Yearly Archives: 2025

Test Your Knowledge: Can You Recognize Your Group Chat After the Signal Leak?

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Hey, do you want to send it to your group chat? Likewise, are you sure about 1,000%?

Just check it. It was a strange week in the history of group chats, so it’s a seemingly intimate textual conversation that goes back and forth between friends, family and apparently national security officials.

On Monday, Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg. I wrote it That he was accidentally added to group chat with encrypted messaging app signals. He announced plans for the attack on the base of Houthi in Yemen, followed when other national security officials came up with plans for the attack after the celebration emoji.

Just as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle condemned the security breaches, Americans were seen as perceived and distrustful with their own unruly group chat.

“It’s clearly a very relevant screw-in,” Goldberg said. Interview With Tim Miller of Bluwork on Tuesday. “We all texted the wrong people,” he added.

However, these careless texts do not contain high-stakes national security information that is usually shared outside of secure government channels.

The incident could be “the most shocking stupid group chat error in history,” said Tommy Beiotter, a liberal podcaster and former National Security Council spokesman. X’s Video. In the same post, he confessed that he was in an email thread that once mistakenly included singer Lyle Lovett in place of his colleague John Lovett. Approximately 30 emails had been sent before anyone noticed.

Group chat has quietly become a staple of modern communication since 2008, when Apple enabled text messaging with multiple recipients. Private group chats award a kind of juicy intimacy to a book club member, a neighbor’s mom, work friends, or a large family who exchanges hundreds of messages per day.

Feeds tend to be less self-conscious than posts on social media. In 2022, a guest essay from the New York Times declared the group chat “leave the last place online for real conversations.”

Even people with no security clearance are aware of what they share with the pleasant familiarity of group chats. Clayton Fletcher, 48, is part of the WhatsApp group, where he and about 35 other comedians roast each other and tackle new ingredients. He is wary high when a new phone number appears. It didn’t appear to happen when Goldberg was added to the signal chat.

“The wisdom of a comedian’s age is to know your audience,” Fletcher said. “In the modern world, I think it’s like knowing who’s in group chat.”

The intimacy of group chats is often elaborate when it spills into the public eye. In 2021, an anonymous leaker shared a group message from Sen. Ted Cruz’s wife, Heidi Cruz, where she planned a trip to Cancun, but millions of members of the senators had no electricity. (Heidi Cruz clearly didn’t understand that group chats didn’t know loyalty,” Jezebel said. read. )

In 2023, the New York Times published a text between the Fox News hosts, which were completely different from the official statement on the 2020 election results. And last year, Daily Beast reported Former House member George Santos texted the humiliation to a group chat that includes members of a New York Republican delegation.

“Sorry, new phone, who’s diss?” Representative Andrew Garbarino I responded.

Our group chats may include people who extend to our professionals and personal lives and who have strong and loose social connections to which we have. It could make them a “minefield” for error, said LM Chilton, author of the upcoming thriller “Everyone in the Group Chat Dies.”

The signal group chat incident was colloquial and especially uncomfortable due to just the tone of Amon Friends (including emojis). And while it may be easy to blame the technology for violations, it was a mistake by national security adviser Michael Waltz to make it accessible to journalists to group chats.

“At the end of the day, it was an artificial mistake and it was with us from the dawn of time,” Chilton said.

New York writer Matt Buquere, 35, found a bit of a dark humor in the way that members of the Signal Group introduced themselves one by one.

Everyone has been added to a group chat where they do not belong to completely. However, he suggested not to stand out unless he was certain he could trust the rest of the group.

“If you have a lot of numbers you don’t know, you should limit group chat participation to thumbs up or ‘haha’ reactions. There’s nothing else,” he said.

Source: www.nytimes.com

Astounding Discovery: Curiosity Detects Long-Chain Carbon Molecules in Martian Mudstones

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Sample analysis of Mars Instrument on NASA’s Curiosity Rover detected decane, anteca and dodecane molecules in Gale Crater samples.

This graphic shows the long chain organic molecules, decane, undercane, dodecane, and rover of curiosity from NASA. Image credit: NASA/Dan Gallagher.

“The main scientific goal of Curiosity is to quantitatively assess the possibility of Mars’ habitability in the past or present,” says Dr. Caroline Freissinet, researcher at Atmosphères ET Observation Spatiales at CNRS and Laboratoire.

“Sample analysis in the MARS (SAM) instrument suite on a rover is dedicated to this task by employing inventory of organic and inorganic compounds present on the surface of Mars as potential chemical biosignatures and investigating the nature of the conservation.”

Using SAM instruments, researchers analyzed molecules released from excavated mudstone samples called Cumberlands, collected in Yellowknife Bay, the geological layer of Gale Crater.

They were able to detect three long chain alkanes: decane (c)10htwenty two), unedecane (c11htwenty four), and dodecan (c12h26).

“These long carbon chains, which contain up to 12 consecutive carbon atoms, can exhibit similar characteristics to the fatty acids produced on Earth through biological activity,” the researchers said.

Dodecane represents the highest molecular mass organic molecule ever identified on the surface of Mars.

“Detection of long-chain alkanes shows various causes of organic matter and storage mechanisms in Cumberland samples,” the scientists said.

“Clays and sulfate minerals are expected to play an important role in this long-term storage.”

According to the author, the source of Mars’ long-chain alkanes remains uncertain.

“Laboratory experiments support sources from the saturated forms of linear chains, primary carboxylic acids, i.e. decano acids, dodecano acids, and tridecano acids, for decane, undecano and dodecano acids, respectively,” they said.

“Abiotic processes can form these acids, but are considered to be a universal product of biochemistry, on the ground and perhaps Mars.”

“The origin and distribution of these molecules therefore has great interest in searching for potential biosignatures on Mars.”

Survey results It will be displayed in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Caroline Freecinet et al. 2025. Long chain alkanes are preserved in the mudstones of Mars. pnas 122 (13): e2420580122; doi: 10.1073/pnas.2420580122

Source: www.sci.news

ARC-AGI-2: Breakdown of Leading AI Model in Latest Artificial General Information Evaluation

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The ARC-AGI-2 benchmark is designed to be a difficult test for AI models

Just_Super/Getty Images

The most sophisticated AI models present today are inadequate scores on new benchmarks designed to measure progress towards artificial general information (AGI), and brute-force computing power is not sufficient to improve as evaluators consider the cost of running the model.

There are many competing definitions of AGI, but it is generally thought to refer to AI capable of performing cognitive tasks that humans can do. To measure this, the ARC Awards Foundation previously began a test of reasoning ability called ARC-AGI-1. Last December, Openai announced that the O3 model scored highly in tests, with some asking if the company is approaching AGI achievement.

But now the new test, the ARC-AGI-2, has raised the bar. Although current AI systems on the market are difficult enough to not achieve a score of over 100 digits of 100 in tests, all questions have been answered by at least two people on less than two attempts.

in Blog post Introducing the ARC-AGI-2, ARC president Greg Kamradt said a new benchmark is needed to test skills that differ from previous iterations. “To beat it, you need to demonstrate both high levels of adaptability and high efficiency,” he writes.

The ARC-AGI-2 benchmark differs from other AI benchmark tests in that it focuses on the ability to match the world’s leading PHD performance, but on the ability to complete simple tasks, such as replicating new image changes based on past examples of iconic interpretations. The current model is superior to “deep learning” measured by ARC-AGI-1, but not so good for seemingly simple tasks that require more challenging thinking and interaction with ARC-AGI-2. For example, Openai’s O3-low model won 75.7% on the ARC-AGI-1, but only 4% on the ARC-AGI-2.

This benchmark also adds a new dimension to measure AI capabilities by examining the efficiency of problem solving, as measured at the cost required to complete the task. For example, ARC paid a human tester $17 per task, while O3-low estimates that it would cost $200 for the same task.

“I think ARC-AGI’s new iteration, which now focuses on balancing performance and efficiency, is a major step towards a more realistic evaluation of the AI ​​model,” he says. Joseph Imperial At the University of Bath, UK. “This is a sign that we are moving from a one-dimensional evaluation test that is not only focusing on performance, but also considering a decline in computing power.”

Models that can pass the ARC-AGI-2 should not only be very capable, but also be smaller and lighter, Imperial says. Model efficiency is a key component of the new benchmark. This helps address concerns that AI models are becoming more energy-intensive – Sometimes to the point of waste – to achieve much better results.

However, not everyone is convinced that the new measure will be beneficial. “The whole framing of this to test intelligence is not the correct framing.” Catherine Frick At Staffordshire University, UK. Instead, these benchmarks are extrapolated to imply general functionality across a set of tasks, simply by assessing the ability of AI to properly complete a single task or a set of tasks.

Working well with these benchmarks should not be seen as a major moment for AGI, Flick said:

And another question is what will happen if ARC-AGI-2 is given, or when it is given. Do you need yet another benchmark? “If they develop ARC-AGI-3, I guess they’ll add another axis to the graph [the] The minimum number of humans – whether expert or not, it will take a task to solve, in addition to performance and efficiency,” says Imperial. In other words, discussions about AGI rarely resolve immediately.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

RFK Jr. supports Vitamin A treatment for select measles patients

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West Texas doctors are seeing measles patients whose illness is complicated by alternative therapy approved by vaccine skeptics, including health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Parents in Gaines County, Texas, are at the heart of the outbreak of turbulent measles, many of which have become increasingly repurposed and unproven treatments to protect children who have not been vaccinated against the virus.

One of those supplements is Vitamin A, which Kennedy advertises as a miraculous treatment for measles. Doctors at Covenant Children’s Hospital in Lubbock, Texas, say they have treated a small number of children who were given so much vitamin A, which has signs of liver damage.

Dr. Summer Davis, who cares for children with acute illnesses at the hospital, said some of them had been receiving unsafe supplements for weeks to prevent measles infection.

“We were sick for just a few days, five days, five days, and five days, but we had been taking it for about three weeks,” Dr. Davis said.

Doctors may manage severe measles by administering high doses of vitamin A in hospitals, but experts do not recommend taking it without supervision from a doctor. Vitamin A is not an effective way to prevent measles. However, two doses of measles, mumps and rubella vaccines are about 97% effective.

At high doses, vitamin A can cause liver damage. Dry skin peeled skin. Hair loss; and in rare cases, seizures and com sleep. So far, doctors at a hospital in West Texas have said they have seen patients with high yellow skin and liver enzymes in both blood tests for both liver signs.

Many of these patients were in hospital due to severe measles infection. The doctor only discovered liver damage after regular lab work.

As of Tuesday, the outbreak that began in January had spread to more than 320 cases in Texas. Forty patients were hospitalized and one child died.

Nearby New Mexico County, the virus has suffered 43 illnesses and two hospitalised. Seven confirmed cases in Oklahoma are also linked to outbreaks.

Local doctors and health officials are increasingly concerned about the growing popularity of unproven treatments to prevent and treat measles. They fear that people will delay serious treatment and refuse vaccination, the only proven way to prevent measles infection.

Alternative medicine has always been popular in Gaines County. Many of the large Mennonite communities in areas where most cases are clustered are avoiding interaction with the healthcare system and adhere to a long tradition of natural therapy.

Health officials said the popularity of Vitamin A’s recent use of measles could go back to a Fox News interview with Kennedy.

in Opinion essay In the Washington Post Tuesday afternoon, Kevin Griffith, who was the communications director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention until last week, wrote that he had resigned to handle Kennedy’s outbreak.

“In my last few weeks at the CDC, I saw a career infectious disease expert being tasked with spending valuable time wasting data searches to support Kennedy’s preferred treatment,” writes Griffith.

A few weeks after the interview with Fox News, Drugstore In West Texas, I had a hard time maintaining vitamin A and cod liver oil supplements on my shelf. “I didn’t hear anything about Vitamin A until he said that on TV,” said Katherine Wells, director of public health at Lubbock.

One local doctor, appointed as one of the doctors that Kennedy said in an interview with Fox News, opened a makeshift clinic in Gaines County, and began eliminating a variety of treatments, including vitamin A supplements, to treat active incorrect cases and prevent infection.

Dr. Davis said he suspected that the majority of the children she treated had taken vitamins at home.

Experts say Vitamin A can play an important role in the “advocacy care” provided by doctors to patients with severe measles infection.

Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, works by replenishing physical reservoirs that have been depleted by viruses that strengthen the immune system.

In hospitals, doctors only give measles children two vitamins, usually over two days, and “adjusting very carefully” the amount according to their age and weight, he said.

Dr. Schaffner emphasized that it is not a miraculous treatment of the virus, and that measles does not have antiviral drugs. Also, there is no reliable evidence that vitamin A can help prevent infection in children in the US, with extremely rare vitamin A defects.

In fact, giving children high doses of repeated vitamins is dangerous. Unlike other vitamins that are washed away from the body via urine, excess vitamin A accumulates in adipose tissue and is more likely to reach dangerous levels over time.

“I think this type of preventative use is particularly concerning,” said Dr. Lara Johnson, another doctor at Lubbock Hospital.

“When you’ve been taking it on your kids for weeks or weeks, you can have a cumulative toxicity impact.,” she added.

Dr. Johnson added that local doctors don’t always accurately reflect the amount of vitamins the label contains and are particularly concerned about parents’ dependence on over-the-counter supplements that can accept dosage recommendations from unverified sources.

Source: www.nytimes.com

Understanding Signal: The App Linked to Security Breaches in War Planning

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Signal, a popular messaging app, has recently come under scrutiny for reports that senior Trump administration officials used the platform to plan wars and inadvertently included journalists in messaging groups.

Launched in 2014 and boasting hundreds of millions of users, the app is favored by journalists, activists, privacy experts, and politicians.

The use of the app by government officials led to intelligence report violations occurring outside of the secure government channels typically used for classified, highly sensitive war plans. This incident raises concerns about the security of Signal and the reasons behind government officials using it. (In general, federal officials are not authorized to install Signal on government-issued devices.)

Here’s what you need to know.

Signal is an encrypted messaging application used for secure communication. It encrypts messages end-to-end, ensuring that the content remains encrypted until it reaches the intended recipient. This method protects users from interception and ensures message confidentiality.

Users can set Signal messages to disappear after a set period of time. They can also enable a feature to auto-delete messages in individual chats.

Signal is owned by an independent nonprofit organization in the U.S. called the Signal Foundation. It is funded through user contributions and grants.

Founded in 2018 with a $50 million donation from Brian Acton, co-founder of WhatsApp, the Signal Foundation was established after Acton left WhatsApp due to a dispute with Facebook. Acton teamed up with Moxie Marlinspike, the cryptographer behind Signal’s security system, to create the Signal Foundation, which is structured to prevent data selling incentives.

“There are numerous reasons why Signal is crucial,” wrote Marlinspike, who resigned from the foundation’s board in 2022. “One important reason is to avoid mistakenly adding the Vice President of the U.S. to group chats for coordinating sensitive military operations. This must not be overlooked.”

Yes, Signal is widely regarded as the most secure messaging app due to its encryption technology and other privacy features.

The encryption technology used by Signal is open source, allowing external experts to review and identify any vulnerabilities. This technology is also utilized by services like WhatsApp.

When Signal was targeted by foreign hackers, its encryption technology proved effective. Although there were attempts to compromise user accounts, the encryption remained intact.

In case of a security breach, Signal minimizes user data retention to protect user privacy. Unlike other messaging platforms, Signal does not store user contacts or unnecessary information.

While Signal is secure, it may not be suitable for discussing sensitive military operations if a user’s device is compromised, potentially exposing message content. Government officials should use authorized communication systems to prevent inadvertent disclosures.

Signal representatives have not responded to requests for comment.

Generally, Signal text messages are secure, but users should exercise caution when adding new contacts, similar to other social platforms.

When creating group chats, users should verify that they are including the correct contacts to ensure message confidentiality.

Source: www.nytimes.com

Are you consuming the wrong amount of protein for your age? Here’s why.

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Protein Church has seen a recent surge in young worshippers, with Andrew Scott leading the services.

According to a survey by the CS Mott Children’s Hospital in Michigan, two in five Americans aged 13 to 17 reported consuming protein supplements like shakes and powders last year.

An investigation by online supermarket Ocado found that 62% of UK Z and millennials increased their protein intake last year.

On foodie Tiktok, dishes like black bean pasta, tofu-filled pasta sauce, and chickpea and cashew chocolate brownies are gaining popularity.

Cottage cheese has become a favorite due to its high protein content, with a 97% increase in demand reported by Ocado.

While young adults are focusing on consuming more protein, older adults are falling short of the recommended intake levels.

Research from the University of Birmingham in 2020 showed that older adults consume less protein than middle-aged adults.

Another study in 2020 by the University of Sheffield found that only a small percentage of adults over 65 met the daily protein recommendations.

It’s evident that while young people are increasing their protein intake, older adults are struggling to meet their protein needs.

Why middle-aged adults need more protein

Professor Elizabeth Williams from the University of Sheffield explains that protein requirements vary throughout life, with older adults needing more protein to combat reduced protein synthesis efficiency.

Other factors like muscle loss and anabolic resistance in older adults contribute to the need for higher protein intake.

As we age, our bodies need more protein, especially postmenopausal women, as hormonal changes can lead to increased muscle loss. – Credit: Hispanoristic via Getty

Why seniors struggle to eat enough protein

Anabolic resistance and sarcopenia worsen with age, especially among less active individuals, making it crucial for seniors to consume sufficient protein.

Dr. Connor Carrey emphasizes the importance of protein intake for older adults to maintain muscle mass and functional levels.

Not consuming enough protein can lead to muscle loss and bone health issues in older adults.

Elderly individuals and those with fragile health find it challenging to meet their protein requirements.

How much protein is enough?

Protein intake is usually measured in grams per kilogram of body weight, with recommended daily amounts varying for different age groups.

For older adults, experts recommend a higher protein intake of around 1-1.2g/kg per day to support muscle health and prevent muscle loss.

Increasing protein intake through meals like eggs can help middle-aged and older adults maintain muscle mass.

Breakfast is a meal when many of us are protein deficient. This means providing an opportunity to redress the balance.

How to eat enough protein for better health

Eating protein-rich foods like eggs for breakfast can help improve protein intake and support muscle health.

Experts recommend consuming 25g of protein in each meal to maintain muscle mass and overall health.

Switching to protein-rich breakfast options like eggs, yogurt, or nuts can help individuals increase their daily protein intake.

For those struggling to consume large quantities of protein, liquid sources like milk and dairy products are recommended.

Read more:

About our experts:

Professor Elizabeth Williams is a nutrition science professor at the University of Sheffield, specializing in diet-related chronic diseases and healthy aging.

Dr. Connor Carrey is a postdoctoral researcher and nutrition instructor focusing on proteins at University College Cork.

Amani Kite is a functional nutritionist specializing in intestinal, hormonal, and metabolic health.

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

The Solar Eclipse of 2025: A Guide to Witnessing This Year’s Celestial Phenomenon

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Skywatchers in the northeastern United States, eastern Canada, and parts of Europe are eagerly anticipating a rare astronomical event this spring. On the morning of Saturday, March 29th, 2025, a partial solar eclipse will grace the sky, coinciding with a spectacular “double sunrise.”

Here is all you need to know about the partial solar eclipse, including where to watch, what to expect, and how to safely observe it.

When is the Partial Solar Eclipse in 2025?

The first and only solar eclipse of 2025 will occur on March 29th, starting at 8:50am GMT (4:50am EDT) and ending at 12:43 PM GMT (8:43am EDT). The maximum solar eclipse will take place at 10:47 AM GMT (6:47AM EDT).

In the US, the solar eclipse will begin at 6:13 AM EDT and end at 7:17am EDT, with the exact times varying based on location. The most dramatic views and longest duration of the eclipse, with 85% of the sun obscured, will be experienced in some areas.

In England, the solar eclipse will begin in London at 9:56am GMT, reach its peak at 11:03 AM, and end at 12:00 PM GMT. The extent of the eclipse may vary slightly depending on location, with Scotland witnessing over 40% obscuration in cities like Glasgow.

Where to Watch the Partial Solar Eclipse?

This partial solar eclipse will be visible across a wide area of the Northern Hemisphere, including the Northeastern United States, Eastern Canada, most of Europe, and northwest Africa.

Fourteen US states, including Washington DC, will witness a partial solar eclipse, with Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia among them.

The point of greatest obscuration will occur in Nunavique, Quebec, where 94% of the sun will be hidden at the peak of the solar eclipse.

Global map of partial solar eclipse shadow paths for March 29, 2025. A yellow curve tracks the extent of the partial eclipse and the proportion of each of these curves, giving the maximum area of the moon-covered sun during the eclipse. -NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio

What is a Partial Solar Eclipse?

A partial solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and the Sun but does not fully block the Sun. Instead, it covers only a portion of the solar disk, creating the appearance of the moon taking a bite out of the sun.

This results in a deep but incomplete solar eclipse, with the sun taking on a crescent shape. Unlike a total solar eclipse, where the sky goes completely dark, daylight remains during a partial solar eclipse, albeit with a dim and eerie quality.

What is a Double Sunrise?

“Double Sunrise” is a rare and stunning visual effect that can occur when a solar eclipse coincides with the rising sun.

From parts of eastern Canada and northeastern United States, the sun may appear as a crescent on the horizon during a partial solar eclipse. The tip of the crescent moon, often called the “devil’s horn,” may also be visible, giving the illusion of two separate sunrises.

Maine and parts of Quebec, Canada, offer the best chance to witness this phenomenon.

After the double sunrise, the sun will continue to rise as a thin arc in the sky.

How to Safely Watch a Partial Solar Eclipse

Unlike a total solar eclipse, partial solar eclipses should never be viewed directly with the naked eye, even when most of the sun is covered. Even small slivers of the sun can cause permanent eye damage.

If possible, obtain eclipse glasses that are certified to ISO 12312-2 international safety standards.

Crowds gather around Bryant Park in New York City, wearing eclipse glasses to witness a partial solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.

If using binoculars, cameras, or telescopes, ensure they are equipped with a solar filter on the front end (not the eyepiece).

If you are unable to find glasses or filters, indirect viewing methods are still possible. By creating a small hole (1-2mm) in a card, you can project sunlight onto a flat surface to observe the solar eclipse safely.

Weather plays a significant role in eclipse visibility. A clear sky offers the best viewing conditions, but even in cloudy weather, you may still experience a dimming effect as the moon passes in front of the sun.

How to Watch the Solar Eclipse 2025 Online

If you are unable to witness the partial solar eclipse in person, don’t worry. You can watch it online. The Royal Observatory Greenwich in the UK will be live streaming the event starting at 10am GMT.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwol-q1fuvm

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

OpenAI introduces a new image generator feature for ChatGPT

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Chatbots were originally designed to chat. But they can generate images too.

On Tuesday, Openai strengthened its ChatGpt chatbot with new technology designed to generate images from detailed, complex and unusual instructions.

For example, explaining a four-panel comic strip that includes the characters that appear on each panel and what they are saying to each other, technology can instantly generate elaborate comics.

Previous versions of ChatGPT can generate images, but by blending these broad concepts, it was not possible to create images reliably.

The new version of CHATGPT illustrates a broader change in artificial intelligence technology. After starting as a mere text-generating system, chatbots have transformed into a tool that combines chat with a variety of other abilities.

The technology also supports a new version of CHATGPT called GPT 4-O, allowing chatbots to receive and respond to voice commands, images and videos. You can even talk.

Released at the end of 2022, the original ChatGpt learned its skills by analyzing a huge amount of texts from across the internet. I learned to answer questions, write poetry and generate computer code.

Could not generate image. But about a year later, Openai released a new version of ChatGPT, which can generate images called Dall-E. However, ChatGpt and Dall-E were separate systems.

Now, Openai is building a single system that learns a wide range of skills from both text and images. When generating your own images, the system can pull out everything ChatGpt has learned from the Internet.

“This is a whole new kind of technology under the hood,” said Gabriel Goh, a researcher at Openai. “We don’t disband image generation and text generation. We hope that everything will be done together.”

Traditionally, AI image generators have had a hard time creating images that are significantly different from existing images. For example, if I asked the image generator to create an image of a bike with a triangular wheel, that was a pain.

Goh said the new ChatGPT could handle this type of request.

Images of “triangle vehicle” made using OpenAI’s new ChatGPT image generator.

Openai said starting Tuesday, this new version of ChatGPT will be available to people using both the free and paid versions of the chatbot. This includes both ChatGpt Plus, a $20-month service, and ChatGpt Pro, a $200 service that provides access to all the company’s latest tools.

(New York Times sued Openai and its partner Microsoft in December for copyright infringement of news content related to AI systems.)

Source: www.nytimes.com

Foie Gras created using molecular mimicry, without the need for power

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Alternative Foie Gras for Researchers undergoing stress testing in the lab

Thomas A. Birgiss

French delicate foie gras could be made more ethically thanks to techniques that replicate the way fat is metabolized in forced birds, but the process still relies on farm animals.

Foie gras is made from duck or goose liver that is forcefully applied via tubes. This process, known as gavage, causes organs to expand to ten times the normal amount as the animal stores excess fat.

Researchers say the experience of eating foie gras depends not only on its high fat content, but also on its microscopic distribution of its fat.

now Thomas Birgiss At the Max Planck Institute, the Polymer Institute in Mainz, Germany and his colleagues developed a new process that uses the same bird fat to create the same texture from ducks or geese normally raised and slaughtered into the liver.

“I’m a huge fan of foie gras,” says Birgis. “I was fascinated by this mouthfeel – it was so different to the other putty – so I asked myself, what is it?”

His team had previously tried to make foie gras with putty in the same proportion of fat and liver ratio, but the results were disappointing. In further experiments, collagen was added to replicate the density of foie gras, but it gave me something that felt like a gum in my mouth.

Vilgis then realized that releasing enzymes that divide fat before storing them in the liver is a way to efficiently store large fat molecules as smaller crystalline substances.

He and his colleagues discovered that this process can be replicated by treating fat with an enzyme called yeast lipase. Candida Lugosa. “Lipases are molecular sizers,” says Birgis. Next, the processed fat is mixed with the liver to create fake foie gras.

The team conducted numerous scientific tests, including nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and compared fake foie glasses with real samples, resulting in promising results. Importantly, however, Vigoris says that the aroma and taste are “substantially not different” from the real thing.

The process is currently patented and researchers are discussing with the industry about commercializing the industry and bringing counterfeit gras to the market.

Due to ethical concerns, and in some countries, including the UK, many alternatives have been developed previously that claim to produce similar results, as it is traditionally illegal to produce foie gras. Also, at least two companies are trying to bring it in Lab-grown foie gras are available on the market.

Dawn Car People for Ethical Animal Treatment (PETA) says lab-fed meat is a more ethical route than a new lipase process that involves animal care and genocide. “We don’t need to kill animals for a fleeting taste moment,” Kerr says. “The future of foie gras is already here, and it doesn’t require any power or throat slits.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

TikTok ads depict apps as unstoppable forces, forever beyond our reach

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Emotional ads featuring Katie, a young woman diagnosed with a kidney disease at age 19, have been running on Facebook and Instagram for the past month.

She credits a stranger’s kidney with saving her life, highlighting the impact Tiktok has had on people’s lives. The app is positioning itself as a savior and small business supporter amidst concerns about Chinese ownership.

Despite federal laws requiring Tiktok to sell to non-Chinese owners by April 5, the company is pushing back with a new ad campaign emphasizing its role in American lives and businesses.

Tiktok’s marketing efforts have ramped up in recent months, with the app spending millions on ads and working to reassure creators about its future in the US.

In response to legal challenges threatening its existence, Tiktok has dramatically increased its advertising spending and engagement with policymakers.

Experts and creators alike are watching Tiktok’s moves closely as the app navigates uncertain regulatory waters while continuing to operate and advertise in the US.

Tiktok’s future remains uncertain as it faces pressure to sell to non-Chinese owners amidst concerns about data security and China’s influence.

The company is making efforts to reassure users and advertisers while also engaging with policymakers to shape its fate.

Tiktok is positioning itself as a key player in the digital advertising space, with plans to participate in major industry events and continue engaging with creators and brands.

While Tiktok faces uncertainty about its future, the company remains focused on supporting small businesses and engaging with policymakers to shape its fate.

Tiktok’s ad blitz and engagement with policymakers reflect the company’s efforts to address concerns and shape its future in the US market.

Source: www.nytimes.com

Physicists created a force-feeding-free version of Foie Gras

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Thomas BirgissFood Physicists at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Germany, have been in love with foie gras for a quarter century. The gorgeous delicateness is a putty or mousse made from the rich, fat liver of ducks and geese.

“It’s truly extraordinary,” Dr. Virgis said, recalling his early encounters with high-quality foie gras when he lived and worked in Strasbourg, France. It was soft and buttery, and as the fat started to melt in my mouth, the flavor evolved and exploded. “It’s like fireworks. Suddenly there’s a feeling of the whole liver,” he said.

But such transcendence is at a price.

To fatten the liver used to create foie gras, farmers force more grains than their bodies need. The excess food is stored as fat in the animal’s liver and has balloons of size.

He sometimes eats foie gras produced by local farmers, but Dr. Virgis discovers that it cannot stand on an industrial scale. “It’s terrible to watch,” he says.

Dr. Virgis somehow thought that “we could make similar products, but without this torture.”

In a paper published in the journal on Tuesday Liquid physicshe and his colleagues believe they have devised techniques that allow ducks and geese to eat and grow normally. But to be clear, this is not a replacement for foie gras that will hold the life of birds.

His lab approach uses enzymes to break down duck fat. Second, the mixture of regular duck liver and treated fats is finished in the same way as traditional foie gras. “Of course, that’s not a 100% agreement, but we’re very close,” Dr. Virgis said.

“It’s far better than many other products that try to simulate foie gras,” he said. It involves the process of using plant fats (“the same flavor, not melting, nothing,” he said) or collagen (“this turns out to be gum,” he said).

Devising this approach was full of failure. When the team tried simply to combine regular duck liver with untreated fat, regardless of the ratio, the result was not foie gras.

“The mechanical properties are different,” he said. “The fat distribution is different. Everything wasn’t working.”

Researchers tried to add emulsifiers and later gelatin from bird skin and bones, but consistency was off.

Dr. Virgis then thought about what would happen when forces were generated inside the bird’s body. Ducks or geese digest all excess food, among other things, using an enzyme called lipase, which acts like a pair of molecular scissors. They can cut fat molecules into small pieces and “rearrange and crystallize in different shapes,” he said. Crystallized fats form irregular clusters surrounded by a matrix of liver proteins, giving them a luxurious flavour and texture.

That was an important insight. “We just did what happens in the small intestines of the lab,” Dr. Virgis said. When the team treated duck fat with lipase, mixed it with regular liver, and studied it using X-ray scattering and other techniques, the results were markedly similar to foie gras.

“The mechanical properties match the properties of foie gras very well,” he said. “This really made me happy because foie gras contains so much basic physics.”

But most importantly, it tasted right. Dr. Virgis was surprised and pleased when he first sampled the fake foie gras. The team adjusted the melting point and fat clustering exactly to the right. “This trick gives you fat so that it melts in your mouth, which is essential,” he said. Dr. Virgis secured a patent for this process.

Roseanna ZiaUniversity of Missouri mechanical and chemical engineers who were not involved in the research praise the research that overcomes key challenges. “One of the difficult things about engineering is to translate what people like and want,” she said.

She explained that foie gras is a kind of soft solid, including butter, chocolate, mayonnaise and ice cream. “It looks like a solid, but when spread out with a knife, it moves like a liquid,” she praises researchers like Dr. Virgis, who can manipulate the behavior of this type of complex material.

He acknowledges that his formulation is “not vegetarian, not vegan.” However, when foie gras is produced and consumed, Dr. Virgis hopes at least some farmers will work to “reduce the suffering of animals a little.”

Source: www.nytimes.com

Stablecoin introduced by Trump’s Crypto Venture

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World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency company launched by Donald J. Trump and his sons, announced Tuesday that it plans to deepen the president’s financial ties with crypto as his administration eases industry enforcement.

Stablecoin is known as the company USD1 I wrote it Social media posts do not reveal when it will be sold. A common form of cryptocurrency, Stablecoins is designed to maintain a constant value of $1, and is useful for many types of crypto transactions.

“There are no games, there are no gimmicks, there are just real stability,” says World Liberty Financial Posted With an X account.

Stablecoin is the fourth digital currency sold to the public last year by Trump and his business partners. World Liberty already offers a cryptocurrency called WLFI. This month, the world’s freedom announcement Of these digital coins, they sold $550 million. Business entities associated with Trump have received a 75% reduction in sales.

A few days before taking office, Trump began selling so-called memo coins. This is a kind of digital currency based on online jokes and celebrity mascots. Melania Trump put his memo coins to the market the same weekend.

Trump has aggressively entered the crypto market as his administration eases enforcement and rolls back regulations. According to government ethics experts, his efforts to benefit from industry oversee the vast amount of conflicts of interest that is virtually unprecedented in American history.

World Liberty’s Stablecoin adds to the nasty knot of business conflict. Congress is considering legislation that regulates the ridiculous idiots that could reach Trump’s desk by the end of the year. Trump gave a speech at this month’s crypto conference. Called Regarding Stablecoins’ “simple common sense rules,” he says, “we will expand control of the US dollar.”

Stubcoins are usually supported by assets stored by the coin issuer. Every time a user redeems a Stablecoin, they can go to the issuer and exchange digital coins for cash equivalents.

In an announcement Tuesday, World Liberty said it will use short-term US Treasury, dollar deposits and other cash equivalents to back up stubcoins.

“We provide digital dollar stability that allows sovereign investors and key institutions to confidently integrate into a seamless, secure cross-border trading strategy,” said Zach Whitkoff, one of the founders of World Liberty and the son of Steve Wickoff, Trump’s Envoy to the Middle East.

Trump, a former crypto skeptic, last year embraced digital currency on the campaign trail and committed to transforming the United States into the “crypto capital of the planet.” The industry has spent tens of millions of dollars funding Congressional candidates who supported Trump and spoke favorably about the code.

In September, Trump began World Freedom with his sons, starting Steve and Zach Witkoff. They entrusted two little-known entrepreneurs with virtually no track record in the industry, Chase Hero and Zach Falkman, to run the business day by day.

World Liberty initially promised to create a cryptographic platform that allows users to borrow and lend digital currency. However, so far, the company has not launched any products other than WLFI and Stablecoin.

The company has set out on something like a purchase, bringing together a stockpile of etheric cryptocurrency and lesser-known coins like SUI and Link.

In a recent panel, Hero I said That world’s freedom was creating a “strategic reserve” of tokens. He did not explain the ultimate purpose of stockpiling.

The idea had a clear echo of the creation of a US stockpile of Bitcoin, one of Trump’s initiatives at the White House.

Source: www.nytimes.com

Smartphones can benefit children if they steer clear of social media

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Smartphones help kids socialize

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A study of over 1,500 children suggests that smartphones are beneficial for mental and social well-being unless they begin using social media.

Justin Martin The University of South Florida surveys state children ages 11 to 13. 25 years of national research To explore the link between digital media and happiness.

The researchers found that 78% of the 1,510 children surveyed owned smartphones, and 21% of these reported symptoms of depression and anxiety. Children with phones were also more likely to report spending time in person with friends.

“We thought ownership of a smartphone was related to negative outcomes or negative measures,” Martin says. “But it wasn’t.”

The researchers found that children with low-income parents are more likely to own smartphones than children with rich parents. The highest prevalence of 87% smartphone ownership was found in children living in households collected between $50,000 and $90,000, while only 67% of children in households who own smartphones over $150,000 have a smartphone.

Martin suggests that this may reflect the school policies that children attended, in response to a greater awareness of negative headlines about the supposed risks of social media affecting their mental health.

But such a ban — Florida was the first US state to introduce in 2023 — could be in a volatile scientific position, Martin says. “We were careful to emphasize associations rather than causality, but children with smartphones probably use them for social purposes and like many adults,” he says.

However, not all smartphone use is a benefit of dirt. The researchers also found that children who said they were often posted on social media were twice as likely to report sleep problems or symptoms of depression or anxiety compared to people who never use these platforms. That said, the study failed to determine whether increased use of social media has led to mental health and sleep problems, or whether the opposite is true, says Martin.

“We recommend that parents and adults consider protecting their children from the social platforms that their children post frequently, or try to avoid posting on social platforms,” ​​says Martin. “Of course, it’s hard to tell your kids. ‘You can use Instagram. You can use Tiktok, but don’t post it.” ”

Children surveyed are evenly divided on the merits of social media, with 34% agreeing that social media is more harmful than good, 33% disagreeing, and the rest are undecided about the issue.

“This is an attractive study that makes an important distinction, especially between smartphones and social media,” he says. Jess Maddox At the University of Alabama. “These two are synonyms for each other, but this study shows that they are not actually the same.”

“These are truly subtle findings and we hope that parents, educators and politicians will not be banned, but will encourage them to think more about their children’s education on smartphones and social media,” she says.

David Ellis At Bath University in the UK, this work confirms similar findings from previous studies, but understanding more work to understand what the data is directing us before deciding what to do about children’s smartphone use is that “the lack of analysis will strengthen conclusions that are more difficult to justify policy changes.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Samsung Electronics executive Han Jong-Hee dies at 63

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Han Jong-Hee, co-director of Samsung Electronics and nearly four-year veteran of South Korean consumer technology giant, passed away on Tuesday.

According to a company spokesman, Han, 63, suffered a sudden heart attack.

Since 2022, Han has shared the Chief Executive Officer and CEO of Samsung’s semiconductor business, and more recently Jun Young Hyun. Jun was named Samsung Electronics’ sole CEO on Tuesday after Han’s death, the company said: Announcement.

Han has been running Samsung’s home appliance business since 2021, and added the operation of a digital appliance to his brief a year later. He was also a member of the board. Previously, he oversaw a group that created visual displays for various Samsung electronic devices.

Han graduated from Inha University in Incheon, South Korea and earned a degree in electrical engineering. He joined Samsung in 1988 at a pivotal time in the company’s history, shortly after the death of its founder, Lee Byungchul.

Lee’s son and successor dominated the market for thin displays and mobile phones, pushing Samsung mercilessly through the technological changes of the 1990s and 2000s.

Samsung is the largest and most successful conglomerate known as Choi Bol, which transformed South Korea’s economy into a global export powerhouse. Samsung Electronics is a significant part of it of the country’s exports. Samsung is one of the most popular brands in the global smartphone market, competing with Apple and Xiaomi. It is also the world’s largest manufacturer of memory chips used in everything from electric vehicles and smartwatches to advanced artificial intelligence servers.

Han was survived by his wife and three children, the company said. The funeral will be held on Thursday at the funeral home of Samsung Seoul Hospital, a spokeswoman said.

Source: www.nytimes.com

Former UK Cyber Chief believes it is “unrealistic” to demand Apple to break encryption

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Apple withdraws one of its crypto services from its UK customers

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The former cybersecurity chief called the UK government “naive” for Apple’s request to add a backdoor to its software. This allows the UK Intelligence Agency to search customer data.

Ciaran Martin He is the head of cybersecurity at the UK Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), and was the first CEO of the National Cybersecurity Centre (NCSC) before joining Oxford University in 2020. New Scientist On reports that the UK government has made an unprecedented request to grant Apple access to data stored anywhere in the world, even if it is encrypted.

Such an order, made under the Investigation Powers Act of 2016, is intended to be made in secret, but Martin says it’s not surprising that details appear to have been leaked. “I think the idea that this type of order for companies like Apple would work secretly was probably naive,” he says.

Neither the Home Office nor Apple has confirmed the existence of requests. However, in February, Apple announced that it would do so. No longer provide advanced data protection servicesIt is designed to securely encrypt cloud data to new users in the UK. “As I’ve said many times before, we’ve never built a backdoor or a master key for our products or services and never would,” Apple said at the time. The same goes for the company Reportedly challenges British orders in legal cases that are likely to be heard secretly.

Martin says that while it’s not uncommon for governments and industries to collide with security issues, he is “not cumbersome, but susceptible to some form of compromise.” He says several times during his career at Intelligence Reporting Agency, technology companies have requested that malicious actors remove features used to harm national security or criminal enterprises. He refused to give details But they often said these are small specialized technology providers.

“They’ll have a new app or something, and it will become a criminal favourite for certain features, and you just say, ‘Look, you can’t do this,'” says Martin. “They are little niche technology, they are widely used. They are more misused than they are used.

At the end of the day, he says, the government must accept that non-crackable encryption will remain here. “The ship sailed,” says Martin. “I think the government has to agree to this in the end, and I think in the long run, I’m trying to force a global Titan. [US] The West Coast is not going well. ”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Australian authors suggest Meta might have used their book to train AI without permission

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The Australian author expresses being “lively alive” and feels violated knowing their work was allegedly included in a pirated dataset used to train AI.

Parents company of Facebook and Instagram faces a copyright infringement lawsuit from US authors like Ta-Nehisi Coates and comedian Sarah Silverman.

In a court application from January, CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly approved using the book’s online archive, Libgen Dataset, to train the company’s AI models, despite warnings from the AI executive team of its pirated nature.

In the Atlantic, Searchable databases have been released for authors to check if their work is in the Libgen Dataset.

Books by notable Australian authors, including former Prime Ministers Malcolm Turnbull, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, and John Howard, are among those published.

Holden Sheppard, author of Invisible Boys, a popular young adult novel adapted to a Stan series, expressed disappointment that his work was utilized in training meta AI.

He expressed his disapproval of his books being used without consent to train generative AI systems, considering it unethical and illegal and calling for fair compensation for the authors.

He emphasized the need for AI-specific laws in Australia to ensure compliance with existing copyright laws by generative AI developers or deployers.

Journalist and author Tracey Spicer discovered two of her books, including one that addresses artificial intelligence, were included in the dataset without her consent.

She called for a class-action lawsuit in Australia and urged affected authors to contact local federal lawmakers.

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She criticized big technology companies for profiting while reducing writers to a serf-like status, highlighting the financial struggles of many authors.

…

Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, an award-winning film critic and author of several books, expressed her frustration and called for government action.

The Australian Authors Association urged Facebook to advocate for authors whose work was used without permission.

Society Chair Sophie Cunningham contacted affected authors and condemned the treatment of writers by large companies profiting from their work.

Cunningham criticized Meta’s dealings with writers as exploitative and called for fair treatment and compensation for authors.

Mehta declined to comment on the ongoing lawsuit and is reportedly lobbying for AI training on copyrighted data via executive orders.

Previously, Melbourne publisher Black Inc. Books raised concerns about the use of AI in the industry, with some companies entering agreements with publishers for content use.

Source: www.theguardian.com

The potential reasons behind teenage girls’ higher rates of depression compared to boys

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Researchers have discovered that certain chemical imbalances in the brain may help explain the higher risk of depression in teenage girls compared to boys.

They specifically highlighted the role of a chemical called tryptophan, an essential amino acid found in foods like turkey, chicken, eggs, milk, nuts, and seeds. Tryptophan is used by the body to produce serotonin, a brain chemical that influences mood, sleep, and happiness.

When tryptophan is broken down in the brain, it can lead to the production of beneficial chemicals like kynurenic acid, as well as harmful chemicals.

Tryptophan (the molecular structure shown here) is one of the 20 standard amino acids – Photo credit: Getty

A study by scientists from King’s College London analyzed blood and depression symptoms in Brazilian teenagers aged 14-16, linking these chemicals with depression in both genders.

According to Professor Valeria Mondeli, senior author and Kings’ clinical professor of psychoimmune, adolescence is a time of significant changes with little understanding of the biological factors contributing to depression differences between teenage boys and girls.

The researchers found that girls at high risk of depression had lower levels of brain health kynurenic acid compared to low-risk individuals, indicating potential harm from tryptophan breakdown.

Girls and women are twice as likely to experience depression compared to men, and the researchers suggested this may be linked to the unbalanced kynurenine pathway’s effects on the brain.

Dr. Nagum Nickhesrat, the first author of the study, expressed hope that the findings could lead to better support for teenagers with depression, possibly through drugs targeting the kynurenine pathway.

Understanding the kynurenine pathway’s role in depression development during teenage years could provide insight into better management strategies for depression.

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Trekking from Cactus to Cloud Route in Palm Springs, California.

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A steep trail near the top Aerial Trams in Palm Springs It was covered with a sponge-like fallen needle and wist-strung pine cone on its ankle. It was also shady, and although it was tough, it felt amazing after the first 7 miles Cloud hiking from cactus Not much was offered bird The value of the remedy of the Leaf.

I was already hiking 7,549 feet vertical feet, and had about 3,000 to get to the top of Mount San Jacinto, a granite rock mountain that towers just west of Palm Springs, California.

For this, I chose the third time from the cactus to the cloud hike, and I chose the day in mid-November, but the conditions were perfect. The 22-mile hike has risen from the desert floor to a 10,834-foot peak, then six miles and 2,400-foot vertical feet, reaching a $14 ride.

I started trekking at an altitude of 482 feet near the Palm Springs Museum Immediately after sunrise At 6:41am, carrying enough water to continue to the first water source, the 8,400-foot ranger station, I packed some jackets to deal with the swing of wild temperatures from bottom to top.

People have many reasons to try cacti on clouds. This is one of the most biodiversity hikes in the country. It is a rare wilderness experience on the edge of an urban area. But more than anything, there is the pure boldness of the hiking. In my previous ascension, each of them was motivated by the idea that, following the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, divorce and completion of treatment for stage 3 breast cancer, I was not sorry for myself by committing myself to this challenge. And what if I made it? Well, that was proof that I could handle anything.

This time my MS was in remission, my marriage was fulfilling, and I had been cancer-free for almost nine years. More than 15 years after the first cactus to the clouds, it was finally about the landscape, not me. I had hidden pocket guides to plants in the San Jacinto Mountains and had planned to take some time to stop the cedars and smell them.

The cloud route from full cactus is only very suitable, but you can also hike that section. Walk one mile from the trailhead to the picnic area and look back. Or take the tram and take the Top Station, then climb the summit on Mount San Jacinto. You can also trek to the top of the tram and then take it on and save the next day’s summit, as you did this time due to sudden leg pain. Each offers you the chance to find eternal views of the Coachella Valley, as well as the Cactus Lens, the Cooper Hawks and the Golden Eagles.

Mount San Jacinto is not particularly noticeable, but the difference in altitude from the base to the summit is the case. The mountain rises approximately 10,400 feet over approximately six horizontal miles. This sudden trend explains the unusual species of life of plants passing through four life zones, apart from the roughly climbing equivalent of Mount Everest.

The trail begins between desert species such as barrel cactus and creosote, and then Chaparal, Scrub oak and Manzanita. After that, the pine forests mix together. At the summit, the trees are shorter, collected and included by altitude and elements. Pines on the arms and legsthrives in places that are hardly anywhere else.

“The environment and lifestyle look very different from the top of Mount San Jacinto in the desert of Colorado Sonoran,” he said. Conservation Biology Center A few days before hiking at the University of California, Riverside. But the most interesting is the zones between the zones, she said. “That’s where it is the most biodiversity is.”

Davis was right. Between 7,000 and 8,000 feet, the green smelled a variety of things, resulting in an incredible array of shapes, textures, hues and sizes. It was like hiking a bowl of mixed salad greens: cedar, manzanita, oak, agave Jeffrey Pines Add a butterscotch hint into the air.

Conditions that make cactus prominent towards the clouds dangerous. The trail hiker died of dehydration and exposure. “We take one deadly a year,” said volunteer Eric Holden. Riverside Mountain Rescueone of four search and rescue teams to deal with hikers suffering on the route.

To protect both hikers and rescuers, Mount San Jacinto State Park In summer, parts of the route were closed under authority (three digit temperatures at the bottom) and winter (snow and frozen conditions at the top). In 2024, the trail closed in early July and reopened on November 4th.

There is little shade for the first 7,000 feet and no ten miles of water. “One of the biggest killers is a hiker who has come to realize he has no physical fitness and is beginning to turn around,” Holden said. “It might be cool when it started at 3am, but now I’m not feeling well and I’m hiking to temperatures that could go above 100 degrees.”

In winter, snow can make it difficult to track. In particular, at 1,000 feet, 1,000 feet below the top of the tram, hikers are stuck on a cliff. I stayed on the path of this section by following my previous GPS tracks from cactus to cloud hiking.

Backpacker magazine Call the cactus to cloud the hike on the fifth most difficult day in America. Most hikers take 12-16 hours. I tried to entertain myself from the relentless climb by identifying exactly which species of Manzanita was scratching my feet, but it did so much to deflect me. I sat down, sitting on a flat rock 6,000 feet above the trailhead, next to either a pink business or a green leaf manzanita.

At least I was hiking uphill. Most veteran hikers understand that while ascending is a tough job, going downhill is a real punishment. In fact, there are clouds from cactus to clouds. Because much of the descent occurs on the streetcars.

“We were dedicated to hikers and were always looking for challenges,” said Sue Birnbaum, one of the six members of the group. Coachella Valley Hiking Club He was the first person to complete the annual Cactus to Clouds Challenge in 1993.

The challenge linked three existing trails, which are “extraordinary super day hikes.” The Museum, Skyline and Mount San Jacin To Peak Trail go beyond a mixture of local, state and federal land and property owned by the Agua Caliente India reservations, which have been operating since 1963.

One paradox of cactus to clouds: better if there are no clouds. They obscure the scenery and sometimes the trail itself. This rise held a different kind of paradox for me too. It was the first time I’d hiked separately on the summit trail, but as I listened to my body and spared my legs, I felt a surge in pride.

Against the Pacific panorama, sparkling Salton Sea, and the peaks of the terrible sacred Takitz, spectacular cauliflower-shaped clouds floated thousands of feet below. At about 90 minutes of sunset, they caught and reflected the shades you can usually see in a mango ice cream scoop.

Despite the warm orange radiating across the sky, the summit was frozen and gusts of wind had collapsed. I was tied up in three jackets containing a hooded, swollen coat and would have happily accepted another. So I wanted as much as I wanted to last longer, and I wanted even more to avoid frostbite.

I headed back from the rocks back onto the trail and turned myself towards the tram and across the cluster of things I had identified. Bush Chin Capin. My pocket guide said the fruit tastes like chestnuts. The next time you do the cactus on the clouds, always stop and try it.

The trail is located just north of the Palm Springs Museum, approximately 6.5 miles from the foot of the tram car. After the hike, you can use ride services such as Uber or Lyft to return to the trailhead parking lot.

Source: www.nytimes.com

University graduates facing increasing layoffs and rising unemployment rates

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When Starbucks announced last month it was firing more than 1,000 corporate employees, it highlighted a disturbing trend for white-collar workers. Slow wage growth.

It also fueled that long-standing discussion of economists. Is recent unemployment just a temporary development? Or will they inform something more ominous and irreversible?

After sitting below 4% for more than two years, the overall unemployment rate since May has surpassed that threshold.

Economists say the job market remains strong by historical standards, and much of the recent weakening appears to be linked to the economic impact of the pandemic. Companies actively hired amid a surge in demand and moved to layoffs after the Federal Reserve began to raise interest rates. Many of these companies are trying to make their businesses more lean under investor pressure.

But amid the rapid advances in artificial intelligence and President Trump’s federal targets, it disproportionately supports white-collar jobs, which some thinks it has begun a permanent decline in knowledge work.

Karltannenbaum, chief economist at Northern Trust, said: “I tell people that there are waves.”

To date, few industries have typical shifts over the last few years than creating video games. The boom began in 2020 Couch-bound Americans searched for a new form of home entertainment. The industry reversed the course and actively hired it before embarking on a period of layoffs. Thousands of video game workers lost their jobs last year and the previous year.

The scale of unemployment is Game Developers Choice AwardsThe industry’s annual awards show complained about the “record layoffs” during the 2024 opening monologue. The unionization trend that began with low-wage quality assurance testers that same year has spread to better-paid workers, such as game producers, designers, engineers, and more, of companies making hit games. fall out and World of Warcraft.

At Bethesda Game Studios, owned by Microsoft and creating fallout, workers said they had unionized some because they felt the union would leverage in the soft labor market, as they were wary of rounds of company layoffs in 2023 and 2024.

“It was the first time Bethesda had experienced a layoff in such a long time,” said Taylor Welling, a studio producer who earned a master’s degree in interactive entertainment. “It scared so many people,” Microsoft declined to comment.

unemployment Finance and related industrieswhile still low, it increased by about a quarter from 2022 to 2024. The rise in interest rates slowed demand for mortgages, and businesses were trying to lean more. In Revenue Call Last summer, Wells Fargo’s chief executive noted that the company’s “efficiency initiative” had pruned its workforce over 16 quarters, including a cut in nearly 50% of workers in the company’s home lending sector since 2023.

Last fall, Wells Fargo fired about a quarter of the approximately 45 employees of the Behavioral Management Intake Team, which confirms accusations of corporate misconduct against customers and employees. Heather Rolfs, The let go of lawyer said she believes the company is trying to save money by reducing the US workforce, and she and her colleagues believe it is an attractive target as they have recently tried to put in on the union.

“I think it’s great to get rid of two birds with one stone,” Rolfs said. Some of her former colleagues say they are worriedly waiting every Tuesday after payday. “We feel we can be fired at any time,” he said. Eden Davis, Another worker on the team.

A spokesman for Wells Fargo said in a statement that the layoffs have nothing to do with the union, saying “we will regularly review and adjust staffing levels to suit the market situation.” He said two managers on the team also lost their jobs.

Atif Rafiq, author of a book on corporate strategy in senior positions at McDonald and Amazon, said many companies are trying to emulate Amazon’s model of building teams that go beyond capabilities to reduce barriers between workers with different expertise, such as coding and marketing. In the process, they may discover redundancy and take on layoffs.

CEO Brian Nicole in a memo announcing the layoffs at Starbucks last month I quoted the goal “Delete layers and replicas and create smaller, more agile teams.” Nissan provided similar evidence for management reductions announcement this month.

Overall, the latest data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York show Unemployment rates among university graduates have risen by 30% (2% to 2.6%) since falling from the bottom in September 2022, compared to about 18% (3.4% to 4%) for all workers. An analysis by Julia Pollack, Chief Economist at Zippleck Crutter, shows that unemployment rates are the highest among those with bachelor’s or university degrees, but do not have a degree.

Employment rates were slower for jobs that require university degrees than for other jobs. According to ADP Researchresearching the labor market.

Some economists say these trends are inherently short-term and may have little concern for themselves. Lawrence Katz, a labor economist at Harvard University, noted that the increase in unemployment rates among college-educated workers was slightly greater than the overall increase in unemployment rates, and unemployment rates for both groups remained low due to historic measures.

Professor Katz argued that slowing wage growth for middle-class workers could simply reflect the discounts that these workers effectively accepted in exchange for being able to work from home. Data from the Institute of Liberal Economic Policy Wages for workers in the 70th and 80th percentiles of income distribution have shown that since 2019 they have grown more slowly than wages in other groups.

However, there are other indications that returns on university degrees may have changed over time. Wage gap between people with university degrees and those without one It has grown steadily It started in 1980, but has been flattened over the past 15 years, but it remains high.

Flattening may partially reflect the fact that as university attendance increases, there are more college-educated workers that employers can choose. However, some economists Make a claim What it reflects Reduced Employer Needs For university graduates, for example, information technology is more sophisticated, which means fewer jobs like bookkeeping. Such jobs do not necessarily require a university degree, but they were often appealing to graduates.

Artificial intelligence can also reduce the need for it by increasing the automation of white-collar jobs. recently Academic Paper Software developers using AI coding assistants have improved their key measures of productivity by over 25%, and found that productivity gains appear to be the biggest among the most experienced developers. The results suggested that employing AI could reduce the wage premium enjoyed by more experienced coders as it erodes productivity benefits over beginners.

Mert Demirer, a MIT economist who co-authored the paper, said in an interview that the work of software developers could change over the long term, making human coders a type of project manager overseeing multiple AI assistants. In that case, wages could rise as humans become more productive. Also, if cheaper software leads to even greater demand, AI will expand employment among coders.

Still, at least in the short term, many tech executives and their investors seem to see AI as a way to trim staffing. Software engineers at large tech companies said they refused to be named for fear of harming their job prospects. His team was about half of last year, and he and his colleagues said they were expected to do roughly the same amount of work by relying on AI assistants. Overall, Unemployment rate In the technology and related industries, it jumped more than half from 2022 to 2024, from 2.9% to 4.4%.

Then there was Trump’s attempt to remake the federal government. This has so far resulted in job losses and employment freezes for federal employees and employees of universities and other nonprofits that rely on government funds. Johns Hopkins University, which relies heavily on funding for federal research, announced this month that it has abandoned 2,000 workers around the world as a result of Trump’s cuts.

Professor Katz at Harvard University noted that the majority of university-educated workers relied on the federal government over other groups, either directly or through nonprofit funding. “What appears to be a major contraction in science and research, education and government spending could potentially have a very large impact,” he said.

“The overall unemployment rate among university graduates does not seem to be particularly rising,” he added. “But that could be in the next six months.”

Source: www.nytimes.com

The Fungal Pioneer: A Life Exhibition

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On an early summer day of 1876 near Druid Hill Park in Baltimore, a middle-aged woman carrying three large, corrupt mushrooms repelled fellow travelers in horse-drawn carriages.

Even wrapped in paper, the foul smell of the aptly named Stinkhorn mushroom was overwhelming, but the woman suffocated her laughter as two other passengers griped about the surrounding flies. The smell didn’t bother her. All she cared about was to bring specimens home to study them, she would write later.

This is Mary Elizabeth Banning, a self-taught mycologist who has been doing creative research into Maryland fungi for nearly 40 years.

Miss Bunning characterized thousands of specimens she found in the countryside of Baltimore and its surrounding areas, identifying 23 new species in science at the time.

The talented artist has collected these observations into a manuscript called “Maryland Fungi.” It consisted of 175 stunning watercolor paintings, each with an accurate yet intimate portrait of a particular species, as well as detailed scientific explanations and anecdotes about the collection of mushrooms.

The manuscript was Miss Bunning’s life work, and she wanted to see it published. But it ended in the drawers of the New York State Museum in Albany and has been forgotten for almost a century.

Her watercolors make up the backbone Exhibition at the museum It will open this month and will run until January 4th next year. The exhibition, called “Outcasts,” recognizes not only the museum’s Mycology collection, but also the museum’s Mycology Collection, as well as the museum’s Mycology Collection.

Miss Banning is known as the fungus “vegetable exile.” At the time (and throughout 1969) fungi were classified as distinctive plants. Most botanists From the mid-19th century, their research was considered a backwater of research.

It was the exile who banned herself. “She was very much hoping to be part of the science community,” said John Haynes, a museum’s mycology curator until she retired in 2005 and a wide-ranging study of her history. But as a woman living in the 19th century, the path was largely closed to her.

Like her contemporaries like Beatrix Potter, she tried to make her mark in the emerging field of mycology.

One scientist gave her Charles Horton Peck, who worked at the museum as New York’s first national botanist from 1868 to 1913. A prominent American mycologic man, Peck has dedicated most of his career to fungi, gathering over 33,000 specimens in a New York survey, surpassing 2,700 New New Kachiuk reports.

“A lot of the fungi that people recognize from New York and the northeast are what Peck explained,” said Dr. Kaisian.

Miss Banning first wrote Mr. Peck in 1878, seeking feedback on her manuscript. Unlike the other scientists she tried to contact, he wrote back and they responded for nearly 20 years. Her letters are part of which are on display, providing a window into their relationship.

“You are my only friend on the debate land of the Official Gazette,” she wrote to him in 1879. She recorded her collection forays and scientific observations, and conveyed her dreams of the manuscript. “I have a strong will,” she wrote in 1889.

Miss Banning’s letters were often whimsical and passionate. None of Mr. Peck’s letters to her remained, but his tone in the other letters suggested he was much more restrained. Nevertheless, he treated Miss Vanning like a respected colleague – providing her scientific guidance, an account of the species with her support, and even an account of the species named after her. Their scientific bonds could not be denied.

“It’s a love story, but not between them. They both were in love with fungi,” Haynes said. The play he wrote about their relationship from Miss Bunning’s letter will take place at the exhibition’s gallery opening event on April 4th at the museum.

However, the love triangle tends to change particularly sourly. With no visible publishing prospects for her own, Miss Bunning sent her manuscript to Mr. Peck in 1890, hoping that he could publish it. “He would have had the resources to make it a permanent part of the mycologic record,” Dr. Kaisian said. But he never did.

She expressed how difficult it was to let go of her job and asked her to reassure her that she appreciated her contribution to the field, but she was not received that recognition. “In her letter, she seems to have passed away without really understanding the legacy, the value of her work,” Dr. Kaisian said.

In one of her final letters to Mr. Peck in 1897, six years before her death, Miss Bunning lamented the loss of the book as she fell into poverty alone in a room home in Virginia. “I hardly know that I’ve given up on an illustrated book,” she wrote. “To tell you the truth, I want to look at it and call it my own again, but this is by no means.”

“It still brings tears to my eyes,” Dr. Haynes said.

It was originally Dr. Haynes who revealed the manuscript of Miss Bunning.

The eccentric curator showed it to him in 1969 when he visited the museum for a job interview. He recalls being surprised by the colors that were beautifully preserved by the fact that pages had not been opened to sunlight for decades.

He exhibited some of the paintings in 1981, and they were on display several more times, including the birth of Miss Banenning, including Talbot County, Maryland. With the help of this spotlight, Miss Bunning was led to the Maryland Women’s Hall of Fame in 1994. However, since the mid-1990s, the photographs were packed in as pigments decompose quickly in light.

Beyond Miss Bunning’s work, “Outcasts” gives visitors a glimpse into the broader historical background of mycology. “Fungi are extremely important organisms, dating back hundreds of millions of years, they shape the very texture of the Earth,” Dr. Kaisian said. “But their stories are still mystical and often ignored.”

In addition to Miss Bunning’s watercolors and letters, the exhibition includes many other artifacts and experiences. Visitors can explore one of Peck’s microscopes and mushroom specimens, one of the recently collected by Dr. Kaysian, or marvel at the incredibly realistic wax sculpture of New York fungi, created for the museum in 1917 by artist Henri Marchand and his son Paul.

The murals, created by museum artists, show the biology of fungi, their role in ecosystems, and their evolutionary history. Rare Fossils of Prototaxite, a 30-foot-high fungus that lived during the Devonian period about 400 million years ago refers to how much the Earth has changed over time.

Overall, Dr. Kaysian said he hopes the exhibition will demonstrate why such natural history collections deserve public support and preservation.

The 150-year-old specimen, hidden in a cabinet where visitors rarely see scientists, maps the limits of a variety of organisms, both geographically and genetically.

“The Natural History Collection is an active repository for contemporary research,” Dr. Kaisian said. “We need more scientific communication about what’s going on here and why it’s important.”

Source: www.nytimes.com

The Best Foods for a Longer, Healthier Life: Anti-Aging Diet Research Unveiled

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Studies spanning three decades on eight popular diets have pinpointed the ones most likely to promote long-term health since the 1970s.

The Alternative Healthy Diet Index (AHEI) diets have shown slightly superior health benefits compared to the planetary health food index, Mediterranean diet, and healthy plant-based diets.

The AHEI diet focuses on increased consumption of vegetables, fruits, legumes, and nuts while limiting other foods like sugary drinks, red and processed meat, salt, and trans fats. Some meat, fish, and dairy products are allowed in moderation.

Other diets studied had similar characteristics but varied in terms of the amount of permissible meat intake for foods like olive oil, fish, and berries.

“This diet provides all the essential nutrients and food varieties necessary for maintaining a healthy life,” stated corresponding author Dr. Marta Guash Fere, an associate professor at the University of Copenhagen in an interview with BBC Science Focus. “It is a widely recognized dietary pattern focused on disease prevention.”

The study’s healthy diet emphasizes plant foods like vegetables, fruits, legumes, and nuts – Credit: Marcos Elif Castillo Ramirez via Getty

The study conducted by Harvard University’s Chan School of Public Health, Copenhagen University, and the University of Montreal analyzed data from over 105,000 middle-aged nurses and healthcare professionals.

Participants completed meal surveys over 30 years which were scored based on their adherence to eight different dietary patterns.

While only 9.3% of participants were categorized as healthy agers, those closest to the AHEI diet were found to be 86% more likely to reach 70 years of age in good health.

These individuals were also over twice as likely to reach 75 years of age in good health compared to those following diets less similar to the AHEI diet.

Healthy aging was defined as reaching 70 years of age with good cognitive, physical, and mental health without major chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

“This research focuses on healthy aging, aiming not just for longevity but for quality of life as well,” explained Guash Ferre. “We are concerned with maintaining overall health in various aspects – physical, cognitive, emotional, and mental.”

The second most effective diet was the Planetary Health Diet Index, promoting both human and environmental health by favoring plant-based diets.

Adherence to any of the eight diets was associated with improved aging, all emphasizing high plant food intake over meat, including vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and legumes.

Though they shared similarities, some diets were variations of the Mediterranean diet focused on longevity, while others were more plant-based or designed for specific purposes like reducing inflammation or safeguarding against cognitive decline.

Guash Ferre noted the intriguing aspect that the diet most conducive to healthy aging includes moderate incorporation of healthy animal-based foods.

She suggested that these proteins might benefit middle-aged and older populations by protecting against conditions like osteoporosis but may not be ideal for younger adults not addressed in the study.

Reduced consumption of ultra-processed foods was linked to improved aging, a finding detailed in Natural Medicine.

Read more:

About our experts:

Dr. Marta Guash Fere is an associate professor at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and at the Department of Nutrition in Harvard Chan School of Public Health. She holds a PhD in nutritional epidemiology.

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

The revolutionary US spaceplane that could reshape space warfare forever

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Earlier this month, a mysterious spaceship named X-37B landed at Vandenburg Space Force base near Santa Barbara, California. This experimental project, shrouded in secrecy, has been ongoing for over a decade.

Details about the X-37B and its mission are scarce, but fragments of information have been gradually unveiled over the years, allowing us to piece together the puzzle of what is happening in space.

While the public eye is fixed on the race to the moon by private companies and national space agencies, a more secretive competition is taking place in the background.

The X-37B is just one of many clandestine experiments conducted by countries like the US, Russia, and China. Recent revelations shed light on the features of this mysterious spacecraft and give a glimpse into the future of military space operations.

The X-37B is seen here on the runway after a successful completion of the sixth mission. – Staff Sergeant Adam Shanks / US Space Force

What do you know about the X-37B?

The X-37B, built by Boeing, is a cutting-edge spacecraft born out of NASA’s X-37 program. It embarked on its first flight in 2010 and has since been managed by various US military entities, including the US Space Force.

The US Space Force, established in 2019, recognizes the importance of space in future conflicts and aims to achieve space superiority through operations like space control.

The X-37B, despite not being a weapon itself, plays a crucial role in preparing the US for potential space warfare scenarios. Its capabilities are key in collecting data and testing new technologies in the space domain.

Recent maneuvers like the “aero brake” operation have showcased the agility and versatility of the X-37B, hinting at its potential role in future defense strategies.

While the specifics of the X-37B’s missions remain classified, its significance lies in its contribution to the US military’s readiness for an evolving space landscape.

War in Space: Where does the X-37B fit?

As space becomes increasingly congested with satellites and new technologies, the X-37B’s role in collecting data and testing capabilities is vital for understanding the evolving space environment.

The spacecraft’s ability to operate autonomously and perform complex maneuvers like aero braking sets it apart as a valuable asset in modernizing US space defense strategies.

While countries like China and Russia are also developing secretive space capabilities, the X-37B represents the US’s commitment to maintaining a competitive edge in space while adapting to new threats.

Overall, the X-37B serves as a reminder that space is no longer just a realm of exploration, but a frontier where countries must prepare for defense and strategic advantage.

About our experts

Vivienne Machi: Military space editor at Aviation Week, with a decade of experience covering international military and space technology.

Todd Harrison: Senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute specializing in defense strategy, budget, and space policy.

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Why is it difficult to recall memories from the first year of life?

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Challenging assumptions about infant memory, a new Yale-led study shows that 12-month-old young infants can code memory. Findings suggest that infant amnesia – the inability to remember the first few years of our lives – is likely caused by impaired memory retrieval, rather than being unable to form memories in the first place.

Yates et al. The mechanical basis of this infant amnesia was investigated by scanning the brains of awake infants with functional magnetic resonance imaging. Image credit: Kang Heungbo.

Despite childhood being a period of rapid learning, memories from this point do not continue to later childhoods or adults.

In general, humans cannot remember events in the first three years of their lives. This is a phenomenon known as infant amnesia.

The reason why grown-up humans have long-standing blind spots in their episode memories during their early childhood remains the puzzle.

One theory suggests that this occurs. This is because the hippocampus, a brain region important for episodic memory, is not fully developed during infancy.

However, rodent studies challenge this idea that memory traces or sculptures are formed in the infant hippocampus, but are inaccessible over time.

In humans, infants exhibit memory through behaviors such as conditioned responses, mimicking, and recognition of familiar stimuli.

However, it remains unclear whether these abilities are dependent on the hippocampus or other brain structures.

“The characteristic of these types of memories we call episode memories is that you can explain them to others, but that’s off the table when you’re dealing with pre-language toddlers.”

For this study, researchers wanted to identify robust methods for testing temporary memory in infants.

Scientists used an approach that showed images of new faces, objects, or scenes in infants between four months and two years.

After that, after the infant saw several other images, they showed the previously seen images next to the new one.

“When the baby sees something previously, when they see it again, they’re hoping to see more of it,” Professor Torque Brown said.

“In this task, if the toddler is staring at a previously seen image more than the new one next to it, it can be interpreted as the baby perceives it as familiar.”

The authors have pioneered methods for performing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with awake infants over the past decade (has been historically difficult due to the short attention span and inability to remain stationary).

Specifically, we assessed whether hippocampal activity is related to infant memory strength.

They discovered that the greater hippocampal activity when infants are looking at new images, the longer they see it when the infant reappears later.

The posterior part of the hippocampus (near the back of the head) where encoding activity was most intense, is the same region that is most associated with adult episodic memory.

These findings were true across a sample of 26 infants, but were the strongest among infants over 12 months (half of the sample group).

“This age effect leads to a more complete theory of how the hippocampus develops to support learning and memory,” Professor Torque Brown said.

Previously, the team found that the hippocampus of a 3 month-old young infant exhibits a different type of memory known as statistical learning.

While the memory of the episode deals with certain events, such as sharing Thai meals with out-of-town visitors last night, statistical learning is to extract patterns across events, such as restaurants that look like restaurants, specific dishes found or typical appearances where they are served seated.

These two types of memory use different neuronal pathways in the hippocampus.

And in previous animal studies, researchers have shown that statistical learning pathways seen in the anterior part of the hippocampus develop faster than that of temporary memory.

Therefore, the authors suspected that episodic memories could appear in childhood for about a year or more.

This developmental progression makes sense when thinking about the needs of babies.

“Statistical learning is about extracting the structure of the world around us,” Professor Torque Brown said.

“This is important for the development of language, vision, concepts, etc., and so I understand why statistical learning is played faster than episodic memory.”

Still, new research shows that episode memories can be encoded by the hippocampus earlier than previously thought, long before the earliest memories that can be reported as adults. So what about these memories?

“There are a few possibilities,” Professor Torque Brown said.

“One thing is that it simply doesn’t last long because memory may not be converted into long-term storage.”

“The other thing is that memories are still there long after encoding and we don’t have access to them.”

“And we think that might be the latter.”

“In our ongoing work, we test whether toddlers, toddlers and children remember home videos taken from the perspective of (young) babies.

“The new findings provide important connections.”

“Human work is significantly compatible with recent animal evidence that infant amnesia is a problem of recovery.”

“We are beginning to track the durability of hippocampal memory throughout childhood and entertain the possibilities of radical science fiction.

study Published in the journal Science.

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Tristan S. Yates et al. 2025. Hippocampal encoding of human infant memory. Science 387 (6740): 1316-1320; doi: 10.1126/science.adt7570

Source: www.sci.news

European sales of Tesla drop by almost 45% amid controversy over Trump administration and masks

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Sales of a new Tesla car in Europe plummeted last month since Elon Musk’s involvement in Trump’s administration, indicating potential buyer backlash towards his controversial behavior.

The electric car manufacturer sold just under 16,000 vehicles in Europe last month, a 44% decrease across 25 countries including the EU, the UK, Norway, and Switzerland.

Tesla’s market share dropped to 9.6%, its lowest in five years. January also saw a 45% decline in sales compared to 2024.

Although the UK reported a 21% increase in new Tesla vehicle registrations in February, Tesla’s overall sales in Europe are struggling due to Musk’s political involvement and the Model Y overhaul.

Analysts are monitoring Musk’s impact on Tesla amidst concerns of consumer backlash and competition within the EV market. Brands like Tesla, with limited model lineups, are vulnerable during model transitions.

Other automakers like Volkswagen, BMW, and Mini have seen sales growth in Europe, outpacing Tesla in February.

BYD, a Chinese-owned company, has reported significant sales increases, overshadowing Tesla in revenue and sales figures.

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BYD has emerged as a strong competitor to Tesla, exceeding them in revenue and sales volume, especially with their line of hybrid cars.

Polestar, owned by Geely, Volvo’s parent company, has also shown growth in vehicle sales in the European market.

BYD’s market value has surged, positioning them as a key player in the electric vehicle industry alongside Tesla and other major automakers.

Despite these challenges, Tesla’s shares rose 6% on Monday, showing resilience in the market amid increasing competition and regulatory changes.

Overall car sales in European markets saw a slight drop, while BEV registrations rose significantly, indicating a shift towards electric vehicles in the region.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Anomalies in the Universe: Massive spiral galaxies expel enormous pairs of relativistic jets

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2MASX J23453268-0449256 (J2345-0449 for short), a very huge, rapidly spinning, jet lag spiral galaxy with approximately 947 million light years in the Aquarius constellation, a mass of billions of people billions that are billions of times the sun’s, and mounted on a massive radio jet spanning six million light years. This is one of the largest known in any spiral galaxy, and such powerful jets are almost exclusively found in elliptical galaxies rather than spiral, thus covering the conventional wisdom of galaxies’ evolution. It also means that the Milky Way can potentially create similar energetic jets in the future.

This image shows the Spiral Galaxy 2Masx J23453268-0449256 and its huge radio jet. Image credit: Bagchi et al. /Giant Metrure Lave Radio Telescope.

“This discovery is more than just weird. It forces us to rethink the evolution of galaxies and how super-large black holes grow and shape the environment within them,” said Professor Joydeep Baguch of Christ University.

“If spiral galaxies can not only survive, but also thrive under such extreme conditions, what does this mean for the future of our own Milky Way galaxies?”

“Can our Galaxy experience similar high-energy phenomena that have serious consequences for the survival of precious lives within it?”

In a new study, astronomers have unraveled the structure and evolution of the Spiral Galaxy J2345-0449, three times the size of the Milky Way.

Using observations from NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, Giant Metruh Rave Radio Telescope, Atacama’s Large Millimeter/Sub-Millimeter Array (ALMA), and multi-wavelength analysis, we detected the giant ultrafine black holes of its mind and radio jets in the largest radio jets by creating rare galaxies.

Traditionally, scientists believed that such huge, superimpression violent activities would destroy the delicate structures of spiral galaxies.

But for all possibilities, J2345-0449 retains its quiet nature with a well-defined spiral arm, bright nuclear bars and an uninterrupted ring of stars.

In addition to enigma, the galaxy is surrounded by vast halos of hot x-ray exhaust, providing important insights into its history.

This halo cools slowly over time, but the black hole jets act like space furnaces, preventing new star formation despite the abundant star-building materials present.

The authors also found that J2345-0449 contains 10 times the dark matter as the Milky Way.

“Understanding these rare galaxies could provide important clues about the invisible forces that govern the universe, such as the nature of dark matter, the long-term fate of the galaxy, and the origin of life,” says Ph.D. A student at the University of Christ.

“In the end, this research brings us one step closer to solving the mystery of the Cosmos and reminds us that the universe holds surprise beyond our imagination.”

Survey results It was published in Monthly Notices from the Royal Astronomical Society.

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Joydeep Bagchi et al. 2025. Announcing bulge disk structures, AGN feedback and baryon landscapes in a large helical galaxy with MPC-scale radio jets. mnras 538(3): 1628-1652; doi: 10.1093/mnras/staf229

Source: www.sci.news

New species of Miyashita found in China: Darwinopterus camposi

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A new species of the turmeric gopterid pterosaur Darwinopterus It is identified from the almost complete skeleton found in West Riaon, China.

Impressions of the artist Darwinopterus camposi. Image credits: Maurilio Oliveira / Institute of Vertebrate Apleontology and Apeoanthrogology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The newly discovered species lived in what is now China in the mid-Jurassic period, about 160 million years ago.

This flying reptile is a member of the genus Darwinopterus internal Turmericthe important Pterosaur group of Yanliao Biota.

It has been named Darwinopterus camposithe species estimated wingspan was 75 cm (30 inches).

“China has been a hot spot for Pterosaur’s research for quite some time, presenting new discoveries that have encouraged the study of these extinct flight reptiles,” said Dr. Xin Cheng, a paleontologist at Jilling University and Dr. Xin Cheng, a paleontologist at the Nanjing Institute at Geology and Palaeontology.

“New areas have been reported, and many species have been discovered in the West over the past decade, some showing close connections with faunas from other continents.”

“One of the most interesting findings is a specimen called the Biota of Yangliao. Although it was distributed in about the same region as Jehoru’s biota, it is considered to be the middle to late Jurassic of age.”

“Perhaps the most prominent pterosaur in Yangliao’s biota is the Turmeric Gopteridae, which shows a combination of features of non-ocular oxygen and ocular pterosaurs.”

“So far, three genera and five species have been listed. wukongopterus lii, Darwinopterus modularis, Darwinopterus linglongtaensis, Darwinopterus robustodensand Kunpengopterus sinensisan unknown turmeric gopteride specimen. ”

“All these specimens were collected from the center of the Jurassic Tierjisian Formation in Lingonta, Zianchang Province, from the top to the top.”

“Potential members of this clade have been discovered in Europe, except for materials from China.”

Holotype of Darwinopterus camposi. Image credits: Chen et al. , doi: 10.1590/0001-3765202520240707.

Holotype specimen of Darwinopterus camposi It was found in a grey grey shale slab from the same tierage.

“The specimen consists of almost complete skeletons with a skull and mandible, including several displaced cervical vertebrae, posterior vertebrae, sacral vertebrae, anterior tail, anterior caudal, partial thoracic girdle and all the forelimbs from both sides, paleontologists said.

According to the author, Darwinopterus camposi Provides new information about the Wukongopteridae group.

” Among the main features that differ from other turmeric gopterides are the summit of the mushisari, which exhibits a completely distinct straight dorsal edge and a smooth outer surface, teeth counts, and short fourth wing phalanx compared to the first,” they said.

“Holotype skull Darwinopterus camposi Some cranial elements show that they are fused only at very late stages during ontogeny. ”

“To better understand the ontogeny of the species that make up this interesting pterosaur clade, we need to take a closer look at the fusion of more specimens and bones.”

a paper About discoveries of Darwinopterus camposi Published in the journal Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências.

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X.Chen et al. 2025. New species of Darwinopterus (Wukongopteridae, Pterosauria) New information from the West from the West provides some new information regarding the ontogeny of this clade. Acad Bras Cienc 97:e20240707; doi:10.1590/0001-3765202520240707

Source: www.sci.news

Susan Monares is Nominated to Lead the CDC by Trump

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President Trump has selected Susan Monares, the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to permanently lead the agency.

Replacing his initial choice, Dr. Dave Weldon, the president nominated infectious disease researcher Dr. Monares for the position, making her the first non-physician to lead the agency in over 50 years if confirmed by the Senate.

In an article for The Truth Society, President Trump explained that the CDC’s loss of trust was due to political bias and mismanagement, and expressed confidence that Dr. Monares, along with health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., would address the current disease outbreak and restore agency accountability.

Trump praised Dr. Monares as an exceptional mother and dedicated civil servant, underscoring her understanding of the importance of safeguarding children, communities, and the future.

Dr. Monares, who assumed the role of acting director shortly after Trump’s inauguration in January, previously served as the deputy director of a new federal biomedical research institute established during the Biden administration.

Initially expected to hold the position until Dr. Weldon’s confirmation, Dr. Monares now stands as Trump’s nominee after the withdrawal of Dr. Weldon, who reportedly failed to impress Senate Republicans with his plans.

Dr. Monares’ expertise in biosecurity, including her endorsement of the Covid vaccine, may signal a shift in attitudes toward anti-vaccine sentiments, differentiating her from Dr. Weldon, who raised concerns within the medical community.

Dr. George Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, commended Dr. Monares as a respected infectious disease expert with solid research credentials and a keen understanding of the role of public health in government.

While praised for her expertise, Dr. Monares faces criticism for her absence at the CDC’s headquarters in Atlanta, with concerns raised by employees regarding communication and agency operations.

Allegedly, the comment section on the agency’s internal website was removed after staff expressed a desire for more engagement from Dr. Monares, who reportedly follows presidential directives with minimal input from agency directors.

Reportedly serving as a conduit for directives from the White House and the Department of Health and Human Services, Dr. Monares has been involved in agency cost-cutting efforts and compliance with Trump administration orders.

During directives to remove specific content from CDC websites under the Trump administration, Dr. Monares allegedly complied without resistance or efforts to preserve valuable data.

Source: www.nytimes.com

The “Juliana” climate case denied appeal by Supreme Court

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The Supreme Court on Monday concluded its 10-year journey through the court, refusing to hear appeals in a groundbreaking climate case brought to the federal government by 21 young people.

However, the case provided a blueprint for many other climate-related lawsuits that have achieved greater success.

Juliana v. the United States alleged that the government violated the plaintiffs’ constitutional rights with policies that encourage the use of fossil fuels. However, it was dismissed by the U.S. Court of Appeals in the Ninth Circuit, and the judge ruled that the court was not the right place to deal with climate change.

“In fact, the impressive case of plaintiff relief must be presented to the political sector of the government,” wrote Judge Andrew D. Harwitz. Opinions for 2020.

The nonprofit law firm in Eugene, Oregon, which represents the plaintiffs, filed the final legal gambit in a lawsuit last year. Last year, she threw the Supreme Court’s decision back on the Court of Appeals and asked Juliana to go to trial in a lower court. The petition was rejected Monday.

Some observers also thought it was risky to ask the Supreme Court to consider appeals, given concerns that conservative courts might use the case to abandon long-standing environmental protections.

The plaintiff in the case is Kelsey Cascadia Rose Juliana, a now 29-year-old Oregon teacher, the environmentalist and longtime climate activist daughter. The story of how she became involved in the lawsuit was documented in the documentary “Youthv. Gov.”

Juliana’s legal framework has since been replicated in numerous lawsuits and legal actions across the country. And last year, our child’s trust, which submitted many cases, recorded two notable victories.

The group has reached a settlement between Navahine v. Hawaii Department. There, the state agreed to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, the major greenhouse gas that warms the planet from its transport system within 20 years. And that’s a hold v. We won in Montana. There, the judge ruled that the state must consider climate change when approving a fossil fuel project. The Court of Appeals upheld the decision in December.

The plaintiff named in that case led to the decision to take part in the case as 23-year-old Ricky grew up on a cattle ranch in Montana and saw the effects of climate change firsthand. She is currently a science educator through the Peace Corps of Kenya.

On Monday, she said the Juliana incident paved the way for her. “Juliana left an indelible mark on the climate lawsuit landscape through the unwavering dedication of the plaintiffs and legal team,” she said.

Julia Olson, founder of Our Children’s Trust, had asked the Biden administration to discuss the settlement in the Juliana case. She said on Monday that Juliana “littles a legal movement.”

However, Justice Department lawyers argued that the court was not set up correctly to address climate change as judges were unable to order or enforce “viable relief” on the matter.

Some experts also raised concerns about the organization’s strategy in the Supreme Court, focusing on the risk that a conservative vast majority of courts could adopt Juliana’s case as a way to rethink legal precedents that will take root in environmental protection.

In an interview last year, Vermont law and graduate environmental law expert Patrick Derprue said: “If you need an answer to this question, you probably don’t like the answer you’re trying to get.”

However, he added that he still praises the efforts of the youth and their lawyers.

Olson said environmentalists should not move away from the courts. “If we don’t show up, don’t advance our claims, don’t shed light on injustice, then other forces will always win,” she said.

Source: www.nytimes.com

Trump’s encouragement prompts AI companies to push for reduced regulations

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Technology leaders in the artificial intelligence sector have been pushing for regulations for over two years. They have expressed concerns about the potential risks of generative AI and its impact on national security, elections, and jobs.

Openai CEO Sam Altman testified before Congress in May 2023 that AI is “very wrong.”

However, following Trump’s election, these technology leaders have shifted their stance and are now focused on advancing their products without government interference.

Recently, companies like Meta, Google, and Openai have urged the Trump administration to block state AI laws and allow the use of copyrighted material to train AI models. They have also sought incentives such as tax cuts and grants to support their AI development.

This change in approach was influenced by Trump declaring AI as a strategic asset for the country.

Laura Karoli, a senior fellow at the Wadwani AI Center, noted that concerns about safety and responsible AI have diminished due to the encouragement from the Trump administration.

AI policy experts are concerned about the potential negative consequences of unchecked AI growth, including the spread of disinformation and discrimination in various sectors.

Tech leaders took a different stance in September 2023, supporting AI regulations proposed by Senator Chuck Schumer. Afterward, the Biden administration collaborated with major AI companies to enhance safety standards and security.

(The New York Times sued Openai and Microsoft over copyright infringement claims related to AI content. Openai and Microsoft denied the allegations.)

Following Trump’s election victory, tech companies intensified lobbying efforts. Google, Meta, and Microsoft donated to Trump’s inauguration, and leaders like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk engaged with the president.

Trump embraced AI advancements, welcoming investments from companies like Openai, Oracle, and SoftBank. The administration emphasized the importance of AI leadership for the country.

Vice President JD Vance advocated for optimistic AI policies at various summits, highlighting the need for US leadership in AI.

Tech companies are responding to the President’s executive orders on AI, submitting comments and proposals for future AI policies within 180 days.

Openai and other companies are advocating for the use of copyrighted materials in AI training, arguing for legal access to such content.

Companies like Meta, Google, and Microsoft support the legal use of copyrighted data for AI development. Some are pushing for open-source AI to accelerate technological progress.

Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz is advocating for open-source models in AI development.

Andreessen Horowitz and other tech firms are engaged in debates over AI regulations, emphasizing the need for safety and consumer protection measures.

Civil rights groups are calling for audits to prevent discrimination in AI applications, while artists and publishers demand transparency in the use of copyrighted materials.

Source: www.nytimes.com

Proxima Centauri exhibits intense flare activity and recent Alma observations reveal new insights

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While Proxima Centauri’s flaring activity is well known to astronomers using visible wavelengths, new observations on Atacama’s massive millimeter/sub-millimeter arrays (ALMAs) highlight the extreme activity of stars at radio and millimeter wavelengths.

The concept of violent star flare artists from Proxima Centauri. Image credit: S. Dagnello, nrao/aui/nsf.

Proxima Centauri is a red star, about 4.24 light years away from the constellation of Centaurus.

Discovered in 1915 by Scottish astronomer Robert Innes, the star is invisible to the naked eye.

Its average luminosity is very low, very small compared to other stars, only about one eighth of the mass of the sun.

Proxima Centauri is also known as the Alpha Centauri C, as it is actually part of the Triple Star system.

The separation of the stars from their larger companions, Alpha Centauri A and B, is about 0.2 light-years, equivalent to 400 times the orbit of Neptune.

Proxima Centauri hosts the terrestrial exoplanet Proxima B in a habitable zone of 0.0485 Au.

The stars are well-established as highly active stars and are the primary targets for investigating the effects of star activity on the habitability of planets orbiting Red War.

In the new study, astronomer Kiana Burton at the University of Colorado and astronomer Meredith McGregor at Johns Hopkins University, and colleagues used archival data and new Alma observations to study millimeter-wavelength flare activity.

The small size and strong magnetic field of the Proxima Centauri show that its entire internal structure is convection (unlike the sun, which has both convective and non-reliable layers).

The magnetic field will twist and develop tension, and eventually snap, sending energy and particle flow outwards to what is observed as flares.

“Our solar activity does not remove the Earth’s atmosphere and instead creates beautiful auroras because it has a thick atmosphere and a strong magnetic field to protect the planets,” Dr. McGregor said.

“But we know that Proxima Centauri’s flares are much stronger and there are rocky planets in their habitable zones.”

“What are these flares doing to their atmosphere? Are there any large fluxes of radiation and particles that are chemically altered or perhaps completely eroding at the atmosphere?”

This study represents the first multi-wavelength study using millimeter observations to reveal a new appearance in flare physics.

A total of 463 flare events were reported with 50 hours of ALMA observations using both the full 12-meter array and the 7-M Atacama Compact Array (ACA).twenty four On 1027 ERG, and a short period of 3-16 seconds.

“When you see the flare with Alma, you see electromagnetic radiation, that is, light of various wavelengths,” Dr. McGregor said.

“But this radio-wavelength flaring also gives us a way to track the properties of those particles and understand what is free from the stars.”

To this end, astronomers characterized the stars (so-called flare frequency distribution) and mapped the number of flares as a function of energy.

Typically, the gradient of this distribution tends to follow the power law function. More frequent (lower energy) flares occur more frequently, but larger, more energy flares do not occur regularly.

Proxima Centauri experiences so many flares, researchers have detected many flares within each energy range.

Furthermore, they were able to quantify the asymmetry of the highest energy flares of stars, explaining how the attenuation phase of the flare is much longer than the initial burst phase.

Radio and millimeter wavelength observations help to constrain the energy associated with these flares and their associated particles.

“Millimeter flares look much more frequent,” Dr. McGregor said.

“It’s a different power law than what you see at optical wavelengths.”

“Looking only at the optical wavelengths is missing important information.”

“The Alma is the only millimeter interferometer that is sensitive enough to these measurements.”

Team’s Survey results It was published in Astrophysical Journal.

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Kiana Burton et al. 2025. Proxima Centauri Campaign – First constraint on millimeter flare rate from Alma. APJ 982, 43; doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ada5f2

Source: www.sci.news

Hubble’s Spectacular Images of NGC 5530

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NASA has released a beautiful new image snapped by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope on the “flocculent” Spiral Galaxy NGC 5530.

This Hubble image shows the NGC 5530, a spiral galaxy about 40 million light years away in the constellation of Lupus. Image credits: NASA/ESA/Hubble/D. Thilker.

NGC 5530 It is about 40 million light years away from the constellation of Lupus.

Also known as the IRAS 14152-4309 or ESO-LV 272-0030, this Galaxy has a diameter of approximately 60,000 light years.

First discovered by British astronomer John Herschel on April 7, 1837, the NGC 5530 is a key member of the NGC 5643 Galaxy Group.

“NGC 5530 is classified as a “coheterogeneous” spiral. This means that the spiral arm is patchy and obscure,” the statement said.

“Some galaxies have very bright centers that host ultra-high Massive black holes of feasts, but the bright source near the centre of NGC 5530 is not an active black hole, but a star
within our own galaxy, which is only 10,000 light years from Earth.”

“This chance alignment gives the star the appearance of the dense mind of the NGC 5530.”

2007, a labeled supernova event SN 2007it It occurred in this galaxy.

“If you had pointed to a backyard telescope on the NGC 5530 on the evening of September 13, 2007, you would have seen another bright spot of light adorned the galaxy,” the astronomer said.

“That night, Australian amateur astronomer Robert Evans discovered a supernova named SN 2007it by comparing the appearance of the NGC 5530 with a reference photograph of the galaxy from a telescope.”

“It’s worth noting that even one supernova can be discovered using this painstaking method, but Evans has actually discovered over 40 supernovaes like this.”

“This particular discovery was truly a coincidence. It is possible that light from the supernova completed its 40 million year journey to Earth a few days before the explosion was discovered.”

The color image of the NGC 5530 is Hubble Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) UV, near-infrared, and optical parts of the spectrum.

The image is based on data obtained through five filters. Colors are attributed to assigning different hue to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter.

Source: www.sci.news

How did the Autopen conspiracy theory about Biden gain traction?

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Mike Howell observed a letter from the Missouri Attorney General questioning President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s ability to sign pardons and executive orders with “psychic ability.”

Howell, executive director of the Surveillance Project under the Conservative Heritage Foundation, saw an opportunity for critique in this letter. After comparing Biden’s signatures on various official documents for months, he noticed similarities in many of them. Before boarding his flight, Howell made a controversial post he later claimed he conspired with X about.

Critics of Biden’s fitness questioned his appointments, but so far, no evidence has surfaced to suggest that he disagreed with any actions he has taken.

Upon landing, Howell’s post gained traction rapidly. Within days, a theory emerged that a shadowy, deep state agent was secretly running the country on behalf of Biden, using mechanical means to achieve sinister goals, sparking fury.

Autoopen is a machine that replicates a person’s actual signature using a real pen. Politicians have been using such devices for decades with little public interest. Data from the Media Tracker revealed that the term was mentioned 49 times in US television, radio, and podcasts in the first two months of the year, spiking to 6,188 mentions on March 17th alone.

Right-wing media outlets are now extensively covering topics related to wet signatures and autopen technology. They focus particularly on Biden’s signatures on pardons for political allies like California Democrats Adam Schiff and Hunter Biden, casting doubt on the former president’s mental acuity and his awareness of the documents he signs.

President Trump himself has criticized Biden’s use of autopens, questioning the validity of the pardons granted without providing evidence, suggesting they were void. Trump has also used an autopen in the past, raising doubts yet again during an Oval office press conference.

Biden has not confirmed whether he personally signed all the pardons, but a senior aide mentioned they were automated during his administration. A Biden spokesperson has yet to comment on the matter.

There are no federal laws prohibiting the use of autopens, as noted by the Justice Department. The president has the authority to instruct subordinates to affix his signature to a bill. Legal experts question the president’s ability to revoke a pardon based on notes from 1929 suggesting a presidential signature is not essential for a pardon to be valid.

The rise of speculative and legally dubious theories promoted by pro-Trump activists highlights the efficiency of today’s right-wing media environment.

The origins of the conspiracy theory are uncertain, but a post on the 4chan message board in October referencing autopens and Biden may have contributed to its spread.

Howell’s Surveillance Project, established in 2022 by the Heritage Foundation, has been deeply involved in researching this topic.

Former Congressman Jason Chaffetz, now a visiting fellow at the Surveillance Project, proposed collecting copies of presidential documents signed by Biden to verify signature authenticity.

Staff members began compiling documents and requesting copies of resolutions and bills from the National Archives after Biden’s withdrawal from the race, but the project gained urgency when Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s letter raised concerns about the enforcement orders and pardons signed by Biden.

Howell was surprised by Bailey’s letter’s alignment with his signature study and considered it a stroke of luck.

“It was eighth on the to-do list,” Howell remarked. “Then AG Bailey drops his letter and it shoots to the top.”

Howell’s thread received over 3 million views, sparking widespread discussions on conservative talk radio within hours.

The topic quickly spread to popular podcasts and cable news programs, with a focus on Biden’s autopen, especially concerning pardons for political allies.

The project highlighted the vulnerability of amnesty documents, releasing an analysis of Biden’s signatures on five amnesties issued on his final day in office.

Trump criticized Biden’s use of autopens as disrespectful to the presidency and potentially invalid at a Justice Department press conference following the release of the Surveillance Project’s findings on pardons.

Critics, including conservative jurist Jonathan Turley, dismissed the idea of nullifying pardons based on autopen usage, citing the president’s authority to use such tools and lack of concrete evidence for a conspiracy against Biden.

Howell believes the question can only be resolved in court and continues his work, publishing a legal memo on Autopens and planning to retrieve more documents signed by Biden for further analysis by a forensic handwriting expert.

“We’re preparing for all possibilities,” Howell concluded.

Source: www.nytimes.com

Amber Fossils: Create in 24 Hours, Not Millions of Years

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Amber is a slow specimen that holds ancient water, bubbles, plants, insects, and even more unusual specimens, coveted around the world as both a container of gems and prehistoric debris bird.

Usually, amber forms for millions of years as wood resins become fossilized, but paleontologists are energizing it, creating amber fossils from pine resin in 24 hours. This technique can help clarify as Amber’s biochemistry is formed. This is a process that remains hidden in prehistoric mist.

It was released on Monday JournalScientific Reportsthe results of the rapid experiment are similar to meals made in a pressure cooker. “It’s similar to Instapot,” said Evan Saitta, a researcher at the Field Museum in Chicago and co-author of the paper.

The synthetic amber recipe began with Chicago Botanical Garden Pine Resin. Dr. Saitta and his co-author, independent paleontologist Thomas Kaye, placed a half-inch sediment disc with Mr. Kaye embedded in which the resin was constructed using a medical tablet compressor, an air canister and other cleaned parts.

By heating the sample and applying pressure, researchers were trying to simulate the product. This was trying to limit the slow, wet physical and chemical transformations needed to the rock before sediments could be integrated into the rock.

“Making it is the ultimate hurdle you need to pass to become a fossil,” said Dr. Saita. “It’s kind of the last boss.”

Although some samples produced by the researchers were incomplete, the physical properties of some ambers include darker colours, fractures, dehydration, and increased gloss.

The two also realized that they started with the wrong family of pine trees. Amber, the most frequently studied in paleontology, is a scientist, and its group of trees is Only living relatives are Japanese umbrella pine.

Maria McNamara, a paleontologist at University College Cork in Ireland, said future experiments should test additional plant types as they were not involved in the study.

“What we really want to handle is that the resin polymerizes faster,” she said. She also pointed out that accelerated chemical analysis of Amber is necessary to know how close it is to the real thing. “Wood resin survives, but requires proper and complete chemical properties,” she said.

Regarding the limitations of all research, Dr. McNamara said fossil simulation is an increasingly important area of ​​research. Recreated by some paleontologists Bone or tissue collapse To explore the effects of microbial organisms. In her lab, the researcher said,Thermal mature specimen Investigate the conservation of biological molecules under heat.

Without such simulations, “we just trust the fossil records,” she said. “Experiments can help tell facts from fiction and determine the extent to which the fossil records are lying.”

Dr. Saita tried other simulations. In 2018 he buried him. Finch In wet deposits, see how it compresses. It was awkward and failed. However, after working with Kaye on a pressure cooker device, they managed to study the previous stages of fossilization. Leaf, feather, lizard feet. For example, in these specimens, keratin from the feathers leached out in feathers, leaving behind a dark, melanin-like engraving similar to fossilized feathers. (At the conference, Dr. Saitta said he likes to test other paleontologists and find the visual difference between analogues and real fossils.)

In future amber experiments, Dr. Saita aims to embed insects, wings, or plants in the resin. One reason why this can be proven useful is that the actual specimen is valuable, meaning it is a trade of thousands of dollars, making disruptive analysis unfeasible. “Preserved insects in synthetic amber would not be valuable because it is made in the laboratory,” Dr. Saita said.

Researchers also plan to apply pressure on decayed organic matter and adapt the technology to simulate geological weathering. This will capture more fossilization stages more realistically.

Looking further, experimental fossilization techniques allow scientists to even explore the fossils of the future, Dr. Saitta said. How does life in the Anthropocene become fossilized? What happens to tissue or bones that have been injected with microplastics or industrial heavy metals?

We are not here in millions of years from now. However, using devices like pressure aids can get you closer.

Source: www.nytimes.com

What is the Formation Process of Super Jupiter?

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scientist First discovered outside our solar systemcalled Planet1990s. Since then, scientists have found some strange systems. Turn robing from the first recorded exoplanet Neutron Star Jupiter-sized Exoplanet brings host stars into orbit Puts the sun in orbit nearly 20 times more than the Earthastronomers continue to find distant planetary systems that look very different from ours. It is a relatively easy exoplanet to find for astronomers. The gas giant is more than twice the mass of Jupiter, or more than 600 times the mass of Earth. Super Jupiter.

Astronomers have proposed two hypotheses on how some exoplanets can make this bigger. The first is that they form this size or grow from the gas and dust around the star’s first surroundings. Protoplanetary disc. The second is that it arises from collisions between two or more small gas giants. Scientists acknowledge that these hypotheses are not mutually exclusive, so some superjupiters can begin their size, while others can be formed by conflict.

However, scientists also say that the larger the Super Jupiter, the longer the longer, or Eccentric The formation mechanism should explain this observation, as its trajectory tends to be. They all agree that there is an answer to how planets interact. Collision advocates point out that hypothetical conflicts can distort Super Jupiter’s trajectory. Supporters of the high early mass say that gravitational pull from adjacent planets can also distort Super Jupiter’s orbit.

A team of astronomers recently tested these hypotheses on the Xplanet TOI-2145B and its host star TOI-2145. This exoplanet has a mass of about six times the mass of Jupiter and more than 1800 times the mass of Earth. They used accurate and detailed data collected by previous researchers from multiple sources. These included observations of the period, width, and distance from the star of the exporanet orbit. Passing an exoplanet survey satellite or Tess, and its mass and orbital eccentricity from Keck Observatory. High resolution Echelle spectrometer Or hire. This team collected their own data using Wiyn Telescope To enhance previous existing recruitment data. All the information was then combined to create a complete image of the stellar, orbital, and planetary properties of this system.

They discovered that TO-2145 stars are about 1.7 times the mass of the Sun, exceeding 1.5 billion years. Its exoplanet orbital is the Earth orbiting the Sun at a distance of over 1/10, causing a complete revolution in about 10 days, with a highly distorted orbit with an eccentricity of 0.2. For reference, Venus orbitalmost perfect circle and has an eccentricity of 0.007. Furthermore, the TOI-2145B’s trajectory is roughly aligned with the host star, with an axial tilt of approximately 7.o. For reference, the Earth has an axial tilt of 23.5othat causes our seasons. They also discovered that the system did not have any other measurable ex-man or nearby stars that could destroy the orbit of TOI-2145B.

The next step for astronomers was to use mathematical simulations to see if they could replicate a Super Jupiter with similar properties to the TOI2145B. Collision dynamics code was used rebound It models how a planetary system with a protranetary disc of a particular size and four starting planets has changed over 10 million years. They changed several parameters into the simulation, including the total mass of the four planets, how the masses were distributed between the planets, how far they were from each other, and the mass of the disc. They have the results of a few dozen simulations. Gaia Archives Check if you can replicate general trends in the Super Jupiter system.

To test the origin hypothesis of Super Jupiter, astronomers used simulations of relatively low protranetary disc masses to represent systems grown through collisions, and systems launched by Super Jupiter on a large scale using simulations of relatively high protranetary disc masses to represent systems started by Super Jupiter on a large scale. They found that the simulated Super Jupiter was consistently similar to the TOI2145B in terms of orbital size and eccentricity, whether the protranetary disc mass is high or low. However, their low-disk mass collision simulations replicated the trends of high-mass planets with more eccentric orbits, but at first, higher-disk mass simulations did not.

The team concluded that Super Jupiter is likely to originate from interplanetary collisions. However, they acknowledged that it is certainly possible for some exoplanets to begin their own lives several times larger than Jupiter.


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Source: sciworthy.com

Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix, proposes a $50 million donation to Bowdoin College for AI programs.

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Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings is hoping to encourage more researchers and students to delve into the impact of artificial intelligence on human norms. To support this cause, Hastings made a generous donation of $50 million to his alma mater, Boudine College, establishing a research initiative on “AI and Humanity,” the largest gift the liberal arts college has received since its founding in 1794.

The ultimate goal of the program, according to Hastings and school officials, is to transform Boudine into a hub for investigating the risks and consequences of AI. It also aims to equip students to address emerging technologies that are capable of producing human-like text and creating formulas for potential new medications.

The concept for this initiative stemmed from conversations between Hastings and President Boudin over recent months. They see it as an opportunity to enhance the academic experience by incorporating AI into education and research. Some of the funds will be used to hire 10 new faculty members to support professors looking to integrate AI into their teaching and research.

In a recent interview, Hastings emphasized the importance of researchers addressing these critical questions given the rapid advancements in AI and the potential disruptions it could bring to various aspects of human life, such as work and relationships.

He stressed the urgency of preparing for the transformative impact of AI, comparing it to the rapid growth of social networks that initially caught many off guard with their societal implications.

Dr. Zaki, a cognitive scientist and President of Boudin, expressed his hope that Bowdoin faculty and students will develop an ethical framework for exploring and utilizing AI technology to address fundamental questions.

He posed thought-provoking questions about the ethical dimensions of AI and stressed the moral duty of educators to engage with these issues.

As AI becomes more pervasive in daily life, millions of people are utilizing it for tasks ranging from information retrieval to generating computer code. The creators of these tools predict that even more advanced AI systems will significantly alter our daily routines.

While some tech leaders in Silicon Valley paint a positive image of an AI-driven future, the new initiative at Boudin College seeks to critically examine how AI is reshaping society for better or for worse. Hastings hopes this program will ensure that technological advancements are aligned with benefiting people and society.

Expressing his optimistic view on technology, Hastings believes that human progress is closely tied to our moral and ethical systems. He highlights the importance of strengthening these systems to guide technological development for the betterment of humanity.

Source: www.nytimes.com

Video games’ undeniable role in the radicalization of young men | Games

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tCurrently, there is a lot of focus on young men and toxic masculinity. It’s about time. A 13-year-old accused of killing a girl after being radicalized by online manospheres has brought attention to the issue through his remarkable writing and powerful performance by teenager Owen Cooper. Former English football manager Gareth Southgate recently discussed the lack of moral leadership among young men in the UK, who turn to gambling and video games, disconnecting from society and immersing themselves in male-dominated online communities where racism is prevalent. The gaming industry has faced criticism for providing a less than ideal environment for boys, and even those who enjoy playing must acknowledge that game forums, message boards, streaming platforms, and social media groups struggle with hate speech and violent rhetoric.

This is not a new revelation. The 2014 harassment campaign Gamergate, supposedly about ethics in game journalism, was actually a response to increased inclusivity and progressive thinking in game development, leading to the radicalization of young white men by “Alt-Right” influencers and Breitbart. This toxic environment produced online harassment and doxxing aimed at women, LGBTQI+ developers, and developers of color.

Toxic fandom remains a significant issue in the gaming industry, with developers facing online abuse and death threats for diversifying characters and stories or delaying game releases. The toxicity has been ingrained in the gaming community for years.

The complexity of the problem often gets overlooked. While condemning toxic gaming communities, it’s important to acknowledge the positive impact online communities can have on teenagers’ lives, fostering connections and support. The gaming industry and social media platforms need to take responsibility for ensuring a safe environment with robust moderation and AI monitoring. However, addressing the root of the problem – the lack of direction and purpose among young men today – is essential for long-term change.

The gaming community, dominated by young men seeking power fantasies, needs to be part of the conversation about addressing toxic behavior and fostering a healthier environment. Society must address the challenges facing young men, including mental health services access, changing traditional masculine roles, and providing support and guidance in a rapidly evolving world.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Insights from Kat, the Lost-Pet Detective

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In 1996, Kat Albrecht was a police officer and bloodhound handler in Santa Cruz, California. Her dog, AJ, is part of many search and rescue operations, sniffing and finding people lost in the woods.

However, when AJ escaped from Albrecht’s garden, there was no team of expert animal rescuers to rely on. There she sought help from her own chasing dog, a friend who had a golden retriever named Kea. “I knew that Care knew that he would ‘s smell this pillowcase and follow the scent of this missing person’,” recalls Albrecht. “Does she understand, ‘Stop this smelling blanket and find my smelly bloodhound?”

Within 20 minutes, Care spotted AJ relaxing on a stranger’s pouch. For Albrecht, it was a turning point. “We have all sorts of detection dogs: drug detection, bomb detection, termite detection,” she said. “Why don’t you have cat detection dogs? Why don’t we train dogs to follow the scent of lost dogs?”

Albrecht decided to do that, forged an unlikely career as a lost pet detective. Along the way, she worked with researchers to study the behavior of missing cats and set up a Missing Animal Reaction Network. She is no longer looking for a lost pet, but trains others to follow in her footsteps.

Albrecht spoke with the New York Times about her work. This conversation is condensed and edited for clarity.

What strategies and techniques do you use to find a missing pet?

One of the most basic things is the analysis of Lost-PET behavior. Dogs and cats are like apples and oranges. When lost, they behave differently from each other.

Cats hide when they are afraid, sick or injured. And it is often within their territory – one of your garden or your neighbor’s gardens. It’s fine to post a missing cat online, but you’ll need to get permission from your neighbor to go to the yard for a slow, orderly search. That’s because it has been shown to be researching what cats are most likely. They are close, but they are silent and hidden.

Another technique and tactic is the use of cat detection dogs. I choose a dog who wants to get a kitten but never “get” a kitten. You can share the story about one of these recovery. The handler’s name was Karen and her dog’s name was Hello. A skittish cat inside was running away. Hello is tracked from Escape Point to the neighbor’s house, then there is a cat under this deck.

When the owner raw her house, she couldn’t see the cat. However, Karen was very confident in her dog. She said, “My dog ​​claims that there is a cat here.” So the owner was even raw behind her, and she found the cat.

Is there a risk that a skittish cat will be scared of the dog and hide deeper?

That’s exactly what the taste did. He went back further beneath the house. When Karen finds out that the cat is under the deck, she puts Hello in the car. So, yeah, there’s a risk. However, the ability of a dog to say that there is a cat under this house or that there is a cat in this tree pile is a very important clue.

Please back it up. Many people think that search dogs are the answer to finding missing pets. It’s one tool. Cameras are used to monitor traps and feeding stations. It also uses an amplified listening device. It’s innovative to see what technology is there.

How do missing dogs tend to differ from cats’ behavior?

There were cases where dogs were hiding, just like when fireworks were on. However, in general, dogs run.

What’s interesting about dogs is that their recovery is more dependent on people’s actions. When people see this dog running down the sidewalk, do they think this is a lost dog?

A dog found in a rural area – people assume it was abandoned. They are unaware that the dog may have escaped from his home or been involved in a rollover car accident. So even if there is an ID tag, they don’t call the number there because they think that if the owner cares about this dog they won’t loosen it.

What should people do if a dog goes missing?

You have to go out there and broadcast it. So you do things like posting on Facebook, making big neon posters, and more. There are five or more 5 plus 55 rules. If you are traveling 55 miles per hour, I would like to use five words that can be read in 5 seconds. For example, “Lost black poodle, blue colour.” And you place these at the main intersection.

You also need to physically search for your property. Because there have been so many cases in which owners think the dog is missing and the dog is right there.

Any other advice for pet owners?

It is the process of collecting a missing dog or missing cat. Don’t give up immediately.

Source: www.nytimes.com

I’ve Given Up Trying to Solve the Mystery of Your “Baby Amnesia”

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Many adults do not remember being a baby, with the earliest memories typically beginning around the age of four. The scientific community has long attributed this phenomenon, known as “infant amnesia,” to the ongoing development of the hippocampus, the brain region responsible for memory.

However, recent research from Yale University challenges this theory, suggesting that babies do form memories that are stored in the hippocampus, raising questions about why these memories are not accessible later in life.

“This study has significant implications for understanding infant amnesia,” said Professor Nick Turk Brown, the senior author of the study. “It suggests that the issue may lie in accessing stored memories rather than the inability to form memories initially.”

The study involved scanning the brains of babies aged between four months and two years and testing their ability to remember images. The results indicated that babies do retain memories, particularly in the hippocampus.

https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/41/2025/03/Compressed-Baby-Amnesia-Video.m4v
A brief overview of the memory tasks conducted during a brain scan on babies, demonstrating the background, encoding trials, and test trials.

Exploring Different Types of Memory

The study specifically investigated episodic memory, which involves recalling specific events like conversations or outings. This type of memory is distinct from semantic memory, which involves learning over time, such as language acquisition.

Prior research had shown that both types of memory are stored in the adult hippocampus, challenging previous beliefs about its functionality in early childhood.

“We now know that the infant hippocampus is engaged in statistical learning as early as three months,” explained Turk Brown. This research aimed to determine whether this also applies to episodic memory.

Scanning Baby Brains in Motion

Conducting functional MRI scans on babies has been challenging due to their limited ability to remain still during the procedure. However, innovative methods have been developed to overcome these obstacles and study how baby memories are formed.

“Being able to conduct MRI experiments on infants is a significant achievement in unraveling the mysteries of early memories and cognition,” Turk Brown expressed.

Nick Turk-Browne (left) preparing child participants and parents for an infant MRI study at Yale University’s Brain Imaging Center. Credits: 160/90

Unraveling the Mystery of Early Memories

Researchers are now focused on understanding where early memories go and how long they last in the brain. By studying how memories are stored and accessed, scientists hope to shed light on the process of memory formation in infancy.

“There is a possibility that memories from early childhood can persist into adulthood if properly cued,” speculated Turk Brown. He emphasized the role of sensory cues like smells in triggering forgotten memories.

“By finding effective ways to trigger early memories, we may be able to unlock the mysteries of infant amnesia and uncover the full potential of the developing brain,” Turk Brown concluded.

Read more:

Meet Our Expert:

Professor Nick Turk Brown is a cognitive psychologist at Yale University and the director of Yale’s Wootsy Institute. With a background in Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence, Turk Brown has dedicated his career to understanding memory and cognition in both children and adults.

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Big mistake found in large-scale insect research

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French scientist Lawrence Gorm and Marion Deskill bet initially expressed concerns about the new international insect decline database. The database indicated an increase in some insect species, contrary to previous research findings that showed a decrease in insect biodiversity.

Upon further investigation, they discovered errors in the database that highlighted the challenges in measuring biodiversity accurately. This led to discussions on the validity of scientific discoveries and the importance of ongoing debate in the scientific community.

Over 1 million insects discovered by scientists – Photo credit: Getty

The database, called Insects, merged various datasets and was analyzed by scientists from Germany, Russia, and America. The analysis revealed that while land insects were declining, freshwater insects were thriving, indicating a more nuanced understanding of insect population trends compared to prior research.

However, some scholars raised concerns about the accuracy of the database, with more than 60 scientists publishing a letter expressing their reservations about the findings.

The team behind the database acknowledged the issues and began working on corrections to improve the accuracy of the data. Although Gaume and Desquilbet were invited to collaborate on the project, they declined, emphasizing the importance of addressing methodological and statistical errors in scientific research.

Hopping to conclusions

One of the main concerns raised by Gaume and Desquilbet was the inclusion of different types of data units and the manipulation of natural habitats in the dataset. These factors contributed to inaccuracies in measuring insect population trends.

The Insectchange team, led by Roel Van Klink, recognized the need for improvements and committed to releasing an updated version of the database with the necessary corrections.

While controversies around the database continue, scientists like Manu Sanders emphasize the importance of ongoing debate and scrutiny in scientific research. Science is a process of continuous refinement and correction, where discussion and collaboration are essential for producing reliable results.

About our experts

Lawrence Gorm: Insect ecologist at the University of Montpellier, focusing on insect-plant interactions and biodiversity conservation.

Marion Deskill bet: Environmental economist at the Toulouse School of Economics, specializing in ecological economics and biodiversity policies.

Roel Van Klink: Ecologist at the German Center for Integrated Biodiversity Research, with expertise in insect population trends and biodiversity datasets.

Manu Sanders: Ecologist at the University of New England in Australia, researching insect conservation, ecosystem services, and scientific communication.

Source: www.sciencefocus.com