £80.

While the phone does not contain recycled materials, it is repairable. Screen replacement costs £280. Oneplus’ environmental impact is covered in their parent company OPPO’s annual sustainability report.

Oxygen OS 15 with AI Features

AI elements in Oxygen OS 15 offer new features and functionalities. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/Guardian

Oxygen OS 15 on the OnePlus 13 is a tweaked version of Android 15, with added AI tools for improved functionality. The phone runs smoothly with some customization options available.

The phone comes with AI tools from Google and OnePlus, enhancing user experience. While software updates may be slightly delayed compared to competitors, OnePlus offers four-year Android updates with security patches until 2031.

Camera

The camera app on the OnePlus 13 offers a host of features for photography enthusiasts. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/Guardian

The OnePlus 13 boasts a triple rear camera setup and a 32MP front camera, delivering detailed images in various conditions. The camera app includes various modes for enhanced photography experiences.

Overall, the OnePlus 13 offers a compelling package with top-notch performance, innovative features, and a competitive price point compared to its rivals. It sets a new standard for Android phones in 2025.

Pros: Sleek design, excellent screen, long battery life, fast performance, top-tier chip, great camera, water resistance, AI tools.

Cons: Some rough edges in Oxygen OS, limited AI features, shorter software support compared to competitors.

Source: www.theguardian.com

The Deer Monkey: Rewriting the Evolutionary Narrative

Posted on February 5, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

On the verdant Yakushima Island in Japan, two types of animals have formed an unusual relationship that defies expectation.

The native Japanese macaque and Sika deer have developed a close bond. The macaque rides on the back of the deer like a tiny jockey, grooming its soft wool. The deer then drops the monkey near its sleeping area, eats the macaque’s feces, and tidies up the monkey’s habitat effectively.

It appears that the two species’ interaction is not incidental but a deliberate effort to engage with each other.

https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/41/2025/01/deer-and-monkey.mp4

Macaque Monkey and Sika Deer

“There is a level of observation, thought, and understanding. It seems they are attempting to benefit from interacting and collaborating,” explained Professor Cedric Sueur, an expert in animal behavior complexity from Strasbourg University. “To me, they truly comprehend each other.”

Animals often learn behaviors from their own species. Studies have shown that birds can learn how to solve puzzles by observing others in their flock. Young meerkats learn safe ways to eat scorpions from their parents. Whales in specific groups develop unique dialects and patterns in their songs.

Researchers refer to this social learning as “culture,” where specific actions are passed down among groups. Sur and his colleagues propose that the deer and monkey’s behavior suggests social learning can extend beyond species, termed as “shared culture.”

“I believe there are multiple species engaging in shared culture,” stated Sur. “However, the concept of joint culture is relatively new and intriguing.”

Read more:

About our experts

Professor Cedric Sueur: An animal behavior researcher at Strasbourg University with published works in prominent journals.

Dr. Jean Baptiste Leca: A psychology professor at Lesbridge University with research published in respected journals.

Professor Dorothy Sueur: A primatology expert at Georgia University with research contributions to various international studies.

Dr. Michael Huffman: An associate professor at Kyoto University’s Wildlife Research Center with published work in premier scientific journals.

Source: www.sciencefocus.com